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1 February 2023
Newport News Commercial Fisherman Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man pleaded guilty today to evading his federal income taxes.
According to court documents, Eric Bautista, 37, from approximately January 2017 through December 2020, Bautista worked and earned income as an independent contractor for various commercial fishing companies in the Hampton Roads region and elsewhere. He was paid over $500,000 for his work during this time. Bautista failed to file U.S. Individual income tax returns for tax years 2012 through 2020. He was levied by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but took steps to evade his income taxes, including working under a stolen identity and dealing heavily in cash. For the years 2012 through 2020, Bautista owed a tax debt of over $170,000.
Bautista pleaded guilty to evasion of income taxed and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Darrell J. Waldon, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-cr-95.
New Yorker Indicted for Possessing Automatic Rifle in Basilica School ZoneRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Brooklyn, NY man has been indicted for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Ahmed Abdalla Allam, 26, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Feb. 1, 2023, charging him with possession of a firearm in a school zone. Allam appeared in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn today and was ordered to be held pending a detention hearing.
According to information presented in court, on Jan. 29, 2023, Allam was found in possession of a multi-caliber rifle within 1,000 feet of St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School in Beaumont. Allam also possessed a 30-round magazine and 150 rounds of ammunition. It is a federal violation to possess firearms or ammunition within 1,000 feet of a school zone.
“The community of St. Anthony’s, including parents, teachers, and administrator, are to be commended for remaining vigilant and reporting their suspicions,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “If you see something suspicious – say something. You may save a life.”
If convicted, Allam faces up to 5 years in federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the Beaumont Police Department, Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Port Arthur Fire Department, and Montgomery County Fire Marshall. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.
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New Haven Man Sentenced to More Prison Time for Violating Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ERRIE McCLENDON, also known as “Buck,” 32, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 11, 2019, New Haven Police received information that an individual was in possession of a firearm in Goffe Street Park in New Haven. After officers arrived at the park and identified McClendon, a convicted felon, they approached him and instructed him to remove his hand from his sweatshirt pocket. McClendon then removed a handgun from his pocket and tossed it toward a bystander. The bystander, refusing to catch the gun, put his hands in the air and the gun fell to the ground. McClendon then struggled with the officers before he was subdued. A loaded Ruger, model P85, 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, was recovered from the scene.
McClendon pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and, on September 23, 2020, Judge Bryant sentenced him to 41 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
McClendon was released from prison in June 2022.
In October 2022, Hamden Police arrested McClendon for assault, threatening, and risk of injury to a minor offenses stemming from a domestic incident in September 2022. In addition, on multiple occasions between June and December 2022, McClendon tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. McClendon also violated his supervised release conditions in other ways, including having unauthorized contact with another convicted felon.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis.
Minnesota Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. Circuit Judge Jonathan A. Kobes has sentenced an Orr, Minnesota, man convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on January 31, 2023.
Jeremy Morris, 44, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Jeremy Morris was indicted for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. He pleaded guilty on October 14, 2022.
Morris was traveling near Sturgis, South Dakota, when law enforcement stopped his vehicle. Upon a search of the vehicle, 4.985 kilograms of methamphetamine and a firearm were found. Morris admitted that he intended to further distribute the methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team – North (UNET-N, which covers the Northern Black Hills) and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. UNET-N is comprised of law enforcement from Spearfish Police Department, Deadwood Police Department, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, and South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Morris was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Miami Companies and Owners Convicted of Conspiring to Tamper with Diesel Truck Monitoring Devices Required by the Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Defendants Vivian Machado, 62, Eric Flaquer, 39, as well as Miami-based companies Quick Tricks Automotive Performance, Inc., and Kloud9Nine, LLC have pled guilty in federal district court to conspiring to tamper with monitoring devices on diesel vehicles, in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
The purpose of the CAA, among other things, is “to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population.” Motor vehicles, including those with heavy duty diesel engines, cause or contribute to air pollution which may endanger public health or welfare and are thus regulated including the requirement that manufacturers design and install emissions control systems to treat exhaust. Those systems are monitored by an on-board diagnostic system (OBD). The OBD is software and sensors that monitor emissions-related engine systems and components. It is a felony to tamper with CAA-required monitoring devices.
According to court records and a Joint Factual Statement filed in Court, between January 2018 and December 2020, defendants Machado, Flaquer, and Quick Tricks were paid approximately $230,830.61 for 1,100 transactions for the sale of “delete tune files” that tamper with or disable the OBDs on heavy-duty diesel motor vehicles that were required under the CAA to have OBD systems to monitor the emissions control systems. Similarly, between October 2019 and March 2021, Machado, Flaquer, and Kloud9Nine were paid $141,162.70 for an additional 657 transactions. The defendants would customize the delete tune files based on the vehicle identification number and desired parameters and would conduct active customer service for the automotive businesses. Knowing the conduct was illegal, the defendants would often warn customers by e-mail not to tell anyone about the purchases and to take steps to avoid detection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and “stay under the radar.”
The vehicles at issue in this case were driven in the Southern District of Florida and throughout the United States on public roads and highways. Diesel exhaust contains a mix of acidic and hydrocarbon gases that are harmful to human health. Excess emissions from illegally tampered vehicles can have important environmental justice implications for overburdened communities near major roads and highways.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams has set a sentencing hearing for all four defendants for April 7, at 3:00 p.m., in federal district court in Miami. Machado and Flaquer face up to five years in prison and a criminal fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense. The companies face a term of probation up to five years and a criminal fine of up to $500,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense.
Markenzy Lapointe, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Charles Carfagno, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Criminal Investigation Division, Southeast Area Branch, announced the conviction.
EPA, Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi A. Mazer is prosecuting it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20516.
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Meridian Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempted Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
JACKSON, MS – A Meridian, Mississippi man was sentenced to 14 years in prison after having been convicted at trial of attempted witness tampering, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Daniel Robert, 46, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
In June 2018, Daniel Robert was arrested on an outstanding warrant in a narcotics trafficking case that spanned multiple states from 2007 through 2009. Robert eluded capture from 2009 until June 2018. After his capture in 2018, Robert made numerous phone calls to several family members directing them, along with other unidentified individuals, to contact witnesses who were expected to testify against him and to tell the witnesses not to appear for trial by avoiding subpoenas or testify that they could not remember facts of the case, or to simply refuse to testify. Daniel Robert’s instructions included specific directions concerning the writing of a false affidavit he intended, and directed, to be signed by one of the witnesses.
In January 2020, Daniel Robert was convicted of narcotics trafficking charges following a three-day trial. Daniel Robert is currently serving a sentence of 330 months in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for those narcotics trafficking convictions. Nine years of the witness tampering sentence will run concurrent with the current sentence of 330 months and 5 years of the witness tampering sentence will run consecutive to the 330 month sentence. Robert’s witness tampering resulted in an additional 5 years to serve in prison.
The FBI investigated the case.
Criminal Chief Erin O. Chalk and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham prosecuted the case.
Member of Violent Boston Gang Sentenced to 9.5 Years in Prison for Racketeering and Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton man was sentenced yesterday in connection with his involvement in the violent Boston-based street gang, NOB.
Samael Mathieu, a/k/a “Hamma” or “Hamma Thang,” 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 114 months in prison and four years of supervised release. In April 2022, Mathieu pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Mathieu is one of 10 defendants indicted together in June 2020 as part of a broader federal sweep targeting numerous NOB street gang members and associates in which 31 total defendants were charged. All of Mathieu’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty to various charges and are scheduled to be sentenced in the upcoming months.
According to court documents, NOB – an abbreviation for the Norton/Olney/Barry streets in Dorchester – is a violent criminal enterprise whose members and associates are involved in numerous types of criminal activities, including murders, attempted murders, armed robberies, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and illegal firearms offenses. During the investigation, numerous contraband items were seized including 11 firearms, over one kilogram of fentanyl (including over 2,000 fentanyl pills manufactured to appear as commercial oxycodone pills), a commercial pill press, over 15 pounds of marijuana and approximately $36,000 in cash.
Mathieu was a significant fentanyl trafficker and active and violent member of the NOB gang who supplied drugs to and supported various crimes on behalf of the gang. On Oct. 1, 2019, a search of a residence used by Mathieu resulted in the seizure of drugs including fentanyl, pills, and suboxone, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and two loaded handguns.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Bryan Kyes, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan; Randolph Police Chief Anthony Marag; Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez; Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins; Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald, Jr.; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III; and Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Crowley and Sarah Hoefle of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
McDowell County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Terry Headen, 48, of Welch, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 10, 2021, Headen sold an amount of a controlled substance represented to be heroin to a confidential informant in Havaco. Headen admitted that he possessed an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle during the drug transaction.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Unit.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell 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. 1:22-cr-177.
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Man sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking meth in Billings, GlendiveRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in the Billings and Glendive communities was sentenced today to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Michael David Brumfield, 55, a transient, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in April 202, law enforcement obtained meth from Brumfield in controlled purchases. The total amount of meth seized during the investigation was approximately 153 grams.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
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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Man convicted on Firearm Charge that Resulted in DeathRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Collice Reid, 23, has been convicted for aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during a robbery that resulted in the death of a Lauderhill, Fla., resident.
According to trial evidence, in October 2015 Reid partnered with criminal associates that committed armed home invasions, armed robberies, assaults, attempted murders, and murders. On November 4, 2015, Reid and his criminal associates robbed Donald “Eddie” Johnston in Lauderhill with Reid serving as lookout and getaway driver.
During the robbery one of Reid’s criminal associates shot and killed Johnston, whose parents worked for Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) and Fort Lauderdale Police Department, respectively.
One of Reid’s criminal associates, Derrick Slade, was previously found guilty of his involvement with this criminal group and was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years.
