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7 February 2023
Billings felon admits illegal possession of firearmRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Billings felon who was arrested by Billings police officers while searching for two escaped jail inmates admitted today to illegally possessing a firearm, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jeffrey Wayne Follet, 34, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm as charged in an indictment. Follett faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least three years of supervised release
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Follett was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on Sept. 12, 2022, Billings Police Department officers were looking for two escaped inmates from the Yellowstone County Detention Facility and received information that the inmates were hiding at an apartment building on South 27th Street. A passenger car approached the east side of the apartment complex, and four persons left the apartment and got into the car. Two of the persons matched the description of the escapees. Police attempted a traffic stop on the car, but it fled. Officers performed a maneuver in which they pinned the car near an intersection. Follet was in the rear passenger side of the car and got out holding a pistol. Officers ordered Follet to drop the gun. Officers saw Follet drop the gun behind his back and run north on the sidewalk. Officers chased and arrested Follet. Follet was on Montana state supervision for a felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing firearms. The firearm was a loaded, 9mm pistol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas K. Godfrey is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Berks County Man Convicted for Conspiring to Distribute Controlled Substances Resulting in Death and Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Miguel Eduardo Rosario, a/k/a “Deuce,” age 36, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was convicted on February 2, 2023, for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and serious bodily injury following a 7-day trial before United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Rosario was a large-scale drug dealer operating out of Reading. While on state parole for a prior drug conviction, Rosario continued to sell fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, and Xanax in the Berks and Schuylkill County areas between January 2017 and November 2019. Rosario was found guilty on all counts of the indictment, including counts relating to an individual who first overdosed from heroin and fentanyl distributed to him by Rosario, and then suffered death approximately six months later from heroin and fentanyl again distributed to him by Rosario. Rosario was also convicted of firearm charges related to his distribution of methamphetamine in exchange for firearms.
During the seven-day trial, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office presented the testimony from approximately 35 witnesses, including expert witness testimony from a forensic pathologist, multiple forensic toxicologists, a medical toxicologist, and a forensic cell phone examiner.
The charges stem from a joint investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Scranton, the Pennsylvania State Police, the West Reading Police Department, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Olshefski and Brian Gallagher.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin and fentanyl. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
This case is also 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.
In this case, the maximum penalty under the federal statute for drug distribution resulting in death is life imprisonment. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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Associate of Sanctioned Oligarch Indicted for Sanctions Evasion and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A federal court in New York unsealed an indictment today charging a citizen of the Russian Federation and legal permanent resident of the United States with participating in a scheme to make over $4 million in U.S. dollar payments to maintain four real properties in the United States that were owned by Viktor Vekselberg, a sanctioned oligarch, as well as to attempt to sell two of those properties.
According to court documents, Vladimir Voronchenko, aka Vladimir Vorontchenko, 70, of Moscow, Russia; New York, New York; Southampton, New York; and Fisher Island, Florida, is additionally charged with contempt of court in connection with his flight from the United States following receipt of a grand jury subpoena requiring his personal appearance and testimony.
According to allegations in the indictment, Voronchenko, who resided at various times in New York, Florida, and Russia, held himself out as a successful businessman, art collector, and art dealer, and as a close friend and business associate of Vekselberg.
On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Viktor Vekselberg as a Specially Designated National (SDN) in connection with its finding that the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. On or about March 11, 2022, OFAC redesignated Vekselberg as an SDN and blocked Vekselberg’s yacht and private airplane.
Prior to his designation by OFAC, between in or about 2008 and in or about 2017, Vekselberg, through a series of shell companies, acquired real properties in the United States, specifically, (a) an apartment on Park Avenue in New York, New York, (b) an estate in Southampton, New York, (c) an apartment on Fisher Island, Florida, and (d) a penthouse apartment also on Fisher Island, Florida (collectively, the Properties). As of the date of the indictment, the Properties were worth approximately $75 million.
Voronchenko retained an attorney (the Attorney), who practiced in New York, New York, in connection with the acquisition of the Properties. The Attorney also managed the finances of the Properties, including by paying common charges, property taxes, insurance premiums, and other fees associated with the Properties in U.S. dollar transactions from the Attorney’s interest on lawyer’s trust account (IOLTA account).
Prior to Vekselberg’s designation as an SDN, between approximately February 2009 and March 2018, shell companies owned by Vekselberg sent approximately 90 wire transfers totaling approximately $18.5 million to the IOLTA account. At the direction of Voronchenko and his family member who lived in Russia, the Attorney used these funds to make various U.S. dollar payments to maintain and service the Properties.
Immediately after Vekselberg’s designation as an SDN, the source of the funds used to maintain and service the Properties changed. The IOLTA Account began to receive wires from a bank account in the Bahamas held in the name of a shell company controlled by Voronchenko, “Smile Holding Ltd.,” and from a Russian bank account held in the name of a Russian national who was related to Voronchenko. Between approximately June 2018 and March 2022, approximately 25 wire transfers totaling approximately $4 million were sent to the IOLTA account. Although the source of the payments changed, the management of the payments remained the same as before: Voronchenko and his family member directed the Attorney to use these funds to make various U.S. dollar payments to maintain and service the Properties. Additionally, after Vekselberg was sanctioned in 2018, Voronchenko and others tried to sell both the Park Avenue apartment and Southampton estate. No licenses from OFAC were applied for or issued for these payments or attempted transfers.
On or about May 13, 2022, federal agents served Voronchenko on Fisher Island with a Grand Jury subpoena, which called for his personal appearance for testimony and his production of documents. Approximately nine days later, on or about May 22, 2022, Voronchenko took a flight from Miami, Florida to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and then went to Moscow, Russia. Voronchenko failed to appear before the grand jury and has not returned to the United States.
Voronchenko charged with conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); violating IEEPA; conspiring to commit international money laundering; and international money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Voronchenko was also charge with contempt of court, which carries a maximum sentence within the discretion of the court. The indictment also provides notice of the United States’ intention to forfeit from Voronchenko the proceeds of his offenses, including the Properties.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, Task Force KleptoCapture Director Andrew C. Adams, Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI and HSI are investigating the case with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs, and OFAC.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Joshua A. Naftalis, and Sheb Swett for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
This case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022 and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Associate of Sanctioned Oligarch Indicted for Sanctions Evasion and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Andrew C. Adams, the Director of Task Force KleptoCapture, Ivan J. Arvelo, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), and Maged Behnam, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging VLADIMIR VORONCHENKO, a/k/a “Vladimir Vorontchenko,” a citizen of the Russian Federation and legal permanent resident of the United States, with participating in a scheme to make over $4 million in U.S. dollar payments to maintain four real properties in the United States that were owned by Viktor Vekselberg, a sanctioned oligarch, as well as to attempt to sell two of those properties. The Indictment also charged VORONCHENKO with contempt of court in connection with his flight from the United States following receipt of a Grand Jury subpoena requiring his personal appearance and testimony.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “The indictment unsealed today signals the United States’ continued commitment to holding individuals who violate sanctions to account. Vladimir Voronchenko and others illegally funneled millions of dollars into the United States to maintain luxury U.S. residences owned by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. With these charges, the United States sends a strong message that it will continue to vigorously enforce economic sanctions, including those imposed in response to Russia’s illegal and unjustified aggression in Ukraine.”
Director of Task Force KleptoCapture Andrew C. Adams said: “Shell companies, strawmen, and professional money launderers did not shield Voronchenko or the illicit transactions charged today from the investigative persistence of HSI, FBI, and the attorneys of the Southern District of New York. Today’s indictment is yet another reminder of the priority that the Department of Justice places on uncovering the proceeds of kleptocracy and sanctions evasion and on prosecuting those who would take a paycheck in exchange for facilitating money laundering and sanctions evasion.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said: “Russian illicit finance is a threat to U.S. national and homeland security, one that expands fissures of vulnerability in our financial system. With the advent of the Ukrainian invasion, such global threats were made increasingly more domestic, as Putin’s enablers were revealed to have sequestered billions in illicit wealth in U.S. based real property and luxury assets. HSI will not allow the American financial system to unknowingly facilitate dark money transfers, and today we have charged another oligarch facilitator for his alleged actions in support of the corrupt regime.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court today:[1]
VORONCHENKO, who resided at various times in New York, New York, Southampton, New York, Fisher Island, Florida, and Russia, held himself out as a successful businessman, art collector, and art dealer, and as a close friend and business associate of Viktor Vekselberg.
On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated Vekselberg as a Specially Designated National (“SDN”) in connection with its finding that the actions of the Government of the Russian Federation in Ukraine constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. On or about March 11, 2022, OFAC redesignated Vekselberg as an SDN and blocked Vekselberg’s yacht and private airplane.
Prior to his designation by OFAC, between in or about 2008 and in or about 2017, Vekselberg, through a series of shell companies, acquired real properties in the United States, specifically, (i) an apartment on Park Avenue in New York, New York, (ii) an estate in Southampton, New York, (iii) an apartment on Fisher Island, Florida, and (iv) a penthouse apartment also on Fisher Island, Florida (collectively, “the Properties”). As of the date of this Indictment, the Properties were worth approximately $75 million.
VORONCHENKO retained an attorney (the “Attorney”), who practiced in New York, New York, in connection with the acquisition of the Properties. The Attorney also managed the finances of the Properties, including by paying common charges, property taxes, insurance premiums, and other fees associated with the Properties in U.S. dollar transactions from the Attorney’s interest on lawyer’s trust account (“IOLTA account”).
