Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
23 January 2023
Corfu Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Fraudulent African Orphanage SchemeRead 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 Julie Keller, 57, of Corfu, NY, who was convicted of wire fraud, was sentenced to serve one year probation, and pay restitution totaling $162,853.59, by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who handled the case, stated that in December 2014, Keller began communicating online with someone who identified themself as “Eric Holder,” who claimed to be raising money to build an orphanage in Africa. Between July 2015 and September 2020, Keller received money from numerous individuals (victims) who allegedly were contributing financially to the orphanage project. Keller deposited the money in bank accounts at First Niagara Bank, M&T Bank, KeyBank, and Bank of America that she owned and controlled, before dispersing the funds to other bank accounts located outside of the United States. During the course of the scheme, each of the banks closed Keller’s accounts, advising her that the accounts were closed due to suspicious and fraudulent activity. However, Keller became aware during the course of the scheme that the orphanage project was fraudulent and the individuals sending her money were doing so under false pretenses, or she strongly suspected that the scheme was fraudulent but consciously avoided learning the truth, and continued to deposit funds into her accounts from victims. The total loss amount to victims was $182,730.76.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward.
# # # #
Convicted Felon Found Guilty on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal jury on Thursday found a convicted felon guilty on gun and charges, 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 Devon Martez Easley, 31, of Vestavia Hills, after three days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala. Easley was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.
“This is the second trial in a week involving gun crime. We continue to use all tools in our toolbox to address the ongoing issue of gun crime in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “I appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners to identify and bring to justice those who commit these crimes.”
“ATF’s top priority is to reduce violent crime,” said SAC Watson. “Drug trafficking and the prevalence of guns on our streets continue to plaque our community at alarming rates. The ATF will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and apprehend those individuals.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on January 26, 2020, Mountain Brook police officers responded to a call of a stranded car on Highway 280 near Shades Creek Parkway. Upon arrival officers found Easley unresponsive and slumped over the steering wheel. Officers opened the driver’s side door, put the car in park and turned off the engine. Easley sat up, and though somewhat responsive, appeared disoriented. In Easley’s hand, officers noticed a marijuana joint. After being told repeatedly by officers to “step out of the car,” Easley eventually exited the vehicle. Officers searched Easley and found him to be in possession of a Taurus 9mm pistol. Officers also searched the vehicle and recovered a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm pistol that had been reported stolen, 23 grams of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and synthetic marijuana. Some of the narcotics were packaged for distribution.
In addition to the convictions on the offenses committed in Mountain Brook on January 26, 2020, the jury also found Easley guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm for an incident on February 9, 2021, where Easley possessed a stolen Taurus 9mm pistol in Birmingham. Easley’s prior felony convictions included Breaking and Entering a Vehicle, Assault Second Degree, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, First Degree, Attempted Distribution of a Controlled Substance, and Destruction of State Property.
The maximum penalty for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and heroin is 20 years in prison. Easley faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years in prison.
The ATF investigated the case along with the DEA, Mountain Brook Police Department, Birmingham Police Department and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Simpson and John Camp are prosecuting the case.
Connecticut Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Feeney, age 56, of Bristol, Connecticut, pled guilty today to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Feeney admitted that between March and April 2022, he exchanged sexually explicit messages online with undercover officers posing as a father and a 10-year-old child in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him. Feeney also admitted that on April 24, 2022, he traveled from Connecticut and arrived unannounced at a residence in Albany County, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with the presumed 10-year-old child. Feeney was arrested by law enforcement shortly after arriving at the location. Feeney was a registered sex offender at the time of the offense, and had a prior felony conviction, in Connecticut, involving sexual assault of a minor.
Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes will sentence Feeney on May 23, 2023. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Colonie Police Department and New York State Police. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Child Predator Sentenced to 15 Years for Producing, Sharing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
AUSTIN, Texas – A Florence, Texas man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in federal prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for the sexual exploitation of a child and production of child pornography.
According to court documents, Joseph Leslie Reichard, 23, used his cell phone to produce three images of child sexual abuse material depicting a minor between the ages of one and three years old. Reichard sent the images via a messaging app to a person in Pennsylvania. He pleaded guilty in October 2022 and has remained in federal custody since his arrest in March 2022.
“This defendant used his cell phone to photograph and distribute despicable acts of sexual abuse against defenseless children,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas. “Limiting the availability of child sexual abuse begins with cracking down directly on offenders like Reichard, who can expect to face the harshest penalties under federal law.”
"The FBI continues its steadfast commitment to rescue children from those who commit these abhorrent crimes," said Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich Jr. of the FBI San Antonio Division. "Today's sentencing is the result of the FBI and our task force partners' relentless effort to hold child predators accountable for their reprehensible acts."
The FBI San Antonio Division investigated the case with the help of the FBI Pittsburgh Division.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
###
Cedar Rapids Man Gets 20 Years in Federal Prison for 2011 Taxicab RobberyRead the Press Release
A man who killed a taxi driver during a robbery on April 29, 2011, was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison.
Johnathan DeWayne Mitchell, age 44, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of robbery of the taxi, which was entered as trial commenced on August 29, 2022. The maximum penalty for Mitchell’s crime was 20 years’ imprisonment.
Evidence admitted at the trial, before the plea was entered showed the driver died of multiple stab wounds she sustained during the robbery. Additionally, the sentencing judge found evidence admitted at trial and sentencing showed Mitchell’s killing of the driver was premeditated, and intentionally done during the robbery, and Mitchell used the robbery proceeds to purchase crack cocaine.
Mitchell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Mitchell was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of 240 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $5000 in restitution to the owner of the cab and $24,663.10 to the Iowa Crime Victim Fund. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mitchell is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick Reinert and Dillan Edwards and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 16-CR-00029-LTS. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Caseyville Woman Admits to Cashing Deceased Mother’s Social Security ChecksRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A woman from Caseyville admitted to cashing more than $128,000 in her deceased mother’s Social Security benefits in a U.S. District Court on Monday.
Darlene L. Rogers, 72, pled guilty to one count of Theft of Government Funds.
“Concealing a relative’s death from the Government in order to keep receiving the relative’s Social Security benefits constitutes felony theft,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Individuals tempted to do this face going to federal prison.”
“Ms. Rogers knowingly committed fraud by stealing Social Security retirement benefits that were intended for her deceased mother,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration (SSA). “I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case. We will continue to protect the integrity of the SSA and hold accountable those who defraud its programs.”
According to court documents, Juanita M. Rich, the defendant’s mother, collected monthly benefits from the Social Security Administration until her passing in October 1997. The family didn’t report Rich’s death to the SSA, and in October 2009, Rogers forged her mother’s signature to gain ownership of the bank account. For 12 years, Rogers used her deceased mother’s checkbook to write checks payable to herself in approximately the amount of the monthly social security deposit.
In early 2021, the SSA discovered Rich was deceased and launched an investigation. From October 2009 to April 2021, the SSA deposited $128,656 into the bank account.
The defendant’s sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 23, 2023.
The Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General led the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuting the case.
Bulgarian National Convicted for Child Pornography Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Bulgarian national today for conspiracy to advertise and distribute images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of young children.
According to evidence presented at trial, Plamen Georgiev Velinov, 49, of Sofia, helped manage and administer the Newstar Enterprise, an internet-based business that profited from the sexual exploitation of vulnerable children under the guise of “child modeling,” through a collection of websites called the Newstar Websites. Beginning in around 2006 and continuing until 2019, Velinov assisted the enterprise by selecting children to be featured on the Newstar Websites, editing images and videos on those websites, communicating with customers, setting prices for videos, activating new websites, and creating advertising banners. While chatting with a co-conspirator, Velinov described one child as “nuclear sexy,” underscoring his knowledge of the purpose of the websites. Financial records show that U.S.-based co-conspirators transferred more than $400,000 to Velinov’s Bulgarian bank account in connection with the conspiracy.
According to court documents in this case and related cases, the Newstar Enterprise, which was founded around 2005, built, maintained, hosted, and operated the Newstar Websites on servers in the United States and abroad. To populate the Newstar Websites with content, Newstar Enterprise members sourced, enticed, solicited, and recruited males and females under the age of 18, many of whom were prepubescent, to use as “child models” for the Newstar Websites. The Newstar Enterprise used the child victims to produce more than 4.6 million sexualized images and videos – including images and videos depicting children as young as six-years-old in sexual and provocative poses, wearing thong underwear, transparent underwear, revealing swimsuits, pantyhose, miniskirts, and costumes – that were distributed and sold through the Newstar Websites. Most of the child victims were recruited from Ukraine, Moldova, and other nations in Eastern Europe and were particularly vulnerable due to their age and socio-economic status.