Reid is scheduled to be sentenced April 7, 2023, at 2 p.m. in Miami before the Honorable Paul Huck.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe and acting Special Agent in Charge Maged Behnam, FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI investigated this case with assistance from BSO, Hollywood Police Department, Lauderhill Police Department, Hallandale Beach Police Department, Davie Police Department, and Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul F. Schwartz and Jeffrey N. Kaplan prosecuted it.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 20-CR-60107.
Man Sentenced to 10-Year Statutory Maximum for Drive-By ShootingRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Edward Dominique Devone was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon after opening fire during a drive by at a group of individuals in Dunn, North Carolina. This is the statutory maximum sentence available for this offense.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on December 19, 2020, Dunn Police Department (DPD) were patrolling the downtown businesses in Dunn, North Carolina, when they heard approximately ten shots fired in the area of East Harnett and East Vance Streets. Officers notified dispatch of the shooting and observed a vehicle run the stop sign at the intersection of East Vance Street and North Clinton Street. A traffic stop was initiated of the vehicle. Upon pulling up behind the vehicle, officers observed the back passenger door of the vehicle open and Devone exit the car with his hands up stating, “I didn’t do it.” A female was driving the car. Officers asked her to step out of the car. As the female was exiting the car, officers observed an AK-47 (7.62 caliber Norinco semi-automatic rifle) on the floorboard behind the driver seat in plain view and a black .40 caliber handgun tucked in the back seat pocket on the passenger side seat with part of it visible. Upon securing the firearms from the vehicle, officers noted that the handgun was unloaded but warm to the touch, and the smell of fresh gun powder consistent with a recently fired firearm was present. The rifle was fully loaded.
Officers traveled to the scene of the reported shooting and searched the 400 block of East Vance Street and spoke with an individual who advised the shooting occurred in front of his residence. The homeowner told officers that a female and several men were visiting in front of his house when a car rode by and started shooting. Officers located eight spent .40 caliber shell casings in the roadway in front of his house. The .40 caliber handgun was test fired and a comparison was done between the .40 shell casings recovered from the scene and the shell casing from the bullet used to test fire the handgun and they were a match.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing was concluded. Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II presided over the sentencing. Dunn Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer May-Parker prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. 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 PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-00077-M.
Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Attempting to Travel Overseas to Join ISIS-KRead the Press Release
A Beavercreek, Ohio, man, who was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force at John Glenn International Airport in 2018 while trying to travel to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) or ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was sentenced today in federal court.
Naser Almadaoji, 23, an Iraqi-born U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.
Almadaoji pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization in November 2021. He admitted to attempting to provide material support – himself, as personnel – to foreign terrorist organizations, namely ISIS and ISIS-K.
According to court documents, Almadaoji purchased a plane ticket for travel on Oct. 24, 2018, and was arrested by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force officers after checking in and obtaining his boarding pass.
The defendant intended to travel to Astana, Kazahkstan, where he planned to be smuggled into Afghanistan so that he could join and receive military training from ISIS-K in support of both that terrorist group and ISIS.
Almadaoji explained to an individual whom he believed to be an ISIS supporter that he wanted “weapons experts training, planning and executing, hit and run, capturing high value targets, ways to break into homes and avoid security guards. That type of training.” He began making travel plans in September 2018.
Prior to that, between Feb. 16 and 24, 2018, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan for the purpose of joining ISIS’s affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, ISIS Wilayat Sinai, another designated foreign terrorist organization, but he ultimately was unsuccessful.
Almadaoji told an individual posing as an ISIS supporter online about his proposed plot to start a conflict in the United States between the federal government and anti-government militias. He asked the purported ISIS supporter for a guide on how to make a car bomb.
In August 2018, Almadaoji also told the purported ISIS supporter that he was “always willing” to assist with “projects” in the United States.
Almadaoji recorded and sent a video of himself wearing a headscarf and pledging allegiance to the leader of ISIS.
In addition, Almadaoji translated a purported ISIS document from Arabic to English, telling his contact, “Don’t thank me . . . it’s my duty.”
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio, Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers of the FBI Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein for the Southern District of Ohio and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are representing the United States in this case.
Man Charged with Hate Crime and Obstruction and Second Man Charged with Obstruction Offenses Following Murder of Transgender Woman in Allendale, South CarolinaRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - A five-count federal indictment was unsealed charging two South Carolina men with hate crime and obstruction offenses, arising from the murder of Dime Doe of Allendale, South Carolina.
The indictment charges Daqua Ritter, 26, with a hate crime for the murder of Doe, a transgender woman, because of her gender identity; using a firearm in connection with the hate crime; and obstruction of justice. The indictment also charges Xavier Pinckney, 24, with two obstruction offenses for providing false and misleading statements to authorities investigating the murder.
The indictment alleges that on Aug. 4, 2019, Ritter shot Doe, a transgender woman, because of her actual and perceived gender identity. The indictment further charges Ritter with misleading state investigators about his whereabouts the day of the murder. The indictment also alleges that Pinckney concealed from state investigators the use of his phone to call and text Dime Doe the day of the murder and lied to state and federal investigators about seeing Ritter after the morning of the murder.
The hate crime count against Ritter carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The counts charging Ritter and Pinckney with obstruction of justice carry a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment. The count charging Pinckney with lying to federal investigators carries a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment.
The FBI’s Columbia Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brook Andrews, Ben Garner, and Elle Klein for the District of South Carolina and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
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Man Arrested for Transporting Images of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
A Virginia man was arrested last night on criminal charges related to his alleged transportation of images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
According to court documents, the investigation into James Gordon Meek, 53, of Arlington, was initiated from an investigative lead sent by Dropbox and ultimately received by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. That lead ultimately led to a court-authorized search of Meek’s residence in April 2022 by members of the task force, where law enforcement seized multiple devices that allegedly contained evidence of the transportation of images of child sexual abuse.
According to court documents, several of Meek’s devices allegedly contained images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and multiple chat conversations with users engaged in sexually explicit conversations where the participants expressed enthusiasm for the sexual abuse of children. In two of those conversations, a username allegedly associated with Meek received and distributed child sexual abuse materials through an internet-based messaging platform.
Meek is charged with transportation of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Whitney Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Bedell for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with significant assistance from the Arlington County Police Department. The task force is comprised of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Macon Man Sentenced to Prison for Making Death Threats, Attempting Extortion on Social MediaRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Macon resident who was previously living in Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to serve 34 months in prison today after he pleaded guilty to making death threats and attempting to blackmail an individual through Facebook.
Austin Mitchel Fitch aka Jakob Enderson, 29, was sentenced to serve 34 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell today after he previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sending threatening communications via interstate commerce and one count of interstate communications with intent to extort. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Death threats and extortion are not constitutionally protected speech. There are repercussions for those who threaten to harm and blackmail people through social media,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to commend FBI’s National Threat Operations Center for its work in this case and its continued efforts to protect our citizens from harm.”
“No one should have to face threats and extortion in person or through social media,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Thanks to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center, Austin Fitch will no longer be able to make threats. This case is a warning to others who want to use social media as their weapon of choice.”
According to court records, a person contacted FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) on April 28, 2022, to report death threats he received through Facebook from an individual named Jakob Enderson. A second person also received death threats on the same day from Jakob Enderson. An exigent emergency request for subscriber information by FBI to Facebook resulted in the account being traced to Fitch. On April 29, 2022, the FBI spoke with Fitch, who admitted to making the death threats and indicated that he believed it was within his constitutional rights to make such threats. The agent advised Fitch that these types of comments are not protected speech and that it was illegal to make death threats. Following that conversation with FBI, Fitch proceeded to reach back out to both persons several times with additional threats through Facebook, including an attempt to extort money.
The case was investigated by FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes prosecuted the case.
Lexington Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Conspiring to Traffic in FluorofentanylRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Lexington man, Michael Byrd, 34, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison on Monday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves, for conspiracy to distribute fluorofentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fluorofentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl.
Byrd was charged in a second superseding indictment, along with Je’Von Byrd, 22, and Savannah Asberry, 27. Byrd pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute the drugs, from January 2021 to May 2022, in Fayette County. During the investigation, large quantities of illegal drugs were seized, following searches of a vehicle and Lexington residence – as well as from items collected from a foot pursuit, where a police canine overdosed from exposure to drugs. At his sentencing hearing, the Court determined that Byrd’s role in the conspiracy involved more than 4.6 kilograms of fluorofentanyl, as well as enhancements for firearm possession and maintaining a premises for drug distribution.
Byrd had previously been convicted in Louisville, of first degree robbery, first degree burglary, kidnapping, wanton endangerment, and first degree fleeing or evading police, in 2008, and of being convicted felon in possession of a handgun, in 2017.
Byrd pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2022. Asberry pleaded guilty and was sentenced in November 2022, to 120 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Je’Von Byrd has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2023.
Under federal law, Byrd must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years.
“In addition to his extensive and violent criminal history, the defendant was illegally dealing in massive amounts of fluorofentanyl, a powerful opioid analogue of fentanyl,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This drug is particularly dangerous and frequently fatal – and he was responsible for more than four and half kilograms. In this case, a police canine was exposed to it, overdosed, and needed veterinary care. Clearly, the risk to the public from his conduct was enormous. His sentence is certainly warranted and would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of all our law enforcement partners.”
“Drug dealers with guns are criminals who pose an increased threat to the safety of our communities,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Maynard of the Louisville Division. “The sentencing of Michael Byrd is another example of the ongoing efforts of ATF and the Lexington Police Department working together to make our communities safer for everyone.”
United States Attorney Shier; ATF Acting SAC Maynard; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Lexington Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cindy Rieker.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety – one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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Leader of California to Iowa Ice Methamphetamine Organization Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who orchestrated the shipment of hundreds of pounds of ice methamphetamine from California to Iowa pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
David Poitier Belton, age 37, from Compton, California, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.
