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7 November 2022
Former U.S. Military Pilot Sentenced for Acting as Paid Agent of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and Lying on National Security Background FormsRead the Press Release
Former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor Shapour Moinian, 67, of San Diego, was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months in prison for acting as an agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and accepting thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
According to court documents, Moinian served in the U.S. Army in the United States, Germany and South Korea from approximately 1977 through 2000. After his service, Moinian worked for various cleared defense contractors in the United States – including in San Diego - as well as the Department of Defense. “Cleared” is a term that indicates a contractor is permitted to work on projects that involve classified information.
According to his plea agreement, while Moinian was working for a cleared defense contractor, or CDC, on various aviation projects used by the military and U.S. intelligence agencies, he was contacted by an individual in China who claimed to be working for a technical recruiting company. This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.
In March 2017, Moinian travelled to Hong Kong where he met with this purported recruiter and agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States in exchange for money. Moinian accepted approximately $7,000-$10,000 in U.S. currency during that meeting. According to his plea agreement, at this meeting and at all subsequent meetings, Moinian knew that these individuals were employed or directed by the PRC.
Upon returning to the United States, Moinian began gathering aviation-related materials, which included transferring material from a CDC to a thumb drive. In September 2017, Moinian traveled overseas and, during a stopover at the Shanghai airport, met with Chinese government officials and provided aviation-related materials on a thumb drive, including proprietary information from a CDC. Thereafter, Moinian arranged to be paid for this information through the South Korean bank account of his stepdaughter. Moinian told his stepdaughter that these funds were payment for his consulting work overseas and instructed her to transfer the funds to him in multiple transactions.
Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and aid in the electronic transfer of materials and information.
At the end of March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met with these same individuals again. Later that year, he began working at another CDC. During this timeframe, the same individuals in China transferred thousands of dollars into the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who subsequently wired the funds to Moinian in multiple transactions.
In August 2019, Moinian traveled again to Hong Kong and met with these same individuals where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this cash back into the United States.
According to his plea agreement, Moinian also admitted that he lied on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that did not have any close or continuing contacts with foreign nationals and that no foreign national had offered him a job.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California and Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.
The FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred Sheppard and John Parmley for the Southern District of California and Trial Attorney Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.
Former U.S. Military Pilot Sentenced for Acting as Paid Agent of China and Lying on National Security Background FormsRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Fred Sheppard (619) 546-8237 and John Parmley (619) 546-7957
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 7, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Army helicopter pilot-turned-civilian-contractor Shapour Moinian was sentenced in federal court today to 20 months for acting as an agent of China and accepting thousands of dollars from representatives of the Chinese government to provide aviation-related information from his defense-contractor employers.
During today’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller told the defendant: “This was industrial espionage, bordering on military espionage…These were extremely serious offenses against the United States.”
U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said: “Today this defendant is being held to account for selling American technology and intellectual property to the Chinese. This crime was committed by a former member of the U.S. military who chose cash over his company and country. The United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who works at the direction of foreign governments to steal from Americans.”
“Mr. Moinian deserves to be held fully accountable for betraying his oath to the United States, selling sensitive information to the Chinese government, and lying repeatedly to cover up his crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Brice Miller of the NCIS Office of Special Projects. “This sentencing should make it clear: NCIS and our partners are fully committed to protecting the U.S. military and rooting out criminality that threatens the superiority of the U.S. warfighter.”
Moinian served in the Army in the United States, Germany, and South Korea from approximately 1977 through 2000. After his service, Moinian worked for various cleared defense contractors (CDC) in the United States – including in San Diego - as well as the Department of Defense. “Cleared” is a term that indicates a contractor is permitted to work on projects that involve classified information.
According to his plea agreement, while Moinian was working for a CDC on various aviation projects used by the military and U.S. intelligence agencies, he was contacted by an individual in China who claimed to be working for a technical recruiting company. This person offered Moinian the opportunity to consult for the aviation industry in China.
In March of 2017, Moinian travelled to Hong Kong where he met with this purported recruiter and agreed to provide information and materials related to multiple types of aircraft designed and/or manufactured in the United States in exchange for money. Moinian accepted approximately $7,000-$10,000 in United States currency during that meeting. According to his plea agreement, at this meeting and at all subsequent meetings, Moinian knew that these individuals were employed or directed by the government of the People’s Republic of China.
Upon returning to the United States, Moinian began gathering aviation-related materials, which included transferring material from a CDC to a thumb drive. In September 2017, Moinian traveled overseas. During a stopover at the Shanghai airport, he met with Chinese government officials and provided aviation-related materials on a thumb drive, including proprietary information from a CDC. Thereafter, Moinian arranged to be paid for this information through the South Korean bank account of his stepdaughter. Moinian told his stepdaughter that these funds were payment for his consulting work overseas and instructed her to transfer the funds to him in multiple transactions.
Moinian also received a cell phone and other equipment from these individuals to communicate with them and aid in the electronic transfer of materials and information.
At the end of March 2018, Moinian traveled to Bali and met with these same individuals again. Later that year, he began working at another CDC. During this timeframe, the same individuals in China transferred thousands of dollars into the South Korean bank account of Moinian’s stepdaughter, who subsequently wired the funds to Moinian in multiple transactions.
In August 2019, Moinian traveled again to Hong Kong and met with these same individuals where he was again paid approximately $22,000 in cash for his services. Moinian and his wife smuggled this cash back into the United States.
Moinian also admitted that he lied on his government background questionnaires in July 2017 and March 2020, when he falsely stated that did not have any close or continuing contacts with foreign nationals and that no foreign national had offered him a job.
Grossman thanked the prosecution team as well as the FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Justice’s National Security Division for their excellent work on this case.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 21CR02927-JM
Shapour Moinian Age: 67 San Diego
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 951 (Acting as an Agent of a Foreign Government)
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 per count fine
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001 (Materially False, Fictitious, or Fraudulent Statement or Representation)
Maximum penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 per count fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Florida Man Sentenced for Racially-Motivated Hate CrimeRead the Press Release
Jordan Patrick Leahy, 29, was sentenced today in federal court in the Middle District of Florida to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his racially-motivated attack against a Black man who was traveling down a public roadway with his family in Seminole, Florida.
Leahy was convicted of willfully intimidating and interfering with J.T., and attempting to injure, intimidate and interfere with J.T. through the use of a dangerous weapon (Leahy’s vehicle), because of J.T.’s race and color, and because J.T. was traveling on a public roadway in Seminole, Florida. Specifically, the government introduced evidence at trial that, when Leahy, while driving, came upon J.T. driving on a public road, Leahy shouted racial slurs at J.T. and attempted to force J.T.’s car off the road. J.T.’s girlfriend and four-year-old daughter were in the car at the time. When officers from the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office arrived on the scene, Leahy made numerous statements evidencing his bias motive, including telling the officers that Black people need to be kept “in their areas.”
“This federal court has sentenced Jordan Leahy to prison for his decision to weaponize his vehicle in a racist attack on J.T.’s family,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to threaten and intimidate our community members because of their race. All persons should be free to travel on the public roadways without fear of being harmed because of who they are.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that racially-motivated criminal behavior is especially repugnant and unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg of the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to enforce our nation’s civil rights laws.”
“We will not allow hate motivated crimes to infiltrate our communities and threaten our citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge David Walker for the FBI Tampa Field Division. “Investigating civil rights violations is among the FBI’s highest priorities and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect communities from hateful acts of bias.”
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Handberg and Special Agent in Charge Walker made the announcement.
The FBI Tampa Field Office, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlton Gammons for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys David Reese and Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Sentenced for Racially-Motivated Hate CrimeRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Jordan Patrick Leahy, 29, was sentenced today in federal court in the Middle District of Florida to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his racially-motivated attack against a Black man who was traveling down a public roadway with his family in Seminole, Florida.
Leahy was convicted of willfully intimidating and interfering with J.T., and attempting to injure, intimidate and interfere with J.T. through the use of a dangerous weapon (Leahy’s vehicle), because of J.T.’s race and color, and because J.T. was traveling on a public roadway in Seminole, Florida. Specifically, the government introduced evidence at trial that, when Leahy, while driving, came upon J.T. driving on a public road, Leahy shouted racial slurs at J.T. and attempted to force J.T.’s car off the road. J.T.’s girlfriend and four-year-old daughter were in the car at the time. When officers from the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office arrived on the scene, Leahy made numerous statements evidencing his bias motive, including telling the officers that Black people need to be kept “in their areas.”
“This federal court has sentenced Jordan Leahy to prison for his decision to weaponize his vehicle in a racist attack on J.T.’s family,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to threaten and intimidate our community members because of their race. All persons should be free to travel on the public roadways without fear of being harmed because of who they are.”
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message that racially-motivated criminal behavior is especially repugnant and unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg of the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to enforce our nation’s civil rights laws.”
“We will not allow hate motivated crimes to infiltrate our communities and threaten our citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge David Walker for the FBI Tampa Field Division. “Investigating civil rights violations is among the FBI’s highest priorities and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect communities from hateful acts of bias.”
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Handberg and Special Agent in Charge Walker made the announcement.
The FBI Tampa Field Office, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlton Gammons for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys David Reese and Laura-Kate Bernstein of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Six Years for Selling “M30” Pills That Killed Monterey VictimRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Matthew Sanchez was sentenced today to 75 months (6 years, 3 months) in federal prison for distributing fentanyl-laced pills that killed a Monterey County resident, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Edward J. Davila.
Sanchez, 27, of Monterey County, CA, was charged in a May 23, 2022, superseding information with a conspiracy to distribute alprazolam and fentanyl and with the distribution of fentanyl. He entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to both charges on June 6, 2022.
In his plea agreement, Sanchez admitted that from June 2018 through October 2019 he conspired with others to sell, and did sell, counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl. The fentanyl-laced pills were called “M30s” and were light blue in color with an imprinted “M” on one side and “30” on the other. Sanchez also conspired to sell and sold bottles of alprazolam (U.S. brand name: Xanax) packaged as “Farmapram.”
Sanchez described in his plea agreement that during the conspiracy, he bought “Farmapram” pills and M30 pills containing fentanyl from a co-conspirator supplier multiple times. At the peak of the conspiracy Sanchez bought a batch of about 30 bottles of Farmapram and 50 M30 pills containing fentanyl every two weeks from the co-conspirator. The co-conspirator often “fronted” the drugs to Sanchez, providing the drugs first and accepting payment later, after Sanchez had sold them.
Sanchez understood that the M30 pills were from Mexico and admitted that he knew they contained fentanyl. In his plea agreement, he asserted he informed buyers that the M30 pills contained fentanyl.
Sanchez further admitted in his plea agreement that between August and early September 2019, he sold M30 pills containing fentanyl to a Monterey County resident. Sanchez agreed that the fentanyl he sold to that victim caused the victim to overdose and to die from the fentanyl.
The victim, found in the victim’s home, left behind a spouse and a young son.
In a memorandum filed for the sentencing hearing, the government described that Sanchez learned of the victim’s death from a fentanyl overdose in the following days, yet he continued to sell M30s laced with fentanyl to other customers until he was arrested weeks later. The government argued that his continued sales, with full knowledge that his M30s had already killed one person, were “inexplicable and unspeakably horrible.”
