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24 April 2023
Department of Justice Commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Every April, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) to honor victims, promote their rights and recognize victim advocates. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and right of victims of crime. To observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week , the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana is co-sponsoring an Intimate Partner Violence Training on April 25, 2023 in coordination with the South Bend Police Department and the Office of Victims of Crime.
The Department of Justice and United States Attorney’s Offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. According to a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2021, there were more than 4.6 million violent victimizations and 11.7 million property crimes.
During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victim advocacy organizations, community groups and state, local, and tribal agencies host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. On the evening of Wednesday, April 26th, a candlelight vigil will be held on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol from 7:00pm-8:00pm EST. In recognition of this year’s theme: Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change. – the vigil is an opportunity to commit to elevating and engaging survivors to lift their voices, inform policy and practice, thereby effect change. For more information on the candlelight vigil, please visit: https://ovc.ojp.gov/events.
United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson said, “My office collaborates with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to highlight the importance of providing services at the earliest possible stage of victimization and litigation. Early intervention helps prevent further victimization and encourages victim involvement in the criminal justice system, mitigating the cycle of violence and restoring hope for the future.”
For additional information about this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and how to assist victims in your community, please visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.gov. For ongoing updates from OVC and ideas throughout the year on how you can support victims, please subscribe to OVC’s email notifications at https://ovc.ojp.gov/subscribe/news-from-ovc.
Department of Justice Commemorates 2023 National Crime Victims’ Rights WeekRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa join federal, state, and local communities nationwide in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and celebrating victims’ rights, protections, and services. This year’s observance takes place April 23-29, 2023 and features the theme, “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change,” which emphases the importance of engaging with victims of crime, learning from their lived experiences, amplifying their voices, and fostering an environment where they are heard, believed, and supported.
As part of this observance, the Southern District of Iowa recognizes the courage and bravery of victims, and the outstanding work of law enforcement, victim advocates, and community service partners throughout Iowa. Seven individuals are recognized for outstanding service to victims:
Award for Excellence in Victim Services
• United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa, Victim Witness Specialist Charlotte Kovacs
• Family Resources/Braking Traffik Survivor Advocate Gretchen McCall
Law Enforcement Victim Service Award
• Des Moines Police Department Detective Ben Carter
• Council Bluffs Police Department Sergeant John Focht
• Altoona Police Department Detective David Lowe
• FBI Special Agent Amber Mann
• Ottumwa Police Department Investigator Jeremy Tosh“These awards proudly recognize the exceptional efforts of individuals providing assistance to federal and state victims in the Southern District of Iowa,” said United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. “Advocacy for the rights and safety of victims is a cogent reminder of the long-term human impact of these crimes. The service of these individuals, and other state and federal victim advocates, are a vital component of our criminal justice system.”
The 2023 Award for Excellence in Victim Services is awarded to United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Iowa, Victim Witness Specialist Charlotte Kovacs. Kovacs provides selfless and dedicated advocacy to federal crime victims. Kovacs epitomizes the highest quality of victim advocacy in support of victims, witnesses, and their families during the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes, and specifically human trafficking cases and fentanyl-related death cases. Kovacs’s extraordinary dedication to her profession and to the citizens of the Southern District of Iowa cannot be replicated.
The 2023 Award for Excellence in Victim Services is awarded to Family Resources/Braking Traffik Survivor Advocate Gretchen McCall. McCall has provided excellent victim services to the Davenport community and the Southern District of Iowa. McCall and her services were instrumental in a Davenport human trafficking case where, as a victim advocate, she provided the human trafficking victim with vital resources to ensure a solid foundation for the victim, before, during, and after trial. McCall’s devotion to her profession, time and time again, has proven to be an invaluable resource to the community and the victims for whom she relentlessly advocates.
The 2023 Law Enforcement Victim Service Award recognizes the performance of Des Moines Police Department Detective Ben Carter. Detective Carter showed outstanding work and unrelenting perseverance in the investigation and prosecution of Tyrone Cameron. Detective Carter’s dedication to the case began in early spring of 2022 from the death of Jeff Gillom and extended into April 2023 when Tyrone Cameron was convicted in federal court on charges related to the death of Gillom. During a year’s time, Detective Carter showed unwavering commitment to bring justice to the victim’s family and ultimately received justice by performing in his role as an investigator and as the victim’s family’s lifeline by exuding empathy and understanding with the victim’s family. Detective Carter went above and beyond in his duties for the victim’s family and for the Des Moines community, resulting in a conviction largely due to his unparalleled commitment and service.
The 2023 Law Enforcement Victim Service Award is awarded to Council Bluffs Police Department Sergeant John Focht for his support and dedication to his profession through the investigation and prosecution of several cases involving child victims. Sergeant Focht’s investigative skills were vital in the prosecution of Myron Brandon who was charged and convicted of Kidnapping and Transportation of a Minor. Sergeant Focht spent countless hours meeting with witnesses across the United States and assisted the prosecution with invaluable support during trial. Sergeant John Focht is an irreplaceable asset to the Council Bluffs community and to the people of Iowa.
The 2023 Law Enforcement Victim Service Award is awarded to Altoona Police Department Detective David Lowe for his outstanding service, commitment, and dedication to assisting victims in the Altoona community and the State of Iowa. Detective Lowe has established himself as an outstanding detective in the investigations of human trafficking and child exploitation cases by providing support to victims and witnesses. Detective Lowe has exceptional skills in communication, investigation, and prosecutorial support and exemplifies the highest order of conduct and performance in every investigation and with each victim.
The 2023 Law Enforcement Victim Service Award is awarded to FBI Special Agent Amber Mann as a fierce investigator and committed advocate for justice especially for minor victims in human trafficking and sex trafficking cases. Special Agent Mann successfully investigated and aided in the prosecution of two defendants, one convicted of Transportation of a Minor and Coercion and Enticement and one convicted of Travel with the Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct. Both defendants preyed on children for their personal intentions. Special Agent Mann investigated the cases to the core, worked directly with the minor victims and their families, and dedicated long hours on the ultimate prosecution of two predators. Special Agent Mann is dedicated to our community and to fighting for justice for all victims.
The 2023 Law Enforcement Victim Service Award is awarded to Ottumwa Police Department Investigator Jeremy Tosh for his commitment to his work and for his relentless efforts to provide victims and witnesses of crimes with outstanding support. Investigator Tosh’s skills were put to the test during the investigation and prosecution of Nesly Mwarecheong and Bertino Weires, both of which plead guilty to forced labor crimes against three victims from the small island of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. Investigator Tosh provided constant support to the victims, despite significant obstacles with language barriers and American customs and norms. At sentencing, the victims expressed their gratitude for Investigator Tosh in their victim impact statements, proof that Investigator Tosh’s impact on the lives of victims makes him most deserving of this award.
President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first Victims’ Rights Week in 1981, putting crime victims' rights, needs, and concerns in a prominent spot on the American agenda. He also established the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime, which laid the groundwork for a national network of services and legal safeguards for crime victims.
For more information on how to create your own public campaigns to raise awareness about crime victims’ rights online and at events throughout the year, please visit: https://ovc.ojp.gov/ncvrw2022/overview.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Crack Cocaine DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man, previously convicted of numerous state drug distribution charges, was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for distributing cocaine base (crack cocaine).
Jerry Cooper, a/k/a “Jerkz,” 30, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Nov. 8, 2022, Cooper pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.
This case arose from a series of controlled purchases of crack cocaine from Cooper, who, in September 2021, was recorded conducting a controlled purchase of crack cocaine.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley, Jr. of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Columbus Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Columbus man with an extensive criminal history pleaded guilty to illegally possessing two pistols he tossed into the backyard of a home while fleeing deputies on foot through a residential area of the city.
Raymond Richmond, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on April 19. Richmond faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine. Sentencing will occur within 90 days.
“The message is out that convicted felons caught with guns in Columbus will face federal charges, which carry stiff penalties,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Columbus citizens demand a safer city; any real solution to reducing violent crime will be found with the continued cooperation of all community members working to achieve this goal.”
“The message must be resoundingly clear for convicted felons in possession of firearms in Muscogee County: We will not accept this behavior at any level,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “They must know that we will pursue them and seek to fully prosecute their crimes. The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office stands committed to staying the course to fight for safer neighborhoods.”
“Taking illegal guns off the streets help keep communities safe. We will continue to work with our partners to investigate these types of crimes,” said GBI Director Mike Register.
“This case is another reminder that ATF remains on the frontline of preventing violent crimes along with our law enforcement partners,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. “We will not allow residents to suffer such criminal behavior, especially that which threatens the safety of innocent civilians and law enforcement officers.”
According to court documents, on Dec. 15, 2020, a deputy with the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), was in routine patrol in Columbus and observed a car without a brake light and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle continued at a low rate of speed for several blocks but failed to stop. Near the intersection of 17th Street and Preston Drive—a residential section of the city—the vehicle slowed down and Richmond exited the front passenger seat with a black book bag and took off running.
A brief foot chase ensued, during which Richmond tossed his book bag in the backyard of a residence. Richmond was apprehended in the yard and the bookbag was located next to him in the shrubs. Inside, deputies found a .40 caliber Glock pistol with 26 rounds of ammunition, a .380 Kel-Tec pistol with five rounds of ammunition, along with crack, cocaine, pills and marijuana.
At the time of this incident, Richmond was wanted on several outstanding warrants. He has several prior felony convictions in Muscogee County, Georgia, Superior Court, including obstruction of a law enforcement officer, interference with government property and theft by taking. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Muscogee Co. Sheriff’s Office, GBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is prosecuting the case for the government.
Colorado Springs Man Convicted by Federal Jury for Gun and Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
DENVER -- The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that a federal jury found Christopher Barron of Colorado Springs, guilty of six charges related to guns and drugs, including possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to facts presented at a three-day trial in Denver, law enforcement executed a search warrant in January 2021, on a Lincoln Town Car registered to Barron, who was a convicted felon on parole for a weapons offense. The Lincoln Town Car was parked outside a motel in Colorado Springs. Inside the trunk of the car, investigators discovered over $18,000 in cash, a backpack that held six firearms, and approximately 349 grams of methamphetamine, in addition to heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.
“Our office continues to prioritize gun crimes, especially when combined with drug trafficking – a truly dangerous combination,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We thank our law enforcement partners for their continued work making our communities safer by investigating these offenses.”
"Keeping our communities safe remains our top priority," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Brent Beavers. "We are grateful for our partnership with the Colorado Springs Police Department as it strengthens our ability to combat violent crime and carry out our unified mission.”
United States District Court Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson presided over the jury trial, which returned guilty verdicts on April 19, 2023. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Colorado Springs Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Colorado Department of Corrections Office of Parole, and the Colorado Springs Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas Minser and Dan Warhola. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Young handled the forfeiture.
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.