In a plea agreement, Belton, who was also known as “Blood,” admitted that he and others transported 30- to 60-pound shipments of ice methamphetamine from Los Angeles, California, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, between 2017 and March 2022. Belton paid other individuals to transport the ice methamphetamine, typically in a vehicle that contained a specially made hidden compartment. Once the ice methamphetamine arrived in Cedar Rapids, Belton or his associate would retrieve the methamphetamine and distribute it to other members of the organization for sale to customers. In October 2020, the vehicle with the hidden compartment was searched by law enforcement while it was on a car hauler destined for Iowa. Approximately 30 pounds of ice methamphetamine was found inside the hidden compartment.
In late 2021, the Cedar Rapids DEA conducted a wiretap investigation into Belton’s drug organization. In February 2022, intercepted communications indicated that a shipment of 60 pounds of ice methamphetamine was going to be coming to Iowa from California. Investigators tracked a courier driving a rental truck from Los Angeles to Nebraska, where the truck was stopped. During a search of the cargo area of the truck, officers found a plastic tote containing 60 pounds of ice methamphetamine.
Following the seizure of the 60 pounds of ice methamphetamine, Belton continued to purchase additional methamphetamine from his source in California. On February 27, 2022, Belton was intercepted speaking with Kiyonte Sowell, a relative of Belton’s in California. Belton told Sowell that he was booking Sowell a flight, instructed Sowell to “pack you a big ass suitcase, you already know you ain’t going to stay for that many days” and then said, “You already know what the rest is so we gonna, I’m gonna book you out a ticket in the morning.” The next day, Sowell went to the Los Angeles International Airport, taking a large roller bag with him through airport security as carry‑on luggage. Airport security conducted an X‑ray of the roller bag and observed multiple bags of an unknown substance underneath the clothes inside the bag. During a secondary search of the bag, security found five vacuum‑sealed bags containing ice methamphetamine. Sowell admitted that the bag was his but said his brother had packed it. When asked if he was aware of the contents of the bag he shrugged and said, “It looks like cocaine or meth, I don’t know.” He then said he was going to Iowa, “but all I know is that I’m missing my flight and I’m going to jail.”
On March 8, 2022, investigators searched Belton’s home in Cedar Rapids. During the search, investigators located a small amount of cocaine and 15 guns. Belton was a felon, having twice been convicted of felony burglary and once of possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Belton was also prohibited from possessing guns because he was an unlawful user of marijuana.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Belton remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Belton faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the DEA Task Force in Cedar Rapids and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The DEA Task Force in Cedar Rapids consists of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22‑CR‑39‑CJW‑MAR.
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Leader of Brooklyn Based Elite Assassin Millas Gang Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy and Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Quandel Smothers on both counts of an indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in connection with his leadership of the East New York-based Elite Assassin Millas (E.A.M.), a set of the Bloods street gang. Six other members and associates of E.A.M. previously pleaded guilty after being charged in June 2020. When sentenced, the defendant faces a maximum of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the verdict.
“Today’s verdict is welcome news to the people of East New York, who will no longer have to face the defendant’s destructive impact on their neighborhood,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Our communities should not have to live in fear of unprompted violence from the defendant and his gang.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office and the New York City Police Department for their assistance in the case.
As proven at trial, E.A.M. operated primarily in East New York, which the gang referred to as “Gun Town.” The gang profited through fraud and narcotics dealing, particularly the sale of crack cocaine and marijuana.
Between 2006 and 2019, Smothers agreed with other gang members and associates to engage in fraud, narcotics trafficking, and significant acts of violence, including shootings that killed at least one individual and left several other victims permanently disabled.
On April 30, 2011, the defendant shot a fellow E.A.M. member whom he believed intended to harm another member of the gang over a drug-related dispute. As a result of the shooting, the victim’s leg was amputated. Over the years that the defendant led the gang, the gang engaged in numerous feuds with other local street gangs in East New York that frequently resulted in shoot-outs between the groups. As a result of shootings, several individuals were paralyzed by members of E.A.M., and one person — Michael Tenorio — was murdered.
The other defendants charged in the indictment previously pleaded guilty to crimes including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, assault, and interstate stalking causing life threatening injury.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Galeotti, Genny Ngai and Jonathan Siegel are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of paralegal Brittany Wissel.
The Defendant:
QUANDEL SMOTHERS (also known as “Chucky”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkDefendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty
TYSHAWN CORBETT (also known as “Reck”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkQAWON ALLEN (also known as “40” and “Phorty Wap”)
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New YorkDESMONN BECKETT (also known as “Des”)
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New YorkDEVON BRISTOL (also known as “D”)
Age: 32
Brooklyn, New YorkMARLON BRISTOL (also known as “Marlo”)
Age: 35
Brooklyn, New YorkANDREW CAMPBELL (also known as “Phaze”)
Age: 27
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-213 (KAM)
Lancaster Man Arrested, Charged with Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jacob V. Schmidbauer, 41, of Lancaster, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with production and possession of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on January 8, 2023, the Lancaster Police Department received information that Schmidbauer allegedly recorded a sexually explicit video of a minor female victim. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized a total of 22 electronic devices that belong to Schmidbauer as well as an SD card. A review of the SD card recovered 32 video clips, which included the sexually explicit video of the minor female victim.
Schmidbauer made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and is being held.The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Lancaster Police Department, under the direction of William Karn, Jr., and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Kearney Man Sentenced for Possessing Methamphetamine and a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Brandon Goodsell, 36, of Kearney, Nebraska, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard to a term of 210 months’ imprisonment following his convictions for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. After he completes his prison sentence, Goodsell will also serve four years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
On August 2, 2020, Goodsell was on a motorcycle when he fled from Nebraska State Patrolmen at high speeds throughout York and Hamilton counties. He crashed in a ditch in Hamilton County and was arrested. He was wearing a backpack which was searched. Investigators found a loaded pistol, more than 200 grams of methamphetamine in five different bags, marijuana, hash oil, a scale, baggies and several items of drug paraphernalia. A forensic scientist at the Crime Lab confirmed the presence of methamphetamine and marijuana.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, the York County Sheriff’s Office, and the Trident Task Force which is made up of officers from the Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Hastings Police Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Against the Village of Hinsdale, Illinois, for $800,000Read the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that the village of Hinsdale, Illinois, has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that the village violated the Fair Housing Act when it refused to allow the operation of a sober living home for persons in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in a residential neighborhood.
The settlement, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, resolves a lawsuit that the department filed in November 2020. This settlement also resolves a related suit brought by the sober living home’s owner and operator, Trinity Sober Living LLC.
“Local governments do not have the right to use zoning laws and restrictions as a vehicle to discriminate against people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to vigorous enforcement of federal law to ensure that individuals in recovery have access to the housing and support they need to maintain their sobriety and lead productive lives.”
“Individuals with disabilities – including those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction – should not be excluded from living in residential neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois. “Such discrimination by local governments is forbidden under the Fair Housing Act.”
The department’s lawsuit alleged that the village of Hinsdale violated the Fair Housing Act after it denied a reasonable accommodation request by Trinity Sober Living LLC to operate a sober living home with ten residents and a house manager in a residential neighborhood. The complaint alleged that, one day after Trinity requested an accommodation, the village sued Trinity in state court for violations of the zoning code, including that the home was a “commercial use” and would have more than three unrelated adults.
Under the settlement, the village will amend its zoning ordinance to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including permitting homes for persons with disabilities in residential districts, with the same size limitations applied to families of similar size, and implementing a reasonable accommodation policy. The village will also pay $790,000 in monetary damages to Trinity as well as a civil penalty of $10,000 to the United States. The village also agreed to take a number of other actions to guard against housing discrimination, including training village officials and employees about their obligations under federal law, designating a fair housing compliance officer and reporting periodically to the Justice Department.
Trinity Sober Living LLC is represented by Kennedy Hunt P.C., a civil rights law firm in St. Louis, and Esposito and Staubus LLP, a law firm in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, sex and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291 or submit a report online at civilrights.justice.gov. Individuals may also contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or through its website at https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp. Individuals may also report housing discrimination, and other forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (312) 353-5300.
Justice Department Reaches $800,000 Settlement in Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Against the Village of Hinsdale, IllinoisRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today that the village of Hinsdale, Ill., has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that the village violated the Fair Housing Act when it refused to allow the operation of a sober living home for persons in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction in a residential neighborhood.
The settlement, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, resolves a lawsuit that the Department filed in November 2020. This settlement also resolves a related suit brought by the sober living home’s owner and operator, Trinity Sober Living LLC.
“Individuals with disabilities, including those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, should not be excluded from living in residential neighborhoods,” said John R. Lausch Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “Such discrimination by local governments is forbidden under the Fair Housing Act.”
“Local governments do not have the right to use zoning laws and restrictions as a vehicle to discriminate against people with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to vigorous enforcement of federal law to ensure that individuals in recovery have access to the housing and support they need to maintain their sobriety and lead productive lives.”
The Department’s lawsuit alleged that the village of Hinsdale violated the Fair Housing Act after it denied a reasonable accommodation request by Trinity Sober Living LLC to operate a sober living home with ten residents and a house manager in a residential neighborhood. The complaint alleged that, one day after Trinity requested an accommodation, the village sued Trinity in state court for violations of the zoning code, including that the home was a “commercial use” and would have more than three unrelated adults.
Under the settlement, the village will amend its zoning ordinance to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, including permitting homes for persons with disabilities in residential districts, with the same size limitations applied to families of similar size, and implementing a reasonable accommodation policy. The village will also pay $790,000 in monetary damages to Trinity as well as a civil penalty of $10,000 to the United States. The village also agreed to take a number of other actions to guard against housing discrimination, including training village officials and employees about their obligations under federal law, designating a fair housing compliance officer and reporting periodically to the Justice Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Flannery and Patrick Johnson of the Northern District of Illinois, as well as attorneys from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, sex and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Justice Department at 1-833-591-0291 or submit a report online at civilrights.justice.gov. Individuals may also contact HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp. Individuals may also report housing discrimination, and other forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago at (312) 353-5300.