Newstar subscribers and customers of the Newstar Websites were from more than 100 different countries. Images were freely available to the public to preview, but Newstar offered a paid subscription for greater access and more content. The sale of Newstar content generated more than $9.4 million during the conspiracy. To process, receive, and distribute this money, Newstar Enterprise leaders fraudulently opened merchant and bank accounts in the United States and laundered proceeds using a bogus jewelry company.
Velinov was convicted of one count of conspiracy to advertise visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of conspiracy to distribute such images. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18 and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
To date, six members of the Newstar Enterprise have been charged in connection with the Newstar Websites. The chart below shows the status of each case.
Name
Charge(s)
Status
Tatiana Power
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Pleaded guilty and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison
Kenneth Power
Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography
Defendant deceased; case dismissed
Plamen Georgiev Velinov
Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography
Convicted after trial
Patrice Wilowski-Mevorah
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Pleaded guilty and sentenced to 63 months in prison
Anthony Lee Kendall
Conspiracy to commit money laundering; promotion money laundering; concealment money laundering
Defendant deceased; case dismissed
Mary Lou Bjorkman
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Pleaded guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge John Condon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa made the announcement.
HSI Tampa and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated these cases with substantial assistance from the HSI offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Athens, Greece, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Sofia, Bulgaria. This investigation also benefited from substantial assistance and cooperation from foreign law enforcement, including from the Republic of Bulgaria, Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office; the National Investigative Service of Bulgaria; and the Dutch National Police, International Legal Assistance Center, North-Holland Unit. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted with securing foreign evidence, including through mutual legal assistance requests to Bulgaria and the Netherlands, and with Velinov’s extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) provided capacity building assistance and mentoring.
Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karyna Valdes of the Middle District for Florida are prosecuting these cases.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the 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.
Buffalo Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Cocaine ChargeRead 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 Jose A Solis-Pizzaro, 43, and Mirelys Camacho Betancourt, 27, both of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that on February 1, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant on a parcel addressed to “Axel Rodriguez 430 Parker Ave. Buffalo, NY 14216.” Investigators recovered approximately 1024 grams of cocaine. A few days later, on February 3, 2021, the contents of the parcel were replaced with sham and delivered to 403 Parker Avenue by an undercover law enforcement officer. While standing in front of the residence, Solis-Pizzaro approached the officer and stated that the subject parcel belonged to him, and that he lived at the residence. Shortly after receiving the parcel, Solis-Pizzaro got into a black BMW vehicle. He was then arrested, and the subject parcel was recovered in the vehicle.
Later that day, Camacho Betancourt arrived in the vicinity where the package was delivered, was questioned by law enforcement about her connection to the residence and taken into custody. Camacho Betancourt admitted that she was paid to locate addresses in Buffalo, NY, where parcels containing drugs could be delivered.
The pleas are the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, New York Field Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.
Camacho Betancourt is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, 2023, and Solis-Pizzaro on June 1, 2023, both before Judge Vilardo.
# # # #
Bakersfield Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Fentanyl, and HeroinRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jose Rivas Jr., 27, of Bakersfield, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between June 2016 and May 2018, Rivas conspired with another Bakersfield man, Juan Pina, 24, to use a national parcel service company to ship packages of narcotics to various distributors around the country. Records filed with the court indicate that Rivas and Pina made kilogram-quantity shipments of controlled substances on at least 45 occasions.
On May 3, 2018, search warrants were executed for Pina’s residence and vehicle. Pina was arrested while driving his vehicle, and in the back seat was a three-foot-long rectangular box, similar in size to the earlier shipments. The package was searched and found to contain approximately 700 grams of cocaine. In a search of Pina’s home, agents recovered over 2 pounds of heroin, over 2 pounds of cocaine, approximately 70 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun, and three long guns all found within close proximity to the drugs. Rivas was working with Pina, in connection with shipping the narcotics seized on May 3. Rivas directed Pina to pick up narcotics from various individuals. Rivas then provided Pina with addresses of individuals across the country to coordinate the shipment of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.
On March 27, 2019, when search warrants were executed for Rivas’s residence, agents recovered 12 cellphones and arrested Rivas.
Juan Pina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, and on Aug. 28, 2019, he was sentenced to six years and six months in prison.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case.
Brothel Owner Sentenced to 87 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced that Ramona Rivera Luna, 65, a native of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced in federal court today after previously pleading guilty to one count of transporting an individual in foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution and three counts of bringing illegal aliens to the United States for financial gain. Chief District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy sentenced Rivera Luna to a term of 87 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $1,095,712.00 and $20,400.00 in a mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, Rivera Luna arranged for illegal aliens living in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela to be smuggled to St. Thomas to live and work as prostitutes at The Embers Guest House, an illegal house of prostitution that she owned and operated. Rivera Luna admitted to having lured some of these women into traveling to St. Thomas under the false pretense of providing them with legitimate employment as bartenders. Rivera Luna further admitted that she financially benefitted from this arrangement as the women were required to reimburse her for the cost of their transportation. The women were also required to pay Rivera Luna rent and a cut of the money they earned from performing commercial sex acts. In handing down the sentence, Chief Judge Molloy noted the mental anguish that Rivera Luna caused her victims to suffer.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith Edwards prosecuted this case.
Atlanta promoter and entrepreneur indicted for Paycheck Protection Program fraudRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Travis Lee Harris has been arraigned on federal charges stemming from his fraudulent acquisition of a Paycheck Protection Program loan for small businesses. Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 3, 2023.
“Congress established the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses, not to be easy money for anyone willing to lie on a loan application,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who defrauded taxpayers out of the funds meant to sustain the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.”
“Providing false information to defraud SBA’s pandemic-related programs is a crime,” said U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite. “OIG is committed to rooting out bad actors and protecting the integrity of SBA programs. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and pursuit of justice.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: In June 2020, Travis Harris signed a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application for his business, Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC, in the amount of $968,405. Harris’ application was based on fraudulent information about the business’ number of employees, payroll, and revenue. Based on Harris’ fraudulent representations, the lender deposited the $968,405 into one of Harris’ bank accounts for Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC. Harris soon began transferring the PPP loan funds into his personal bank accounts.
Travis Lee Harris, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arraigned on an indictment charging the offense of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, on January 18, 2023, before U.S. Magistrate Judge John K. Larkins III. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Small Business Administration's (SBA-OIG) Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Forsyth and Alison Prout are prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Armed Felon Sentenced to over 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- Desmond Breaziel, 33, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was sentenced to 75 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents, on March 7, 2022, Lawrence Police Department (LPD) officers responded to a report of two men passed out in a parked Ford Explorer at a Waffle House parking lot. The driver, Desmond Breaziel, was unresponsive upon the officers’ arrival. When Breaziel woke up and exited the vehicle, he appeared confused and disoriented. Officers found a loaded Taurus .38 caliber handgun and approximately 81 pills containing methamphetamine on Breaziel’s person. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a fanny pack containing marijuana and a digital scale.
Breaziel is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law due to his previous felony convictions, including dealing narcotics and a prior federal conviction for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Breaziel was still under court supervision following his release from federal prison when he was again arrested for illegal gun possession.
“Illegally armed felons and drug dealers help drive the gun violence plaguing our families and neighbors,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I commend the quick response by the Lawrence Police Department and the work of ATF to protect the public from this criminal. The serious sentence imposed today is a message to others who are legally barred from possessing firearms: put down the guns or you risk federal prison time.”
“The Lawrence Police Department thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana and U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers, along with our law enforcement partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives for focusing federal resources on holding armed felons accountable,” said Chief Gary Woodruff of the Lawrence Police Department. “These federal, state, and local agency collaborations leading to convictions result in a safer central Indiana for all Hoosiers to enjoy.”
ATF investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by LPD. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Chief Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Breaziel be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Abhishek Kambli and Samantha Spiro, who prosecuted this case.
Armed Drug Dealer Sentenced to over 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Michael James Staton (30, Wachula) to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. The court also ordered Staton to forfeit a North American Arms Guardian, .380 caliber handgun, Springfield Armory XDS, .45 caliber handgun, Glock 19 handgun, and $12,408 in U.S. currency that was traceable to the offense. Staton had pleaded guilty on October 17, 2022.