Case No. 21-cr-00078
For more information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-co/pr
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Civil Complaint Alleges Millions of Dollars in Medicaid FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The United States and the State of Rhode Island announced today that they have intervened in a civil lawsuit against Journey to Hope, Health, and Healing, Inc. and its then-CEO, Kenneth L. Richardson, Jr., filing a complaint alleging that these defendants billed the Rhode Island Medicaid program for millions of dollars for substance use disorder treatment services that the Defendants knowingly and routinely failed to provide to their patients who needed these services, and subsequently falsified records in order to make it appear that required services were being provided, according to United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.
The Complaint in Intervention under the federal and Rhode Island state False Claims Acts and other theories of civil liability unsealed by a federal judge late this afternoon, lays out the governments’ allegations that Journey, despite holding itself out as a certified and accredited opioid treatment provider, routinely failed to provide treatment plans and adequate counseling for patients for whom they were providing methadone, while at the same time collecting over $15 million from the federal-and-state-administered Medicaid program during the period between January 2015 and July 2021. The complaint further alleges that in preparation for upcoming reviews by accreditation officials and other auditors, Journey personnel were instructed by management to falsify records in order to make it appear that the missing services had been provided. The United States and the State of Rhode Island allege that over half of amount claimed by Journey during this time period was false, and the government is seeking to recover up to three times the amount paid as a result of the alleged false claims, plus penalties.
As alleged in the governments’ complaint, in many cases, Medicaid beneficiaries were receiving methadone from Journey for years without any required individualized treatment plan in place, and that in some cases where plans did exist, they were not updated for years. Journey is further alleged to have failed to provide increased services or attention to patients who tested positive for illicit substances, including fentanyl, and to have maintained patient caseloads for counselors at a volume so high that it was physically impossible to offer required counselling services. Finally, the company is alleged to have altered and backdated documents in order to make it appear that updated individualized treatment plans were in place and that the required counseling sessions were occurring when, in fact, they were not.
Whistleblowers Sara Quaresma and Michael Delmonico, who are former employees of Journey, filed an action in federal court in October of 2020 under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Those provisions authorize private parties to sue on behalf of the United States and/or the State and to share a portion of any recovery; such a filing is initially made under seal. The Act permits federal and state governments to intervene and take over the lawsuit, as has occurred here, in part, by filing this complaint in intervention. The case was unsealed on Monday following the governments’ filing.
The case is being litigated in U.S. District Court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany N. Wong and Kevin Love Hubbard, and Rhode Special Assistant Attorney General Genevieve M. Allaire Johnson.
The matter has been investigated by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Chester County Former CFO Indicted on Charges of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that David L. Shull, 68, of Largo, FL (formerly of West Chester, PA) was charged by Indictment with six counts of failure to pay over employment taxes for a Chester County adult day care facility from 2013 through 2017, and failing to account for employment taxes owed in the same years.
The Indictment alleges that, as the Controller/Chief Financial Officer of the care facility, Shull was legally obligated to withhold payroll taxes from wages paid to the company’s employees and was responsible to pay over these taxes to the IRS. The Indictment also alleges that Shull was required to pay over the care facility’s contributions for Social Security and Medicare in amounts matching the amounts withheld from its employees’ pay for those purposes. Shull was also required to file, following the end of each calendar quarter, an Employer’s Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return (Form 941), setting forth the total amount of wages and other compensation subject to withholding, the total amount of income tax withheld, and the total amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes due to the IRS. The Indictment alleges that from 2005 through 2017, Shull caused the care facility to pay wages to its employees. The Indictment further alleges that during this same period, Shull also caused the care facility to withhold trust fund taxes from those wages and to issue Wage and Tax Statements (Form W-2) to the employees indicating that trust fund taxes had been withheld from those wages and implying that those trust fund taxes had been paid over to the IRS. The Indictment alleges that beginning in or about 2013 through in or about 2017, this was a false representation, as the withheld tax amounts were not paid over to the IRS, neither were the care facility’s employer contributions paid over during this time period. According to the Indictment, Shull caused some amounts to be paid to the IRS in 2013 and 2014, but this was insufficient to cover tax debts and penalties.
The Indictment further alleges that from 2013 through 2017, Shull caused the care facility to file only one Form 941, for the second quarter of 2013, despite the fact that during this period, the care facility had approximately 53-67 employees.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1,500,000 fine. The defendant may also be responsible for the taxes due, in addition to the payment of penalties to the Internal Revenue Service.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angella Middleton.
Castine Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Obscene Images to Minor, Attempting to Possess Sexually Explicit Images of Minor, Obstructing InvestigationRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Castine man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor today to attempted possession of child sexual abuse material, transfer of obscene material to a minor and obstruction of a federal investigation.
According to court records, in late July and early August 2018, Nicholas Wood, 26, used Snapchat to send a series of obscene images of himself to a child under the age of 16. Wood attempted to manipulate the victim into engaging in sex acts with him and sending him sexually explicit images. After being informed by federal agents that they were investigating the use of his Snapchat account to send obscene images to minors, Wood deleted the application and associated data from his phone to prevent its use in the investigation.
Wood faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on both the attempted possession of child pornography charge and the transfer of obscene material to a minor charge. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for obstruction. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer re-victimization every time the images are viewed. File a report with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at https://report.cybertip.org/ or 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Canadian Woman Convicted for Her Role in a Large-Scale International Fentanyl Trafficking Operation, Investigated Under “Operation Denial”Read the Press Release
FARGO –United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that Marie Um, 42, from Montreal, Québec Canada, was found guilty for the charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; conspiracy to import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury and death; and international money laundering conspiracy.
On April 11, 2023, the trial of Marie Um commenced, in Fargo, North Dakota. Marie Um was part of an organization that was receiving fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China and distributing them to the United States and Canada. After 2 weeks of trial and 3 ½ days of deliberation, the jury found Marie Um guilty of conspiracy to distribute and import controlled substances into the United States and money laundering conspiracy. The jury found that 9 overdoses (4 deaths and 5 serious bodily injuries) were reasonably foreseeable to her.
A sentence date has not yet been scheduled.
This case is part of “Operation Denial,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into the international trafficking of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and was significantly aided by the national and international coordination led by the multi-agency Special Operations Division (S.O.D.) near Washington, DC, as part of “Operation Deadly Merchant.” The investigation started in North Dakota, on January 3, 2015, with the overdose death in Grand Forks, ND, of Bailey Henke.
Operation Denial has led to thirty-one (31) defendants charged in North Dakota and three (3) defendants charged in Oregon. The investigation has resulted in nearly $1 million in cash and property forfeited from members of the organization.
In 2021, three Canadian nationals, including Marie Um, were extradited from Canada to the United States. The defendants were detained awaiting trial scheduled in Fargo. On August 31, 2021, the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of People’s Republic of China (PRC) national Jian Zhang, a fugitive in this transnational investigation.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -Homeland Security Investigations; North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Portland Oregon Police Bureau – Drugs and Vice Division; Portland HIDTA Interdiction Task Force; Oregon State Police; and Grand Forks Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the three Canadian nationals.
The prosecutor for this case was Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher C. Myers, District of North Dakota.
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Cabell County Woman Sentenced for Federal Fraud CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Tiffani Meeks, 38, of Barboursville, was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for committing wire fraud on three separate occasions. Meeks was also ordered to pay $121,841.60 in restitution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from August 1, 2019, through March 9, 2021, Meeks worked as a bookkeeper at a Cabell County business. Her duties included paying bills, monitoring credit and bank statements, maintaining accurate accounting records, and providing those records to the company’s owners upon request. Meeks pleaded guilty to using company credit cards not issued to her to make three unauthorized personal online purchases totaling $7,329.39 between February 19, 2020, and November 3, 2020.
Meeks further admitted that her unauthorized personal online purchases with the company credit cards totaled at least $121,841.60 between February 12, 2020, and June 18, 2021. Meeks made at least $6,862.83 of the unauthorized online purchases after she was fired by the company on March 9, 2021. In an effort to conceal her criminal conduct, Meeks had the unauthorized purchases shipped to her residence, mislabeled them as legitimate payments in company records, and withheld pages listing them before providing those records to the owners.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Office.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Kristin F. Scott prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-119.
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Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Local Drug Task Force Make Substantial Drug Seizures in Rural WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement (“BIA”), the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, and other Federal, State, Local, and Tribal law enforcement, executed a series of federal search warrants at a number of residential locations in rural Okanogan County, near Oroville, Washington, seizing more than 100 pounds of illegal controlled substances and multiple firearms.
The drugs were seized on April 19, 2023, as part of an investigation into the trafficking of multiple-pound quantities of dangerous controlled substances, including fentanyl-laced pills, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. In total, the BIA, DEA, and their law enforcement partners seized approximately 161,000 fentanyl-laced pills (to include Mexi-blues and rainbow-colored pills), approximately 80 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 6 pounds of heroin, and more than 2 pounds of cocaine. The BIA, DEA, and their partners also seized approximately 12 firearms. A significant portion of the drugs seized were believed to be destined for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, as well as for other Native American communities and surrounding areas in Washington and Montana.
According to court documents, several individuals have been charged in connection with the investigation. On April 18, 2023, Erubey Arciga Medrano, Luis Esquivel-Balonos, Chad Winston Vanatta, Emily Wisdom, and Jeremy Wright were indicted by a federal grand jury for the Eastern District of Washington for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine, and 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, as well as other related drug-trafficking charges.
U.S. Attorney Waldref commended the joint efforts of law enforcement for removing such a large quantity of illegal drugs from the community. U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “Illegal drugs, and fentanyl in particular, have become a scourge across the United States, including in Indian country. I’m grateful to the BIA, DEA, and our critical Federal, State, and Tribal partners for working together to combat this dangerous poison. Without their combined efforts, approximately 161,000 deadly fentanyl-laced pills and more than 80 pounds of methamphetamine would not have been removed from communities in and around Indian country. As a result, our neighborhoods and communities in Eastern Washington and elsewhere are safer and stronger.”
“The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Drug Enforcement – working hand in hand with the DEA, Tribes, and our law enforcement partners – dealt a real blow to drug trafficking organizations operating in and through Indian country,” stated Associate Director Jason Thompson from the BIA. “Investigative efforts resulted in significant seizures of narcotics across multiple jurisdictions. As a result of all of the agencies involved, Indian country is safer today than yesterday.”
“Our combined efforts at the State, Local, Tribal, and Federal levels removed large amounts of illicit narcotics and firearms,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle. “The partnerships seen here are saving lives and working to ensure our communities are safe from dangerous drugs and deadly weapons.”
This ongoing case is being investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force. The investigation team is being assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Okanogan County Sheriff, Colville Tribal Police Department, and the Kalispel Tribal Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Barker.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
2:23-CR-00047-TOR
Bridgeport Man Sentenced to Nearly 10 Years in Federal Prison for Stratford and New Haven RobberiesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LATRELL S. MOORE, 33, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 118 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for robbery and firearm offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 5, 2019, Moore committed an armed robbery of the Dunkin Donuts located on Lordship Boulevard in Stratford, taking approximately $400. On August 12, 2019, he robbed the Santander Bank located on Grand Avenue in New Haven, taking approximately $2,000.
Moore was arrested on related state charges on August 14, 2019. At the time of his arrest he possessed a loaded .38 caliber revolver and a .25 caliber semiautomatic handgun.
