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3 November 2022
McLaughlin Man Found Not Guilty of Assault and Threatening Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man was acquitted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Threatening a Federal Law Enforcement Officer.
Richard Todd Steele, age 42, was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2021.
The charges related to an alleged incident that occurred on June 13, 2021, in Corson County, South Dakota.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency, and the U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.
Mascoutah, Illinois, Woman Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Mail FraudRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Mascoutah, Illinois, woman, Paula Klaustermeier, 56, of the 900 block of West South Street, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, to 18 months in federal prison for committing three counts of mail fraud. Klaustermeier also was ordered to pay $137,363.47 in restitution to the United States Department of Labor.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that beginning in November 2006 and extending until January 2013, Klaustermeier regularly and systematically defrauded the United States Department of Labor, Office of Worker’s Compensation Program (OWCP), by submitting modified and wholly fabricated medical records, as well as over 1,500 fraudulent reimbursement claims for traveling to medical appointments. Among other fraudulent assertions, Klaustermeier claimed she was traveling almost daily to YMCA facilities for medical treatment reasons. These were facilities, however, to which she did not belong and which she did not visit. For at least 950 of the claims, she stated she was attending warm water therapy at a YMCA in Belleville, Illinois; however, the address she supplied for the YMCA for reimbursement purposes was her parents’ residence.
At the hearing, U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough determined Klaustermeier defrauded the government out of $137,363.47 by submitting fraudulent medical and travel benefit claims. Judge Myerscough noted Klaustermeier had taken money that could have been provided to other individuals in need and that she had refused, at each and every turn, to take any responsibility for her actions.
On January 3, 2017, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Klaustermeier with three counts of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341. On March 6, 2020, following a trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts as to each of the three counts of mail fraud.
The statutory penalties for mail fraud are not more than 20 years in prison, not more than three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
“Paula Klaustermeier fraudulently obtained more than $56,000 in FECA benefits by submitting hundreds of false travel reimbursement requests to OWCP, claiming she completed aquatic therapy sessions at numerous medical facilities, including a non-existent therapy center at her parents’ house, when she did not do so. Today’s sentencing affirms the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s benefit programs,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Labor and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.
Man Who Kidnapped Son and Took Him to Lebanon Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington today sentenced Ali Hussein Salamey (40, Dearborn, Michigan) to two years in federal prison for passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. Salamey had pleaded guilty on June 7, 2022.
According to court documents, Salamey and R.S. had a child together, D.S., who was born in September 2014. Despite court orders prohibiting either parent from obtaining a passport for D.S. or taking the child out of state without leave of the court, Salamey applied for Lebanese travel documents from the Lebanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. for D.S. To do so, Salamey submitted a fraudulent maternal consent form on which he had forged R.S.’s signature. The embassy denied the application. Salamey then attempted to obtain travel documents from the Lebanese Consulate in Michigan. This time, Salamey submitted a fraudulent judgment of paternity that he had altered to make it appear as if the court had awarded him (rather than R.S.) sole parental responsibility. This time, the Lebanese consulate issued a Lebanese passport for D.S.
On August 25, 2018, Salamey used the fraudulently acquired passport to take D.S. to Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon is not a party to the Hague Convention, which obligates member countries to return children abducted abroad; nor does it have an extradition treaty with the United States. Salamey and D.S. remained in Lebanon for the next 10 months. Eventually, the Lebanese government agreed to help return the child to the United States. D.S. and Salamey returned to the United States on June 21, 2019, at which time the child was returned to R.S. and Salamey was arrested.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Loaded Gun on a Chicago StreetRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man who illegally possessed a loaded handgun on a Chicago street and tried to flee from police has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
BRANDON ELLIS, 30, of Chicago, illegally possessed the firearm in the early morning hours of August 15, 2021. Ellis was observed via a Chicago Police Department (CPD) surveillance camera lifting his shirt to brandish a weapon in his waistband to another individual. When CPD officers approached and directed defendant to stop, he ran from the officers. Officers recovered a semiautomatic pistol from defendant’s waistband. The pistol was previously reported stolen.
Ellis pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm. This is Ellis’s third conviction for illegally possessing a firearm in the last five years, having completed a term of imprisonment on federal charges less than four months prior.
U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman on November 2, 2022, imposed an 84-month prison sentence.