According to court documents, on July 18, 2020, Staton was serving the supervision portion of a sentence stemming from a Florida felony conviction. The supervision conditions included a curfew of 10:00 PM. On that same day, a law enforcement officer who was aware that Staton was under state supervision and subject to curfew observed Staton drive into a gas station. The officer approached and detained Staton to investigate the curfew violation, conducted a pat-down search of Staton and discovered $2,248 and marijuana on Staton’s person. As other officers arrived on the scene, one officer observed a firearm in plain view on the floorboard of Staton’s car. The officers searched Staton’s car and found 131 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, $10,160 in a safe, two cellphones, and 889 grams of marijuana.
A few months later, on October 27, 2020, Staton and a co-conspirator sold 28 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. On October 8, 2020, Staton and his co-conspirator sold an additional 56 grams of methamphetamine
This case was investigated by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. Agencies involved in this OCDETF operation include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office, and the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.
21 January 2023
Madison County Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Ryan Berte, age 33, of Eaton, New York, pled guilty yesterday to receiving and possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Northeast Area Field Office, Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and New York State Police (NYSP) Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli.
As part of his guilty plea yesterday, Berte admitted that from at least February 24, 2021, through March 10, 2021, while employed as a mail carrier in Madison County, New York, he downloaded images and videos of child pornography which he also made available to third parties using a peer-to-peer file sharing program installed on his laptop. Berte also admitted that, on September 22, 2021, during a search of his home, he possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on the same laptop.
At sentencing, scheduled for May 22, 2023, Berte faces a maximum potential sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 5 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release of between 5 years and life, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Berte will also be required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by USPS-OIG, USPIS, and the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Computer Crimes Unit (CCU), Troop D Oneida. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), and is designed to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Liverpool Man Sentenced for Drug and Firearm CrimesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Dionel Hall, age 43, of Liverpool, New York, received an 84-month prison sentence as a result of his convictions for possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration New York Division, and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli made the announcement.
As part of his previous guilty plea, Hall admitted that on February 7, 2021, he possessed 995.6 grams of eutylone, also known as “molly,” which he intended to distribute to customers in Oneida County and elsewhere. Hall further admitted that on September 9, 2021, he possessed a loaded semiautomatic pistol, approximately 140 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and $45,094.00 cash drug proceeds. Hall acknowledged that at the time of the offense, he knew that he had been convicted of multiple felony offenses punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and that he was also on parole at the time. Those prior convictions included a first-degree robbery conviction in 2003, for which he received a sentence in Monroe County Court of 18 years’ imprisonment.
U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd also imposed a 3-year term of supervised release to follow imprisonment, and the forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition involved in the offense. As part of his prior guilty plea, Hall agreed to the administrative forfeiture of the cash drug proceeds.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and New York State Police investigated the case with the assistance of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Utica Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McCrobie prosecuted the case.
20 January 2023
Wake County Man Sentenced to 15 Years After Shooting into Public Safety Center in Downtown RaleighRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – United States Attorney Michael Easley announced that a Cary man was sentenced today to 181 months in prison after carjacking a woman at gunpoint and firing multiple shots at the Wake County Public Safety Center in downtown Raleigh. Willie Lee Hayes, Jr., 51, pled guilty to the charges.
“Hayes was an armed and dangerous felon with lengthy criminal history who put law enforcement and the public at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “Let today’s 15-year sentence stand as a warning. Our office is prioritizing the prosecution of repeat felons driving gun violence in our communities.”
“The Wake County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the US Attorney’s Office for their diligence in bringing this case to a successful conclusion,” stated Sheriff Willie L. Rowe. “The actions of Willie L. Hayes, Jr. on October 6, 2020 put the lives of several members of the public as well as staff members of our office in grave jeopardy. It is a miracle that none of the bullets fired by Mr. Hayes directly struck any of the numerous people in the vicinity. We would also like to thank our partners with the Raleigh Police Department, Cary Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and others for their assistance with this case.”
“The Raleigh Police Department expresses gratitude to the Department of Justice for their due diligence in prosecuting this case,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson. “We are thankful no one was seriously injured in this violent act against the Wake County Sheriff’s Office and several other public safety agencies. An act of violence against any public safety partner is an act of violence against our entire community. Our department is committed to collaborating with other agencies to bring justice to those who harm our communities.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, on October 6, 2020, at around 3:00 pm, a white Dodge Journey stopped on Salisbury Street in Raleigh in front of the John H. Baker Public Safety Center. The Public Safety Center houses the detention center, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Fire Services, the City-County Bureau of Identification, and the Wake County Sheriff's Office. A man, later identified as Hayes, stepped out of the right front passenger seat and pulled out a handgun. He fired multiple shots toward the front of the building, where several people were present. Shots hit the building’s front door and windows. While no one was hit, falling glass from a broken window injured a Wake County Deputy’s leg. Hayes got back into the car, which fled South on Salisbury Street away from the scene. Officers recovered 12-9mm shell casings from the road.
A witness provided officers with a license plate number, and a registration check revealed that the car was registered to Hayes and a woman with the initials J.N., both listed as sharing an address on Rose Street in Cary. Officers soon located J.N. driving the Dodge Journey near the home. During an interview, J.N. explained that she purchased a Stoeger 9mm pistol about two weeks prior but hadn’t seen it for around a week. Before the shooting, Hayes asked her to come pick him up and take him to a gas station. But during the drive, Hayes pulled out the 9mm handgun and demanded that she drive him to the Wake County courthouse (referring to the Public Safety Center). He said that if she stopped the vehicle for any reason, he would shoot her. When she arrived in front of the courthouse, Hayes opened the font passenger door of the vehicle and began firing. Hayes then told her to drive away and not to stop until they were back home. She had dropped him off at the house and had just left when officers stopped her car.
Deputies surrounded the Rose Street residence and took Hayes into custody. They executed a search warrant and found the Stoeger 9mm pistol in the seat of a moped. J.N. was shown a photograph of the firearm and confirmed it to be her pistol that Hayes had used to shoot the courthouse.
At the time of the shooting, Hayes’ criminal record included five state felony drug convictions, three convictions for assault on a female, and a felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. He had previously been convicted as a habitual felon in state court.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Raleigh and Cary Police Departments, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-0499-FL.
###
Violent Drug Dealer Who Threatened Law Enforcement Receives 9 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Joseph Michael Wilson, also known as “Mike Mike,” 37, of Kinston North Carolina, was sentenced to 108 months in prison for two counts of distribution of a quantity of cocaine. Wilson pled guilty to the charges on November 15, 2022.
“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities day in and day out,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “They deserve our utmost respect. This defendant, a violent drug dealer, threatened not only the officers, but also their families. Now he will be spending the next nine years in prison.”
“The Kinston Police Department is committed to working with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to make our communities safer,” said Interim Kinston Police Department Chief Keith Goyette. “On behalf of the men and women of the Kinston Police Department as well as our citizens, I want to extend my sincere thanks to U.S. Attorney Michael Easley Jr. and his staff at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina for partnering with us to combat crime and prosecute violent offenders within our community. Cases like this demonstrate the overall strategy and uncompromising determination to eliminate the drug and violent crime plaguing our community.”
According to court documents, evidence presented in court, and other documents, on June 15 and June 20, 2022, the Kinston Police Department made controlled purchases of cocaine from Wilson. Both deals occurred in an area known as the “Kurve” on South Adkins Street in Kinston.
On July 14, 2022, Wilson was arrested at a residence on Falling Creek Road. Law enforcement searched the residence and found additional cocaine.
The investigation also revealed that prior to his arrest on these charges, Wilson posted several threats against law enforcement on social media, including posting pictures of officers and their families.
Wilson has prior state felony convictions for Voluntary Manslaughter in 2006, Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill in 2006, and Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury in 2015.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Kinston Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:22-CR-00040-BO.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Collects More Than $53.5 Million in Fiscal Year 2022Read the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – United States Attorney Robert J. Troester announced today that the Western District of Oklahoma (WDOK) collected $53,584,692 in criminal and civil actions and through asset forfeiture in Fiscal Year 2022.
Of the total amount collected and exclusively worked by the district, $3,245,900 was for criminal actions and $2,952,310 for civil action. The WDOK also worked with components of the Department of Justice and other U.S. Attorney’s Offices to jointly collect $40,997,638 in civil cases. The WDOK collected $6,388,844 through asset forfeiture by partnering with agencies and divisions. Forfeited assets deposited into the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims as well as a variety of law enforcement purposes.
