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Thursday 3 November 2022
Fulton County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and HeroinRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dion Underwood, age 45, of Johnstown, New York, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine in Albany, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarantino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
Underwood admitted that between January and December 2021, he supervised others in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin in the Capital Region, including Albany, Schenectady, and Montgomery Counties.
Underwood pled guilty before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. Sentencing is scheduled for March 30, 2023. Underwood faces a minimum of 5 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 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. Underwood also agreed to forfeit $39,403 seized by federal agents, as proceeds of the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
Founder of Cyberfraud Prevention Company Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Defrauding Investors Out of over $100 MillionRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ADAM ROGAS, the co-founder and former CEO, CFO, and member of the board of directors of a Las Vegas-based cyberfraud prevention company NS8, Inc. (“NS8”), was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to five years in prison for engaging in securities fraud by creating and using fraudulent financial data to obtain over $123 million in financing for NS8, of which he personally obtained approximately $17.5 million. ROGAS pled guilty on March 16, 2022, before United States District Judge John P. Cronan, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Adam Rogas took the ‘fake-it-till-you-make-it’ saying to a criminal extreme. While claiming to be in the fraud prevention business, Rogas himself faked nearly all of his company’s customers, revenue, and assets. In doing so, he defrauded investors out of over $100 million. Now Rogas will report to prison to be held accountable for his fraudulent scheme.”
In handing down ROGAS’s sentence, Judge Cronan characterized the defendant’s fraud as “brazen, calculated, and long-running.”
According to the Complaint, Indictment, other publicly filed documents, and statements made in court:
ADAM ROGAS was a co-founder of NS8 and served as its CEO, CFO, and as a member of its board of directors. ROGAS was also primarily responsible for the company’s fundraising activities. NS8, which was based in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a cyberfraud prevention company that developed and sold electronic tools to help online vendors assess the fraud risks of customer transactions. In the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020, NS8 engaged in fundraising rounds through which it issued Series A Preferred Shares and obtained approximately $123 million in investor funds. ROGAS used the materially misleading financial statements to raise those funds.
Specifically, ROGAS maintained control over a bank account into which NS8 received revenue from its customers and periodically provided monthly statements from that account to NS8’s finance department so that NS8’s financial statements could be created. ROGAS also maintained control over spreadsheets that purportedly tracked customer revenue, which were also used to generate NS8’s financial statements.
During the fundraising process in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020, ROGAS altered the bank statements before providing them to NS8’s finance department to show tens of millions of dollars in both customer revenue and bank balances that did not exist. In the period from January 2019 through February 2020, between at least approximately 40% and 95% of the purported total assets on NS8’s balance sheet were fictitious. In that same period, the bank statements that ROGAS altered reflected over $40 million in fictitious revenue. ROGAS also falsified nearly all of NS8’s purported customers on internal tracking spreadsheets.
Additionally, ROGAS provided the falsified bank records he had created to auditors who were conducting due diligence on behalf of potential investors. After these fundraising rounds concluded, NS8 conducted a tender offer with the funds raised from investors, and ROGAS received $17.5 million in proceeds from that tender offer, personally and through a company he controlled. After ROGAS’s fraud was uncovered, NS8 ultimately entered bankruptcy proceedings. ROGAS used his fraudulent proceeds to purchase, among other things, luxury goods and a residence in the Dominican Republic.
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In addition to his prison term, ROGAS, 45, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to three years’ supervised release and ordered to forfeit $17,542,259.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI in this investigation. Mr. Williams further thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission for its cooperation and assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Cooper and Jared Lenow are in charge of the prosecution.
Former postal employee pleads guilty to embezzling mail packages in exchange for cash paymentsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A former Post Office supervisor pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to embezzling mail packages for profit.
Kerry Beech, Jr., 31, of Cincinnati, was paid $500 on each occasion to intercept certain packages from the mail system and hand deliver them himself.
According to court documents, Beech was employed with the Post Office from 2013 to 2021, most recently at the Parkdale Post Office in Cincinnati. In 2020, the defendant embezzled at least 28 packages in coordination with the individual who received the packages in person.
In July 2020, four of the packages were seized by federal agents. The sealed packages contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
When agents searched Beech’s vehicle, they discovered $4,500 in cash and a loaded pistol.
Beech was charged by a Bill of Information in September 2022.
Theft of mail by an employee of the Postal Service is punishable by up to five years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett and commended the investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and United States Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
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Former eBay Employee Sentenced for Aggressive Cyberstalking CampaignRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former intelligence analyst for eBay, Inc. was sentenced today for her role in a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company.
Veronica Zea, 28, of San Jose, Calif., a former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in eBay’s Global Intelligence Center (GIC), was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to two years’ probation with her first year to be served in home confinement and a $5,000 fine. In October 2020, Zea pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.
On Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator James Baugh was sentenced to 57 months in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $40,000. Also on Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator David Harville was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. Co-conspirators and former eBay employees Philip Cooke, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell and Brian Gilbert previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy to cyberstalk the victims. Cooke was sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in prison. On Oct. 11, 2022, Popp was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and Stockwell was sentenced to two years of probation with a year of home confinement. Gilbert is awaiting sentencing.
Between approximately Aug. 5, 2019 and Sept. 6, 2019, Zea and her co-conspirators at eBay agreed to engage in a harassment campaign targeting a husband and wife in Natick, Mass. for their roles in publishing a newsletter that reported on issues of interest to eBay sellers. Senior executives at eBay were frustrated with the newsletter’s tone and content as well as the substance of comments posted beneath the newsletter’s articles. The harassment campaign arose from communications between those senior executives and Baugh, who was eBay’s senior security employee.
Zea and her co-conspirators executed a three-part harassment campaign intended to intimidate the victims and to influence their reporting about eBay. The campaign included sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content; threats to visit the victims in Natick; and traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and installing a GPS tracking device on their car.
Among other things, several of the defendants ordered anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, a book on surviving the loss of a spouse, and pornography addressed to the victims but delivered to their neighbor’s homes. Zea used cash to purchase prepaid debit cards for use in the campaign and ordered insects to the victims’ home.
As part of the second phase of the campaign, Zea’s co-conspirators sent public tweets and private threatening Twitter messages that were written as if they had been sent by eBay sellers who were unhappy with the victims’ coverage in the newsletter. Some of these messages posted the victims’ address and threatened to visit them at their home.
The third phase of the campaign involved covertly surveilling the victims in their home and community. On Aug. 15, 2019, Zea travelled from California to Natick with Baugh and Harville to surveil the victims and to install a GPS tracking device on the victims’ car. Zea and Harville registered for a software development conference to explain the trip to Boston. The victims spotted the surveillance team and contacted local police. At Baugh’s direction, Zea also lied to an eBay investigator who was responding to the Natick Police’s request for assistance.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division; and Natick Police Chief James G. Hicks made the announcement today. eBay provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Former President of Massachusetts State Police Union and Former Lobbyist Convicted of RICO, Fraud, Obstruction and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
UPDATE: On June 2, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Dana Pullman's three wire fraud convictions and affirmed the other convictions. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
UPDATE: On June 2, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Anne Lynch's convictions for three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of tax fraud and affirmed the other convictions. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
BOSTON – The former President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) and the union’s former Massachusetts lobbyist were convicted by a federal jury today of racketeering, fraud, obstruction of justice and tax crimes.
Dana A. Pullman, 60, of Worcester, and Anne M. Lynch, 71, of Hull, were convicted following a 20-day jury trial of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return. Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2023. Pullman and Lynch were arrested and charged in August 2019 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
“Being a police officer is a noble and valued profession. It is an honor and privilege to serve as a member of law enforcement. With that honor and privilege comes immense responsibility. Regardless of whether some may think it’s unfair, as members of law enforcement, we are and should be held to a higher standard. Our fundamental responsibility is plain and simple – to protect and serve. We enforce the law, we do not break it,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Police union leadership is supposed to fight for the rights, benefits and protections of their members. Not their own self-interests for personal financial gain. Mr. Pullman and Ms. Lynch concocted a fraudulent scheme to game the system for their personal financial benefit, all under the guise of looking out for hard working union members. Today’s conviction affirms that. Their criminal conduct has diminished the already strained relationship and lack of trust some communities feel toward law enforcement. And when communities don’t trust law enforcement, we are all less safe.”
“Today’s verdict proves that Dana Pullman and Anne Lynch were paid to look out for the best interests of Massachusetts State Police union members, but instead were only looking out for themselves, lining their pockets with thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks and defrauding at least two different companies seeking to do business with the state,” said Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “They crossed over the thin blue line to committing felonies while the real victims in this case—hard-working troopers, taxpayers, and businesses—were short changed and shut out of the honest government services they deserve. The FBI has zero tolerance for those who exploit their official positions for personal gain and then try to obstruct our investigation into their criminal conduct.”
“Instead of honestly representing the interests of the more than 1,500 Massachusetts law enforcement professionals, these defendants cared more about enriching themselves through a series of bribes and kickbacks. Today’s guilty verdict affirms that their actions violated the trust given to them and this conduct will not go unpunished,” said Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office.