“By carrying a gun as a convicted felon in a high-crime area—and then brandishing that gun—he affirmatively created a volatile and potentially deadly situation on a street filled with people” Assistant U.S. Attorney Vikas Didwania argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “The law must make clear—through the sentence this Court imposes—that Ellis cannot break the rules with impunity; that this Court will protect the public from him; and that he will be punished severely until he stops.”
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and David Brown, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
Holding illegal firearm possessors accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. In the Northern District of Illinois, U.S. Attorney Lausch and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
Lower Brule Woman Sentenced for Assault of a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assaulting a Federal Officer was sentenced on November 1, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Chassidy Crazy Bull, age 20, was sentenced to seven months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, $7,968.10 in restitution, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Crazy Bull was indicted for Assaulting a Federal Officer by a federal grand jury in March of 2022. She pleaded guilty on July 19, 2022.
On September 21, 2021, Crazy Bull went on a 15-minute-high speed chase with Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement through the communities of Lower Brule and West Brule, South Dakota. At the end of the pursuit, Crazy Bull rammed her vehicle into the patrol vehicle of one of the officers involved in the pursuit. The officer suffered a knee injury.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule Agency and Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Crazy Bull was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Long Island Woman Sentenced to Prison for Unemployment Insurance FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Rhasha Wright, age 30, of Roosevelt, New York, was sentenced today to 24 months and a day in prison for scheming with New York State prisoners to defraud pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge, New York Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG); Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the Boston Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Anthony J. Annucci, Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS); and Roberta Reardon, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL).
Wright previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She admitted to conspiring with co-defendants Reginald Thornton and Lord Paulin, two inmates at the Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Malone, New York, to defraud the NYSDOL by submitting false unemployment insurance claims to NYSDOL in Paulin’s name and in the name of another Bare Hill prisoner. Prisoners were not eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits.
United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Wright to serve 1 year of post-release supervision and ordered her to pay $11,696 in restitution to the State of New York..
Thornton previously pled guilty to participating in two prison-based unemployment insurance fraud conspiracies and was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, to be served after his state prison term ends. Paulin was sentenced to 19 months in federal prison, to be served after his state sentence ends. A fourth defendant, Briana Garland, previously pled guilty to conspiring with Thornton to submit a fraudulent claim in Thornton’s name and is awaiting sentencing.
The cases were investigated by USDOL-OIG, HSI, USPIS, and the Offices of Special Investigations of NYSDOCCS and NYSDOL. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Kissimmee Fugitive Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Passport Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Milton Guillermo Segarra-Bartolomei (44, Kissimmee) to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. Segarra-Bartolomei had pleaded guilty on June 28, 2022.
According to court documents, Segarra-Bartolomei assumed a stolen identity and used it to obtain a U.S. Passport, and then to apply for his minor son’s passport. Segarra-Bartolomei assumed the stolen identity to avoid apprehension in Puerto Rico, where a warrant had been issued for his arrest for an attempted murder that occurred in 2006.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Laurie.
Jerome Man Sentenced for Assault on a Forest Service Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Jonathan Kip Medford, 34, of Jerome, Arizona, was sentenced Monday, by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Medford previously pleaded guilty to Assault on a Federal Law Enforcement Officer with Physical Contact and Infliction of Bodily Injury.
On February 15, 2022, Medford assaulted a USDA Forest Service law enforcement officer during a stop in the Coconino National Forest. The officer was investigating a minor traffic violation and an illegal camping violation. Medford, who was wanted on a state warrant and lied about his name during the encounter, failed to obey the officer’s instructions as the officer attempted to detain him. Rather than comply, Medford charged the officer causing them both to fall to the ground where a struggle ensued. After the struggle the officer freed himself and Medford fled the area on foot. Medford was apprehended the next day at a residence by officers from the Jerome Police Department.
The Forest Service conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, the Jerome Police Department, the Sedona Police Department, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the National Park Service. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Flagstaff, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-08051-PCT-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022- 202_Medford
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Assault on Federal Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for assault on a federal law enforcement officer, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Demario Lamar Cotton, 40, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
According to court documents, on or about June 26, 2021, Cotton was in a vehicle fleeing law enforcement when he stopped and fired a rifle multiple times at law enforcement vehicles, causing bodily injury to a federal law enforcement officer who was in the performance of his official duties. Cotton was subsequently taken into custody and admitted to his illegal actions when he pled guilty on July 1, 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Murray prosecuted the case.
