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Tuesday 13 December 2022
Two Philadelphia Men Found Guilty of Armed Robberies of Two City PharmaciesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jon Suggs, 31, and Nickolas Passineau 31, both of Philadelphia, PA were both convicted at trial of two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, and one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence arising from the armed robberies of two pharmacies in Philadelphia.
In March 2020, the defendants were charged by Superseding Indictment with two armed-robbery incidents in late 2017 and early 2018. Five other co-defendants were also charged in connection with the incidents, all of whom have since pleaded guilty. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Suggs and Passineau used the “take-over method” in both robberies: donning masks, and holding their victims at gunpoint to demand large quantities of narcotics, including opioids, promethazine, fentanyl, and morphine. The defendants also became violent during the robberies – pistol whipping, punching and kicking their pharmacy-employee victims. The estimated value of the controlled substances obtained by the defendants in the second robbery alone was $60,000. Philadelphia Police officers executed a search warrant of defendant Suggs’ residence and found ammunition, over $19,000 in cash, and clothing that matched witness descriptions of one of the robbers.
“Suggs, Passineau and their cohorts threatened the lives of pharmacy employees with weapons and physical violence, and stole thousands in controlled substances which undoubtedly wound up on the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “These defendants made terrible choices, for which they have now been held accountable by a federal jury.”
“Violent takeover robberies are terrifying for victims who are going about their daily duties to make a living when guns are put in their faces and they are assaulted,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. “Suggs and Passineau were determined to steal valuable narcotics and didn't care who they hurt in the process. These convictions will keep them off the street and are a measure of justice for their victims.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Philadelphia Police Department, Bloomsburg University Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Everett Witherell and Meaghan Flannery.
Triangle CEO Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Raleigh business owner Alton Perkins, pled guilty yesterday for failing to account for approximately three-million dollars diverted from his companies for his own personal use between 2015 and 2018.
“Hardworking, taxpaying Americans deserve to know that the government will hold accountable tax cheats who dodge paying their fair share,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This CEO tried to dodge paying his due by diverting company money to pay for vacations, expensive jewelry, and private school tuition. Yesterday he paid full price with a guilty plea.”
“People who create elaborate schemes that have no purpose other than to mislead others and defraud the IRS run the very high risk of prosecution" said Donald “Trey” Eakins, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Field Office.
According to evidence summarized in court, Perkins moved large amounts of money from his business accounts into his personal bank accounts. These funds were then used for personal expenditures. None of the approximately three million spent by Perkins on these personal items was accounted for in his taxes filed with the IRS.
Perkins is the chairman and CEO of AmericaTowne, a company, according to its website, focused on increasing exports of American products to China. AmericaTowne, which was funded by investor dollars, included a plan to build an American-style community in China that would include hotels, small businesses, and a theme park. Perkins is currently involved in a civil lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Case No. 5:19-CV-00243-FL) over the unregistered private placement offerings and the sale of securities for AmericaTowne and other business entities controlled by Perkins.
In court, Perkins pled guilty to making and subscribing to false tax returns for his failure to account for his personal expenditures on his 2016 personal income tax return. According to evidence presented in court, for tax year 2016, Perkins stated that his total income was $21,933. However, banking records show that Perkins spent $1,208,394 that year on personal items including, a golf cart, a family trip to Hawaii, private high school tuition, and a Rolex – all with funds taken from Perkin’s corporate bank accounts.
Perkins pled guilty to one felony charge of Making and Subscribing a False Tax Return Under Penalty of Perjury, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1). He faces up to three years in prison. According to the plea agreement, Perkins will make restitution in the amount of $520,344 to the IRS for taxes owed from 2015-2018.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones Jr. accepted the plea. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William M. Gilmore and Karen Haughton prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No 5:22-CR-00265-FL.
Three Charlottesville Men Sentenced for Roles in Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A trio of Charlottesville men, who threatened both an Albemarle County woman and a Charlottesville man at gunpoint in August 2021, were sentenced yesterday to federal prison terms.
Markel Corevis Morton, 43, Adrian Anderson, 40, and Quincy Brock, 27, all pled guilty in September 2022 to participating in a pair of armed robberies, and Morton and Brock also pled guilty to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
On Monday, in federal district court in Charlottesville, Morton was sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison. Brock was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and Anderson received a sentence of 24 months.
A fourth defendant, Corey Ramont Kinney, 48, previously pleaded guilty to similar charges and will be sentenced at a later date.
In August 2021, Morton recruited Brock, Anderson, and Kinney to rob a local drug dealer with the promise of splitting $50,000 in cash he believed to be hidden in an apartment in Albemarle County. While Morton waited offsite, Brock, Anderson, and Kinney forced entry into the apartment and held a female victim at gunpoint as they searched the apartment and the female victim’s car. While not finding the $50,000 in cash, the trio of robbers nevertheless took the female victim’s phone and other personal items.
When they returned empty-handed, Morton insisted they locate the drug dealer’s cash at a second location on Prospect Avenue in the City of Charlottesville that same night. Armed with pistols, all four men drove to the second location and stole a safe containing approximately $50,000 as well as another victim’s purse. As they were leaving the apartment, Brock and Morton were intercepted by a man who was standing outside and one of them pointed their handgun at him as they fled the scene.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Division Stanley M. Meador, and Col. Sean Reeves, Chief of the Albemarle County Police Department announced the sentences.
The Albemarle County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather L. Carlton and Ronald M. Huber prosecuted the case for the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Texas Woman Sentenced to over Four Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Texas woman was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents, in May and June, 2021, Raquel Herrera, 40, of McAllen, Texas, conspired with another to distribute methamphetamine to a confidential source in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. During this two month period, Herrera distributed over 15 kilograms methamphetamine.
In addition to the prison sentence, Herrera was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Don’t Tell On Me Bro,” which began as an operation targeting illegal drug trafficking in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. “Don’t Tell On Me Bro” 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 Drug Enforcement Administration, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, Hattiesburg Police Department, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Keesha Middleton.
Tampa Man Found Guilty of Unlawful Possession of Guns, Grenades and Classified Information Relating to National DefenseRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – A federal jury convicted Jeremy Brown, 48, of Tampa, for possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun and an unregistered short-barreled rifle, two counts of possession of unregistered M67 fragmentation grenades, willful retention of national defense information and illegal storage of explosives.
According to evidence presented at trial, on Sept. 30, 2021, the FBI executed an arrest and search warrant at Brown’s residence in Tampa. During the search, agents found an unregistered AR-15-style rifle, modified to have a 10” barrel, in Brown’s bedroom. Agents also found a sawed-off shotgun, also unregistered, on a couch inside of Brown’s recreational vehicle (RV), which was parked near his home. Inside a briefcase next to the shotgun, agents found a classified Trip Report that Brown had authored shortly before he retired from the U.S. Special Forces. Inside the bedroom of that same RV, agents found an ammunition vest containing two M-67 fragmentation grenades hidden in the pockets. U.S. Army records confirmed that the grenades had originally been in the possession of the U.S. Army.
Trial evidence also established that Brown had served as a weapons sergeant in the Special Forces, which would have given him access to M-67 fragmentation grenades. Finally, the evidence established that the classified Trip Report contained highly sensitive information about U.S. Department of Defense intelligence – gathering tactics, techniques, and procedures, including information about a human source that, if released, could have caused the source to be arrested, tortured or killed.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Brown was also found guilty of illegal storage of explosives and faces up to one year in prison for that offense. His sentencing hearing is scheduled March 13, 2023.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Three Sentenced in Paul Girard’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt OrganiztionRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Shaquielle Correa, 27, James Cruz, 28, and Shermyra Gumbs, 27, all of St. Croix, were sentenced by District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage for their roles in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) led by Paul Girard from his prison cell. In handing down the sentences, Judge Savage characterized the Girard Enterprise as a lawless, reckless, cruel and merciless gang. “The Paul Girard Criminal Enterprise was a vicious and lawless gang that terrorized and victimized the people of the Virgin Islands for years,” stated United States Attorney Delia Smith. “The tremendous work of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and attorneys from my office and the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division delivered the ultimate reward to the people of our Territory – just and lengthy sentences of imprisonment to those involved.”
"First, I want to thank the United States Attorney's Office for the District of the Virgin Islands for their great work and invaluable support in this investigation. I also want to highlight the work of the Virgin Islands Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Virgin Islands Marshal Service and the U.S. Office of Probation. Their support was instrumental to the dismantlement of this violent criminal enterprise. Today, the people of the Virgin Islands can rest a little easier, but there is more work to be done,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph Gonzalez who oversees FBI operations in the Virgin Islands.
According to court documents, on July 17, 2014, Shaquielle Correa and two other members of the Girard Enterprise, all wearing black ski masks and two wielding firearms, entered the cash cage area of the Divi Racino and demanded money. Correa and his co-conspirators fled the scene with approximately $110,804.00, which they later divided among themselves and other members of Girard’s Enterprise, including an incarcerated Girard who helped plan the robbery. Several days later, Correa's share of the robbery proceeds went missing and he believe Eddie Harriette, the brother of his girlfriend, had stolen his money to buy a new car. On July 21, 2014, Correa and other enterprise members approach Harriette after he stopped at a gas station near the St. Croix Agricultural Fairgrounds in his new car.