Justice Department Announces Publication of Second Volume of National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking AssessmentRead the Press Release
Note: The release has been updated to correct a statistic.
The Justice Department today announced the publication of Crime Gun Intelligence and Analysis, the second volume of the National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA), a four-part, comprehensive examination of commerce in firearms and the diversion of firearms to illegal markets. Volume II presents and analyzes data – much of which has not previously been available – regarding criminal use of firearms that have been diverted from lawful commerce. In April 2021, Attorney General Garland directed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to undertake its first comprehensive study of criminal gun trafficking in over two decades. The first volume of the assessment was published in May of 2022.
“In 2021, I directed ATF to begin work on the first study of criminal gun trafficking in over two decades, and today’s report is yet another historic step in that effort,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This collection of data will equip our prosecutors and agents – and our law enforcement partners across the country – with unprecedented insights into firearm trafficking networks and dangerous emerging firearm technologies. The Justice Department will continue to use every tool at its disposal to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and save lives.”
“This report will help law enforcement who are on the front lines in the battle against gun violence take illegal firearms off the streets,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Department of Justice is committed to using cutting-edge crime gun intelligence to reduce violent crime, and this first of its kind data set on emerging threats, specifically the epidemic of stolen firearms and the proliferation of machinegun conversion devices, will have real-world impact in safeguarding our communities.”
“Information is power,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “This report provides more information on America’s crime guns than has ever been compiled in a single publication. Much of this data, including comprehensive presentation of results from ATF’s National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), has not previously been available to policymakers and researchers. The comprehensive – and unprecedented – compilation of data in this report is intended to provide strategic insight to law enforcement, policymakers, and researchers as they work to reduce and prevent gun violence. I commend the excellent work by the men and women of ATF involved in producing this important study.”
Volume II presents and analyzes data on crime guns (firearms used in crime) recovered between 2017 and 2021. The analysis reinforces the critical importance of ATF’s unique crime gun tracing authority and highlights the value of data from ATF’s NIBIN program.
One of the key data-points trace data provides is the “time to crime” – the time from the last known retail sale of a firearm to when it is recovered in a crime. Shorter time-to-crime periods are indicators of illegal trafficking and provide crucial intelligence to investigators. Between 2017 and 2021, nearly 25% of traced crime guns – more than 366,000 guns – had a time-to-crime of less than one-year, and 46% had a time-to-crime of three years or less.
Trace data also provides key intelligence on firearm trafficking patterns. The data analysis in Volume II confirms that although most – 72% nationally – traced crime guns are recovered in the same state in which they were acquired from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), certain states and cities are targets for firearm traffickers. The cross-jurisdictional nature of this issue – guns purchased in one state and trafficked to another where they’re used in crime – is what led the Attorney General to launch five firearms trafficking strike forces in July 2021.
A significant way firearms are diverted is through theft. The report shows that from 2017 to 2021, there were 1,023,538 firearms stolen from private citizens. These private thefts make up 96% of all firearms reported stolen during that time period.
The data also reveals emerging technological trends. For instance, in the last five years, the number of illegal machine gun conversion devices that law enforcement agencies reported being recovered has increased by an alarming 570%. Conversion devices are used to convert semi-automatic firearms, which are legal, into fully automatic machine guns, which are illegal under the National Firearms Act.
In May 2022, the Department issued Volume I of the NFCTA, Firearms in Commerce, which presents and analyzes data collected by ATF and other federal agencies related to the manufacture, exportation, and importation of firearms.
To produce the NFCTA, the ATF assembled a team of subject experts from ATF, as well as from academic and related fields. Although ATF issues a variety of public and law enforcement reports and bulletins regarding firearm commerce, trafficking, and related issues every year, it has not undertaken a joint academic study on the scale of the NFCTA in more than 20 years.
Illinois Medical Device Manufacturer Agrees to Pay $500,000 to Resolve Allegedly Fraudulent Medicaid ClaimsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley announced today that Joint Active Systems, Inc. (JAS), a manufacturer of range-of-motion devices located in Effingham, Illinois, has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle civil claims under the Federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts concerning allegations that JAS caused submission of false claims to the North Carolina Medicaid program for certain durable medical equipment.
Specifically, the United States and the State of North Carolina alleged that from January 6, 2012 through January 29, 2021, JAS was unable to directly bill North Carolina Medicaid for its “EZ” range-of-motion devices because JAS did not meet North Carolina Medicaid requirements and/or lacked credentials necessary to do so. JAS allegedly bypassed those requirements—and its concomitant inability to bill North Carolina Medicaid directly—by entering into arrangements with local North Carolina orthotics and prosthetics providers to bill EZ devices on its behalf. JAS allegedly directed the local North Carolina orthotics and prosthetics providers to improperly submit claims for JAS EZ devices as orthotics using “L-Codes” under the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (“HCPCS”), thereby bypassing the medical necessity reviews and/or authorization processes that may have otherwise taken place. The Governments alleged that the JAS EZ devices did not qualify for reimbursement as “L-Code” orthotics under North Carolina Medicaid, and that the JAS EZ devices were not listed as reimbursable devices on the North Carolina Medicaid fee schedule. Indeed, JAS received an official coding verification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that designated one of JAS’s EZ devices as an “E-Code” (durable medical equipment) device, not as an “L-Code” (orthotic) device. The Governments alleged that JAS nevertheless continued to use local North Carolina providers to bill its EZ devices as “L-Code” devices. In turn, JAS allegedly would pay the local orthotics and prosthetics providers by allowing them to retain a certain amount of the reimbursement.
“The Department of Justice is actively pursuing health care companies and medical device manufacturers who overcharge government healthcare programs,” said United States Attorney Michael Easley. “We cannot allow companies to bypass rules and regulations to enrich themselves, while depleting taxpayer funds set aside for legitimate patient care.”
“My office’s Medicaid Investigations Division will hold accountable Medical device manufacturers who drain resources from our government healthcare programs, no matter how elaborate and layered the scheme may be,” said North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.
The Federal and North Carolina False Claims Acts authorize the Governments to recover triple the money falsely obtained, plus substantial civil penalties for each false claim submitted.
It should be noted that the civil claims resolved by settlement here are allegations only, that there has been no judicial determination or admission of liability, and that JAS denies the allegations.
This matter was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Medicaid Investigations Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office (“MID”). Special Deputy Attorney General Matthew R. Petracca, who also serves as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, represented the United States and the State of North Carolina.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, in partnership with law enforcement agencies and state entities, investigates and prosecutes healthcare providers that defraud government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, and abuse their patients. The Medicaid Investigations Division investigates and prosecutes healthcare providers that defraud the Medicaid program, patient abuse of Medicaid recipients, patient abuse of any patient in facilities that receive Medicaid funding, and misappropriation of any patients’ private funds in nursing homes that receive Medicaid funding. To report Medicare fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, please visit the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ website at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/. To report Medicaid fraud or patient abuse in North Carolina, please call the MID at 919-881-2320.
Huber Heights man pleads guilty to child exploitation crimes involving at least 44 victimsRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Huber Heights, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to crimes related to creating hundreds of images and videos of child pornography by victimizing children as young as 8 years old over a 15-year period.
Ty Brandon Roberts, 38, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and coercing a minor.
According to court documents, beginning in 2007, Roberts sexually abused at least one minor and communicated online with many other minors around the world to produce child pornography.
Specifically, between 2007 and 2008, Roberts sexually abused an 11to 12-year-old boy and took photos of the abuse on a Polaroid camera. Roberts eventually created digital images of the Polaroids and kept the original Polaroids in his home until law enforcement seized them in 2022.
As part of his plea, Roberts admitted to pretending to be a teenaged girl online to entice and coerce minor boys to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves.
The FBI has identified 44 minor victims, mostly between the ages of 11 and 14, in the child pornography Roberts created. Those 44 minors are depicted in more than 400 images and videos. Many more victims of Roberts’s child pornography remain unidentified.
Production of child pornography is a federal crime punishable by a range of 15 to 30 years in prison. Coercing a minor carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Huber Heights Police Chief Mark Lightner announced the guilty plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Dwight Keller are representing the United States in this case.
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Helena man suspected in threat to damage Helena Public Schools building with pipe bombs arraigned on chargesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Helena man accused of attempting to damage a Helena Public Schools building with pipe bombs was arraigned today on federal charges, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Logan Sea Pallister, 24, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging him with attempted property damage by use of fire or explosive, possession of unregistered destructive devices and possession of an unregistered silencer. If convicted of the most serious crime, Pallister faces a mandatory minimum five years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston presided. Pallister was detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment alleges that on May 31, 2022, Pallister intended to maliciously damage by fire and explosive a Helena Public Schools building and that he took a substantial step toward the commission of the offense. The indictment further alleges that Pallister possessed pipe bombs and a silencer, which were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Helena Police Department.
PACER case reference. 23-02.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl
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Hartford Woman Sentenced to Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARIA MALDONADO, 50, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force identified Maldonado’s husband as a distributor of heroin and cocaine in Connecticut, New York and elsewhere. Maldonado’s husband was arrested on federal charges on January 13, 2021, and a search of his and Maldonado’s residence on that date revealed approximately 13,000 wax folds of fentanyl, more than 300 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately one kilogram of cocaine, quantities of crack cocaine and marijuana, items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, a .40 caliber handgun equipped with a loaded 30-round high-capacity magazine, a separate loaded 50-round “drum” magazine, and assorted ammunition.