Iowa Nurse Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing Pain Pill from Elderly Nursing Home ResidentRead the Press Release
An Iowa nurse who diverted narcotics from two Waterloo area nursing homes, including a pain pill from a 95-year-old who was suffering from chronic pain and dementia, was sentenced November 2, 2022, to a year in federal prison.
Matthew Daniel Bowlden, age 32, formerly of Waterloo and Centerville, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 18, 2022 guilty plea to one count of acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge. Evidence presented in a plea agreement and at Bowlden’s sentencing showed that Bowlden worked at two nursing homes in the Waterloo area in 2019. Bowlden diverted narcotics from both nursing homes. For example, on his first shift at one of the nursing homes, in March 2019, Bowlden was working in the nursing home’s “dementia unit” and removed an oxycodone pill that another nurse had placed within a plastic cup. The pain pill in the cup was intended for a 95-year-old resident of the nursing home’s dementia unit who suffered from chronic pain. Bowlden consumed the pill and threw the plastic cup away in the trash.
Bowlden has eight prior convictions extending back to 2013. Bowlden’s prior convictions include operating while intoxicated, interference with official acts, receiving stolen property specifically a firearm, tampering with a motor vehicle, possession of marijuana, and escape or attempted escape from custody. Bowlden previously served time in a Missouri prison before he was released and violated the terms of his parole by committing crimes in Iowa. Bowlden was investigated on three separate occasions by the Iowa Board of Nursing, which ultimately suspended Bowlden’s nursing license in 2019 with leave to reinstate it after one year. As a result of Bowlden’s federal conviction, Bowlden is required to forfeit his nursing license to the United States.
Bowlden was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Judge Williams observed at Bowlden’s sentencing hearing that Bowlden’s conduct with respect to the 95-year-old resident was “highly aggravating” and an “egregious violation” of the trust placed in him as a licensed nurse. Bowlden was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
In 2016, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa was selected as one of 10 districts in the nation to form an Elder Justice Task Force (http://go.usa.gov/cSngj). The task force was assembled to foster a collaborative working relationship among all levels of government officials, advocacy groups for the elderly and the disabled, and others charged with the care and protection for these vulnerable groups. The goals include ensuring the integrity of all government expenditures by eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in health programs, and protecting some of the state’s most vulnerable citizens from harm, whether it occurs in nursing homes or other institutions or involves financial fraud schemes. To learn more about the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, visit: https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/
Bowlden was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-CR-2025.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Iowa Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dillan Boydston, 39, Waukon, Iowa was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Boydston pleaded guilty to this charge on July 20, 2022.
During the course of a long-term, multi-agency investigation, law enforcement officers obtained evidence that Christopher Fernette, Carl Rabe, and Dillan Boydston distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in western Wisconsin. Investigators also learned that Fernette purchased methamphetamine from multiple people, including a source-of-supply in Minnesota and an individual named Pa Yang.
On April 3, 2021, investigators followed Fernette and Boydston as they crossed into Wisconsin from Minnesota. When the car stopped at a tavern in Ferryville, a deputy from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office approached Fernette and asked for permission to pat him down for weapons. Fernette consented to the pat down but attempted to hide a small plastic baggie in his hand. When the deputy questioned Fernette about the object in his hand, Fernette tossed the baggie and became combative. A fight ensued and the deputy eventually detained Fernette.
After the altercation, the deputy located the baggie which contained a personal use amount of methamphetamine. The deputy also found a discarded black canvass tool bag that contained approximately three pounds of methamphetamine. The deputy used his canine partner to sniff the car that Fernette had been driving. When the canine alerted, investigators searched the car and found $17,200 in cash.
During post-arrest interviews, Fernette and Boydston admitted that they traveled to Minnesota and purchased the three pounds of methamphetamine from Boydston’s source-of-supply. Fernette told investigators that he and Boydston planned to split the methamphetamine with Rabe in Wisconsin. Boydston also explained that he received methamphetamine as payment from Fernette for arranging the drug deals.
On June 29, 2022, Judge Conley sentenced Fernette to 10 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Judge Conley also ordered Fernette to forfeit the $17,200 found in the car.