Moore’s criminal history includes convictions for criminal weapon possession and possession of narcotics. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Moore has been detained since his arrest. On March 30, 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a robbery, one count of bank robbery, and one count of count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Judge Chatigny ordered that the 118-month federal sentence is in addition to the approximately 43 months Moore has already served since his arrest.
State charges against Moore are pending.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police and the Stratford, New Haven, and Bridgeport Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Braymer Man Sentenced to 32 Years for Cattle Fraud Scheme That Led to MurdersRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Braymer, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme that he attempted to cover up by murdering two Wisconsin brothers.
Garland Joseph Nelson, 28, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 32 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nelson to pay $260,925 in restitution to his victims.
On Oct. 4, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nelson admitted that he defrauded a Shawano County, Wisconsin company, Diemel’s Livestock, LLC, of $215,000 in a cattle contract.
Nelson is also serving two life sentences in a separate state case related to the murders of Nicholas and Justin Diemel, two brothers who were principals in Diemel’s Livestock. Nelson’s federal prison sentence must be served consecutively to his state sentence.
Nelson – an employee of J4s Farm Enterprises, Inc., a business started by his mother – agreed to care for cattle belonging to Diemel’s Livestock. Diemel’s Livestock invested and traded in cattle and other livestock. Nelson agreed to feed and pasture the cattle, then sell the cattle and send Diemel’s Livestock the proceeds (minus the costs of raising the cattle).
The Diemels sent several loads of cattle to Nelson from November 2018 through April 2019. Nelson sold some loads of cattle and paid the Diemels. However, Nelson admitted he killed many of the Diemels’s cattle and then fraudulently billed the Diemels for feed and yardage for the dead cattle.
Nelson admitted that he did not properly care for cattle due to incompetence, neglect, or maltreatment. Hundreds of calves entrusted to Nelson died due to underfeeding, neglect, and/or maltreatment. Nelson fed cattle inadequately and poorly. For example, he dropped feed bales in a pasture for calves but did not remove the plastic covering so that calves ate the plastic and died.
Throughout the spring of 2019, Nicholas Diemel pressed Nelson for payment for his cattle. He sent no more loads of cattle to Nelson while he awaited his payment.
To deprive the Diemels of their cattle or their money and to prevent them from recovering either their cattle or their money, in June 2019 Nelson fraudulently sent the Diemels a bad check for $215,936 while his bank account had a balance of 21 cents. The check had been intentionally torn and damaged so that it could not be submitted for payment.
Nelson told the Diemels they could come to Missouri to get their money. On July 17, 2019, Nicholas Diemel bought two round-trip airline tickets from Milwaukee to Kansas City. On July 20, 2019, Nicholas and Justin Diemel arrived in Kansas City and rented a pickup truck from Budget.
On July 21, 2019, the Diemels drove their rental truck to Nelson’s mother’s farm in Braymer. Nelson’s mother and other family members were in Branson for the weekend, so Nelson was alone on the farm. Nelson murdered both of the Diemels and attempted to dispose of their bodies, but the remains were later found by investigators.
Nelson also was in possession of a Marlin 30-30 rifle and ammunition from July 18 to July 21, 2019. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Nelson has a 2015 federal felony conviction for an earlier cattle fraud scheme that resulted in losses of more than $262,000 to his victims, as well as two prior state felony convictions for passing bad checks.
According to court documents, Nelson engaged in at least two more cattle fraud schemes. In December 2018, Nelson was entrusted with feeding and caring for 131 calves he co-owned with a Kansas farmer (less than a year after he was released from prison for his 2015 conviction and in direct contravention to the conditions of his supervised release). On May 23, 2019, Nelson dropped off 35 calves at the co-owner’s farm in Kansas, apparently all that survived of the 131. Of the surviving 35 calves, many were emaciated and had ringworm; some could not even walk onto a truck to be transported. Some calves had their ears torn as though identifying ear tags had been removed.
According to court documents, those calves were involved in another cattle fraud scheme engaged by Nelson. Nelson told a Bogard, Mo., farmer that he would furnish all the food and medicine for 131 bottle calves and pay the farmer a dollar per day per calf for the use of his barn and the time he would spend feeding the calves. Nelson bought almost no food or medicine for the calves in the five months he kept them at the Bogard farm. Instead, the farmer paid $14,363 out of his own pocket for food and veterinary care for the calves. Nor did Nelson ever pay anything to the farmer for the use of his barn and time spent feeding and caring for the calves as he had promised. (Nelson’s mother later paid the farmer $2,000.) In late April 2019, Nelson picked up the living bottle calves from the Bogard farm and took them to his mother’s farm. On May 23, 2019, Nelson dumped the 35 remaining calves without warning at the Kansas farm. This was a problem because the Kansas farmer had a closed dairy herd and bringing unvaccinated and potentially diseased calves onto his property put his existing herd at risk.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree in Johnson County, Mo., and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on each count to run consecutively.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen D. Mahoney and Nicholas Heberle. It was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Caldwell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Bourbon County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Bookkeeper Sentenced to 29 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 24, 2023
SAN DIEGO – Former bookkeeper Susan Ann Sears was sentenced in federal court today to 29 months in prison for embezzling more than $765,000 from Shapery Enterprises and nearly $165,000 from Hope Campbell Realty Inc.
Sears was also ordered to pay $839,419.22 in restitution—$674,673.93 to American Express and $164,745.29 to Hope Campbell Realty.
Sears served as the bookkeeper for Shapery Enterprises from July 2018 to November 2019. As the bookkeeper, Sears had access to the business’s bank accounts, American Express credit card, and accounting programs. In her plea agreement, Sears admitted that she opened a personal American Express credit card in the name of a family member, obtained American Express cards for herself and family members, and used Shapery Enterprises’ bank account to pay the personal American Express account. Sears made the payments appear to be legitimate business expenses by entering “S. Sharpery,” which is one letter off from the CEO’s last name of Shapery.
Sears also issued herself unauthorized checks and falsified entries in the business’ accounting programs. In total, Sears stole more than $765,000 from Shapery Enterprises. Since American Express reimbursed Shapery Enterprises $674,673.93, Sears admitted that the loss to American Express was $674,673.93.
After Sears was fired from Shapery Enterprises in November 2019 and the government notified her that she was under investigation for wire fraud, Sears was employed by Hope Campbell Realty as its bookkeeper from February 2021 to November 2021. Sears again abused her position of trust and issued herself and her family members unauthorized checks. Sears also falsified entries in Hope Campbell Realty’s accounting programs to make it appear that the checks were for legitimate business purposes. Between March 2021 and November 2021, Sears stole nearly $165,000 from Hope Campbell Realty.
“Sears took advantage of her employers’ trust and treated their bank accounts as her personal piggy bank, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “This defendant inflicted substantial damage to two San Diego businesses and has been held to account for her conduct.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the FBI for their excellent work on this case.
“Susan Ann Sears went to great lengths to defraud not one, but two of her employers. Even after learning that she was under investigation, she brazenly continued to abuse her position of trust to feed her own greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “Embezzlement will always come to light—the short-term benefits are never worth the repercussions. The FBI will continue to identify and investigate those who choose to line their own pockets at the expense of others.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21cr3189-GPC
Susan Ann Sears Age: 64 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Wire Fraud – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1343
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the gain/loss, whichever is greater
AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Baltimore Felon Sentenced to Almost Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Steven McCullough, age 36, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 58 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm an ammunition.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Our strategy of preventing violence by removing illegal guns and repeat offenders from the streets by any legal means necessary is paying off,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “As of today, homicides in Baltimore are down more than 17% from last year and non-fatal shootings are down nearly 20%. We remain laser-focused on reducing violent crime in Baltimore and throughout the state.”
According to his guilty plea, on December 3, 2020, McCullough posted a video of himself on social media, which shows him approaching a vehicle holding a black handgun. Baltimore Police officers saw the video, recognized that McCullough was in the 1200 block of North Luzerne Avenue and responded to that location. Officers located McCullough, wearing the same gray sweatshirt and sweatpants as in the video, and attempted to place him under arrest. McCullough ran, pulling a black firearm from his sweatshirt pocket. A short distance later, McCullough tripped, with the gun still in his hand, and tossed the firearm out of his reach. McCullough was arrested and the gun, a 10mm pistol was recovered. The handgun was loaded with one round of 10mm jacketed hollow point ammunition in the chamber but was missing a magazine. A canvass of the path of pursuit recovered a magazine loaded with nine rounds of 10mm ammunition identical to the round found in the gun. McCullough was searched and officers also recovered approximately 36 vials containing a total of approximately 40 grams of cocaine for distribution. McCullough admitted that he knew he has a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
In two separate cases last week, defendants pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm in a school zone. Terrence Johnson, age 23, of Baltimore, posted a video on social media showing him driving a car with a black and brown handgun between the center console and the driver’s seat. Johnson was located within 1,000 feet of Green Street Academy and detectives recovered the gun, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition from Johnson’s waistband. Johnson was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit the gun and ammunition.
In the second case, Gerald Dean, age 31, of Baltimore, was found by BPD officers asleep in a car with the lights on and the engine running. The pink handle of a handgun was seen protruding from under the armrest of the center console. Officers opened the door, secured Dean, and recovered the handgun from under the armrest of the center console. Dean was searched and officers recovered eight small green containers of crack cocaine, four small black containers of heroin, sixteen pills of methamphetamine, and one sublingual strip. At the time, Dean was within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school zone, specifically Katherine Johnson Global Academy (formerly Calverton Elementary/Middle School). Dean will be sentenced on July 27, 2023.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in these investigations. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Brandon K. Moore, who prosecuted the McCullough case and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Liane Kozik and Jonathan Tsuei, who prosecuted the Johnson and Dean cases, respectively.
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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Bakersfield Pain Management Doctor Sentenced to Prison for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Janardhan Grandhe, 65, of Bakersfield, was sentenced to one year and one day of prison today for tax evasion, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Grandhe was a pain management doctor in Bakersfield, doing business as Central Valley Pain Management (CVPM). In 2017, 2018 and 2019, Grandhe willfully filed false tax returns for CVPM with overstated expenses and false individual tax returns for himself that omitted gross receipts he received. In total, Grandhe evaded personal tax liability exceeding $300,000.
Between 2017 and 2019, Grandhe provided checks to employees claiming to be reimbursements for employee expenses that were then included as deductions on the CVPM tax returns. Grandhe claimed the reimbursements were for out-of-pocket costs incurred by employees for continuing medical education, meals, mileage, and travel expenses. In many cases, those expenses were never incurred by the employees. Grandhe instead instructed those employees to cash the checks and provide cash back to Grandhe, which he deposited into accounts controlled by him or his family members. Grandhe then provided false documentation to his tax preparer to support the false deductions.
According to court documents, between 2017 and 2019, Grandhe also diverted business receipts to his personal bank accounts and hid this money from his tax preparer so that these amounts would not be included as business gross receipts on the CVPM tax returns. The unreported income on the CVPM tax returns resulted in decreased net income on Grandhe’s personal tax returns, reducing his taxes based on false information.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak prosecuted the case.