Thereafter, Correa fired several shots into Harriette’s vehicle killing him and injuring two of his passengers. Correa fled on foot and was later picked up by members of Girard’s Enterprise. Approximately ten days after Harriette’s murder, Virgin Islands Police Officers stopped Correa and co-defendant Shaquan Prentice in a vehicle that contained a 7.62 caliber AK-47-style Romania rifle and two high-capacity magazines, each containing 30 rounds of ammunition. The rifle’s serial number was obliterated. Correa entered a plea agreement where he admitted committing the armed robbery of the Divi Racino. Correa also admitted to murdering Harriette and to unlawfully possessing an AK-47 firearm, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was sentenced to 272 months which was adjusted to 211 months by Judge Savage to account for time already served by Correa on the armed robbery conviction.Trial testimony further revealed that on December 21, 2014, enterprise member James Cruz and three other individuals kidnapped a bank employee. At the direction of Girard and a now deceased enterprise member, Cruz and his co-conspirators accosted the banker at gunpoint around midnight as she walked from her car to her front door. They forced the banker into her home where they gathered her two daughters, one of whom was pregnant, and her son and forced them to remain in the living room. Girard, who participated by cellphone from his prison cell, directed Cruz to enter the home to force the banker to take the enterprise members to her bank where she would give them access to the bank’s vault. After several hours of the banker explaining why their plan would not work, Cruz and the other assailants finally gave up and fled the scene. For his role, Cruz was sentenced to 144 months of imprisonment after pleading guilty to the kidnapping. As part of his plea agreement, Cruz further admitted that on May 26, 2014, he attempted to commit a carjacking with other enterprise members. During the attempted carjacking, enterprise member Lenn Williams shot at the driver who defended himself by returning fire with his licensed firearm. Williams was hit with the return fire and declared dead upon arrival at the Juan Luis Hospital.
Enterprise member Shermyra Gumbs was also sentenced to 100 months of imprisonment for her role in the September 4, 2015, murder of Jermaine “Bird” Williams. In her plea agreement, Gumbs admitted that she served as a lookout while enterprise members, including Robert Brown, shot Williams multiple times as he sat in his vehicle outside the St. George Christian Academy Head Start in St. Croix. As the murder was being committed, Gumbs was reporting the events by cellphone to an incarcerated Girard who ordered the murder. After Williams’ murder, Gumbs and another enterprise member returned the vehicle used in the homicide to an enterprise member who had rented the vehicle.
“These defendants terrorized the U.S. Virgin Islands through violence and theft,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These sentences demonstrate that the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners are committed to combating the threat of gang violence.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Edwards and Criminal Division Trial Attorneys Christopher Taylor, Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Marie Zisa, Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. The investigation 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.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Heroin Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm.
Derrick L. Hall, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 29, 2022, Hall pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from May 15 to Sept. 18, 2019, and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to court documents, Hall sold 14 grams of heroin to a confidential informant on two separate occasions and sold an additional 23 grams of heroin and a firearm to a confidential informant on a third occasion. Hall drove to St. Louis on Aug. 29, 2019, where he obtained approximately 50 grams of heroin that was seized from him in a traffic stop. He returned to St. Louis on Sept. 18, 2019, and encountered law enforcement officers when he returned home.
On Sept. 18, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence. Officers found a plastic bag that contained approximately 17.4 grams of heroin on top of the bedroom dresser, a plastic bag that contained approximately 48.2 grams of heroin inside a boot that was lying in between the bed and the nightstand, a plastic container that contained a plastic bag with approximately 2.8 grams of heroin on top of the nightstand, and a plastic bag that contained approximately a half gram of heroin in the trash can. Officers found a total of approximately 70 grams of heroin in Hall’s residence, a Sig Sauer firearm with ammunition, and $4,532 in cash inside a purse on the floor of the bedroom closet.
Officers also searched Hall’s car, which was parked in the driveway, and found a plastic bag that contained a white substance (consistent with a cutting agent for heroin) in the trunk of the vehicle. It was found near a bottle of Dormin, which is a cutting agent for heroin, and small plastic baggies, consistent with that used to package user amounts of heroin. Officers also found ammunition in the trunk of Hall’s car.
According to court documents, Hall’s criminal history began in 1987, when he was 17 years old and committed the crime of possession of cocaine. That same year, he attempted to rob someone and when the person said they had nothing for him to take, shot the person in the leg. In 1988 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assault and five years for possession of cocaine. In April 2011, Hall sold cocaine to an undercover police officer in St. Louis County, Mo., and was convicted of distributing a controlled substance. Hall also has seven convictions for stealing and was on parole at the time he committed the federal violations in this case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Spanaway, Washington man sentenced to eight years in prison for key role in drug distribution ringRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 61-year-old Spanaway, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to eight years in prison for his key role in a large drug distribution ring, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Dwayne Douglas George was indicted in November 2021, along with 16 other defendants. George distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Western Washington, and acted as a courier, bringing large amounts of drugs to the northwest from California. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour noted “the large amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the case. Both are extremely dangerous and caused a lot of damage in this community.”
“Mr. George obtained as much as seven pounds of methamphetamine at a time directly from the leader of this drug distribution ring – and fed the addiction of countless people struggling in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “He also was poised to bring 80,000 fentanyl pills to our community. Both meth and fentanyl are claiming lives across western Washington.”
According to records filed in the case the investigation began in February 2020. Various people working with law enforcement provided information regarding the drug distribution activities. Aware of some of the group’s trafficking, law enforcement seized 9 pounds of methamphetamine in a traffic stop on May 16, 2020. Another 30 pounds of meth were seized in a stop on April 2, 2021, and 57 pounds of methamphetamine and 20,000 fentanyl pills were seized in a traffic stop on September 28, 2021. Additionally, on August 17, 2021, law enforcement seized 19 pounds of methamphetamine that conspirators attempted to mail to Fiji.
George helped the organization spread drugs to King, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Mason, and Kitsap counties.
“Mr. George was a large-scale distributor of illegal narcotics which have caused countless deaths and sorrow for many families in the Pacific Northwest,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “The DEA and all of its partners will continue to investigate, arrest and hold accountable individuals like Mr. George and those organizations that seek to bring harm to our communities.”
In asking for an eight-year prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court that George “…worked alongside members of a large transnational drug organization, selling pound-quantities of methamphetamine. Moreover, he also made the decision to get involved in the distribution of fentanyl, an incredibly dangerous and oftentimes lethal drug, that he never used himself. Based on his conduct, the amounts of drugs he was distributing, and his long criminal past, including more than 30 years of drug trafficking, George is not only deserving of a significant sentence, but such a sentence is also clearly necessary to protect the public.”
Judge Coughenour ordered George to serve four years of supervised release following his prison term.
This case is 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 investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Seattle Field Division (SFD) Tacoma Resident Office (TRO) and Bremerton Police Department (BPD), with assistance from Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement (TNET); the Seattle, Puyallup, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Bonney Lake, Tacoma, and Lakewood Police Departments; the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Washington State Department of Corrections; Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET): Centralia and Chehalis Police Departments; Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team (VNET); and Washington State Patrol; Thurston Narcotics Team (TNT), Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, and Mason County Sheriff’s Office; United States Postal Inspections Service (USPIS), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) with support from Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas ( HIDTA).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys C. Andrew Colasurdo and William Dreher.
South Florida Cruise Ship Employee Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Exploiting Minor He Met on Alaskan VoyageRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Daniel Scott Crow, a 38-year-old cruise ship employee from Stuart, Fla., has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for enticing an underage girl he met on the ship into performing sexual acts with him and with producing child pornography by recording their sexual interactions.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Crow met the victim while he was working aboard a cruise ship. The victim, a 16-year-old girl at the time, was vacationing with her family aboard the ship. After the cruise, Crow remained in contact with the victim and used a messaging application to solicit lewd photographs from her. Crow also met the victim—who was still under 18—at a hotel, where he engaged in sexual activity with her and recorded it. Crow stored the conversations and videos involving the victim on his cell phone.
Crow was apprehended after an ex-girlfriend of his made a complaint to the Port St. Lucie Police Department regarding the relationship between Crow and the victim. The ex-girlfriend discovered the relationship by checking Crow’s social media.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
HSI, Fort Pierce Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hudock prosecuted it.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
If you have information regarding child sexual exploitation, or you believe you or a family member may have been a victim, please contact the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
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-14035.
South African woman sentenced to prison for mailing controlled substances to Ohio inmatesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A South African woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court here today to 12 months and one day in prison for mailing large amounts of K2 and Suboxone via mail into the United States. Inmates in Ohio jails were the end recipients of the packages.
Tanya Baird, 46, of South Africa, was arrested by federal agents in March 2022 at John Glenn International Airport.
According to court documents, Baird obtained K2 from China and saturated legal documents with the substance in South Africa before mailing the papers to the United States.
“This office will not tolerate anyone sending controlled substances into jails or prisons in our District, no matter the method,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Such conduct will earn individuals their own place in prison, as highlighted by Baird’s sentencing today.”
For example, in June 2021, Baird mailed at least eight packages each containing 30 pieces of saturated paper to an inmate in an Ohio prison.
Another individual sometimes received packages from Baird containing legal privileged documents that were saturated in K2. The individual would then send the legal documents into Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction facilities and collect proceeds from inmates. The proceeds were then sent to Baird via CashApp or PayPal.
In total, import records showed 69 packages being sent from Baird into the United States from June through August 2021, 34 of which were destined for the Southern District of Ohio. Multiple recipients of the packages from Baird had been in communication with or attended visits with current Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction inmates.