Prior to Vekselberg’s designation as an SDN, between approximately February 2009 and March 2018, shell companies owned by Vekselberg sent approximately 90 wire transfers totaling approximately $18.5 million to the IOLTA account. At the direction of VORONCHENKO and his family member who lived in Russia, the Attorney used these funds to make various U.S. dollar payments to maintain and service the Properties.
Immediately after Vekselberg’s designation as an SDN, the source of the funds used to maintain and service the Properties changed. The IOLTA Account began to receive wires from a bank account in the Bahamas held in the name of a shell company controlled by VOROCHENKO, “Smile Holding Ltd.,” and from a Russian bank account held in the name of a Russian national who was related to VORONCHENKO. Between approximately June 2018 and March 2022, approximately 25 wire transfers totaling approximately $4 million were sent to the IOLTA account. Although the source of the payments changed, the management of the payments remained the same as before: VORONCHENKO and his family member directed the Attorney to use these funds to make various U.S. dollar payments to maintain and service the Properties. Additionally, after Vekselberg was sanctioned in 2018, VORONCHENKO and others tried to sell both the Park Avenue apartment and the Southampton estate. No licenses from OFAC were applied for or issued for these payments or attempted transfers.
On or about May 13, 2022, federal agents served VORONCHENKO on Fisher Island with a Grand Jury subpoena, which called for his personal appearance for testimony and his production of documents. Approximately nine days later, on or about May 22, 2022, VORONCHENKO took a flight from Miami, Florida, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and then went to Moscow, Russia. VORONCHENKO failed to appear before the Grand Jury and has not returned to the United States.
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VORONCHENKO, 70, of Moscow, Russia, New York, New York, Southampton, New York, and Fisher Island, Florida, was charged with conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”); violating the IEEPA; conspiring to commit international money laundering; and international money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. VORONCHENKO was also charged with contempt of court, which carries a maximum sentence within the discretion of the Court. The Indictment also provides notice of the United States’ intention to forfeit from VORONCHENKO the proceeds of his offenses, including the Properties.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of HSI and FBI. Mr. Williams further thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Office of International Affairs and OFAC for their assistance and cooperation in this investigation.
On March 2, 2022, the Attorney General announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The Task Force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Greenwood, Joshua A. Naftalis, and Sheb Swett are in charge of the prosecution.
The allegations in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
American Citizen Convicted of Providing Material Support to ISIS that Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Bay Ridge, New York, of all five counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS; providing material support to ISIS in the form of personnel, training, expert advice and assistance; receipt of military-type training from ISIS; and obstruction of justice. The jury also found that the defendant’s provision of material support to ISIS resulted in the death of one or more persons. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. When sentenced, Asainov faces up to life in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“As proven at trial, Asainov was a member of ISIS, a violent foreign terrorist organization, which has committed numerous acts resulting in the deaths of many U.S. citizens and others,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The defendant committed to the terrorist organization’s evil cause and made an extraordinary journey to the battlefield in Syria, where he became a lethal sniper for ISIS and trained many other ISIS members to kill. Even after being captured, he still pledged his allegiance to ISIS. Today’s verdict in an American courtroom is a victory for our system of justice, and against ISIS and those like the defendant who are committed to murdering innocent people here in the United States and abroad.”
“With today’s guilty verdict, Asainov now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison for providing material support to ISIS which resulted in death. Combatting terrorism worldwide remains the FBI’s top priority, and the dedicated personnel assigned to our New York Joint Terrorism Task force will continue to work tirelessly to bring to justice all those who seek to commit acts of terror against the United States and our citizens,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
“Asainov is a naturalized U.S. citizen who forsook the country that took him in – as well as his family in New York City – to instead pledge allegiance to ISIS and actively promote that terrorist group’s violent objectives,” stated NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Today’s verdict serves as a warning to anyone who intends to support or conduct attacks on behalf of such a despicable organization: You will be brought to justice. The threat of ISIS-inspired murder and chaos remains very real, however, and the members of our FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force – in close partnership with our law enforcement colleagues across the globe – will never cease working to identify those who so clearly consider our country their sworn enemy.”
As proven at trial, between December 2013 and March 2019, Asainov provided and conspired to provide material support and resources in the form of personnel, including himself, training, and expert advice and assistance, to a foreign terrorist organization, namely ISIS, knowing that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization that had engaged in terrorist activity and terrorism. Asainov also received military-type training from ISIS, in violation of federal law.
Asainov converted to Islam in 2009 and subsequently became increasingly interested in Islamic extremism. By the fall of 2013, he was consuming radical Islamic content online. He abruptly dropped out of classes at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in September 2013, and began preparing to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad.
On December 24, 2013, Asainov abandoned his wife and daughter in Brooklyn, and traveled on a one-way ticket from New York to Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain entry into Syria.
Over the course of approximately five years fighting on behalf of ISIS, Asainov fought in numerous battles against ISIS enemies, including engagements at Kobani; Tabqa; Raqqa; Dayr Az Zawr; and ISIS’s last stand in Syria at Baghouz, in March 2019. Asainov received training in how to use automatic rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. In Tabqa, in mid-2014, he volunteered to train as a sniper. Over time, Asainov became a sniper trainer or “emir” on behalf of ISIS, estimating that he taught nearly 100 students. A former U.S. Navy SEAL scout sniper testified that the defendant’s sniper training course was consistent with what the former SEAL would expect to be taught in a sniper training program.
From Syria, the defendant attempted to recruit another individual to travel from the United States to Syria to fight for ISIS, and sought to obtain funds to purchase a scope for his rifle from the same person. The defendant also told his estranged wife that he was fighting on behalf of ISIS, described by him in a recorded January 2015 voicemail as “the most atrocious terrorist organization in the world that ever existed.” Asainov’s wife testified that he sent her a photograph of three dead fighters, one of whom was wearing a patch that stated, “Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham,” i.e., ISIS, in Arabic script.
Asainov was captured in Syria after ISIS’s last stand at Baghouz, near the Syria-Iraq border. Just before his capture, Asainov discarded his rifle and destroyed his cell phone.
Asainov admitted to agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force that he had fought in numerous battles on behalf of ISIS as a warrior and sniper, serving in several different katibas or ISIS fighting brigades. In recorded phone calls to his mother from facilities operated by the Bureau of Prisons, the defendant told her that he was carrying out Allah’s orders when he waged jihad and killed for ISIS, that he intended to return to waging jihad if released, and that he would fight until he “meet[s] Allah,” i.e., until his death. In September 2020, staff at a BOP facility confiscated a makeshift ISIS flag affixed to Asainov’s cell wall. The defendant had filled in an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper with black ink and Arabic writing in the design of the ISIS flag.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Douglas M. Pravda, J. Matthew Haggans, Nicholas J. Moscow, and Nina C. Gupta are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Assistant United States Attorney Saritha Komatireddy, Trial Attorney Jenny Levy of the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice and Paralegal Specialists Wayne Colon and Mary Clare McMahon.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI’s Legal Attachés abroad, and foreign authorities in multiple countries on multiple continents provided critical assistance in this case. The Bosnian and Herzegovinian authorities, and the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Sarajevo provided extraordinary assistance in the investigation and prosecution. The Ministry of Justice for the Republic of Finland, the Stuttgart Police Department and Federal Office of Justice in the Federal Republic of Germany, the Department of Justice & Constitutional Development in the Republic of South Africa, and the Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine, and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices in or responsible for those countries provided valuable assistance in the investigation.
The Defendant:
RUSLAN MARATOVICH ASAINOV (also known as “Suleiman Al-Amriki” and “Suleiman Al-Kazakhi)
Age: 46
Syria and Bay Ridge, BrooklynE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-402 (NGG)
6 February 2023
“Shots Fired” Calls Result in Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve 18 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, DARVIS DEAN ARNETT, JR., 25, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 216 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in illegal possession of firearms, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On December 14, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Arnett charging him with being a prior convicted felon illegally in possession of a firearm. On February 15, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Arnett with three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On April 8, 2022, Arnett pleaded guilty to the three-count superseding indictment.
Public records reflect that on March 14, 2021, the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) responded to a shots-fired call at a Hampton Inn. During a verbal altercation between Arnett, his two female accomplices, and unknown individuals, Arnett retrieved a handgun from a vehicle, fired one round into the air and two more rounds toward the male with whom he was fighting. Arnett was arrested during a traffic stop a short while later along with his two female accomplices. The firearm was discovered in the trunk of the vehicle.
Additionally, on May 3, 2021, the Edmond Police Department responded to a shots-fired call in a residential neighborhood. Arnett was seen on surveillance video firing more than 30 rounds of ammunition from a firearm fitted with a high-capacity drum magazine. Pursuant to a search warrant, police located the gun in a clothes hamper in Arnett’s parent’s bedroom.
Lastly, on November 11, 2021, Arnett’s ex-girlfriend came home and discovered her front door had been kicked in. Soon after she called 911 to report the burglary, Arnett showed up and tried to force his way into her apartment. She and one of her female friends were able to hold the door shut and she again called 911. When he could not get into the apartment, Arnett went to the parking lot where he fired the gun three times into the air. OCPD officers responding to this call heard three gunshots from the area of the apartment complex. Arnett was later arrested at his parent’s home in Edmond. Prior to Arnett’s arrest, his father gave police the firearm Arnett had hidden in the attic.
Federal law prohibits prior convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. Prior to his arrest, Arnett had been convicted of at least three felonies out of Oklahoma County, including instances of robbery with a firearm and burglary in the first degree in CF-2015-2755, CF-2015-5969, and CF-2015-8233.
On Monday, January 30, 2023, U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot sentenced Arnett to serve a total of 216 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, Judge Friot noted the nature and circumstances of the offense, including Arnett’s criminal history.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Edmond Police Department, with assistance from the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David R. Nichols, Jr., the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime. In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001.