"In addition to keeping communities safe, my office prioritizes the recovery of financial losses suffered by victims of crime and by taxpayers who have lost funds through fraud on the government or default on loans," said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. "I am proud the talented women and men in my office who use the tools Congress has provided to seek to achieve financial justice in criminal and civil litigation involving the United States."
Highlights of the Western District of Oklahoma’s FY2022 collection efforts include:
- After a collaborative investigation with other DOJ components, Balfour Beatty Communities LLC (BBC), one of the largest providers of privatized military housing to the U.S. Armed Forces, paid $35.2 million to resolve claims that they defrauded the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy by falsifying satisfaction of performance objectives to obtain incentive payments to which it was not entitled.
- After a voluntary disclosure, Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, LLC paid $1,151,770.50 to resolve allegations it submitted false claims for Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation services billed to Medicare.
- Comanche County Hospital Authority (“CCHA”) and two physicians paid $550,000 to resolve civil penalty claims related allegations that the prescriptions issued by Drs. Harden and Varkey were outside the usual course of professional practice and that CCHA neglected to implement appropriate prescribing policies and procedures.
- INTEGRIS ProHealth, Inc., and its parent company, INTEGRIS Health, Inc. paid $120,000 to resolve civil penalty claims stemming from allegations that Integris Baptist Medical Center Pharmacy violated the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 and its regulations by failing to timely notify DEA regarding thefts or significant losses of Schedule II controlled substances.
- A $100,000.00 forfeiture money judgment against Rodger Bramley was collected in full on June 17, 2022. In 2013, Bramley was indicted with dozens of other individuals for their participation in an illegal gambling business, Legendz Sports. In 2015, a federal jury convicted Bramley of racketeering conspiracy, conducting an illegal gambling business, and money laundering conspiracy.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison Resulting from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation in Middle GeorgiaRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Two men, including one defendant classified as a career offender, were sentenced to prison for their roles in a drug trafficking network centered in Warner Robins, Georgia, responsible for distributing approximately 16 kilograms of methamphetamine. This case is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation into armed drug trafficking in Middle Georgia.
Matthew Kay, 35, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release to run consecutively to three sentences he is currently serving in Houston County, Georgia. Kay pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Sept. 6. Kay is a career offender with two prior felony drug distribution convictions in state court. Parsa Ervin, 45, of Warner Robins, was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release to run consecutively to any term of imprisonment that may be imposed in three separate cases in Houston County. Ervin pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 30. U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III handed down the sentences on Jan. 19. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Armed drug traffickers and those associated with criminal organizations that threaten the safety of our region will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that comprise the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force are laser-focused on identifying and dismantling the most dangerous criminal networks in the Middle District of Georgia.”
“This investigation deals a fatal blow to a once-thriving ‘meth’ ring,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “With the leader facing up to 40 years behind bars, the community of Warner Robins and elsewhere can rest assured that their communities are much safer today thanks to the outstanding case work by DEA and our local law enforcement partners.”
“ATF considers the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force a critical partner in its long-term mission of removing armed gangs, criminals and narcotics traffickers from our communities,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Atlanta Field Division.
“The Warner Robins Police Department is honored to have worked in conjunction with our federal partners through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force which resulted in the outcome of this case,” said Chief Wayne Fisher, Warner Robins Police Department. “It is through such local, state and federal partnerships that impacts such as these can be realized. It was with great work and effort from the men and women of this task force which resulted in these arrests that will have an immeasurable impact for the good of our shared communities.”
According to documents and other evidence admitted into court, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and Warner Robins Police Department officers investigated co-defendant Ontarrio Veal’s aka Torrie, 32, of Warner Robins, drug trafficking organization based out of Warner Robins from Jan. to June 2020. Law enforcement obtained court orders to intercept the phone calls and text messages from Veal’s and co-defendant Tamara Hall’s cell phones. Agents learned that Veal was a multi-kilogram methamphetamine dealer and surveilled Veal and various co-defendants conducting methamphetamine transactions and traveling to Atlanta to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine.
Veal was taken into custody on June 1 on a return trip from Atlanta in possession of three kilograms of methamphetamine and a Glock .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a 50-round drum magazine. Agents executed search warrants at various locations in Middle Georgia, seizing multiple firearms and ammunition, methamphetamine and more than $100,000 cash. The organization is responsible for distributing more than 16 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Veal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 15 and faces a maximum term of 40 years in prison to be followed by at least four years of supervised release and a $5,000,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2023.
Seven additional co-defendants have pleaded guilty and/or been sentenced as a result of this case:
Reginald Lowe, 41, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 30, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release on Dec. 6, 2022. Lowe’s federal sentence will run consecutive to a state sentence he is currently serving in Houston County, Georgia, for an aggravated assault conviction;
Milton Simmons aka Mann, 40, of Macon, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 1, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 120 months on Jan. 10;
Donna Ussery, 31, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 19, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 100 months in prison on Oct. 4, 2022;
Marquell Gaines aka Paris, 38, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 19, 2022, and was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison on Oct. 11, 2022;
Tamara Hall, 39, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 19, 2022, and sentencing is scheduled for April 25;
Victor Mendoza, 34, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to drugs on Dec. 1, 2022, via a global plea agreement in the Southern District of Alabama and sentencing is scheduled for March 3; and
Eddie Linkhorn, 42, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communication facility to conspire to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 20, 2022, and sentencing is scheduled for March 7.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is being investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Warner Robins Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes is prosecuting the case.
Tuscaloosa Resident Convicted of Straw PurchaseRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal jury yesterday convicted a Tuscaloosa resident for making a straw purchase of a firearm, 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 Devon Demarcus Hamler, 24, of Tuscaloosa, after two days of testimony before Chief U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler. Hamler was convicted of conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, and sale or transfer to a prohibited person. Hamler was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshal. Hamler’s sentencing is set for May 23, 2023.
“The straw purchase of a firearm is felonious conduct and a felony conviction ensures that those who commit this crime can no longer purchase firearms for others,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “I commend the work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to remove guns from the hands of prohibited persons.”
“A person violates federal law the moment that they purchase and transfer a firearm to any individual who cannot legally possess them,” said SAC Watson. “The ATF is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to investigate and prosecute these “straw purchasers” in conjunction with the individuals who receive these firearms and use them to commit violent criminal acts.”
According to evidence presented at trial, on April 20, 2022, Hamler – the straw purchaser – purchased a Glock 9mm pistol from a licensed firearms dealer, Guns and Ammo, LLC, located in Tuscaloosa. Hamler falsified documents by specifically stating that she was the actual buyer when in fact she was buying the firearm for another person who was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is 5 years in prison. The maximum penalty for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and for sale or transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person is 10 years in prison.
The ATF investigated the case along with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel S. McBrayer, Brad Felton, and Darius Greene are prosecuting the case.
Tulare County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute 6 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Rene Guadalupe Quintero Meza, 38, of Strathmore, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Oct. 25, 2019, and Jan. 24, 2020, Meza conspired with co-defendant Basilio Chavez Jr., 44, of Porterville, and others, to distribute methamphetamine. A law enforcement source negotiated to buy a pound of methamphetamine from Meza and Chavez delivered the methamphetamine. A subsequent search of a residence associated with Meza recovered an additional 6 pounds of methamphetamine.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca is prosecuting the case.
A jury trial for Chavez is scheduled for July 11, 2023. The charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Meza is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on April 10, 2023. Meza 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.
Tucumcari man facing federal child exploitation chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Joseph Wayne Gadman was charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Gadman, 40, of Tucumcari, New Mexico, appeared in federal court on Jan. 19 for a detention hearing and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 4, Gadman allegedly used a foreign fetish website called Fetlife to contact a user who, unbeknownst to Gadman, was an undercover agent of the FBI. Under the username Gadmanj40, Gadman allegedly indicated that he was interested in the undercover agent’s interests. Believing that the user with whom he was communicating had children, Gadman allegedly arranged to meet the undercover agent’s “family” for the purposes of engaging in sexual acts with two minors – a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old. On Jan. 13, Gadman travelled from Tucumcari to Albuquerque, where he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Gadman was in possession of $60 to pay the “mother,” as arranged, and had KitKat bars and condoms in his vehicle for the “children.”
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Gadman faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program is a nation-wide network of task forces including over 90 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in New Mexico dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to Internet crimes against children.