While Maldonado’s husband was detained in federal custody, he continued to coordinate the distribution of fentanyl through Maldonado, as well as Maldonado’s son, Carlos Santiago, Jr., and a drug supplier, Henry DeJesus-Morales. On June 2, 2021, a court-authorized search of Maldonado’s residence revealed approximately 71 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately 1,800 wax folds of fentanyl, distribution quantities of marijuana, drug packaging supplies, a loaded pistol, a loaded shotgun, and approximately $13,000 in cash. The same day, a court-authorized search of Maldonado’s father-in-law’s house revealed approximately $60,000 in U.S. currency and assorted jewelry, which were seized as proceeds of drug trafficking.
Maldonado pleaded guilty on March 17, 2022.
Maldonado, who is released on a $75,000 bond, is required to report to prison on March 1.
DeJesus-Morales and Santiago pleaded guilty to related charges and were sentenced to 44 months and six months of imprisonment, respectively.
As to Maldonado’s husband, who is awaiting trial, U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The DEA's Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Grand jury indicts Cincinnati man for Covid relief fraudRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI– A man formerly and currently incarcerated in Hamilton County on state charges has been charged federally with crimes related to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud.
Willie Boyce, 41, was indicted today by a federal grand jury.
According to the indictment, Boyce was incarcerated in Hamilton County from March 2018 until September 2020, when he was released to a halfway house.
The indictment alleges that Boyce applied electronically for two PPP loans in April 2021, claiming he owned a business named “Willie Boyce” that provided taxi and ridesharing services. Boyce submitted two separate applications on April 4 and April 9, 2021.
In his application, Boyce fraudulently claimed a gross income of $98,500 for 2019 even though he was in prison for the entirety of that year.
It is further alleged that as part of his applications, Boyce used his halfway house address as the business address and submitted a forged bank statement.
In early May 2021, Boyce received more than $40,700 in Covid relief loans. That month, Boyce allegedly spent the PPP loan money on purchases at Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Expedia, Hampton Inn and Delta Airlines.
Boyce is charged with four counts of wire fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the case, which was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, in coordination with U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Secret Service, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Investigations and Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Mexican Citizen Charged with Immigration & Gun Crimes
Jesus Delather Corona, 32, a citizen of Mexico living in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, is charged with illegally reentering the United States and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that on December 19, 2022, he was found in the United States after previously being removed. The indictment also alleges that on that day, he possessed a loaded 9mm pistol.
If convicted, Delather Corona faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on the illegal reentry charge and 10 years on the felon in possession of a firearm charge.
The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Fort Atkinson Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick Elgersma is handling the prosecution.
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.
Onalaska Man Charged with Drug Crimes Involving Fentanyl & Cocaine
Michael Wilson, 46, Onalaska, Wisconsin, is charged with distributing fentanyl, possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, and possessing cocaine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that he distributed fentanyl on July 21, 2022 and that he possessed fentanyl and cocaine for distribution on July 28, 2022.
If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each charge. The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the La Crosse Police Department and the Dubuque County (Iowa) Drug Trafficking Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Anderson is handling the prosecution.
Grand Jury Charges Hairstylist and Actress for Alleged Multimillion-Dollar Caregiver Fraud Scheme Against Malibu-Based PhysicianRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Fresno hairstylist and an actress have been charged in a 12‑count indictment alleging they defrauded a physician out of more than $2.7 million before his death and then attempted to defraud his estate out of an additional amount exceeding $20 million, the Justice Department announced today.
Anthony David Flores, 46, a.k.a. “Anton David,” of Fresno, was arrested last week in Fresno by federal agents. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is scheduled for a detention hearing on February 10 in the Eastern District of California.
His co-defendant, Anna Rene Moore, 39, an actress and former yoga studio owner who currently resides in Monterrey, Mexico, was arrested Tuesday in Houston upon arrival on a flight from Mexico. She made her initial appearance in the Southern District of Texas. Both defendants are expected to appear in Los Angeles federal court in the coming weeks.
Flores and Moore are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, two counts of money laundering, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property.
According to the indictment, beginning in June 2017, Flores and Moore used false promises and representations to befriend the victim — a physician and successful investor worth more than $60 million, but who suffered from a mental illness and lost the ability to care for himself. Within days of meeting the victim, Flores and Moore moved into the victim’s beachfront Malibu home – rent free – and slowly took control of his life by pretending to be his new “best friends” and caregivers.
In September 2017, after the victim suffered a severe mental breakdown resulting in his arrest and detention in Los Angeles County jail, Flores allegedly fraudulently induced the victim to sign powers of attorney granting Flores control over the victim’s finances.
Flores allegedly represented that he would only use these powers to access the victim’s finances to post bail for release, and that he would immediately rescind them once the victim was free from jail. But after the victim was released from custody, Flores allegedly reneged on this promise and used these powers to open bank accounts in the victim’s name, giving himself and Moore access to the victim’s wealth.
From September 2017 to May 2018, Flores and Moore allegedly diverted the victim’s funds to their own bank accounts, isolated the victim from his family and longtime friends and provided the victim with drugs, including marijuana and LSD.
In the final days of the victim’s life, Flores and Moore allegedly gave the victim LSD, which caused his mental state to severely deteriorate. While the victim was under the influence of LSD, Flores allegedly changed the two-step authentication feature on the victim’s $60-million online brokerage account after previously changing the phone number listed on the account from the victim’s phone number to his own phone number.
Four days before the victim’s death and while the victim was still under the influence of LSD that defendants allegedly had provided to him, Flores then allegedly initiated two $1-million wires from the victim’s brokerage account to accounts that Flores controlled, including Flores’ personal bank account. Flores and Moore then left the victim, who by this time was in mental distress and had evicted them from his home. From a luxury hotel paid with the victim’s funds, Flores and Moore allegedly watched the victim’s deteriorating mental condition on the video cameras installed throughout the Malibu beach house.
In May 2018, the victim died in his Malibu home at the age of 57 years old. Following the victim’s death, Flores and Moore moved back into the victim’s Malibu beachfront home and allegedly withdrew large sums of money from his accounts. They allegedly also concealed information about the victim’s finances from his mother and sister, both of whom resided in Florida. This prompted the victim’s family to file a lawsuit, which uncovered the alleged fraud.
In the ensuing lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, Flores and Moore allegedly violated multiple court orders ordering them to return the funds stolen from the victim. They allegedly attempted to launder the fraudulent proceeds by funneling the money through multiple different accounts to thwart the victim’s estate and court-appointed receiver from recouping the money. The lawsuit was settled with Flores and Moore agreeing to repay the victim’s estate $1 million, which they have so far failed to do.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted on all counts, Flores and Moore would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in prison for each fraud count, 20 years on the conspiracy to commit money laundering and laundering of monetary instruments counts, 10 years on transactional money laundering count, and a mandatory two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft count.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Grand Jury Charges Disbarred Plaintiffs’ Lawyer Tom Girardi with Wire Fraud for Allegedly Embezzling over $15 Million in Client MoneyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Former plaintiffs’ personal injury lawyer Thomas Vincent Girardi has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from several of his legal clients, the Justice Department announced today.
Girardi, 83, of Seal Beach, who owned the downtown Los Angeles-based Girardi Keese law firm, is charged with five counts of wire fraud, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Girardi, a once-powerful figure in California’s legal community until creditors forced his law firm into bankruptcy in December 2020, is expected to appear on Monday, February 6 at the United States District Court for arraignment. The State Bar of California disbarred Girardi in July 2022.
Also charged in the indictment unsealed today is Christopher Kazuo Kamon, 49, formerly of Encino and Palos Verdes and who was residing in The Bahamas at the time of his November 2022 arrest on a federal criminal complaint. He remains in federal custody.
Kamon was the controller and chief financial officer of Girardi Keese from 2004 until December 2020. In this role, Kamon oversaw the law firm’s financial affairs, supervised its accounting department, and oversaw paying the firm’s expenses.
The indictment alleges that, from 2010 to December 2020, Girardi and Kamon fraudulently obtained more than $15 million that belonged to Girardi Keese clients.
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon stand accused of engaging in a widespread scheme to steal from their clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “In doing so, they allegedly preyed on the very people who trusted and relied upon them the most—their clients. Actions like the ones alleged in the indictment bring disrepute upon the legal profession and will not be tolerated by my office.”
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon allegedly created a mirage over several years in order to disguise the fact that they were robbing Girardi Keese clients of large sums of money” said Amir Ehsaei, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The defendants exploited the hardships endured by their clients and took advantage of their unfamiliarity with the legal process while they denied victims what was rightfully due to them in order to fund their lavish lifestyles.”
“Thomas Vincent Girardi should have been a pillar to our community. Instead, he is accused of creating an elaborate scheme to mislead his clients, victimizing them for a second time,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Attorneys are put in a position of trust when they represent us during some of our most difficult times. Mistrust in the legal profession grows when clients can’t trust their attorneys to pay them the settlements intended to make them whole. IRS Criminal Investigation, along with federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners, will continue to seek to keep the legal profession honest.”
In furtherance of their alleged scheme to defraud, Girardi negotiated settlements on behalf of clients, but then allegedly concealed the settlement’s true terms and lied about the disposition of the settlement proceeds.
Girardi and Kamon would allegedly cause the settlement proceeds to be deposited in or transferred to attorney trust accounts to which both men had access. Girardi and Kamon then embezzled and misappropriated settlement funds from these accounts for improper purposes, including paying other Girardi Keese clients whose settlement funds had previously been misappropriated and paying Girardi Keese’s payroll and other expenses. These additional expenses included credit card bills for Girardi and Kamon’s personal expenses.
To conceal the theft and misappropriation of client settlement money, Girardi and Kamon allegedly lied to clients, stating falsely, among other things, that the settlement money had not been paid. Girardi also allegedly falsely told clients that settlement proceeds could not be disbursed until certain purported requirements had been met, such as eliminating purported tax obligations, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations from judges, and satisfying medical liens and other debts.