On October 20, 2021, an investigator from the Richland-Iowa-Grant Drug Task Force arrested Rabe after witnessing a drug transaction between Rabe and another person in Lancaster, Wisconsin. The investigator searched Rabe’s car and found 425 grams of methamphetamine. Rabe pleaded guilty in the Western District of Wisconsin to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Judge Conley sentenced Rabe to 96 months in prison on July 20, 2022.
On February 18, 2021, officers in Onalaska, Wisconsin arrested Yang following a traffic stop where she admitted to possessing approximately 100 grams of methamphetamine. Yang pleaded guilty in Western District of Wisconsin to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 17, 2022.
The charges against Boydston, Fernette, Rabe, and Yang were the result of an investigation conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Prairie du Chien Police Department, Richland-Iowa-Grant Task Force, Dakota County (Minnesota) Drug Task Force, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma is prosecuting this case.
Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Armed Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Bradley Cagle, 27, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.
According to court documents, on October 27, 2020, Cagle was driving a car in Indianapolis, when the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) initiated a traffic stop. Officers located a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun on Cagle’s person. Officers also located a baggie containing 7.33 grams of fentanyl in Cagle’s pocket. Two other baggies containing a total of around 22 grams of fentanyl were found in Cagle’s car. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.
On that same day, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cagle’s home in Indianapolis, and found a baggie containing 22.8 grams of fentanyl, an AK47-style rifle, two handguns, and ammunition.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
DEA and the IMPD investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Cagle be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick G. Gibson and Barry A. Glickman who are prosecuting the case.
Idaho Man Sentenced to over Three Years for Smuggling AmmunitionRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Adrian Guadalupe Valdez, 45, of Wendel, Idaho, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 42 months in prison for smuggling ammunition from the United States into Mexico. Valdez previously pleaded guilty to the Smuggling of Goods from the United States.
On April 1, 2022, Valdez attempted to drive a vehicle from the United States into Mexico through the Nogales Port of Entry. At the Port, Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPOs) stopped the vehicle for an outbound inspection. Valdez then ran from the vehicle in an attempt to flee into Mexico. Officers were able to stop and apprehend Valdez. During an inspection of the vehicle, CBPOs found a total of 17,500 rounds of 7.62x39mm and .223 caliber ammunition in the trunk.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela W. Woolridge, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-22-0891-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-200_Valdez# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Health department official admits to accepting bribes from vendorsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The former administrative and community outreach coordinator for the Houston Health Department (HHD) has pleaded guilty to bribery, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery along with Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division.
Barry Barnes, 62, accepted bribes from three businesses in exchange for influencing the selection of each to perform services for the HHD.
“This office has an unyielding commitment to attack public corruption at any level. The people of the Southern District of Texas deserve an environment in which public officials are held to the highest standards,” said Lowery. “This prosecution should send a clear message that we will find and hold accountable any public official who abuses the public trust.”
From November 2019 until March 2021, Barnes engaged in a kickback scheme with a business owner and abused his position with the HHD to facilitate the selection of the business under the emergency purchase order process. Barnes subsequently submitted invoices to ensure this individual was paid for six lucrative marketing, advertising and media contracts, including three service contracts related to the COVID-19 global pandemic that federal COVID-19 relief funded. In exchange, Barnes received several cash payments from January 2020 to February 2021.
As part of his plea agreement, Barnes acknowledged that in December 2020, he selected another business owner to perform advertising services for the HHD. In return, Barnes received a portion of the funds. Barnes again engaged in the same scheme in January 2021 with yet another business. He received a kickback for assisting that business owner in obtaining a disbursement from the City of Houston for advertisement services performed for the HHD.
Barnes pleaded guilty to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake will impose sentencing Jan. 26, 2023.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI - Houston Field Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sebastian A. Edwards and Trial Attorney Demetrius Sumner of DOJ’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Hannibal Man Accused of Making Pipe BombsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Hannibal, Missouri appeared in court Thursday on charges accusing him of making and possessing pipe bombs.
Joshua Eugene Rickey, 33, was indicted October 26 on one felony count of possession of one or more unregistered destructive devices and one count of manufacturing one or more unregistered destructive devices.
The indictment accuses Rickey of manufacturing the pipe bombs between July 4 and August 14 and possessing bombs on August 14.