This case is also part of "Operation 922" and "Operation Shots Fired." "Operation 922" is the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. "Operation 922" prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. "Operation Shots Fired" targets cases involving individuals who discharge firearms as part of their criminal activity, such as drive-by shootings or when shots are fired during robberies, domestic disputes, or other incidents. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
Yuba County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Opioid TraffickingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rick Glenn Vardell, 60, of Olivehurst, pleaded guilty today to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on three occasions in 2018, Vardell sold a total of 1,989 Vicodin pharmaceutical pills containing hydrocodone to a confidential source. When law enforcement officers searched Vardell’s residence, they found a hidden safe containing an additional 1,000 hydrocodone pills for sale and $98,0000 in cash. Under the pillow on the bed by the safe was a loaded Smith and Wesson handgun.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron L. Desmond is prosecuting the case.
Vardell is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on April 24, 2023. Vardell faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to life in prison and a fine of $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Wentworth Man Sentenced for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wentworth, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on February 3, 2023.
Jordan Charles Opdahl, age 30, was sentenced to 12.5 years in federal prison, five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $5,100.
Opdahl was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2021. He pleaded guilty on November 14, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on October 20, 2020, when Opdahl used his Kik account to access and receive file containing child pornography from other Kik users. Opdahl downloaded the files containing child pornography from the internet and other Kik users to his cellular phone. Opdahl also distributed the files depicting child pornography to other Kik users.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Opdahl was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Waterbury Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DOUGLAS LARA, also known as “Spaz,” 25, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, this matter stems from an ongoing investigation into gangs, drug trafficking and the illegal possession of firearms in Waterbury. On May 6, 2021, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police attempted to apprehend Lara after he had driven a stolen 2021 Mercedes Benz SUV to a garage at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. As Lara ran from police, he discarded a loaded 9mm handgun with an obliterated serial number, keys to the stolen SUV, and a backpack that contained 9mm ammunition. Officers arrested Lara and subsequently seized the items he discarded.
Lara’s criminal history includes felony state convictions, including multiple larceny convictions related to the theft of vehicles, and a conviction related to a shooting incident. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Lara has been detained since his arrest. On October 27, 2022, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Connecticut State Police; the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police; the Waterbury Police Department; the Wolcott Police Department; and the Connecticut Department of Correction. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Waterbury for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Wanblee Woman Sentenced for False StatementsRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Wanblee, South Dakota, woman convicted of False Statements. The sentencing took place on January 30, 2023.
Talana Francine Standing Bear, a/k/a Talana Francine Sitting Up, 40, was sentenced to time already served, 2 years of supervised release, ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and $14,241.65 in restitution.
Standing Bear was indicted for False Statements by a federal grand jury in February of 2021. She pleaded guilty on July 20, 2022.
The charge related to Standing Bear making materially false statements on documentation relating to her minor child’s Social Security disability income. Standing Bear received $13,695.65 in Title XVI Supplemental Security Income and $546 under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program because of these false statements and put those funds to use for her own benefit, rather than her minor child’s benefit.
This case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General – Social Security Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney Thompson to Honor Summersville Police Officers for Life-Saving ActionsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson will hold an event on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 2 p.m. to honor officers from the Summersville Police Department who saved the life of a suspect after he ingested fentanyl.
WHAT: Recognition of Summersville Police Officers
WHEN: Monday, February 6, 2023, at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse, 300 Virginia Street East, Charleston
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.
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Two Anchorage Women Indicted for Stealing Identities from over 200 Alaskans and Defrauding Elderly Victims and Habitat for HumanityRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE – The Department of Justice on Friday unsealed a January indictment charging two Anchorage women with conspiracy, fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering for perpetrating a lengthy scheme to steal identities and defraud elderly victims and Habitat for Humanity.
According to court documents, Valerie Calip and Jennifer Haydu are accused of defrauding banks and individuals in Alaska, obtaining at least $150,000 through their illegal scheme. The pair stole mail, checkbooks, and identity documents from victims and used the information to create false identification documents. They signed up for credit cards and bank accounts under the victims' names and intercepted their mail, using the fake ID to access their bank accounts. Calip and Haydu also used cash transfer apps to conceal the source of the stolen funds by transferring money to third-party accounts.
Calip and Haydu stole more than 200 identity documents and thousands of dollars from victims, including over $100,000 from an elderly victim with dementia and thousands from a Habitat for Humanity bank account.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the most serious indictment counts and a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating this case and has received invaluable assistance from the Anchorage Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Tansey for the District of Alaska is prosecuting the case.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim of this scheme and entitled to restitution may contact the United States Attorney’s Office at 907-271-3661.
The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud. The Hotline is staffed by experienced case managers who can provide personalized support to callers. Case managers assist callers with reporting the suspected fraud to relevant agencies and by providing resources and referrals to other appropriate services as needed. When applicable, case managers will complete a complaint form with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for Internet-facilitated crimes and submit a consumer complaint to the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of the caller. The Hotline’s toll-free number is 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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usao/ak/23-05Tucson Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Ramon Otero Jr., 39, of Tucson, was sentenced on January 27, 2023, by United States District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 60 months in prison. Otero Jr. pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
In April 2021, Otero Jr. was stopped by federal agents at an immigration checkpoint in Arizona. At the time of the stop, Otero Jr. was in possession of fentanyl and two loaded firearms. He told agents that he intended to distribute the fentanyl to another individual and that the firearms were for his protection in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which is comprised of agents and investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Culver and David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-2360-JGZ-BGM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-012_Otero Jr.# # #
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.
Toledo Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison for Armed Bank Robbery, Carjacking, and EscapeRead the Press Release
TOLEDO – Don Woodson Ellis, 32, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison – or 201 months – by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to using a firearm to steal a vehicle, rob a bank, possessing a firearm as a felon, and escape from jail.
According to court documents, on Aug. 13, 2018, Ellis used a firearm to steal a vehicle from a victim in the parking lot of a Toledo-area gas station. Later that day, court documents say Ellis entered a Fifth Third Bank on Glendale Ave in Toledo, demanded money from a bank employee, and fled the area in a vehicle.
Toledo police later located and arrested Ellis. Police identified the vehicle Ellis was driving as the vehicle stolen from the victim earlier in the day and located stolen money from the bank and a handgun inside.
Ellis is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous felony conviction of bank robbery in Monroe County Michigan.
While incarcerated at the Lucas County Corrections Center, court documents state that Ellis convinced another inmate to switch identities with him and was released within days of his arrest due to the deception. Court records show that Ellis was apprehended by law enforcement days later in Michigan.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI, Toledo Resident Agency and the Toledo Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Simko.
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Three Northeast Ohio Men Plead Guilty to Armed Carjacking SpreeRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Three Northeast Ohio men pleaded guilty on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, to three separate armed carjacking incidents that occurred in a single day on Aug. 9, 2022.
Donteze Congress 18, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Thomas J.D. Williams, 18, of Maple Heights, Ohio, pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Kenneth Franklin, 19, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking and two counts of aiding and abetting possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to court documents, on three separate occasions on August 9, 2022, defendants Congress, Williams, Franklin, and a minor co-conspirator used firearms and threats of violence to steal a vehicle. During two of the armed carjacking incidents, court documents say that the defendants, riding together in a vehicle, intentionally crashed their vehicle into the rear of a victim vehicle to cause a minor traffic incident. In the third incident, the defendants followed the victim’s vehicle to a shopping center parking lot.
Court documents state that on each occasion, as the victim exited their vehicle, they were confronted by one or two of the defendants brandishing firearms, threatening violence, and demanding the keys to the vehicle. During each incident, the defendants stole the vehicle and fled the scene.
Later that day, court documents state that officers with the Solon Police Department, along with assistance from other jurisdictions, located Williams driving in one of the stolen vehicles. Williams was later arrested and found to be in possession of a victim credit card and a loaded pistol.
Defendant Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8, 2023. Defendant Congress is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9, 2023. Defendant Franklin is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI, Solon Police Department, Cuyahoga Falls Police Department, Streetsboro Police Department, and the Garfield Heights Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter E. Daly and Christopher J. Joyce.
Three More Defendants Indicted in Northwest MO Fentanyl ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three more defendants have been indicted in a 10-person conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in northwest Missouri.
Kaden Bernard, 22, of St. Joseph, Mo., Raymundo Felix-Perez, 31, a citizen of Mexico who resided in Bethany, Mo., and Joshua Stramel, 26, of Kansas City, Kan., were charged in a 13-count second superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 24, 2023.
That indictment replaced a previous indictment and retained seven co-defendants who previously had been charged: Craig Austin Troester, 24, and Cassidie Bumgarner, 21, both of Spickard, Mo., Troy Lee Palmer, 24, of Trenton, Mo., Dallas Hughs, 27, of St. Joseph, Jessica Nicole Moody, 30, of Bethany, Dakota Morris, 25, of Liberty, Mo., and Lucas Ryan Coltrain, 23, of Newtown, Mo.
The federal indictment alleges that Troester and Felix-Perez led the conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, for which all 10 defendants are charged, beginning on Oct. 27, 2020.
In addition to the drug-trafficking conspiracy, Troester, Felix-Perez, Bumgarner, Coltrain, and Moody are charged together in one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering from March 1, 2021, through Jan. 31, 2022. They allegedly collected proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy and wired the money to Sinaloa, Mexico.
Bernard is also charged with two counts of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, two count of distributing fentanyl, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Bernard allegedly was in possession of an FNH .45-caliber pistol, an FNH 9mm pistol, and a Century Arms 7.62x39 pistol on March 17, 2022.