Assistant United States Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
# # #
Three Members of Jersey City Gang Charged for Roles in Drug Distribution Conspiracy and Related Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three members of a Jersey City street gang were charged today for their roles in a cocaine distribution organization, as well as for firearms violations, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
Rodney Broadway, aka “Banks,” 31; Parish George, aka “P Money,” 31; and Dejahn Ingram, aka “Fresh,” 32, all of Jersey City, New Jersey, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. George and Ingram are charged with unlawful possession of firearms as convicted felons, and Broadway is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition as a convicted felon. Broadway and George are also charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. All three defendants appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court and were detained.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The three defendants are associated with a neighborhood street gang that operates in and around the Salem Lafayette Apartments in Jersey City. At the time of their arrests on Jan.19, 2023, George and Ingram each possessed a loaded firearm. Search warrants executed at multiple residences associated with Broadway, George, and Ingram revealed a significant quantity of cocaine, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and other paraphernalia.
The defendants each face a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a maximum term of 40 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of HSI Newark, under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel, and investigators the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Director James Shea, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryan Miller, special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, for their assistance.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the Office’s OCDETF/Narcotics Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three Additional Individuals Sentenced for Participating in $10 Million Multi-State Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – Two Michigan men and an Ohio man were sentenced for their roles in a large-scale conspiracy to commit bank fraud in several states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Michigan, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Syed Abbas, 33, of Westerville, Ohio, was sentenced by videoconference on Jan. 19, 2023, to 16 months in prison. Rana Sharif, 39, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and Awaise Dar, 35, of Woodbridge, Virginia, were sentenced by videoconference on Jan. 16, 2023 and Jan. 17, 2023, respectively, to 20 months each in prison. All three individuals previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to informations that charged them with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge Wolfson imposed the sentences.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2018 through April 2020, Abbas, Sharif, Dar, and others conspired to defraud several major banks and electronic merchant processors. The defendants established bank accounts associated with sham entities that had no legitimate purpose and then issued checks payable to other shell companies associated with the criminal organization, knowing that the payor accounts had insufficient funds. The conspirators also conducted numerous fraudulent credit card and debit card transactions between shell companies to credit payee accounts and fraudulently overdraw payor accounts. Members of the conspiracy also used these shell companies to execute temporary refund credits, commonly referred to as “charge-backs,” to checking accounts associated with the criminal organization, where no prior legitimate transaction had occurred.
The conspirators withdrew the “existing” funds (through ATMs or bank tellers) that banks and or merchant processors had credited to the payee bank accounts at the time of the fraudulent transaction. Because the conspirators withdrew the credited funds from the payee accounts before the banks could recognize the fraudulent transactions, the banks and merchant processors were left with substantial losses.
Law enforcement officials identified approximately 200 bank accounts and 75 merchant credit card processing accounts used to facilitate the conspiracy’s fraudulent schemes. The conspirators’ unlawful activities attempted to cause a $10 million loss on financial institutions and did in fact cause a loss of approximately $3.5 million.
In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Wolfson sentenced each defendant to three years of supervised release. Chief Judge Wolfson also ordered each defendant to pay restitution. Abbas was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $530,523. Sharif was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.38 million. Dar was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.42 million.
Abbas, Sharif, and Dar are among the nine individuals that have been sentenced in the District of New Jersey as part of the criminal scheme
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, Philadelphia Division; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Sharon MacDermott; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, with the investigation leading to the sentencings.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Mateo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit in Newark.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Texas man pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Miguel Mendoza, 33, of Elgin, Texas, pled guilty on January 17, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.
According to court records, on Monday, October 17, 2022, Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 East in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Mendoza was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. An extensive search of the vehicle revealed a pressure activated access panel for two improvised compartments on each side of the vehicle’s drive shaft. The driver side compartment contained (2) cellophane wrapped packages containing 2.5 kilograms of cocaine. The passenger side compartment contained (2) plastic and aluminum foil wrapped packages containing 1 kilogram of methamphetamine. Tools were located inside the vehicle that were readily available to raise the vehicle and gain access to the compartment.
Mendoza will be sentenced on April 13, 2023, and faces a minimum of 10 years to life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose.
Surprise Man Convicted of Numerous Crimes, Including False Claims to the IRSRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Anthony Henry Williams, 52, of Surprise, Arizona, was found guilty on January 11, 2023, by a federal jury of one count of Conspiracy, seven counts of False Claims to the IRS, eight counts of Money Laundering, and one count of Mail Fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for March 27, 2023, before United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi.
Evidence introduced at trial established that, in 2018 and 2019, Williams submitted seven false tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming over $3 million in owed refunds. The IRS processed one of these returns that resulted in an unwarranted $600,000 refund to Williams. The IRS advised him that the return was fraudulent, and that Williams needed to return the money. Williams failed to do so; instead, he purchased two luxury vehicles and a home, among other expenditures.
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin M. Rapp and Kristen Brook, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00722-PHX-MLT
RELEASE NUMBER: 2023-007_Williams# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Spencer Man to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Joe Ripka, 35, from Spencer, Iowa, was sentenced January 20, 2023, to over one year in federal prison. On August 1, 2022, Ripka pled guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Ripka was previously convicted of Failure to Affix Drug Stamp, in the Iowa District Court for Emmet County, on October 23, 2017. This conviction prohibits Ripka from possessing a firearm.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that on December 22, 2021, law enforcement stopped the vehicle Ripka was driving in Larrabee, Iowa, for driving without license plates. During the stop, Ripka displayed signs of impairment. A police K9 was deployed on the exterior of the car and indicated the presence of controlled substances within the vehicle, at which time Ripka stated there was a firearm in the car and acknowledged he was a felon. Law enforcement uncovered a loaded .380 handgun in the driver’s door. Later, upon inspection of the officer’s vehicle near where Ripka had been seated during the stop, the arresting officer located a pack of cigarettes wedged between the seats which contained 1 gram of methamphetamine.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Ripka was sentenced to 12 months’ and 1 day imprisonment and must serve a 3-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Ripka remains in custody of the United States Marshal 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 prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4041.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the InternetRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on January 19, 2023.
Luke John Schauer, age 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Schauer was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2022. He pled guilty on September 13, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on January 18, 2022, when Schauer attempted to coerce an undercover agent posing as a 12-year-old female, to meet and engage in sexually explicit conduct. Using his account on KIK Messenger, Schauer made plans to meet the undercover agent posing as a 12-year-old on February 8, 2022. The text messages on KIK involved interstate commerce because Schauer was in South Dakota and the undercover agent was in Pennsylvania. Schauer was employed as a police officer with the Sioux Falls Police Department at the time of the offense. He was immediately relieved of his duties upon his arrest and his employment terminated.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, with cooperation from the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Schauer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sioux Falls Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Cyrus Black Spotted Horse, a/k/a Cyrus Menard, age 41, was indicted in January of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January 13, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on or about between November 8, 2022, and December 15, 2022, in the District of South Dakota, Cyrus Black Spotted Horse, a/k/a Cyrus Menard, 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, knowingly failed to register and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Black Spotted Horse is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service and Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler is prosecuting the case.
Black Spotted Horse was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for March 14, 2023.
Sioux City, Iowa Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Chad Moyle, 37, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced January 18, 2023, to 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography on September 7, 2022. Moyle was additionally ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the victims of the sexually exploitative materials he possessed.
At the hearing, evidence showed, and Moyle admitted to possessing over 1,600 images of child pornography from December 2018, through February 2019. Moyle primarily utilized a smart phone and the instant messaging mobile app Kik to receive and possess the images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. These images included depictions involving prepubescent minors or minors who had not attained 12 years of age.
Moyle was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 132 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a term of supervised release after the prison term of at least 5 years, up to life. There is no parole in the federal system. Moyle remains in custody of the United States Marshal’s until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4021. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Seattle man who used stolen identities to seek nearly $2 million in COVID-19 benefits pleads guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theftRead the Press Release
Seattle – A former Seattle resident who defrauded federal COVID-19 benefit programs of more than $1 million pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Bryan Alan Sparks, 42, was indicted for the fraud scheme in November 2021. Today Sparks pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. His coconspirator Autumn Gail Luna, 23, pleaded guilty in December 2022. Sparks is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on April 18, 2023.
According to records filed in the case, from March 2020 until at least January 2021, Sparks and Luna used stolen personal information of more than 50 Washington residents and businesses to apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and unemployment benefits from the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD). The pair obtained approximately $521,900 from SBA and $519,700 from ESD. Sparks and Luna opened fraudulent bank accounts to receive the benefits and also had unemployment benefit debit cards mailed to a variety of addresses in the Seattle area where they could retrieve them.
Specifically, Sparks and Luna submitted at least 29 fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration relief program, using the stolen identities of Washington residents and other real people. The applications sought approximately $1.47 million in aid intended to support small businesses, and the pair successfully obtained $521,900. Between March 2020 and January 2021, Sparks and Luna used the stolen identities of more than 50 people to claim approximately $519,700 in unemployment benefits. In all Sparks and Luna attempted to obtain at least $1.98 million in federally funded payments.
Sparks and Luna used the identities of real people and, in some instances, actual small businesses to open bank and credit accounts. The victims suffered significant harm. One person saw his credit score drop 200 points because of the seven credit and bank accounts the pair opened in his name.
In September 2020, law enforcement linked Sparks and Luna to lock boxes seized in Portland, Oregon. When the safes were searched, officers seized more than $65,000 in cash and a number of debit cards. In the plea agreement, Sparks admits that the cash and prepaid debit cards are all proceeds of the fraud scheme. The cash and debit cards are being forfeited to the government. In all, Sparks agrees to pay $1,041,661 in restitution to the government programs.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than 100 months in prison. The defense will recommend no less than five years in prison (60 months). U.S. District Judge James L. Robart is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by statute.
Wire fraud that relates to a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case.
The investigation of this case is led by the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with partners: Colusa County Sheriff’s Office (CA); Washington State Employment Security Department; Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General; Amtrak Police Department (D.C.); FBI (Sacramento, CA office); FBI Cyber Task Force (D.C.); Washington State Department of Licensing, Driver and Vehicle Investigations; and the Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy Chang and Seth Wilkinson.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Rockford Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Rockford man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston on Thursday sentenced BRANDON L. DISHMAN, 33, to 70 months in prison. Dishman pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm.
On Dec. 21, 2020, Dishman possessed a loaded .45-caliber pistol while riding in a vehicle. The Rockford Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle. As it slowed down and stopped, Dishman exited the vehicle and fled on foot in a residential neighborhood. Dishman, ignoring officers’ commands to stop, dropped the gun as he ran. After a brief chase, Dishman was apprehended by the police and taken into custody. The loaded pistol was recovered in the front yard of a residence in the neighborhood.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey L. Matthews, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and Carla Redd, Chief of the Rockford Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Beckman.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Rochester Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 16.5 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester man has been sentenced to 198 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Erick Fontain Thomas, 41, was a large-scale heroin and methamphetamine dealer in the Rochester area, and he used numerous guns to protect his drug operation. On August 25, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on Thomas’s Rochester residence. During the search, officers found 4.135 grams of heroin, 1.467 kilograms of methamphetamine, four loaded handguns, a loaded AR-15 style rifle, assorted ammunition and firearms accessories, drug cutting agents, digital scales, and a brick press. Officers also went to a local FedEx Office in Rochester and seized a package that Thomas had directed another individual to send to him at a California address. The package contained $68,740 in cash drug proceeds. On November 12, 2020, officers arrested Thomas in Rochester.
Thomas was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright. On August 23, 2022, Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the DEA and the Rochester Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.
Phone Scam Investigation Results in Forfeiture of Nearly $3 Million in CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Jean Pierre Njock, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that an investigation of a fraud scheme targeting vulnerable victims has resulted in the forfeiture of approximately 151 Bitcoins, as well as other digital assets.
According to court documents, in approximately October 2020, overseas individuals began targeting vulnerable victims, including first generation U.S. citizens and elderly persons, through phone calls by pretending to be members of U.S. law enforcement agencies and telling the victims that their identity had been compromised. The overseas individuals used computer programs to make it appear as if their phone calls were coming from legitimate government sources. After gaining the victims’ trust, the overseas individuals requested transfers of money for “safekeeping” with the promise that the victims would receive their money, plus interest, when the perpetrators of the nonexistent identity fraud were captured. Once the overseas individuals had access to the victims’ money, they moved the money through multiple bank accounts and converted the money to digital currency in the form of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Law enforcement investigators traced the victims’ money through the various accounts and identified a digital wallet holding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that had been purchased with the victims’ money. The U.S. Attorney’s Office applied for and received a civil asset forfeiture seizure warrant for the digital wallet and, following the seizure, filed a civil asset forfeiture complaint against the digital assets, which resulted in an order of forfeiture from the U.S. District Court of the District of Connecticut.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office used the civil asset forfeiture procedure because the digital assets constituted the proceeds of wire fraud. Although law enforcement continues to investigate the overseas individuals behind this scam, those individuals remain at large. Civil asset forfeiture allowed the government to recover the victims’ money while the investigation is ongoing.
“This office and our law enforcement partners are prepared to use all tools available to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute fraud schemes, especially scams that target vulnerable populations," said U.S. Attorney Avery. "We will continue to be at the forefront of investigating and seizing digital assets such as cryptocurrency when those assets are linked to criminal behavior. Individuals committing crimes will not be able to hide the proceeds of those crimes digitally or elsewhere."
“No matter which cyber tools and methods criminal actors create to defraud members of the public, we at the FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Secret Service dedicate all resources to identifying those responsible and bringing them to justice no matter where they are in the world,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Njock. “We encourage everyone to conduct due diligence to verify authenticity of who they are dealing with when conducting business online to avoid being a victim of scams.”
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Nelson.
The docket number associated with this case is 3:22-cv-01308 (JCH).
Members of the public seeking to confirm they have been contacted by an actual government employee are encouraged to call the local division of the claimed government entity and ask to be connected directly with the officer or agent they were contacted by. Victims of this scam are encouraged to file a report with their local law enforcement agency and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
Overland Park Woman Sentenced for Bank FraudRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas woman was sentenced to 33 months in prison for bank fraud.According to court documents, Stephenie Stites, 52, of Overland Park worked as the accounts payable clerk for Norbrook Inc. In 2020, Norbrook noticed accounting discrepancies and when confronted, Stites admitted to making approximately $72,000 in unauthorized charges on the company’s credit card. A full review showed she’d embezzled more than $712,000 from Norbrook by creating two fake companies and manipulating invoices. As indicated in her plea agreement, Stites spent the stolen money to pay for personal expenses such as home and vehicle expenses, travel, hotels, real estate, and other disbursements.
A federal judge sentenced Stites to 33 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $712,890.27 in restitution to the victim company.
Charles Dayoub, Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Office of the FBI said, “Stites perpetuated a scheme, misappropriating funds to fake companies and misusing company credit cards for personal gain. Her actions resulted in the embezzlement of over $700,000 and violated the trust placed in her by her employer. This sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigate financial fraud and to hold those individuals accountable for their actions.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan J. Huschka prosecuted the case.
###
Omaha Man Sentenced to Four Years for Methamphetamine DistributionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Christopher Hatcher, 45, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for distribution of methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Hatcher to 48 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release.
On April 14, 2020, Hatcher sold methamphetamine to a cooperating witness working with law enforcement at an Omaha apartment. The substance was submitted to the crime laboratory for testing, which determined a net weight of 141.7 grams and a purity of 95 percent.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Oakland Resident Sentenced to Three Years for Selling Fentanyl and Methamphetamine in San Francisco’s TenderloinRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Murillo was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison for selling fentanyl and methamphetamine in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge Susan Illston.
Murillo, 25, a resident of Oakland, was charged by an eight count federal indictment on July 21, 2022. According to the charges and other documents filed by the government, Murillo sold drugs on the street in the Tenderloin on five occasions in the spring of 2022. On April 7, 2022, Murillo met two undercover police officers near 8th and Market Streets in the Tenderloin and sold the officers 5 grams of fentanyl for $100 on the San Francisco Civic Center BART staircase. On March 23, 2022, and on April 21, 2022, Murillo sold $40 of yellow fentanyl and $750 of pink fentanyl, respectively, to undercover officers in the Tenderloin. On May 12, 2022, Murillo sold approximately one ounce of fentanyl along with two ounces of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer for $800, again in the Tenderloin. On June 8, 2022, Murillo communicated again with one of the undercover police officers, met that officer again near the Civic Center BART platform, and sold the officer two ounces of fentanyl and three ounces of methamphetamine for $1,400.
Law enforcement officers arrested Murillo on June 21, 2022, outside of his apartment in Oakland and seized nearly four ounces of methamphetamine and 139 grams of fentanyl from his backpack.
In addition to the 36 month sentence, Murillo was sentenced to a four year sentence of supervision following release from prison. Murillo was in custody at his sentencing hearing and begins serving his sentence immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christa Hall is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Lance Libatique. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DEA and the San Francisco Police Department.