Bakersfield Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Marcus Randall, 39, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Dec. 16, 2020, Randall sold fentanyl pills to a victim who later ingested the pills, resulting in her overdose death.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Kern County Probation Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.
Randall is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. Randall faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $1 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 case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.
Armed Heroin Dealer Sentenced to Seven Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A 35-year-old Providence man for whom court records indicate multiple previous state court convictions for similar conduct, was sentenced today to seven years in federal prison for being an armed drug dealer, a felon in possession of firearms, and for trafficking heroin, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
According to court documents, Giancarlo Fermin has repeatedly engaged in similar conduct in the past, despite multiple state convictions; his first term of incarceration came at age eighteen following a Rhode Island state conviction on narcotics and firearm charges.
Most recently, Fermin was arrested when members of the FBI Safe Street Task Force executed a court-authorized search of his residence in August 2021, where they located two fully loaded firearms, ammunition, approximately 16 grams of heroin, and numerous items used to prepare and package narcotics for distribution, including a grinder, a digital scale, and more than 2,000 blue miniature paper envelopes. As FBI agents entered Fermin’s residence, the agents witnessed Fermin tossing blue envelopes, some containing heroin, out of a window. Fermin later admitted that he possessed the firearms for “protection.”
“Armed drug traffickers who choose to make a career out of peddling opioids into our Rhode Island communities can look forward to prison, not profits,” said U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Today’s sentence should leave no doubt about this Office’s resolve to use every means at our disposal to deal with those who put guns and drugs on our streets.”
“Today’s sentence makes it clear that career criminals like Giancarlo Fermin who refuse to learn from their mistakes by repeatedly breaking the law and threatening the safety of others will be held accountable,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “No community is untouched by violent crime which is why our RI Safe Streets Task Force continues to work hard every day alongside our law enforcement partners in identifying, investigating, and disrupting others like Mr. Fermin who incite violence and threaten the safety our citizens.”
Fermin pleaded guilty on November 3, 2022, as charged by way of indictment, to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced today to eighty-four months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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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Another Individual Sentenced in Federal Court for Staged Automobile Collision SchemeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LOIS RUSSELL (“RUSSELL”), age 63 of Gibson, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 20, 2023 after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.
According to court documents, on March 27, 2017, RUSSELL conspired with Tanya Givens (“Givens”), John Diggs (“Diggs”) and James “Curtis” Williams (“Williams”) to stage an accident with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road. Damien Labeaud (“Labeaud”) and Roderick Hickman (“Hickman”), who have already pleaded guilty to staging other accidents, also participated in this accident. Hickman, while driving RUSSELL’s car, intentionally struck the 18-wheeler and then fled the scene with Labeaud. RUSSELL advised NOPD that she was the driver. Thereafter, RUSSELL, along with Givens, Williams, and Diggs made claims for personal injuries. In total, the victim trucking and insurance companies paid out $272,500.00 for these fraudulent claims.
U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk sentenced RUSSELL to five (5) years probation and imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Rivera, Maria Carboni, and Brandon Long of the Financial Crimes Unit, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
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Anchorage Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Kindred sentenced an Anchorage man on April 19, 2023, to 10 years and 5 months imprisonment followed by eight years of supervised release for distributing heroin.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jason McAnulty, aka “Snoop,” 40, distributed approximately 126 grams of heroin to a law enforcement source during two undercover operations in June 2020, netting himself $6,300. Law enforcement began investigating McAnulty after learning that he was a source of heroin supply in the Anchorage area. In July 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at McAnulty’s residence where they found more than $34,000 cash and other distribution contraband. An Alaska jury convicted McAnulty of the heroin distribution following a five-day trial in March 2022.
McAnulty was previously convicted in 2004 for first-degree robbery, a serious violent felony, that mandated a minimum 10-year prison sentence. The United States also presented evidence of McAnulty’s extensive and violent criminal history at the sentencing hearing in support of the sentence, including McAnulty’s 2015 federal conviction for attempted witness tampering in another federal criminal trial.
“Dangerous opiates such as heroin pose an ongoing threat to communities throughout Alaska,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “This sentence serves as a reminder that we will prosecute and hold accountable those who are harming our communities, and with our law enforcement partners, will persist in our disruption of heroin trafficking operations in this district.”
“McAnulty supported the opioid and heroin epidemic through his illegal drug distribution activities, posing a significant threat to communities in Alaska,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The FBI and the Anchorage Police Department will continue working together to hold drug traffickers accountable, and to stop the flow of deadly drugs into our communities.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Anchorage Police Department (APD), in support of Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Tran and Stephan Collins prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Alaska’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). HIDTA was established in 2018 to enhance and coordinate efforts among local state and federal law enforcement agencies, providing equipment, technology and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of Alaska.
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Air National Guard Member Arrested, Charged with Distribution and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment on Friday, April 21, charging Air National Guard Technical Sergeant of the 176th Maintenance Group on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
Richard Anthony Dougherty was arrested on Thursday, April 6, 2023, and was originally charged by complaint. The complaint filed in the case charged that, between 2017 and 2023, Richard Anthony Dougherty distributed child pornography over the internet and possessed “terabytes” of child pornography on a computer and mobile phone. According to court documents, Dougherty confessed to hoarding child pornography for approximately 20 years, some of which he produced using the camera feature of a mobile phone that he had installed behind a mirror in a bathroom at his house in Anchorage.
On April 21, 2023, the grand jury indicted Dougherty with three counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison on each production count, a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 to 20 years on the receipt and distribution count, and maximum of 10 years in prison for the possession count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with substantial assistance from the Alaska State Troopers, and additional assistance from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The investigation is ongoing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonas M. Walker and Seth Brickey for the District of Alaska are prosecuting the case.
An indictment and complaint are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
23 April 2023
The U.S. Attorney's Office Observes National Crime Victims' Rights WeekRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina joins the Justice Department, law enforcement agencies, service providers, allied
professionals and communities nationwide to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) from April 23-29, 2023.
The Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has selected this year’s theme, “Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change,” to emphasize the importance of engaging with victims of crime; learning from their lived experiences; amplifying their voices; and fostering an environment where they are heard, believed, and supported.
To commemorate NCVRW, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will host a Distinguished Victim Services Award ceremony on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, to recognize outstanding individuals for their significant support and service to crime victims and their contributions to the cause of justice. The award recipients were selected for their professionalism, compassion, and superior service to crime victims, their efforts to restore victims’ security and trust, their extraordinary efforts to advocate on behalf of crime victims, and their exceptional commitment to the pursuit of justice for the victims and their families.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will also host a Victim Services Meetup on Thursday, April 27, 2023, for victim advocates. This meeting will focus on promoting networking and resource building among service providers working with federal and state prosecutors and law enforcement agencies within the 32 counties in Western North Carolina that the U.S. Attorney’s Office serves, to expand and strengthen the provision of services to victims of crime.
“Crime victims and crime survivors deserve our compassion, our attention, and our dedication,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King. “My Office stands with crime victims, survivors, and their families, and we reaffirm our collective mission to protect their rights, offer assistance, and provide access to resources centered on their individual needs at every step of the criminal justice process and beyond.”
Throughout the nation and in the Western District of North Carolina, victim advocacy organizations, community groups, and state, local, and Tribal agencies host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events during NCVRW, to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services.
The Office for Victims of Crime leads communities in their annual observances of NCVRW. On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, a candlelight vigil will be held on the National Mall from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time, to pay tribute to victims of crime and the many dedicated professionals and volunteers who advocate on their behalf. Attendees will also observe a moment of silence to honor all crime victims. Use this link to register for the event. For more information about how to support all victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at ovc.ojp.gov.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office Victim/Witness Assistance Program can be found here.
21 April 2023
West Seneca Man Charged with Production, Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Corey Beasley, 37, of West Seneca, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production, receipt, and possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in January 2023, a West Seneca police officer received a report that sexually explicit images were found on a tablet belonging to Beasley. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at Beasley’s residence, during which 16 electronic devices were seized. A forensic examination of the devices recovered several naked and sexually explicit images of a minor victim. In addition, other images of suspected child pornography were found on Beasley’s devices.
Beasley made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing on May 2, 2023.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward Baker and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Watervliet Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False StatementsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Eunice Ting, age 69, of Watervliet, New York, pled guilty yesterday to making a false statement to obtain benefits from the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.
This announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office.
In pleading guilty, Ting admitted that between December 2013, and March 2020, she submitted hundreds of materially false and fraudulent forms to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation Programs seeking reimbursement for travel in which she did not engage. Specifically, she falsely claimed workers compensation benefits for medically-related travel to and from a local YMCA for purported “aquatic therapy” when she had not received any such therapy and did not travel to the YMCA as claimed. In total, she received a total of $26,983 from the Department of Labor because of her fraudulent submissions.
Ting is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 2023, by Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin, Jr. in Albany, New York. Ting faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. As part of her plea agreement, Ting has also agreed to pay full restitution. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case is being investigated by USPS-OIG and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping.
United States Attorney Issues Guidelines as Part of a New Federal Strategy for Cases Involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous PersonsRead the Press Release
Today, United States Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the issuance of Savanna’s Act guidelines for the Western District of Oklahoma. The guidelines follow consultation with Indian nations and tribal agencies, federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and victim service providers.
"For years, Native Americans have been victimized by violent crime and mourned a murdered or missing loved one," said U.S. Attorney Troester. "Addressing these issues is a top priority for my office and the Department of Justice. Throughout the Western District of Oklahoma, we are fortunate to have strong working relationships across law enforcement and the Tribal nations in our district. These guidelines will help us to further strengthen those relationships and coordinate efforts to better address Native Americans who are victimized by violence or have been reported missing."
In 2020, bipartisan members of the 116th United States Congress took an important step toward addressing the issue of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples ("MMIP") in passing Savanna’s Act. The Act directed United States Attorney’s Offices to develop regionally appropriate guidelines to respond to MMIP-related cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives. The guidelines include important provisions designed to improve law enforcement and justice protocols, enhance cooperation between agencies, and address jurisdictional issues, with a goal to establish a comprehensive federal law enforcement strategy to respond to violence against Native Americans. A first of its kind, the Guidelines specifically address: (1) interjurisdictional law enforcement cooperation and protection order enforcement, (2) best practices for searching for missing persons, (3) standards on data collection, reporting and analysis, and identification and handling of human remains, (4) coordinating law enforcement agencies responsible for updating databases, (5) improving law enforcement agency response rates and follow-up responses to missing persons cases, and (6) access to culturally appropriate victim services.
An important part of the overall strategy includes efforts to identify all missing or murdered Indigenous people, utilizing the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System ("NamUs"). Through the past year, the United States Attorney’s Office has worked with various state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies, and has solicited input to update and track current MMIP cases utilizing the NamUs database. The NamUs database can be found online at: https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/.