SPAM is an association consisting of more than 1,500 Troopers and Sergeants from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP). SPAM acts as the exclusive bargaining agent between its members and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the terms and conditions of SPAM members’ employment. Pullman, who was an MSP trooper from 1987 to 2018, was the President of SPAM from 2012 until his resignation on Sept. 28, 2018. Lynch’s lobbying firm represented SPAM during the same time period, in exchange for monthly retainer payments.
From at least 2012 until Pullman resigned as the President in September 2018, Pullman and Lynch turned SPAM into a racketeering enterprise, using Pullman’s position and power to defraud SPAM members, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and vendors looking to do business with the MSP. Among other things, Pullman and Lynch defrauded SPAM members and the Commonwealth of their right to honest services from Pullman when Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a settlement agreement between SPAM and the Commonwealth. Pullman and Lynch defrauded two different companies that sought to do business with the MSP by hiding from the vendors the fact that Lynch was paying Pullman to direct vendors to use Lynch’s services. The defendants hid the payments from Lynch and her lobbying firm to Pullman in a manner designed to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income to the IRS. Pullman and Lynch also attempted to obstruct the grand jury’s investigation of this matter by manipulating subpoenaed records, and Lynch attempted to obstruct the grand jury’s investigation by lying to investigators.
Additionally, Pullman embezzled and misused SPAM funds for personal use by using a debit card tied to a SPAM bank account to pay for thousands of dollars of meals and travel for an individual with whom Pullman was having a romantic relationship.
The charges of racketeering conspiracy and fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and IRS SAC Simpson made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina E. Barclay and Neil J. Gallagher Jr. of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Former Owner of Jacksonville Tax Preparation Business Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Ali Akhenaten, formerly known as Darryl Oliver, to three months in federal prison for tax fraud. Akhenaten had been found guilty by a jury on April 14, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Akhenaten owned and operated a tax preparation business in Jacksonville called Florida Financial Solutions, at which he prepared tax returns for others. On the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax returns Akhenaten prepared for the business, he underreported his business income and overstated the rent paid for his business property. On the tax returns he filed on his own behalf for 2014 and 2015, he underreported the income he earned from the business.
“Mr. Akhenaten chose to disregard the rules he himself taught to his tax and accounting students and instead prepare fraudulent returns to pad his own pockets,” said Brian Payne, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge. “Tax return preparers have a duty to prepare tax returns that comply with the law and we will continue to hold them true to that obligation.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Former Maui Police Officer Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Attempted Child EnticementRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Brandon Charles Saffeels, 38, a former Maui Police Department officer, was sentenced today to ten years in prison and a 15-year term of supervised release following that prison term for attempted child enticement by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. Saffeels pleaded guilty in April to attempting to engage in sexual contact with someone who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. In addition to his sentence, Saffeels must also register as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, on December 3, 2021, Saffeels contacted the online profile of what appeared to be a young female. The profile, however, was controlled by an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC”). Eventually during the conversation, Saffeels asked the UC, “How old are u?” and the UC responded “Plz dont judge but im 13.” To entice the UC, Saffeels offered to take the UC shopping and repeatedly offered to give her money. At one point, the UC asked him what she needed to do for the money and Saffeels responded, “Sex.”
On December 4, 2021, Saffeels contacted the UC and requested that they meet for sex at a designated location. Shortly after midnight the following day, Saffeels arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location where he was arrested by law enforcement.
When he was arrested on Maui on December 5, 2021, Saffeels was due to self-surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons on January 7, 2022, to begin service of a 30-month sentence Judge Kobayashi imposed for a federal public corruption offense. That offense involved an incident where Saffeels arrested a woman for suspecting driving under the influence of an intoxicant, and then began communicating with her, offering to provide perjured testimony to help her beat the case, if she would come to his house. At today’s sentencing, Judge Kobayashi ordered that Saffeels serve the two sentences concurrently, or at the same time.
“In seeking to sexually exploit a child while on release pending self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a separate criminal charge, Saffeels - a former law enforcement officer - engaged in reprehensible conduct that will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “The substantial term of imprisonment and the length of supervised release after incarceration is fully justified in this case.”
“The FBI remains committed to ensure the public’s safety even after someone is found guilty and awaiting sentencing. This former law enforcement officer committed another crime in attempting to entice a minor and was caught,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “The FBI will not stop in protecting Hawaii’s keiki and we thank the Maui Police Department and our other federal law enforcement partners as we work together on cases like this. We join the public in holding law enforcement officers to a higher standard.”
“Homeland Security Investigations will not tolerate the exploitation of keiki by people in a position of trust,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon. “We are pleased his sentence is consistent with the heinous nature of the crime.”
This case is the result of a multi-agency operation known as “Keiki Shield,” involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Maui Police Department, and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib is prosecuting the case.
Former DMV Employee Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Participating in Corrupt Bribery Conspiracy involving Commercial Driver LicensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shawana Denise Harris, 52, of Phelan, was sentenced today to five years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to commit bribery, to commit unauthorized access of a computer, and to commit identity fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Harris was a long-time DMV employee who had the ability to update test scores for commercial driver’s license applicants in California. Using her position as a public employee at the DMV, Harris accepted bribes in exchange for fraudulently updating test scores for people pursuing commercial driver’s licenses. For at least 185 commercial license applicants, Harris used her access to DMV computers to enter fraudulent test scores indicating the applicants had passed written and/or behind the wheel commercial drive tests, when in reality the applicants had not passed those tests. Harris and a co-conspirator were typically paid at least $1,500 per applicant for fraudulently updating test scores, resulting in approximately $277,500 worth of corrupt bribes.
This case was the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne L. Rust and Christopher S. Hales prosecuted the case.
Flint Man Pleads Guilty to Two Violent CarjackingsRead the Press Release
FLINT – A Flint man pleaded guilty today to committing two carjackings—one where he held a gun to a woman’s head, and the other where he beat and kicked a woman causing her severe injuries.
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced the plea today and was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court records, Darian Welch, 20, of Flint, Michigan, committed the carjackings on July 23, 2021, in Grand Blanc, and September 12, 2021, in Flint Township. In both cases, Welch targeted strangers who were at gas stations after midnight. In the first carjacking, Welch approached the victim as she was pumping gas into her car. He pulled out a loaded gun, pressed the muzzle against her temple, and demanded her keys. Welch then took the keys and drove off in the car.
In the second carjacking, Welch approached the victim as she was about to leave the gas station in her car. He asked her for a ride to a local apartment complex not far away. She agreed to drop him off there. After the victim parked at the complex, Welch punched her in the face several times, yanked her out of the driver’s seat and threw her on the ground, and kicked her repeatedly. As a result, she suffered facial fractures and spent several days in the hospital recovering. After the assault, Welch drove off in the car. About an hour after the carjacking, Welch led the police on a high speed chase, lost control of the car, and slammed into a utility pole, knocking down power lines.
Welch faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life in prison on the charge of brandishing a firearm while committing a carjacking. For the charge of carjacking that resulted in serious bodily injury, Welch faces a maximum of twenty-five years in prison.
“Citizens deserve to feel safe as they travel in their own communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office will zealously prosecute those who use guns to terrorize people just trying to live their lives.”
“Carjacking investigations are a priority to the FBI because these crimes create an unacceptable risk of harm to innocent victims completing the ordinary tasks of daily life,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “We are proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate these cases and make our communities safer places.”
Sentencing is set for March 14, 2023.
The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI, the Grand Blanc Police Department, the Flint Township Police Department, the Flushing Police Department, the Mount Morris Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Blaine Longsworth.
Fifth Defendant in Multi-Kilogram Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy SentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Upper Marlboro, Maryland woman was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute over seven kilograms of fentanyl.
According to court documents, between January 2018 and February 2021, Ericka Oliver, 34, and others would obtain kilogram quantities of fentanyl from various sources of supply. The group would then use a pill press to manufacture thousands of counterfeit prescription pills resembling legitimate pain medications, such as Oxycodone. In actuality, the pills contained fentanyl and other cutting agents. The group would then distribute the pills to redistributors and users in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for profit.
In June of 2020, during a court-authorized search of a coconspirator’s residence in Arlington, law enforcement seized pill manufacturing materials along with over seven kilograms of fentanyl in both pill and raw form, along with a loaded AK-47 semi-automatic firearm and $34,828 in U.S. currency. Upon her arrest in February 2021, law enforcement also obtained court authorization to search Oliver’s hotel room where an additional $58,960 in U.S. currency and high-end jewelry were seized. At Oliver’s residence, law enforcement located an additional 504 pressed pills containing fentanyl, cutting agents, and $6,500 in U.S. currency among other items.