In a detention motion and in court Thursday, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj said police learned about the pipe bombs after a domestic disturbance. Some were made of PVC pipe and others of galvanized pipe, and Przulj said Rickey was leaving them where they could do harm to others. Rickey had set one off and thrown another into a brush-filled trailer near his grandmother’s house. Investigators found pipe bombs of various sizes our in his home, the motion says, one of which had to be destroyed because it was not safe.
Rickey pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hannibal Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj is prosecuting the case.
Grand Rapids Brothers Sentenced to Prison for Brazen Gun Store RobberyRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — U.S. Attorney Mark Totten today announced that Joseph Woods, 33, and his brother, Johon Woods, 28, both of Grand Rapids, were each sentenced to a total of 84 months in prison for stealing 53 firearms from an area gun store. U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering also ordered a 3-year period of supervised release to follow each defendant’s term of incarceration.
“My office is focused on disrupting the escalating gun violence that is plaguing our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Together with our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners we will continue to pursue, arrest, and prosecute armed criminals and gun traffickers, like the Woods brothers.”
In the early morning hours of February 23, 2022, Joseph and Johon Woods broke into Al and Bob’s Sports, a licensed gun dealer located in Kent County. The pair scaled a 25-foot wall to gain access to the firearms section of the store, smashed multiple display cases, and grabbed a total of 53 firearms. The brothers then then cut the interior lock of a garage door to pile the guns into their getaway car. The store’s alarm alerted law enforcement of the robbery, who arrived on scene shortly after the break-in. Joseph sped away from the scene in their getaway car, leaving his brother Johon at the scene of the crime. To escape police, Johon stole a nearby Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. He ultimately crashed this truck into the McDonald’s restaurant located across the street from Al and Bob’s Sports. Johon, who was on state parole at the time of the robbery, was quickly arrested by police. Inside the pickup truck, police found a pistol that was stolen from Al and Bob’s Sports. The next day police located Joseph Woods still driving the same getaway car. Inside of this car they discovered 14 of the firearms that the brothers stole from Al and Bob’s Sports. Although 21 firearms were recovered during the course of the investigation, there are still 32 firearms that have not been located. Law enforcement believe that these firearms were sold on the black market. Judge Beckering stated that this crime will have “an extraordinary contribution to the violence in our community.”
“Stopping the flow of illegal firearms into our communities is a top priority for ATF,” said, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, “This case demonstrates the excellent work of our agents and law enforcement partners in recovering this volume of stolen firearms before violent criminals had the chance to use them on our streets.”
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. This case was investigated by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Rapids Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Lane.
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Georgia Man Indicted on Aggravated Identity Theft and Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Anthony Jermaine Robinson (31, Covington, Georgia) with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, seven counts of bank fraud, five counts of false representation of a Social Security number (SSN), and five counts of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Robinson faces up to 30 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, a consecutive mandatory minimum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment for each aggravated identity theft count, up to 5 years in prison on each false SSN representation count and payment of restitution to the victims he and his co-defendant, Kiana Fina Alphonse, defrauded.
According to court documents and public records, Robinson appeared in federal court today pursuant to a writ bringing him to Jacksonville from Georgia State Prison where he is serving a prison sentence for violating parole on a fraud related crime. The Court ordered Robinson detained pending trial. His trial is set for January 2023. Robinson’s co-defendant, Kiana Fina Alphonse (28, Covington, Georgia) appeared in federal court on September 27, 2022. Her trial is set for February 2023.
According to the indictment, Robinson and Alphonse obtained the personally identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims. They then obtained counterfeit driver licenses purportedly from Washington state and Delaware. The counterfeit driver licenses contained the PII of victims, but a picture of Alphonse. Using the PII, to include the SSN of victims, the counterfeit driver licenses, and documents created for fictitious businesses, Alphonse went to multiple banks and opened up business bank accounts in the name of various victims. These bank accounts were then utilized, as part of a scheme to defraud multiple victims with Robinson and Alphonse, among others, receiving the illicit proceeds.
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 Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Gadsden Marketer and Huntsville Businessman Plead Guilty in Multi-Million-Dollar Kickback and Health Care Fraud CasesRead the Press Release
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Two individuals pleaded guilty to charges today in related cases involving multi-million-dollar health care fraud conspiracies, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles.