“Missing In Oklahoma 2023” Public Event, April 22, 2023
Tomorrow, April 22, 2023, from 10:00 to 3:00, a "Missing in Oklahoma 2023" event will be held at the University of Central Oklahoma ("UCO") Forensic Science Institute, located at 801 E. 2nd Street, Edmond, Oklahoma. At the event, families and friends of missing persons may complete a missing person report for law enforcement, provide additional investigative leads, enter the missing person into the NamUs database, and provide family reference DNA samples to compare to potential remains recovered during investigations, along with other pertinent information about the mission person. All resources are available at no cost to families; NamUs is funded through the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ). For additional information visit the "Missing In Oklahoma 2023" event on Facebook.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has partnered with other law enforcement and private organizations to be present at the "Missing in Oklahoma 2023" event. Participating agencies include the University of Central Oklahoma Forensic Science Institute, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Stillwater Police Department, Edmond Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Oklahoma Indian Bar Association.
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Note for Editors:
- Department of Justice Savanna’s Act page: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip/SavannasAct
- Link to Savanna’s Act law: /bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/227/text
- Department of Justice MMIP page: https://www.justice.gov/tribal/mmip
- Not Invisible Act page and Commission members: https://www.doi.gov/priorities/strengthening-indian-country/not-invisible-act-commission
U.S. Attorney’s Office Observes National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 23-29, 2023Read the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C – In commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), the U.S. Attorney’s Offices of the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina along with the Interagency Council of North Carolina (IAC) will be hosting a ceremony to bring the victim assistance community together to raise public awareness about victims’ rights, protections, and services. The public may attend the ceremony virtually on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.
The IAC works to assemble advocates that have the common goal of improving individual and systematic services to all victims of crime and their loved ones. The Council holds regular meetings and co-hosts the annual ceremony during NCVRW. The keynote speaker for the ceremony will be Monica Daye, a survivor whose story inspired the founding of her nonprofit, Stand Up Speak Out North Carolina. Governor Roy Cooper will also be making remarks at the ceremony.
“Our office coordinated with local victims’ support advocates to provide services to more than 6,100 victims last year,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “We work to ensure that victims are supported and that their voices are heard at every step in the process. I encourage all those involved in the criminal justice system to come together, reflect, and learn from the stories of individuals impacted by all types of victimization to make positive change in our communities.”
“Each year, we come together for National Crime Victims’ Week to honor the memories of those who have been lost to violent crimes and to show support for the survivors and surviving family members. It is also an opportunity to show our appreciation to those in law enforcement who pursue justice for the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston. “The work we do for victims is a top priority for our district. During this week, and throughout the year, we will continue to provide the victims and their families with information about the resources available to them through the federal government.”
"During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we recognize victims and survivors, acknowledge their pain and recommit ourselves to fight for them and for justice,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. "We’re working together to support and improve law enforcement and tackle the roots of violence in our communities through our new Office of Violence Prevention that can help make people safer for generations to come.”
The 2023 theme for NCVRW is Survivor Voices: Elevate. Engage. Effect Change., which calls upon communities to magnify the voices of survivors and pledge to create an atmosphere where survivors know they will be heard, believed, and supported. The theme underscores the importance of helping crime survivors find their justice by:
- elevating survivors’ voices,
- engaging with survivors to better inform policy and practice, and
- effecting change for the better.
The partners involved in the planning of the 2023 NCVRW ceremony work collaboratively to ensure that victims of crime rights are enforced, victims have access to services, and to ensure equity for all during each step of the criminal justice response process.
Anyone interested in attending the ceremony virtually can register at https://usao.webex.com/usao/j.php?MTID=md9b2465452980cb0de7f89c20cd6b689.
For additional information about this year’s NCVRW and how to assist victims in your own community, please visit the United States Attorney’s Office website. For more ideas on how to support victims of crime, visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.ojp.gov.
U.S. Attorney's Office Concludes Investigation into Fatal Shooting on Crittenden StreetRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department who was involved in the April 2022 fatal shooting of Erica Graham.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included a review of law enforcement and civilian eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, recorded body-worn camera (BWC) footage, recorded doorbell camera footage, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, the autopsy report, and reports from the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the evidence, on April 23, 2022, at approximately 5:59 a.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department were dispatched to 830 Crittenden Street, N.W., for a report of gunshots fired. The police would learn during the events which led to the fatal shooting that Erica Graham, who was wearing a ballistic vest and brandishing a firearm, had shot a civilian just moments before the arrival of the police.
Upon arrival on the 800 block of Crittenden Street, the first police officers on the scene observed Ms. Graham on the porch of a rowhouse holding a handgun. Throughout the incident, the officers made multiple commands for Ms. Graham to place the weapon on the ground, which she refused. Ms. Graham pointed the weapon several times at the officers and pulled the trigger, but it did not fire. The police on the scene made a request on the radio for additional units to respond because an officer needed assistance due to the presence of a person with a gun and continued in their efforts to convince Ms. Graham to place her weapon on the ground.
After a few minutes, Officer Simeon Crawford arrived on the scene. Ms. Graham climbed over a short railing to another porch attached to the first residence, and immediately tried to gain access to the second residence while brandishing the handgun. Ms. Graham crouched down, turned, and pointed the weapon at the police again. Officer Crawford fired two shots in reaction. The first shot missed Ms. Graham. The second shot struck Ms. Graham in the upper torso. Ms. Graham fell to the floor of the porch. The police approached and attempted to provide medical attention as an ambulance was called to the scene. A handgun was recovered from under where Ms. Graham had fallen.
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Crawford used excessive force under the circumstances.
Use-of-force investigations generally
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. To prove civil rights violations, prosecutors must typically be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary. Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden. Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.
Two Men Sentenced for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Plot to Attack Power Grids in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Two men were sentenced in federal court today to crimes related to a scheme to attack power grids in the United States in furtherance white supremacy.
Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio, and Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of Katy, Texas, and West Lafayette, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Cook was sentenced was sentenced to 92 months in prison and Frost was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was also charged and pleaded guilty in February 2022 in connection with the scheme and will be sentenced at a later date.
“These defendants plotted armed attacks against energy facilities to stoke division in furtherance of white supremacist ideology and now they are being held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will not tolerate the use of violence to advance any extremist ideology and we remain determined to protect our communities from such hateful acts of terror.”
“At the root of every terrorist plot – whether foreign or domestic – is hate,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “As a society, we must be vigilant against online radicalization, which is a powerful tool used by extremists to recruit both juveniles and adults.”
“The defendants in this case conspired to provide material support to terrorism by putting plans in place to damage America’s infrastructure, motivated by their adherence to racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist ideology,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “When individuals move from espousing ideas to planning or committing acts of violence, the FBI will investigate and take action to disrupt their plans. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the commitment we have to working with our partners to bring violent extremists to justice and to protect our communities.”
According to court documents, in fall 2019, Frost and Cook met in an online chat group. Frost shared the idea of attacking a power grid with Cook, and within weeks, the two began efforts to recruit others to join in their plan.
As part of the recruitment process, Cook circulated a book list of readings that promoted the ideology of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism. By late 2019, Sawall – a friend of Cook’s – joined the conspiracy and assisted Cook with online recruitment efforts, operational security and organization.
As part of the conspiracy, each defendant was assigned a substation in a different region of the United States. The plan was to attack the substations, or power grids, with powerful rifles. The defendants believed their plan would cost the government millions of dollars and cause unrest for Americans in the region. They had conversations about how the possibility of the power being out for many months could cause war, even a race war, and induce the next Great Depression.
In February 2020, the co-conspirators met in Columbus, Ohio, to further discuss their plot. Frost provided Cook with an AR-47 and the two took the rifle to a shooting range to train.
Frost also provided Cook and Sawall with suicide necklaces during the Columbus meeting. The necklaces were filled with fentanyl and were to be ingested if and when the defendants were caught by law enforcement. Both Cook and Sawall expressed their commitment to dying in furtherance of their mission.
Upon arriving in Columbus, Sawall and Cook purchased spray paint and painted a swastika flag under a bridge at a park with the caption, “Join the Front.” The defendants had additional propaganda plans for their time in Ohio, but they were derailed during a traffic stop, during which Sawall swallowed his suicide pill but ultimately survived.
Court documents detail that Cook and Frost continued to travel together after their Ohio meeting, and drove to Texas in March 2020. Cook stayed in different cities with various juveniles who he was attempting to recruit for their plot.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica W. Knight for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Columbus, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Northern District of Indiana provided valuable support.
Two Conspirators Sentenced to Almost Four Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Exporting Firearms, Ammunition, and Military-Type Items to Nigeria to Assist Separatists Fighting Against the Government of CameroonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Tse Ernst Bangarie, age 47, of Hyattsville, Maryland, and co-defendant Edith Ngang, age 57, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, each to 46 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy, and for illegally exporting firearms and ammunition from the United States to Nigeria without obtaining the required licenses from the U.S. State Department. According to court documents, the purpose of the conspiracy was to assist separatists fighting against the government of Cameroon. Bangarie was sentenced on April 18, 2023 and Ngang was sentenced yesterday.
The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) Baltimore Field Division; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (“DCIS”) - Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
According to their plea agreements, from at least November 2017 until July 19, 2019, Bangarie, Ngang and their co-conspirators agreed to export firearms, ammunition and other military-type items in violation of the federal smuggling statute, the Arms Export Control Act and other export laws. Bangarie owned and operated a freight forwarding company in Landover, Maryland and was responsible for arranging for the shipment of the firearms, ammunition and other items in at least one overseas shipping container. Bangarie also referred individuals to co-conspirator Tamufor St. Michael to cut open and then weld shut metal compressors that the conspirators used to conceal many of the firearms in the shipping containers. Bangarie participated in meetings of the conspirators, both online and in person, including in the basement of St. Michael’s residence, where the conspirators also reloaded ammunition, assembled firearms, and wrapped various items for overseas shipment.
Ngang admitted that she also participated in the reloading of ammunition in the basement of St. Michael’s residence in at least August and October 2018. However, the conspirators banned her from coming in person after a video of Ngang loading the ammunition was posted on social media in October 2018, something the conspirators considered a serious security breach. Ngang remained a member of the conspiracy and continued to communicate with St. Michael and others about the ongoing efforts to unlawfully export the firearms, ammunition and other items from the United States.
As detailed in their plea agreements, in December 2018, Ngang provided a shipping container, with a 1989 Toyota truck inside, for the conspirators to use to export the firearms, ammunition and other items. St. Michael and other co-conspirators then loaded the container, secreting weapons, ammunition and other military-type items inside the truck and multiple compressors. The container was sent to the Port of Baltimore for export, departing on January 17, 2019, with a destination of Onne, Nigeria. Bangarie caused the electronic export information (“EEI”) to be filed with the Department of Commerce, listing the contents of the container as one Toyota Tundra truck, one 1989 Toyota truck, and “doors and frames.” The EEI also listed the U.S. Principal Party in Interest as an individual with the initials M.A.O. and a non-existent address. The telephone number listed for M.A.O. corresponded with a pre-paid cellular telephone. Bangarie knew that much of the information on the EEI was false and he intentionally did not include any mention of the firearms, ammunition and other items hidden in the container.
Approximately one month later, the shipping container was ordered returned to the Port of Baltimore and on May 20, 2019, law enforcement personnel in Baltimore unsealed the container and examined its contents. In addition to the trucks and what appeared to be the contents of an old schoolhouse, the defendants and their co-conspirators had concealed firearms, ammunition, rifle scopes, and other items in duffle bags placed in the trucks and in heavily wrapped packages inside sealed compressor units, in the shipping container. In all, law enforcement recovered from the shipping container 38 firearms, 28 of which had obliterated serial numbers. The guns included sniper rifles, SKS assault rifles (some with bayonets), other rifles and several handguns. There were 44 high-capacity magazines, two rifle scopes and over 35,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as military-type items, including boots, pepper spray, zip-tie style handcuffs, hydration packs, and other items.
Tamufor St. Michael, age 42, of Rosedale, Maryland and five co-conspirators pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. A jury convicted three other members for the conspiracy, transportation of firearms with obliterated serial numbers, and smuggling following a jury trial in May, 2022. Judge Bennett has sentenced two of those individuals, Eric Fru Nji and Wilson Nuyila Tita, to 63 months of incarceration and the third, Wilson Che Fonguh, is awaiting sentencing.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended HSI, the ATF and DCIS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron recognized the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement; the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their contributions to the investigation. U.S. Attorney Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Three New Orleans Men Plead Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 19, 2023, TERRAN WILLIAMS, a/k/a “Funky,” age 25, ALLEN GRAY, a/k/a “Kyedi,” age 26, and KERRY BROOKS, age 36, all residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to a twelve-count indictment charging violations of the Federal Gun Control and the Federal Controlled Substances Acts, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, WILLIAMS, GRAY, and BROOKS were charged with twelve separate counts related to four different events in which they were caught by police with guns and drugs. WILLIAMS and GRAY were charged in Counts 1, 2, and 3 with possession of marijuana and fentanyl with the intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being felons in possession of firearms. Those three counts related to a August 26, 2020 car chase in which the defendants wrecked a Nissan Maxima during flight from police and then escaped on foot. They left guns, drugs, and their phones with attached identification documents in the wrecked vehicle. The FBI obtained warrants for WILLIAMS and GRAY.
When the FBI arrested WILLIAMS on the outstanding warrant on September 12, 2020, he had a rifle, a pistol, and a large amount of marijuana. WILLIAMS was subsequently charged with Counts 4, 5, and 6, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
Two days after WILLIAMS’s arrest, the FBI found GRAY and BROOKS in a New Orleans hotel room in possession of a large quantity of marijuana, over 40 grams of fentanyl bagged for distribution, over $4,000 in cash and two handguns with extended magazines. GRAY and BROOKS were ultimately charged in Counts 7, 8 and 9, with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and fentanyl, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being felons in possession of firearms. The FBI later arrested BROOKS at an apartment just outside of New Orleans. During a search of the premises, agents found approximately $20,000 in cash, a digital scale with powder, a small bag of fentanyl, and another pistol with an extended magazine. As a result, BROOKS was charged in Counts 10, 11 and 12, with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
WILLIAMS pled guilty to Counts 1-6, GRAY pled guilty to Counts 1-3 and 7-9 and BROOKS pled guilty to Counts 7-12.
For Count 1, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release.
For Count 2, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
For Count 3, being felons in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), WILLIAMS and GRAY face a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release
For Count 4, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and at least two years of supervised release.
For Count 5, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
For Count 6, being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), WILLIAMS faces a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
For Count 7, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B), face a penalty of at least 5 years up to 40 years, a fine of up to $5,000,000, and at least four years of supervised release.
For Count 8, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), face a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
For Count 9, GRAY and BROOKS, who are charged with being felons in possession of firearms, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), face a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
For Count 10, BROOKS, who is charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C), faces a penalty of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release.
For Count 11, BROOKS, who is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §924(c)(1)(A)(i), faces a penalty of at least five years up to life imprisonment, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release.
For Count 12, BROOKS, who is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), faces a penalty of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
As to each count with which WILLIAMS, GRAY, and BROOKS are charged, each faces payment of a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller and Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit, and Elizabeth Privitera, Chief of the Violent Crime Unit.
Three Charged with Participating in Cook County Property Tax Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — The owner of a Chicago-area fence installation company, along with two Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) employees, have been charged in a bribery scheme.
As noted within the indictment, from approximately February to November 2017, ROBERT MITZIGA, 65, owner of Fence Masters, Inc. is alleged to have conspired with an executive of another company (Company A), BASILIO CLAUSEN, 51, of Crown Point, Indiana, who was employed by the CCAO as a residential field inspector, LUMNI LIKOVSKI, 47, of Burbank, who was employed by the CCAO as a director of taxpayer services, and Lavdim Memisovski, who was employed by the CCAO as a commercial group leader, to bribe the CCAO employees in return for reduced property assessments for properties owned by Fence Masters and Company A. Mitziga has also been charged separately with bribing Clausen, Likovski, and Memisovski; Likovski has been charged separately with accepting a bribe as a public official.
Memisovski was charged separately by information on July 6, 2022 for conspiring to accept bribes. He pled guilty to having engaged in a bribery scheme with the owner of a Chicago area construction company from 2016 to 2019.
Mitziga’s company, Fence Masters, and Company A had properties in Cook County that were being re-assessed by CCAO. The two companies appealed the re-assessed values of their properties to the CCAO. As agents of the CCAO, Clausen, Likovski, and Memisovski accepted bribes from Mitziga and the Company A executive in the form of golf outings, food, and drinks. In exchange, Clausen and Likovski circumvented the regular system of random assignment of appeals to route the appeals to Memisovski, who reduced the assessed values on the properties.
The indictment is announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and Robert W. Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vikas Didwania and Richard Rothblatt.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The charges carry a possible sentence range of 5 to 10 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Texas Man Indicted on Federal Charges for Alleged Death Threats to U.S. Rep. Maxine WatersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a Houston man on federal charges for allegedly making a series of phone calls to the Hawthorne office of U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and threatening her with violence and death.
Brian Michael Gaherty, 60, was charged in the indictment with four counts of making threats in interstate communications and four counts of threatening a United States official.
Gaherty was arrested in this case on April 13 after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint that outlined the series of threats to Rep. Waters and alleged Gaherty had threatened other elected officials and a news reporter in Houston.
The indictment filed today alleges that Gaherty called the congresswoman’s office four times last year – twice on August 8, 2022, once on November 8, 2022, and once on November 10. Gaherty allegedly left four voicemails, each of which contained a threat to Rep. Waters.
For example, in one of the August 8 calls to Rep. Waters, Gaherty allegedly threatened, to “cut your throat.”
The four counts of threatening a United States official allege that Gaherty “knowingly threatened to assault and kill” Rep. Waters “with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with victim Congresswoman Waters” while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties, according to the indictment.
“Threats to harm and kill an elected official impact the intended victim, her entire staff and every constituent who is not receiving services because the elected official is dealing with the security threat,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “The entire Justice Department is dedicated to protecting American democracy, which includes combating threats that terrorize officials who have been elected to serve the public.”
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant committed a crime. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
After Gaherty was arrested at his residence in Houston, he made a court appearance and on April 17 was ordered released on $100,000 bond.
Gaherty is expected to appear for an arraignment in United States District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.
Each count of making a threat to a United States official carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The charge of making threats in interstate communications carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The United States Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Laura A. Alexander of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
South Carolina Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A South Carolina return preparer pleaded guilty today, after his jury trial had begun, to two counts of filing false tax returns.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jeffrey Harmon of Lexington, South Carolina, owned and operated TFL Worldwide, a tax preparation business through which he willfully prepared and filed returns for clients that claimed fraudulent deductions relating to, among other things, rent, utilities, meals, gifts, dues, and depreciation.
In his plea, Harmon admitted to filing a false 2012 tax return for himself and to aiding and assisting in the preparation of a 2016 tax return claiming false deductions for rent and depreciation for one of his clients. Harmon agreed that the total tax loss from his criminal conduct was approximately $320,000.
Harmon faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each false return count. He also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties, and restitution. U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Adair Boroughs for the District of South Carolina and Special Agent in Charge Donald Trey Eakins of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Wilson Stamm of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Winston Holliday and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina prosecuted the case.
South Carolina Inmate Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Military Sextortion SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — Dexter Lawrence, 37, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a scheme to extort and defraud military members that was operated out of the South Carolina Department of Correction (SCDC).
Evidence presented to the Court showed that while serving a 22-year sentence in SCDC for Armed Robbery and Carjacking, Lawrence smuggled smartphones into SCDC and used the internet to join internet dating websites. Once on the internet dating websites, Lawrence would target young men who were in the military while posing as a young woman. Lawrence would solicit nude photographs and once the photographs were received, Lawrence, and others, then posed as the father of the young woman, claiming that the young woman was underage, and that the military member was in possession of child pornography. Lawrence and others then threatened to have the military members arrested or dishonorably discharged unless they paid money.
From March 2016 until May 2017, due to this extortion, service members transferred funds to Lawrence, through his co-conspirators, totaling $60,004.09, which investigators traced to at least 25 victims.
United States District Judge Bruce H. Hendricks sentenced Lawrence to 70 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. This sentence will be served after Lawrence completes his 22-year state prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Contraband cell phones enable inmates to continue their criminal activity behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs. “In this case, the defendant used them to prey on victims who have bravely served our nation. Our office is committing to working with SCDC and our law enforcement partners to address the threats posed by smartphones in our prisons.”
“This sentence confirms DCIS’ pledge to hold criminals who target our service members accountable for their actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “We are steadfast in our commitment to protecting our Warfighters and will work aggressively with our investigative partners to accomplish this mission.”
"Mr. Lawrence was leader in a criminal network that specifically preyed on military service members through schemes that degrade military readiness and ultimately threaten our national security," said Special Agent in Charge Erin Carmichael of the NCIS Carolinas Field Office. "NCIS thanks the U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners for their substantial efforts to keep our service members and their families safe from criminal predators."
"Aggressively investigating organized crime impacting our military servicemembers is a top priority for the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division," said Special Agent-in-Charge Justin Link of the Army Criminal Investigation Division's Cyber Field Office. "Mr. Lawrence's sentence should serve as a deterrent for those seeking to take advantage of our nation's fighting forces. Army CID will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to protect our servicemembers."
“Cellphones are the most dangerous weapons in prisons today because they allow inmates to prey on innocent victims and continue committing crimes,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the S.C. Department of Corrections. “I urge Congress to support a hearing on the Cellphone Jamming Reform Act, which would allow states to use technology to jam cellphone signals in state prisons.”
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Katherine Orville and Amy Bower prosecuted the case.
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Slidell Woman Federally Indicted for Theft of Public Money, Wire Fraud, and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS - MELISSA J. WATSON (“WATSON”), resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was indicted on Friday, April 14, 2023, on one count of theft of public money, one count of wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering, announced United States Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the indictment, WATSON schemed to misappropriate over $1.1 million in funds from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, administered by the Small Business Association (SBA), for the enrichment of herself and others. WATSON, who allegedly operated a primary care clinic and a purported spa prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, submitted false and fraudulent loan attestations, and other documentation, on behalf of her clinic, to the HRSA and the SBA. WATSON then allegedly used the PRF and EIDL Program funds for personal gain, including making numerous cash withdrawals, and purchasing, among other things, two luxury vehicles, hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate, a boat, a trailer, a time share, and multiple luxury vacations.
The government seized over $500,000 in bank accounts held by WATSON, and several assets, including a boat, trailer, and Range Rover Sport.
If convicted, WATSON faces a possible maximum sentence of 50 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee per count.
U.S. Attorney Evans stated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General and the FBI. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force and Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas Moses, Health Care Fraud Coordinator.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Six Men Arrested, Charged with Conspiracy to Steal and Re-Sell Restaurant Cooking OilRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Guodeng Chen, Didi Huang, Fangfang Yan, all of Pittsford, NY, Ruimao Yang, Yan Han, and Wen Xiao Zhang, all of New York, NY, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy and the transportation and sale of stolen goods in interstate commerce. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendants conspired to commit a series of thefts of used cooking oil, which can be refined into biodiesel fuel and re-sold for $4.00 to $5.00 per gallon, from numerous restaurants within and around Monroe County. In April 2022, Monroe Country Sheriffs’ Deputies encountered several of the defendants, in the middle of the night, pumping used cooking oil out of privately-owned holding tanks and into box trucks that contained a large storage tank. Deputies followed the box trucks to warehouses located at 300 and 350 Commerce Drive in Rochester, where they observed the defendants pumping the oil out of the trucks and into the warehouse. During the execution of search warrants at 300 and 350 Commerce Drive, deputies discovered 12,461 gallons of unrefined oil, worth over $73,000. A review of documents and records found during the search warrants revealed that the defendants sold and shipped the stolen oil to a refinery located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Investigators traced two specific shipments totaling of 95,320 gallons of oil from the defendants’ warehouse in Rochester to the refinery in Erie, PA. The defendants were paid $60,051 for these two shipments.
The defendants made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and were released on conditions.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Sioux Falls Man Found Guilty of Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Sky Thomas Roubideaux, age 23, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on April 20, 2023.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Roubideaux was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2022.
Roubideaux, using his cellular phone, attempted to knowingly entice a minor individual, namely an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old male, to engage in sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has been set for July 10, 2023. Roubideaux was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux City Felon with Violent History Sent to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a GunRead the Press Release
A man illegally armed with a loaded gun, was sentenced on April 13, 2023, to more than 5 years in federal prison.
Devine Shawn Felder, aka “Ketchup”, 41, originally from Louisiana, received the prison term after a December 19, 2022, guilty plea to 1 Count of Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
Evidence in the case showed on or about July 22, 2022, as Sioux City Police Officers attempted to contact Felder regarding an active felony warrant, he fled on foot. Felder was stopped a short distance away in possession of a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber.
Felder has previously been convicted of burglary on an inhabited dwelling, battery, felon in possession of a firearm, domestic abuse battery, assault causing bodily injury, criminal mischief, and aggravated assault. As a result, Felder is incapable of legally possessing a gun.
Felder was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 70 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Felder is being held in the custody of the United States Marshal’s until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-04070.
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Seven Men Arrested for Dealing Drugs Out of Las Colinas MotelRead the Press Release
Seven alleged drug dealers were arrested in a Texas Anti-Gang Center takedown in Dallas on Wednesday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Brandon Jones, Jaleel Peterson, Victor Contreras, Glenn Blair, Corey Allen, Derrick Richardson, and Antonie Thompson-Stevens were charged via criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. They made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver on Friday.
According to the complaint, a source told law enforcement that members of the conspiracy were operating a so-called “trap room,” or narcotics distribution room, out of a motel in Las Colinas. At the direction of law enforcement, the source made three controlled drug buys inside the room.
Law enforcement then identified a second motel room being operated as a trap room. They used another source to make four controlled purchase inside the room.
On April 19, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the motel rooms in question. As officers made their entry, a firearm was thrown out the window. Two defendants, Brandon Jones and Jaleel Peterson, attempted to flee through a back window but were apprehended by police. Mr. Jones was carrying a handgun and a small baggie of crack cocaine when he was arrested. Three more defendants, Victor Contreras, Derrick Richardson, and Antonie Thompson-Stevens, were apprehended inside the rooms, and one, Glenn Blair, was taken into custody nearby.
From the first room, room 111, officers seized 85.3 grams of heroin, 1949.5 grams methamphetamine, 114.7 grams cocaine, 2.6 grams suspected PCP, 60 grams fentanyl,15.8 grams Alprazolam, 142 grams suspected methamphetamine tablets, 44 grams marijuana, 643.8 grams THC products, 2.3 grams white powder, 2.3 grams THC pills, 23.4 grams hydrocodone, 21.5 grams Omeprazole, 28 grams Sertraline, and four firearms. From the second room, they seized 1139.1 grams of marijuana, 44.8 grams psilocybin mushrooms, 113.1 grams heroin, 31.3 grams crack cocaine, 335.5 grams methamphetamine, 23.5 grams powder cocaine, 48.3 grams fentanyl, 6 grams morphine, two handguns, one rifle and a tactical ballistic vest. They also seized scales, packing, and equipment used to “cap” fentanyl powder into individual capsules sold to customers.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, each faces between five and 40 years in federal prison.
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Highway Patrol, and Special Response Team (SRT) and the Dallas Police Department’s Intelligence, Narcotics, Northwest Crime Response, and SWAT units conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert is prosecuting the case.
This operation was coordinated through the Texas Anti-Gang Center. The TAG serves as the unified headquarters for an estimated 75 - 100 of the region’s most knowledgeable and experienced federal, state and local anti-gang investigators, analysts and prosecutors. The TAG is comprised of various law enforcement agencies and has implemented innovative approaches to fighting violent criminal gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
Seller of Counterfeit Art Extradited from Germany After 13 Years as A FugitiveRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that ANGELA CATHERINE HAMBLIN, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was extradited today from Germany to the United States to serve a prison sentence for selling fake works of art through a commercial auction website and in private transactions. After pleading guilty in 2009, HAMBLIN was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. However, HAMBLIN failed to report to U.S. prison authorities as ordered and instead fled the United States to the United Kingdom. She was re-arrested on May 31, 2022, while changing planes at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Hamblin went to great lengths to avoid accountability for her crimes, but this Office and the FBI have long memories and benefit greatly from our cooperation with international partners. Despite some 13 years on the run, Hamblin was apprehended last year as she changed flights in Germany and today returns to face justice and serve her time in prison.”
As alleged in the Indictment and other documents and statements made in Court:
For about five months in 2007, HAMBLIN engaged in a fraudulent scheme to sell at least four paintings that she represented to be works of such artists as Joseph Mallord William Turner (a British watercolorist and printmaker), Milton Avery (an American abstract expressionist painter), Franz Kline (an American abstract painter), and Juan Gris (a Spanish Cubist painter and sculptor), when she knew that the paintings were not authentic works of art by these famed artists. HAMBLIN made various claims about where she acquired the paintings, including that she or her husband had inherited the paintings from relatives and that they purchased one of the paintings from a then-deceased seller. With respect to one of the paintings, HAMBLIN claimed that the artist had given it to George Balanchine, the choreographer, who had in turn sold it to her great-grandfather.
HAMBLIN was re-arrested on May 31, 2022, when she changed planes in Frankfurt, Germany, on a flight from Vienna, Austria, to the United Kingdom. Following an order of extradition by German authorities, HAMBLIN was flown today from Frankfurt to New York City and transported to the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to serve her prison sentence.
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HAMBLIN, 74, of St. Boswells, Scotland, pled guilty on February 16, 2009, to two counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. She was sentenced on July 14, 2009, by United States District Judge Loretta A. Preska to one year and one day in prison.
Mr. Williams praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Art Crime Team/New York Major Theft Task Force for their outstanding investigative work on HAMBLIN’s scheme to sell counterfeit art. Mr. Williams also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Marshals Service, and German authorities for their assistance in the extradition.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raymond Lewis is in charge of the prosecution.
Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Jordan Valle, age 26, of Schenectady, New York, pled guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his guilty plea Valle admitted that, from at least October 2021 through December 2022, he pretended to be a hacker online and threatened to delete or takeover the social media accounts of multiple minor females aged approximately 10-15 years old if they did not send him sexually explicit material. Several children complied with his demands and sent him sexually explicit videos of themselves urinating or masturbating. In December 2022, Valle also had a collection of child pornography he obtained on the internet saved onto his computer at his home.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 17, 2023, in Albany, New York before United States District Judge Anne M. Nardacci. Valle faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child count and up to 20 years in prison for possessing child pornography. He also will also be required to serve at least 5 years and up to a life term on supervised release after his imprisonment term ends, at which time he will be required to register as a sex offender. Valle also will be required to forfeit the devices he used to commit the offenses to the United States and must pay restitution to his victims. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statutes the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Upper Allen Township Police Department, and the New York State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
San Francisco Man Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Fleecing Victims in Fraudulent Investment SchemesRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Min Jin Zhao was sentenced to over five years in prison and ordered to pay $1,883,503.93 in restitution for defrauding investors in two separate investment schemes, announced United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Vince Chhabria, U.S. District Judge.
Zhao, 60, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty to the charges on February 6, 2023. According to his plea agreement, Zhao admitted he devised and participated in fraudulent schemes targeting two separate victims.
In the first scheme, Zhao convinced his victim that he would invest her money using a corporation he called “Big Block Consulting, Inc.” (BBC). From 2017 to 2021 Zhao claimed he would invest her money through BBC, convincing his victim to hand over her retirement for a 10% monthly return. Zhao admitted he knew the victim for three years prior to the point at which he convinced her to hand over her savings to him. Zhao also admitted in this plea agreement that he did not invest any of the over $2 million the victim gave him for her retirement. In documents filed in connection with Zhao’s sentencing, the government argued that Zhao’s victim trusted him because she believed Zhao was a dear friend; the victim gave Zhao her entire retirement savings, leaving her with so little to spend that she, at times, was forced to send him text messages in which she requested small sums so she could pay for personal expenses. Zhao admitted in the plea agreement that he used the funds in part to purchase a condominium in Indian Wells, Calif.
In the second scheme, Zhao falsely asserted to his victim that he was a film executive at Sony. Zhao admitted in his plea agreement that from 2018 to 2021, he attempted to convince his victim to invest $500,000 in BBC in exchange for allowing his victim to become an executive producer on BBC’s movie projects. Zhao acknowledged in his plea agreement that he was never associated with Sony, nor was he ever a film executive. Zhao admitted that he and his victim signed a written contract and the victim forwarded to Zhao a money wire in the amount of $300,000. Zhao admitted he did not invest the money as he promised his victim he would. The government submitted documents asserting that Zhao’s victim borrowed the $300,000 from a family member to provide the funds for the investment.