One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to create counterfeit pills purporting to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fentanyl is used because it is cheap. However, very small variations in the quantity or quality of fentanyl in counterfeit pills create huge variations in their potency, and the pills can kill. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, counterfeit pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone, but when sold on the street they routinely contain fentanyl. These are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they can come in a rainbow of colors, and they have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of each pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they can be poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.
North Korean National Sentenced for Money Laundering OffensesRead the Press Release
DPRK Businessman Accessed the U.S. Financial System and Deceived U.S. Banks to Circumvent Sanctions Against North Korea
WASHINGTON – Mun Chol Myong (“Mun”), 55, a national of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), was sentenced today to time served of 45 months in prison for multiple money laundering offenses in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Mun laundered funds through the U.S. financial system as part of a scheme to raise capital and acquire goods for North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. Mun is the first ever DPRK national to be extradited to the United States. He now faces deportation proceedings.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr., of the Minneapolis Field Office.
The indictment alleged that between April 2013 and November 2018, Mun and others conspired to transmit funds through the United States for the purpose of promoting bank fraud. Specifically, the indictment alleged that Mun and his co-conspirators used a network of front companies and falsified transaction records to conceal that the payments benefitted sanctioned North Korean entities and thereby deceived U.S. correspondent banks into executing correspondent banking transactions that they would otherwise have rejected. The indictment identifies more than $1.2 million in illicit transactions. The indictment further alleged that Mun was affiliated with the DPRK’s primary intelligence organization, the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), which is the subject of U.S. and U.N. sanctions.
Mun pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment, including one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering, pursuant to an “Alford” plea, over the objection of the United States. Under the Alford plea, Mun pleaded guilty and avoided a trial but did not admit to the facts and conduct alleged in the indictment.
“This case is significant because the defendant was not merely securing alcohol, tobacco, and other commodities for North Korea, but also providing income streams needed to prop up the regime and finance its nefarious activities,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Those seeking to access the U.S. financial system cannot use front companies, fake invoices, third party payments, and other means to deceive U.S. financial institutions and hide the involvement of sanctioned individuals and entities. With our law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is determined to disrupt North Korea’s use of the U.S. financial system in its attempts to undermine our national security.”
“The FBI prioritizes investigations involving the illegal export of controlled U.S. technology and the use of the U.S. financial system to purchase prohibited luxury goods like liquor and tobacco,” said Special Agent in Charge Winston. “We appreciate the assistance of our international partners who helped dismantle this North Korean revenue-generation scheme and bring the defendant to justice.”
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office and coordinated by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The Department of Justice would also like to thank the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Investigative Operations Division (IOD) for providing analytical support during the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Mun’s arrest and extradition. The FBI’s Washington Field Office also provided substantial support during the extradition and investigation.
North Korean National Sentenced for Money Laundering OffensesRead the Press Release
Mun Chol Myong (Mun), 55, a national of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to time served of 45 months’ imprisonment for multiple money laundering offenses. Mun laundered funds through the U.S. financial system as part of a scheme to raise capital and acquire goods for North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. Mun is the first ever North Korean national to be extradited to the United States and is subject to deportation following the successful completion of his sentence.
The indictment alleged that between April 2013 and November 2018, Mun and others conspired to transmit funds through the United States for the purpose of promoting bank fraud. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Mun and his co-conspirators used a network of front companies and falsified transaction records to conceal that the payments benefitted sanctioned North Korean entities and thereby deceived U.S. correspondent banks into executing correspondent banking transactions that they would otherwise have rejected. The indictment identifies more than $1.2 million in illicit transactions.
The indictment further alleged that Mun was affiliated with the DPRK’s primary intelligence organization, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is the subject of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. Mun pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment, including one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering, pursuant to an “Alford” plea, over the objection of the United States. Under the Alford plea, Mun pleaded guilty and avoided a trial but did not admit to the facts and conduct alleged in the indictment.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office and coordinated by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The Department of Justice would also like to thank the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Marshals Service Investigative Operations Division for providing analytical support during the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Mun’s arrest and extradition. The FBI’s Washington Field Office also provided substantial support during the extradition and investigation.
North Carolina Man Guilty of Charges Related to the Killing of 3 Connecticut Men in 2015Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge Jean Pierre Njock of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hamden Police Acting Chief Timothy F. Wydra and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson today announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found EDWARD MICHAEL PARKS, also known as “Lee” and “Trouble,” 36, of Raleigh, North Carolina, guilty of charges related to the kidnapping and murdering of two individuals in Hamden, and the killing of a third man in New Haven to stop him from notifying law enforcement.
The trial before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley began on January 9. On January 19, the jury returned verdicts of guilty on all counts of an indictment charging Parks with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, and one count of witness tampering by killing. At sentencing, Parks faces a mandatory term of imprisonment of life.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, on November 16, 2015, Parks was in an apartment on Shelton Avenue in New Haven to conduct an illegal sale of firearms. Damian Connor and Tamar Lawrence were also present in the apartment. When another individual left the apartment with firearms that he had not paid for, Parks, who was armed, held Connor and Lawrence against their will. Parks collected money and valuables from Connor and Lawrence, and then forced them to travel in Connor’s car to Hamden where Connor said he could get more money. They were followed in another vehicle by Devante Williams and another individual. After the vehicles arrived at 676 Mix Avenue in Hamden, Parks shot and killed Connor and Lawrence. Parks then left the scene with Williams and others in the second vehicle and returned to New Haven.
When Parks appeared to believe that Williams was anxious about the murders of Connor and Lawrence, Parks shot and killed Williams in the area of Sherman Court in New Haven.
Parks has been incarcerated in federal custody following an unrelated conviction for drug and firearm offenses in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
“I thank our partners in the FBI, Hamden Police Department, New Haven Police Department and New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office for their collaborative efforts in bringing a person responsible for three cold-blooded killings to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Avery. “The Justice Department has prioritized the disruption of illegal gun trafficking across the United States, and this prosecution serves as yet another reminder of the scourge of illegal guns and violence in our communities. The victims of this heinous crime, and their loved ones, are in my thoughts.”
“The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office would like to thank the members of the jury for their service and for their careful consideration of the evidence in this case,” said New Haven State’s Attorney Doyle. “This verdict shows that strong partnerships between law enforcement are invaluable in the pursuit of justice for victims and their grieving families. We look forward to this continued collaboration as we strive every day to make our communities in greater New Haven safer.”
“A life of crime has resulted in a life sentence,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jean Pierre Njock. “It is our sincere hope that this verdict by the jury brings some closure and peace to the victims’ families in this case. The FBI extends its gratitude to all state, local and federal law enforcement and prosecutors who worked this case relentlessly for several years.”
“I hope this verdict gives the families of these victims some sense of peace and closure, said Hamden Acting Police Chief Wydra. “I would also like to thank and commend Hamden Sergeant Jomo Crawford, New Haven Assistant Chief Bertram Ettienne, the FBI Safe Street Violent Task Force, the Offices of the U.S. Attorney, New Haven State’s Attorney Office including now Chief State’s Attorney Pat Griffin and current New Haven State’s Attorney Jack Doyle, Raleigh, North Carolina Detective I.O. Smith, and so many other Law Enforcement partners who assisted. I would also like to thank the Hamden and New Haven communities who worked with law enforcement to provide valuable information pertaining to these three homicides. This case demonstrated that by successful collaboration at the highest level and working together we were able to get a violent individual off the streets.”
“I would like to thank our federal partners for the work on this case, “said New Haven Police Chief Jacobson. “It is crucial for the reduction of violent crime for us to work hand in hand with our federal partners and we are grateful for the collaborative efforts.”
This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hamden Police Department and New Haven Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel J. Gentile and A. Reed Durham, and Assistant State’s Attorney Seth Garbarsky, who has been cross-designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in this matter.
Newton Man Charged with Cocaine Distribution and Unlawfully Possessing Firearm and Ammunition as Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A previously convicted felon residing in Newton has been charged with cocaine distribution and firearm offenses.
Shawn Craig, 37, of Newton, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He will appear in federal court in Boston on Jan. 23, 2023.
According to the charging documents, Craig coordinated three drug deals with an undercover agent between September and October 2022. It is alleged that Craig met with the undercover agent near his Newton residence on three separate occasions – Sept. 12, Oct. 20 and Oct. 26, 2022 – to conduct the deals, during which Craig provided cocaine to the undercover agent in exchange for cash. Prior to the third meeting, on Oct. 26, 2022, Craig allegedly sent an image of a firearm to the undercover agent and indicated that he could sell it to the agent. During the subsequent meeting, it is alleged that Craig provided the undercover agent with a firearm, ammunition and a quantity of cocaine.