Palmer is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Palmer allegedly was in possession of a Cricket .22-caliber bolt-action rifle, a Rossi .22-caliber rifle, a Rossi .410-gauge shotgun, a Ruger .410-gauge shotgun, a Hiawatha 12-gauge shotgun, and a Ruger .223-caliber rifle on Dec. 8, 2020.
Hughs is also charged with three counts of distributing fentanyl.
Stramel is also charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Grundy County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Trenton, Mo., Police Department, the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Mercer County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Grundy County, Mo., Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Tulare County Drug Distribution Conspiracy and Federal Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Malachai Serrano, 31 of San Antonio, Texas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, the charges arose from a long-term investigation that uncovered evidence of a scheme involving the trade of illegal drugs sourced in Mexico and California for firearms sourced in Texas. In 2021, a team of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers partnered in an investigation into a group of Tulare County Surenos street gang members. Part of the investigation focused on Serrano and his associates, who were involved in shipping illegal drugs and firearms across state lines.
Between April 6, 2021, and Dec. 17, 2021, Serrano’s associates, including Jonathan Gallegos, 32, of Ivanhoe, shipped kilograms of marijuana and methamphetamine from post offices in Central California to residences in San Antonio, Texas. Serrano and his associates shipped firearms back to Gallegos and his associates in California as payment for the narcotics they had received. Serrano is a felon who cannot lawfully possess firearms.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare County Area Regencies Gun Enforcement Team, the Visalia Police Department, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation, the California Highway Patrol’s Special Operations Unit, and the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.
On Oct. 11, 2022, Gallegos pleaded guilty; he is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2023.
Serrano is scheduled to be sentenced May 15, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba. Serrano faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Telemarketing Fraudsters Sentenced in Absentia to 9 Years in Prison for $2.1 Million Family-Run Scheme that Conned Job SeekersRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Two members of a $2.1 million Riverside County-based, family-run telemarketing scam each were sentenced in absentia today to 108 months in federal prison for their roles in a scheme that defrauded more than 4,000 job seekers by tricking them into paying fees in exchange for employment opportunities that turned out to be nonexistent.
Lisa Kay Camp, 61, and Barry Lee Biddle, 48, both formerly of Lake Elsinore, were sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, who also ordered them to pay $2,181,316 in restitution to their victims, which they must pay jointly and severally with three previously sentenced co-conspirators.
Camp and Biddle pleaded guilty in September 2019 and October 2019, respectively, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They fled together from pretrial supervision in August 2020 before their sentencing hearings, which were scheduled for October 2020. They remain at large.
From May 2009 to July 2013, Camp, with the help of Biddle and her adult children, operated a fraudulent telemarketing business that went by various fictitious names, including “Contractor Management,” “Commercial Crews,” “US Tradepros,” and “IPower Marketing.” The defendants used auto-dialer services and multiple websites to lure prospective job seekers to pay for background checks that were never performed and to receive job leads that never existed.
Camp controlled nearly two dozen bank accounts in various company names through which she projected the appearance of legitimacy and the co-schemers received money from victims. Biddle set up, maintained, and operated the computer workstations, phone network, and websites used by the fraudulent telemarketing business.
The aggregated amount of loss to job seekers over the four-year period of the scheme was approximately $2,181,316 with at least 4,183 victims defrauded.
Three other defendants – all of whom are children of Camp – have been sentenced in this case after each pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud:
- Andrea Maureen Aviles, 41, of Lake Elsinore, who was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison;
- Gerald James Camp, 42, of Lake Elsinore, who was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison; and
- Allisa Lynn Vasquez, 39, of Sun City, who was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Julius J. Nam of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case.
Anyone with information about Lisa Camp and Barry Biddle’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565 or the United States Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED-2 or (877) 926-8332.
Taylor County Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
Bowling Green, KY – A Taylor County, Kentucky man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for illegally possessing two firearms in Campbellsville, Kentucky.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Sheriff Allen Newton of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, on March 18, 2021, Jeffrey R. Beard, 62, a convicted felon, possessed a New England Firearms 12-gauge shotgun, a Winchester 20-gauge shotgun, and a Marlin .22 caliber rifle. Beard had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses. On July 13, 2016, in Green Circuit Court, Beard was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. On July 12, 2016, in Taylor Circuit Court, Beard was convicted of first-degree wanton endangerment. On April 6, 2004, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Beard was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
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Tampa Man Sentenced for Role in Fraudulent Tax Preparation SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Thomas Johnson to three years in federal prison for his role in the preparation of well over a thousand false and fraudulent income tax returns. The court also ordered Johnson to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $1,688,931.90. Johnson had pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022.
According to court documents, Johnson owned and operated a tax preparation business located in Seffner, Florida. Between 2015 and 2017, Johnson aided in the preparation of false and fraudulent income tax returns on behalf of his clients. The fraudulent returns that Johnson helped to prepare contained false entries as to education credits that his clients were supposedly owed and Schedule C business losses for businesses that his clients denied having. The filing of these false tax returns led to the overpayment of tax refunds to his clients and the loss to the IRS of $1,688,931.90.
Johnson often concealed his activity by listing other persons as the preparers of most of the false returns that he created and filed. The false education credits and Schedule C business losses that Johnson submitted on behalf of his taxpayer clients generated large refunds that were unjustified. Johnson also required that his clients split those large refund amounts with him after the IRS processed these tax returns and paid those refunds.
“While most tax return preparers provide excellent service to their clients, it only takes a few dishonest return preparers to negatively impact thousands. IRS-CI works year-round to investigate fraudulent return preparers and protect the American taxpayers’ money,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald A. Loecker. “Return preparers must comply with the same tax obligations as the clients they serve. No one is above the law.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Sex Offender Sentenced for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Adam Frederick Juenemann, 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 210 months’ incarceration by United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher for transportation of child pornography with a prior conviction. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release, Juenemann will serve a lifetime term of supervised release. Juenemann will continue to have to register as a sex offender.
In October 2020, law enforcement located a sexually explicit video and photograph depicting a known 15-year-old female and a 14-year-old male engaging in sexually explicit conduct on a motherless.com account. The video had been posted by user “sole_t.” The videos of the known 15-year-old and 14-year-old were uploaded to the account on January 7, 2020. The IP address associated with the “sole_t” motherless.com account was a Cox Communications address. The IP address was assigned to Adam Juenemann’s residence and the account was in the name of Juenemann’s ex-wife.
On December 22, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Juenemann’s residence. During the execution of that warrant, officers recovered several electronic devices which were reviewed. During the review of Juenemann’s devices, officers found 62 images containing children being subjected to sexually explicit conduct. On Juenemann’s phone were still images from the video of the 15-year-old female and 14-year-old male that had been posted on motherless.com. Juenemann was interviewed on December 22, 2020, and admitted to using Cox for his internet services and admitted to using the email address associated with the motherless.com account.
Juenemann was previously convicted of three counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child in violation of K.S.A. 21-5510(a)(2) in the District Court of Ellis County, Kansas, in case number 15CR35.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the FBI’s Child Enticement and Human Trafficking Task Force and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
Serial Rapist Convicted by Jury for 2010 Home Invasion Sexual Assault of Woman in Northwest D.C.Read the Press Release
Defendant Had Been Convicted in Previous Sexual Assaults in D.C. and Virginia
WASHINGTON – Ronald P. Berton, Jr., 48, of the District of Columbia, was found guilty by a jury today for sexually assaulting a 30-year-old woman in June of 2010, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Berton was found guilty of first degree burglary, kidnapping, first degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to commit first degree sexual abuse, and attempted first degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Marisa Demo scheduled sentencing for March 3, 2023. Berton faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the crimes. He will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on June 12, 2010, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the victim was at home sleeping in her ground level apartment in Adams Morgan. Berton, who was a stranger to the victim, entered her home and proceeded into her bedroom where he stood over her. The victim woke up and the defendant restrained her and sexually assaulted her. The victim fought back, ultimately collecting the defendant’s DNA underneath the fingernails of both her hands. After the assault, Berton stole the victim's phone and fled. The defendant used the victim’s stolen SIM card, which he placed into a different handset, to call an acquaintance five hours later.
The victim ran to a firehouse immediately after the assault and reported the offenses. MPD responded promptly and a crime scene technician swabbed under her fingernails for possible DNA. The fingernail swabs were tested in 2010 and resulted in a partial DNA profile of the defendant under her left hand fingernails and a more complete profile under her right hand fingernails.
Berton was developed as a suspect in this case in approximately 2017, when detectives with MPD’s Cold Case Sexual Assault Unit identified him as the suspect in a 2007 home invasion sexual assault. In that case, Berton had entered the ground level Adams Morgan apartment of a 27 year-old woman who was sleeping. The defendant restrained and sexually assaulted her and then stole her phone and fled. The victim obtained an immediate Sexual Assault Examination and reported the offenses to police. Berton was later identified as the perpetrator of this offense by his DNA profile. He was convicted of the 2007 crimes in a March 2020 trial, in which the jury found him guilty of kidnapping and first degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.