Girardi and Kamon allegedly also sent lulling payments to clients, falsely representing that the payments were “advances” on purportedly yet-to-be-received settlement proceeds that, in fact, had already been deposited in Girardi Keese accounts, or were “interest payments” on the settlement money that purportedly could not be paid to the clients until the fabricated requirements were met.
For example, in July 2019, Girardi negotiated a $17.5 million settlement of a lawsuit related to injuries sustained in a car accident by two clients and their child, who was paralyzed in the crash. The settlement agreement specified that the child’s portion of the settlement money would be placed in a trust and an annuity to be controlled by a third party, neither of which could be accessed by Girardi and Kamon.
The first installment of the settlement payment – $4 million – was transferred to a bank account that Girardi and Kamon controlled. Prior to that deposit, Girardi and Kamon allegedly transferred $1.45 million as a purported “advance” from the clients’ settlement funds. The indictment alleges that, in fact, this was money that came from different Girardi Keese clients. Girardi and Kamon then allegedly used the funds to pay for the law firm’s operating expenses unrelated to the car accident litigation.
On July 1, 2019, Girardi and Kamon allegedly caused a $2.5 million check that mostly was comprised of the car accident clients’ settlement money to be issued to a different client over half of whose $53 million settlement Girardi and Kamon had misappropriated years earlier.
In August 2019, a further payment of approximately $5,119,449 was deposited into a Girardi-controlled bank account. To lull the victim clients and prevent them from discovering that their settlement money had been misappropriated, Girardi and Kamon allegedly provided incremental lulling payments that comprised only a fraction of what the clients were owed.
Girardi also allegedly lied to the clients, telling them that the remaining settlement funds could only be paid after medical liens had been satisfied, court proceedings had concluded and Girardi had flown to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials to remove the settlement’s tax liability. In fact, all of this information was false and Girardi had embezzled their settlement money, the indictment alleges.
In a separate matter, on January 19, Kamon was charged via information with wire fraud for allegedly embezzling funds in Girardi Keese’s custody and control and using them for his personal expenses, including for renovations on Kamon’s personal residences in Palos Verdes and Encino, travel, shopping and escort services. Trial in that matter is scheduled for March 14.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating this matter. The Office of the United States Trustee is providing assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Scott Paetty and Ali Moghaddas of the Major Frauds Section are prosecuting this case.
Grain Valley Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Grain Valley, Mo., man who had been released from federal prison in a prior drug-trafficking case less than three months before his arrest was sentenced in federal court today for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Jason Rowland, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Today’s sentence includes a prison term of four years and nine months for violating his supervised release in a prior case.
Rowland was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense. He was released from federal prison on Jan. 29, 2021, after being convicted of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. After his release from prison, Rowland was placed on GPS monitoring, which revealed he was making several stops at numerous gas stations and residences on a daily basis.
On April 16, 2021, officers from the U.S. Probation Office conducted a search of Rowland’s hotel room in Grain Valley. Probation officers found approximately 97 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a 9mm magazine loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, two cell phones, two laptop computers, two digital scales, and $1,920 in cash.
On June 22, 2022, Rowland pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, this case is Rowland’s ninth felony offense. He committed seven of his felony offenses while on community supervision.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh Ragner. It was investigated by the U.S. Probation Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Former Saratoga County Resident Sentenced for Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Christopher L. Vandermark, age 57, formerly of Gansevoort, New York, now a resident of Endicott, New York, was sentenced today to 5 years of probation following his guilty plea to a money laundering conspiracy designed to conceal proceeds from a multi-state unemployment insurance fraud scheme.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and John Pias, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG), made the announcement.
At the time of his guilty plea, Vandermark admitted to corresponding via online messages for over a year with a co-conspirator who represented herself to be a woman living in North Carolina. The co-conspirator directed Vandermark to open accounts at multiple financial institutions, as well as provide her with routing details for his existing accounts. From June 2020 through early April 2021, Vandermark’s accounts received transfers of more than $88,000 in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits from six states. Vandermark purchased hundreds of gift cards from local retailers using the benefits, photographed the identifying numbers on the cards, and sent the photographs to the co-conspirator. After Vandermark provided the identifying numbers, the co-conspirator could sell the gift cards online as part of an effort to conceal the original source of the funds.
Vandermark admitted that he received and ignored multiple warnings from multiple financial institutions that his actions furthered an unemployment insurance fraud scheme. Additionally, when law enforcement agents interviewed Vandermark regarding approximately $37,000 in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits transferred to his account at a local bank, Vandermark falsely denied holding the account and receiving the funds. Following the law enforcement interview, Vandermark opened yet another financial account and received an additional $13,734 in benefits from three states, which he used to purchase more gift cards that he photographed and sent to his co-conspirator.
Senior United States District Judge Gary L. Sharpe also ordered Vandermark to pay restitution in the amount of $13,734, and to forfeit the same amount of money as proceeds of his crime.
DHS-OIG investigated the case, with assistance from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Office of the New York State Comptroller. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Former Prisoner Transport Officer Sentenced for Civil Rights OffenseRead the Press Release
A former prisoner transport officer was sentenced today to 24 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for violating the civil rights of pretrial detainees entrusted to his care.
On Sept. 28, 2022, a federal jury convicted Anthony Buntyn, 55, a former prisoner transport officer, of violating the civil rights of pretrial detainees in his custody. Specifically, the jury convicted Buntyn of being deliberately indifferent to conditions on the prisoner transport van that posed a risk of serious harm to the health and safety of the detainees entrusted to his care. The jury further found that Buntyn’s deliberate indifference to the conditions on the prisoner transport van resulted in bodily injury to one of the pretrial detainees who had been on the van for several days.
According to court documents and the evidence introduced at trial, Buntyn was a prisoner transport officer employed by Prisoner Transportation Services of America (PTS), a company hired by local jails and prisons throughout the country to transport people who had been arrested pursuant to out-of-state warrants and needed to be transported back to the states that had issued the warrants. Buntyn was the supervising officer on a March 2017 PTS transport that stopped in New Mexico during a cross-country trip. Evidence at trial established that Buntyn knowingly created, and otherwise subjected the detainees to, dangerous, painful and unhealthy conditions on the prisoner transport van. Specifically, evidence at trial showed that Buntyn would retaliate against detainees who complained of transport conditions by handcuffing the detainees behind their backs and forcing them to remain for hours in a small segregation cage inside the van, depriving detainees of meals and access to water while they remained in the cage, cranking up the heat in the already-hot van in retaliation for detainees complaining that, as they passed through the southwestern desert, they were in danger of overheating, and failing to provide the detainees with required restroom breaks until the detainees were left with no choice but to urinate in empty bottles or on the floor.
“Prisoner transport officers, even when they are employed by private companies, must abide by the laws and protect the constitutional rights of the people in their custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to vigorously enforce our nation’s laws to ensure that officers who break the law — including those who are driving the nation’s backroads in prisoner transport vans and may therefore wrongly believe they can act with impunity — are held accountable.”
“Detainees are entitled to basic human dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico. “Those who are responsible for their detention, from transport personnel to law enforcement and corrections officers, have the same duty to protect the rights and safety of their charges. Any abuse of detainees or failure to provide basic necessities is a violation of that trust and a violation of the law, and it will be roundly prosecuted.”
“During the cross-county transport of these individuals, a stop was made by the PTS at the Shawnee County Detention Center in Topeka, Kansas. If not for the Detention Center notifying the FBI of the detainees’ condition upon arrival, the FBI may have never known or been able to seek justice for these victims. Buntyn’s actions disparage the very core of what he was employed to do – protect these individuals while in his custody,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the Kansas City Field Office. “He knowingly disregarded the detainees’ basic civil rights, putting these individuals in harm’s way. Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s unique ability to conduct a successful nationwide investigation alongside our law enforcement partners.”
Buntyn was acquitted of a use of force and an obstruction of justice charge.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Uballez and Special Agent in Charge Dayoub made the announcement.
This FBI Kansas City Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Brawley for the District of New Mexico and Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Division, with assistance from Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel, prosecuted the case.
Felon Found with Semiautomatic Rifle, Meth and Marijuana Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Sioux City man who was stopped with a semiautomatic rifle, a handgun-style BB gun, methamphetamine and marijuana, was sentenced January 31, 2023, to 9 years in federal prison.
Jo’Mario Smith, age 35, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 15, 2022, change of plea hearing.
Evidence in the case revealed Smith was unlawfully in possession of the firearm and ammunition on March 11, 2022. Smith’s criminal possession was discovered during a traffic stop for several violations. Smith was the operator and sole occupant of the vehicle. Upon officer’s contact with Smith, the odor of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle and a K-9 positively indicated for illegal narcotics as well.
During a search of the vehicle, officers located a semiautomatic rifle on the driver’s floorboard, near Smith’s feet, that had been spray painted to look like a toy. The barrel and stock had also been shortened. The rifle had a 25-round banana-style high-capacity magazine fully seated with a round chambered. The magazine contained 11 additional rounds. Officers also located a handgun-style BB gun, 4 separate plastic bags containing illegal drugs, and a live shotgun shell. Two of the four plastic bags contained a total of, roughly, 3.8 grams of crystalline substance, each of which field tested positive as methamphetamine. The two other bags contained 31.82 grams of methamphetamine and 33.99 grams of methamphetamine, respectively. Additionally, officers located a plastic bag containing roughly 3.5 grams of marijuana.
Smith has a lengthy criminal history beginning at the age of 17. His crimes include theft, domestic abuse/battery, resisting arrest, weapons, drugs, armed robbery/burglary, violence, and other dangerous conduct.