James Ewing Ray, 51, of Gadsden, pleaded guilty before Chief United District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Ray owned Integrity Medical, LLC, a company through which he marketed health care items and services to medical providers. According to his plea agreement, between 2012 and 2018, Ray conspired with others to pay and receive kickbacks to induce medical providers to issue medically unnecessary prescriptions and order medically unnecessary goods and services, which were then billed to Medicare and other health insurers. One of those services was electro-diagnostic testing provided by a Huntsville-based electro-diagnostic testing company called QBR, or Diagnostic Referral Community. Ray received per-patient payments from QBR for inducing medical providers to order tests from QBR.
John Hornbuckle, 52, of Huntsville, also pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to receive kickbacks. Between 2012 and 2018, Hornbuckle owned QBR. According to the plea agreement in Hornbuckle’s case, QBR billed insurers millions of dollars for electro-diagnostic testing that its technicians performed, regardless of whether there was a medical need for them. Hornbuckle caused QBR to pay medical providers a per-patient fee for the tests they ordered from QBR that were reimbursed by insurers, including Medicare and other government health care programs. The payments were disguised as hourly payments for the provider’s time and the time of the provider’s staff, but the provider was actually paid a fee per patient who received a test.
The Ray and Hornbuckle cases are related to another case that resulted in convictions earlier this year. After a multi-week trial in February, a jury convicted a Tennessee doctor and his wife of kickback and health care fraud charges (among others). Dr. Mark Murphy, 65, and his wife Jennifer Murphy, 65, both of Lewisburg, Tennessee, owned and operated North Alabama Pain Services, which closed its Decatur and Madison offices in early 2017. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Murphys took kickbacks from QBR of more than a million dollars. In return, Dr. Murphy ordered electro-diagnostic tests from QBR for his patients, regardless of whether there was a medical need for those tests. Before the Murphys went to trial, a co-defendant, Brian Bowman, 41, of Attalla, pleaded guilty to health care fraud conspiracy. According to Bowman’s plea agreement, Bowman marketed QBR’s electro-diagnostic testing to medical providers, and was paid a fee for each test they ordered. Bowman received nearly a million dollars in fees from QBR. Dr. Murphy, Jennifer Murphy, and Brian Bowman are all awaiting sentencing.
The maximum penalty for kickback conspiracy is five years in prison. The maximum penalty for health care fraud conspiracy is ten years in prison.
Sentencing dates for Ray and Hornbuckle have not yet been scheduled.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.B. Ward and Don Long are prosecuting the case.
Fulton County Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and HeroinRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Dion Underwood, age 45, of Johnstown, New York, pled guilty today to conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine in Albany, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarantino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
Underwood admitted that between January and December 2021, he supervised others in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin in the Capital Region, including Albany, Schenectady, and Montgomery Counties.
Underwood pled guilty before United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby. Sentencing is scheduled for March 30, 2023. Underwood faces a minimum of 5 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Underwood also agreed to forfeit $39,403 seized by federal agents, as proceeds of the conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark.
Founder of Cyberfraud Prevention Company Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Defrauding Investors Out of over $100 MillionRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ADAM ROGAS, the co-founder and former CEO, CFO, and member of the board of directors of a Las Vegas-based cyberfraud prevention company NS8, Inc. (“NS8”), was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to five years in prison for engaging in securities fraud by creating and using fraudulent financial data to obtain over $123 million in financing for NS8, of which he personally obtained approximately $17.5 million. ROGAS pled guilty on March 16, 2022, before United States District Judge John P. Cronan, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Adam Rogas took the ‘fake-it-till-you-make-it’ saying to a criminal extreme. While claiming to be in the fraud prevention business, Rogas himself faked nearly all of his company’s customers, revenue, and assets. In doing so, he defrauded investors out of over $100 million. Now Rogas will report to prison to be held accountable for his fraudulent scheme.”
In handing down ROGAS’s sentence, Judge Cronan characterized the defendant’s fraud as “brazen, calculated, and long-running.”
According to the Complaint, Indictment, other publicly filed documents, and statements made in court:
ADAM ROGAS was a co-founder of NS8 and served as its CEO, CFO, and as a member of its board of directors. ROGAS was also primarily responsible for the company’s fundraising activities. NS8, which was based in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a cyberfraud prevention company that developed and sold electronic tools to help online vendors assess the fraud risks of customer transactions. In the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020, NS8 engaged in fundraising rounds through which it issued Series A Preferred Shares and obtained approximately $123 million in investor funds. ROGAS used the materially misleading financial statements to raise those funds.