Berton also has a 2014 rape conviction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Arlington County. In that case, in September 2010, Berton entered the ground level apartment of a woman who was sleeping and sexually assaulted her. After the assault, the defendant stole two cell phones and a laptop and fled. He was later identified as the perpetrator through DNA.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI's Seattle Field Office, and the FBI CAST team. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart Allen, Dan Lenerz, Nick Coleman, Bryan Han, Chrisellen Kolb, and Sharon Donovan; Lisa Kreeger-Norman, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad, Garcia Clarke, and Tiffany Jones; Lead Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker; and Victim/Witness Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Kern and Amy Zubrensky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Selma, N.C. Crips Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Cocaine and Crack PossessionRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. –A verified Crips gang member residing in Selma, N.C., was sentenced Friday to 360 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and twenty-eight (28) grams or more of cocaine base (“crack”) and possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base (“crack”). On July 19, 2022, Deondre Montreal Russell, 34, also known as “Poo Bear,” was convicted by a federal jury of the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Russell, 33, sold cocaine and crack to a confidential informant utilized by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in January of 2020. Upon leaving the meeting, Russell committed a traffic violation and was stopped by police. The stop resulted in an altercation between Russell and the officer, and Russell was arrested and found to be carrying 26.51 grams of cocaine base (“crack”), 27.62 grams of cocaine, and $650 in cash.
Over the course of the investigation, a confidential informant notified investigators that they met Russell during the summer of 2018 and stated that Russell sold them approximately 3,628.8 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 453.7 grams of cocaine base (“crack”) during an eight-to-nine-month period. The confidential informant observed Russell carrying and possessing at least two firearms. In October of 2020, when Russell was on state probation, officers federally arrested him and found a digital scale with apparent cocaine residue, as well as 10 grams of marijuana. After the arrest, additional confidential informants confirmed drug purchases from Russell and told investigators that Russell made credible threats to use violence against witnesses in his trial.
In September of 2005, Russell pled guilty to second degree murder and was released from prison in 2016. The defendant was originally charged as a juvenile, but his case was bound over to superior court and he was tried as an adult. Following his release from prison, Russell was convicted of possession of cocaine and other controlled substances, as well as selling marijuana in 2018.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Sandling prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00459-D.
St. Croix Felon Sentenced to 186 Months on Home Invasion and Carjacking ConvictionsRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Luis Davis, 34, of St. Croix, was sentenced to 186 months of incarceration by District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis, after being convicted of carjacking, using a firearm during a violent crime and felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Lewis also sentenced Davis to 5 years of supervised release, a fine of $1,000.00, a special assessment of $300.00 and $1,600.00 in restitution.
According to court documents, in the early morning hours of September 10, 2017, Davis, along with two assailants, broke into a couple’s home in Estate Rust Op Twist while brandishing a firearm. The group physically assaulted the male victim by punching him in the head and threatened to kill the couple while demanding money. Thereafter, at gunpoint, Davis and his assailants forced the couple into the rear passenger seat of their Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck and drove to the shoreline location where the male victim had left his wallet. After retrieving the wallet, Davis and his assailants fled in the Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck and a Jeep Wrangler. In addition to the vehicles, Davis stole $200.00 cash, two iPhones valued at $600 each and an iPad valued at $200.00. In 2011, Davis was convicted of first degree assault in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston. This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Paw Paw Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Setting Fire at Kalamazoo Planned ParenthoodRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced today that U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney sentenced Joshua Brereton of Paw Paw, Michigan to 60 months in prison, followed by two years’ supervised release, for maliciously setting fire to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Maloney also ordered Brereton to pay $32,699.45 in restitution for the damage he caused.
“While Americans may disagree strongly on matters of law and policy, violence is never an acceptable means to settle our disputes,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Today and every day, my office will hold wrongdoers accountable for political violence.” He continued: “This particular act of violence was an attack on a health care clinic. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan is committed to protecting access to reproductive services and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to defend those rights protected by federal law.”
“Using an act of violence like arson to express one’s anger toward an individual or business is never acceptable,“ said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, “Today’s sentencing best represents ATF’s tireless commitment to work with our Federal, State, and Local partnerships to bring to justice those who seek to prey upon our communities.”
“It is crucial that those individuals who desire reproductive health services be able to obtain them in an environment that is free of interference, intimidation, and fear,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “We will continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold responsible anyone who engages in criminal activity to address their differences of opinion.”
"The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety appreciates the partnership with our federal partners. Today, that partnership helped bring along justice in our city,” said KDPS Chief Dave Boysen. "Thank you to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan for helping bring Joshua Brereton to justice after his attempt to light a Planned Parenthood on fire. Acts of violence, whether they are politically motivated or not, cannot be allowed to happen in our community."
At sentencing, Judge Maloney noted the serious nature of the crime and found that Brereton “engaged in a concentrated effort to commit the arson.” Judge Maloney also focused on the need for general deterrence in cases like this, noting that others who might commit a similar violent crime need to understand that a substantial sentence will be meted out upon conviction.
Brereton’s conviction followed a joint investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Carowan.
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OraPharma, Inc. Agrees to Pay $100,000 to Resolve Allegations of False Claims Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – OraPharma, Inc. has agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve allegations that the incentive compensation it paid to certain account managers, who also practiced as dental hygienists, resulted in the submission of false claims to the Medicare program.
Headquartered in Bridgewater, N.J., OraPharma sells oral health products, including Arestin, a sustained-release antibiotic that dental providers administer locally as an adjunct to treatment for periodontal disease.
OraPharma admits in the settlement agreement that from June 2012 through December 2020, they employed account managers – including individuals who practiced as dental hygienists – to promote Arestin to dental practices. Following their retention as account managers by OraPharma, some of these dental hygienists occasionally worked in a dental office or offices in their assigned sales territories but did not disclose in certain instances this occasional hygiene practice to OraPharma as required under the company’s conflicts-of-interest policies. The account managers may have received, or were eligible to receive, incentive compensation for Arestin prescriptions that they may have recommended to Medicare beneficiaries when the account managers were performing dental hygienist duties in a dental office—i.e., while operating outside the scope of their employment with OraPharma. As a result, the United States contends that OraPharma’s payment of incentive compensation to account managers for any prescriptions reimbursed by Medicare in the offices where the account managers practiced as dental hygienists violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and thereby caused false claims to Medicare.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Charles Weinograd of Rollins’ Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit handled the matter.
One More Sentenced for Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents in Order to Defraud Insurance and Trucking CompaniesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced DASHONTAE YOUNG (“YOUNG”), age 28, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of a staged automobile accident with a tractor-trailer occurring in New Orleans.
According to documents filed in federal court, on June 6, 2017, YOUNG and co-defendant’s Lucinda Thomas (“Thomas”), Mary Wade (“Wade”) and Judy Williams (“Williams”) drove from Houma, LA, to meet with Damian Labeaud (“Labeaud”), for the purpose of staging an automobile accident in order to obtain money through fraud. After their meeting, Thomas, Wade, Williams, and YOUNG agreed to allow Labeaud to drive Thomas’ 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche vehicle. The defendants then drove around the vicinity of Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road of New Orleans until they located a 2017 Freightliner tractor-trailer. At approximately 12:30 P.M., Labeaud intentionally collided with the tractor-trailer. Labeaud then exited Thomas’ vehicle and instructed Thomas to get behind the wheel of Thomas’ Avalanche to make it appear that Thomas was driving the vehicle at the time of the staged accident.
Thomas, Wade, Williams, and YOUNG contacted the NOPD and falsely reported that Thomas had been the driver of the Avalanche and that the tractor-trailer had struck her vehicle. Labeaud then returned to the scene and also made false statements to the NOPD that he had witnessed the accident and that the driver of the tractor-trailer had been at fault.
Before and after the staged accident, Labeaud contacted attorney Patrick Keating (“Keating”) and arranged a meeting with Thomas, Wade, Williams, and YOUNG at a fast food restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway. Keating then filed two lawsuits in state court that were removed to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Thomas, Wade, and Williams each admitted to providing false testimony in various depositions taken in conjunction with the lawsuits filed by Keating. Ultimately, but only after a year of pursuing their fraudulent lawsuits, did Thomas, Wade, and Williams settle their cases for $7,500.00 each.
U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced YOUNG to five (5) years probation, $43,000.00 in restitution, and $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Rivera; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long.
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Omaha Man Sentenced to more than 7 Years’ Imprisonment for MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Juan Diaz-Diaz, 27 of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 3, 2023, in federal court in Omaha for distribution of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Diaz-Diaz to 87 months’ imprisonment. After completing his term of imprisonment, Diaz-Diaz will be required to serve a 3-year term of supervised release as there is no parole in the federal system.
On three separate occasions in 2020, Omaha police narcotics officers utilized a confidential informant (CI) to purchase methamphetamine from Diaz-Diaz at different Omaha locations. The CI was able to purchase a total of more than a half-pound of methamphetamine during the three transactions.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Omaha Man Sentenced in Methamphetamine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Carlos Rios-Alonso, 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on January 3, 2023, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Rios-Alonso to a term of imprisonment of 29 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
On November 21, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration intercepted a FedEx package that contained 2,000 fentanyl pills. The package was delivered to the listed address and Rios-Alonso took possession of the package. After Rios-Alonso was arrested, he admitted that he was to receive the package.
This case was investigated primarily by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Omaha Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Robert Rush, 29, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 3, 2023, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute ten grams or more of an analogue of fentanyl. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Rush to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 4-year term of supervised release.
On March 1, 2020, the Omaha Police Department executed a search warrant on Rush’s residence in Omaha and seized 1,029 fentanyl pills. Rush and his co-defendant, Ja’Hvont Payne, were selling the fentanyl pills for $35 to $40 a pill. Rush sold at least one of the pills to a woman who overdosed and died.
February 11, 2022, Ja’Hvont Payne was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment followed by a 4-year term of supervised release. Payne was not responsible for providing fentanyl to the deceased.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Nicholas County Man Sentenced to More than 19 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Lester Taylor Barnhouse, 43, of Craigsville, was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 13, 2022, Barnhouse fled from law enforcement officers trying to arrest him. During the pursuit, Barnhouse hid a backpack under a waterfall in the woods near Nallen, Nicholas County. An officer following Barnhouse’s tracks in the snow found the backpack, which contained approximately 646.6 grams of methamphetamine, 129 grams of fentanyl, a loaded Taurus Millennium G2 pistol, and $6,740. Barnhouse admitted that he intended to sell the methamphetamine and fentanyl, and that the cash was proceeds from drug transactions.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys R. Gregory McVey and Julie M. White prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-85.