Smith was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 108 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-04034.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Federal Prisoner Convicted of Robbing Banks on Weekend Passes from Halfway House Sentenced to 20 YearsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron today sentenced LaTavis Deyonta Mackroy (29, Orlando) to 20 years in federal prison for three bank robberies and an attempted bank robbery. A federal jury had found Mackroy guilty after a trial on November 4, 2022.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the three-day trial, Mackroy was a federal prisoner residing at a halfway house in Orlando. After staying at the halfway house for more than a month, Mackroy was given a home pass which allowed him to spend the weekend with his family. On April 16, 2022, while on his home pass, Mackroy robbed the Fairwinds Credit Union in Winter Park by passing a demand note and threatening the teller. He left the credit union with $3,231 and returned to the halfway house the following day. The next weekend, Mackroy was again given a home pass. He robbed one bank on Friday, one bank on Saturday, and attempted to rob another bank on Saturday, which was not successful. During the robbery on Friday, April 22, 2022, Mackroy took $4,000 from a teller at Chase Bank in Kissimmee, after passing her a threatening demand note. The following day, he robbed the TD Bank in Winter Park and took $2,820. During the final robbery at a Regions Bank in Orange City, the teller walked away from his station after reading the demand note, which caused Mackroy the flee the bank empty-handed.
Although he wore a face mask and sunglasses to conceal his identity during all four robberies, Mackroy failed to retrieve the demand note after the final, attempted robbery at the bank in Winter Park. That note was processed for fingerprints and contained four prints matching Mackroy’s fingerprints which were on file with the FBI. An ensuing investigation revealed additional evidence showing Mackroy’s presence at all four robbery scenes, including clothing retrieved from Mackroy at the halfway house that matched the clothes on the bank surveillance videos, location data from the cellphone Mackroy was carrying at the time of the arrest, and location data from the car Mackroy was driving at the time of the arrest. At the time of the April 2022 robbery spree, Mackroy was still serving a federal sentence for a robbery of a pawn shop in Apopka in 2014.
During the sentencing hearing, the court enhanced Mackroy’s sentence because of his extensive criminal history, because he threatened one teller by stating that he had a gun in the note he presented, and because in 2014 and 2022, Mackroy obstructed legal proceedings by taking the witness stand in pre-trial proceedings and lying about his involvement in the robberies.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Winter Park Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange City Police Department, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dana E. Hill and Michael P. Felicetta.
Federal Judge Sentences Naturalized Citizen for Lying to Obtain U.S. CitizenshipRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today in federal court, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell ordered Herbert Leonel Diaz, 53, a naturalized citizen of the United States who was born in El Salvador and previously resided in Henderson, N.C., to serve eight months in prison for naturalization fraud, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Bell ordered Diaz’s federal sentence to be served concurrent with the 35-year prison term Diaz is currently serving in California for committing sexual offenses against a child.
U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Sean Ervin, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Division (ICE-ERO).
According to court documents, trial evidence, and witness testimony, from December 2003 to August 2006, while residing in Corona, California, Diaz committed numerous sexual offenses against a child. In August 2006, the victim reported Diaz’s crimes to law enforcement. The following day, Diaz fled California and moved to Henderson, N.C. In November 2010, while residing in Henderson, Diaz submitted an application for naturalization to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). Court documents show that Diaz lied on the application form by responding “No” to the question “Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” Diaz signed the form under penalty of perjury, and certified that his answers were true and correct. On March 2, 2011, Diaz appeared at the CIS office in Charlotte for a naturalization interview. During the interview, Diaz swore under oath that he had never committed a crime for which he had not been arrested. On March 30, 2011, at the CIS office in Charlotte, Diaz participated in a naturalization ceremony and was granted U.S. citizenship.
In 2012, North Carolina law enforcement arrested Diaz on an outstanding warrant related to his sexual crimes against a child and he was extradited to California. In 2014, Diaz pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd acts with a child and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
In September 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell found Diaz guilty of naturalization fraud following a bench trial. The conviction for naturalization fraud will result in an automatic revocation of Diaz’s citizenship.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked ICE-ERO for their investigation of the case and credited Operation False Haven which led to Diaz’s conviction. False Haven is an initiative by ICE-ERO to identify convicted sex offenders and other egregious individuals who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Smith of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Federal Jury Finds Casper Man Guilty on Six Counts of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Nicholas Vassallo announced today that SALVADOR SALAS, JR., age 32, of Casper, Wyoming, was found guilty by a federal jury on one count of possession of child pornography and five counts of production of child pornography. The trial lasted three days, January 23-25, 2023, before Chief United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl in Casper. Sentencing has been set for April 14, 2023.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Salvador Salas Jr. was a longtime family friend who requested the minor victim, a 13-year-old girl, babysit in his home. While at Salas’s home, the girl’s mother called to check in on her frequently. Salas said the girl had developed an allergic reaction to something she ate, and he had given her allergy medication. Salas then sent the girl home in an Uber in the early morning hours. When the minor victim returned home, she showed obvious signs of illicit substance intoxication and appeared to have burns on her lips. Her mother sought emergency medical treatment at a local hospital where the girl was diagnosed with methamphetamine intoxication. It was then discovered that the girl had been sexually assaulted. The mother reported to the police that the minor victim had been with Salas at his home.
The Casper Police Department executed a search warrant at Salas’s home for evidence of drugs. Officers recovered methamphetamine, paraphernalia associated with methamphetamine use, cocaine, and buprenorphine. While there, officers developed probable cause to believe that Salas had taken sexually explicit images of the minor victim. Officers then executed a second search warrant and seized Salas’s electronic devices. The Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) reviewed the devices and located child pornography, which had been downloaded from the internet, on Salas’s laptop and external hard drive. The downloaded child pornography featured graphic sexual abuse of prepubescent children. On Salas’s cellphone, ICAC Task Force members located additional child pornography, including video recordings and images of Salas sexually abusing the minor victim. In the audio that accompanies the videos, Salas can be heard repeatedly remarking that the victim was 13 years old. In addition to the video and photographic evidence, the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory recovered semen and Salas’s DNA from the victim’s underwear. When interviewed by law enforcement, Salas admitted that he engaged in sex acts with the minor victim and recorded it using his cellphone.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Casper Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christyne M. Martens and Stephanie I. Sprecher.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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.
Case Number: 0:21-CR-00077-SWS
Erie Man Gets 10 Years for Conspiring to Distribute Cocaine, Fentanyl Pills and MethRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Vincent Andrew Feliciano, 32.
According to information presented to the court, Feliciano and others engaged in a conspiracy to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, approximately 1.7 kilograms of blue fentanyl pills (an estimated 15,000 pills), and methamphetamine within the Western District of Pennsylvania from in and around February 2022 and continuing thereafter to in or around May 2022. During this time, Vincent Feliciano traveled from Pennsylvania to Arizona to facilitate his criminal enterprise involving the distribution of illegal narcotics in Pennsylvania including four hundred grams or more of fentanyl.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Assistant United States Attorney Sellers highlighted the dramatic rise, in recent years, of the trafficking of blue fentanyl pills, the increased potency and lethality of these pills, and the high profit margins enjoyed by drug distributors on the sale of fentanyl.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE), Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the FBI, the Erie Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Oil City Police Department, the Titusville Police Department, the Franklin Police Department, and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, in coordination with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the Erie County Detectives, and the Millcreek Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Feliciano.
The investigation was also conducted in association with the Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative which was formed following Erie County’s designation as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2021. The HIDTA program was created by Congress in 1988 to coordinate and assist Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies in addressing regional drug threats with the purpose of reducing drug trafficking and drug production in the United States. The Northwest Pennsylvania Drug Initiative coordinates personnel and resources between multiple agencies including the Pennsylvania State Police, Federal Burau of Investigation, Erie Police Department, Erie County District Attorney’s office, Erie County Detectives, United States Postal Inspection Service, the EAGLE Task Force, and other participating agencies.
Elk Point Man Sentenced for Possession 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 an Elk Point, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on January 30, 2023.
Hector Paulin-Torres, age 34, was sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Paulin-Torres was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 23, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on September 18, 2021, when Paulin-Torres knowingly possessed digital files that contained child pornography. Paulin-Torres used his cellular phone to save the digital files containing images of a minor female engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Elk Point Police Department, and the Vermillion Police Department. 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.
Paulin-Torres was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
District Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Pursuing a Stranger and Attempting to Rape HerRead the Press Release
Defendant Followed Victim Out of a Metro Station and Into an Apartment Building
WASHINGTON –Akiem Angelo Williams, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for kidnapping and first-degree burglary, and 72 months for assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse, for the September 6, 2020 assault on a stranger he pursued from the Georgia Avenue Metro station. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert Conte III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Honorable Judge Robert D. Okun ordered the sentences to run concurrently and also ordered 10 years of supervised release and a stay away from all WMATA Metrorail trains and stations. Williams will be required to register as a sex offender for life upon release..
Williams was found guilty on October 17, 2022 by a judge sitting in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 6, 2020, at approximately 1:57 p.m., Williams followed a woman out of the Georgia Avenue Metro station and chased her down the block into the lobby of an apartment building while she screamed for help. Inside, Williams cornered the victim, physically assaulted and attempted to rape her in front of three eyewitnesses before a witness yelled that he had called the police. Williams left the victim curled in a corner bleeding from the head, exited the building and headed back to the Metro where he sexually assaulted a Metro rider and then exposed himself. Another victim encountered Williams hours later when he, again, exposed himself on a Metro train. The defendant was identified through video surveillance at the Metro station and on the train.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Sexual Assault Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Metro Transit Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the critical assistance provided by the Metro Transit Digital Video Evidence Unit.
Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney Lee and Dana Joseph, who investigated and prosecuted the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmin Emrani, who reviewed evidence before trial, Appellate Chief Nicholas Coleman, Lead Paralegal Specialist ReShawn Johnson, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker, former SODV intern Lexi Nitishin, and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins.
Columbia Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man and a Callaway County, Mo., man were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Boone and Callaway counties.