Baird pleaded guilty in June 2022 to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute K2.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and officials with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Hunter is representing the United States in this case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.
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Sioux City Man Who Attacked an Occupied Home Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Sioux City, Iowa man who fired upon a home – with adults and children inside – was sentenced on December 9, 2022, to 6 years in federal prison.
Alvaro Vite, 26, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 4, 2022, guilty plea to being a drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time, Vite possessed the firearms and ammunition he was an unlawful user of cocaine.
Evidence in the case revealed that on June 23, 2020, Vite came to Joel Perea-Duenas’s residence and said he was going to “shoot up” the residence of a rival and needed a driver who could operate a “stick shift” vehicle. Perea-Duenas agreed to help, changed into dark clothing, left the residence with Vite, and joined
Esai Lopez and Alexander Laurel-Olea who were already in the car.
Three of the four men were armed with handguns. Laurel-Olea was in possession of a Taurus pistol, Vite had a Ruger pistol, and Lopez had a .45 caliber firearm.
The men drove to the home of their intended victim, but seeing law enforcement in the area, abandoned the initial attack. Later, the men decided upon a secondary target. At approximately 11:15 pm, Vite repeatedly fired upon a Sioux City, Iowa home. A mother, father and their five minor children were in the home. Eight bullet holes were found in the house.
The subsequent investigation revealed all the men knew the shooting was going to happen, knew there were people, including children, in the house, and wanted the shooting to occur in retaliation against a resident of the home and the family. Also, during the investigation, an additional man Jonathon Sotres-De La O was found to be an associate of the shooting party and to have also illegally possessed a firearm on a different occasion.
Vite was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 72 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to pay $38,863.42 in restitution to victims and the insurance company. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Joel Perea-Duenas was sentenced to 54 months imprisonment on November 19, 2021. Alexander Laurel-Olea was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment on November 18, 2021. Esai Lopez was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment on April 7, 2022. Jonathon Sotres-De La O was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment on November 4, 2021.
Vite is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case 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 20-4071. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sacramento Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nathaniel John Cummings, 42, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison to be followed by 25 years supervised release for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Cummings sexually exploited a very young child. He also used Instagram messenger to receive visual depictions of a different child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. On July 29, 2020, a law enforcement team executed a search warrant at Cummings’s residence and located multiple images of child sexual abuse on his cellphone and computer.
When Cummings was 22 years old, he was convicted of engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old victim in Alameda County and received a sentence of one year in jail and five years of probation. While on probation for that sexual abuse of a minor crime, at age 25, Cummings was convicted of oral copulation, sexual penetration, and sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old victim.
This case was investigated by the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a federally and state-funded task force managed by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department with agents from federal, state, and local agencies. The Sacramento ICAC investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement, and sex trafficking. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina M. McCall 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Russian Military and Intelligence Agencies Procurement Network Indicted in Brooklyn Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Publicly filed court documents, including a 16-count indictment unsealed today in Brooklyn, charge five Russian nationals – including a suspected Federal Security Service (FSB) officer – and two U.S. nationals with conspiracy and other charges related to a global procurement and money laundering scheme on behalf of the Russian government in which the defendants allegedly conspired to obtain military-grade and dual-use technologies from U.S. companies for Russia’s defense sector, and to smuggle sniper rifle ammunition, in violation of new U.S. sanctions imposed earlier this year.
Yevgeniy Grinin, 44, of Moscow; Aleksey Ippolitov, 57, of Moscow; Boris Livshits, 52, of St. Petersburg; Svetlana Skvortsova, 41, of Moscow; Vadim Konoshchenok, 48, of St. Petersburg; Alexey Brayman, 35, of New Hampshire; and Vadim Yermolenko, 41, of New Jersey, are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States as to the enforcement of export controls and economic sanctions; conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA); smuggling; and failure to comply with the Automated Export System relating to the transportation of electronics.
According to the indictment, the defendants unlawfully purchased and exported highly sensitive and heavily regulated electronic components, some of which can be used in the development of nuclear and hypersonic weapons, quantum computing and other military applications.
“The Department of Justice and our international partners will not tolerate criminal schemes to bolster the Russian military’s war efforts,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “With three of the defendants now in custody, we have disrupted the procurement network allegedly used by the defendants and Russian intelligence services to smuggle sniper rifle ammunition and sensitive electronic components into Russia. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our economic sanctions and export controls against those who enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war in Ukraine. I am grateful for the tireless efforts of the Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, the National Security Division, the Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and the FBI on this case.”
“Today the Department of Justice proves once again that we will relentlessly pursue those who support the Russian war machine by evading sanctions and export controls,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “By exposing the defendants’ smuggling of ammunition and transfer of sensitive U.S. technologies – from quantum computing to hypersonic weapons development – the Department of Justice is holding accountable those who are fueling Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.”
“The FBI’s work, with our partners, to identify and stop illegal transfers of weapons and dual use-technology to Russia shows that we can and will reach around the world to keep Americans safe,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The industries that these illegal transfers could support – quantum computing, hypersonic weapons – pose great danger in the hands of our adversaries. The FBI will remain relentless against illegal transfers that support such industries in hostile nations, while we also continue to focus on protecting strategic technology innovation here at home.”
“This indictment demonstrates the relentless efforts of the FBI and its partners to thwart Russian procurement actors in their attempts to reconstitute the Russian military’s weapons cache,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “The FBI, along with its U.S. and international partners, remains committed to disrupting and dismantling these networks, regardless of where they are.”
As alleged, the defendants were affiliated with Serniya Engineering and Sertal LLC, Moscow-based companies that operate under the direction of Russian intelligence services to procure advanced electronics and sophisticated testing equipment for Russia’s military industrial complex and research and development sector. Serniya and Sertal operated a vast network of shell companies and bank accounts throughout the world, including in the United States, that were used in furtherance of the scheme to conceal the involvement of the Russian government and the true identity(s) of Russian end users of U.S.-origin equipment.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) levied sanctions against Serniya, Sertal, and several companies used in the scheme, as well as multiple individuals affiliated with the network, including defendant Yevgeniy Grinin, calling them “instrumental to the Russian Federation’s war machine.”
“As alleged, the defendants perpetrated a sophisticated procurement network that illegally obtained sensitive U.S. technology to facilitate the Russian war machine,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “Our office will not rest in its vigorous pursuit of those who unlawfully procure U.S. technology to be used in furtherance of Russia’s brutal, continued attacks on democracy.”
“From the outset of the Task Force, robust enforcement of U.S. export controls and restrictions on the transfer of sensitive technology has been a key strategic priority,” said Task Force KleptoCapture Director Andrew C. Adams. “Today’s indictment demonstrates the reach of those controls and the United States’ commitment to choking off access to military grade equipment by the Russian regime. We will continue the steady pace of seizures, indictments and arrests, while the Kremlin shopping for spare parts in North Korea.”
As alleged in the indictment, Ippolitov received requests from Russian end users and relayed them to Grinin and Skvortsova, who were both employees of Sertal. Grinin and Skvortsova secured funding and shipping routes for the transactions, and tasked Livshits with procuring the items from U.S. companies. Livshits, a former resident of Brooklyn, New York, opened and controlled a variety of shell companies and associated bank accounts in the New York City area, which he used to route shipments and layer financial transactions in furtherance of the scheme, including in coordination with Konoshchenok, Brayman and Yermolenko.
Konoshchenok – who is suspected to be an FSB officer – would ship or physically smuggle U.S.-origin items from Estonia to Russia, including dual-use electronics, military-grade tactical ammunition and other export-controlled items. As alleged in the indictment, on Oct. 27, 2022, Konoshchenok was stopped at the Estonian border with 35 different types of semiconductors and other electronic components ordered by Livshits, as well as thousands of U.S.-made 6.5mm bullets, which are used in military sniper rifles. On Nov. 24, 2022, Konoshchenok was again stopped attempting to cross into Russia with approximately 20 cases containing thousands of U.S.-origin bullets, including tactical rounds and .338 military sniper rounds. Konoshchenok discussed “fabricating” business records with Livshits to conceal the ammunition shipments, on one occasion describing them as “auto parts.” Incident to Konoshchenok’s arrest, Estonian authorities searched a warehouse held in the name of Konoshchenok’s son and recovered approximately 375 pounds worth of ammunition.
Based in the United States, Brayman and Yermolenko would fabricate shipping documents and invoices, repackaging and reshipping items to intermediate destinations around the world — including to Konoshchenok in Estonia — before eventually arriving in Russia. Yermolenko and Brayman also helped Livshits set up and manage dozens of shell companies and corresponding bank accounts throughout the U.S. that were used in the scheme.
Livshits also interfaced directly with U.S. companies – often using the alias “David Wetzky” – and made materially false statements about how the items would be used and the ultimate end user. He also fabricated shipping documents and invoices and repackaged and reshipped items to intermediate destinations around the world before eventually arriving in Russia.
“The powerful export controls we’ve put in place have been successful in isolating Russia from the global economy,” stated Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod. “Today’s actions demonstrate our vigilance in uncovering Russian tactics to illicitly acquire the items they need to keep their brutal war going.”