Sanchez’s co-defendant Francisco Javier Schraidt Rodriguez, a former Mexican pharmacy employee, was also convicted of distributing the fentanyl-laced pills that killed the Monterey County victim and was earlier sentenced to 90 months (7½ years). A copy of that press release is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-mexican-pharmacy-employee-sentenced-more-7-years-selling-fentanyl-pills-killed.
In addition to the 75 month federal prison term, United States District Judge Edward J. Davila ordered Sanchez to serve three years of supervision following release from federal prison. Sanchez will surrender on February 8, 2023, to begin serving his sentence.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christina Liu and Casey Boome, with the assistance of Mark DiCenzo, Linda Love, and Andy Ding. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by DEA, with assistance from the Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations; the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Pacific Grove Police Department; Monterey County Sheriff’s Office; and the Monterey Police Department.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fentanyl is used because it’s cheap. Small variations in the quantity or quality of fentanyl in a fake prescription pill can accidentally create a lethal dosage. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of drug poisoning deaths in the United States. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies, like Percocet and Xanax. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These particular pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.
Federal Judge Sentences Supplier of Methamphetamine Trafficking Ring to 17 ½ Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Jonathan Corey Daniel, 33, of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release for trafficking methamphetamine, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In July 2021, Daniel pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting.
According to filed court documents and statements made in court, Daniel was a supplier with a drug ring that trafficked methamphetamine from Georgia into Western North Carolina. From 2018 to April 2019, while Daniel was incarcerated in Georgia, he arranged the distribution of large amounts of methamphetamine to a drug network that distributed methamphetamine in Catawba, Lincoln, Caldwell, and Alexander Counties and elsewhere. Court records show that Daniel used a contraband cell phone to communicate with his co-conspirators and to coordinate the drug distribution. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized narcotics, at least 23 firearms, and more than $250,000 in drug proceeds.
Thirteen defendants were previously sentenced for their involvement:
- Michael James Notheisen, 36, of Vale, N.C., was sentenced to 240 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- James Kristoffer Cantley, 40, of Newton, N.C. was sentenced to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Tiffany Christmas Hirani, 35, of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Aaron Douglas Goodson, 32, of Lincolnton, N.C., was sentenced to 210 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Brian Duane Martz, 43, was sentenced to 191 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Priscilla Chapman Lambert, 36, of Hickory, N.C., was sentenced to 151 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Thomas Dewayne Simmons, Jr., 36, of Monroe, Georgia, was sentenced to 150 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Ruth Marie Duggar, 39, of Claremont, N.C., was sentenced to 132 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Lowell Thomas Messer, 45, of Newton, N.C., was sentenced to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Samantha Jean Taylor, 27, of Newton, N.C., was sentenced to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Kimberly Deann Bumgarner, 58, of Granite Falls, N.C., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
- Cynthia Roxanne Shook, 37, of Conover, N.C., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
- Jason Keith Reichard, 40, of Ridgecrest, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the following agencies for their investigative efforts which led to federal charges: the DEA in Charlotte, Asheville, and Atlanta; the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; the North Carolina State Highway Patrol; the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office; the Newton Police Department; the Conover Police Department; the Maiden Police Department; the Hickory Police Department; the Longview Police Department; the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office; the Granite Falls Police Department; the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office; the Huntersville Police Department; the Cornelius Police Department; the Mint Hill Police Department; the Pineville Police Department; the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department; the Monroe Police Department; the Taylorsville Police Department; the Gaston County Police Department; the Georgia Highway Patrol; the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia Department of Corrections; the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia; and the Commerce Police Department in Georgia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hess, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
Federal Convict Charged with False Claims, Theft of Government Property, and Money Laundering in Multimillion Dollar Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Matthew Walker Meredith (39, St. Petersburg) for false claims against the government, theft of government property, and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Meredith faces a maximum penalty of 75 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Meredith that the United States intends to forfeit six Mercedes Benz vehicles and real property, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense.
In 2016, Meredith was convicted of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute Ethylone and sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The Bureau of Prisons released Meredith in October 2017, and he began serving his term of supervised release. While on supervised release, Meredith began to submit claims for tax refunds to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the names of entities under his control. According to the indictment, between August 2019 and February 2020, Meredith submitted five claims to the IRS requesting more than $170 million in refunds. Each claim was false and fraudulent, in that Meredith falsified both his income and withholdings.
On or about November 23, 2019, the IRS issued Meredith a refund check in the amount of $6,374,576.92, which Meredith deposited into his bank account. In the weeks that followed, Meredith laundered the illicit proceeds by purchasing luxury vehicles and a waterfront home. Specifically, he purchased six new Mercedes Benz vehicles totaling $843,269.32.
Date of Purchase
Type of Vehicle
Cost
11.30.19
2020 Mercedes Benz S63AMG3
$187,327.68
11.30.19
2019 Mercedes Benz SL63
$156,404.27
11.30.19
2020 Mercedes Benz C63WS
$103,547.17
12.6.19
2020 Mercedes Benz GLE350W
$72,707.55
12.6.19
2020 Mercedes Benz AMG GTR
$232,368.12
12.7.19
2019 Mercedes Benz C63WS
$90,914.53
Additionally, on December 5, 2019, Meredith paid $2,625,000 in cash to purchase a 6,500 square-foot waterfront mansion in St. Petersburg.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Escape Results in Additional Federal Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
A woman who was prosecuted for her second escape from federal custody was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.
Angela Hermine Walters, age 47, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 28, 2022 guilty plea to one count of escape from custody.
At the guilty plea, Walters admitted that, on October 19, 2021, she was in the custody of the Attorney General completing her federal sentence for failing to surrender to serve a prison sentence. On that day Walters, left her assigned residential reentry center in Cedar Rapids, and did not return as scheduled. Walters was found a few days later by Cedar Rapids Police officers. Walters has a prior conviction for escape from federal custody.
Walters was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Walters was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Walters is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by United States Marshals Service, with the assistance of the Cedar Rapids Iowa Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-00020.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Erie Mobile Convenience Store Owner Pleads to Fraud and Identity Theft ChargesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of food stamp fraud and identity theft, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
John Alan Vanhouwe, 60, pleaded guilty to two counts before Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Vanhouwe, who owned and operated a mobile convenience store in Erie, allowed customers to pay credit accounts with food stamps and used a database he created to gain access to customers’ food stamp accounts so he could pay down their credit accounts at his store without their knowledge.
Judge Cercone scheduled sentencing for April 10, 2023. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued Vanhouwe on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Vanhouwe.
Election officers namedRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys will lead the efforts of this office in connection with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 8 general election, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Civil Chief Daniel Hu has been appointed to serve as the election officer for civil matters, while Deputy Criminal Chief Sharad Khandelwal will act as the criminal election officer. In their capacities, both are responsible for overseeing the Southern District of Texas’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff and election fraud in consultation with DOJ headquarters in Washington.
DOJ has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers as well as election fraud. DOJ will address these violations wherever they occur. DOJ’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs Khandelwal and Hu will be on duty in this district while the polls are open and can be reached at 713-567-9345 and 713-567-9518, respectively.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by phone at 800-253-3931 or by this complaint form.
Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. Those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud should make that information available to DOJ.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Detroit Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Key Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Myreo Dixon, 33, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for his key role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with ties to the Bloods and Gangster Disciples criminal gangs.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from July 2020 until February 2021, Dixon participated in the DTO responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area. Dixon had methamphetamine brought from Los Angeles to Detroit and then to West Virginia. Dixon admitted to using co-defendant Kassie McNeeley during the summer of 2020 to transport prepackaged quantities of methamphetamine from Detroit to Charleston on at least five occasions. McNeeley delivered the methamphetamine at Dixon’s direction to another co-defendant, Maylik Watson, in exchange for money. McNeeley provided Dixon with the money she received for delivering the methamphetamine.
The court attributed 50 pounds of the methamphetamine distributed by the DTO to Dixon. Dixon admitted that he provided McNeeley with 8 pounds of methamphetamine on January 9, 2021, and directed her to deliver it to Watson in Charleston. Law enforcement officers stopped McNeeley after the delivery and seized approximately $31,590 that she received from Watson in exchange for the methamphetamine.
Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. McNeeley and 10 other individuals pleaded guilty in connection with this prosecution, the result of an investigation dubbed “Woo Boyz.” During the course of the nearly year-long investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 firearms, including an IMI Industries Uzi fully automatic 9mm submachine gun, and more than $375,000 in cash.
Federal law requires that fully automatic firearms not in the possession or under the control of the U.S. Government be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Defendant Memphis Ross, 21, of Charleston, admitted that he brought the IMI Uzi 9mm submachine gun to his mother’s Charleston residence, where it was found by law enforcement officers on July 26, 2020. Ross pleaded guilty to possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him.
With Monday’s sentencing, all defendants charged in the original indictment have been convicted except for two who remain at large: Tyjaha Watson, 27, of Charleston, and Elijah Figg, 23, of Huntington.
“Members of this DTO were involved in or suspected of numerous shootings around Charleston but particularly on the West Side,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson. “This investigation removed a massive amount of drugs and firearms from our streets and eliminated them as a source of harm and violence. I commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) for their investigative work. I also commend and the U.S. Marshals Service, the West Virginia State Police, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) for providing assistance in this case. Finally, I commend Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman for the successful prosecution of this case.”
“If you’re trading in violence and slinging poison in our communities, your days are numbered… We are coming after you, wherever you are,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division. “I’m very proud of the work done in this case by the dedicated men and women of DEA and all of our law enforcement partners. Charleston is a safer city today and another violent drug offender is behind bars.”
“Charleston and the surrounding communities feel the impact of illegal drug distribution and gun crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of ATF’s Louisville Division. “I hope the message is clear today: ATF, DEA, and our law enforcement partners refuse to let drug dealers take hold of our neighborhoods. Together, we are committed to holding criminals accountable for violence and drug trafficking as we work to keep West Virginia safe.”
Eleven other defendants were sentenced to the following prison terms after pleading guilty to various felony offenses:
- Maylik Watson, also known as Leak, 29, of Charleston, to 20 years and one month for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine;
- Dante Williams, also known as Donz, 25, of Charleston, to 10 years for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine;
- Jermaine Williams, also known as Maineo Duckieoo, 22, of Charleston, to seven years and three months for distribution of methamphetamine;
- Darius Coles, also known as D-Boy, to six years and six months for distribution of methamphetamine;
- Erica Ratliff, 38, of Charleston, to six years for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine;
- Joshua Lawson, 31, of Charleston, to five years for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine;
- Jaquan Jeremiah Wright, 23, of New York, to five years for being a person subject to a domestic violence protective order in possession of a firearm;
- Memphis Ross, 21, of Charleston, to three years and 10 months for possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him;
- Devonte Lavauhn Andrews, 30, of Charleston, to three years and one month for being a felon in possession of a firearm;
- William Edward Byers II, 46, of Charleston, to three years for being a felon in possession of a firearm;
- Kassie McNeeley, 23, of Lesage, to two years for use of a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed today’s sentence.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:21-cr-32, 2:21-cr-33, 2:21-cr-39, 2:21-cr-46, and 2:21-cr-47.