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New prosecutor added to U.S. Attorney’s Office in MartinsburgRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A new prosecutor has joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office to assist with the increasing criminal caseload in the Eastern Panhandle.
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced the addition of Daniel Salem to his Martinsburg office. Salem has been a prosecutor for nine years, first with Harford County (MD), then with the Baltimore City State’s Attorney, and finally with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. He handled a heavy caseload of homicides, drug trafficking, and organized crime, and led wiretap investigations in collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic OCDETF Task Force.
“Dan Salem is a tremendous addition to the Martinsburg team,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “His experience in Maryland handling violent crime and drug trafficking cases allows him to step right in and assist with our busy criminal docket. I’ll continue to add Federal resources in the Eastern Panhandle to meet the threat and protect the community.”
Salem is an honors graduate of the Fordham University School of Law.
New Orleans Woman Sentenced in Staged Automobile Collision SchemeRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that, on February 1, 2023, U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced ASHLEY McGOWAN (“McGOWAN”), age 36, to serve 24 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Judge Vance also imposed restitution in the amount of $545,000 and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
According to Court documents, McGOWAN admitted to being in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged automobile collision. In the scheme, McGOWAN falsely claimed that she was a passenger in a car that was struck by a tractor-trailer on June 8, 2016. In fact, the government’s evidence showed that McGOWAN conspired with Damien Labeaud (“Labeaud”), Keishira Robinson (“K. Robinson”), Lertrice Johnson (“L. Johnson”), Davienque Johnson (“D. Johnson”), and others to intentionally collide K. Robinson’s Mazda with a tractor-trailer in the area of Chickasaw Street and Louisa Street in New Orleans. McGOWAN later lied in her civil deposition, falsely claiming that K. Robinson was driving the car that collided with the tractor-trailer, when in fact Labeaud was driving the car and intentionally hit the tractor-trailer. McGOWAN also falsely claimed that she was in the car at the time of the collision, even though she had been riding in a separate getaway car and entered the “slammer” car only after the collision occurred. Through her false statements and acts of deception, McGOWAN and her co-conspirators were able to secure a $545,000 monetary settlement from the owner and insurer of the tractor-trailer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Long; Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Rivera.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Being a Felon in Possession of a GunRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On February 1, 2023 Senior United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced JOSHUA REED, age 24, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, to five years in prison for illegally possessing a gun after having been convicted of a felony offense, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court records, New Orleans Police Department officers approached REED at a gas station in New Orleans East. During a search of his vehicle, the officers found a Glock pistol, which REED admitted that he possessed. REED also acknowledged that he had previously been convicted of burglary, which is a felony offense.
REED’s imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Lemelle also ordered REED to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty for Violation of the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – RONNIE DAVIS, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2023 to being a felon in possession of a firearm before United States District Judge Susie Morgan.
According to public records, on May 4, 2022, the New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) was attempting to ascertain the location of a gray colored Nissan Kicks SUV vehicle. On that day, NOPD detectives utilizing the NOPD Real Time Crime Camera (“RTCC”) near Monroe Street and Belfast Street in New Orleans, observed DAVIS driving the vehicle.
NOPD uniformed officers positioned their fully marked NOPD vehicles behind the Nissan Kicks and activated their lights and sirens. DAVIS stopped his vehicle in the 8700 block of Belfast Street. Officers subsequently observed a black and tan semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine on the driver's side floorboard, and a "Draco" style rifle on the front passenger's side floorboard.
On June 23, 2016, DAVIS plead guilty in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, under case number 527-901, to illegal carrying of a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance, in violation of LA-RS 14:95(E), possession of cocaine, in violation of LA-RS 40:967(C), possession of heroin, in violation of LA-RS 40:966(C), and possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, in violation of LA-RS 40:966(A)(2).
DAVIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Trummel of the Violent Crime Unit.
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Nebraska Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Flight AttendantRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – A Nebraska man was sentenced on February 3, 2023, for assaulting a flight attendant during a commercial airline flight.
According to court documents, on January 29, 2023, Denis McCarville, 70, of Omaha, Nebraska was a passenger aboard Delta Flight 2236 with service from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Anchorage, Alaska. While the aircraft was in flight, McCarville assaulted a flight attendant by striking her with his hand. Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested McCarville when the plane landed at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Five days after his arrest, on February 3, 2023, McCarville pleaded guilty to an Information charging Assault in the Special Aircraft Jurisdiction of the United States, in violation of 49 U.S.C. § 46506 and 18 U.S.C. § 113. He was sentenced to time served.
U.S. Attorney Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Brickey prosecuted the case.
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Naval Captain Charged with CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
For Further Information, Contact: Assistant U. S. Attorney Sabrina L. Fève (619) 546-6786
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy Capt. Theodore E. Essenfeld was arraigned in federal court today on an indictment charging him with cyberstalking a civilian woman.
According to the indictment, over an 18-month period, Essenfeld registered fake Facebook, LinkedIn, email, and cellular phone accounts using the woman’s name, biographical information, and photographs without her knowledge or consent. Essenfeld posted erotic and sexually-explicit content to the Facebook account, including photos and videos of the woman that she had previously privately shared with him, as well as graphic media files, or “memes.”
Essenfeld also used the imposter Facebook account to engage with Facebook-related dating services, which falsely made it appear that the woman was seeking dates, the indictment said. The imposter LinkedIn account that Essenfeld created in the woman’s name falsely advertised her as professional pole dancer.
“The indictment alleges a disturbing campaign of betrayed trust, harassment, and intimidation,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This Office is committed to protecting victims of cyberstalking and holding perpetrators accountable for malicious internet activity.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents for their excellent work on this case.
“The alleged behavior outlined in this indictment is reprehensible,” said Special Agent in Charge Joshua Flowers of the NCIS Southwest Field Office. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to fully investigating and rooting out criminality within the ranks that threatens Department of the Navy readiness.”
This case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with assistance provided by the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
If you or someone you know has experienced cyberstalking by an active duty service member, please contact the following anonymous tip lines: www.ncis.navy.mil (Navy and Marines), https://www.cid.army.mil/report-a-crime.html (Army), and https://www.osi.af.mil/Submit-a-Tip/ (Air Force), or call the Department of Defense Hotline at (800) 424-9098. Victims of cyberstalking by non-active duty members should contact local law enforcement or the FBI or HSI field office.
DEFENDANT Case Number 23cr0177-RSH
Theodore E. Essenfeld Age: 51 Chula Vista, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Cyberstalking – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2261A(2)(B)
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine
AGENCY
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Naples Felon Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Giovanni Francois (23, Naples) has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and MDMA, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. Francois faces up to 10 years in federal prison for possessing the firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and up to 20 years’ imprisonment for possessing with the intent to distribute MDMA and fentanyl. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to life, in federal prison for possessing the firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.
According to court documents, in January 2022, a deputy from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop for routine traffic violations on a vehicle in which Francois was a passenger. After the lights and sirens were activated, the driver continued driving without pulling over. During that time, Francois, a convicted felon, threw items from the car two different times. The first time, Francois discarded a white and yellow bag containing various items including a chamber-loaded 9mm pistol and a large clear bag containing multiple empty packages consistent with narcotics sales. The second time, Francois discarded a rectangular box containing various types and quantities of drugs, including 33 units of suspected MDMA, more than 28 grams of cocaine, and a bag of powder containing suspected fentanyl. Inside the car’s rear floorboard, on the passenger side, deputies located a plastic bottle with additional suspected fentanyl powder and two small clear plastic baggies containing cocaine base.
This case was investigated by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Missouri Woman Admits Selling 7 Machine Gun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – A woman from Stoddard, County, Missouri on Monday admitted selling seven devices that turn AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles into machine guns.
Sidney Brianne Scowden, 41, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. to one count of conspiracy to transfer a machine gun and three counts of transfer of a machine gun.
In her plea, Scowden admitted that on Aug. 11, 2022, she sold three “lightning links” for $500 each to someone working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. She sold another three on Sept. 19, 2022 and a final one on Oct. 19, 2022.
Lightning links, also known as drop-in auto sears, convert a semiautomatic AR-15-style rifle into an automatic weapon. Even if not installed in a firearm, they are considered machine guns under federal law.
Scowden had reached out to the person working with the ATF on Snapchat, asking “You know anyone who wants to buy a lightning link for an AR to go fully automatic,” her plea says.
Scowden is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The charge of transfer of a machine gun carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and the same fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Willis is prosecuting the case.
Mexican Citizen Sentenced for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Hugo Martha-Mejia, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced on February 3, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for distributing methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Martha-Mejia to 78 months in the Bureau of Prisons. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On February 11, 2020, a Drug Enforcement Administration confidential source met Martha-Mejia at a BP gas station near 24th and Martha streets in Omaha to buy one pound of methamphetamine. The controlled buy was audio and video recorded and monitored by law enforcement agents. After the deal was completed, Martha-Mejia was arrested and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury.
The methamphetamine was sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis, and testing showed it to have a purity of 94%.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Maryland Woman and Florida Man Face Federal Charges for Conspiring to Destroy Energy FacilitiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, announced the filing of a federal criminal complaint charging Sarah Beth Clendaniel, of Catonsville, Maryland, and Brandon Clint Russell, of Orlando, Florida, with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility.