Grinin, Ippolitov, Livshits and Skvortsova are further charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); wire fraud; and money laundering. Grinin, Ippolitov, Livshits, Skvortsova, Brayman and Yermolenko are further charged with bank fraud conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Today, Brayman surrendered to the FBI and Yermolenko was arrested in New Jersey. Brayman will be arraigned in New Hampshire and Yermolenko will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York. Konoshchenok was arrested separately by Estonian authorities on Dec. 6 at the request of the United States and is now pending extradition. The remaining defendants are at large.
If convicted of bank fraud or bank fraud conspiracy, the defendants face a maximum of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Artie McConnell and Craig R. Heeren for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Litigation Analyst Ben Richmond. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance. The United States wishes to thank the Estonian Internal Security Service and the Prosecutor's Office for their support.
The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Roseville Man Pleads Guilty to International Drug Trafficking Conspiracy in the United States and CanadaRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amandeep Multani, 34, of Roseville, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin, opium, and ketamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Multani and his co-conspirators, including co-defendants Parampreet Singh and Ranvir Singh, coordinated cocaine, heroin, opium, and ketamine deals in Canada. They coordinated these deals from California over encrypted cellphone applications. In total, between October 2020 and April 2021, they coordinated sales to undercover officers of approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine, 1.5 kilograms of opium, 2 kilograms of ketamine, and multiple samples of heroin, for a total of $637,600 in Canadian dollars and $75,190 in U.S. dollars, in deals in Canada and Sacramento. In addition, Multani and his co-defendants offered to sell up to 100 kilograms of cocaine, up to 25 kilograms of heroin, up to 100 kilograms of opium, and up to 200 kilograms of ketamine on numerous occasions between September 2020 and April 2021.
As part of his plea agreement, Multani has agreed to cooperate fully with the United States.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the York Regional Police in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Placer County Special Investigations Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.
Parampreet Singh and Ranvir Singh have pleaded not guilty. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Multani is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on March 14, 2023. Multani faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 45 Months in Federal Prison for Felon in Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that Jaquez Williams, age 28, from Wilmington was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika pronounced the sentence.
According to court documents, on September 23, 2020, Mr. Williams, a convicted felon, possessed a loaded semiautomatic pistol when the car he was driving was stopped for a traffic violation. While on bail for the September 23 offense, the defendant was found in possession of another loaded semiautomatic pistol during another traffic stop. The defendant clearly has a penchant for illegal use and possession of firearms, as he had two prior convictions relating to his illegal possession of a firearm.
U.S. Attorney Weiss stated, “Mr. Williams’ current offense and his history of illegally possessing firearms represent a clear and present danger to our community. My office and our law enforcement partners will continue to devote unlimited resources to help stem the tide of gun violence. This sentence should serve as a warning to other repeat offenders who unlawfully possess firearms.”
“This sentencing is yet another example of the stiff consequences faced by those who carry firearms illegally in Wilmington,” said Wilmington Police Chief Robert J. Tracy. “We appreciate the continued partnership of the United States Attorney’s Office, working with our police officers and investigators to ensure strong prosecution of gun charges.”
The case was investigated by the Wilmington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 21-cr-67.
Readout of U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Meeting with Vietnamese Prosecutor General Le Minh TriRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland met yesterday in Washington with Prosecutor General Le Minh Tri of the Supreme People’s Procuracy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
In the meeting, Attorney General Garland and Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. welcomed Prosecutor General Le on his first official visit to the United States, and thanked Prosecutor General Le for Vietnam’s assistance in law enforcement matters.
Attorney General Garland and Assistant Attorney General Polite discussed with Prosecutor General Le the importance of both countries’ efforts to combat transnational organized crime, cyber and cyber-enabled crimes, public corruption, and human trafficking. The leaders also committed to further strengthening the bilateral law enforcement partnership, including on mutual legal assistance.
Left to Right: Deputy Prosecutor General Nguyen Hai Tram, U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Prosecutor General Le Minh Tri, and Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc DzungReadout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s Trip to OklahomaRead the Press Release
Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa O. Monaco visited Oklahoma to highlight the Justice Department’s work to increase public safety and reduce violent crime.
The Deputy AG provided the keynote address at the opening session of the 2022 National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Violent Crime Reduction Summit. PSP provides a framework for cities to benefit from federal resources and programming to target public safety challenges, with 23 active sites across the nation. Yesterday, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summit brought together, in-person, approximately 500 federal, state and local law enforcement leaders to share strategies and best practices for keeping communities safe.
In her remarks the Deputy AG highlighted how, across the country, PSP sites are implementing new strategies, engaging with communities, opening lines of communication and fostering partnerships. In the Deputy AG’s words, “the presence of so many law enforcement and community leaders from across the nation speaks volumes about the commitment we all share to uniting our experience and our expertise to join forces and keep our communities safe.”
The Deputy AG stressed the need for significant additional resources to reduce violent crime, and described the Justice Department’s fight for resources through the President’s budget for 2023, which includes a request for almost $11.2 billion for the Department to tackle violent crime.
The Deputy AG also announced a new policy to increase use of the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) — a unique resource of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that provides timely intelligence from ballistics evidence. Moving forward, all firearms and fired cartridge casings recovered in connection with every Department criminal investigation, including Department-funded task force operations, must be swiftly entered into NIBIN and analyzed.
On her trip, the Deputy AG visited the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma, where she met U.S. Attorneys Clinton Johnson and Christopher Wilson, as well as their leadership teams, prosecutors and professional staff to thank them for their hard work and commitment to justice. She also met with the heads of federal law enforcement partners, as well as the Attorneys General of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Cherokee Nation and discussed collaborative efforts to address violent crime and public safety challenges in the wake of McGirt v. Oklahoma.
Group photo from the PSP Summit Deputy Attorney General Monaco meeting with Tribal Attorneys General and U.S. Attorney Clinton JohnsonRapid City Man Sentenced for Voluntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on December 12, 2022.
Perry Joseph Fogg, age 24, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, $1,185 restitution, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Fogg was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. He pleaded guilty on September 1, 2022.
On July 19, 2021, in Mellette County, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, upon sudden quarrel or heat of passion, Fogg unlawfully killed the victim by striking the victim with a pickup.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Fogg was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Bradley Makes Room For Them, age 38, was indicted in June of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Moreno on December 12, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Makes Room For Them was convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in September of 2003. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. It is alleged that between March 16, 2022, and April 25, 2022, Makes Room For Them, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under federal law, failed to properly register and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Makes Room For Them is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Makes Room For Them was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Romanian Fugitive and Six Nationals Charged with Unlawfully Entering the United StatesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Clementina Rostas, 21, Argentina Razmies, 22, Ion Razmies, 33, Alexandru Panait, 34, Gheorghe Varga, 32, Hercule Muntean, 35, and Florian Muntean, 20, all of Romania, appeared before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller for their initial appearance hearing after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agent at the Fredericks Marine Terminal in St. Thomas, VI, and charged with illegal entry into the United States.
According to court documents, on December 7, 2022, U.S. Border Patrol agents received a report from the Virgin Islands Police Department that a group of seven individuals was boarding a passenger ferry in Cruz Bay, St. John, headed to St. Thomas. Border Patrol agents later determined that the individuals had illegally entered the United States Virgin Islands after confirming their identities through photographs. Upon arrival at the Fredericks Terminal, the individuals were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents and charged with unlawful entry. Agents further discovered that Florian Muntean is wanted in Spain based on an outstanding warrant for murder.
This case is being investigated by the United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Natasha Baker.
PharmScript of KS LLC agrees to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it improperly dispensed controlled substances at long-term care facilitiesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - PharmScript of KS, LLC, a long-term care pharmacy in Lenexa, Kansas, has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated federal law by dispensing controlled substances to residents in nursing and long-term care facilities without valid prescriptions and that the company was wrongfully reimbursed by the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
PharmScript of KS, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmScript Holdco, LLC and provides medication and pharmaceutical services to patients in skilled nursing facilities and to residents in assisted living facilities in Kansas and Missouri. PharmScript of KS, LLC self-reported violations of the Controlled Substances Act to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which conducted its own investigation.
“This resolution sends a message that there are rules to be followed when dispensing controlled substances,” said Duston Slinkard, United States Attorney for the District of Kansas. “This office makes it a priority to protect patients from being supplied drugs without valid prescriptions and to ensure that the limited federal program resources are spent according to federal law.”
Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis heads the Drug Enforcement Administration division that leads DEA investigations in Kansas and Missouri.“Because opioids are highly addictive, doctors and pharmacies have a duty to ensure they are prescribing controlled medications according to law to protect their patients’ health and safety,” said Davis. “PharmScript’s dispensing practices were so egregious, it warranted a significant civil penalty.”
“Improperly dispensing opioids undermines critical measures to address the opioid crisis and puts vulnerable patients at serious risk of overdose and harm,” said Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG will continue to ensure that bad actors are held accountable for disregarding the safety and well-being of patients.”
In nearly all circumstances, Schedule II controlled substances require a written prescription by a physician, and refills are not permitted by law. The Controlled Substances Act allows pharmacists to dispense Schedule II controlled substances, such as opioid pain medications, without a written prescription only in true emergency situations. When allowed for emergencies, it is only for the quantity of drugs necessary to treat the patient during the emergency period. Emergency prescriptions must promptly be reduced to writing and signed by an authorizing physician within seven days of issuance. Failure to meet these requirements results in an illegal dispensing of controlled substances without a valid prescription.