Jeremiah Joseph Foley, 41, of Columbia, Bradley Wayne Hensley, 40, of Callaway County, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough. Foley was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison without parole. Hensley was sentenced to six years in federal prison without parole.
On June 30, 2022, Foley pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Foley admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Boone and Callaway counties from Sept. 22, 2020, to April 5, 2021. Foley used two residences to store methamphetamine for distribution to his co-conspirators and others. He distributed methamphetamine to multiple customers, including Hensley, from each of these locations.
On July 19, 2022, Hensley pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Hensley admitted that he purchased between 36 and 48 ounces of methamphetamine from Foley over a six-month period. Hensley also admitted that he distributed methamphetamine to others.
On Feb. 1, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hensley’s residence and seized approximately 59.87 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded Glock handgun, body armor, and $577 in cash.
On April 5, 2021, Foley was asleep in the driver’s seat of a running truck at approximately 2:58 a.m., with a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on his lap. Upon his arrest, officers searched the truck and seized approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine from a thermos, as well as 30 grams of cocaine, six pounds of marijuana, and two additional firearms. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Foley’s property and seized approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine, a machine gun, two firearm suppressors, marijuana, additional firearms, tetrahydrocannabinol wax, THC edibles, ammunition, trail cameras and drug paraphernalia.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Columbia, Mo., Police Department, the Callaway County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Cleveland Heights Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Conspiracy that Stole and Resold VehiclesRead the Press Release
AKRON – Hakim Benjamin, 21, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi to 27 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to steal, receive, and sell stolen vehicles.
According to court documents, from December 2021 to February 2022, Benjamin was part of a conspiracy that stole vehicles from car dealerships in Michigan and transported them to be resold in the Northern District of Ohio. Court documents state that Benjamin and his co-defendants targeted specific vehicles to steal and purchase, including the Dodge Durango, Dodge Ram TRX, Dodge Hellcat, Audi 8, and others.
Also charged in this matter as co-defendants are Jaylen Harris, Lavelle Jones, and Devin Rice. Harris, Jones, and Rice were charged in an indictment in June 2022. The case involving the co-defendants remains ongoing.
In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Lioi ordered Benjamin to pay $1,203,445 in restitution to be paid jointly with other defendants.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Cuyahoga County Criminal Investigators, Beachwood Police Department, and the Shaker Heights Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn G. Andrachik and Jason W. White.
Chicopee Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chicopee man pleaded guilty today in Springfield to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Thomas Stemmer, 60, pleaded guilty to one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 15, 2023. Stemmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
In 2015, Stemmer received and possessed CSAM, including images and videos, which he downloaded using an encrypted network. The CSAM included prepubescent minors who had not attained 12 years of age.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography involving an image of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine G. Curley of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.
Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Tiffany Bowlin, 33, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,833 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 27, 2021, Bowlin applied for a PPP loan for her purported sole proprietorship, a hair salon operating under the business name “Tiffany Bowlin.” Bowlin admitted that she falsely stated that “Tiffany Bowlin” was established in 2019, when it in fact was not a legitimate business and had not engaged in substantial business activities on or before February 15, 2020. Bowlin further admitted that she submitted a false IRS Form 1040, Schedule C, stating that “Tiffany Bowlin” received $106,600 in gross income in 2020.
The CARES Act, enacted in March 2020, offered emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This assistance included forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program. Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.
Bowlin submitted the loan application electronically from West Virginia and it was uploaded to servers in Kansas for processing. Bowlin’s loan application was approved and she received $20,833 via an electronic transfer to her personal bank account on May 13, 2021. Bowlin admitted that she spent the fraudulently obtained money to benefit herself personally and not for authorized business expenses.
On March 2, 2022, Bowlin applied to have the PPP loan forgiven even though she had not spent the loan proceeds on permissible business expenses. The SBA forgave Bowlin’s PPP loan on or about March 9, 2022.
Bowlin pleaded guilty to wire fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2023. Bowlin faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Bowlin also owes $20,833 in restitution.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police-Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Blackwell is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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-205.
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Career Offender Sentenced to 151 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Jose Rodriguez-Quinones, 42, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison by U.S. District David G. Larimer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas E. Gregory, who handled the case, stated that on March 10, 2022, members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Rodriguez-Quinones on an outstanding arrest warrant for absconding from post-release supervision by the United States Probation Office. Rodriguez-Quinones was on post-release supervision after serving a 10-year prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Rodriguez-Quinones was in a vehicle when he was discovered by task force members. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered 400 baggies of cocaine and 604 baggies of fentanyl, all packaged for street level distribution, two loaded handguns and approximately $2,900 in cash. Rodriguez-Quinones was convicted of felony offenses in 2000 and 2006 in New York State Court and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, the United States Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Timothy C. Englerth, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito.
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Canton Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sedric Armstrong a/k/a Black Sed, 48, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to court documents, on July 6, 2020, a confidential source made prior arrangements with Armstrong for the purchase of a pound of methamphetamine. Armstrong directed the confidential source to pick up the methamphetamine from co-defendant James Lee Simmons. The confidential source met with and provided Simmons with $3,000 in exchange for the methamphetamine.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Hailstorm,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Jackson, Mississippi area. “Hailstorm” is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department.
California Attorneys Charged with Misappropriating Settlement Funds Intended for Relatives of Victims of Lion Air Flight 610Read the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two California attorneys were indicted today on federal fraud charges for allegedly misappropriating more than $3 million in settlement funds intended for relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.
An indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges attorneys THOMAS V. GIRARDI, 83, of Pasadena, Calif., and DAVID R. LIRA, 62, of Pasadena, Calif., both of whom worked for the California law firm Girardi Keese, with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of criminal contempt of court. The indictment also charges a third defendant, CHRISTOPHER K. KAMON, 49, of Palos Verdes, Calif., and Encino, Calif., who worked as Girardi Keese’s head of accounting and finance, with the same offenses. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey B. Rubenstein and Emily Vermylen.
“The substantial misappropriation alleged in this indictment compounded the grief and anguish of the clients who lost loved ones in the Lion Air crash,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch. “Attorneys who violate the trust of their clients and breach a fiduciary duty that is paramount to the practice of law must be held accountable.”
“The victims of this crime placed their faith in their attorneys during a time of great vulnerability,” said FBI SAC Wheeler. “Taking advantage of victims of tragedy is a despicable act, and we will continue to seek justice for anyone who takes advantage of innocent Americans in their hour of need.”
According to the indictment, Girardi and Lira, through Girardi Keese, represented five clients who were relatives of passengers killed in the 2018 crash in the Java Sea. Girardi Keese filed lawsuits in federal court in Chicago against the plane’s manufacturer, Boeing Co., and settled the suits in 2020. Boeing’s counsel wired the settlement funds to Girardi Keese’s trust account, with most of the money intended for the clients. The charges allege that Girardi, Lira, and Kamon misappropriated more than $3 million of the settlement funds by diverting the money for improper purposes, including paying the firm’s payroll and operating expenses, and funding settlements to other Girardi Keese clients, whose own settlement funds had been misappropriated by the firm.
Girardi, Lira, and Kamon fraudulently attempted to conceal their misappropriation from the clients, the indictment states. At one point they falsely told the clients that the Covid‑19 pandemic prevented the firm from distributing the settlement funds, while at other times they falsely claimed that “serious issues” had arisen with Boeing that delayed the distributions, the indictment states. The defendants made the false claims knowing Girardi Keese had already received the settlement funds from Boeing, the indictment states.
The indictment seeks forfeiture from the defendants in the amount of $3,069,500.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while the maximum penalty for each contempt count is determined by the Court.
Burke County Man Is Sentenced to 10 Years for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Sebastian Lefevers, 29, of Connelly Springs, N.C., to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, as early as February 2018, law enforcement began investigating Lefevers for trafficking methamphetamine. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement utilized a confidential source to arrange the purchase of methamphetamine from Lefevers. The defendant was arrested when he came at an agreed upon location to finalize the drug transaction. At the time of the arrest, law enforcement recovered three ounces of one hundred percent pure methamphetamine from Lefevers.
According to court documents, law enforcement obtained search warrants for Lefevers’s residence and a trailer, from which they seized nearly two kilograms of marijuana packaged in four vacuum-sealed bundles; a vacuum sealer, plastic baggies, and digital scale, all for packaging and distributing narcotics; four firearms and ammunition; and over $3,500 in drug proceeds. Over the course of the investigation, investigators determined that Lefevers was responsible for trafficking more than 13 kilograms of methamphetamine in Catawba County and the surrounding counties.
On March 30, 2022, Lefevers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Lefevers remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and the Hickory Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Taylor G. Stout of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Broome County Man Pleads Guilty to Making Interstate Threats to Member of CongressRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Joseph F. Morelli, 51, of Endicott, New York pled guilty today to making threatening phone calls from his home in Endicott, New York to the voicemail in the office of a member of Congress in Washington, D.C.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Morelli admitted to that on March 3, 2022, he placed a telephone call to the Washington, D.C. office of a member of the U.S. House Representatives that said in part, ““I'm gonna have to take your life into my own hands… I'm gonna hurt you. Physically, I’m gonna harm you.”
A second voicemail message on March 3, 2022, said in part, “I'm gonna have to show you, to your face, right up front, what violence truly is, and I don't think you're gonna like it.… I can pay someone 500 bucks to take a baseball bat and crack your skull. …You are going to get f**king physically hurt.”
A third voicemail message on March 3, 2022, included, “you're gonna cause people to get hurt, so I'm gonna have to hurt you physically. … I'm gonna make sure that, even if they lock me up, someone's gonna get you ‘cause I'll pay them to.”
At sentencing on June 1, 2023, Morelli faces up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Capitol Police are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick is prosecuting the case.