At the time of the alleged conduct, Craig was on federal supervised release for a 2014 federal conviction for possessing a stolen firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Craig was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release in that case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; and Newton Police Chief John F Carmichael Jr. made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of More Than $86,000 in Social Security FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that DANIELLE COLEMAN, age 39, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on January 19, 2023 before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to Theft of Government Funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.
According to documents filed in federal court, COLEMAN’s grandmother was authorized to receive Social Security Administration (“SSA”) Title II – Retirement Survivor Insurance (RSI) Benefits up until her death which occurred on September 8, 2009. An investigation by special agents with the SSA, Office of Inspector General and United States Department of Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration, revealed COLEMAN was in possession of her late grandmother’s ATM card and began withdrawing money from her account after her death. COLEMAN used her late grandmother’s ATM card to pay for her own personal expenses knowing she was not entitled to those Social Security benefits. COLEMAN failed to notify the SSA of her grandmother’s death and took approximately $86,280.00 in SSI benefits from her account. An additional $1,200.00 of COVID-19 stimulus funds were erroneously deposited into COLEMAN’s grandmother’s account, and COLEMAN also used these funds for personal expenses.
COLEMAN faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General and the United States Department of Treasury, Inspector General for Tax Administration. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and Spiro Latsis.
New Orleans Man Sentenced on Federal Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that defendant CHRISTOPHER SMITH, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 17, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey to 87 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee as to Count One of a one-count indictment.
Count One of the indictment charges SMITH 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). On April 10, 2022, officers responded to a car crash on U.S. Highway.90 involving SMITH. Pursuant to a search warrant, investigators discovered SMITH to be in possession of three firearms, including one that was stolen.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 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.
New Orleans Man Sentenced on Drug and Weapons ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that defendant RANDY FIELDS, of Orleans Parish, was sentenced on January 17, 2023 by U.S. District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey on four-counts of a four-count indictment to a combined total of 125 months imprisonment, 4 years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee.
In Count 1 of the indictment, FIELDS is charged with possession with the intent to distribute 40 or more grams of fentanyl in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(vi). In Count 2, FIELDS is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1). In Count 3, FIELDS is charged 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). Finally, in Count 4, FIELDS is charged with being in possession of a machine gun in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2).
On March 31, 2021, the New Orleans Police Department responded to a shooting in the 1800 block of Touro Street in New Orleans, LA. Upon their arrival, officers discovered FIELDS suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. As officers attempted to render aid, they discovered a firearm in FIELDS’s back pants pocket. The firearm was equipped with a Glock-switch device, allowing it to be turned into a fully automatic weapon. Additionally, officers located approximately 100 grams of fentanyl in FIELDS’s 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.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMAL SMITH, pled guilty to various violations of the Federal Gun Control and the Federal Controlled Substances Acts before the Honorable Judge Carl J. Barbier.
SMITH pled guilty to Count 1, charging him with possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(D). SMITH also pled guilty to Count 5, charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A). SMITH also pled guilty to Counts 3 and 6, charging him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
SMITH faces a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 2 years of supervised release as to Count 1. As to Count 5, SMITH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years up to life imprisonment, which is to run consecutively to all other sentences, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 5 years of supervised release. As to Counts 3 and 6, SMITH faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release. SMITH must pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 for each count. SMITH’S sentencing is scheduled for April 27, 2023.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Privitera (Unit Chief), Inga Petrovich, and David Haller of the Violent Crime Unit.
Minatare Man Sentenced for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Richard Knott, Jr., 35, of Minatare, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for possession of child pornography. Knott was sentenced to 150 months in prison and will also serve 10 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Knott was also ordered to pay $4,000 to a fund designated for victims of this type of crime. After serving his prison sentence Knott will continue to be required to register as a sex offender.
This case began with an investigation regarding the sharing of child pornography on a specific foreign-based cloud storage website. The investigation primarily concerned two hyperlinks which contained folders and subfolders of child pornography primarily depicting infants and toddlers. The investigation reviewed user accounts which were accessing and downloading child pornography from these links. The IP address from one of the user accounts traced back to Knott. The subscriber information for the email address also came back to him.
On June 9, 2021, a federal search warrant was executed on Knott’s home. During the execution, two of Knott’s cellphones, a hard drive, and 5 laptop computers were seized. During the execution of the warrant, Knott agreed to be interviewed and he admitted that one year after he was released from prison for a prior child pornography crime, he began viewing and downloading child pornography again. Knott had previously been convicted in 2012 for possessing child pornography in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.
The forensic download and review of Knott’s cellphone and other devices were determined to contain approximately 33,000 images and 7,000 videos of child pornography.
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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Memphis, Tennessee Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Firearms Offenses and Attempted Bank LarcenyRead the Press Release
OXFORD, Miss. – A Memphis, Tennessee man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for his role in the burglary of a federally licensed firearms store and the attempted burglary of an automated teller machine in North Mississippi.
Court documents indicate that in June of 2020, Lederrius Brown, 27, and two other individuals broke into 2A Armaments, a Federal Firearms Licensee in New Albany, Mississippi, and stole over 20 firearms before leading law enforcement on a multi-county pursuit.
Brown and others also attempted to pry open an ATM that was part of First Byhalia Bank in Byhalia, Mississippi, resulting in over $20,000 worth of damage.
Brown is a prior convicted felon and pled guilty to the prohibited possession of the firearms taken from the business, along with a charge of attempted bank larceny.
Brown appeared for sentencing on these offenses in federal court in Oxford on Friday afternoon. U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson sentenced Brown to a total of 180 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Brown was also ordered to pay $39,500 worth of restitution to the victims.
“Our office will continue to do everything in our power to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, and to hold accountable those who illegally possess and use them,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “Hopefully this sentence will serve as a deterrent to those who would steal firearms or provide firearms to individuals intent on using them to commit acts of violence in our communities.”
“The collaborative effort of federal and local law enforcement, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, has led to the lengthy sentencing of this career criminal and is another example of our commitment to fight gun violence,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “ATF will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”
The Oxford Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, along with the New Albany Police Department and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison.
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.
McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on January 18, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Mikal White Mountain, age 39, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
White Mountain was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. He pleaded guilty on October 17, 2022.
White Mountain was convicted of Gross Sexual Imposition in North Dakota in 2005. Accordingly, White Mountain is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. Between September 4, 2021, and December 14, 2021, White Mountain failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the North Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Cook prosecuted the case.
White Mountain was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing Gun During Civil Unrest in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded semiautomatic handgun during a period of civil unrest in Chicago in 2020.
RICKY GREEN, 28, of Chicago, illegally possessed the gun on the night of May 31, 2020, in the Lake View neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side. Green and other individuals attempted to break into a Target store in the 3300 block of North Ashland Avenue. When Chicago Police officers arrived at the scene, Green and the others fled in vehicles. After a brief chase on Lincoln Avenue, the vehicle in which Green was riding became disabled. Green ran off on foot and placed a bag containing the gun behind a broom and dustpan in a residential gangway. He then jumped a fence and tried to hide under the stairs of a residence in the 1300 block of West Wellington Avenue, but was apprehended by police officers, who then discovered the bag with the gun in it.
Green had previously been convicted in state court of multiple felonies, including a firearm offense, and was not legally allowed to possess the gun. He was on parole for his most recent felony conviction at the time of the federal offense.
A jury last year convicted Green on a federal charge of illegal firearm possession. U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah on Thursday imposed a prison sentence of five years and nine months.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey L. Matthews, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“The defendant made a calculated decision to carry the gun while committing another serious crime, attempted burglary,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey B. Rubenstein and Sushma Raju argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “He brought that gun into the chaos accompanying the pervasive looting and vandalism. The defendant’s deliberate decision to use the cover of that historic crisis to engage in his armed offense is particularly reprehensible.”
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Illegal ImmigrantsRead the Press Release
A man who was discovered transporting illegal immigrants across northeastern Oklahoma pleaded guilty this week in federal court.
Alfonso Solis-Melendez, 33, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to transportation of illegal aliens.
The defendant and his 11 passengers were discovered after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper stopped the minivan they were traveling in for speeding on the Will Rogers Turnpike. Seven were riding in seats, and the others were lying across the floor of the minivan while it was traveling at highway speeds. Through the investigation, agents learned the defendant was paid to transport the immigrants from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to St. Lewis, Missouri. Passengers were from Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Guatemala.
In August 2022, Solis-Melendez was also charged by the state of Texas with similar crimes.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens prosecuted the case.