The federal government alleged that between October 1, 2019, through March 31, 2021, PharmScript of KS, LLC dispensed Schedule II controlled substances for purported emergencies when quantities of the controlled substances dispensed were greater than what was adequate for the emergency period and that PharmScript of KS, LLC failed to obtain written prescriptions within seven days after a verbal authorization. The government also alleged that other controlled substances were dispensed without a written prescription and when no verbal authorization was received from a physician.
The government also resolved claims that PharmScript of KS, LLC was improperly paid by the Medicare and Medicaid programs for dispensing controlled substances without valid prescriptions.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division, Kansas City Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
The case was handled by Jon Fleenor, Assistant United States Attorney and Affirmative Civil Enforcement Coordinator.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs office.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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Oneida County Man Pleads Guilty to Trading Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Chad Srogi, age 39, of Vernon, New York pled guilty today to distributing, transporting, and possessing child pornography. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.
During the change of plea hearing, Srogi admitted that he distributed and transported child pornography on multiple social media platforms in 2018 and possessed more than a hundred child pornography files in October 2019. He also admitted that, in 2007, he was convicted in Florida of Promoting the Sexual Performance of a Child and Possessing Material Depicting the Sexual Performance of a Child.
The possession of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years. The distribution and transportation of child pornography charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years. Srogi also faces a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life, forfeiture to the United States of property used to commit his offenses, restitution to identified victims, and will have register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. 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.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 19, 2023, in Syracuse before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.
This case is being investigated by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the New York State Police (Troop D Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Computer Crimes Unit), and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
Ohio man admits to soliciting child pornography from 9-year-old Wetzel County victimRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Steven Wolford, of Cadiz, Ohio, has admitted to a child pornography charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Wolford, 25, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Solicitation of Child Pornography.” Wolford admitted to reaching out to a 9-year-old from Wetzel County and requesting inappropriate pictures and live-stream videos from the victim. The crime took place in July and August 2021.
Wolford faces at least five and up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Perri is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office investigated. The Moundsville Police Department, the Harrison County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Office, and the Cadiz, Ohio, Police Department assisted.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Being A Felon in Possession of A GunRead 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 Michael Alan Jones, 24, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Moynihan, who is handling the case, stated that in February 2019, Jones was convicted in Alamance County, North Carolina, of two felony crimes, and as a result is legally prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. On March 19, 2022, in the Town of Leroy, in Genesee County, Jones possessed a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition in a vehicle in the vicinity of Route 33 and Griswold Road and School Road.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff William Sheron, Jr., and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Larimer.
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New Orleans Man Sentenced on Federal Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that defendant RICHARD JONES, of New Orleans, was sentenced on December 8, 2022 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to 40 months imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Count One of the indictment charged JONES with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). Investigators working on the scene of the second-line parade on November 21, 2021, observed a large rifle protruding from JONES’s waistband. Officers attempted to conduct an investigatory stop of JONES when he fled. The officers eventually detained JONES and removed the fully loaded rifle from underneath his shirt.
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.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Inga Petrovich of the Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on December 7, 2022, JARON MCCREE, age 27, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty as charged to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the public records, on February 15, 2022, New Orleans Police Department detectives set out to arrest MCCREE on an outstanding arrest warrant. On the same day, at approximately 4:51 PM, an NOPD detective observed MCCREE near a corner store located on St. Louis Street, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Upon seeing the officer, MCCREE fled on foot.
The detective gave chase and observed MCCREE throw a firearm into a bush. After MCCREE’s apprehension, police recovered a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter firearm, with an extended magazine with a 31-round capacity from the bush. Police also recovered 28 live rounds of ammunition
MCCREE faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated b the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Mike Trummel handled the prosecution.
Navajo woman sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weaponRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Audera Lee was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison. Lee, 38, of Farmington, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2021, to assault with a dangerous weapon.
On Oct. 23, 2020, Lee was driving a vehicle on Interstate 40 while severely intoxicated. An off-duty Cibola County Sheriff’s deputy, identified in court records as John Doe, observed her erratic driving and followed her down an off-ramp. After Lee stopped, John Doe, who was in full uniform with his badge displayed, removed her from her car. While John Doe attempted to call for assistance, Lee reentered her car and began driving the wrong way onto I-40.
John Doe pursued Lee, and Lee eventually pulled over. As John Doe approached Lee’s car, Lee got out of her vehicle, retrieved a knife from her pocket, and attempted to slash John Doe. John Doe drew his firearm and told Lee to drop the knife. Instead, Lee lunged at John Doe, who fired one shot, striking Lee in the torso. John Doe and emergency medical services immediately rendered aid to Lee.
The assault occurred in Cibola County on the Laguna Pueblo.
Upon her release from prison, Lee will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Spindle prosecuted the case.
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Natchez Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal Prison in Connection with Interstate Drug Trafficking ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
Natchez, Miss. – A Natchez man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette, III, to 116 months in prison for his participation in separate interstate drug trafficking operations distributing kilogram quantities of illegal drugs in the Natchez, MS area from 2016 through 2018.
U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
Wesley Bell, 42, was convicted of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and possession of ammunition by a previously convicted felon. Bell previously was convicted in Adams County Circuit Court in 2002 of sexual battery and in 2010 of possession of more than one kilogram but less than five kilograms of marijuana. Bell’s federal sentence includes a penalty for committing his federal crimes while under a state court sentence of supervision.
According to court documents, Bell conspired with Kevin Singleton, of Natchez, MS; Sammy Davis Wright, of Woodville, MS; Jimmie Lee Swearengen, Jr., of Mesquite, TX; Thomas Jerome Mitchell, of Victorville, CA; Justine Chambers, of Victorville, CA; and Arthur Wilson, of Moreno Valley, CA.
Kevin Singleton was head of one of the drug trafficking organizations operating in the Natchez area. He received a 35-year prison sentence from U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette, III, in September 2021. Swearengen, Mitchell, Chambers, and Wright were separately sentenced for their participation in drug trafficking operations in the Natchez area. Arthur Wilson was convicted by a federal trial jury in August 2022 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering for his operation of a separate drug trafficking organization in the Natchez area. Wilson is scheduled for sentencing on January 11, 2023.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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.
This OCDETF case is the result of an extensive investigation targeting illegal narcotics distribution by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in Atlanta, GA, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Pearl Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carla J. Clark prosecuted these cases.
Monroe Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Connection with CARES Act Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Michael Ansezell Tolliver, 57, of Monroe, Louisiana, appeared before United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty yesterday and pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering.
In March 2020 Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which were low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. The CARES Act also provided authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
According to evidence presented in court, Tolliver devised a scheme to defraud the SBA and various financial institutions by falsifying PPP and EIDL Program loan applications and other documents to fraudulently obtain funds through these programs. Tolliver submitted these documents in the name of Tolliver Oil & Gas and provided false and fraudulent information specifically related to the number of employees and average monthly payroll of the company.
On or about May 14, 2020, Tolliver electronically submitted a false and fraudulent PPP application to “Bank 3” in the name of Tolliver Oil & Gas seeking approximately $664,724 in PPP funds. In the PPP application, Tolliver certified that the funds would be used “to retain workers and maintain payroll.” Tolliver falsely represented that the company had 108 employees and that its average monthly payroll was $265,889.60 and even submitted a fake IRS Form 940 for 2019. Tolliver signed the PPP application and certified that the application and all information provided in it were true and accurate. When in truth and in fact, Tolliver knew that Tolliver Oil & Gas had no employees or monthly payroll expenses. Thereafter, on or about May 21, 2020, Bank 3 disbursed approximately $664,724 in loan benefits to an account held by Tolliver at “Bank 1.” Using these and other funds, Tolliver made payments on vehicles and other items, including a 2020 Cadillac CT5, 2021 GMC Sierra 1500, two Tissot watches, two Tag Heuer watches, two 2021 Honda Rubicon ATVs, and one 2021 Honda Pioneer ATV.
After receiving the $664,724 in fraudulent acquired PPP loan benefits, Tolliver withdrew approximately $500,065 of those funds in the form of a cashier’s check on June 25, 2020, knowing that the funds were derived from unlawful activity, and deposited them into an account at yet another bank held by Tolliver.
Tolliver faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 2, 2023.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana and Assistant Chief Justin M. Woodard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section of the Department of Justice.
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 of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime and Arson Charges for Burning Down Islamic CenterRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced that a Missouri man pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson violations for burning down the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center (the Center) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, on April 24, 2020, which was the first morning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at approximately 4:50 a.m., Nicholas John Proffitt, 44, set fire to the Islamic Center at 298 Northwest End Boulevard, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Center’s video security system showed Proffitt throwing multiple objects through the building’s glass window, causing it to break. Proffitt threw two containers into the Center through the broken window and stepped through the window to enter the Center. He then poured the contents of two gallon-sized containers throughout the foyer and down the hallway. Proffitt lit two fires that immediately spread through the inside of the building. The Islamic Center building suffered severe damage that rendered it unsuitable for use as a religious center. Proffitt admitted that he set the fire to the Islamic Center because of the religious character of the building.
“Attacks on houses of worship, like the Cape Girardeau Islamic Center, strike at the very heart of religious freedom and observance,” said Assistant Attorney Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’ Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals who violently target religious institutions and communities.”
“This is the second time Nicholas Proffitt attacked the Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau, and his third attack against a house of worship,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “He placed the occupants of that building at risk of death or serious injury, and he will be held responsible for his actions with a significant prison sentence.”