Specifically, ROGAS maintained control over a bank account into which NS8 received revenue from its customers and periodically provided monthly statements from that account to NS8’s finance department so that NS8’s financial statements could be created. ROGAS also maintained control over spreadsheets that purportedly tracked customer revenue, which were also used to generate NS8’s financial statements.
During the fundraising process in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020, ROGAS altered the bank statements before providing them to NS8’s finance department to show tens of millions of dollars in both customer revenue and bank balances that did not exist. In the period from January 2019 through February 2020, between at least approximately 40% and 95% of the purported total assets on NS8’s balance sheet were fictitious. In that same period, the bank statements that ROGAS altered reflected over $40 million in fictitious revenue. ROGAS also falsified nearly all of NS8’s purported customers on internal tracking spreadsheets.
Additionally, ROGAS provided the falsified bank records he had created to auditors who were conducting due diligence on behalf of potential investors. After these fundraising rounds concluded, NS8 conducted a tender offer with the funds raised from investors, and ROGAS received $17.5 million in proceeds from that tender offer, personally and through a company he controlled. After ROGAS’s fraud was uncovered, NS8 ultimately entered bankruptcy proceedings. ROGAS used his fraudulent proceeds to purchase, among other things, luxury goods and a residence in the Dominican Republic.
* * *
In addition to his prison term, ROGAS, 45, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to three years’ supervised release and ordered to forfeit $17,542,259.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI in this investigation. Mr. Williams further thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission for its cooperation and assistance in this investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Cooper and Jared Lenow are in charge of the prosecution.
Former postal employee pleads guilty to embezzling mail packages in exchange for cash paymentsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A former Post Office supervisor pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to embezzling mail packages for profit.
Kerry Beech, Jr., 31, of Cincinnati, was paid $500 on each occasion to intercept certain packages from the mail system and hand deliver them himself.
According to court documents, Beech was employed with the Post Office from 2013 to 2021, most recently at the Parkdale Post Office in Cincinnati. In 2020, the defendant embezzled at least 28 packages in coordination with the individual who received the packages in person.
In July 2020, four of the packages were seized by federal agents. The sealed packages contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
When agents searched Beech’s vehicle, they discovered $4,500 in cash and a loaded pistol.
Beech was charged by a Bill of Information in September 2022.
Theft of mail by an employee of the Postal Service is punishable by up to five years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett and commended the investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and United States Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.
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Former eBay Employee Sentenced for Aggressive Cyberstalking CampaignRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former intelligence analyst for eBay, Inc. was sentenced today for her role in a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company.
Veronica Zea, 28, of San Jose, Calif., a former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in eBay’s Global Intelligence Center (GIC), was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young to two years’ probation with her first year to be served in home confinement and a $5,000 fine. In October 2020, Zea pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.
On Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator James Baugh was sentenced to 57 months in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $40,000. Also on Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator David Harville was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. Co-conspirators and former eBay employees Philip Cooke, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell and Brian Gilbert previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy to cyberstalk the victims. Cooke was sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in prison. On Oct. 11, 2022, Popp was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and Stockwell was sentenced to two years of probation with a year of home confinement. Gilbert is awaiting sentencing.
Between approximately Aug. 5, 2019 and Sept. 6, 2019, Zea and her co-conspirators at eBay agreed to engage in a harassment campaign targeting a husband and wife in Natick, Mass. for their roles in publishing a newsletter that reported on issues of interest to eBay sellers. Senior executives at eBay were frustrated with the newsletter’s tone and content as well as the substance of comments posted beneath the newsletter’s articles. The harassment campaign arose from communications between those senior executives and Baugh, who was eBay’s senior security employee.
Zea and her co-conspirators executed a three-part harassment campaign intended to intimidate the victims and to influence their reporting about eBay. The campaign included sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content; threats to visit the victims in Natick; and traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and installing a GPS tracking device on their car.
Among other things, several of the defendants ordered anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, a book on surviving the loss of a spouse, and pornography addressed to the victims but delivered to their neighbor’s homes. