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Wednesday 22 February 2023
Lebanon Man Gets 200 Months in Federal Prison for Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS – A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Lebanon man on Tuesday to more than 16 years in federal prison for his involvement in distributing methamphetamine in St. Clair County.
Michael P. O’Leary, 48, pled guilty to one count of methamphetamine distribution, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to his prison sentence, he received five years of supervised release.
“The defendant was responsible for distributing large amounts of methamphetamine throughout the Metro East,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Illegal, dangerous drugs have no place in downstate Illinois communities, and the U.S. Attorney Office will continue to work with the DEA to remove individuals responsible for infecting families and loved ones.”
“Drug traffickers engage in their illicit activities for a specific reason: to make money,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean Vickers, head of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in southern Illinois. “Unfortunately, some of them use firearms to commit their criminal acts. This 16-year sentence demonstrates that DEA and its local and federal partners are dedicated to taking illegally possessed firearms off the street and putting these criminals out of business.”
According to court documents, an undercover DEA agent purchased 55 grams of methamphetamine from O’Leary in December 2020. In January 2021, the DEA executed a search warrant of his Lebanon residence and recovered 467 grams of methamphetamine.
During the search, DEA agents also located a handgun in O’Leary’s closet and was informed he owned several other firearms. The defendant is a convicted felon from a methamphetamine distribution charge in March 2015 and thus unable to legally possess firearms.
DEA led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Carraway prosecuted the case.
Leader of Violent Lansing Street Gang Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced that yesterday Michael Anthony Granado, 32, of Lansing, Michigan was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney also ordered Granado to spend three years on supervised release after his confinement. Granado was a founding member and high-level leader of the Lansing area gang known as “Shake Da Bag,” commonly referred to as “SDB.” Information received by the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicates that SDB is a violent criminal enterprise whose members and associates have been involved in numerous criminal activities in the Lansing area, including armed robberies, assaults, shootings, narcotics trafficking, firearms trafficking, and other illegal firearm offenses. On September 9, 2022, investigators executed a federal search warrant at Granado’s residence and located a loaded Glock Model 21 .45 caliber pistol in his bedroom.
Granado pictured with additional firearms and SDB necklace
“We will continue to bring the full force of the law down on violent individuals and criminal enterprises that spread havoc and fear in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office is committed to disrupting illegal firearm and drug trafficking that hurt our communities. Violent street gangs and illegal firearm possession have no place in our district.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, working closely with investigative teams at the Lansing Police Department’s Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), the Michigan State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) have identified and prosecuted several members and associates of the SDB street gang to disrupt the cycle of violence in Lansing. In addition to Granado, the following leaders, members, and suppliers of firearms to the SDB street gang have been sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan in the past year:
Marquies Deshaun Davis: Sentenced in March 2022 to ten years for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Jevonte Steven Scott: Sentenced in August 2022 to nine years for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Krista Marie Sullivan: Sentenced in December 2022 to two years for making false statements during the purchase of firearms. Sullivan was a “straw purchaser” who purchased 11 firearms for Jevonte Steven Scott, who was a felon prohibited from legally purchasing firearms.
Keandre Keith Allen: Sentenced in May 2022 to over five and a half years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“Violent gang members who commit heinous acts of gun violence will not be tolerated,” said ATF Acting SAC Craig Kailimai. “We are proud of the collaborative effort with the U.S. Attorney’s office, our federal, State of Michigan, and local partners resulting in getting these violent gang members off of our streets.”
“At the Lansing Police Department, we take pride in working with other agencies to get the job done. This case is a great example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement works together,” said Ellery Sosebee, Chief of Lansing Police Department. “We look forward to continuing these great partnerships and solving more cases in the future.”
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Lauren F. Biksacky prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
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Justice Department Secures Agreement with New York IT Staffing Firm to Resolve Immigration-Related Discrimination ClaimsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Amiga Informatics (Amiga), a New York IT staffing company. The settlement resolves the department’s determination that Amiga violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by posting discriminatory job advertisements that solicited applications only from individuals with specific citizenship or immigration statuses.
“Employers have a responsibility to ensure that their job advertisements and hiring processes do not unlawfully exclude individuals because of their citizenship or immigration status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to knocking down unnecessary barriers that deny people job opportunities.”
The department’s investigation determined that Amiga posted at least six facially discriminatory job advertisements in 2021. Four of these advertisements sought only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, thereby deterring others with permission to work in the United States without sponsorship, including asylees and refugees, from applying and receiving fair consideration for the employment opportunities. In addition, two advertisements sought only applicants with Optional Practical Training status, a temporary work authorization status given to certain non-U.S. citizen students in the United States. The advertisements thus unlawfully excluded asylees, refugees, lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens and nationals. The INA’s anti-discrimination provision generally prohibits employers from recruiting or refusing to hire workers based on their citizenship or immigration status.
Under the agreement, Amiga will pay $24,864 in civil penalties to the United States. The agreement also requires Amiga to train its recruiters on the INA’s requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation.
Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination when hiring and recruiting on IER’s website. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email [email protected]; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe to GovDelivery to receive updates from IER.
Spanish Version
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against California Rental Property Manager and OwnersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act against Joel Nolen, the owner and operator of rental properties in Lassen County, California.
The lawsuit also names as defendants Shirlee Nolen and Nolen Properties LLC, the co-owners of the rental properties at the relevant times. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges that Joel Nolen sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2011. According to the complaint, Nolen offered housing-related benefits in exchange for sexual contact, made unwelcome sexual comments and advances to female tenants, entered the homes of female tenants without their permission, subjected female tenants to unwelcome touching and groping, subjected female tenants to unwelcome sexual acts and took adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“No one should ever feel unsafe or suffer sexual harassment in their home, especially at the hands of their housing provider,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act and holding landlords and housing providers accountable when they sexually harass their tenants.”
“The sexual harassment and retaliation alleged in today’s complaint violates our federal fair housing laws and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “Landlords and other housing providers who engage in such conduct will be held accountable to ensure that individuals feel safe and comfortable in their homes.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination.
The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The initiative, which is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department of Justice has filed 27 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $9.7 million for victims of such harassment.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Joel Nolen, Shirlee Nolen, or Nolen Properties LLC, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, select 1 for English, and select option number 2, then option number 7 to leave a message. Individuals may also email the Justice Department at [email protected] or submit a report online. Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against California Rental Property Manager and OwnersRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act against Joel Nolen, the owner and operator of rental properties in Lassen County. The lawsuit also names as defendants Shirlee Nolen and Nolen Properties LLC, the co-owners of Susanville area rental properties at the relevant times. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges that Joel Nolen sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2011. According to the complaint, Nolen offered housing-related benefits in exchange for sexual contact, made unwelcome sexual comments and advances to female tenants, entered the homes of female tenants without their permission, subjected female tenants to unwelcome touching and groping, subjected female tenants to unwelcome sexual acts, and took adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
“The sexual harassment and retaliation alleged in today’s complaint violates our federal fair housing laws and will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. “Landlords and other housing providers who engage in such conduct will be held accountable to ensure that individuals feel safe and comfortable in their homes.”
“No one should ever feel unsafe or suffer sexual harassment in their home, especially at the hands of their housing provider,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act and holding landlords and housing providers accountable when they sexually harass their tenants.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest, and a court order barring future discrimination.
The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The initiative, which is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the Department of Justice has filed 27 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $9.7 million for victims of such harassment.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Joel Nolen, Shirlee Nolen, or Nolen Properties LLC, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, select 1 for English, and select option number 2, then option number 7 to leave a message. Individuals may also email the Justice Department at [email protected] or submit a report online. Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.
Jury Convicts 29-Year-Old of Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking and Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for ProfitRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Last week, a federal jury found Olegario Lares-De La Rosa, 29, of Mexico, guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking, Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit, and two counts of Transportation of an Illegal Alien for Profit. Lares-De La Rosa previously pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm on June 9, 2022. Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2023, before United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps.
The investigation in this case began on April 6, 2022, when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received a tip from an individual in New York. The informant told HSI investigators that he had received a call from his cousins, undocumented noncitizens, who said they were being held captive and that their captors demanded $16,000 for their release.
The cousins were detained by three armed men after they crossed illegally into the United States. The armed captors took the victims’ cellphones and transported them to a house where they were held captive for several days. Each evening, the door to their room was screwed shut so they could not escape. On April 8, 2022, Lares-De La Rosa picked up the cousins from the house and brought them to the place where they were to be exchanged for the $16,000 payment.
That same day, Lares-De La Rosa’s co-conspirator, Borboa-Ruiz, met with undercover agents in Tucson to collect the $16,000 payment. After counting the money, Borboa-Ruiz made a call stating that “they were good.” Less than a minute later, the cousins walked single file out of a black Hyundai driven by Lares-De La Rosa. Borboa-Ruiz was immediately arrested.
While the agents were arresting Borboa-Ruiz, Lares-De La Rosa sped away in the Hyundai, leading agents on a high-speed vehicle chase. During the pursuit, Lares-De La Rosa attempted to discard his 9mm pistol by throwing it out of the car. He then bailed out of the Hyundai while it was still in drive, narrowly missing being struck by the vehicle. Lares-De La Rosa then ran into a wash and through a residential neighborhood before he was arrested.
On February 2, 2023, Borboa-Ruiz, 28, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Hostage Taking and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm. Sentencing for Borboa-Ruiz is scheduled for April 25, 2023, before Judge Zipps.
HSI conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Marana Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai and Jennifer Berman, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-0974-TUC-JGZ
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-023_Lares-De_La_Rosa# # #
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.
Jill E. Steinberg takes oath as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of GeorgiaRead the Press Release
U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall administers the oath of office to Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in the Federal Courthouse in Augusta, Ga., observed by U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen.
SAVANNAH, GA: Jill E. Steinberg has been sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall administered the oath on February 22, 2023. President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. nominated Steinberg to be U.S. Attorney on October 19, 2022, and the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination on February 16, 2023.
“I am incredibly honored to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “I look forward to working with the outstanding attorneys and staff in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and members of the community to serve the citizens of the district.”
Steinberg has been a partner at Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 2021. From 2008 to 2014, and from 2016 to 2021, she served the citizens of Georgia as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Criminal Chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. From 2014 to 2016, Steinberg worked at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. where she served as an Attorney Advisor in the National Security Division and then as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. From 2001 to 2008, she was an associate at Rogers & Hardin LLP in Atlanta, Georgia.
Steinberg began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2001. She received her Juris Doctor from Duke University Law School in 1998 and her Bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Georgia in 1995.
As U.S. Attorney, Steinberg is the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Georgia, which covers 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties with a population of more than 1.6 million people and includes the cities of Savannah, Augusta, and Brunswick. She leads a team of approximately 70 attorneys and staff in prosecuting federal crimes in the district and defending the United States in civil cases brought in U.S. District Court. Learn more about the district at www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/about-district.
Jefferson County Man Indicted on Federal Gun Theft Charges for Stealing Numerous Firearms from Licensed DealersRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment today charging a local man with stealing firearms from licensed firearms dealers.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Maynard of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictment, Dairon Finisson, 19, was charged with two counts of stealing a firearm from a licensed dealer of firearms. On July 17, 2022, Finisson, aided and abetted by others, is alleged to have stolen 17 pistols, 7 rifles, and a shotgun. On July 20, 2022, Finisson, aided and abetted by others, is alleged to have stolen 6 rifles and 1 pistol.
The defendant will make an initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on a later date. If convicted, Finisson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the ATF, Louisville Metro Police Department, and Jeffersontown Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh Porter.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Hughes County Resident Pleads Guilty to Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Michael David Patton, age 30, of Wewoka, Oklahoma entered a guilty plea to an Information charging him with Murder in Indian Country – Second Degree, which is punishable by up to life imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both.
The Information alleged that on or about October 19, 2022, the defendant, with malice aforethought, did unlawfully kill the victim. During the plea hearing, the defendant admitted he entered a residence in Wewoka, Oklahoma by force and stabbed the victim over ten times while the victim was sleeping.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Seminole Lighthorse Police Department, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. The defendant was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshal pending imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Casey Richmond represented the United States.
Henrico Man Sentenced on Drug Trafficking and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Henrico County man was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for drug trafficking and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court documents, Anthony Sylvester Gaines, 42, rented an extended stay hotel room in Henrico County where he was storing and preparing numerous types of drugs for distribution. When the police searched the room pursuant to a search warrant, the police recovered approximately 132 grams of cocaine, 9 grams of heroin and fentanyl mix, 29 fake Oxycodone “M30” pills that contained fentanyl and 28 red and green tablets that contained methamphetamine. Additionally, the police seized a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol from the counter in the bathroom. Inside of Gaines’ vehicle which was parked in the parking lot of the hotel, the police recovered another loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol along with two additional bags containing cocaine. Gaines was a convicted felon. Gaines was sentenced to 50 months of imprisonment on the drug distribution charge and 60 months consecutive on the firearm charge.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Rick Edwards, Acting Chief of Richmond Police Department; and Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Norman prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-94.
Hannibal, Missouri, Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Federal Prison for Facilitating Distribution of Methamphetamine and Other DrugsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Hannibal, Missouri, man, Orlando Webster, 40, of the 1900 block of Hope Street, was sentenced on February 21, 2023, to 87 months in federal prison for two counts of facilitating the use of communication facilities in furtherance of illegal drug distribution. Upon release from imprisonment, Webster will serve a one-year term of supervised release.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Webster facilitated drug deals by using a cellular phone. All total, the offenses involved 549 grams of “Ice” methamphetamine, 226 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and 2,544.2 grams of cannabis with the drugs being sent via commercial carrier from California and then distributed in Illinois and Missouri.
Previously, two co-defendants, Tommy Tran and Shawn Davis, were sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment and 144 months’ imprisonment respectively. Cases against three other co-defendants remain set for either sentencing or trial. Members of the public are reminded that the charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and defendant are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The statutory penalties for using a communication facility to commit a drug felony are up to four years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The case investigation was conducted by the West Central Illinois Task Force, Illinois State Police, and the Quincy Police Department, with assistance from law enforcement agencies in California and Missouri. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Webster 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.
Grants Pass Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing from a Tribal Organization and Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Grants Pass, Oregon man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $70,000 from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
After pleading guilty to one count each of stealing from a Tribal organization and illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Kevin Lee Jones, 34, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release. Jones was also ordered to pay $74,228 in restitution to the Cow Creek Tribe.
According to court documents, on September 6, 2021, Jones attempted to disguise his identity and stole $74,228 in cash from a business owned by the Cow Creek Tribe in Canyonville, Oregon. Several weeks later, in October 2021, Jones, who has a lengthy criminal history and, as a convicted felon, was prohibited from possessing firearms, was found unresponsive in a car in Grants Pass with a loaded pistol in his waistband. During a later search of his residence, investigators located and seized an M4 rifle with an extended capacity magazine.
On December 14, 2021, Jones was charged by criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. On December 16, 2021, a federal grand jury in Eugene indicted him on the same charge. Later, on December 29, 2022, he was charged by criminal information with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and stealing from a Tribal organization.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cow Creek Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with Josephine County District Attorney Joshua J. Eastman.
Four Charged After A Mail Theft Sting OperationRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Four individuals have been charged by federal criminal complaint for their alleged involvement in stealing mail from blue postal collection boxes in central Arkansas. Over the weekend, law enforcement conducted numerous sting operations at a number of post office locations. In the early morning hours on Monday, agents arrested Javion Trevon Dozier, 19, Gilpre Flowers, 23, and Jamoun Young, 23, all of North Little Rock. A fourth person remains at large. The three individuals in custody had their initial appearance Wednesday afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Edie R. Ervin after criminal complaints were filed.
This mail theft investigation began last spring when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Little Rock Police Department began receiving complaints from individuals and businesses in the central Arkansas area that their mail was being stolen. Law enforcement estimates that there have been more than 700 reported victims of mail theft and forgery in connection with this ongoing investigation.
“The arrests in this case demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to ensure the public’s trust in the Postal Service, its brand, and the U.S. mail,” said Thomas Noyes, Inspector in Charge, Fort Worth Division. “We will continue to dismantle groups responsible for stealing mail and committing fraud. I’d like to thank the Postal Inspectors, Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney Office, Eastern District of Arkansas, for their diligence and dedication in this investigation.”
“If you steal United States mail, you should expect to go to a United States courthouse. Your crimes are federal crimes and will be prosecuted as such,” United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said. In addressing steps the public should take to ensure safe delivery of their mail, Ross stated, “For all of you who would like to see your mail get to where it’s going, take your mail into the post office. If you must deposit your mail in the blue box, please do so before the last posted collection time, and do not use blue boxes on weekends or federal holidays.”
Conspiring to steal mail and theft of mail carry statutory penalties of not more than five years imprisonment. All charges carry a fine of not more than $250,000 and not more than three years of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Arkansas State Police, and the Little Rock Police Department. A criminal complaint only contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
Forsage Founders Indicted in $340M DeFi Crypto SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in the District of Oregon returned an indictment today charging four founders of Forsage, a purportedly decentralized finance (DeFi) cryptocurrency investment platform, for their roles in a global Ponzi and pyramid scheme that raised approximately $340 million from victim-investors.
According to court documents, Vladimir Okhotnikov, aka Lado; Olena Oblamska, aka Lola Ferrari; Mikhail Sergeev, aka Mike Mooney, aka Gleb, aka Gleb Million; and Sergey Maslakov, all Russian nationals, allegedly touted Forsage as a decentralized matrix project based on network marketing and “smart contracts,” which are self-executing contracts on the blockchain. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants aggressively promoted Forsage to the public through social media as a legitimate and lucrative business opportunity, but in reality, the defendants operated Forsage as a Ponzi and pyramid investment scheme that took in approximately $340 million from victim-investors around the world.
“Together with our partners, the department is committed to holding accountable fraudsters who cheat investors, including in the emerging DeFi space,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s indictment showcases the department’s ability to use all available investigative tools, including blockchain analysis, to uncover sophisticated frauds involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.”
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly coded and deployed smart contracts that systematized their combined Ponzi-pyramid scheme on the Ethereum (ETH), Binance Smart Chain, and Tron blockchains. Analysis of the computer code underlying Forsage’s smart contracts allegedly revealed that, consistent with a Ponzi scheme, as soon as an investor invested in Forsage by purchasing a “slot” in a Forsage smart contract, the smart contract automatically diverted the investor’s funds to other Forsage investors, such that earlier investors were paid with funds from later investors.
“Today’s indictment is the result of a rigorous investigation that spent months piecing together the systematic theft of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon. “Bringing charges against foreign actors who used new technology to commit fraud in an emerging financial market is a complicated endeavor only possible with the full and complete coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies. It is a privilege to work alongside the agents involved in these complex cases.”
As further alleged in the indictment, the defendants falsely promoted Forsage to the public as a legitimate, low-risk, and lucrative investment opportunity through Forsage’s website and various social-media platforms. However, blockchain analytics confirmed that over 80% of Forsage investors received fewer ETH back than they had invested in Forsage’s Ethereum program, with over 50% of investors never receiving a single payout. Additionally, according to court documents, the defendants coded at least one of Forsage’s accounts (known as the “xGold” smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain) in a way that fraudulently siphoned investors’ funds out of the Forsage investment network and into cryptocurrency accounts under the founders’ control, which was contrary to representations made to Forsage investors that “100% of the [Forsage] income goes directly and transparently to the members of the project with zero risk.”
“While advancements in the virtual asset ecosystem bring new opportunities to investors, criminals are also finding new ways to orchestrate illicit schemes,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains committed to working alongside our domestic and international law enforcement partners to investigate and pursue subjects who orchestrate these scams and attempt to defraud investors.”
“Technology is always changing and scams and swindles evolve alongside it,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating those who engage in schemes involving cryptocurrency investment fraud, which can cause significant financial harm to unsuspecting victims. We urge individuals to be cautious when considering investments and to always do their due diligence before providing money or personal information to any individual or organization.”
“These individuals are alleged to have used trendy technology and opaque language to swindle investors out of their hard-earned cash,” said Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “But, as the indictment alleges, all they were doing was running a classic Ponzi scheme. The technology may change, but the scams remain the same and with the collaboration amongst all our partners, we’re able to see through the phony promises and bring the schemes to light. HSI is committed to being at the forefront of financial investigations, using the full extent of our investigative capabilities to track down criminals no matter what new tricks they use.”
Okhotnikov, Oblamska, Sergeev, and Maslakov are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The FBI Portland Field Office, USPIS, and HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sara Hallmark and Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Quinn Harrington and Meredith Bateman for the District of Oregon are prosecuting the case.
All investor victims of the Forsage scheme are encouraged to visit the webpage https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-vladimir-okhotnikov-et-al to identify themselves as potential victims and obtain more information on their rights as victims, including the ability to submit a victim impact statement.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Forsage Founders Indicted in $340M DeFi Crypto SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the District of Oregon returned an indictment today charging four founders of Forsage, a purportedly decentralized finance (DeFi) cryptocurrency investment platform, for their roles in a global Ponzi and pyramid scheme that raised approximately $340 million from victim-investors.
According to court documents, Vladimir Okhotnikov, aka Lado; Olena Oblamska, aka Lola Ferrari; Mikhail Sergeev, aka Mike Mooney, aka Gleb, aka Gleb Million; and Sergey Maslakov, all Russian nationals, allegedly touted Forsage as a decentralized matrix project based on network marketing and “smart contracts,” which are self-executing contracts on the blockchain. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants aggressively promoted Forsage to the public through social media as a legitimate and lucrative business opportunity, but in reality, the defendants operated Forsage as a Ponzi and pyramid investment scheme that took in approximately $340 million from victim-investors around the world.
“Together with our partners, the department is committed to holding accountable fraudsters who cheat investors, including in the emerging DeFi space,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s indictment showcases the department’s ability to use all available investigative tools, including blockchain analysis, to uncover sophisticated frauds involving cryptocurrency and digital assets.”
According to court documents, the defendants allegedly coded and deployed smart contracts that systematized their combined Ponzi-pyramid scheme on the Ethereum (ETH), Binance Smart Chain, and Tron blockchains. Analysis of the computer code underlying Forsage’s smart contracts allegedly revealed that, consistent with a Ponzi scheme, as soon as an investor invested in Forsage by purchasing a “slot” in a Forsage smart contract, the smart contract automatically diverted the investor’s funds to other Forsage investors, such that earlier investors were paid with funds from later investors.
“Today’s indictment is the result of a rigorous investigation that spent months piecing together the systematic theft of hundreds of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight for the District of Oregon. “Bringing charges against foreign actors who used new technology to commit fraud in an emerging financial market is a complicated endeavor only possible with the full and complete coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies. It is a privilege to work alongside the agents involved in these complex cases.”
As further alleged in the indictment, the defendants falsely promoted Forsage to the public as a legitimate, low-risk, and lucrative investment opportunity through Forsage’s website and various social-media platforms. However, blockchain analytics confirmed that over 80% of Forsage investors received fewer ETH back than they had invested in Forsage’s Ethereum program, with over 50% of investors never receiving a single payout. Additionally, according to court documents, the defendants coded at least one of Forsage’s accounts (known as the “xGold” smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain) in a way that fraudulently siphoned investors’ funds out of the Forsage investment network and into cryptocurrency accounts under the founders’ control, which was contrary to representations made to Forsage investors that “100% of the [Forsage] income goes directly and transparently to the members of the project with zero risk.”
“While advancements in the virtual asset ecosystem bring new opportunities to investors, criminals are also finding new ways to orchestrate illicit schemes,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI remains committed to working alongside our domestic and international law enforcement partners to investigate and pursue subjects who orchestrate these scams and attempt to defraud investors.”
“Technology is always changing and scams and swindles evolve alongside it,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to investigating those who engage in schemes involving cryptocurrency investment fraud, which can cause significant financial harm to unsuspecting victims. We urge individuals to be cautious when considering investments and to always do their due diligence before providing money or personal information to any individual or organization.”
“These individuals are alleged to have used trendy technology and opaque language to swindle investors out of their hard-earned cash,” said Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “But, as the indictment alleges, all they were doing was running a classic Ponzi scheme. The technology may change, but the scams remain the same and with the collaboration amongst all our partners, we’re able to see through the phony promises and bring the schemes to light. HSI is committed to being at the forefront of financial investigations, using the full extent of our investigative capabilities to track down criminals no matter what new tricks they use.”
Okhotnikov, Oblamska, Sergeev, and Maslakov are each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The FBI Portland Field Office, USPIS, and HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Sara Hallmark and Tian Huang of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Quinn Harrington and Meredith Bateman for the District of Oregon are prosecuting the case.
All investor victims of the Forsage scheme are encouraged to visit the webpage www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/united-states-v-vladimir-okhotnikov-et-al to identify themselves as potential victims and obtain more information on their rights as victims, including the ability to submit a victim impact statement.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Newport News Police Officer Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A sixteen-plus year veteran of, and former sergeant with, the Newport News Police Department was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography.
According to court documents, Michael Nicholas Covey, 39, of Newport News, used a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. In a separate investigation, child sexual assault images were found on a convicted sex offender’s electronic devices in Cincinnati, Ohio. Those images were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Alexandria. During the analysis of the images, NCMEC determined that the images may have been produced in Newport News. NCMEC forwarded the information to the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which, in turn, contacted the FBI. Agents with the FBI were able to identify the child depicted in the images. Further investigation led the agents to the defendant, Michael Nicholas Covey. He was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on Friday, June 10.
According to court documents, Covey was originally indicted in June 2022 on three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Law enforcement later discovered an additional cellular phone belonging to Covey that he had concealed in a container in the back of his patrol vehicle. New evidence on this phone led to additional charges of sexual exploitation of a second minor victim, as well as receipt and possession of child pornography counts in a superseding indictment filed in July 2022. Covey also received a sentencing enhancement for obstructing justice. Covey pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of receipt of child pornography last September.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark S. Davis.
Newport News Police Department provided significant assistance in this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa McKeel and Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-48.
Former MoviePass Executive Arrested on Indictment Alleging He Embezzled $260,000 from Employer to Repay Coachella DebtRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former executive at cinema subscription service MoviePass Inc. has been arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he embezzled approximately $260,000 from MoviePass’ parent company to repay money he borrowed to produce an event at the Coachella music festival, the Justice Department announced today.
Khalid Itum, 42, of Hollywood, was arrested by special agents with the FBI on Tuesday. Itum is charged with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering.
At his arraignment Tuesday afternoon in United States District Court, Itum pleaded not guilty to the charges, and an April 18 trial date was scheduled. He was ordered released on $75,000 bond.
According to the indictment returned Friday by a federal grand jury, Itum was a MoviePass executive from November 2017 until March 2019. MoviePass was a New York-based company that charged subscribers a flat monthly fee in exchange for credits they could spend on movie tickets from any theater in MoviePass’s network of participating cinemas. In August 2017, Helios & Matheson Analytics (HMNY), a New York-based data analytics company, acquired MoviePass.
In the spring of 2017, Itum registered Kaleidoscope Productions LLC, a Los Angeles-based company that provided production and marketing services. That year, Itum, through Kaleidoscope, organized a party at the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Neither MoviePass nor HMNY participated in the Coachella event.
Itum borrowed money from two individuals to help fund Kaleidoscope’s costs at Coachella. To repay the borrowed money, Itum later allegedly submitted sham invoices to HMNY for services purportedly rendered by Kaleidoscope and a different company owned by an Itum associate. Itum allegedly caused HMNY employees to wire money from MoviePass and HMNY accounts to a Kaleidoscope bank account to pay the sham invoices. Itum allegedly concealed his scheme by lying to HMNY’s auditor that Kaleidoscope had been used to pay legitimate MoviePass expenses from the 2018 Coachella festival.
Itum caused HMNY a total loss of $260,000, according to the indictment.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Itum would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering count.
The FBI’s New York Field Office is investigating this matter. The FBI’s Los Angeles Office is providing substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney David Y. Pi of the Major Frauds Section is prosecuting this case.
Former Methuen Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Methuen man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a Lawrence-based drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl and cocaine.
Pablo Rosario Pablo a/k/a “Angel Ayala Roque” a/k/a “Cuco,” 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In September 2022, Rosario Pablo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and other controlled substances and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and other controlled substances.
In May 2020, an investigation began into a Lawrence-based drug trafficking organization (DTO). Between December 2020 and December 2021, intercepted communications identified Rosario Pablo as an associate of the DTO who distributed drugs to members of the DTO and others in and around the Merrimack Valley. In December 2021, 21.4 grams of fentanyl, 51.8 grams of cocaine, 23.8 grams of cocaine base, 35 kilograms of marijuana, heroin, steroids a mixture containing fentanyl, heroin and Tramadol, and $5,300 were seized from Rosario Pablo’s apartment.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Ferguson, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, prosecuted the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Kentucky Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Charges for Assaulting Two Federal InmatesRead the Press Release
A former Kentucky correctional officer pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward B. Atkins to two charges of deprivation of rights under color of law for assaulting two federal inmates.
According to court documents, Samuel J. Patrick, 42, of Inez, Kentucky, a former Bureau of Prisons corrections officer who held the title of Case Management Coordinator, admitted during his plea hearing that he assaulted two federal inmates while he worked at U.S. Penitentiary Big Sandy. Regarding the first assault, Patrick acknowledged that he punished a non-violent inmate by taking him to the ground and repeatedly elbowing him in the head, and that one of his co-defendants, Clinton L. Pauley, assisted him with the assault. Patrick also acknowledged that he entered an unlawful agreement with other corrections officers, including Pauley and another co-defendant, then-supervisor Kevin C. Pearce, to cover up what happened. Patrick admitted that the cover-up included steps such as writing false reports and pressuring other corrections officers to join the cover-up. Regarding the second assault, Patrick acknowledged that he punished another non-violent inmate for walking too slowly to his cell, and that both of his co-defendants also later assaulted the same inmate. Patrick admitted that he wrote a false report and spread a false cover story about the incident in order to cover up his and other correctional officers’ unlawful uses of force.
Patrick faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 10 years of imprisonment for each of the assault offenses.
Pauley and Pearce have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to begin trial on March 6.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge William Hannah of the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) Chicago Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Officemade the announcement.
The DOJ-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
Foley Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Embezzling Church FundsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Foley woman was sentenced to 60 months in prison for wire fraud in connection with her embezzlement of more than $200,000 from a church where she worked.
According to court documents, Sharon Collins, 53, was employed by the First Baptist Church in Foley between May 2007 and July 2019, during which time she served as the church’s financial secretary. In that role, Collins was responsible for, among other things, managing the church’s accounting system, preparing financial reports, creating and providing financial statements to the church’s leadership, and managing church-issued credit cards meant to be used solely for the church’s benefit.
During her time as financial secretary, Collins embezzled $209,744.61 of church funds through unauthorized use of church-issued credit cards. In connection with her guilty plea, Collins admitted that between 2008 and 2019, she made hundreds of electronic transactions for her benefit and the benefit of her friends and family. Among other things, Collins fraudulently used church-issued credit cards to pay for personal expenses, to purchase trips to New Orleans and Las Vegas, to book a cruise, to buy jewelry, and to fund a bachelor’s degree. Collins’s fraudulent credit card transactions transmitted interstate wire signals in furtherance of her fraud scheme, in violation of federal law.
Investigators interviewed Collins in August 2020 with her attorneys present. Collins admitted that during the interview, she made several false statements obstructing the investigation and prosecution of her crimes. Among other things, Collins admitted that she lied about having the church’s approval to make various personal expenditures.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Collins to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will receive mental health evaluation and treatment and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Collins to pay $209,744.61 in victim restitution and $1,200 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bishop Ravenel and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Federal Jury Convicts Man of Voluntary Manslaughter and related charges on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on February 21, 2023, a federal jury in Green Bay convicted Duane A. Waupoose, Jr. (age: 28) of voluntary manslaughter, assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence, in violation of federal law. The offense related to an armed assault which resulted in the death of a man on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Waupoose and the victim were enrolled members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.
The evidence presented at trial showed that around midnight on January 31, 2021, the defendant and others were approached by a group looking to fight another person. A fight broke out in the driveway of a home in the School View area of the Menominee Indian Reservation, and Waupoose received minor injuries after being shot. Waupoose then disarmed the man who shot him and pursued him down the driveway and into the street, striking him with the shotgun.
The evidence also showed that, after the man fled, Waupoose caught up with him approximately 40 yards down the road and repeatedly struck him on his face and head, causing multiple serious injuries which eventually resulted in his death.
“The jury’s verdict is the direct result of the collaborative effort and hard work of the Menominee Tribal Police Department and the FBI,” stated U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is fully committed to working with its federal, state, local, and tribal partners to make all of our communities safer places in which to live and work.
Waupoose faces at least five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach on June 2, 2023.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with assistance from the Menominee Indian Reservation Violent Crime/Safe Trails Task Force. The Safe Trails Task Force was formed in 2003 by the United States Attorney’s Office, Menominee Tribal Police, FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Sheriff’s Departments and District Attorney’s Offices of the counties adjoining the reservation to investigate and prosecute violent crimes committed on tribal land.
Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Maier and Peter J. Smyczek prosecuted the case.
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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Felon for Illegal Possession of a Firearm and Machine GunRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned an indictment today charging a local man with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and for illegally possessing a machine gun.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Maynard of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictment, on February 13, 2023, Charles Divine, 26, possessed two Glock 9-millimeter pistols after having previously been convicted of the following felony offense. On June 30, 2020, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Devine was convicted of wanton endangerment in the first degree.
The indictment also alleges that on February 13, 2023, Divine illegally possessed a machine gun, that is a Glock switch bearing no serial number. A Glock Switch device allows a semi-automatic handgun to function as an automatic and is defined as a machine gun under federal law.
Divine will make his initial court appearance before a United State Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on a later date. If convicted, Divine faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the ATF and the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dahl is prosecuting this 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fayetteville Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years for Child Pornography After Negotiating a Plan to Have Sex with a Child in JamaicaRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – Darren Kalmar of Fayetteville was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for two counts of receipt of child pornography. Kalmar, 58, pled guilty to the charge on May 13, 2022.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received two CyberTip reports from a social networking platform, Tagged, regarding suspected child exploitation activity. The CyberTips concerned activity in May 2019 between two users who discussed arranging for sex with minors abroad. One user, later identified as Kalmar, mentioned having sex with a 13-year-old Dominican girl and asked the other person to arrange contact with a girl who was nine or 10 years old. The other responded with a photo that appeared to depict a prepubescent female, and Kalmar responded, “perfect, I want her.” They negotiated prices, settling on $90 for nude photos and $250 for access to the child for five days. He provided a CashApp payment username that contained “kalmar” and an email address with username dskalmar32. At the end of the conversation, Kalmar states that he sent the money and that he needs the photos now before asking the second user, “You get the money and run[?]”
The IP address for the second user was traced to a woman in Jamaica. Kalmar’s IP was tracked to a residence in Fayetteville, and DMV records showed that the defendant Darren Kalmar resided there. Law enforcement compared Kalmar’s driver’s license photo to a user profile photo on his Tagged account and found that they matched.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant on Kalmar’s home on October 18, 2019. On Kalmar’s cellphone, agents found audio files in which Kalmar appeared to be discussing upcoming travel to the Philippines for sex with a 15-year-old minor female and her friends. FBI confirmed that Kalmar had purchased tickets to travel to the Philippines on those dates. Records also showed Kalmar had previously traveled to Cambodia and the Philippines in 2018.
Kalmar agreed to be interviewed and admitted to owning the Tagged account and chatting with someone in Jamaica. He also confirmed that the CashApp account was his but claimed the conversation arranging a sexual encounter with a minor was merely fantasy.
FBI conducted forensics on Kalmar’s computer and several mobile devices. On a cellphone they found 21 images depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and on a computer they found an additional 401 images and 11 videos of CSAM. The files included minors under the age of 12.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-00013-FL.
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Fayette County Man and Business Plead Guilty to Clean Water Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Graves, 67, of Charlton Heights, and West Virginia Environmental Services (WVES), a company wholly owned by Graves, each pleaded guilty today to a felony violation of the Clean Water Act.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Graves and WVES owned and managed an industrial waste landfill in Fayette County, West Virginia. As noted by inspectors from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Graves and WVES failed to maintain the landfill’s leachate collection for several years beginning in at least 2016. Leachate is any liquid that passes through the landfill and picks up material from the landfill, including toxic materials that must be properly treated prior to discharge into a stream or tributary.
The failure of Graves and WVES to maintain the leachate collection system caused the discharge of leachate that contained toxic water pollutants into a tributary that flowed into the Kanawha River near Alloy, West Virginia. The toxic pollutants included arsenic, hexavalent chromium, and selenium. The Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the landfill has since lapsed and has not been renewed.
Graves is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. WVES faces a maximum penalty of $500,000 and five years of probation. Graves and WVES both face a possible order of restitution.
“Polluters must be held accountable when their violations result in a risk to our communities,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I thank the Criminal Investigative Division of the Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for their investigative work in this case.”
“Our nation’s environmental laws are designed to ensure water contaminated with heavy metals and known carcinogens from industrial activities, such as those seen here, do not get into our rivers and streams,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Conrad of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Program in West Virginia. “Today’s guilty plea by Mr. Graves and West Virginia Environmental Services demonstrates that individuals and companies who knowingly violate those laws will be held responsible for their crimes.”
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes and Special Assistant United States Attorney Perry McDaniel are prosecuting the case.
On May 5, 2022, the Department launched the Office of Environmental Justice and announced a comprehensive environmental justice enforcement strategy. Enforcement of this strategy relies upon meaningful engagement and transparency with impacted communities regarding environmental justice issues, efforts, and results.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia enforces federal laws to protect environmental quality and human health in all communities within the district. In coordination with components of the Justice Department, the United States Attorney’s Office will hold polluters accountable for their actions, prioritizing cases that will reduce public health and environmental harms to overburdened and underserved communities.
The United States Attorney’s Office encourages the public to report suspected environmental violations within the district. Reports may be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency or by email, mail, or phone to the United States Attorney’s Office.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-186.
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Fairhope Drug Dealer Sentenced to 54 YearsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Fairhope man was sentenced to 54 years (648 months) in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Darrell Williams, 53, was convicted on both charges by a federal jury in October of 2022.
The evidence at trial showed that Williams was a local drug distributor in an organization whose leaders were distributing cocaine from suppliers in Texas and heroin from a supplier in Birmingham, Alabama. The trial evidence showed that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) obtained a court-authorized wiretap on two of the local conspirators and identified Williams as one of those regularly receiving controlled substances for distribution in Baldwin County. During the investigation, agents deciphered a coded reference to an address in Mobile where a two-kilogram shipment of cocaine from Texas was being delivered. Williams agreed to wait for the delivery of the cocaine and transport it to Baldwin County, where it was going to be packaged for further distribution. The shipment was intercepted by the FBI and the drugs were seized.
Williams and one of his co-defendants, James Harding, elected to take their cases to a jury trial. Harding was identified during the trial as the supplier of the heroin distributed through the organization. The evidence offered against Williams at the trial included recorded phone conversations between him and another conspirator which were obtained through the court-authorized wiretap. Williams also provided a statement to FBI agents after he had been advised of his constitutional rights. In this video- and audio-recorded statement, he admitted his involvement in the conspiracy and in the events leading up to the seizure of the two-kilogram shipment of cocaine. Williams was found guilty on both counts by the trial jury.
United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer, who sentenced Harding to 960 months’ imprisonment earlier this month, imposed the 648-month sentence in Williams’ case at the sentencing hearing. The sentence consisted of a 324-month term for each count, which were ordered to run consecutively to each other. The judge ordered that the total term of imprisonment, 648 months, will be followed by a five-year term of supervised release. Williams will undergo testing and treatment for drug abuse. The judge also imposed a special condition that the probation office may search Williams’ person or property upon a showing of reasonable suspicion that he is in violation of any of the conditions of his supervision. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Williams pay $200 in special mandatory assessments.The FBI, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, the Foley Police Department, the Daphne Police Department, Gulf Shores Police Department and the Bay Minette Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office all participated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Ex-prison guard sentenced after admitting she took bribes to allow inmate to receive smuggled itemsRead the Press Release
DUBLIN, GA: A former guard at a private federal corrections facility was sentenced to prison after she admitted to accepting bribes to allow smuggled material into a prison.
Tiffany Fletcher, 36, of McRae, Ga., a former corrections officer and counselor at the privately operated McRae Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 12 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Bribery, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. also fined Fletcher $1,500 and ordered her to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The illegal smuggling of contraband materials, particularly cell phones, represents a continuing threat to the safety and security of our nation’s correctional facilities,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “We continue to partner with investigative agencies to combat the flow of contraband material into prisons.”
McRae Correctional Facility, in Telfair County, is operated by the private corrections company CoreCivic and houses male inmates under contract with the federal Bureau of Prisons. From June to December 2019, Fletcher admitted accepting bribes totaling $4,390 in return for “turning a blind eye” to smuggling and possession of contraband in the facility.
“We trust Correctional Officers to keep federal prisons safe and secure. By accepting bribes and allowing contraband to enter the prison, Fletcher violated that trust and diminished the safety and security of the entire institution,” said James F. Boyersmith, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Miami Field Office.
The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo.
Essex County Man Indicted in Scheme to Steal Checks and Defraud BanksRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was charged for his role in a scheme to steal and alter checks from the mail and fraudulently obtain funds from banks by depositing the stolen and altered checks, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Baba Diakite, 21, of East Orange, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with bank fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail theft and possess stolen mail, the theft and possession of a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) key, and aggravated identity theft. Diakite was previously charged by criminal complaint in February 2022.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2020 to March 2022, Diakite and others conspired to steal checks from the mail in Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties, which they then sold to third parties or deposited, sometimes in altered or duplicate form, into the bank accounts of complicit accountholders who had provided access to their bank accounts for the scheme. They obtained stolen official USPS arrow keys, which Diakite and others used to access mail and steal checks directly from USPS receptacles. Diakite targeted the accounts associated with the checks he stole and created false identifications in the names of the accountholders, which his conspirators used to make fraudulent withdrawals from those accounts.
The count of bank fraud conspiracy is punishable by a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. The count of conspiracy to commit mail theft and possess stolen mail is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The count of theft and possession of stolen USPS keys is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The count of aggravated identity theft is punishable by a statutory mandatory penalty of two years in prison, which must run consecutively to any other term of imprisonment. The bank fraud conspiracy count is also punishable by a fine of up to $1 million; all other charges are punishable by a maximum potential fine of up to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division; special agents with the U.S. Postal Service - Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office; and special agents with the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Clifton Police Department, Hillside Police Department, Livingston Police Department, Millburn Police Department, Port Authority NY-NJ Police Department, Roselle Park Police Department, South Plainfield Police Department, Warren Township Police Department, and Watchung Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tazneen Shahabuddin of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
El Departamento de Justicia llega a un acuerdo con una empresa de contrataciones en el sector informático con sede en Nueva York que resuelve unas acusaciones de discriminación relacionadas con la inmigraciónRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que ha llegado a un acuerdo conciliatorio con Amiga Informatics (Amiga), una empresa de contrataciones en el sector informático con sede en Nueva York. El acuerdo resuelve la determinación del Departamento que Amiga vulneró la Ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad (INA, por sus siglas en inglés) al publicar anuncios de trabajo discriminatorios en los que únicamente solicitaba candidaturas de personas con una ciudadanía o un estatus migratorio específicos.
«Los empleadores tienen una responsabilidad de verificar que sus anuncios de trabajo y sus procesos de contratación no excluyan ilegalmente a personas debido a su ciudadanía o estatus migratorio», afirmó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. «La División de Derechos Civiles está comprometida a derribar los obstáculos innecesarios que niegan a las personas oportunidades de empleo».
La investigación del Departamento determinó que Amiga publicó al menos seis anuncios de trabajo facialmente discriminatorios en 2021. En cuatro de estos anuncios buscaban únicamente a ciudadanos de los EE. UU. y residentes permanentes legales, de tal modo que disuadían a otras personas con permiso para trabajar en los Estados Unidos sin patrocinio, entre ellos asilados y refugiados, de presentar solicitudes y de ser considerados de manera justa para las oportunidades de empleo. Además, en dos de los anuncios buscaban únicamente solicitantes con estatus de Capacitación Práctica Adicional (OPT, por sus siglas en inglés), un estatus de autorización de trabajo temporal que se otorga a determinados estudiantes no ciudadanos de los EE.UU. en los EE. UU. Por lo tanto, los anuncios excluían ilegalmente a los asilados, los refugiados, los residentes permanentes legales y los ciudadanos y nacionales de los EE. UU. Por lo general, la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA prohíbe que los empleadores recluten o se nieguen a contratar a trabajadores con base en su ciudadanía o estatus migratorio.
Conforme al acuerdo, Amiga le pagará una sanción civil de $24,864 a los EE. UU. Asimismo, el acuerdo requiere que Amiga capacite a sus reclutadores en cuanto a los requisitos de la INA, que revise sus políticas de empleo y que se someta a los requisitos de supervisión y declaración del Departamento.
La Sección de Derechos de Inmigrantes y Empleados (IER, por sus siglas en inglés) de la División de Derechos Civiles es responsable de hacer cumplir la disposición antidiscriminatoria de la INA. La ley prohíbe la discriminación por motivos de estatus de ciudadanía y nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido o reclutamiento o recomendación por comisión, prácticas documentales injustas y represalias e intimidación.
Aprenda más sobre el trabajo de la IER y cómo conseguir ayuda mediante este vídeo corto. Encuentre más información sobre cómo los empleadores pueden evitar la discriminación en la contratación y reclutamiento en el sitio web de la IER. Aquellos aspirantes o empleados que creen haber sido discriminados por motivos de su ciudadanía, estatus migratorio o nacionalidad de origen en los procesos de contratación, despido, reclutamiento o verificación de la elegibilidad para trabajar (Formulario I-9 e E-Verify) o sujetos a represalias pueden presentar una denuncia. El público también puede llamar a la línea directa de la IER para trabajadores al 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); llamar a la línea directa de la IER para empleadores al 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY para personas con discapacidades auditivas); enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected]; inscribirse a un seminario en línea gratuito; o visitar los sitios web de la IER en inglés o español. Para recibir las últimas noticias de la IER, inscríbase a GovDelivery.
El Departamento de Justicia entabla demanda de acoso sexual contra un administrador y los dueños de propiedades en CaliforniaRead the Press Release
El Departamento de Justicia hoy anunció que ha entablado una demanda de acoso sexual y toma de represalias bajo el ámbito de la ley de Vivienda Justa contra Joel Nolen, el dueño y operador de propiedades de arrendamiento en el Condado de Lassen, California. La demanda también nombra como demandados a Shirlee Nolen y Nolen Properties LLC, los copropietarios de las propiedades de arrendamiento en los momentos pertinentes. La demanda, entablada en el Tribunal Federal de Distrito para el Distrito Este de California, alega que Joel Nolen acosó sexualmente a las inquilinas desde al menos 2011. Según la demanda, Nolen ofreció beneficios relacionados con la vivienda a cambio de contacto sexual, hizo comentarios e insinuaciones sexuales no deseados a las inquilinas, entró en las viviendas de las inquilinas sin su permiso, sometió a las inquilinas a tocamientos y manoseos no deseados y tomó medidas adversas relacionadas con la vivienda contra las inquilinas que rechazaron sus insinuaciones sexuales.
“Nadie debería sentirse inseguro o sufrir acoso sexual en su casa, especialmente a manos de su proveedor de vivienda”, manifestó Kristen Clarke, la Fiscal General Auxiliar de la División de Derechos Civiles del Departamento de Justicia. “El Departamento de Justicia se compromete a hacer cumplir enérgicamente la ley de Vivienda Justa y a hacer responsables a los propietarios y proveedores de viviendas que acosen sexualmente a sus inquilinos”.
“El acoso sexual y las represalias alegadas en la demanda de hoy vulneran nuestras leyes federales de vivienda justa y no serán toleradas”, afirmó el Fiscal Federal Phillip A. Talbert. “Los propietarios y otros proveedores de vivienda que incurran en este tipo de conducta tendrán que rendir cuentas para garantizar que las personas se sientan seguras y cómodas en sus hogares”.
La demanda busca una indemnización por daños y perjuicios para compensar a las personas perjudicadas por el presunto acoso, sanciones civiles para reivindicar el interés público y una orden judicial que prohíba futuras discriminaciones.
El Departamento de Justicia puso en marcha su Iniciativa en contra del Acoso Sexual en la Vivienda en octubre de 2017. La iniciativa, dirigida por la División de Derechos Civiles, en coordinación con las Fiscalías Federales de todo el país, pretende abordar y concienciar sobre el acoso sexual por parte de arrendadores, administradores de propiedades, trabajadores de mantenimiento, agentes de préstamos u otras personas que tienen control sobre la vivienda. Desde la puesta en marcha de la iniciativa, el Departamento de Justicia ha entablado 27 demandas por acoso sexual en la vivienda y ha recuperado más de 9.7 millones de dólares para las víctimas de dicho acoso.
La ley federal de Vivienda Justa prohíbe la discriminación en la vivienda por motivos de raza, color de piel, religión, origen nacional, género, discapacidad y estado familiar. Para más información acerca de la División de Derechos Civiles y las leyes que hace cumplir, visite a www.justice.gov/crt.
Aquellos individuos que creen haber sido víctimas de acoso sexual u otros tipos de discriminación en la vivienda en las viviendas de arrendamiento que son de propiedad de Joel Nolen, Shirlee Nolen, o Nolen Properties LLC, u administradas por los mismos, o aquellos que tengan información que podría ser de interés en este caso, pueden llamar a la Línea de Información de Discriminación en la Vivienda al 1-833-591-0291, oprima el 1 para continuar en inglés, y oprima la opción número 2, y luego la opción 7 para dejar un mensaje. También se puede enviar un correo electrónico al Departamento de Justicia a [email protected] o presentar una queja en línea. Las denuncias también se pueden presentar poniéndose en contacto con el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de los EE. UU. al 1-800-669-9777 o entablando una queja en línea.
Eight Defendants Indicted in Michigan for Obstructing a Reproductive Health Services FacilityRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today an indictment charging eight people with federal civil rights offenses and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
According to court documents, Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl and Eva Zastrow are charged with engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and with violating the FACE Act in connection with an August 2020 blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan. In addition, Idoni and Edl were also charged with violating the FACE Act in connection with an April 2021 blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Saginaw, Michigan.
The indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges that on Aug. 27, 2020, all eight defendants engaged in a conspiracy to prevent the Sterling Heights clinic from providing, and patients there from receiving, reproductive health services. According to the indictment, Gallagher advertised the Sterling Heights clinic blockade on social media, and he and Curry livestreamed the incident. The defendants convened at a location near the Sterling Heights clinic, where an uncharged co-conspirator who recorded the incident announced that the defendants were “going over to stand in front of the door” and “interpose.”
The indictment also alleges that all eight defendants violated the FACE Act by using physical obstruction to intimidate and interfere with the Sterling Heights clinic’s employees and patients, because the clinic’s employees were providing, and the patients were seeking, reproductive health services.
The indictment further alleges that on April 16, 2021, Idoni and Edl again used physical obstruction to intimidate and interfere with patients and employees of the Saginaw clinic because the clinic’s employees were providing, and patients were seeking, reproductive health services.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, Assistant Director Luis Queseda of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI Detroit Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and Bay City Resident Agency investigated the case.
The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov. For more information about clinic violence, and the Department of Justice’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-against-reproductive-health-care-providers.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eight Defendants Indicted in Michigan for Obstructing a Reproductive Health Services FacilityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today an indictment charging eight people with federal civil rights offenses and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
According to court documents, Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl and Eva Zastrow are charged with engaging in a civil rights conspiracy and with violating the FACE Act in connection with an August 2020 blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan. In addition, Idoni and Edl were also charged with violating the FACE Act in connection with an April 2021 blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Saginaw, Michigan.
The indictment returned by a federal grand jury alleges that on Aug. 27, 2020, all eight defendants engaged in a conspiracy to prevent the Sterling Heights clinic from providing, and patients there from receiving, reproductive health services. According to the indictment, Gallagher advertised the Sterling Heights clinic blockade on social media, and he and Curry livestreamed the incident. The defendants convened at a location near the Sterling Heights clinic, where an uncharged co-conspirator who recorded the incident announced that the defendants were “going over to stand in front of the door” and “interpose.”
The indictment also alleges that all eight defendants violated the FACE Act by using physical obstruction to intimidate and interfere with the Sterling Heights clinic’s employees and patients, because the clinic’s employees were providing, and the patients were seeking, reproductive health services.
The indictment further alleges that on April 16, 2021, Idoni and Edl again used physical obstruction to intimidate and interfere with patients and employees of the Saginaw clinic because the clinic’s employees were providing, and patients were seeking, reproductive health services.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan, Assistant Director Luis Queseda of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI Detroit Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and Bay City Resident Agency investigated the case.
The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
Anyone who has information about incidents of violence, threats and obstruction that target a patient or provider of reproductive health services or damage and destruction of reproductive health care facilities, should report that information to the FBI at www.tips.fbi.gov. For more information about clinic violence, and the Department of Justice’s efforts to enforce FACE Act violations, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/national-task-force-violence-against-reproductive-health-care-providers.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ecuadoran Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Unlawfully Transporting Foreign Nationals in VermontRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney stated that Maria Constante-Zamora, 31, of Ecuador and Danbury, Connecticut, made her initial appearance in United States District Court in Burlington on a criminal complaint charging her with unlawfully attempting to transport three individuals within the United States while knowing or recklessly disregarding that the individuals had come to and entered the United States in violation of the law. Constante-Zamora remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
According to public documents in the case, during the late evening hours of February 19, 2023, the United States Border Patrol observed camera images of three individuals walking south from Canada into the United States in the vicinity of Goodall Road in Derby, Vermont. Based on this information suggesting a nearby illegal border crossing, the United States Border Patrol initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle on Goodall Road. Before the vehicle stop, Border Patrol Agents observed the vehicle turn on its lights and travel slowly on Goodall Road. The vehicle, with Connecticut license plates, slowed and stopped in the location where the three individuals would have been likely to exit the woods. Before the vehicle stop, the vehicle also blinked its lights and then accelerated quickly. After the stop, Border Patrol identified Maria Constante-Zamora as the passenger in the vehicle and as an Ecuadoran national living in Connecticut. In close proximity to the vehicle stop, Border Patrol Agents saw three individuals standing on the side of the road. One of the individuals was clutching a tree and appeared to be in distress. The other two of the three subjects proceeded to run north toward Canada. Neither of those subjects was apprehended at that time because the individual clutching the tree collapsed. Border Patrol Agents rendered aid to the individual who collapsed until EMS arrived. EMS continued to render aid and also transported the individual to North Country Hospital in Newport, Vermont. The individual was pronounced dead at the hospital in the early morning of February 20, 2023. At this time, a cause of death has not been determined. One of the individuals who ran north toward Canada, Oscar Soto-Acosta, was eventually apprehended and has been ordered detained as a material witness.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the charge against Constante-Zamora contained in the criminal complaint is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. As currently charged Constante-Zamora, faces up to five years of imprisonment if convicted. Any sentence in the case will be advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas Kerest credited the agents of the United States Border Patrol for their apprehension of Constante-Zamora and their continued efforts to prevent the exploitation of foreign nationals by human-smuggling organizations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Lasher represents the United States in this case. Constante-Zamora is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Mary Nerino.
EDVA Announces Implementation of New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy for CompaniesRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has implemented the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy released earlier today.
The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), and provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate and timely and appropriately remediate.
Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by—in the absence of any aggravating factor—fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will not seek a guilty plea; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may warrant a USAO seeking a guilty plea even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the USSG fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy.
The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, under the leadership of United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, develop policies in response to the Deputy AG’s memo. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Durant Woman Pleads Guilty to Mail TheftRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Durant woman pled guilty to mail theft, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Scott Pierce, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Southern Area Field Office.
Cori T. Hopson, 22, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to court records, Hopson was a Highway Contract Driver for the United States Postal Service and was responsible for picking up mail from remotely managed post offices for delivery to another post office. Special agents with the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General investigated after receiving complaints of missing mail along Hopson’s route. On September 29, 2022, agents found Hopson to be in possession of mail she did not deliver.
Hopson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17, 2023. She faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Allen is prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Shooting Hospital PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Lynville Porter, 40, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 57 months in prison for shooting a Special Police Officer on the campus of Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Mr. Porter pleaded guilty, in November 2022 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to the government’s evidence, Porter drove into the Saint Elizabeth’s campus at approximately 11:20PM on August 18, 2022, and parked at the gatehouse. The guards in the gatehouse requested assistance from Special Police Officers (SPOs), who drove to the gatehouse in response to that call. As the SPOs got out of their car, Porter fired multiple shots at them, striking one SPO twice. Porter then fled into the nearby Metro station where he was found hiding in a maintenance room. He was in possession of a ghost gun when Metropolitan Police Officers and Metro Transit Police Officers apprehended him.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Allison Daniels and Kelly Brown, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Forgie, who investigated the matter.
Digital Healthcare Platform Ordered to Pay Civil Penalties and Take Corrective Action for Unauthorized Disclosure of Personal Health InformationRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced today that the government has resolved allegations that GoodRx Holdings Inc., doing business as GoodRx Gold, GoodRx Care, and Hey Doctor (GoodRx), violated the FTC Act and the FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule. Pursuant to a settlement by the parties, a consent order was entered last Friday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The government’s complaint, filed on Feb. 1, alleges that by disclosing millions of users’ personal health information to third parties without the users’ authorization, consent, or knowledge, GoodRx violated the FTC Act’s prohibition on unfair and deceptive trade practices and the FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule. The users’ information that was disclosed included personally identifying information, as well as details about medications and sensitive health conditions. GoodRx shared this personal health information despite its repeated assurances that the company would protect users’ privacy. For example, GoodRx’s public policies stated that the company would not provide to third parties any information that revealed a personal health condition or personal health information. The company’s advertising also featured a seal stating that it was “HIPAA Secure: Patient Data Protected,” even though it is not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and it never complied with HIPAA requirements. Moreover, GoodRx did not comply with the Health Breach Notification Rule’s requirement to notify users that it had disclosed their health information to third parties without their consent.
The stipulated order entered by the Court on Feb. 17 requires GoodRx to pay a civil penalty of $1.5 million and to take corrective action to prevent future unauthorized disclosure of users’ sensitive health information and to ensure compliance with the FTC Act and rules. The order requires that GoodRx notify users that their information was disclosed, bans the company from disclosing health information for advertising purposes, prohibits further misrepresentations and the disclosure of health information without affirmative consent and notice, and requires that users be notified in the event of a future breach. The order also imposes ongoing recordkeeping, certification, monitoring, and compliance obligations.
“Consumers have a right to know whether and how their personal health information will be used, and to know when it has been disclosed to third-parties,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department is committed to enforcing protections against deceptive practices and unauthorized disclosure of personal health information.”
“Companies that misuse their customers’ sensitive health information by sharing that information without their customers’ permission or knowledge will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds for the Northern District of California. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FTC to protect against the unauthorized disclosure of such sensitive, private information.”
This matter is being handled by Sarah Williams of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharanya Mohan for the Northern District of California, and Ronnie Solomon and Denise Oki of the FTC.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca. For more information about the FTC, visit its website at https://www.FTC.gov.
The statements made in the complaint are allegations that, if the case had proceeded to trial, the government would have been required to prove by a preponderance of the evidence.
Damian Williams and Breon Peace Announce New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy for United States Attorney's OfficesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the Chair of the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, announced the implementation of the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO). The policy provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate, and timely and appropriately remediate. The goal of the policy is to standardize how VSDs are defined and credited by USAOs nationwide, and to incentivize companies to maintain effective compliance programs capable of identifying misconduct, expeditiously and voluntarily disclose and remediate misconduct, and cooperate fully with the government in corporate criminal investigations. The policy was developed pursuant to the Deputy Attorney General’s September 15, 2022 memorandum, “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies Following Discussions with Corporate Crime Advisory Group” (Monaco Memo), which directed each Department of Justice (DOJ) component to develop and publish a VSD policy.
“The new Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy sets a nationwide standard for how U.S Attorney’s Offices will determine whether a company has made a voluntary self-disclosure, and makes transparent the specific, tangible benefits to a company for making a voluntary self-disclosure, fully cooperating, and remediating the criminal conduct” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “As a result, no matter where in the country a company operates, it can rely on receiving the same treatment and benefits for voluntarily self-disclosing criminal conduct to a U.S. Attorney’s Office. We hope and expect that companies, as good corporate citizens, will take advantage of this new policy to report criminal misconduct by employees and agents when they become aware of it, so that individual wrongdoers can be held accountable. When they do, they will have far better and more predicable outcomes under this policy.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The new Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy is an important step forward in encouraging corporate accountability. This transparent and clearly delineated policy allows for more predictable outcomes, and seeks to incentivize corporations to do the right thing by reporting wrongdoing before detected by regulators and law enforcement. We hope that this new policy has a long-lasting, nationwide effect in promoting honest corporate culture and leads to more companies getting ahead of financial malfeasance before authorities come to them.”
The Monaco Memo instructed that each DOJ component that prosecutes corporate crime review its policies on corporate voluntary self-disclosure and, if there was no formal written policy to incentivize self-disclosure, draft and publicly share such a policy. In response, the AGAC, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Peace, develop such a policy. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy.
Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by—in the absence of any aggravating factor—fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will not seek a guilty plea; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may warrant a USAO seeking a guilty plea even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the USSG fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy.
Damian Williams and Breon Peace Announce New Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy for United States Attorney’s OfficesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, Damian Williams, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), and Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and the Chair of the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the AGAC, announced the implementation of the new United States Attorney’s Offices’ Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. The policy, which is effective immediately, details the circumstances under which a company will be considered to have made a voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) of misconduct to a United States Attorney’s Office (USAO). The policy provides transparency and predictability to companies and the defense bar concerning the concrete benefits and potential outcomes in cases where companies voluntarily self-disclose misconduct, fully cooperate, and timely and appropriately remediate. The goal of the policy is to standardize how VSDs are defined and credited by USAOs nationwide, and to incentivize companies to maintain effective compliance programs capable of identifying misconduct, expeditiously and voluntarily disclose and remediate misconduct, and cooperate fully with the government in corporate criminal investigations. The policy was developed pursuant to the Deputy Attorney General’s September 15, 2022, memorandum, “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies Following Discussions with Corporate Crime Advisory Group” (Monaco Memo), which directed each Department of Justice (DOJ) component to develop and publish a VSD policy.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The new Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy is an important step forward in encouraging corporate accountability. This transparent and clearly delineated policy allows for more predictable outcomes and seeks to incentivize corporations to do the right thing by reporting wrongdoing before detected by regulators and law enforcement. We hope that this new policy has a long-lasting, nationwide effect in promoting honest corporate culture and leads to more companies getting ahead of financial malfeasance before authorities come to them.”
E.D.N.Y. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said: “The new Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy sets a nationwide standard for how U.S. Attorney’s Offices will determine whether a company has made a voluntary self-disclosure, and makes transparent the specific, tangible benefits to a company for making a voluntary self-disclosure fully cooperating, and remediating the criminal conduct. As a result, no matter where in the country a company operates, it can rely on receiving the same treatment and benefits for voluntarily self-disclosing criminal conduct to a U.S. Attorney’s Office. We hope and expect that companies, as good corporate citizens, will take advantage of this new policy to report criminal misconduct by employees and agents when they become aware of it, so that individual wrongdoers can be held accountable. When they do, they will have far better and more predicable outcomes under this policy.”
The Monaco Memo instructed that each DOJ component that prosecutes corporate crime review its policies on corporate voluntary self-disclosure and, if there was no formal written policy to incentivize self-disclosure, draft and publicly share such a policy. In response, the AGAC, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Williams, requested that the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee, under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Peace, develop such a policy. The policy announced today was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group comprised of U.S. Attorneys from geographically diverse districts, including U.S. Attorney Peace, as well as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Avery, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Clare Connors, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Stephanie Hinds, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Philip Sellinger. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Riedel, White Collar Crimes Coordinator for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, also participated in the development of the policy.
Under the new VSD policy, a company is considered to have made a VSD if it becomes aware of misconduct by employees or agents before that misconduct is publicly reported or otherwise known to the DOJ, and discloses all relevant facts known to the company about the misconduct to a USAO in a timely fashion prior to an imminent threat of disclosure or government investigation. A company that voluntarily self-discloses as defined in the policy and fully meets the other requirements of the policy, by — in the absence of any aggravating factor — fully cooperating and timely and appropriately remediating the criminal conduct (including agreeing to pay all disgorgement, forfeiture, and restitution resulting from the misconduct), will receive significant benefits, including that the USAO will not seek a guilty plea; may choose not to impose any criminal penalty, and in any event will not impose a criminal penalty that is greater than 50% below the low end of the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) fine range; and will not seek the imposition of an independent compliance monitor if the company demonstrates that it has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
The policy identifies three aggravating factors that may warrant a USAO seeking a guilty plea even if the other requirements of the VSD policy are met: (1) if the misconduct poses a grave threat to national security, public health, or the environment; (2) if the misconduct is deeply pervasive throughout the company; or (3) if the misconduct involved current executive management of the company. The presence of an aggravating factor does not necessarily mean that a guilty plea will be required; instead, the USAO will assess the relevant facts and circumstances to determine the appropriate resolution. If a guilty plea is ultimately required, the company will still receive the other benefits under the VSD policy, including that the USAO will recommend a criminal penalty of at least a 50% and up to a 75% reduction off the low end of the USSG fine range, and that the USAO will not require the appointment of a monitor if the company has implemented and tested an effective compliance program.
In cases where a company is being jointly prosecuted by a USAO and another DOJ component, or where the misconduct reported by the company falls within the scope of conduct covered by VSD policies administered by other DOJ components, the USAO will coordinate with, or, if necessary, obtain approval from, the DOJ component responsible for the VSD policy specific to the reported misconduct when considering a potential resolution. Consistent with relevant provisions of the Justice Manual and as allowable under alternate VSD policies, the USAO may choose to apply any provision of an alternate VSD policy in addition to, or in place of, any provision of its policy.
Dallas Center Woman Sentenced to Prison for FraudRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – A Dallas Center woman was sentenced on February 14, 2023, to 18 months in prison for wire fraud.
According to court documents, Jordyn Darion Culp, age 28, stole $273,698 from the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program. From approximately October 2019 to September 2021, Culp accessed FEGLI trust accounts through her employment and fraudulently transferred money from the FEGLI accounts to her personal bank account. Using the funds, Culp purchased a motorcycle, motorhome, and cargo trailer which were forfeited. Culp posted TikTok videos discussing her purchases. Culp was ordered to pay restitution and after her prison sentence she will serve three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau investigated the case.
Coraopolis Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Steal Vehicles and Transport them Across State LinesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to a charge of violating federal conspiracy law in connection with the theft of 24 vehicles, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Bernard Washington, age 31, pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment before United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from on or about May 30, 2021, until on or about Oct. 25, 2021, Washington conspired to commit offenses against the United States, namely, transportation and receipt of stolen vehicles. Washington admitted that he worked as a contractor for the Hertz Rent a Car at the Pittsburgh International Airport between May and July 2021. During that time, and for several months thereafter, Washington and co-conspirators accessed the Hertz parking lot and stole approximately 24 vehicles, at least three of which were transported across state lines from Pennsylvania to other states, including Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Washington and his co-conspirators provided these stolen vehicles to other individuals in exchange for payment. Washington also received at least two stolen vehicles from a co-conspirator, one of which had crossed state lines after being stolen.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for May 16, 2023. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorneys Karen Gal-Or and William Guappone are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation leading that led to the prosecution of Washington.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More than 6 Years in Prison on Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A federal judge yesterday sentenced a Demopolis man for illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced Terrance Jamela Armstead, 31, of Demopolis, Alabama, to 80 months in prison. Armstead pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in October 2022.
According to court documents, on October 13, 2020, the assistant police chief of the Eutaw Police Department was at the One Stop gas station in Eutaw. While there, he observed a fight between Armstead and another individual. The assistant chief intervened and sprayed both individuals with pepper spray. Armstead succumbed to the pepper spray and attempted to run, but fell. In taking him into custody, the assistant chief recovered a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol from Armstead's waistband. The pistol had been reported stolen to the Eutaw Police Department a few months prior to the incident.
"The illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon risks turning any minor dispute into a deadly confrontation," said U.S. Attorney Escalona. "We are grateful for the actions of the Eutaw Police in this case to prevent further violence."
The FBI investigated the case, along with the Eutaw Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Baty prosecuted the case.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Khalif Marquee Coleman, 35, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Coleman admitted to arranging the sales of mixtures containing fentanyl to confidential informants asking to purchase heroin in Charleston in seven separate transactions between May 2, 2022, and September 23, 2022. All but one of these transactions occurred at a Chesterfield Avenue residence in Charleston and the mixtures totaled approximately 92.64 grams.
Coleman also admitted to arranging seven additional sales of mixtures containing fentanyl in August and September, 2022, at or near the Chesterfield Avenue residence.
On September 28, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Chesterfield Avenue residence and found mixtures containing fentanyl totaling 55.97 grams, scales, drug packaging materials, and $5,926. Some of the cash recovered during the search was prerecorded buy money from the sales to the confidential informants.
Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), and the assistance provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-198.
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Brookneal Lumber Mill Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax FraudRead the Press Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A Brookneal, Virginia lumber mill owner who failed to pay employee taxes to the Internal Revenue Service pleaded guilty last week to one count of willful failure to collect or pay over taxes.
According to court documents, James Edward Adams, 65, took over the day-to-day operation of his family’s lumber mill, Adams Lumber Company, in 2011. In 2012, Adams Lumber was referred to the IRS for failure to pay payroll taxes and a trust fund recovery penalty was imposed.
From 2012 to 2022, Adams incorporated additional lumber and flooring entities, including Adams Wood, Halifax Forest, Halifax Flooring Products, Halifax Lumber Products, and Timber Trucking (collectively, the “Companies”), and exercised control over the Companies’ business and financial affairs.
Even though Adams withheld employment and trust fund taxes from his employees, he failed to pay over the vast majority of these monies to the IRS for tax years 2014 through 2021, resulting in an outstanding balance of $598,800.
The Federal Insurance Contribution Act (“FICA”) requires employers to withhold Medicare and Social Security taxes from their employees’ wages while the Internal Revenue Code requires employers to withhold federal income taxes from their employees’ wages. Employers are required to hold these taxes (“trust fund taxes”) in trust for the United States and to pay them over to the IRS on behalf of their employees.
In addition to trust fund taxes, employers are separately required to make contributions under FICA in amounts matching the amounts withheld from their employees’ pay for those purposes. These taxes paid by the employer, combined with the trust fund taxes withheld from the employees, are collectively known as “employment taxes.”
At sentencing, Adams faces up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement today.
The Internal Revenue Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charlene R. Day and Jason Scheff are prosecuting the case.
Bronx Gang Leader Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for 2020 Murder and Other CrimesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ANDREW DONE, a/k/a “Caballo,” the leader of the “Shooting Boys” gang, was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for the November 5, 2020, murder of Angel Barreiro in the Bronx and other racketeering offenses. DONE previously pled guilty before United States District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Andrew Done, dissatisfied with his membership in the Trinitarios gang, decided to perpetuate gang violence in New York City by breaking off from the Trinitarios and starting his own gang. His decision created a rivalry between his new gang and the Trinitarios, which led to increased acts of violence, multiple shootings, and the tragic murder of Angel Barreiro. Done’s sentence should highlight that anyone who exacerbates violent crime in our community will face a lengthy prison sentence.”
According to the Indictment, other documents filed in federal court, and statements made in public court proceedings:
The “Shooting Boys” is a criminal organization based in the University Heights section of the Bronx. DONE founded the Shooting Boys in or about 2017. DONE and his followers were originally associated with the “Sunset” chapter of the Trinitarios gang, but DONE decided to break off from the Trinitarios and form his own gang. DONE then convinced other disaffected Trinitarios to join the Shooting Boys as well.
Under DONE’s leadership, the Shooting Boys sold crack, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana throughout the Bronx and engaged in a back-and-forth series of shootings with the Trinitarios and other associated gangs. The rivalry between the Shooting Boys and the Trinitarios led to multiple non-fatal shootings and other acts of violence against rival gang members and innocent bystanders. It culminated in the murder of Angel Barreiro on November 5, 2020.
On that date, Barreiro was sitting in the driver’s seat of his parked car opposite 1365 Cromwell Avenue in the Bronx. DONE approached Barreiro, removed a firearm from his jacket, and shot Barreiro multiple times through the car’s passenger side window. DONE then walked over to the driver’s side of the car and shot Barreiro again. DONE fled to the Dominican Republic shortly after the murder and was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in April 2022.
* * *
In addition to his prison term, DONE, 24, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
DONE was initially charged by indictment in March 2022 with nine other individuals who were members or associates of the Shooting Boys gang. The other nine defendants have all pled guilty to various racketeering related charges and have either been sentenced to prison terms or are awaiting sentencing.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic A. Gentile, Adam S. Hobson, and Jim Ligtenberg are in charge of the prosecution.
Bozeman man sentenced to 15 years in prison for transporting child pornography filesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Bozeman man who admitted to using an online account to transport child pornography files was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jacob Michael Rieger, 23, pleaded guilty in October 2022 to transportation of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in February 2022, the Bozeman Police Department, which is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), investigated Rieger for a child pornography crime. The investigation involved Rieger using an online account to transport child pornography files. At that time, Rieger was on probation with the Montana Department of Corrections for a prior child pornography crime. The Bozeman Police Department reported the investigation to Rieger’s state probation officer. The probation officer and ICAC officer searched Rieger’s residence, and Rieger admitted to using an online social media account to access child pornography. Records for Rieger’s online account showed that he was accessing and saving child pornography videos and images to the online account from approximately October 2021 through March 2022.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyndee L. Peterson and Brian C. Lowney prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bozeman Police Department and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Boston Man Indicted for Robbing Brookline BankRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man has been indicted in connection with the September 2022 robbery of a bank in Brookline.
Jerome Lamont Turner, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of bank robbery. He will appear in Boston at a later date. Turner was previously charged by criminal complaint on Jan. 23, 2023.
According to the charging documents, on Sept. 26, 2022, an individual – later identified as Turner – entered a Brookline Bank branch in Brookline. Once inside the bank, Turner allegedly approached a teller and inquired about opening a new account. Turner was provided a bank pamphlet on the process, and he exited the bank. A few minutes later, it is alleged that Turner reentered the bank, approached the same teller and handed them the pamphlet with the words, “Let me have 17,000 in large bills no dye pack,” written on it. As the teller was gathering money from the cash drawer, it is alleged that Turner repeatedly motioned for more money before exiting the bank.
A subsequent investigation allegedly identified Turner on the bank’s video surveillance from a previous arrest less than a week earlier and identified his fingerprints on the pamphlet.
It is further alleged that on Sept. 27, 2022, Turner was located wearing the same clothing worn in the Brookline robbery. Following a violent struggle, Turner was taken into custody and allegedly found in possession of over $2,500 in cash.
The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Brookline Acting Chief of Police Jennifer Paster made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Aurora Felon Sentenced to More Than 19.5 Years in Prison for Weapons ViolationsRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Robert Vandori Johnson, age 40, of Aurora, was sentenced to more than 19.5 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to facts presented at trial, on February 1, 2022, Denver police officers were searching for Daevon House due to an outstanding arrest warrant. After locating him, they observed House and Johnson drive to an apartment complex in Denver, Colorado. Both went into an apartment and came back out a short time later. As House and Johnson got back into the car, officers stopped the car and attempted to arrest House. When officers approached, House ran. He was carrying a firearm which he dropped as he fled before being taken into custody. House had previously been convicted of a felony, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition. Johnson was contacted and escorted from the driver seat of his car vehicle. As he exited the vehicle, a semiautomatic pistol dropped from his waistband. Johnson had previously been convicted of a felony offense making it unlawful for him to possess a firearm or ammunition.
The jury returned its guilty verdict on November 16, 2022. Judge Philip A. Brimmer presided over Johnson's two day trial. On February 17, 2023, Judge Raymond P. Moore sentenced Johnson to 235 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Co-defendant Daevon House, age 30, of Denver, previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Judge Raymond P. Moore sentenced House to 91 months in prison on August 9, 2022.
“We are working aggressively with the ATF and the Denver Police Department to take dangerous felons with guns off the streets of Denver,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “If you are a convicted felon caught with a firearm or ammunition, you can expect to face severe consequences.”
"The presence of two felons who are unlawfully carrying firearms on our streets is a clear indication of impending violent crime,” said Acting ATF Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “Our partnership with the Denver Police Department, along with the successful prosecution by the US Attorney's Office, underscores our shared determination to make our communities a safer place."
The investigation was handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Denver Police Department. The prosecution was handled by the Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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 NUMBER: 22-cr-00046-RM
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to preparing false tax returns for clients.Read the Press Release
A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to preparing false tax returns for clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Montanna Gore of Garner provided tax return preparation services from his cell phone store in Fayetteville from at least 2013 through 2018. Gore reported false items on clients’ tax returns in order to inflate the tax refunds they would receive. He also fraudulently claimed education credits on his personal tax returns for 2015 and 2016. Gore did not file tax returns for himself for 2017 and 2018, even though he continued to earn income by preparing returns for clients in those years. In total, Gore’s conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of over $1.7 million.
Gore is scheduled to be sentenced on May 23 and faces a statutory maximum of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Mitchell Galloway, Michael L. Jones, and Andrew Ascencio of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
50 charged in Harris County firearms initiativeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Several dozen felons have been charged with varying offenses related to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition throughout Harris County, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led a 90-day surge with the assistance of the FBI, Houston Police Department (HPD), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDA). Over the course of those days, 44 people were indicted and six others charged by criminal complaint as being felons illegally in possession of firearms or ammunition. Thus far, 36 have been arrested. Warrants remain outstanding for 14 others.
The goal was to help reduce firearms-related violent crime and to assist in reducing the backlog of felon in possession cases throughout the county. The backlog had allowed previously convicted felons who are arrested with a firearm to remain in our community for several months, sometimes years, before they faced a trial.
The surge involved over a dozen investigators, an intelligence research specialist as well as prosecutors on both the state and federal levels.
It is in concert with the effort to combat violent crime in the area.
However, this effort is not over nor limited to Harris County. Law enforcement continues to target those similar felons who potentially pose a danger to the community. Just this morning, another man - an alleged gang member in the Navasota area - was in federal court for a detention hearing. He again is a convicted felon, now federally charged with illegally possessing a firearm.
The federal firearms charges carry potential terms of imprisonment of up to 10 or 15 years depending on the offense date and maximum fines of $250,000.
The ATF conducted the investigations with the assistance of the FBI, HPD, USMS and the HCDA. A variety of Assistant U.S. Attorneys throughout the U.S. Attorney’s Office are handling the cases.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
12 Defendants from 4 States Charged in Federal Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Owensboro, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned a two-count indictment on February 15, 2023, charging twelve defendants with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Shane Catone of the DEA Chicago Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr. of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Chief Art Ealum of the Owensboro Police Department, and Sheriff Brad Youngman of the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
According to the indictment, the following 12 defendants were each charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine between July 2022 and February 14, 2023:
Chance Morton, 34, of Owensboro, Kentucky;
Nicholas Stallings, 38, of Forest Park, Georgia;
George James, 52, of Hawesville, Kentucky;
Desmond Morton, 38 of Owensboro, Kentucky;
Morgan Anderson, 36, of Owensboro, Kentucky;
William Simmons, 49, of Owensboro, Kentucky;
Johnny Albury, 55, of Owensboro, Kentucky;
Charles Hudson, 44, of Vero Beach, Florida;
Ellis Parker, 64, of Owensboro, Kentucky;
Willie Mosley, 55, of Hagerstown, Maryland;
Brian Ray, 36, of Philpot, Kentucky; and
Lindsay R. Harper, 39, of Hawesville, Kentucky.
The defendants are in custody and scheduled to make their initial court appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky tomorrow. If convicted, all defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The DEA, FBI, HSI, Owensboro Police Department, Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Owensboro-Daviess County Drug Task Force are investigating the case, with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Kentucky State Police DESI-West, the Indian River County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Secret Service, and the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Mark Yurchisin are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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