The criminal complaint was unsealed upon the arrests of the defendants. An initial appearance for Clendaniel is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. today in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson. Russell will have his initial appearance at 1:30 today in U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida.
“This alleged planned attack threatened lives and would have left thousands of Marylanders in the cold and dark,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “We are united and committed to using every legal means necessary to disrupt violence, including hate-fueled attacks.”
“The threat posed by domestic violent extremists is evolving and persistent,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI's Baltimore field office. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and private sector partners to identify and disrupt any potential threat to the safety of our citizens.”
“Driven by their ideology of racially-motivated hatred, the defendants allegedly schemed to attack local power grid facilities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Department will not tolerate those who threaten critical infrastructure and imperil communities in the name of domestic violent extremism.”
As alleged in the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint:
From at least June 2022 to the present, Russell conspired to carry out attacks against critical infrastructure, specifically electrical substations, in furtherance of Russell’s racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs.
Russell posted links to open-source maps of infrastructure, which included the locations of electrical substations, and he described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a “cascading failure.” Russell also discussed maximizing the impact of the planned attack by hitting multiple substations at one time.
A Maryland-based woman identified as Sarah Beth Clendaniel, collaborated on a plan to carry out the attacks. Clendaniel conspired to secure a weapon and identified five substations she planned to target. Clendaniel allegedly stated that if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city,” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” She further added, “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.”
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the Baltimore FBI Field Office for its outstanding work in the investigation and praised the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore County Police Department and the Tampa, Washington, and New York Field Offices of the FBI for their valuable assistance. Mr. Barron also thanked the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman for her assistance. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach. To report a Maryland-based hate crime, contact the FBI Baltimore field office at (410) 265-8080 or www.tips.fbi.gov.
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Maryland Woman and Florida Man Charged Federally for Conspiring to Destroy Energy FacilitiesRead the Press Release
A federal criminal complaint was unsealed charging Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, and Brandon Clint Russell, 27, of Orlando, Florida, with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility.
The defendants were arrested on Feb. 3. Clendaniel will make her initial court appearance today in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brendan Hurson. Russell will make his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd.
“Driven by their ideology of racially-motivated hatred, the defendants allegedly schemed to attack local power grid facilities,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Justice Department will not tolerate those who threaten critical infrastructure and imperil communities in the name of domestic violent extremism.”
“This alleged planned attack threatened lives and would have left thousands of Marylanders in the cold and dark,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “We are united and committed to using every legal means necessary to disrupt violence, including hate-fueled attacks.”
“Attacks on multiple electrical substations in Maryland would have caused suffering to thousands of Americans going about their everyday lives, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that threat,” said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division. “According to the criminal complaint, the defendants allegedly were taking specific steps to carry out their plans, including selecting targets and trying to illegally acquire a rifle. The FBI and our partners will hold accountable all those who commit criminal acts that threaten the safety of those in our communities, regardless of their motivations.”
“The threat posed by domestic violent extremists is evolving and persistent,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement and private sector partners to identify and disrupt any potential threat to the safety of our citizens.”
As alleged in the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint:
From at least June 2022 to the present, Russell conspired to carry out attacks against critical infrastructure, specifically electrical substations, in furtherance of Russell’s racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs. As alleged, Russell encouraged the use Mylar balloons to short out a power transformer and, in a conversation on Oct. 25, 2022, Russell encouraged an attack be carried out “when there is greatest strain on the grid,” like “when everyone is using electricity to either heat or cool their homes.”
In his conversations on encrypted communications applications, Russell posted links to open-source maps of infrastructure, which included the locations of electrical substations, and he described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a “cascading failure.” Russell also discussed maximizing the impact of the planned attack by hitting multiple substations at one time.
A Maryland-based woman identified as Sarah Beth Clendaniel, collaborated on a plan to carry out the attacks. Specifically, Clendaniel discussed her desired rifle for the attack. In later conversations, Clendaniel allegedly stated that if they hit a number of electrical substations all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city,” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” She further added, “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.”
If convicted, Russell and Clendaniel each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and Tampa, Washington and New York Field Offices as well as the Maryland State Police and the Baltimore County Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin for the District of Maryland is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Hoffman for the District of Maryland and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Machine Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Alejandro Alvarado, 24, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 2, 2023, in Lincoln for possession of a machine gun and for possessing the machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking and crimes of violence. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Alvarado to 210 months in federal prison and noted the defendant’s past was littered with violence. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Alvarado will begin a five-year term of supervised release.
Alvarado admitted to trafficking guns, to include Glock switches intended to convert handguns into fully automatic machineguns from the State of Kansas to the State of Nebraska. The investigation revealed that one of those guns ended up in the hands of a Trip Set gang member, and ballistics identified that handgun was used in a homicide committed in Lincoln. Alvarado was also conspiring with others to do home invasions in Lincoln. At arrest, Alvarado was in possession of the machinegun, a distributable amount of marijuana, and M30 pills that contained fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lincoln Police Department.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Being a Drug User in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Dekevious Riley, 22, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on February 3, 2023, by United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a term of 30 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for being a marijuana user in possession of a firearm. After he completes his prison sentence, Riley will also serve three years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On March 24, 2022, investigators spoke with Riley who was a passenger in a car parked in a parking lot in Lincoln. The car smelled of marijuana prompting a search. Investigators found a partially smoked marijuana blunt, a rolling tray, and a bag of marijuana weighing 2.6 grams. Riley had an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession at the time and was arrested. Investigators then searched a Lincoln apartment where Riley had been staying. In the bedroom police found a 24-round-capacity handgun extended magazine, a 16-round-capacity handgun magazine, and a speed loader for a Glock handgun. In the bedroom closet, investigators located a Glock 9mm pistol. Investigators searched Riley’s social media account and found numerous images and videos showing Riley’s narcotic usage and firearm possession between April 16, 2021, and March 4, 2022. Riley told investigators that he regularly used marijuana and that the Glock pistol was his.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the FBI. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Leaders of Jacksonville Armed Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison, Ten Other Members Also SentencedRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Kimberly Michelle Claridy Walker (46) and Neal Merrell Walker (51), both of Jacksonville, to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The Walkers were also ordered to forfeit over $167,000 in cash, a .38 caliber pistol, a 2015 BMW 5501, a 2015 Lexus IS 250, a 2013 Audi AS L Quattro, a 2020 Ryker Rally Edition motorcycle, and numerous other items, such as Rolex watches, gold and diamond jewelry, and designer clothing and shoes.
According to court documents and statements made during the sentencing hearing, the Walkers, a married couple, were the leaders of an armed drug trafficking organization that distributed synthetic stimulant drugs, known as “flakka,” and other narcotics out of “trap” houses in Jacksonville. The organization distributed the drugs beginning no later than July 2018 through April 2021.
The Walkers employed sellers at the trap house who worked in regular shifts, usually three per day. The trap house was almost always staffed by at least one seller, 24 hours a day. Over the period of the conspiracy, the Walkers sold kilogram quantities of drugs each week.
In April 2019, July 2019, and January 2020, the Walkers, with the assistance of co-defendants, laundered approximately $120,000 by making numerous cash deposits into financial institutions—in amounts of less than $10,000, to avoid federal reporting requirements—and then obtaining cashier’s checks that they used to buy six properties in Jacksonville, five through Duval County tax deed auctions.
On April 13, 2021, law enforcement agents searched the Walkers’ residence and found more than $148,000 in cash, approximately two kilograms of synthetic narcotics, drug packaging material, digital scales, a .38 caliber pistol under the mattress in the Walkers’ bedroom, and numerous luxury items.
Ten other members of the organization were also sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy, as follows:
Name
Age
Role
Sentence
Marcus Antonio Peterson
37
Supplier
7 years, 11 months
David Lee Geathers
26
Seller
6 years, 8 months
Mar’Quez Maurice Mickler
22
Seller
5 years, 6 months
Ramone Lazai Astin
37
Seller
5 years
Eugene Antwonn Farmer
25
Seller
4 years, 2 months
Alfred Eugene Bell
38
Seller
3 years, 4 months
Michael Shaquille Lee
25
Seller
3 years, 4 months
Antwan Le’Queze Major
25
Seller
4 years’ probation
Porschee Laneal Walker
30
Bagger/Transporter
4 years’ probation
Brandiesa Tylese Williams
26
Bagger/Transporter
4 years’ probation
Geathers and Williams were ordered to forfeit more than $18,000 and four firearms that were seized during a search of their apartment. Bell was ordered to forfeit $5,654 seized from him when he was arrested.
“We share our partners’ unwavering commitment to help keep Florida’s communities safe,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard Coes. “These individuals earned steep sentences for committing serious federal crimes.”
“These sentencings are important victories for the American public. The role of IRS-CI in narcotics investigations is to follow the money to financially disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations,” said Ronald A. Loecker, IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge. “One of our most powerful weapons is our ability to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement partners to unravel intricate money laundering schemes and seize associated assets.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake City Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
KC Man Sentenced for Kidnapping ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the victim’s murder.
Marco A. Sosa-Perea, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Jan. 4, 2022, Sosa-Perea pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Co-defendants Jonathan M. Bravo-Lopez (also known as “Jonathan Vravo,” and “Shadow”), 28, and Juan D. Osorio (also known as “Spexx”), 29, both of whom are citizens of Mexico illegally residing in Kansas City, Mo., were found guilty at trial on Dec. 16, 2022, of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. Osorio was also found guilty of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Bravo-Lopez was also found guilty of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported in 2016. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for Bravo-Lopez and Osorio.
Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Bravo-Lopez and Osorio conspired to kidnap Cristian Escutia in an attempt to rob him of money. They transported Escutia across state lines from Missouri to Kansas before fatally shooting him on April 3, 2017.
Bravo-Lopez and Osorio arranged to purchase $300 of marijuana from Escutia as a ruse to lure him into their kidnapping plan. On April 3, 2017, Sosa-Perea drove Bravo-Lopez and Osorio in his girlfriend’s car, a Chrysler Pacifica, to Escutia’s residence. When Escutia came out of his residence and approached the vehicle, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio got out of the vehicle and confronted him. Escutia was forced into their vehicle at gunpoint. Sosa-Perea, who had remained in the car, drove them away from the scene of the kidnapping. The kidnapping was captured by the video surveillance system outside a nearby residence.
Sosa-Perea drove his co-defendants and the kidnapping victim to the 200 block of Donovan Road in Kansas City, Kan.. They forced Escutia out of the vehicle. Escutia was shot three times in the head and left to die on the side of the road. Sosa-Perea then drove himself, Bravo-Lopez, and Osorio back into Missouri from Kansas.
Osorio, who is in the United States unlawfully, was in possession of an Action Arms Uzi .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol when he was arrested on April 7, 2017.
Under federal statutes, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio each are subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and Matthew A. Moeder. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department.
Justice Department and Federal Partners Recognize Zero Tolerance Day for Female Genital MutilationRead the Press Release
The Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) joined federal partners, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit, non-governmental organizations, and others today in recognizing the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
“The Department of Justice is committed to supporting efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation, including by prosecuting those who violate the federal law banning FGM and by providing support to survivors of this harmful practice,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “FGM is a form of gender-based violence and child abuse, which will not be tolerated in the United States.”
“The FBI hopes to empower community members and victims to come forward and report these acts of abuse so we can end the practice of FGM together” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “FGM is a horrific act of physical violence that undermines the equality of women and girls and the FBI will hold accountable anyone who commits this federal human rights violation.”
“International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM is an opportunity to raise awareness of this global human rights issue,” said Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI will continue to work with partners around the globe to end this abhorrent practice, advocate for victims, and bring perpetrators to justice.”
Federal law enforcement agencies have engaged in many initiatives aimed at protecting those in the United States who have been subjected to, or who may be at risk of, FGM. For example:
- The Justice Department’s Office of Victims of Crime awarded over $5 million in three-year grants through a grant program to support community projects designed to increase direct services, education, and community partner engagement to stop the victimization of women and girls through FGM. For more information see: DOJ announces nearly $3 million to address female genital mutilation and cutting (ojp.gov).
- Federal law enforcement authorities actively investigate allegations of FGM within the United States and, if a United States citizen is involved, abroad. The agencies collect tips and leads from the public and partner with non-governmental organizations that will relay information if they suspect a child is in imminent danger of being subjected to FGM or taken out of the country for purposes of FGM.
- The FBI now includes information on FGM in the annual mandatory child abuse training for all FBI employees in hopes of further educating the workforce. The FBI’s International Human Rights Unit released educational reports on FGM for pediatricians and for educators.
- HSI launched Operation Limelight USA in 2017, a premier FGM outreach and education program, which has been recognized domestically and internationally as a critical outreach effort to combat FGM by the Women in Federal Law Enforcement and the World Class Policing Awards.
- Examples of other agency initiatives aimed at protecting women and girls at risk of FGM can be found in the 2021 STOP FGM Act Report Annual Report of the Attorney General.
FGM is a form of child abuse, a serious human rights violation and, since 1996, a federal crime. In 2013, Congress amended the federal FGM statute, 18 U.S.C. § 116, to prohibit taking a girl out of the United States for the purpose of performing FGM. In 2021, the STOP FGM Act 2020 was signed into law, strengthening the law by expanding the scope of punishable acts, and increasing the maximum penalty. Violations of this law may result in imprisonment and potential removal from the United States.
Individuals suspected of FGM may be investigated by the HRVWCC and prosecuted by the Justice Department accordingly.
In January 2021, the Justice Department indicted a Houston woman for allegedly taking a minor out of the United States for the purpose of subjecting her to FGM in a foreign country. Her trial is scheduled for May 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and will mark the first prosecution under the provision of the federal statute that prohibits taking a girl out of the United States for the purpose of FGM. The FBI Houston Field Office investigated the case with support from the HRVWCC.
According to UNICEF, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM, which refers to procedures that injure the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. While primarily concentrated in north, west, and central Africa, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia, FGM also occurs in the United States.
Established in 2008, the HRVWCC furthers HSI’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, FGM, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. The HRVWCC leverages the expertise of a select group of agents, lawyers, intelligence and research specialists, historians, and analysts who direct the agency’s broader enforcement efforts against these offenders.
Members of the public who have information about victims or suspected perpetrators engaging in female genital mutilation or other human rights abuses are urged to call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800) 225-5324 or the HSI tip line at (866) 347-2423. To submit a tip online, visit tips.fbi.gov or the HSI online form. Tips may be provided anonymously.
Jury Finds Lexington Investment Advisor and Attorney Guilty of Charges Related to Investment FraudRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Lexington investment advisor and attorney, Douglas Hawkins, of Richmond, Ky., was found guilty late Friday, by a federal jury sitting in Lexington, of investment advisor fraud, securities fraud, and two counts of mail fraud.
According to the evidence at trial, while operating as an investment advisor, Hawkins encouraged his clients to invest in securities, which were properties in Jackson, Mississippi. Clients invested over $2 million in the properties. Hawkins withheld vital information about the properties when advising his clients to invest, including that many were uninhabitable, rent collection was burdensome, and that the properties were often subject to theft and vandalism. He also failed to inform his clients that their investment money would be used for purposes other than their properties, including paying other investors and buying a Harley Davidson for an employee.
Hawkins was indicted in October 2021.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Kyle Erhardt, Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service; and Justin Malcom Burse, Acting Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions, jointly announced the guilty verdict.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Mattingly-Williams and Will Moynahan.
Hawkins is scheduled to appear for sentencing on April 24, 2023. He faces up to five years in prison on the investment advisor count; up to 20 years in prison on the securities fraud count, and up to 20 years in prison on each count of mail fraud. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence. Hawkins also faces potential fines and a judgment of restitution, as ordered by the Court.
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Jeannette Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Elder Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on his conviction for conspiring to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines sentenced Michael Galanis, 34, of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, to 12 months of imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release. Galanis was also ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution.
In conjunction with the guilty plea and sentencing hearing, the Court was advised that, from in or around March 2016 to in or around August 2017, Galanis participated in an IRS impersonation fraud conspiracy. The IRS impersonation fraud conspiracy involved call centers located in India that would use phone numbers to make their calls appear to originate in the United States. The calls would provide recorded information to individuals in the United States and fraudulently claim that the call was from the IRS concerning the individual’s failure to pay taxes. The call would provide a U.S.-based telephone number for the individual to call in order to resolve the matter. Calls to these U.S.-based telephone numbers would be automatically forwarded to call centers in India, and those who answered would tell callers that they owed money to the IRS and demand immediate payment via gift card or other means.
As the Court was previously advised, Galanis was involved in activating cell phones in the United States to assist in this fraud scheme. Galanis knew that the cell phones that he programmed were used for a fraud scheme. The parties agreed that the total loss in this case is between $150,000 and $250,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Karen Gal-Or prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
The matter was investigated by United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, United States Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Anyone with information about allegations of elder fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 833–372–8311. More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison After Killing One Victim and Injuring Another During Armed Robbery SpreeRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Angel Montano, 22, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for armed robbery.
According to documents and evidence presented in court, between July 19 and July 28 of 2020, Angel Montano and co-conspirators committed four armed robberies in the Indianapolis area, one of which resulted in the death of a 26-year-old man. Montano facilitated and orchestrated the armed robberies through the online marketplaces, OfferUp and LetGo, by luring victims to his location to purchase a cell phone that he had listed for sale.
In the first three robberies, Montano and his co-conspirators arranged to sell an iPhone 11 Max Pro for $800 to a buyer who contacted him through the online marketplaces. When the victims arrived at the Pepper Mill Apartment complex, Montano and others brandished firearms and demanded money. In one incident, the victim drove to the address with her two children—ages 13 and 8—to purchase the phone. When she arrived at the meet location, Montano approached her vehicle, reached inside, placed the muzzle of his firearm against her thigh, and demanded “everything.” The woman gave Montano her iPhone, as well as the iPhone and Apple Air Pods that belonged to one of her children.
In the final robbery that resulted in Montano executing a 26-year-old man, the victim met Montano at a different Indianapolis residence, but was spooked by three masked men who approached his vehicle. The victim stated he would pay for the phone via PayPal and offered to drive to the nearest Wal-Mart to purchase a PayPal card to complete the transaction. The victim did not return. Later that evening, the victim decided to get cash and complete the purchase with Montano but asked his brother to accompany him due to fear of safety. When the two arrived at the transaction location, Montano prevented them from leaving by blocking their vehicle with his truck, tapped his firearm muzzle on the window of their vehicle, and fired multiple shots, striking both victims and killing the brother. The surviving brother required surgery and spent several days in the hospital healing from multiple gunshot wounds.
“The defendant’s crime spree demonstrated his utter disregard for human life. His choice to engage in senseless violence took an innocent man from his loving family forever,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “A sentence of four decades in federal prison will protect the public from this murderous criminal and brings some measure of justice to the victims. Reducing gun violence is a top priority for our office, and we will continue to use our federal resources to hold violent offenders accountable.”
The FBI investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by IMPD. The sentence was imposed by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Montano be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Lawrence D. Hilton, who prosecuted 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.