Oliver is the fifth member of the conspiracy to be sentenced. Cornelius Frazier, 33, of Arlington, received a sentence of 151 months’ imprisonment; Kyle Bouldin, 31, of Woodbridge, received a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment; Brandon Williams, 29, of Spotsylvania, received a sentence of 125 months’ imprisonment; and Taurean Venable, 37, of Arlington, received a sentence of 120 months’ imprisonment for their respective roles.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Don Hayes, Alexandria Chief of Police; and David Huchler, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bibeane Metsch and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Roberts prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-39.
Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Cocaine, Revolver and Partially Constructed Ghost GunsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced to 45 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release on charges of violating federal drug and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence yesterday on Juan Santiago, 43, formerly of the City’s Homewood neighborhood.
According to information presented to the Court, on Jan. 28, 2021, members of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police executed a search warrant at a residence on Bennett Street, in the Homewood section of the City of Pittsburgh. While occupants inside of the residence were being hailed by officers, Santiago was observed exiting the rear of the residence carrying a large sum of money in one hand and a firearm tucked underneath his arm. Santiago fled back inside of the residence when he was confronted by officers. Santiago was pursued into the residence where he discarded the firearm inside of a kitchen cabinet. Santiago was ultimately detained inside of the dining room area of the residence where the money he was carrying was dropped onto the floor. From inside of the dining room area, officers discovered two partially constructed polymer ghost guns, an unloaded revolver, and 79 grams of cocaine and a digital scale consistent with drug trafficking. Santiago is precluded from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon a prior aggravated robbery conviction from Puerto Rico.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Ball prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Juan Santiago.
Federal Jury Convicts Buffalo Man for His Role in Murder of Three People in Front of A ChildRead 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 a federal jury has convicted Deandre Wilson of multiple charges for his role in a narcotics conspiracy which resulted in a triple homicide. Following the six-week jury trial, Wilson was found guilty of:
• narcotics conspiracy
• Hobbs Act robbery
• murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy
• discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking crimes
• two counts of discharge of a firearm causing death in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking crimes
• conspiracy to obstruct justice
• two counts of obstruction of justice
• conspiracy to use fire to commit a felony
• two counts of use of fire to commit a felony
• conspiracy to damage and destroy a vehicle used in interstate commerce by fire
• damaging and destroying a vehicle used in interstate commerce by fire
• possession with intent to distribute marijuanaAssistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler, Maeve E. Huggins, and Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in 2019, Deandre Wilson joined a longstanding narcotics conspiracy with co-defendants Jariel Cobb, James Reed, and others. Wilson, who had only recently been released to New York State parole after serving a lengthy prison term for Murder in the 2nd Degree, entered the conspiracy to obtain kilograms of cocaine and other controlled substances for distribution. In furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy, on September 15, 2019, Cobb arranged a purchase of a kilogram of cocaine from Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred, who served as Cobb’s sources of supply. Valentin-Colon, along with his wife. Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, their minor son, and Roman-Audiffred, arrived in their vehicle, a white minivan, at a residence on Roebling Avenue, as directed by Cobb. Roman-Audiffred exited the van and entered the residence’s kitchen, at which time Wilson hit her in the head with a blunt object and she fell to the floor. Wilson then went outside and shot and killed both Valentin-Colon and Merced Plaud, in the presence of their minor son, who was seated in a child’s car seat. Wilson then drove the minivan and hid it behind a building on Scajaquada Street near Kilhoffer Street in Buffalo.
A short time later, Cobb and Reed moved the body of Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred from the kitchen into the residence’s basement, where Cobb dismembered her body. Cobb placed the body parts into multiple trash bags and placed them into the trunk of his vehicle, and then drove to a residence on Box Avenue, removed the trash bags, and placed them into a burning fire in a fire pit area in the backyard. Wilson later joined his co-conspirators on Box to assist in the destruction of evidence.
During the early morning hours of September 16, 2019, Wilson and Cobb retrieved the minivan from Scajaquada Street, with the bodies of Miguel Valentin-Colon and Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud still inside, as well as their minor son. Wilson and Cobb drove the minivan to a non-residential area on Tonawanda Street and doused the vehicle and the bodies with gasoline, lighting the vehicle and bodies on fire. They took the minor child and left him on a stranger’s porch on Potomac Avenue in Buffalo.
Wilson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced. Jariel Cobb and James Reed were previously convicted and also face a maximum of life when sentenced.
The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; the Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory, under the direction of Commissioner James Jancewicz.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford, who presided over the trial.
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Former Edwardsville Resident Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
East St. Louis, Ill. – A former resident of Edwardsville, Illinois, pled guilty on Friday, October 28, 2022, to making a series of false statements during his 2018 bankruptcy case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Illinois. According to court documents, Kevin Kahrig, 49, a former building contractor in the area, concealed gassets from his creditors by transferring those assets to his girlfriend-turned-spouse, Catharine Kahrig, prior to filing bankruptcy. As part of his plea, Kahrig admitted that he transferred $277,850 in cash and checks to Catharine Kahrig in 2016, then closed all his bank accounts the next year. Kahrig hid those cash transfers and many of the closed accounts in his later filings with the bankruptcy court. Next, Kahrig took his name off a lakefront home he co- owned with Catharine Kahrig and hid this transfer from the bankruptcy court. Kahrig also sold his boat before bankruptcy. He gave the $395,000 he got from the boat to Catharine. Although Kahrig did disclose the sale of this boat to the bankruptcy court, he lied about the amount he received from the sale and did not disclose that he had provided those funds to Catharine. All told, Kahrig concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets from his creditors.
“Individuals who hide assets and make false statement on bankruptcy pleadings not only defraud their creditors, but they use the federal courts as a part of their fraud,” said United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “That is an intolerable abuse of the bankruptcy system which demands transparency and forthrightness by those seeking to have their debts discharged or restructured. Those who engage in such behavior will be held accountable by this office.”
“Kevin Kahrig chose lies and deception at every step to conceal assets and escape financial obligations” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “The FBI takes our responsibility to pursue allegations of bankruptcy fraud very seriously and will always work to hold accountable those who try to bypass the system”.
“Concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding is a crime that threatens the integrity of the bankruptcy process and public confidence in that process,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois (Region 10). “We are grateful to all of our law enforcement partners in this case and, in particular, to United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for her commitment to pursuing those who lie about assets in bankruptcy.”
Kahrig’s offense carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Kahrig’s sentencing is set for February 2, 2023, at 10:00am.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, in collaboration with the Southern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by the U.S. Trustee for Region 10, after referral by the U.S. Trustee. The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Peoria, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Reed.
East Prairie Man Sentenced to Serve over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Elijah G. Riley, 27, was sentenced Thursday to 135 months in federal prison for the offense of distribution of child pornography. Riley, of East Prairie, Missouri, appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation began communicating with Riley on a social messaging application in August of 2021. During the course of their communications, Riley sent a video depicting an adult male sexually abusing a young female child. The FBI located Riley days later and placed him under arrest. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Riley admitted that he used the internet to send the child pornography video to the agent. After serving his 135-month sentence, Riley will be placed on supervised release for a period of 20 years. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.
Doctor Sentenced for Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ehab Kodsi, age 56, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced today to pay restitution in the amount of $245,212, and to pay an additional $25,000 fine, after admitting to filing a false tax return and deliberately underreporting his income from 2015 to 2018.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ordered Kodsi to pay $245,212 to the IRS, and Kodsi has already made this payment. Judge Kahn also imposed 1 year of probation, to include 100 hours of community service.
Kodsi is the sole owner of a pain management clinic located in Queensbury, New York. He is also a partner in a real estate company that owns several properties, including the office building in Queensbury that houses his pain management clinic.
In pleading guilty, Kodsi admitted that from 2015 to 2018, he underreported his businesses’ revenues to the IRS, and improperly deducted personal and business expenses. As a result, Kodsi failed to report a total of $822,069 in income and failed to pay $245,212 in taxes.
Kodsi did not report income received from third parties reimbursing services provided by his pain management clinic, deducted personal expenses as business expenses, deducted the same business expense multiple times, and overstated business expenses related to his and his family’s use of vehicles.
This case was investigated by IRS-CI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Confrontation with U.S. Capitol PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bernard McCutcheon, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for an incident last summer in which he confronted U.S. Capitol Police officers while in possession of two Molotov cocktails, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
At the time of the offense, McCutcheon was on probation in another case in which he threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking on a street in Northwest Washington.
McCutcheon pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe to a total of 60 months in prison, but the judge suspended half of that time on the condition that McCutcheon later successfully complete three years of probation.
According to court documents, on July 6, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m., McCutcheon was in possession of two Molotov Cocktails on the steps of 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW when U.S. Capitol Police officers responded to a 911 call. As the officers approached McCutcheon, he backed away from them while holding one of the Molotov Cocktails. During this confrontation, that Molotov Cocktail hit the ground near where the officers were standing.