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Criminal Charges Unsealed Against Haitian Gang Leaders for Kidnappings of U.S. CitizensRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced the unsealing of criminal charges against seven leaders of five Haitian gangs, including gang leaders involved in the armed kidnappings of 16 U.S. citizens in the fall of 2021.
“When a U.S. citizen is kidnapped abroad, the Justice Department will bring to bear the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to ensure their safe return home and to hold accountable those responsible,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As these charges demonstrate, we are committed to working alongside our interagency and international partners to disrupt these kidnapping-for-ransom schemes that endanger the lives of American citizens and that fuel the violent gangs harming the Haitian people.”
Among the charges unsealed today were federal indictments charging three Haitian nationals with conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage taking for their roles in the armed kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in Haiti in the fall of 2021. The victims were Christian missionaries serving near Port-au-Price, Haiti, and most of them were held captive for 61 days before escaping. The group included five children, one as young as eight months old at the time of the kidnapping.
Contemporaneous with today’s announcement, the U.S. Department of State is announcing a reward of $3 million ($1 million per each of the three defendants charged in the kidnapping of the missionaries) for information leading to the capture of the three defendants, who are believed to be in Haiti. The reward is being offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Those three defendants, who are charged in separate indictments filed in the District of Columbia, include Lanmo Sanjou, aka Joseph Wilson, 29 and Jermaine Stephenson, aka Gaspiyay, in his late 20s, both current leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Vitel’homme Innocent, 36, leader of the Kraze Barye gang. The 400 Mawozo gang, which operates in Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of Port-au-Prince, claimed responsibility for the missionaries’ kidnapping. The Kraze Barye gang operates in the Torcelle and Tabarre areas of Haiti. According to the indictment, Innocent worked together with 400 Mawozo in the hostage taking.
In addition to the indictments for the kidnapping of the missionaries, the Department of Justice announced charges against four other Haitian nationals who are leaders of three other gangs for two other kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti.
“The charges unsealed today are a reminder of the FBI’s ability to reach criminal actors overseas when crimes are committed against U.S citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, with our federal and international partners, will continue to pursue anyone who targets Americans for hostage taking or other violent crimes – wherever they are.”
“We stand with the people of Haiti, whose country has been ravaged by violent gangs impacting every facet of society,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “We are committed to using all tools available to prosecute these gangs in order to disrupt their unlawful activities in Haiti and bring justice for our victims.”
“FBI Miami has extraterritorial responsibility for the Caribbean, Central and South America,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Miami Field Office. “When crimes against U.S. Citizens occur in Haiti and throughout this region, we will not relent. The FBI’s full investigative capability will be brought to bear to identify those responsible.”
The investigation involving the Oct. 16, 2021, kidnapping of the missionaries has also led to additional charges. Two alleged leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang previously were charged with the crimes. Joly Germine, aka Yonyon, 30, and Jean Pelice, aka Zo, 27, were charged by superseding indictment in July 2022. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges.
According to court documents, Germine, who was in a Haitian prison at the time of the kidnapping, directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members’ kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages’ release. One of the gang’s stated goals in holding the hostages was to secure from the Haitian government Germine’s release from prison. Germine is alleged to have been in regular contact with other 400 Mawozo leaders about the hostages’ kidnapping, captivity, and ransom. Two of the hostages were released on or about Nov. 20, 2021, and three more were released on or about Dec. 5, 2021. The remaining hostages escaped captivity on or about Dec. 16, 2021.
Additionally, charges also were unsealed today in cases involving three other Haitian gangs:
- The leader of the gang Gran Ravine, Renel Destina, aka Ti Lapli, 40, was indicted on charges of hostage taking. Gran Ravine controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The indictment charges the gang with kidnapping a U.S victim in February 2021, holding the victim for approximately 14 days, during which time the victim was threatened daily at gunpoint, while his family scrambled to secure funds for release. The victim was finally released on Feb. 16, 2021, after a ransom was paid.
- A leader of the gang Village de Dieu, Emanuel Solomon, aka Manno, in his 30s, was charged in a criminal complaint for kidnapping a U.S. citizen in January 2021. The Village de Dieu gang controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The victim was taken hostage at gunpoint and held for approximately 11 days until his family and friends in the United States sent a ransom payment to Haiti for his release. The gang kept the victim’s car and two phones, and finally released the victim on Jan. 23, 2021. Manno and fellow gang leaders are active on social media, posting about the gang’s exploits.
- Two leaders of the gang Kokorat san Ras, John Peter Fleronvil and Jean Renald Dolcin, were charged by complaint for kidnapping at gunpoint three U.S. victims in July 2022. Two victims, a married couple, were held for six days and released following a ransom payment made by a family member. A third victim was taken captive the day after the other two U.S. victims and held for approximately six days while a family member negotiated for his release; that victim was also released following a ransom payment to the gang. The victims were all held together at the same location. Fleronvil and other Kokorat san Ras gang members were arrested on Sept. 11, by Haiti law enforcement officials while preparing to cross the border to the Dominican Republic.
Destina, Solomon, and Dolcin also are being sought.
The charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The Haitian National Police also provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Jack Korba, and Brittany Keil for the District of Columbia prosecuted the cases with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau Barnes for the District of Columbia.
Criminal Charges Unsealed Against Haitian Gang Leaders for Kidnappings of U.S. CitizensRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced the unsealing of criminal charges against seven leaders of five Haitian gangs, including gang leaders involved in the armed kidnappings of 16 U.S. citizens in the fall of 2021.
“When a U.S. citizen is kidnapped abroad, the Justice Department will bring to bear the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to ensure their safe return home and to hold accountable those responsible,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As these charges demonstrate, we are committed to working alongside our interagency and international partners to disrupt these kidnapping-for-ransom schemes that endanger the lives of American citizens and that fuel the violent gangs harming the Haitian people.”
Among the charges unsealed today were federal indictments charging three Haitian nationals with conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage taking for their roles in the armed kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in Haiti in the fall of 2021. The victims were Christian missionaries serving near Port-au-Price, Haiti, and most of them were held captive for 61 days before escaping. The group included five children, one as young as eight months old at the time of the kidnapping.
Contemporaneous with today’s announcement, the U.S. Department of State is announcing a reward of $3 million ($1 million per each of the three defendants charged in the kidnapping of the missionaries) for information leading to the capture of the three defendants, who are believed to be in Haiti. The reward is being offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Those three defendants, who are charged in separate indictments filed in the District of Columbia, include Lanmo Sanjou, aka Joseph Wilson, 29 and Jermaine Stephenson, aka Gaspiyay, in his late 20s, both current leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Vitel’homme Innocent, 36, leader of the Kraze Barye gang. The 400 Mawozo gang, which operates in Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of Port-au-Prince, claimed responsibility for the missionaries’ kidnapping. The Kraze Barye gang operates in the Torcelle and Tabarre areas of Haiti. According to the indictment, Innocent worked together with 400 Mawozo in the hostage taking.
In addition to the indictments for the kidnapping of the missionaries, the Department of Justice announced charges against four other Haitian nationals who are leaders of three other gangs for two other kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti.
“The charges unsealed today are a reminder of the FBI’s ability to reach criminal actors overseas when crimes are committed against U.S citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, with our federal and international partners, will continue to pursue anyone who targets Americans for hostage taking or other violent crimes – wherever they are.”
“We stand with the people of Haiti, whose country has been ravaged by violent gangs impacting every facet of society,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “We are committed to using all tools available to prosecute these gangs in order to disrupt their unlawful activities in Haiti and bring justice for our victims.”
“FBI Miami has extraterritorial responsibility for the Caribbean, Central and South America,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Miami Field Office. “When crimes against U.S. Citizens occur in Haiti and throughout this region, we will not relent. The FBI’s full investigative capability will be brought to bear to identify those responsible.”
The investigation involving the Oct. 16, 2021, kidnapping of the missionaries has also led to additional charges. Two alleged leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang previously were charged with the crimes. Joly Germine, aka “Yonyon,” 30, and Jean Pelice, aka “Zo,” 27, were charged by superseding indictment in July 2022. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges. According to court documents, Germine, who was in a Haitian prison at the time of the kidnapping, directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members’ kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages’ release. One of the gang’s stated goals in holding the hostages was to secure from the Haitian government Germine’s release from prison. Germine is alleged to have been in regular contact with other 400 Mawozo leaders about the hostages’ kidnapping, captivity, and ransom. Two of the hostages were released on or about Nov. 20, 2021, and three more were released on or about Dec. 5, 2021. The remaining hostages escaped captivity on or about Dec. 16, 2021.
Additionally, charges also were unsealed today in cases involving three other Haitian gangs:
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The leader of the gang Gran Ravine, Renel Destina, aka Ti Lapli, 40, was indicted on charges of hostage taking. Gran Ravine controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The indictment charges the gang with kidnapping a U.S victim in February 2021, holding the victim for approximately 14 days, during which time the victim was threatened daily at gunpoint, while his family scrambled to secure funds for release. The victim was finally released on Feb. 16, 2021, after a ransom was paid.
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A leader of the gang Village de Dieu, Emanuel Solomon, aka Manno, in his 30s, was charged in a criminal complaint for kidnapping a U.S. citizen in January 2021. The Village de Dieu gang controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The victim was taken hostage at gunpoint and held for approximately 11 days until his family and friends in the United States sent a ransom payment to Haiti for his release. The gang kept the victim’s car and two phones, and finally released the victim on Jan. 23, 2021. Manno and fellow gang leaders are active on social media, posting about the gang’s exploits.
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Two leaders of the gang Kokorat san Ras, John Peter Fleronvil and Jean Renald Dolcin, were charged by complaint for kidnapping at gunpoint three U.S. victims in July 2022. Two victims, a married couple, were held for six days and released following a ransom payment made by a family member. A third victim was taken captive the day after the other two U.S. victims and held for approximately six days while a family member negotiated for his release; that victim was also released following a ransom payment to the gang. The victims were all held together at the same location. Fleronvil and other Kokorat san Ras gang members were arrested on Sept. 11, by Haiti law enforcement officials while preparing to cross the border to the Dominican Republic.
Destina, Solomon, and Dolcin also are being sought.
The charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s Miami Field Office investigated the cases, with valuable assistance from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The Haitian National Police also provided valuable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Jack Korba, and Brittany Keil for the District of Columbia prosecuted the cases with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau Barnes for the District of Columbia.
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Council Bluffs Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Shanna Michelle Jacobsen, age 40 of Council Bluffs, was sentenced on Thursday, November 3, 2022, to 188 months in prison following her plea of guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances.
Beginning in June 2020, and up to and including January 2022, Jacobsen purchased controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana from a source of supply and sold these controlled substances to others in Nebraska and Iowa. Jacobsen knew that these controlled substances were being unlawfully imported from Mexico to the United States and that the scope of the conspiracy was extensive. She maintained her residence and a storage unit in Council Bluffs for the purpose of distributing these controlled substances.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force investigated the case.