“The FBI just released the 2021 statistics on reported hate crime incidents nationwide. In Missouri, incidents reported to law enforcement jumped by almost 70%,” said Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg of the FBI St. Louis Field Office. “The FBI elevated investigating hate crimes as one of the top priorities for the Bureau because of the alarming increases in recent years. As such, the FBI and our law enforcement partners left no stone unturned to bring Nicholas Proffitt and other perpetrators to justice.”
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has a long tradition of fire and arson investigation. In no case is that expertise more critical than a fire such as this,” said Special Agent in Charge Fred Winston of the ATF Kansas City Field Division. “When a house of worship is intentionally damaged by fire, it is not only that congregation that suffers, but the entire community. Religious centers, churches and mosques are often at the center of our neighborhoods, offering sanctuaries of peace and caring to those in need. Today’s guilty plea is a direct result of local, state and federal law enforcement working together to ensure justice in this unthinkable act.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2023. Proffitt faces up to 20 years in prison for damage to religious property and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for using fire to commit a federal felony. Proffitt also faces a fine of up to $250,000 with respect to each charge.
The Cape Girardeau Police Department, the FBI St. Louis Field Office, the ATF, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Perryville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn for the Eastern District of Missouri and Trial Attorney Noah Coakley II of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.
For more information and resources on the department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
Mississippi Resident Convicted of Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal jury today convicted a Mississippi resident for a carjacking that occurred in Moody, Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Marcus Watson.
The jury returned its guilty verdict against Eric Lamar White, 24, of Jackson, Mississippi, after two days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze. White was convicted of carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime.
“The violent acts of these defendants put the lives of an innocent family in danger,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners in Alabama and Mississippi to apprehend these defendants, and for the work of our prosecutors to ensure that justice was served.”
“These violent offenders repeatedly displayed total disregard for human life and personal property. Carjackings and the prevalence of guns on our streets continue to plaque our communities at alarming and unacceptable rates,” SAC Watson said. “The ATF will continue to work with our state, local, and federal partners to remove violent criminals from the communities that we serve.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on January 7, 2021, White and his codefendant, Kendarian Toran, were traveling from Jackson, Mississippi, to Atlanta, Georgia, in a stolen vehicle with a switched tag. The stolen vehicle began to overheat so White and Toran decided to carjack the victim in this case while carrying a firearm. At the time of the carjacking, the victim was in her 2008 Acura TL, pumping gas with her two small children in the vehicle. White and Toran waited for the perfect opportunity to take her car. White repositioned the overheating stolen car so that Toran could easily jump out and get into the driver’s seat of the Acura with ease. Once Toran got into the driver’s seat of the victim’s vehicle, the victim attempted to stop him from taking her car by jumping into the driver’s seat on top of Toran. She did not want him to take her children and fought for them. Toran put the firearm to the victim’s pregnant belly, told her to get her kids out of the car, and quickly drove off with her 2008 Acura TL, just as the last child got out. White and Toran met at a nearby business parking lot where White abandoned the original stolen vehicle and got into the 2008 Acura TL with Toran. Hours later, White was driving the Acura back to Jackson, Mississippi, with Toran, when Mississippi law enforcement spotted them. A vehicle pursuit ensued for 29 miles on I-20 at speeds over 130 mph with multiple law enforcement officers. Officers had to spike and force the vehicle into the median on I-20. When White was arrested, he had his Glock .45 caliber pistol and an Alabama driver’s license belonging to a person matching the description of the victim. The evidence showed that the Glock .45 caliber pistol was purchased by White in October 2020.
On August 25, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze sentenced Kendarian Lamonte Toran, 18, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, to 114 months in prison for carjacking and carrying and brandishing a firearm during and relation to a violent crime. Toran pleaded guilty to the charges in March.
The maximum penalty for carjacking is 15 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence carries a mandatory penalty of not less than 7 years in prison.
The ATF investigated the case along with assistance from the FBI Birmingham Division, Moody Police Department and multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies, to include Rankin County Sherriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Plyler and Kristy Peoples are prosecuting the case.
Mission Man Sentenced for Third Degree BurglaryRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Third Degree Burglary. The sentencing took place on December 12, 2022.
Justice White Horse, age 20, was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $230 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
White Horse was indicted for Third Degree Burglary by a federal grand jury in April of 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 1, 2022.
On February 8, 2022, in Mission, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, White Horse entered an unoccupied structure, that is the Buffalo Brew coffee shop, with the intent to commit larceny therein. At the time of the offense, White Horse was not licensed or privileged to be in the business.
This case was investigated by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
White Horse was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Middle District of Louisiana Takes Part in Department of Justice’s Outreach Program Educating Communities on Hate CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced the Middle District of Louisiana’s completion of its first “United Against Hate” program. The District was selected as one of the first to pilot the national phasing of this initiative, which is a series of programs designed to help community leaders and the community-at-large to have a better understanding of hate crimes and how to report them to law enforcement. One of the many goals of the United Against Hate Campaign is to proactively engage with members of the community to build trust and increase the likelihood that community members will report acts of hate when they occur.
In May of 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced steps towards the Department of Justice’s enhanced efforts to combat and confront hate crimes. He stated, “Hate crimes and other bias-related incidents instill fear across entire communities and undermine the principles upon which our democracy stands. All people in this country should be able to live without fear of being attacked or harassed because of where they are from, what they look like, whom they love, or how they worship.”
On December 7, 2022, Mr. Gathe, along with members of his office and law enforcement partners who investigate hate crimes, hosted a presentation called “United Against Hate: Identifying, Reporting and Preventing Acts of Hate” at Iglesia Aposento Alto in the Gardere neighborhood of Baton Rouge. Throughout the presentation, members of the Gardere community were provided with informational tools for identifying hate crimes and incidents, instructed on how to prevent and respond to hate crimes and incidents, and introduced to law enforcement professionals to whom they can direct questions and report hate crimes and hate incidents.
U.S. Attorney Gathe stated, “It is a privilege to have been selected by the Department of Justice to participate in the United Against Hate program. Through the United Against Hate program we have the opportunity to collaborate with members of the community to effect positive change, while earning their trust. I must thank our local and federal partners for making our first United Against Hate program a success.”
Through candid conversation, hypothetical examples, and information on defining hate crimes and hate incidents, the United Against Hate program promotes interaction and offers engagement with law enforcement to communities that have unfortunately been subject to discriminatory acts. Program topics include defining hate crimes versus hate incidents; the importance of reporting unlawful acts of hate no matter whether a crime occurred; providing options for responding to hate incidents when situations do not constitute a federal or state crime; and the federal support offered by DOJ as well as state, local, and community resources. The ultimate objective of the program is to foster collaboration in hate crime prevention so that participants leave with a renewed trust that their allegations will be taken seriously, thus increasing the likelihood of reporting hate crimes and incidents.
The role of the numerous U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country is to be the nationwide leader in violent crime reduction, including efforts to combat hate crimes. Mr. Gathe assured participants that although every incident may not rise to the level of a prosecutable hate crime, reporting hate crimes and hate incidents allows him and his office to connect incidents across the region and the nation. This interaction also strengthens our alliance with the most targeted communities and enables us to prosecute incidents that do rise to the level of a hate crime. The next United Against Hate program will take place on January 18, 2023.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes for Death Threats Targeting Black Lives Matter SupportersRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced that Kenneth Pilon, 61, has pleaded guilty in federal district court to willfully intimidating and attempting to intimidate citizens from engaging in lawful speech and protests in support of Black Lives Matter. Pilon will be sentenced on March 23, 2023.
Pilon pleaded guilty to two hate crime charges. Specifically, he pleaded guilty to count 1 of the filed information, which charged him with violating the law by calling nine Starbucks stores in Michigan and telling the employees answering his calls to relay specifically racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Pilon threatened to kill Black people, using a racial slur to refer to his intended victims.
Pilon also pleaded guilty to count 4 of the filed information, which charged him with violating the law by placing a noose inside a vehicle owned by R.S. and D.S. Attached to the noose was a handwritten note, reading: “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!”
“The defendant levied racially-motivated death threats against multiple Black people wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant also used a noose, a vile symbol of hatred and violence that harkens back to the Jim Crow era, to convey a threat of racial violence. Racially-driven threats of violence simply have no place in our society today, and the Department of Justice will continue to prosecute any individual who engages in this type of threatening conduct.”
“The actions of this defendant were threatening to an entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “We hope this conviction sends the message that this type of activity is criminal, and that we will take the necessary action to protect the people of our district.”
“Hate crimes of this nature are meant to not only threaten the victim, but to intimidate an entire community. Because of this wide-ranging impact, hate crime investigations are among the FBI’s highest priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these crimes and to seek justice for the victims and their communities.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Turkelson for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes for Death Threats Targeting Black Lives Matter SupportersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced that Kenneth Pilon, 61, has pleaded guilty in federal district court to willfully intimidating and attempting to intimidate citizens from engaging in lawful speech and protests in support of Black Lives Matter. Pilon will be sentenced on March 23, 2023.
Pilon pleaded guilty to two hate crime charges. Specifically, he pleaded guilty to count 1 of the filed information, which charged him with violating the law by calling nine Starbucks stores in Michigan and telling the employees answering his calls to relay specifically racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts. Pilon threatened to kill Black people, using a racial slur to refer to his intended victims.
Pilon also pleaded guilty to count 4 of the filed information, which charged him with violating the law by placing a noose inside a vehicle owned by R.S. and D.S. Attached to the noose was a handwritten note, reading: “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!”
“The defendant levied racially-motivated death threats against multiple Black people wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant also used a noose, a vile symbol of hatred and violence that harkens back to the Jim Crow era, to convey a threat of racial violence. Racially-driven threats of violence simply have no place in our society today, and the Department of Justice will continue to prosecute any individual who engages in this type of threatening conduct.”
“The actions of this defendant were threatening to an entire community,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “We hope this conviction sends the message that this type of activity is criminal, and that we will take the necessary action to protect the people of our district.”
“Hate crimes of this nature are meant to not only threaten the victim, but to intimidate an entire community. Because of this wide-ranging impact, hate crime investigations are among the FBI’s highest priorities,” said Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these crimes and to seek justice for the victims and their communities.”
The FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Turkelson for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
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Michigan Man Charged with Operating Check-Kiting Scheme that Caused Loss of Nearly $150 MillionRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – Najeeb Khan, 69, of Edwardsburg, Michigan, was charged in a Bill of Information today with operating a long-running check-kiting scheme that caused a financial loss of nearly $150 million to businesses around the country and KeyBank in the Northern District of Ohio.
The Bill of Information charges Khan with one count of bank fraud and one count of attempted tax evasion.
According to court documents, Khan owned and operated Interlogic Outsourcing Inc. (IOI), a payroll processing company that, at one point, provided services to approximately 6,000 clients.
Beginning in 2014, Khan operated a check-kiting scheme using his company’s business bank accounts to fraudulently obtain funds from various financial institutions, including KeyBank. Khan is accused of using these funds to support the growth of his payroll processing business and fund his lifestyle, which included the purchase of automobiles, aircraft, and vacation homes.
As part of his scheme, Khan wrote checks and made wire transfers between accounts under his control at various banks, a type of fraud commonly known as check-kiting. In a check-kiting scheme, checks are continually written back and forth to fraudulently inflate account balances deceiving banks into honoring checks written with insufficient funds.
According to the Bill of Information, Khan wrote checks from IOI accounts at Lake City Bank for deposit into IOI accounts at KeyBank and then wrote checks from IOI accounts at Berkshire Bank for deposit into IOI accounts at Lake City Bank. To cover the check funds issued from Berkshire Bank, Khan is accused of wiring funds from IOI accounts at KeyBank to IOI accounts at Berkshire Bank.
As part of the scheme, Khan is accused of diverting money from the check-kite to personal and other business accounts.
As a result, Khan caused a total financial loss of nearly $150 million.
Khan was also charged with failure to report income gained from the check-kiting scheme on his annual tax return for the tax years 2014-2017.
This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations (CI). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandro A. Abreu and Chelsea S. Rice.
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Miami Woman Arrested on Fentanyl Charges Following Traffic Stop in JamestownRead 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 Elina Martinez, 64, of Miami, FL, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute, and distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who is handling the case, stated that on December 7, 2022, a Jamestown Police Detective requested a uniformed patrol officer to conduct a traffic stop of a vehicle that had committed a number of traffic violations. The vehicle was being driven by Martinez, who produced a Florida driver license, as well as the car rental paperwork for the vehicle. After being stopped, the officer observed Martinez make furtive movements, so he requested that she exit the vehicle. With permission, the officer searched the vehicle and discovered a suspicious powder residue in a suitcase. Two K9 dogs were brought to the scene and each alerted to the presence of “drugs” in the area of the driver’s side and officers found a plastic bag of pills secreted in battery of the car. Following a more extensive search, officers recovered approximately 9 lbs. 13 oz. of blue pills, which field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.
The seized blue pills labeled “m” “30,” which have an approximate value of approximately $1,300,000, are a counterfeit replica of the authentic M30 Oxycodone tablet. Due to the rash of fatalities attributed to fentanyl overdoses, the DEA has issued a “counterfeit pills fact sheet” attempting to warn the community regarding the dangers of using/abusing these counterfeit drugs.
Martinez was ordered held following a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, the Chautauqua County Sheriff Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division.
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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Methuen Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Armed Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Methuen man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for armed bank robbery.
Caio Costa, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 90 months in prison and five years of supervised release. On July 26, 2022, Costa pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of using and carrying a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.
On Sept. 25, 2020, Costa, armed with a loaded revolver and donning a black motorcycle helmet, entered a branch of the Salem Five Bank in Tewksbury. Inside the bank, Costa brandished a black revolver and stole over $7,000. Costa then fled on a motorcycle leading to a high-speed chase with law enforcement, reaching speeds up to 100 m.p.h. Costa eventually crashed the motorcycle in Lawrence and escaped on foot. Law enforcement later located the motorcycle helmet and clothing consistent with that worn by Costa during the robbery. The next day, Costa was arrested at a Salem, N.H. motel at which time he was in possession of a large sum of cash.
During an interview with law enforcement, Costa admitted to robbing the Salem Five Bank three days earlier and committing other armed bank robberies between August and September 2020. He also directed law enforcement to a dumpster where a loaded black revolver, black gloves, a black backpack and other items of clothing used during the robbery were recovered.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; Tewksbury Police Chief Ryan M. Columbus; Barry Golner, Interim Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department; Wilmington Police Chief Joseph Desmond; and Chelmsford Police Chief James M. Spinney made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Meraux Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding in Filing False TaxesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that CYNTHIA BOWLEY, age 68, of Meraux, pled guilty today to aiding and assisting in the filing of false tax returns, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(2).
According to court documents, in June 2017, BOWLEY assisted in preparing a false tax return for a taxpayer in which BOWLEY included false business losses and false charitable deductions. The resulting refund was over $18,000.00 in excess of the amount of the legitimate taxpayer refund.
BOWLEY faces a maximum sentence of three (3) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to one (1) year of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey set her sentencing for February 28, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Brandon S. Long is in charge of the prosecution.
Maryland Man Indicted in Firearms Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Defendant Allegedly Trafficked Firearms to Family Member in the District of Columbia
WASHINGTON – Two men were indicted today on federal charges stemming from a firearms trafficking investigation focused on the summer of 2021.
Demetrius Minor, 31, of Maryland and Donald Willis, 50, of Washington, D.C. were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges related to the illegal transfer of firearms. Minor was indicted on a total of four charges including: engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; illegal interstate transfer of firearms; sale of a firearm to a convicted felon; and conspiracy to commit an offense or defraud the United States. Willis was indicted on the charge of conspiracy.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to traffic more than 30 firearms between April and October of 2021. Defendant Minor acted as the straw-purchaser of firearms from licensed gun stores (FFL’s) in the state of Maryland. After purchasing the firearms, Minor would transfer the guns to Willis in Washington, D.C., where Willis would pay Minor before reselling the guns.
The investigation began when two firearms purchased by Minor were recovered in a ten-day span within the District of Columbia. One of those firearms was recovered in November 2021, when Willis was arrested in an unrelated domestic violence incident. In that incident a handgun recovered from Willis had been reported stolen the same day by Minor, which triggered ATF to investigate Minor’s firearms purchases. The investigation revealed that Minor and Willis are related, and that Minor would legally purchase firearms in bulk from multiple gun stores in Maryland before transferring them to Willis, a prohibited person due to previous convictions, in exchange for cash.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilty. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
The charge of sale of a firearm to a convicted felon carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Each of the other charges carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney’s Samuel Frey and Paul V. Courtney, of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Maryland Man Indicted in Firearms Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Defendant Allegedly Trafficked Firearms to Family Member in the District of Columbia
WASHINGTON – Two men were indicted today on federal charges stemming from a firearms trafficking investigation focused on the summer of 2021.
Demetrius Minor, 31, of Maryland and Donald Willis, 50, of Washington, D.C. were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges related to the illegal transfer of firearms. Minor was indicted on a total of four charges including: engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; illegal interstate transfer of firearms; sale of a firearm to a convicted felon; and conspiracy to commit an offense or defraud the United States. Willis was indicted on the charge of conspiracy.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to traffic more than 30 firearms between April and October of 2021. Defendant Minor acted as the straw-purchaser of firearms from licensed gun stores (FFL’s) in the state of Maryland. After purchasing the firearms, Minor would transfer the guns to Willis in Washington, D.C., where Willis would pay Minor before reselling the guns.
The investigation began when two firearms purchased by Minor were recovered in a ten-day span within the District of Columbia. One of those firearms was recovered in November 2021, when Willis was arrested in an unrelated domestic violence incident. In that incident a handgun recovered from Willis had been reported stolen the same day by Minor, which triggered ATF to investigate Minor’s firearms purchases. The investigation revealed that Minor and Willis are related, and that Minor would legally purchase firearms in bulk from multiple gun stores in Maryland before transferring them to Willis, a prohibited person due to previous convictions, in exchange for cash.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
The charge of sale of a firearm to a convicted felon carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Each of the other charges carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney’s Samuel Frey and Paul V. Courtney, of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Man Admits Molotov Cocktail Attack on St. Charles RestaurantRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A disgruntled former employee on Tuesday admitted attacking a St. Charles restaurant with a Molotov cocktail in 2021.
Rashaad Cotton, 25, of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to a felony charge of attempting to commit arson. Cotton admitted that on April 30, 2021 at approximately 6:20 p.m., he threw a Molotov cocktail on a residential street in a suburban area in St. Charles.
Twenty minutes later, Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail on the northeast side of the Sauce on the Side restaurant on Beale Street in St. Charles, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware said in court Tuesday. He threw another near the front door. A juvenile female with Cotton threw a Molotov cocktail at a patio area, Cotton’s plea agreement says. The restaurant was open and serving customers. The pair then ran back to Cotton’s vehicle and sped away, but crashed into a curb and were arrested.
Cotton told police that he had been fired from the restaurant the night before and wanted to scare people.
At his sentencing, scheduled for April 19, Cotton could face five to 20 years in prison for the crime.
The case was investigated by the St. Charles Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware is prosecuting the case.
Madison Man Sentenced for Postal TheftRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Steven Rosa, 29, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 2 years of probation for theft of mail matter by a postal employee. Judge Conley also imposed a $2,000 fine as part of Rosa’s sentence.
Rosa’s theft was uncovered after a service technician for a portable toilet company found opened U.S. First Class mail in a portable toilet in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on December 28, 2020. On January 4, 2021, additional pieces of opened mail were found in the same location, as well as in a second portable toilet. The U.S. Postal Service determined this mail was assigned for delivery to Rosa, who was a mail carrier with the Postal Service at the time.
Rosa ultimately admitted to stealing mail from his route for a period of two weeks, and that he was looking for cash and Amazon gift cards. In total, the Postal Service determined the defendant stole pieces of mail from 39 separate individuals, and approximately $245 in cash and gift cards. This mail included several holiday greeting cards.
In sentencing Rosa, Judge Conley stated that the crime committed by the defendant was a sad offense because of its impact on the community. Judge Conley also stated that the defendant’s conduct was incredibly damaging to the “already suffering” U.S. Postal Service, and that the defendant violated the trust of the public.
The charge against Rosa was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus prosecuted this case.
Long Island Man Convicted of Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, a federal jury convicted Marlon Thompson on all four counts of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin and cocaine base, the distribution of fentanyl that caused the death of the victim Fredrick Koenig, 36, on Christmas Day 2018, and illegal possession of firearms. The verdict followed a six-day trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Thompson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); and Rodney J. Harrison, Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Commissioner (SCPD), and Raymond A. Tierney, Suffolk County District Attorney, announced the verdict.
“Today, the defendant was held accountable for trafficking fentanyl that caused the tragic overdose death of a young man on Long Island,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The large quantities of fentanyl the defendant distributed all over Suffolk County had a devastating impact on the community, including by taking this young man away from his family too soon. This Office, together with our federal and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to prosecute those who contribute to this serious problem.”
“The overwhelming number of drug poisonings throughout the United States is a driving force for DEA to bring those responsible to justice,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. “Today’s conviction emphasizes the rippling effect of this crisis and its devastation of so many lives. This investigation is one example of our commitment to families who have lost loved ones and how we work every day to stop drug traffickers like Marlon Thompson.”
“This defendant was responsible for fueling addiction by trafficking powerful narcotics that led to the death of a Selden man,” stated SCPD Commissioner Harrison said. “We will never stop working together with our law enforcement partners to hold these dealers accountable as well as community groups to help the addicted get the assistance they need.”
“This case is a stark reminder of the tragic devastation that the opioid epidemic has inflicted regionally, and specifically upon Suffolk County,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney. “My office will continue to work collaboratively with our State and Federal law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and prosecute dealers whose illicit drugs have caused harm or death to others.”
The evidence proved that, from January 2017 through May 2019, the defendant conspired to distribute fentanyl, heroin and cocaine base throughout Suffolk County. On Christmas Day in 2018, the defendant supplied fentanyl to the victim, who suffered a fatal overdose at his parents’ home in Selden, New York. The defendant continued supplying fentanyl, heroin, and crack in Suffolk County for months after Koenig’s death. When Thompson was arrested, law enforcement recovered fentanyl and drug packaging materials from his basement bedroom, and also seized three illegal guns and ammunition from Thompson’s storage unit. The government’s evidence included testimony from Thompson’s co-conspirators, text messages between the defendant and drug dealers discussing their illicit business, drug paraphernalia, and thousands of dollars of bundled U.S. currency derived from the drug sales seized from the defendant’s residence.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Samantha Alessi, Gabriel Park and Catherine M. Mirabile are in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Adam Bernard.
The Defendant:
MARLON THOMPSON
Age: 41
Selden, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-596 (S-1) (JMA)
Little Eagle Woman Sentenced for Distribution of Methamphetamine Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, woman convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death. The sentencing took place on December 12, 2022.
Samantha Lee Uses Arrow, age 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Uses Arrow was indicted for Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death by a federal grand jury in October of 2021. She pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022.
In January 2021, in Little Eagle, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, Uses Arrow injected methamphetamine into another person, who died from methamphetamine toxicity.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency and Division of Drug Enforcement, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Mobridge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Uses Arrow was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Little Eagle Man Sentenced for BurglaryRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, man convicted of First Degree Burglary. The sentencing took place on December 12, 2022.
Dustin Jade Red Fox, age 30, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Red Fox was indicted for First Degree Burglary by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022.
In June 2022, in Little Eagle, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, Red Fox entered the residence of his former dating partner without permission and assaulted her. Red Fox then attempted to start the residence on fire by burning a blanket on a stove.
This case was investigated by Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Red Fox was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lisbon Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A woman who distributed methamphetamine out of her home was sentenced on December 12, 2022, to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Alberta Lynnette Batchelder, age 44, from Lisbon, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 20, 2022 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, between January 2021 and June 2021, Batchelder conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. Specifically, Batchelder was distributing at least an ounce of methamphetamine every week from her home between March 2021 and to June 2021. In addition, on June 9, 2021, during a search of Batchelder’s home, officers found approximately 428.22 grams of ice methamphetamine.
Batchelder was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Batchelder was sentenced to 127 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Batchelder is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Adam J. Vander Stoep and Devra Hake and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-30.
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Las Vegas Woman Pleads Guilty in $7.1 Million Wire Fraud Scheme to Defraud Federal Pandemic ProgramsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, from June 2020 through January 2022, Tequisha Solomon, 39, executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic assistance money from various states, including Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and California’s Employment Development Department (EDD).
As part of the fraud scheme, Solomon sought Unemployment benefits (UI) from states where she had no lawful basis to receive them. For example, while Solomon resided in Minnesota and Nevada, she falsely claimed to California’s EDD that she worked and resided in Los Angeles, California. As a result, California’s EDD paid Solomon at least $37,000 in periodic UI payments between approximately in 2020 and 2021, during which time she actually resided in Minnesota or Nevada.
Solomon also unlawfully sought to obtain UI benefits from multiple states simultaneously. For instance, in October 2020, Solomon fraudulently claimed UI benefits from the Illinois Department of Employment Security when she was actually residing in Minnesota and was already fraudulently receiving UI benefits from California’s EDD. In March 2021, Solomon fraudulently applied for UI from Minnesota’s DEED, and concealed her fraudulent receipt of UI benefits from California and Illinois.
In addition to fraudulently obtaining pandemic-related benefits for herself, Solomon also assisted others to obtain pandemic-related funds in exchange for a fee, as much as $2,000. Solomon submitted over 200 false and fraudulent applications for UI benefits on behalf of others.
In total, Solomon fraudulently applied for $7,149,032 in pandemic-related funds and caused the United States and multiple state agencies to pay out at least $4,708,191 in the form of fraudulent UI benefits and small business loan proceeds.
Solomon pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled yet.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the St. Paul Police Department and the California Employment Development Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the case.
La Crosse Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Kristopher L. Halverson, 32, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to six years in prison for receiving child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Halverson pleaded guilty to this charge on August 10, 2022.
In January 2021, the Grand Ledge Police Department in Grand Ledge, Michigan responded to a report of inappropriate communication between a 12-year-old female and a male, later identified as Kristopher Halverson. Based on this complaint, the FBI obtained a search warrant for Halverson’s home in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, and searched a car where Halverson was found. During the search of the car, officers found an iPhone on the passenger floorboard. The iPhone had an active Google Duo phone call running with a different girl’s contact name.
After further analysis of the phone, agents were able to identify the Google Duo contact as a 15-year-old girl from Texas. The girl was interviewed and disclosed that she met Halverson while gaming and he began sending her gifts. The defendant repeatedly asked the girl to send explicit images to him and she ultimately did so.
The charge against Halverson was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Grand Ledge (Michigan) Police Department, and the Coulee Region Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, that includes the La Crosse Police Department, La Crosse County Sheriff’s Department, Village of Holmen Police Department, Onalaska Police Department, West Salem Police Department and Town of Campbell Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
Kansas Veteran Sentenced for Defrauding the VARead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN.– A Kansas man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $537,000 in restitution for defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) out of disability benefits.
In August 2022, a federal jury convicted Bruce Hay, 54, of Greeley, a U.S. Army veteran, of six counts of wire fraud and 10 counts of theft of government funds. Hay misrepresented and exaggerated the extent of symptoms related to a purported conversion disorder diagnosis to receive more than $500,000 in VA disability benefits to which he was not entitled.
“Misrepresenting symptoms to the VA to fraudulently obtain benefits takes resources from deserving veterans and will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Central Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to vigorously investigate those who would steal from VA benefits programs and taxpayers.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of the Inspector General and the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan J. Huschka and D. Christopher Oakley prosecuted the case.
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