McCutcheon then took out the second Molotov Cocktail. While in close proximity to one of the officers, McCutcheon attempted several times to light the white cloth hanging from the bottle. After failing to light the cloth, McCutcheon fled and ran into a nearby bicycle rack, where the second Molotov Cocktail shattered on the ground. In a search at the time of the arrest, officers found a backpack containing a 2-liter soda bottle containing a pale amber liquid consistent with the appearance and odor of gasoline. McCutcheon has been in custody since his arrest.
In the earlier case, McCutcheon pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. On the afternoon of April 28, 2021, McCutcheon threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking near a gas station in the 300 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. The bottle landed on the victim’s foot and burst into flames, catching her shoe on fire and bruising a toe. Shards of glass from the bottle also cut the victim’s shin. On May 20, 2022, McCutcheon was sentenced to 13 months in prison in this case, with all of the time suspended on the condition that he successfully complete 18 months of supervised probation.
The Honorable James A. Crowell IV, who presided over the defendant’s earlier case, revoked his probation and sentenced him to the remaining time on his original sentence
In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Manger commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Capitol Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tonya Queen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Correctional Officer Charged with Accepting Bribes to Smuggle Contraband into William E. Donaldson Correctional FacilityRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A former corrections officer at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility has been charged for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle cell phones, controlled substances, and other contraband items to inmates at the facility, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.
A two-count information filed in U.S. District Court yesterday charges former Alabama Department of Corrections (“ADOC”) Correctional Officer Wilson Brian Clemons, also known as “Mario Lopez” and “My Granddaddy Otis,” 32, of Jasper, with one count of conspiracy and one count of using a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of an unlawful activity.
According to the charging document, between November 7, 2021, and November 23, 2021, Clemons abused his position as a corrections officer and agreed to accept bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband items into Donaldson. The charging document alleges that Clemons used a fake name to create an account with the mobile payment service Cash App so that he could accept bribe payments from inmates and their associates anonymously.
According to the plea agreement, also filed yesterday, Clemons has agreed to plead guilty to both charged counts. The plea agreement states that Clemons was stopped outside of Donaldson on November 23, 2021, after he attempted to bring cell phones, marijuana, Xanax, cigars, and scales into the facility. Clemons has agreed to forfeit the money he made from the conspiracy.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of illegal activity is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid are prosecuting the case. The ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division assisted in the investigation.
An information contains only charges. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.
Convicted felon sentenced to three and a half years in prison for escapeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Paul Lujan was sentenced on Nov. 2 to three years and six months in prison for escape. Lujan, 27, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on June 22.
On April 11, 2018, Lujan was convicted of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On June 29, 2020, the Bureau of Prison placed Lujan at the Diersen Charities, Diersen Residential Reentry Center in Albuquerque. Less than a month later on July 24, 2020, resident monitors discovered that Lujan was not in his assigned dorm, and securities videos showed Lujan leaving the facility without permission on July 23, 2020. Lujan did not return to the facility.
Upon completion of his prison term, Lujan will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Prisons. The Albuquerque Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.
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Convicted Felon Admits to Being an Armed Drug DealerRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man convicted multiple times on Rhode Island state drug charges admitted to a federal court judge that he illegally possessed two loaded firearms and 16 grams of heroin seized during an FBI Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Giancarlo Fermin, 35, today pleaded guilty as charged by way of indictment to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to information presented to the court, in August 2021, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search of Fermin’s residence and located two fully loaded firearms, ammunition, approximately 16 grams of heroin, and numerous items used to prepare and package narcotics for distribution, including a grinder, a digital scale, and more than 2,000 blue miniature paper envelopes.
As FBI agents entered Fermin’s residence, the agents saw Fermin tossing blue envelopes, some containing heroin, out of a window.
Fermin is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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 is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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Convenience Store Owner, Worker, Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Federal Food Stamp ProgramRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAVED SAEED, 53, and DASTGIR SAEED, 69, both of South Windsor, were sentenced today in New Haven federal court for food stamp fraud offenses. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall sentenced Javed Saeed to one year and one day of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine. Judge Hall sentenced Dastgir Saeed to two months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release, the first two months of which must be served in home detention, and ordered him to pay a $2,500 fine.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, and SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase made with SNAP benefits is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Javed Saeed is the owner of Manchester Quick Mart, a convenience store and Mobil gas station located at 262 Oakland Street in Manchester. His father, Dastgir Saeed, and others, including Siddiq Chaudhary and Mohammed Khan, helped operate the store. Between January 2017 and January 2020, Javeed Saeed, Dastgir Saeed, Chaudhary, Khan and others illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including gasoline and male enhancement pills, and charged the customers’ food stamp cards a premium of nearly 50 percent for these transactions.
Javed Saeed has paid full restitution in the amount of $211,208.
On May 10, 2022, Javed and Dastgir Saeed each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud.
Chaudhary and Khan, both of South Windsor, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and one count of engaging in food stamp fraud. They await sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding InvestorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Concord man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to defrauding an investor of $72,000.
Eric Lyons, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of investment advisor fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 15, 2023.
Between 2015 and 2017, Lyons participated in the operation of multiple investment funds, including the Synchrony Value Fund LP, for which Lyons solicited investors and participated in distribution decisions for the funds. In that role, Lyons defrauded an investor by allowing for the distribution of that investor’s gains, as well as a portion of their underlying investment, to other investors. The defrauded investor eventually liquidated their position in the fund, receiving approximately $72,000 less than the amount to which they were entitled.
The charge of investment adviser fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Cincinnati man charged with federal hate crime for physically assaulting Asian American student based on raceRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man has been charged with committing a federal hate crime by physically assaulting a victim based on the victim’s race.
Darrin Johnson, 26, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday and arrested this morning. His case was unsealed when he appeared in federal court at 1:30pm.
According to the indictment, on Aug. 17, 2021, Johnson physically attacked an Asian American victim on Calhoun Street at the University of Cincinnati.
It is alleged Johnson made racist comments toward the victim, including, “Go back to your country…You brought the kung flu here…You’re going to die for bringing it.”
After allegedly threatening to kill the victim, Johnson’s charging documents detail that he punched the victim on the side of his head. The force of the punch caused the victim to fall and hit his head on the bumper of a parked car.
The victim suffered multiple injuries, including a minor concussion and facial lacerations.
Two individuals who witnessed the assault intervened and one held Johnson down until law enforcement arrived.
In October 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and criminal intimidation for the incident and was sentenced to serve 360 days in county jail.
If convicted of a federal hate crime, Johnson would face up to 10 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Chicago Man Sentenced to 148 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Chicago, Illinois, man, Eric T. Bogan, Jr., 36, of the 2000 block of West 21st Place, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, to 148 months in prison for attempted enticement of a minor, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Bogan will also be required to comply with the sex offender registry.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the United States presented evidence that Bogan believed he was communicating with the father of an 11-year-old daughter on an online platform. For more than three months, Bogan discussed meeting with that individual to pay to have sex with the child. Bogan explicitly detailed the sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the girl. He also offered to bring the girl a marijuana edible to give her when they met for sex. Bogan arranged a meeting in January 2022. Law enforcement agents arrested him and searched his car pursuant to a warrant. They discovered a package of marijuana peanut butter edibles in the vehicle.
The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are 10 years to life imprisonment, a possible fine of up to $250,000, and up to a life term of supervised release. The charge also carries a mandatory special assessment of $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 if the defendant is not indigent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the United States in the prosecution.
The case against Bogan was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Cairnbrook Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Cairnbrook, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Vicky Wagoner, age 40, pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, from on or about November 9, 2021, Wagner did possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for April 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Wagoner.
Brothers from Pine Ridge Reservation Found Guilty of KidnappingRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal trial jury has convicted Jesse Sierra, a/k/a Jesse Sierro, age 37, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Kidnapping, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force, Interstate Domestic Violence, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Assault by Strangulation of a Dating Partner following a five-day federal trial in Rapid City, South Dakota. The jury also convicted Jesse Sierra’s brother, Dustin Sierra, a/k/a Dustin Sierro, age 38, also of Oglala, of Kidnapping and Interstate Domestic Violence. The verdicts were returned on October 28, 2022.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count of conviction.
The Sierras were indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2019.
Evidence at the trial established Jesse Sierra traveled to the female victim’s place of employment in July 2019, and convinced her to leave with him and his brother, Dustin. When the Sierra brothers began driving the female to the Pine Ridge Reservation, then against her will, the female attempted to jump out of the vehicle. Jesse Sierra wrapped his arm around her neck and strangled her to a point of unconsciousness. Each time the female regained consciousness, Sierra strangled her again. Between July 13, 2019, and July 17, 2019, the Sierra brothers took the female to a number of locations on the Pine Ridge Reservation against her will. Jesse inflicted multiple physical and sexual assaults upon the female during the time he held her against her will. Around July 17, 2019, Dustin drove Jesse and the female to Chadron, Nebraska, and hid her in a motel. On July 21, 2019, Jesse dropped her off at the hospital in Chadron. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies searched for the victim from July 14, 2019, until she was located at the Chadron hospital on July 21, 2019.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Rapid City Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Box Elder Police Department, Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, Chadron Police Department, and Nebraska State Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Sazama and Kelsey Blair prosecuted the case.
Presentence investigations were ordered and sentencing dates were set for January 27, 2023. The defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Brookfield Doctor Sentenced to Eighteen Months’ Imprisonment for Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on October 27, 2022, Dr. Manuel Thomas (age: 49), a former pediatrician, had been sentenced by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and maintaining a premises for the purpose of unlawfully distributing controlled substances.
According to court records, Thomas previously had pled guilty to both counts, acknowledging that he had distributed controlled substances, including powerful opiates, for years, in a manner outside of a professional medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
At sentencing, the United States requested that the Court impose a term of imprisonment based on a variety of factors, including evidence that Dr. Thomas had provided opiates to patients he knew were already addicted to controlled substances, in exchange for cash and pills for his own personal use.
“Medical professionals who prescribe controlled substances not for a medical purpose but instead to line their own pockets violate both their oaths to do no harm and also federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those doctors who are fueling the opioid crisis accountable for their actions.”
“The DEA will continue keeping Wisconsin families safe from the dangerous and illegal actions taken by medical practitioners who do not adhere to the Controlled Substances Act,” said John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Wisconsin.
“The FBI takes medical misconduct very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “along with our partners, we will aggressively pursue offenders who take advantage of vulnerable patients for their own personal gain.”
After completing his term of imprisonment, Thomas also must spend three years on federal supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Knight.
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Barbour County man sentenced for meth chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Austin Jay Robinson, of Belington, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 21 months of incarceration for a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Robinson, 23, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Robinson admitted to selling methamphetamine in April 2021 in Barbour County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Barbour County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Joseph Wayne Dadisman, of Philippi, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 136 months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Dadisman, 50, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Possession with intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Dadisman admitted to having more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth” and “ice,” in June 2021 in Barbour County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Bangor Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Kristopher Churchill, 40, to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Churchill pleaded guilty on April 21, 2022.
According to court records, on April 5, 2021, Churchill was stopped by a Maine State Trooper for multiple traffic violations. The trooper asked for a drug detection dog to come to the stop, and the dog alerted to the presence of drugs. During a search of the vehicle, a large amount of suspected fentanyl or heroin in plastic shopping bags was discovered in the back seat floorboard area as well as in a box within arm’s reach of Churchill. Laboratory analysis confirmed the packages contained fentanyl. The quantity of fentanyl seized was consistent with distribution as opposed to a personal use quantity.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police investigated this case.
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Armed Theodore Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Theodore man was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it.
According to court documents, Marcus Maurice Dryer, 45, was arrested by Mobile narcotics detectives on January 25, 2022. That day, detectives executed a search warrant at Dryer’s residence in Theodore and recovered, among other things, two kilograms of cocaine, 345 grams of marijuana, $14,000 in banded-up cash, drug paraphernalia, and 13 guns, one of which previously had been reported stolen. Detectives interviewed Dryer, who admitted that he had been transporting drugs from Texas to Mobile and selling them. Dryer also admitted that he was a convicted felon and knew he was not allowed to possess guns.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Dryer to serve a four-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Dryer to forfeit $14,000 in cash and to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasee Heisterhagen and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Armed Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Brandon Corey Skeith (40, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl and cocaine base with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Skeith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and up to life, in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement and court documents, Skeith sold drugs out of a motel near Dunn Avenue in Jacksonville. In April 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit observed Skeith selling fentanyl from the motel and obtained a search warrant for his room. During the execution of the search warrant, officers seized fentanyl packaged for sale, cocaine base, scales, beakers, and a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyzed the pistol and found Skeith’s DNA on the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran is handling forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition.
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.
Alexandria Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Treymon Daykeem Reed, 29, of Alexandria, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 72 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of firearms.
Reed was indicted in February 2022 and pled guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on August 10, 2022. The charges stem from two separate incidents that occurred in the Alexandria area. The first occurred on September 15, 2020 when an officer with the Alexandria Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven by Reed. During the stop, officers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked if there was any inside. Reed told officers that he had thrown it out the window and consented to a search of the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, officers found a large bag of marijuana, 62 marijuana cigarettes, 194 oxycodone pills and a Sig Sauer 9mm magazine with two rounds of ammunition.
The second incident occurred on February 1, 2021 when an officer with the Alexandria Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for running a stop sign. The driver was determined to be Reed. When Reed stepped out of the vehicle, the officer noticed Reed had a large object in his pants pocket. A pat down was performed, and officers discovered two large bags of suspected marijuana in his pants pocket. Officers later also recovered a loaded Glock 9mm pistol and $13,000 cash between the driver’s seat and center console.
Reed had prior felony convictions for second degree battery in 2013 and assault by drive-by shooting in 2009 and was therefore, prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. The firearms and ammunition recovered from both traffic stops were analyzed by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case was investigated by the ATF and Alexandria Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.
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Albany Police Department Receives Specialized Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention Technical Assistance by Justice Department’s CRI-TAC TeamRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – In an effort spear-headed by the Albany Police Department (APD) and provided at no cost to the city, a team of subject matter experts in policing from the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ (COPS Office) Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) are conducting a comprehensive site visit to APD today and tomorrow, Nov. 2-3.
CRI-TAC provides a continuum of technical assistance services to the law enforcement field nationwide. Through CRI-TAC’s “by the field, for the field” approach, the Justice Department is able to facilitate customizable, short-term technical assistance on more than 60 topics. Those topics vary to include gun violence reduction and prevention, officer safety and wellness, and community engagement. Specifically, APD requested support around developing a community-based intervention and prevention unit targeted toward violent crime reduction and prevention.
“I applaud the Albany Police Department’s commitment to strengthening its tactical approach to policing in order to reduce violent crime in the community,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The Department of Justice supports our local law enforcement partners as they work to continually improve their approach in an ever-changing criminal landscape.”
“Addressing crime is a major community-wide concern. We’ve asked the Justice Department to help us create a community-based intervention and prevention unit aimed at lowering crime in our city,” said Albany Police Chief Michael Persley. “As we get our community partners onboard, the next step will be for us to hear directly from citizens. By creating this community-based team, APD will strengthen its ties to the community we serve, which will inform our policing.”
As part of the services CRI-TAC offers, subject matter experts from the field design tailored solutions in collaboration with each requesting agency to address its individual needs. Technical assistance timelines are established at the pace of the requesting agency, ranging from three to six months. Last year (2021), CRI-TAC worked with 171 law enforcement agencies.
Free to the community and managed out of the Justice Department’s COPS Office, CRI-TAC was established in 2017 and provides a wide range of targeted technical assistance services. Each level of the initiative’s assistance is completely voluntary and provided at the request of law enforcement agencies. The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide.
CRI-TAC involves a coalition of support and expertise from leading law enforcement stakeholder organizations. For more information about CRI-TAC, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/collaborativereform.
The CRI-TAC program is part of the Department of Justice’s broader resources addressing violent crime reduction, which is headlined by the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. 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.
Albany Felon Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Roderick Jones, age 43, of Albany, was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for two separate instances of unlawfully possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Eric Hawkins of the Albany Police Department.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Jones admitted that he possessed a loaded .380 caliber pistol in his vehicle when he was arrested on impaired driving charges on January 17, 2019, after crashing his vehicle into a building on Rensselaer Street in Albany. Jones further admitted that on September 29, 2019, he possessed a 9mm pistol that he discharged four times at two occupied residences in the Ida Yarbrough Homes in Albany. On both occasions, prior felony convictions for robbery prevented Jones from legally possessing firearms in New York.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered Jones to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the Albany Police Department and ATF, with the assistance of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin Segovia and Emmet O’Hanlon.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
Alaska Businesswoman Indicted on Tax Evasion and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed Nov. 1 charging an Alaska businesswoman with tax evasion and filing false tax returns that underreported income from the business she owned.
The indictment charges that, from approximately 2014 through 2018, Tina H. Yi, of Nome and Anchorage, evaded approximately $1.5 million in federal income taxes and filed false personal tax returns with the IRS. Yi allegedly was the sole owner and operator of SJ Investment LLC, a hotel, bar and liquor store that did business as Polaris HBL. According to the indictment, Yi created the business in approximately April 2007 and operated it in Nome until approximately October 2017, when the physical property was destroyed in a fire.
Yi allegedly maintained two sets of books and records relating to the business’s income and expenses for 2014 through 2017 – one of which accurately captured SJ Investment’s income and expenses, and one that understated the company’s income. Yi allegedly provided the false records to her accountant to use to prepare her tax returns for each year. By allegedly providing business records to her accountant that falsified SJ Investment’s income, Yi ensured that her personal tax returns – on which she reported SJ Investment’s income – would be false for each year. For 2018, Yi allegedly used a different tax preparer. She allegedly provided that preparer with false information as well, ensuring that her 2018 tax return also was false. In total, Yi allegedly did not report to the IRS more than $3.2 million in income from SJ Investment.
Yi made her initial court appearance yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, she faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of five counts of tax evasion and three years in prison for each of five counts of filing a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Allen and George Tran are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alaska Businesswoman Indicted on Tax Evasion and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE – An indictment was unsealed charging an Alaska businesswoman with tax evasion and filing false tax returns that underreported income from the business she owned.
The indictment charges that from approximately 2014 through 2018, Tina H. Yi, of Nome and Anchorage, evaded approximately $1.5 million in federal income taxes and filed false personal tax returns with the IRS. Yi was the sole owner and operator of SJ Investment LLC, a hotel, bar and liquor store that did business as Polaris HBL. According to the indictment, Yi created the business in approximately April 2007 and operated it in Nome until approximately October 2017, when the physical property was destroyed in a fire.
Yi allegedly maintained two sets of books and records relating to the business’s income and expenses for 2014 through 2017 – one of which accurately captured SJ Investment’s income and expenses, and one that understated the company’s income. Yi allegedly provided the false records to her accountant to use to prepare her tax returns for each year. By allegedly providing business records to her accountant that falsified SJ Investment’s income, Yi ensured that her personal tax returns – on which she reported SJ Investment’s income – would be false for each year. For 2018, Yi allegedly used a different tax preparer. She allegedly provided that preparer with false information as well, ensuring that her 2018 tax return also was false. In total, Yi allegedly did not report to the IRS more than $3.2 million in income from SJ Investment.
Yi made her initial court appearance yesterday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew M. Scoble of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, she faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of five counts of tax evasion and three years in prison for each of five counts of filing a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Allen and George Tran and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Ahwatukee Shooter Sentenced to over 36 YearsRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – On October 26, 2022, Warren Evan Jose, 38, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 440 months in prison. Jose previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted, two counts of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon, and two counts of Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence.
On June 29, 2021, his co-defendant, Valentina Valenzuela, of Sells, Arizona, was sentenced by Judge Rash to 42 months in prison. She pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted and two counts of Transporting an Illegal Alien for Profit with Endangerment During which Death Resulted. A third co-conspirator, the decedent, died during the commission of the crimes.
During Jose’s guilty plea, he admitted that on or about April 11, 2019, the three co-conspirators agreed to pick up two undocumented noncitizens at or near Sells, Arizona and transport them to Phoenix. The three co-conspirators then picked up two undocumented noncitizens and planned to transport them to Phoenix, in return for payment.
While transporting the undocumented noncitizens, Jose, Valenzuela, and the decedent drank alcohol and used drugs. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) noticed the vehicle and activated their lights and sirens to stop the vehicle. The decedent, who was driving, failed to stop, and attempted to flee by crashing the vehicle into one of the agent’s vehicles.
Following the crash, Jose began firing on the federal agents, using a Century Arms, 7.62x39 pistol, an AK-47-style firearm. At his guilty plea hearing, Jose admitted that he knew they were law enforcement agents when he fired at them. The shots fired by Jose grazed one HSI agent on the head and hit him on the shoulder. Jose barely missed hitting a second HSI agent in the head.
At his guilty plea hearing, Jose admitted that his use of drugs and alcohol and his firing of the AK-47-style pistol were the proximate cause of the decedent’s death.
“This lengthy sentence serves as a testament to HSI’s commitment, alongside our law enforcement partners, to bring justice to a man for his vile attempt to kill the federal agents who were attempting to thwart his illegal activity – illegal activity that caused the death of another person,” said Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI Phoenix. “The men and women of HSI will not be deterred in their pursuit of those that use violence to further their human smuggling schemes. This sentence means the defendant will spend nearly the rest of his life in prison for his actions. We can rest assured that he will not present a threat to law enforcement, or the public, ever again.”
“Alien smuggling is a dangerous business under any circumstances,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino. “It’s much more so here, where the defendant possessed an assault weapon during the smuggling crime, and used it against law enforcement agents.”
Homeland Security Investigations, Sells, conducted the investigation in this case, with the assistance of the Phoenix Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Border Patrol, and the Tohono O’odham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Serra M. Tsethlikai, Robert A. Fellrath, and Erica Seger, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-1050-SHR-LCK
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-201_Jose, et al# # #
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.
Wednesday 2 November 2022
Violent Street Gang Member Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing a Machine Gun After He Had Been Released on BondRead the Press Release
DETROIT – – A man who illegally possessed a handgun equipped with an auto sear, commonly known as a Glock switch, which is designed to convert the handgun into an automatic weapon was sentenced yesterday in federal court, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
United States Attorney Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Paul D. Vanderplow, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Detroit Field Division.
United States District Linda V. Parker sentenced Dion Davis, 19, of Detroit, Michigan, to 41 months in prison for illegally possessing several firearms. Davis was indicted in July 2021 and pleaded guilty in May 2022.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that on April 25, 2021, Davis went live on Instagram, flaunting his possession of an illegal machine gun with a device known as an auto sear, a square device about the size of a thumbnail known on the street as a "switch" that turns the gun from a semi-automatic to an automatic weapon. Five days later, federal agents recovered the weapon from Davis while executing a search warrant. Davis had drawn the attention of federal agents after being involved in several shooting incidents on Detroit’s east side. At the time he possessed the firearm with the conversion switch, Davis was on pretrial release for felony cases in both Wayne and Macomb County.
Law enforcement has established that Davis is affiliated with the “700 Gang,” which is also known as the “Wax Gang” and “4GTMT.” During a three-year period, twelve members of the 700 Gang were charged with violent or firearms-related felonies. According to court records, at the time of his arrest, Davis had fanned the flames of a feud with a rival gang by participating in shootings, taunting and threatening rival gang members on social media, and continually flaunting his unfettered access to firearms.
"The sole and exclusive purpose of Glock switches, which are easily manufactured, is to convert an already dangerous firearm into an extremely dangerous machine gun," said United States Attorney Ison. We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals that use and possess these dangerous devices in our community.”
“Conversion devices are NOT simple firearms parts or accessories but machineguns under federal law. The men and women at the ATF will find and remove these violent criminals from the community who continue to terrorize our State,” said, ATF Special in Charge Paul Vanderplow. “ATF stands proudly with our Federal, State, and Local law enforcement partners within the State of Michigan to prosecute these individuals.”
The case against Davis 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Lanning.
Vineland Boys Member Who Helped Run the Gang’s Drug Trafficking Operations Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for RICO, Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A member of the San Fernando Valley-based Vineland Boys who helped run the street gang’s drug trafficking operations has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for federal racketeering and narcotics crimes, the Justice Department announced today.
Mark Anthony Espinosa, 43, of Lancaster, was sentenced late Tuesday afternoon by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald.
Espinosa pleaded guilty on April 7 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of conspiracy to distribute drugs, including methamphetamine.
According to court documents, from November 2015 to November 2019, Espinosa was a member of the Pequeños clique of the Vineland Boys. Espinosa conspired with other Vineland Boys gang members to sell drugs throughout the gang’s “territory.” Espinosa also acted as a drug supplier and sell drugs within Vineland Boys territory, operate drug and firearms stash locations, and enforce the gang’s extortion of drug dealers, including through violence.
In his plea agreement, Espinosa admitted to committing a series of criminal activities, including a March 2016 meeting in which he discussed an incident in which he and another Vineland Boys gang member held a gun to the head of an individual in a back-alley confrontation.
Espinosa also admitted to engaging in a drug deal in June 2016, in which he and a co-defendant sold approximately 112 grams of methamphetamine to a buyer who paid $700.
In 2019, a federal grand jury indicted 31 Vineland Boys members and associates. So far, federal prosecutors have secured 29 convictions in this case, including 14 convictions that have resulted in prison sentences of at least 10 years. One of them, Vineland Boys gang member Jesus Gonzalez Jr., 29, “Lil Chito,” “Gunner” and “Chuy,” of Sun Valley, is serving a 31-year federal prison sentence for committing multiple felonies, including the attempted murders of three rival gangsters.
This case’s lead defendant, Mario Alberto Miranda, 31, of Sherman Oaks, an alleged Vineland Boys shot caller, and Ulises Botello, 46, of Palmdale, are scheduled to go to trial in October 2023 on racketeering conspiracy and narcotics charges.
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Chou and Sara Vargas of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.
Two Men Admit Trying to Bring 100 Pounds of Methamphetamine to the St. Louis AreaRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday and admitted trying to pick up 100 pounds of methamphetamine that was being brought to the St. Louis area from Colorado.
Demond Benard McDaniels Jr., 26, of St. Charles, and Dawuane Lamont Rhodes Jr., 25, of St. Louis, each pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to one felony count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case stemmed from an Oct. 8, 2020 traffic stop in Kansas. A Geary County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a van and found two duffle bags containing roughly 100 pounds of methamphetamine that was being driven from Colorado to the St. Louis area. The Drug Enforcement Administration then arranged for the controlled delivery of the drugs to McDaniels.
McDaniels first arranged to have Rhodes pick up and pay for the methamphetamine at a University City garage. After Rhodes arrived and was arrested with $15,005 in cash, an assault-style weapon and a pistol, McDaniels was told that Rhodes didn’t show. McDaniels was then arrested with $6,930 in cash and jewelry when he came to pick up the methamphetamine.
Investigators later found $93,820 in cash and a pistol at McDaniels' home.
Both men agreed as part of their pleas to forfeit more than $155,000 seized during the investigation, as well as a 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat, a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van and a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat.
McDaniels is scheduled to be sentenced January 31 and Rhodes on February 1. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Three Men Plead Guilty to Roles in Staging the Armed Robbery of A Cash Courier VanRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced today that three men—Paschal Osinachi Uchendu, 27, of Mason, Stephen Ikechuwku Uchendu, 21, of Mason, and Todd Lamonte Harris, Jr., 20, of Grand Rapids—pleaded guilty to their roles in staging the armed robbery of a courier van transporting over $1.2 million in cash.
“This inside job was a foolish endeavor that earned these young men serious felony charges and federal criminal records,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “I commend law enforcement for quickly solving this crime through a thorough and effective investigation.”
Paschal Uchendu organized the staged armed robbery of the cash courier van that he was driving on February 15, 2022. Stephen Uchendu and Todd Harris followed the van in another vehicle and faked a car accident in Okemos. Todd Harris engaged Paschal Uchendu, who exited the van, while Stephen Uchendu entered the passenger side of the van with an unloaded AR-15 rifle. Paschal Uchendu drove the van to another location and unlocked the vault for Stephen Uchendu and Todd Harris. Together, the men stole approximately $1,244,483, including money belonging to an area financial institution. Stephen Uchendu and Todd Harris each received $25,000 for their role in the staged armed robbery. When officers subsequently contacted Todd Harris, he and Stephen Uchendu left the State of Michigan and took a portion of their theft proceeds on a trip to Georgia. Over $700,000 of the stolen money remains outstanding.
The three men were charged in a Felony Information on September 21, 2022. On October 12, 2022, Paschal Uchendu pleaded guilty to bank larceny. On September 28, 2022 and November 2, 2022, respectively, Stephen Uchendu and Todd Harris pleaded guilty to the interstate transportation of stolen property. All three men face up to ten years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and fines in excess of $250,000. Stephen Uchendu will be sentenced on March 7, 2023. Paschal Uchendu will be sentenced on March 8, 2023. Todd Harris is awaiting a sentencing date.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with prior assistance from the Meridian Township Police Department.
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Texas Man Sentenced to 12 Months and 1 Day for His Role as Executive National Marketing Director in Operating Sham Medical Reimbursement Account ProgramRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSEPH ANTHONY BORINO, age 65, a resident of Spring Hill, Texas, was sentenced on November 1, 2022 to 12 months and 1 day in prison by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter after previously pleading guilty to a one-count superseding bill of information charging him with misprision of a felony, namely, wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 4, for his role in a wide-ranging scheme that defrauded thousands of individuals and companies across the United States. Judge Vitter also sentenced BORINO to one (1) year of supervised release after his release from prison and ordered that he pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. Judge Vitter scheduled a restitution hearing for February 13, 2023 at 10:00 am.
According to court documents, The Total Financial Group (TTFG) was a Louisiana business incorporated by Denis and Donna Joachim with the Louisiana Secretary of State on about January 6, 2005. TTFG was most recently located in Covington, Louisiana and had at least 13 employees and 56 independent sales agents. BORINO, employed with TTFG since 2012, served as its National Executive Marketing Director. In that capacity, BORINO supervised, trained, and instructed TTFG’s regional sales personnel. BORINO primarily handled and resolved issues that agents, prospective clients, and enrolled clients encountered.
TTFG and its owners, along with BORINO and others, created and marketed a Medical Reimbursement Account program called “Classic 105.” Classic 105 claimed to be a multiple employer welfare arrangement that was marketed to employers as a supplemental benefits plan to reimburse their employees for medical expenses such as co-pays and deductibles. Participants in Classic 105 were required to have a primary health insurance plan unrelated to and in addition to Classic 105. Classic 105 claimed to be comprised of several components: a tax-exempt contribution of between $1,000 and $1,600 per month made by an employee (which reduced the employee’s taxable income), a loan from a lender back to the employee to make up for the contribution, an insurance policy payable to the lender at the employee’s death to repay the loan, and fees paid by the employee and the employer directly to TTFG. TTFG told prospective employer-clients that participants would never have to make out-of-pocket payments to repay the loan and that as a result of the tax savings, most participants would receive an increase in their net take home pay. TTFG’s marketing program told prospective employer-clients that the contributions would be stored in a unique account for each employee-participant and that any money not used by the end of each calendar year would revert to TTFG. TTFG also charged employee-participants a fee of between $150 and $250 per month and the employer a fee of five percent of each employee’s contribution amount. At its peak, over 350 employer-clients and 4,400 employee-participants nationwide were enrolled in TTFG’s Classic 105 program.
According to court documents, TTFG committed wire fraud by virtue of how it actually operated Classic 105. TTFG never obtained a single loan or insurance policy for the Classic 105 program, and participants never made any actual contributions. The only money tendered to TTFG by employer-clients and employee-participants were fees. As a result, employee-participants and employer-clients were defrauded into enrolling in, and paying fees for, the Classic 105 program by means of fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. Additionally, participants and employers were exposed to potential adverse financial consequences, including not only unpaid taxes, fees, and penalties, but also ineligibility from certain government programs, including unemployment payments, and reduced Social Security payments.
Despite having knowledge of these events, which constituted wire fraud, on multiple occasions, BORINO did not make known the information and attempted to conceal it. For example, in September 2014, BORINO was told that “TTFG has not made any deals with any banks in any state” and also had “not solicited nor [sic] received any pooling of funds from a group of individuals.” In the subsequent months, when subordinates asked BORINO specific questions about the loan component and passed along concerns that Classic 105 was “a scam and likely an illegal tax dodge,” BORINO failed to disclose what he had been told: that there were no entities providing loans. In subsequent years, BORINO continued to represent to subordinates and prospective customers that loans from “Wall Street banks,” community banks, and various “investing vehicles” funded the loan component. During her sentencing of BORINO, Judge Vitter noted his senior level at TTFG, an organization that “was based on nothing but fraud.”
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and Employment Benefits Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and IRS-Criminal Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg, Andre Lagarde, and Maria Carboni were in charge of the prosecution.
Tankship Commercial Manager Convicted of Violation for Air PollutionRead the Press Release
Ionian Management Inc. (IONIAN M), a New York-based company that commercially manages three vessels, including the M/T Ocean Princess, was sentenced yesterday in the District of the Virgin Islands before U.S. District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis in St. Croix, after pleading guilty to a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. IONIAN M was sentenced to pay a fine of $250,000 and placed on probation for one year.
While vessels are operating within the U.S. Caribbean Emissions Control Area (ECA), they must not use fuel that exceeds 0.10% sulfur by weight to help protect air quality. Between Jan. 3, 2017, and July 10, 2018, the M/T Ocean Princess entered and operated within the ECA using fuel that contained excessive sulfur on twenty-six separate occasions. The fuel was petroleum cargo that had been transferred to the fuel tanks as authorized by IONIAN M. Once authorized, the crew of the M/T Ocean Princess transfered the higher sulfur fuel from the cargo tanks into the bunker tanks and use it to fuel the vessel, even though it exceeded the 0.10% sulfur by weight maximum.
U.S. Coast Guard inspectors boarded the M/T Ocean Princess on July 10, 2018, to conduct an inspection. During the inspection, the U.S. Coast Guard discovered the vessel’s use of fuel with an excessive sulfur content.
“The sentence imposed on this commercial vessel manager for intentionally violating environmental laws designed to protect the air quality of the United States sends a strong message that the United States will not tolerate such violations and will hold violators accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
“The pristine beauty of our Virgin Island waters is one of our most precious resources, essential to our tourism and our fragile marine ecosystem,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kuhn for the District of the Virgin Islands. “Today’s sentencing of Ionian Management Inc. for its role in causing high sulfur fuel to be burned within the Caribbean Emissions Control Area, and here in the waters near St. Croix, sends a strong message to commercial managers of ships that such conduct will not be tolerated. To protect the territory of the Virgin Islands, we will continue to pursue criminal enforcement of environmental laws.”
“Ocean going vessels emit hazardous air pollutants or air toxics that are associated with adverse health effects impacting populations living near ports and coastlines,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Amon of EPA’s Criminal Enforcement Program in the Virgin Islands. “EPA, along with its law enforcement partners are committed to ensuring the shipping industry continues to comply with laws designed to protect air quality.”
“The results announced today are the culmination of four years’ worth of unyielding effort to hold accountable those who knowingly violate our federal laws,” said Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District. “I am exceptionally proud of the dedicated work by our Coast Guard Resident Inspection Office in St. Croix, our Coast Guard Sector San Juan marine inspectors who identified the violation, and our Coast Guard Investigative Service agents who worked with the Environmental Protection Agency in San Juan to investigate this case. Our cooperative efforts with the Department of Justice and environmental protection partners will continue to hold accountable anyone who prioritizes profit over policies designed to safeguard our maritime environment for future generations.”
The M/T Ocean Princess was owned by Lily Shipping Ltd. and operated by Ionian Shipping and Trading, both Greece-domiciled companies. These two companies previously pleaded guilty to felony violations related to the use of non-compliant fuel and falsification of records and were sentenced to pay a combined criminal fine of $3,000,000, serve a three-year period of probation, and implement an Environmental Compliance Plan. The sentencing of Ionian M is the final chapter in this multi-year investigation and prosecution of the companies and individuals involved in the use of non-compliant, high-sulfur fuel in the operation and management of the M/T Ocean Princess.
The Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation. Senior Trial Attorney Kenneth Nelson of the Environment and Natural Resource Division, Environmental Crimes Section, and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Chisholm and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Huston for the District of the Virgin Islands prosecuted the case.
Suburban Chicago Dentist Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Federal Prison for Orchestrating $1.2 Million Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago dentist has been sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining $1.2 million in medical care loans for purported dental work that was never performed.
MICHAEL D. EGAN, 57, of Orland Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a wire fraud charge. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the sentence on Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and John S. Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman.
Egan owned and operated a dental practice in Tinley Park, Ill. In 2015 and 2016, Egan submitted fraudulent applications to a lending company for medical care loans that would purportedly finance certain patients’ dental care. In reality, Egan knew that he would not, and in fact did not, perform the dental work on those patients. In some instances, after a loan was approved, Egan caused the amount to be increased by falsely informing the lending company that additional dental work was needed, when, in fact, Egan knew that no additional treatment – or any treatment at all – would be performed.
Egan paid a portion of the fraudulently obtained loan proceeds to the purported dental patients as well as to recruiters who had identified the patients to apply for the loans.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Fatal 2019 CarjackingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a St. Louis man to 25 years in prison for his role in a fatal 2019 carjacking that was caught on tape.
Jalen Exavier Simms, 27, pleaded guilty August 1 to one count of attempted carjacking resulting in death. He admitted that on June 3, 2019 at just after 6 a.m., he and another armed man saw Jabari Clark sleeping in the driver’s seat of Clark's 2012 Dodge Ram truck in front of his home in the 3000 block of Rauschenbach Avenue in St. Louis.
Simms approached Clark on the driver’s side of the truck while the other man approached the passenger side of the vehicle. Simms tried to remove Clark from the truck at gunpoint. After a struggle, Simms’ companion fired, hitting Clark multiple times. Both men then fled.
The incident was caught by Clark’s surveillance camera. Simms also dropped a phone charging cord that had his DNA on it
Judge Autrey ordered the 25-year sentence to run consecutive to any sentence Simms receives for a pending St. Louis County homicide charge, an arson charge in Ste. Genevieve County and an aggravated assault charge in Madison County.
Investigators are still seeking the identity of the shooter. Anyone with information is asked to call St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division at 314-444-5371 or report information anonymously via St. Louis Regional Crimestoppers at 866-371-TIPS.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
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.
Shannon Man Sentenced to More than a Decade in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Oxford, MS – A Shannon man was sentenced Tuesday to over 13 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegal firearm possession.
According to court documents, Demond Fleming, 43, of Shannon, Mississippi, was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock to serve a total of 160 months in prison following his previous guilty plea to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Fleming was sentenced to 120 months for the firearms offense and 160 months for the drug offense with the sentences ordered to run concurrent to each other. Upon release from incarceration, Fleming will be placed on supervised release for a period of four years. Following the sentencing hearing, Fleming was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi made the announcement following Tuesday’s sentencing.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, and Tupelo Police Department.
This operation was one of many parts of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
Rochester Man Indicted for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Richard J. Crispin, 26, of Rochester, NH, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 24, 2022 and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
Crispin has been in custody since April 2021 on related charges in Maine. He had an initial appearance on Tuesday, and he will remain in custody pending resolution of his federal and state criminal matters.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Somersworth, NH Police Department, the Strafford County Sheriff’s Office, the North Berwick, ME Police Department, and the Rochester, NH Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Robber Is Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man who robbed three businesses was sentenced to 120 months in prison today, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell also ordered John Paul Gaddy, 35, to serve three years of supervised release after he is released from prison.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, Chief Bence Hoyle of the Huntersville Police Department, and Chief Josh Watson of the Troutman Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, between March and April 2021, Gaddy used a BB gun to rob three businesses. On March 12, 2021, Gaddy robbed the Lucia Food Mart located at 104 Killian Road in Stanley, North Carolina, followed by another robbery on April 25, 2021, of the Fast Phil’s convenience store located at 502 Gilead Road in Huntersville, North Carolina. Court records show that, during the second robbery, Gaddy pointed a BB gun at the clerk, giving her the impression that it was real gun, ordered the clerk to back up, and then grabbed cash from the register. The third robbery occurred three days later, on April 28, 2021. According to court records, Gaddy entered a Dollar Tree store located at 611 N. Main St. in Troutman, North Carolina. As with the previous robbery, Gaddy pointed the BB gun at the clerk, who thought it was a real gun, and said, “If you don’t put all of your money in the bag, I’m going to kill you.” As the clerk attempted to escape, Gaddy grabbed the entire cash register drawer and left the store.
On May 4, 2021, a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Gaddy was the passenger. Over the course of the traffic stop, Gaddy resisted arrest and fought with CMPD officers before he was detained.
On June 7, 2022, Gaddy pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prison upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the FBI, the Huntersville Police Department, and the Troutman Police Department for their investigation of the case, and thanked CMPD for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Recidivist Bank Robber Sentenced to 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Oxford, Mississippi– A Tupelo man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday following his conviction for bank robbery. Jasper Wagner, 57, appeared for sentencing before United States District Judge Sharion Aycock, who departed upward from a lower suggested sentencing range and sentenced Wagner to the maximum sentence of 20 years. In imposing the sentence, Aycock noted that Wagner had 10 prior convictions for bank robbery and that the sentence was necessary to deter him from similar future conduct.
According to court documents, Wagner entered the Community Bank located at 307 West Main Street in Tupelo on April 6, 2022 and presented a teller with a demand note which read: “Stay calm no alarms, no dye packs, turn your money machine on till I say stop - $100s 4 50s Keep your hands from under the counter.”
Upon realizing that the robber was serious, the teller noticed that she could not see the robber’s hands or determine whether he had a gun, and she gave him $5,000. The teller recognized the robber as a bank customer and Wagner was subsequently identified from surveillance video released to the public. Investigating officers tracked Wagner to a hotel in Leeds, Alabama where they obtained a search warrant for his room on the day of the robbery and recovered $4,850 of the stolen money.
Court records indicate that Wagner had previously been convicted of multiple counts of bank robbery in 2001 and 2012.
“This defendant’s actions violently interrupted what should have been a normal workday for bank employees and victims,” stated U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The Department of Justice and this office will always do our utmost to protect our community from violence, threats of violence, and repeat offenders who seek to prey upon others. We commend the Tupelo Police Department, the Leeds Police Department, and the FBI for their outstanding work and coordinated efforts to apprehend this offender so quickly.”
Following the sentencing, Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka remarked, “I am very proud of the concentrated efforts of the Tupelo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Mississippi, in this case. Jasper Wagner’s maximum sentence of twenty years is a direct reflection of the outstanding investigative and prosecutorial skills of these agencies.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby also reiterated the importance of this investigation and prosecution. “The FBI is committed to safeguarding the financial institutions and the citizens of our community,” stated Fomby. “We remain devoted to tirelessly investigating the nefarious actions of criminals, like Mr. Jasper Wagner, and successfully bringing them to justice.”
The Tupelo Police and FBI investigated the case with significant assistance from the Leeds, Alabama Police Department who arrested Wagner the day of the bank robbery.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Roberts prosecuted the case.
Raleigh Man Is Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Marvin Maurice Williams, 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for an armed robbery offense, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Bence Hoyle of the Huntersville Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2021, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Williams entered the Valero gas station located at 502 Gilead Road in Huntersville, N.C. Upon entering, Williams approached the cashier and asked to buy cigarettes. When the cashier turned around Williams brandished a firearm. Court records show that, while brandishing the firearm, Williams went behind the counter, grabbed the cashier by her shirt collar and forced her to the back office. Williams then ordered the cashier to hand over the store’s cash. When the cashier replied that the money was located at the front of the store in a deposit bag, Williams forced the cashier back to the front of the gas station. The defendant then grabbed the deposit bag and fled the scene in his vehicle. According to court documents, the cashier and another individual who observed the robbery in progress called 911 to report the incident. Officers located Williams’s vehicle and he was arrested shortly thereafter. Over the course of the arrest, law enforcement also located the firearm Williams had brandished during the robbery on the vehicle’s front passenger seat.
On March 1, 2022, Williams pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prison upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI and the Huntersville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.