Council Bluffs Man Sentenced for Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Andre Alexander Shupe, age 34 of Council Bluffs, was sentenced on November 3, 2022, to 92 months in prison following his pleas of guilty to charges of Possession and Sale of a Stolen Firearm and Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. After he is released from prison, Shupe will serve three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution for the stolen firearms and other items.
On November 6, 2021, at approximately 2 am, four firearms and hunting gear were stolen from a truck parked at Harrah’s casino in Council Bluffs. Casino surveillance located footage of a female who burglarized the truck and stole the firearms and hunting gear. Law enforcement received information that Shupe was romantically involved with the female who stole the firearms, and that Shupe was trying to sell or trade the stolen firearms. A home in Omaha, Nebraska was searched and one of the stolen firearms was recovered. The other three firearms were not recovered. Shupe had a previous felony conviction that prevented him from possessing any firearm and was also prohibited from possessing firearms because he was a drug user.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Bellevue Police Department, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Columbia Man Charged and Detained After Attempting to Bring Stun Guns, Smoke Grenades, Knives, and Pepper Spray on PlaneRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – David Lee Angell, 51, has been charged with knowing and willfully entering into an airport area in violation of security requirements and has been detained following a contested bond hearing in federal court in Columbia.
A federal complaint was filed against Angell following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Columbia Metropolitan Department of Public Safety, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The FBI arrested Angell, and he appeared in Court upon his request for a bond. After a contested hearing, United States Magistrate Judge Shiva Hodges ordered Angell detained without bond pending the resolution of the federal charges against him.
During the hearing, an FBI special agent testified that Angell was stopped at TSA screening prior to attempting to board a plane at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. While at TSA screening, his carry-on baggage alerted on prohibited items. A search of his carry-on revealed that he was carrying three smoke grenades, one set of plastic stun knuckles, three stun batons, two knives, and two cans of pepper spray in his carry-on bag. All of these items are prohibited from being in a passenger’s carry-on baggage
As a result of the federal charge, Angell faces a maximum term of imprisonment of one year. The offense listed in the complaint is merely an allegation, and Angell is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Columbia Metropolitan Department of Public Safety, and TSA. Assistant United States Attorney Elle E. Klein is prosecuting the case.
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Colorado man who defrauded Montana family of nearly $400,000 in African gold investment scheme sentenced to 27 months in prisonRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — An investment scheme in which a Colorado man admitted to defrauding a Montana family of $391,280 by purporting to invest the money in gold in Africa was sentenced today to 27 months in prison and fined $5,000, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Geoffrey Wescott James, 59, of Denver, Colorado, pleaded guilty in July to wire fraud.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $391,280 restitution and allowed James to self-report to custody.
In court documents, the government alleged that from May 2019 until September 2020, Wescott falsely claimed he would receive payments from victims, which he would then transfer to Africa on behalf of victims for investments in overseas gold. The investment appeared enticing to victims because, among other reasons, it offered high rates of return in a short period of time. Because victims had difficulties in sending money overseas and to Africa, they were introduced to James. Instead of transferring the money overseas and to Africa for the intended purpose, James spent the money on items for himself and for other unauthorized purposes. When victims questioned where their money was located and demanded that their money be returned, James repeatedly claimed the money would be repaid soon, none of which was true. Wescott defrauded a family in Hill County of $391,280 in the scheme.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Cleveland Man Sentenced to Prison for Setting Fire to Van During May 2020 Demonstrations and UnrestRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND – A Cleveland man was sentenced today to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr. after he pleaded guilty to maliciously setting fire to a Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works van on May 30, 2020, during demonstrations and civil unrest in downtown Cleveland.
According to court documents, on May 30, 2020, Martino Jamel Andrews, 24, and others sought to vandalize and set fire to a van owned by the Cuyahoga County Division of Public Works near the Justice Center in downtown Cleveland following a demonstration to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Court documents state that Andrews and others first vandalized the van by striking it with a baseball bat before using a rag to start a fire inside the van. Evidence in the record showed Andrews taking the burning rag, stuffing it into the vehicle’s fuel tank, watching the van erupt into flames, and posing for pictures near the burning wreckage. Court documents state that the vehicle ended up completely engulfed in flames, destroyed, and unsalvageable.
Investigators later identified Andrews thanks, in part, to tips received from the public after images and video were released to the media.
As part of the sentencing, Judge Oliver ordered Andrews to pay $3,721.88 in restitution to the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Cleveland Division of Police. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam J. Joines.
Choctaw Man Sentenced to Serve 8 Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, a federal judge sentenced MATTHEW RAY HUTCHERSON, 32, of Choctaw, to serve 96 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On May 18, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment against Hutcherson, charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Public records reflect that the charge arose after Hutcherson’s ex-girlfriend reported that he pointed a firearm to her head, which led authorities to search his residence for firearms, which they found. On September 8, 2021, Hutcherson pleaded guilty to the Indictment.
At today’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Hutcherson to serve 96 months in federal prison. Judge Russell cited, among other things, Hutcherson's criminal history and danger he posed to the community. Public records reflect Hutcherson had convictions for child endangerment and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute at Oklahoma County case CF-2016-313; child abuse by injury at Cleveland County case CF-2015-2076; and driving under the influence at Cleveland County case CF-2018-1323. Hutcherson also has a long history of domestic abuse, and has previously been subject to six different protective orders filed in Oklahoma County, including by his grandmother, mother, and ex-girlfriends. Judge Russell also sentenced Hutcherson to serve three years of supervised release upon his release from federal prison.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Stan West and Chelsie Pratt prosecuted the case.
This case is part of "Operation 922," the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of Project Safe Neighborhood, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. "Operation 922" prioritizes prosecution of federal crimes connected to domestic violence. For more information about "Operation 922", visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/project-safe-neighborhood-psn.
Reference is made to public filings for more information.
California Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threatening CallsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man pleaded guilty today to making threatening communications to the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) in May 2021.
Sammy Sultan, 49, of Hayward, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of making threats in interstate commerce before U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 3, 2023. Sultan was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on March 31, 2022 and subsequently charged by an Information on Oct. 21, 2022.
On or about May 28, 2021, Sultan made eight phone calls to TUPD, six of which included specific threats. During the calls, which collectively lasted about an hour, Sultan claimed to be hiding beneath a bed in a dorm room with a taser and pistol somewhere on campus. Sultan stated that he intended to use the taser if a woman returned to the dorm room and discovered him hiding. During the calls, Sultan played the sounds of a taser activating and a pistol racking – a pistol’s chamber being emptied and reloaded.
TUPD and local police carried out a room-by-room search of numerous buildings on Tufts University’s Medford campus but failed to locate the caller. A subsequent investigation of electronic evidence determined that Sultan had made the calls from California. A law enforcement officer familiar with Sultan’s voice from a prior investigation recognized Sultan’s voice on the TUPD call recordings.
Sultan previously pleaded guilty in December 2017 in the Northern District of California to making hundreds of obscene and harassing phone calls to law enforcement agencies, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison.
The charge of making threatening communications in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Tufts University Police Department; Massachusetts State Police; Illinois State Police; and the Medford, Somerville, North Andover, Malden and Peabody Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner of Rollins’ National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
California Man Extradited from Australia to Face Charges for Investment SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Gustavo Guzman, 59, previously of Fullerton, Calif., made his initial appearance in federal court in Charlotte today following his extradition from Australia, to face wire fraud, securities fraud and transactional money laundering charges related to an alleged $2 million investment fraud scheme, 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 North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall join U.S. Attorney King in making the announcement.
According to allegations contained in the indictment, from April 2010 to August 2015, Guzman, through various entities he controlled, including G2 Asset Management and East Egg Private Equity, executed a scheme to defraud approximately 10 investors of at least $2 million, by falsely representing that he would use the investors’ money to trade in options and other similar investments. Instead of investing the funds as promised, Guzman allegedly stole a substantial portion of the investors’ money and used it to fund his personal lifestyle, including to make large credit card payments and cash withdrawals, and to pay for personal expenditures. As alleged in the indictment, Guzman suffered massive trading losses with the money that he did invest and used some of the victim’s money to make Ponzi-style payments to investors. To conceal the trading losses and the fraudulent scheme, and to prevent his victims from redeeming their investments and complaining to authorities, the indictment alleges that Guzman lied to his victims about the status of their investments, and provided them with fake documents, including sham IRS forms and fraudulent account statements.
Guzman is currently in federal custody. The wire fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The securities fraud charge carries a statutory sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine, and the transactional money laundering charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or not more than twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI in Charlotte and the Securities Division of the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission conducted a parallel investigation that resulted in the entry of a default judgment against Guzman in Civil Action No. 3:17-cv-00276 (WDNC). The Department of Justice also appreciates the significant assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Government of Australia, including the Attorney General’s Department of Australia and the Australian Federal Police, in securing the extradition of Guzman and obtaining evidence from Australian authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
California Kingpin Found Guilty of Directing Drug Enterprise that Brought Bulk Quantities of Methamphetamine into Oklahoma and MissouriRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a California drug kingpin Monday of directing a continuing criminal enterprise by organizing and directing at least three separate methamphetamine conspiracies in Oklahoma and Missouri, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Luis Alfredo Jacobo, 31, of Bakersfield, California, was found guilty of continuing criminal enterprise; three counts of drug conspiracy and 21 counts of unlawful use of a communication facility. Kelly Wayne Bryan, 55, who went to trial with Jacobo and was alleged to be involved in one of the methamphetamine conspiracies, was found not guilty of drug conspiracy.
“Luis Jacobo sent more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine into the Northern District of Oklahoma and Missouri for distribution and claimed to have netted $30 million as a part of his continuing criminal enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “As a result of their dogged investigative work, federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners shut down this illicit enterprise, and Jacobo and numerous cohorts have been brought to justice.”
“This conviction is a message to drug traffickers who feed those struggling with addiction and line the pockets of criminal organizations,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division, who oversees operations in Oklahoma. “Your days spent peddling drugs and spending dirty money will lead to nights spent in jail staring at the ceiling while you are held responsible for your actions. DEA Tulsa is committed to keeping methamphetamine off our Oklahoma streets.”
Using his Mexican sources of supply and Bakersfield as a base of operations, Jacobo managed, supervised, and organized more than a dozen individuals in California, Northeast Oklahoma, and Southwest Missouri in an enterprise that spanned over five years and involved at least three drug conspiracies operating in and around the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Through countless communications between the conspirators, Jacobo set prices, determined methods of delivery and payment, and approved any suggestions made about the groups’ operations.
According to the indictment, from May 2016 to September 2021, Jacobo received bulk shipments of methamphetamine to his home base in Bakersfield. From there, Jacobo directed that the methamphetamine be sent via U.S. mail or driven in vehicles to the groups in Oklahoma and Missouri, sometimes in quantities of up to 200 pounds at a time. Coconspirators would drive large amounts of cash back to California, send money through money remitters, or mail cash payments back to Jacobo and to others at Jacobo’s direction. The coconspirators sometimes mailed as much as $100,000 cash at a time from Oklahoma to California.
The three conspiracies were run by Jacobo’s regional managers in northeastern Oklahoma. The managers employed, with Jacobo’s knowledge, distributors and subdistributors to help sell Jacobo’s drugs. Jacobo even met and gave direction to many of the distributors and subdistributors.
From May 2016 to December 2018, one drug conspiracy operated in Bakersfield and later in and around Grove, Oklahoma. A second drug conspiracy also worked out of Grove from September 2018 to August 2019. Finally, a third drug conspiracy operated from September 2018 to March 2021 in and around Grove and southwestern Missouri.
During trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that included numerous communications and countless money exchanges related to the conspiracies as well as evidence collected when law enforcement executed search warrants.
For example, on Oct. 12, 2020, agents and officers with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and Grove Police Department opened a storage unit in Grove and discovered 231 pounds of methamphetamine and more than $465,000 in U.S. currency. The storage unit was rented for defendant Johnson to store methamphetamine for redistribution. That same weekend in 2020, law enforcement also executed search warrants on houses in Grove where codefendants stored drugs and drug proceeds.
Three days after the 231 pounds of methamphetamine was located, officers arrested codefendant Tony Garcia driving in Oklahoma City with 30 pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded 9 mm handgun. Text messages in Garcia’s phone show that he received instructions from Jacobo just prior to the trip about where and when to distribute the methamphetamine to Johnson and others in Oklahoma.
In its closing argument, the government highlighted the sheer number of Jacobo’s coconspirators who testified against Jacobo and repeated many of the same details about how Jacobo’s extensive drug business operated, including that Jacobo directed members of his organization to send cars packed full of methamphetamine to Northeast Oklahoma and cars packed full of money back to him in Bakersfield.
Jacobo’s conviction resulted from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation “Pullin Chains,” led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Bureau of Indian Affairs, City of Miami Police Department, Grove Police Department, Quapaw Tribal Marshals Service, Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Oklahoma District 13 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Duncombe, Nathan E. Michel, and Melody N. Nelson prosecuted the case.
Calera Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Lance Keith Maytubby, Sr., age 54, of Calera, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country.
The jury trial began with testimony on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, and concluded on Friday, October 28, 2022, with the guilty verdicts.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that the defendant sexually assaulted two victims who were each under 12 years of age at the time of the crimes.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Calera Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant in this case is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, and within the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Scott L. Palk, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting in Oklahoma City, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Maytubby was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony C. Marek and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.
Burley Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Manuel Curiel Jr., 37, of Burley, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, Curiel was initially arrested on January 21, 2020, after detectives with the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at his residence. Detectives observed three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine and two firearms in the camping trailer where Curiel lived. Text messages showing that Curiel was engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine were later located on Curiel’s cell phone.
On June 15, 2022, a federal jury sitting in Pocatello convicted Curiel of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Curiel was sentenced to ten years and one month in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye. Judge Nye also ordered Curiel to serve five years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, commended the cooperative efforts of the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police, which led to the charges.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 200 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 146 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 9,123 months (approximately 760.25 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 55.3 months (4.60 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 60.71 months (5.05 years) in federal prison.
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Boston Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Trafficking CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Nov. 3, 2022 on day four of his jury trial in connection with drug trafficking activities involving cocaine.
Julio Ortiz, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Earlier in the hearing, Ortiz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Ortiz was charged by complaint in August 2019 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
An individual in Puerto Rico attempted to ship a box containing approximately 29 kilograms of cocaine to an automotive repair garage in Lawrence. After a routine inspection of the box, employees of the shipping company found packages appearing to be narcotics wrapped in plastic and notified law enforcement. A search of the package revealed a total of 29 kilograms of cocaine. Following a controlled delivery of the package to the recipient address in Lawrence, Ortiz and his co-defendant, Edgar Castro, were observed unpacking the box and moving containers of cocaine into another vehicle. Ortiz and Castro were arrested on site.
Ortiz’s co-defendant, Edgar Castro, pleaded guilty on Oct. 31, 2022 prior to jury empanelment and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2023.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. 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 Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Massachusetts State Police and the Woburn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Hassink and Lindsey E. Weinstein of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
Atlanta man convicted of laundering over $12 million in stolen identity tax refund fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – A federal jury has found Thomas Addaquay guilty of 29 counts of fraud-related offenses in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and money laundering.
“Addaquay and his co-defendants used the personal information of taxpayers to enrich themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Many of Addaquay’s victims testified in court that they were unaware that their identities had been stolen until they filed tax returns. Theft of tax dollars affects everyone, and this office will bring to justice anyone who seeks to disrupt and take advantage of our tax system at the expense of innocent taxpayers.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: From at least 2011 to at least 2016, Thomas Addaquay fraudulently obtained the names, social security numbers, and dates of birth of taxpayers to prepare and file false federal income tax returns. The filing of these fraudulent tax returns resulted in the issuance of thousands of tax refund checks.
Addaquay, to cash these tax refund checks issued in the names of the victims whose identities he stole, represented to a third-party payment processor that he had received the tax refund checks from customers who used the services of his check cashing business, United Consolidated Accounting and Business Services, Inc. Relying on Addaquay’s misrepresentations, the third-party payment processor processed the tax refund checks and wired more than $12 million into business bank accounts controlled by Addaquay.
Sentencing for Thomas Addaquay, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, is scheduled for January 31, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May. Addaquay’s co-defendants previously pleaded guilty and will also be sentenced by Judge May:
- Sacoya Lyons pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencing is set for January 5, 2023; and
- Nana Addaquay, Thomas Addaquay’s brother, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. Sentencing is set for January 17, 2023.
Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sekret T. Sneed and Angela Adams are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Brown was the initial prosecutor on the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
4 November 2022
Wyoming County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ronald Longhini, 60, of Warsaw, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that on April 28, 2021, during the execution of a search warrant at Longhini’s residence, investigators recovered two laptop computers, which were found to contain images and videos of child pornography. In total, Longhini possessed over 458 images and 1094 videos of child pornography, some of which included prepubescent minors and depictions of violence.The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury; the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gregory J. Rudolph; and the Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James P. Stauffiger.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2023, before Judge Arcara.
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Wood County man sentenced for violation against a minorRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Steven Lockhart, of Davisville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months of incarceration for trying to meet a minor for sex, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Lockhart, 58, pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of “Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor.” Lockhart admitted to using his phone to entice a minor in Harrison County to engage in sexual activity in April 2020.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bridgeport Police Department investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
West Haven, Vermont Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced today that Michael Brillon, 59, of West Haven, Vermont was sentenced to 21 months of imprisonment for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Brillon to serve a 2-year term of supervised release after his incarceration.
According to court records, a collaborative stolen property investigation of the Winhall, Wilmington, Fair Haven, and Bennington Police Departments and the Vermont State Police resulted in the execution of a search warrant at Brillon’s property in West Haven on January 6, 2022. During the investigation, local law enforcement had learned that Brillon was alleged to possess firearms and had been making threatening statements. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations assisted in the search, which resulted in the seizure of a SAR Arms 9mm semi-automatic pistol, two rifles, and a large quantity of marijuana consistent with an intent to distribute. Brillon has a long criminal history including felony convictions for sexual assault on a minor and aggravated domestic assault. Those convictions prohibit Brillon from possessing firearms under federal law.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Winhall, Wilmington, Fair Haven, and Bennington Police Departments and the Vermont State Police, and the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations.
The prosecutor was Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Brillon was represented by Richard Bothfeld, Esq.
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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn
Waterbury Woman Who Created False COVID-19 Vaccine Records is SentencedRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that ZAYA POWELL, 25, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to three years of probation for creating false COVID-19 vaccine records for several individuals. Judge Meyer also ordered Powell to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 200 hours of community service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Powell worked as a Data Entry Specialist for Griffin Health Services Corporation (“Griffin Health”) and, in that role, she traveled to various COVID-19 vaccination sites in Connecticut operated by Griffin Health. Although Powell did not administer the vaccines, she had access to the Griffin Health electronic health record system and to stacks of blank COVID-19 vaccination cards. She also had access to the Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), a database developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that tracked COVID-19 vaccine administration.
Between August and October 2021, Powell created fraudulent vaccination records in VAMS for 14 different individuals. The records indicated that each of the 14 individuals had received a single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccination at a Griffin Health location when, in fact, none had received any COVID-19 vaccination from Griffin Health or any other health care provider. In order to create the fraudulent vaccination record, Powell entered each individual’s name and date of birth into VAMS. She also created fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards for each of the 14, and distributed the fraudulent cards to the individuals or to their family members or co-workers. The fraudulent cards included lot numbers of genuine vaccines that were administered to other Griffin Health patients.
The investigation revealed that four of the 14 individuals who received fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards created by Powell were state employees who worked at the Southbury Training School, a Connecticut Department of Developmental Services facility located in Southbury. The four Southbury Training School employees were “state employees” or “state hospital employees” within the scope of Executive Order 13G issued by Governor Lamont, and were therefore required to meet the vaccination requirements of the Executive Order by September 27, 2021. The four employees sought and used the fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards created by Powell and the false entries in VAMS created by Powell to falsely document that they had received a COVID-19 vaccination.
On August 12, 2022, Powell pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement relating to a health care matter.
The four Southbury Training School employees were charged in state court and their cases are pending.
This investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG).
U.S. Attorney Avery thanked the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services, the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, and Griffin Health for their assistance in the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.
Utica Resource Operating Agrees to Pay $1 Million Penalty and Mitigate Past Excess Air Pollution at Oil and Gas Production WellsRead the Press Release
United States today announced that Utica Resource Operating LLC (URO) has agreed to a settlement resolving alleged Clean Air Act violations at URO’s oil and gas production well facilities in Ohio. The settlement addresses URO’s failure to capture and control air emissions from storage vessels and to comply with associated inspection, recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Under the terms of the settlement, URO will complete a $1.5 million suite of injunctive relief at 15 well pad facilities to come into compliance with the Clean Air Act and the facilities’ operating permits; implement mitigation measures at many of the wells owned by URO, and pay a penalty of $1 million. The injunctive relief includes a multi-step compliance program to review the current design of each storage vessel system and then make necessary design improvements to ensure that vapors will not be released to the environment during operations.
“This settlement not only requires URO to pay a significant civil penalty, it also requires pollution reductions to offset the effects of the company’s past violations,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “These mitigation measures will reduce the emission of harmful volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases into the environment.”
“Utica Resource Operating’s failure to control emissions from its facilities in Guernsey, Morgan and Washington Counties placed our fellow citizens in harm’s way,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio. “Today’s settlement, which includes a significant fine, will require URO to comply with the Clean Air Act, and further reinforce the Department of Justice’s commitment to take aggressive action to protect the citizens of this country. We will continue to hold entities who violate the nation’s environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act, accountable for their actions. My office is committed to keeping our citizens safe.”
“The uncontrolled air emissions from these well facilities were creating poor air quality for residents of Ohio,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s agreement not only requires the company to resolve their outstanding pollution violations, but also take measures to control their methane and carbon dioxide emissions, which are significant contributors to climate change.”
The settlement also requires URO to invest approximately $1.5 million in equipment upgrades and retrofits. These mitigation measures will further reduce pollution at URO well pads to offset past excess emissions from URO’s violations. In total, the improvements will result in estimated annual reductions of 307 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOC), 940 tons of methane and 4,429 tons of carbon dioxide. VOCs include a variety of chemicals that may cause adverse health effects, while methane and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases contributing to climate change.
The EPA found widespread problems with uncontrolled VOC emissions from oil and wastewater storage vessels during inspections of 11 URO well facilities in 2019. These emissions came from pressurized gases venting through imperfectly sealed access hatches on top of the storage vessels, pressure relief devices and combustors. After learning of other violations relating to inspections, recordkeeping and reporting, EPA issued a notice and finding of violation to URO on Aug. 14, 2020.
The settlement terms are included in a proposed consent decree that the Department of Justice filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. It is available on the Justice Department website at www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
United States Attorney Josh Hurwit Announces November 2022 Election Complaints ProgramRead the Press Release
BOISE – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today that multiple Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) from around Idaho have been appointed to lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. These AUSAs will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy,” U.S. Attorney Hurwit stated. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. We will be prepared to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election. Our office can be reached at (208) 334-1211.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The Salt Lake City FBI field office, which covers Idaho, can be reached by the public at (801) 579-1400.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at (800 ) 253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee Announces $564,767 in Department of Justice Grant Funding to the Knoxville Police Department to Support the Protection of ChildrenRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee announced today $564,767 in Department of Justice grant funding to support the Knoxville Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC program) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. This help encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education. The grant was awarded to the Knoxville Police Department, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse images available electronically, and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with potential underage victims. OJJDP created the ICAC Task Force Program under the authority of the fiscal year (FY) 1998 Justice Appropriations Act, Public Law 105–119. The Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act ("the PROTECT Act") of 2008, (P.L. 110-401, codified at 42 USC 17601, et seq.), authorized the ICAC program through FY 2013. On November 2, 2017, the Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to (PROTECT) Our Children Act of 2017 was signed into law, reauthorizing the ICAC Task Force Program through FY 2022.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and strengthen the criminal and juvenile justice systems. For more information regarding all OJP funding opportunities, visit https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities.
Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact local police, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. Parents, educators and law enforcement officials can find more information and helpful resources at the ICAC website, TNICAC.org.
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U.S. Attorney Romero Announces District Election Officer for Eastern District of Pennsylvania Ahead of 2022 General ElectionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Eric Gibson will lead the efforts of the Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Gibson has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Romero said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Romero stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Gibson will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number (215) 861-8200.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 215-418-4000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
United States Attorney Romero said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.s. Attorney Announces New Initiative for Addressing Environmental Justice and Public Health ConcernsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner has announced a new initiative to address environmental justice and public health concerns in the Northern District of Mississippi. U.S. Attorney Joyner has designated Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Rob Coleman as the Environmental Justice Coordinator to coordinate the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to address those concerns. Members of the public may visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office at justice.gov/usao-ndms, call our office at 662.234.3351, or email AUSA Coleman at [email protected] for information regarding where to report environmental violations or public health issues.
U.S. Attorney Joyner stated: "Strong and fair enforcement of environmental and public health laws protects our precious natural resources and ensures a healthy environment for everyone to live, learn, play, and work. Your reporting of environmental and public health concerns supports environmental protection, environmental justice, and helps us protect the community from harmful violations of federal health and safety laws."
The Office’s reporting procedures are part of the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy, which seeks to advance environmental justice through timely and effective remedies for environmental violations and injuries to natural resources in “underserved communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened, including low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and Indigenous communities.” The Department of Justice enforces the Nation’s civil and criminal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste laws. The Department also protects natural resources and handles cases relating to tribal rights and resources. Working with its Department of Justice partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeks to secure environmental justice for all communities, to ensure that everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and to protect equal access to a healthy environment in which to live, learn, play, and work.
The Office’s reporting procedures are in addition to other methods of reporting environmental concerns to the federal government, such as the online portal maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency: https://echo.epa.gov/report-environmental-violations. Additional points of contact for federal agencies may be found on the Office’s website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/environmental-justice-public-health.
Two Elko Residents Sentenced to Prison for Graffiti at Sacred White River Narrows Petroglyph SiteRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – Two Elko residents were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan for conspiring to paint graffiti at the sacred White River Narrows site in Lincoln County, Nevada. White River Narrows is known for its prehistoric petroglyphs dating over one hundred years old, and is a sacred site for the Paiute and Shoshone tribes.
According to court documents, from September 14, 2019, to October 8, 2019, Jonathan Pavon, a/k/a/ “Cluer,” 28, conspired with Daniel Plata, a/k/a “Velor,” 28, to spray paint “Cluer” and “Velor” in multiple locations at White River Narrows, including an approximately 20-foot-long graffiti image on a rock face containing petroglyphs.
Defendant standing in front of "Cluer" and "Velor" graffiti on rock face at White River Narrows site in Lincoln County, Nevada.Pavon pleaded guilty in June 2022 to misdemeanor conspiracy and a felony violation of the Archeological Resources Protection Act. He was sentenced today to six months for the misdemeanor conviction, and a year and a day of imprisonment for the felony conviction. The sentences will be served concurrently. Plata pleaded guilty in July 2022 to a misdemeanor damage of archeological resources. He was sentenced today to four months of imprisonment followed by eight months of home confinement.
“No restitution or repair can undo the damage done by those who would vandalize such a sacred and historical site as White River Narrows, but this ruling demonstrates that such crimes will not be met with a slap on the wrist,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “Our Office will continue to work to ensure that anyone who desecrates sacred tribal lands and artifacts are held accountable.”
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
To report natural resources crimes on BLM-managed public lands, please call the BLM tip line at (833) 660-5771 or email [email protected].
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Two Area Men Plead Guilty to Felony Charges Stemming from Carjacking and Robbery OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Melvin Wiseman, 19, of Washington, D.C., and Demarco Harris, 20, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to felony charges stemming from carjacking and robbery offenses that took place earlier this year, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Both men pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Wiseman and Harris each pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, stemming from a carjacking and robbery in March 2022. In addition, Harris pleaded guilty to one count of robbery, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle, stemming from a January 2022 armed carjacking and robbery. The Honorable Neal E. Kravitz scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 2, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 21, 2022, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Wiseman and Harris approached a vehicle parked in the 2400 block of 20th Street NW, in the Kalorama neighborhood. The vehicle’s owner was saying goodbye to a friend on the sidewalk, while her female friend waited in the car’s passenger seat. Wiseman approached the passenger and ordered her out of the car. When she began screaming for help, Harris climbed across the driver’s seat and put his hands around her neck in an attempt to silence her. Wiseman then pulled the passenger out of the car and threw her to the ground. The men attempted to flee in the vehicle but failed to do so because they could not disengage the parking brake. They then grabbed a purse belonging to the vehicle’s owner and fled on foot.
Concerned citizens witnessed the defendants fleeing and called the Metropolitan Police Department. While fleeing, Wiseman discarded his jacket, which contained a hall pass from a school where the defendants were classmates; the pass had been issued in his name earlier that day. Wiseman and Harris also discarded the victim’s purse, but kept her iPhone, which she had stored inside. Harris used the victim’s iPhone for his own benefit, sending the victim’s funds to a Cash App account registered in his own name and using her Lyft account to request a ride from the block on which he lived. The Metropolitan Police Department obtained surveillance footage from the offense location and other evidence.
The government’s evidence also established that, on Jan. 21, 2022, at approximately 12:15 a.m., Harris requested an Uber ride using an account that was registered to him. Harris and two unidentified associates got into the car’s back seat. Harris directed the driver to a poorly lit residential street in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington. Upon arriving at that location, Harris exited the vehicle, opened the driver’s door, pointed a handgun at the driver’s head, and ordered him out of the vehicle. The driver ran to safety after Harris physically pulled him from the vehicle. After Harris failed to take the vehicle, he and his associates fled on foot with the driver’s cell phone and car keys.
Wiseman was arrested on May 11, 2022, and Harris was arrested on May 18, 2022. They have remained in custody ever since.
In announcing the guilty pleas, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Crystal L. Waddy and Alesha Matthews Yette. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L.D. Ans and Paul V. Courtney, who investigated and prosecuted the cases.
Three Washington Men Sentenced to More than a Decade in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Related CrimesRead the Press Release
Spokane – Today, United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced that U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice has sentenced Hunter Bow O’Mealy, age 19, Caleb Ryan Carr, age 23, and Matthew Gudino-Pena, age 21, for Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl. The Defendants previously pleaded guilty pursuant to a Federal Rule of Procedure 11(c)(1)(C) Plea Agreement and faced sentencing ranges from 144 – 240 months in federal prison. Judge Rice sentenced O’Mealy and Carr to 240 months and Gudino-Pena to 196 months for their respective roles in the conspiracy. Judge Rice also ordered each of the defendants to serve an additional ten years on federal supervision after they are released from prison. In pronouncing sentence, Judge Rice emphasized the “egregious underlying conduct of this conspiracy.”
According to court documents and materials presented at the sentencing hearing, in spring and summer 2021, Defendants O’Mealy, Carr, and Gudino-Pena – a.k.a., the “Fetty Bros” – used snapchat and other social media to locate a source of supply originating in Mexico. Defendants then traveled to Arizona and beyond to be obtain deadly fentanyl pills in 10,000-pack quantities, and poured those and other drugs into the Spokane community and across the United States – including in Washington, Arizona, Alaska, Idaho and Florida. As they did so, O’Mealy, Carr, and Gudino-Pena engaged in a violent lifestyle without remorse or concern for the impact of their actions on their communities or on those who used their deadly drugs. When a customer overdosed, Carr suggested that no one cared and continued to sell the same deadly poison. When O’Mealy, Carr, and Gudino-Pena suspected someone was cooperating with law enforcement, they tried to kill him and nearly succeeded – opening fire and expelling more than forty rounds at their intended victim in Lakewood, Washington. When another co-defendant was arrested with their drugs, O’Mealy and Carr threatened to kill her.
The investigation began in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho after 15 year-old high school student overdosed on fentanyl and another person was killed during a failed fentanyl transaction. During the investigation into these deaths, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and DEA Task Force NINE identified the snapchat moniker Pac.Man2021, which led to the “Fetty Bros” as the likely source of supply to those believed to be directly responsible for the overdose and shooting.
Throughout the conspiracy, the “Fetty Bros” engaged in additional offenses to build their organization and conceal their crimes. Carr and O’Mealy, for example, illegally transported immigrants across the southern border to fund their narcotics purchases from a transnational cartel. Carr and O’Mealy also involved a minor in transporting and shipping their fentanyl-laced drugs and utilized other “Fetty Bros,” including Gudino-Pena, to act as a security detail for their drug shipments. While immersed in this violent conspiracy, the organization amassed numerous firearms, including switches to convert their guns into fully automatic weapons. They also obtained a number of “ghost guns” – which are unserialized, privately-made firearms – and trafficked in firearms obtained during the conspiracy. Then, to conceal their illegal conduct, Defendants Carr and O’Mealy set up a luxury clothing business to launder their drug proceeds.
Ultimately, each of the Defendants were arrested in Tucson Arizona in October 2021. Carr, O’Mealy, and Gudino-Pena had fled to Arizona and were staying with an alleged confederate at a high-end apartment complex located adjacent to the University of Arizona campus. In fact, O’Mealy and Gudino-Pena left Washington and arrived at the apartment complex during the University of Arizona’s Family Weekend in 2021. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement arrested each of the defendants and executed a search warrant at the alleged confederate’s apartment. During the search, the investigation team, which included multiple state, local, and federal agencies, recovered additional narcotics, numerous firearms, Glock switches, and a number of “ghost guns.”
“Although the consequences of large-scale drug distribution are apparent in many cases, this case in particular presents egregious violence, use of the mail to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills, firearms trafficking, threats, use of social media to advertise illegal narcotics, and obstruction of justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “As part of their conspiracy, these Defendants even attempted to kill someone they falsely believed was cooperating against them. Our community is safer and stronger as a result of the incredible work of the numerous law enforcement agencies across the Western United States, who came together to investigate and prosecute this case.”
“This investigation illustrates how social media is used to distribute these deadly fake pills,” said Laci S. Larsen, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge, DEA Spokane District Office. “Because of the collaboration by law enforcement throughout the United States, we removed these dangerous individuals, who thought they could operate without regard for human life and the rule of law, from our community.”
“The fentanyl epidemic continues to harm our communities, not only from its use, but from the violent crimes associated with its distribution,” said United States Postal Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti. “O’Mealy, Carr and Gudino-Pena will spend the better part of two decades in federal prison, but the victims’ families will spend the rest of their lives working to recover from the loss of their loved ones. Taking an estimated 100,000 fentanyl pills off the streets is a significant accomplishment, but this does not happen without agencies working together to protect our communities. I thank the DEA, as well as the other state and local agencies around the country who helped to bring this drug trafficking organization to a close.”
Idaho State Police Colonel Kedrick Wills stated, “The Idaho State Police appreciates the cooperation and support from multiple agencies involved in this fentanyl case which ranged from northern Idaho to the Arizona border. I thank the dedicated people of ISP who tirelessly worked to see this highly complex case through. Illegal drugs, especially fentanyl, have had devastating effects on our communities.”
Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Van Marter, Senior Litigation Counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and co-counsel for the case, stated, “This case represents a new generation of drug traffickers – traffickers, who glorify a violent lifestyle, obtain drugs online, advertise their product through social media, and victimize others. I want to thank the investigators and law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly to investigate this case and bring O’Mealy, Carr, and Gudino-Pena to justice.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force NINE, located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho which includes members of the DEA, Idaho State Police, United States Postal Inspection Service, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and United States Border Patrol. A number of agencies further assisted with the investigation, including Spokane DEA, the Lakewood Police Department, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Liberty Lake Police Department, Medford Police Department, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Centralia Police Department, Chehalis Police Department, Shoshone County Sherriff’s Office, Washington Department of Corrections, United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, DEA Centralia Post of Duty, and certain DEA Task Forces: JNET, Tucson Strike Force, and Phoenix Group 16 DEALERS.
The case was prosecuted by Richard R. Barker and Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Third Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Key Role in Beckley-Philadelphia Firearms Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Shyheem Woodard-Smith, also known as “Peanut” and “Nut,” 22, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to interstate travel with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Woodard-Smith admitted to a role in a conspiracy to traffic over 140 firearms from the Beckley area to Philadelphia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 17, 2020, Woodard-Smith traveled from Philadelphia to Beckley with co-defendants Bisheem Jones, also known as “Bosh,” Derrick Woodard, also known as “D,” and Hassan Abdullah, also known as “San,” and obtained firearms that were later sold for a profit in Philadelphia. Woodard-Smith admitted to obtaining these firearms with the other traffickers from a Beckley gun store.
Woodard-Smith further admitted to obtaining over 140 firearms with Jones, Woodard, and Abdullah between early 2020 and mid-2021. Approximately 45 of those trafficked firearms were recovered at crime scenes primarily in Philadelphia, and have been connected to two homicides, crimes of domestic violence, and other violent offenses.
Woodard-Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Woodard and Abdullah previously pleaded guilty to interstate travel with the intent to engage in dealing firearms without a license. Seven other co-defendants have pleaded guilty to making false statements in acquisition of firearms. An additional seven individuals have pleaded guilty to firearms offenses related to the same interstate gun trafficking conspiracy.
“This is another important milestone in bringing these traffickers to justice,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “There can be no tolerance of the illegal trafficking of firearms. I commend the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for the investigative work and Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani for securing the guilty pleas in this case.”
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing.
Jones and co-conspirator Shakyrah Ross are scheduled for trial on November 29, 2022. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-46.
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SEPTA Video Surveillance Manager, Equipment Vendor Indicted for Extensive Bribery and Extortion SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that James Stevens, 69, of Somerdale, NJ, and Robert Welsh, 59, now living in Arizona, were charged by Indictment with conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and fraud charges related to a scheme to pay off Stevens in exchange for Stevens helping grow the businesses of Welsh. Welsh’s business installed, maintained, and supplied video surveillance equipment to the Southeastern Regional Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and Stevens was a SEPTA official responsible for video surveillance operations at SEPTA.
According to the Indictment, from about March 2014 until about July 2018, the defendants allegedly engaged in a bribery and extortion scheme in which Stevens, who was the Director of the Video Evidence Unit with SEPTA during the time period of the charged conduct, demanded from Welsh, owner and operator of Spector Logistics, Inc., a stream of financial and other benefits in exchange for Stevens’ role in helping maintain and grow Spector’s business with SEPTA. The benefits Welsh provided to Stevens included, most significantly, tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments, as well as donations to an alleged charity that Stevens pocketed, lodging and meals during the 2015 Papal Visit, frequent meals and drinks, tickets to a 2016 Barbra Streisand concert, and funds for SEPTA annual holiday parties. As Stevens demanded, Welsh also offered Stevens future employment with Spector when Stevens retired from SEPTA. During the time of this corrupt relationship, Spector maintained and obtained millions of dollars in contracts with SEPTA. Stevens played a significant role in facilitating and approving contracts for Spector and Blue Zebra, a second company Welsh owned and established with Stevens’ assistance, and helped Spector win bids by giving Welsh inside information about SEPTA’s financial analyses and otherwise collaborating with Welsh in the contracting process. In doing so, Stevens allegedly provided an unfair advantage to Welsh and a disadvantage to other potential vendors.
“Philadelphians deserve public employees who do their jobs honestly, without corrupting the system to line their own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants’ participation in this scheme was extensive: using millions of dollars in public contracts to fraudulently benefit themselves.”
“SEPTA exists to transport people where they want to go — not to move crooked insiders up a tax bracket,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Stealing public money through back-door deals is reprehensible and the FBI will hold accountable anyone foolish enough to engage in this kind of fraud.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ross Township Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A suburban Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of attempted receipt of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Vikash Mishra, age 41, formerly of Ross Township, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Christy Criswell Wiegand.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from on or about October 30, 2021, until on or about Feb. 25, 2022, Mishra used cellular telephone networks and the internet to knowingly attempt to receive material involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for March 7, 2023. The law provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000.00, supervised release for any term of years not less than five and up to life. 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.
Pending sentencing, the Judge ordered the defendant remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mishra.
Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Tyshawn T. Babers, 29, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that at approximately 2:00 a.m. on August 8, 2022, Rochester Police Officers responded to 231 Hudson Avenue for family trouble involving a gun. After arriving on the scene, officers spoke to a victim who stated that she and her ex-boyfriend, Babers, got into a verbal argument, during which Babers pulled out a black handgun. While officers were investigating, Babers quietly exited 231 Hudson Avenue. Officers then searched the residence and recovered a loaded handgun in an upstairs bedroom. In March 2012, Babers was convicted in Monroe County Court of weapons possession and robbery and is legally prohibited from a 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.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Smith and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
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Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Woonsocket, R.I. man was sentenced yesterday for trafficking multiple victims to engage in prostitution across seven states.
Ronald Hall, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 18 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Hall was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount that will be determined at a later date. On Aug. 9, 2022, Hall pleaded guilty to four counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of transportation of an individual with intent to engage in prostitution.
“Mr. Hall is a predator driven by high profits and low risks. He targeted and exploited five vulnerable victims with substance use disorder – utilizing addiction and false promises of good earnings for recruitment – and then used extreme violence, threats and isolation to create a climate of fear from which he could maintain control and exploit them for his own profit,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “As the chief federal law enforcement officer in our Commonwealth, I’ve made combating this modern form of slavery one of my top priorities. Although nothing will ever erase the profound pain and trauma these victims have suffered as a result of a near-decade of exploitation and abuse from Mr. Hall, we hope this sentencing brings some long-awaited justice and accountability.”
“This sentence is a victory for justice and for the trafficked victims of Mr. Hall who were ruthlessly exploited for criminal purposes and profit,” said Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “We hope that this sentence can serve as some form of closure to allow Hall’s victims to begin to recover their lives from the devastation that he inflicted on them. We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney for her commitment to prosecuting human trafficking cases and to the Massachusetts State Police. whose help in this investigation was invaluable.”
From at least late 2010 through late 2019, Hall used force, threats and coercion to traffic five victims between Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Florida and Nevada, to engage in prostitution. Hall targeted and recruited several of the victims who suffered from substance use disorder and used their drug addictions to coerce them into engaging in commercial sex in exchange for drugs. Hall regularly scheduled the victims to engage in prostitution – sometimes multiple times per day, every day of the week – and took almost all of the proceeds for himself. Hall punished victims who did not meet the quotas he set for them by withholding drugs or through violence. To maintain control, Hall subjected his victims to starvation, regular threats of injury, physical abuse, forced intercourse, violent assaults with weapons including knives, belts and bats and made some of the victims brand themselves with a tattoo of his nickname.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact [email protected]. If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking, please visit https://polarisproject.org/ for information and resources.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, HSI SAC Millhollin and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Rhode Island. Assistant U.S. Evan Gotlob of Rollins’ Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
To read the impact statement from one of the victims, please see attachment below.
Recidivist Mobile Fraudster Sentenced to Two and a Half Years in Prison for Financial FraudsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison for mail fraud and access device fraud relating to her embezzlement of money from her employer.
According to court documents, Elisabeth Dawn Williams, 45, worked for and stole $276,609.84 from a Mobile-based construction company between July 2016 and October 2018. Williams worked for the company as a payroll manager, a position of trust that granted her access to the company’s financial information and payment mechanisms. To carry out her fraud, Williams unlawfully used the company’s preloaded business purchase cards to make unauthorized purchases of personal items at various local and online retailers. In furtherance of the scheme, Williams caused several personal items, including shoes and jewelry, to be shipped to her home in Mobile via the U.S. mail and UPS. As part of her guilty plea, Williams admitted that her unauthorized purchases misrepresented the business affairs of her employer and violated its rules and restrictions governing the use of its purchase cards.
In 2003, Williams was convicted and sentenced in the Circuit Court of Dallas County, Alabama, for a similar fraud scheme. In that case, Williams admitted that she had stolen $109,284.26 from her employer, a retailer in Selma.
Chief United States District Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock ordered Williams to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon her release from prison, during which time she will undergo mental health treatment and will be subject to credit restrictions. The court did not impose a fine, but Chief Judge Beaverstock ordered Williams to pay $276,609.84 in victim restitution and $400 in special assessments.
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U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.The United States Secret Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bishop Ravenel and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Readout of U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Meeting with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Vincent Van QuickenborneRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland met Wednesday in Washington, D.C., with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne.
In the meeting the Attorney General and Minister Van Quickenborne acknowledged and committed to strengthening the extraordinary law enforcement relationship between the United States and Belgium.
The leaders discussed their joint law enforcement efforts, which have resulted in the successful investigation and prosecution of transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism, among others. They also discussed cooperation in investigating and prosecuting Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
“Our ability to combat transnational crime and protect Americans from threats to our national security depends on the strength of our international partnerships,” said Attorney General Garland. “Belgium has been an invaluable law enforcement partner to the United States, and we look forward to finding ways to deepen our collaboration and coordination as we work together to keep our citizens safe and uphold the Rule of Law.”
Both leaders also agreed to enhance cross-Atlantic collaboration and information sharing to further disrupt transnational organized crime and drug trafficking, deny safe haven to violent criminals, and counter domestic and foreign terrorism.
Yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram held separate meetings with Minister Van Quickenborne to discuss efforts to combat transnational organized crime, terrorism, and drug trafficking.
Plymouth Woman Pleads Guilty for her Role in $250 Million Scheme to Defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program and Separate $4 Million Medicaid Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Plymouth woman has pleaded guilty to her role in two separate fraud cases, including the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program and a Medicaid fraud scheme, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Anab Artan Awad, 52, admitted that from September 2020 through January 2022, she knowingly participated with others in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children.
According to her guilty plea, Awad used a non-profit entity called Multiple Community Services to carry out her scheme. Through Multiple Community Services, Awad controlled purported Federal Child Nutrition Program food distribution sites in Osseo, Minneapolis and Faribault, under the sponsorship of Sponsor A. As a food site operator, Awad was responsible for serving actual food to children through the Federal Child Nutrition Program. However, in furtherance of the scheme, Awad received Federal Child Nutrition Program funds based upon fraudulent information, such as falsified invoices and meal count records with substantially inflated figures. Awad received Federal Child Nutrition Program funds that substantially exceeded the amounts of food that she either purchased or served to children.
According to her guilty plea, one of Awad’s Minneapolis sites fraudulently claimed to have served more than 1.5 million meals to children from January 2021 to April 2021, which amounts to approximately 12,600 meals to children daily. In reality, Awad’s operations at that location served a fraction of the meal amounts claimed. Also, despite Awad’s claims, the purported food vendor for her location, in fact, did not provide food during the time period claimed. In addition, none of the names on the attendance rosters submitted for “Golden Meadows,” which was one of Awad’s food sites in Faribault, matched the names of actual children enrolled in the Faribault School District.
It was further part of the scheme that Awad received fraudulent proceeds from the Federal Child Nutrition Program into accounts that she controlled, which included, among other deposits, approximately $3.7 million directly from Sponsor A, and approximately $3 million from a purported vendor that, in fact, provided no food to Awad.
In total, Awad fraudulently claimed $11,237,106.41 in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds, of which the Minnesota Department of Education paid out $9,668,384.09. In all, Awad and her purported vendors obtained $9,333,858.24 in fraud proceeds for herself and others.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
This case is being proseucted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, Harry M. Jacobs, Chelsea A. Walcker and Joseph S. Teirab. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
Awad also pleaded guilty today in a separate case to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to court documents, from April 2015 through July 2016, Awad worked as an interpreter for A-Z Friendly Languages and Itasca Interpretation Services, both companies were approved providers that billed services to the Minnesota Medicaid program. In this role, Awad conspired with mental health practitioners at Minnesota Multicultural Counseling and Consultant (MMCC) to sign billing forms for mental health and related interpretation services that were not provided. Awad’s fraudulent claims caused a $99,154 loss to the Minnesota Medicaid program as part of the broader $4 million scheme to defraud, executed by MMCC and its associated interpreters. Awad transitioned to her scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program from September 2020 through January 2022 while awaiting trial for her fraudulent billing practices as an interpreter for MMCC.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the Minnesota Attorney General Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela M. Munoz and Jordan L. Sing.
Awad pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric E. Tostrud to one count of wire fraud in the first case and one count conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the second case. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
Pittsburgh Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing a Firearm, Ammunition and a MachinegunRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating various federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The two-count Superseding Indictment, returned on Nov. 1, 2022, named Jonathan Young, 35, of the City’s Garfield neighborhood, as the sole defendant.
According to the Superseding Indictment presented to the court, on or about Feb. 16, 2022, Young knowingly possessed, in and affecting interstate commerce, a firearm and ammunition after having been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. The Superseding Indictment further alleges that on the same date, Young possessed a machinegun.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $500,000 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 Katherine C. Jordan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Superseding Indictment in this case.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pineville Couple Charged in Kidnapping, Murder of Pregnant Arkansas WomanRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Pineville, Mo., couple has been charged in federal court for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of a pregnant Arkansas woman.
Amber Waterman, 42, and her husband, Jamie Waterman, 42, were charged in separate criminal complaints signed on Thursday, Nov. 3, and filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield today. The Watermans remain in federal custody pending detention hearings, which have not yet been scheduled.
Amber Waterman is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death. The federal criminal complaint alleges that, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, 2022, Amber Waterman kidnapped Ashley Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant, in order to claim her unborn child as her own. She allegedly transported Ashley Bush from Maysville, Arkansas, to Pineville, resulting in her death.
Jamie Waterman is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. The federal criminal complaint alleges that he assisted Amber Waterman, in order to hinder and prevent her apprehension, trial, and punishment, knowing she had committed the offense of kidnapping resulting in death.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaints, Amber Waterman adopted the false on-line persona of “Lucy” in order to meet Ashley Bush, then lured her to meet a second time to give her a ride to a purported job interview. Instead, the affidavit says, Amber Waterman killed Ashley Bush.
Amber Waterman allegedly led Jamie Waterman to the body of Ashley Bush, who was clothed and lying face down next to a boat near their house, covered in a blue tarp. Amber Waterman removed a ring from Ashley Bush’s finger and rolled her body onto the blue tarp, the affidavit says, which Jamie Waterman then dragged to a fire pit behind the residence. The Waterman’s allegedly burned the body, moved it onto the bed of Jamie Waterman’s blue GMC pickup, and drove a short distance from their residence to hide the body.
Ashley Bush was reported as a missing person on Monday, Oct. 31. Her fiancé told law enforcement that he saw her being driven as a passenger in a pickup truck by a woman he knew as “Lucy.” They had originally met “Lucy” at the Gravette, Ark., public library a few days earlier, at which time “Lucy” was driving the same pickup truck. During this meeting at the library, “Lucy” and Ashley Bush had discussed employment opportunities, and later that day, “Lucy” offered to drive her to meet her supervisor at a Bentonville, Ark., company.
On Oct. 31, Ashley Bush’s fiancé drove her to meet “Lucy” at a Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Ark. He later received a message to pick her up at the same Handi-Stop store, but while he was waiting for her to arrive, he saw “Lucy” and Ashley Bush drive past without stopping. He attempted to contact Ashley Bush by phone, but his calls went to voice mail. He later found her phone on the side of the highway.
Detectives with the Benton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department examined the phone and found the Facebook account for “Lucy.” Detectives located a public posting on the account that read “I have a bunch of baby items if any moms to be need them.” Detectives traced the Facebook account to Jamie Waterman, and learned from examining Amber Bush’s Google records that she had traveled to Pineville, approximately .15 miles from the Watermans’ residence.
When investigators questioned the Watermans on Tuesday, Nov. 1, they were initially told that Amber had a miscarriage. Detectives noticed what appeared to be blood stains on the inside of a pickup truck that matched the description of the vehicle given by Ashley Bush’s fiancé. The vehicle was seized by law enforcement and search warrants obtained on Thursday, Nov. 3, for the vehicle and residence.
Detectives questioned Jamie Waterman again on Thursday, Nov. 3. According to the affidavit, he told detectives that, after they had questioned them and left their residence, Amber Waterman told him she had killed Ashley Bush and then quickly changed her story and said “Lucy” had killed her. She then led him to the body, which he assisted in disposing.
The charges contained in these complaints are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and James J. Kelleher. They were investigated by the FBI, the Benton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, and the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas and the Benton County, Ark., Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Court Documents:
waterman_amber_complaint_redacted.pdf waterman_jamie_complaint_redacted.pdfPhiladelphia Man Indicted for Stalking and Nearly Blinding Ex-Girlfriend in Broad Daylight AttackRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Victor Ortiz, 45, of Philadelphia, PA, was arrested and charged by Indictment for stalking and assaulting a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.
According to the Indictment, on the morning of May 4, 2022, the defendant pursued the victim, who is his ex-girlfriend and a federal employee, as she walked to her office in Philadelphia. Before reaching her office, the defendant allegedly threw a caustic substance on victim’s face and torso. His attack temporarily blinded the victim in her left eye and caused severe pain and scarring on her body. Additionally, the defendant attached a GPS device to the victim’s vehicle so that he could monitor her location and stalk her. After law enforcement officials discovered and removed the device, the defendant was caught on camera allegedly attempting to install a second GPS device on the victim’s vehicle in July 2022.
“The charges against Victor Ortiz allege behavior that is dangerous, terrorizing and abhorrent,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Everyone deserves to feel safe as they go about their daily lives: at home, while at work, and in transit; and intimate partner violence can sometimes be the most terrifying kind because someone who knows you well can strike any part of your routine. Thank you to our partners with Homeland Security Investigations for their dedicated work on this case.”
“Threats and violence against federal employees will never be tolerated,” said William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Philadelphia office. “HSI Philadelphia is committed to utilizing our investigative expertise, technical capabilities and partnerships to investigate and pursue the prosecution of those who threaten, harm or intimidate government officers or employees.”
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 40 years in prison.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Miller and Angella Middleton.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Omaha Man Sentenced to more than 15 years for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Scott A. Baze, 51, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 188 months’ imprisonment for possession of child pornography by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Baze will begin a lifetime term of supervised release. The terms of Baze’s supervised release prohibit him from having any contact with children under the age of 18, unless it is approved by the United States Probation Office. He was ordered to pay $66,000 in restitution.
An investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force determined that between January 14, 2022, and February 1, 2022, Baze, using his cellular telephone, received through the internet images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The investigation was triggered in May of 2021 when Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies requested that Baze, a registered sex offender, allow them to search his cellphone. That search revealed Baze had previously possessed images of child pornography. During a subsequent search warrant of Baze’s Omaha residence, investigators found evidence of more than 1,500 images and 3 videos of child pornography on a cellphone belonging to Baze.
Baze was previously convicted on July 17, 2001, of Sexual Assault of a Child, in Douglas County District Court, Omaha, Nebraska, and received a 20-month to 5-year prison sentence. Baze was also previously convicted on June 3, 2010, of Possession of Child Pornography, in Douglas County District Court, Omaha, Nebraska, and received a 20- to 60-month prison sentence.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.