On January 5, 2022, a federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment charging Zhao with three counts of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Zhao pleaded guilty to all three counts.In addition to the prison term, Judge Chhabria ordered Zhao to serve a three-year period of supervised release and to pay $1,883,503.93 in restitution. Judge Chhabria also issued an order of forfeiture for Zhao’s interest in the Indian Wells property.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alethea Sargent is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Sacramento Man Charged with Methamphetamine Distribution Crimes and Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment Thursday against Efrain Valentin, 54, of Sacramento, charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on March 1, 2022, Efrain Valentin supplied approximately 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine to another individual for the purpose of selling it to a purported customer. The customer was in fact a confidential informant working for law enforcement.
On March 1, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Valentin’s residence and arrested him. On the premises, investigators found approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine and a derringer-style handgun. Valentin is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
If convicted on the methamphetamine counts, Valentin faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years, up to a maximum life in prison, and a $10 million fine. If convicted on the firearm count, Valentin faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Christian G. Cruz, 25, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is handling the case, stated that on August 2, 2022, in the area of 1248 N. Clinton Avenue in Rochester, police officers observed Cruz showing a firearm to another male. When officers approached Cruz, they observed the outline of a firearm in his pocket and asked for identification. Cruz reached towards his pocket where the gun was, so the officers grabbed his arms, eventually taking him into custody after a brief struggle. Officers found the loaded handgun in the pocket of Cruz’s shorts. They also found 61 small plastic vials of cocaine, four wax paper envelopes containing fentanyl, and a knotted sandwich bag containing cocaine, in another pocket.
The matter was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2023, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Readout of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Visit to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of MichiganRead the Press Release
On Friday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland met with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan as well as federal and local law enforcement partners.
In Detroit, Attorney General Garland met with U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison, along with attorneys and the staff at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Attorney General Garland was briefed on a community partnership named “One Detroit” designed to reduce violent crime in the City through a multi-faceted program of crime prevention, services for the re-entry of returning citizens, and focused law enforcement.
One Detroit is the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s comprehensive violence reduction initiative that links evidenced-based strategies with a coalition of stakeholders in the community, government, and law enforcement. The core of the initiative is partnership. By bringing together leaders in government, the community, and law enforcement, and aligning their work, the One Detroit partnership will work to reduce violence through engagement, coordination, and action.
One Detroit includes aggressive investigation and prosecution of the relatively small number of individuals responsible for the most violence. But the One Detroit partners recognize that violence must be prevented and not just punished. And so, the One Detroit partners will also develop and foster meaningful community relationships, promote prevention and intervention programs, and emphasize prisoner reentry programs that involve the community.
Attorney General Garland praised the One Detroit community partnership as critical to addressing violent crime in Detroit. He shared his support for the work that U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison and the Office’s attorneys and staff are doing to combat violent crime through prevention, intervention and fostering community relationships.
After the briefing, Attorney General Garland met with federal law enforcement officials in Detroit and spoke about the importance of tackling the problem of fentanyl in both the U.S. and Mexico. Attorney General Garland also met with local law enforcement and commended the strong working relationship between local, state, and federal law enforcement. His visit to Detroit concluded with an address to the staff of the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Project Safe Neighborhoods NewsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence. At the core of PSN is setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announces the following actions in federal PSN cases.
Indictments
Sukhmanpreet Singh Jawanda, 20, of Yuba City, was charged Thursday in a five-count indictment with unlawfully dealing firearms without a license, distribution of fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. According to court documents, Jawanda sold fentanyl and at least six firearms to an undercover agent in 2022. On March 25, 2022, law enforcement officers pulled Jawanda over for a traffic stop as he traveled on Interstate‑5 in San Joaquin County and found him to be in possession of over 30,000 fentanyl pills, a kilogram of cocaine, and a firearm. This case was the product of an investigation by the DEA, the ATF, the CHP, and the Yuba-Sutter Narcotics Enforcement Team-5. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.
Brothers Brian Keith Johnson, 25, and Branden Lamont Johnson, 23, both of Stockton, were each charged Thursday with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, law enforcement officers arrested Brian Johnson and Branden Johnson after they fled on foot from a car following a chase by officers. Brian Johnson was in possession of an assault rifle with a drum attached to it holding more than 60 rounds of ammunition. Branden Johnson was carrying a handgun. Both defendants are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of prior felony convictions. Branden Johnson has been convicted of carrying a loaded concealed weapon, and Brian Johnson has been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm with a large capacity magazine, and participating in a criminal street gang. This case is the product of an investigation by the ATF and the Stockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Pearson is prosecuting the case.
This case is also part of Operation Ceasefire, a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the Stockton Police Department to establish a peaceful community by investigating and prosecuting members and associates of criminal groups who continue to commit serious and violent felonies in the city, including individuals who have previously been prosecuted for illegal gun and gang-related crimes.
Phillip Pulido, 53, of Clovis, was indicted Thursday, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm. According to court documents, on April 12, 2023, Pulido was found to be in possession of six .22-caliber rifles, a .22-caliber pistol, two shotguns, and a 9 mm handgun. Pulido had previously been convicted of felonies and is prohibited from possessing firearms. In addition, he possessed an unregistered firearm. This case is a product of an investigation by the ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Stokman is prosecuting the case.
If Jawanda is convicted of the distribution of fentanyl or possession with intent to distribute cocaine, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million; if convicted of unlawful dealing in firearms, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000; if convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Jawanda faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. If convicted, Brian Johnson and Branden Johnson each face a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If convicted, Pulido faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for being a felon in possession of a firearm and a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for possession of an unregistered firearm.. Any sentences, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Guilty Plea
Bruce Lamont Walker, 54, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty Tuesday, April 18, 2023, to being a felon in possession of ammunition. According to court documents, Walker was convicted in 2014 for a domestic violence offense and sentenced to 11 years in prison. Walker had only been on parole for three months when a parole search resulted in the discovery of an AR‑15 style “ghost gun” (privately made without a serial number) in his bedroom. Also found was an extended magazine with 27 rounds of ammunition. Walker is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition on account of seven prior felony convictions, including two felony crimes of violence and multiple firearms related felonies. This case is the product of an investigation by the ATF, CDCR‑Division of Adult Parole Operations, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, the Solano County Sheriff’s Enforcement Team, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case. Walker is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2023. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Postal Service Employee Arrested for Mail TheftRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A United States Postal Service employee appeared in federal court today on mail theft and related charges, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Demarkis Deon Houston, 30, of Charlotte, was arrested on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Houston is charged with mail destruction, theft of mail by a Postal Service employee, and possession of a stolen firearm.
Jeff Krafels, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Area Field Office (MAAFO), which oversees Charlotte, and Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to allegations in the indictment, on August 31, 2022, Houston unlawfully opened and destroyed mail entrusted to him. The indictment also alleges that on September 19, 2022, Houston removed from mail entrusted in his care a 9mm firearm, which was intended to be delivered by a carrier of the Postal Service. The indictment further alleges that on October 10, 2022, Houston possessed a stolen firearm.
Houston was released on bond following his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan C. Rodriguez.
The charge of destruction of mail and theft of mail by a postal employee each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The possession of a stolen firearm offense carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The charges against Houston are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked USPS-OIG and ATF for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Regina H. Pack of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Plymouth Meeting, Pa Company to Pay $5.3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to False Billing for Respiratory DevicesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – AdaptHealth LLC, formerly known as QMES, LLC, a provider of durable medical equipment based in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, will pay $5.3 million to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations for submitting allegedly false claims to federal healthcare programs for respiratory devices that patients did not need or use, in violation of federal healthcare program requirements. The settlement was announced today by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero.
The settlement resolves allegations that between 2013 and 2017, AdaptHealth (known during the period as QMES and Tri-County Medical Equipment and Supply LLC), itself and through certain of its related entities, knowingly and willfully billed federal payors for non-invasive ventilators (“NIVs”) when a patient was instead prescribed and used a BiPAP machine—for which federal payors reimburse suppliers thousands of dollars less per year. The settlement also resolves allegations that AdaptHealth continued billing federal payors for ventilators after patients no longer needed or were using them, and double-billed federal payors for some ventilator rentals in violation of program requirements.
“The integrity of our health care system depends on the government being able to rely on durable medical equipment providers to seek reimbursement for only those devices a doctor has prescribed for their patient and that the patient actually needs and uses,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Providers like AdaptHealth have an obligation to ensure that the equipment and devices they rent to patients are medically necessary and properly billed. When companies disregard that obligation to maximize their profits, this Office will hold them accountable.”
“When submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs, providers exploit the trust that they will bill in accordance with the law and instead use the reimbursement process to steal taxpayer dollars,” stated Maureen Dixon, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, will work to investigate and cease wrongful activity to protect federal healthcare resources.”
“The integrity of the Federal health care programs depends on the honest and accurate submission of claims,” said Conrad J. Quarles, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General. “We applaud the efforts of our law enforcement partners and colleagues at the Department of Justice on today’s settlement.”
The settlement resolves a lawsuit originally brought by Michael J. Kelly, a former QMES employee, under the whistleblower, or qui tam, provisions of the False Claims Act. The Act permits private citizens with knowledge of fraud against the government to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and to share in any recovery. Kelly will receive approximately $950,000 of the settlement.
The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren DeBruicker and Veronica J. Finkelstein and Auditor Dawn Wiggins. This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General and Office of Investigations; and the Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General.
The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Kelly v. QMES LLC, d/b/a Tricounty Medical Equipment and Supply, LLC, No. 17-cv-0199 (E.D. Pa.). The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
Phoenix Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. –Luis Ernesto Morales-Reyes, 38, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge James A. Soto to 78 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Morales-Reyes pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl.
In September of 2022, Morales-Reyes agreed to deliver approximately 99,500 fentanyl pills to an individual in Tucson who, unbeknownst to Morales-Reyes, was an undercover agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On September 15, 2022, Morales-Reyes drove from Phoenix to Tucson with the fentanyl and met with the agent. After delivering the pills, Morales-Reyes was arrested, and agents found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession. After his arrest, Morales-Reyes admitted to making multiple prior deliveries of narcotics on behalf of a Phoenix-based drug trafficking organization.
As part of its One Pill Can Kill public service campaign, the DEA recently announced that six out of every 10 fentanyl-laced pills tested in 2022 contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl (https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-laboratory-testing-reveals-6-out-10-fentanyl-laced-fake-prescription-pills-now-contain).
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Culver, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-02230
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-057_Morales-Reyes# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Orleans Parish Man Sentenced to 94 Months for Violating the Federal Controlled Substances and Gun Control ActsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – KENDALL GILMER, JR., age 42, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on April 19, 2023 to 94 months imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release, and a $200 mandatory special assessment fee by U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. GILMER previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fifty grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), and being a felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
According to court documents, on October 18, 2021, after conducting surveillance on GILMER, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and New Orleans Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop on GILMER, who was driving on North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. A search of GILMER’s vehicle revealed 80.3 grams of methamphetamine, 10.69 grams of a mixture and substance containing heroin and fentanyl, and two semi-automatic handguns.
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 Drug Enforcement Administration and New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney J. Benjamin Myers of the Narcotics Unit.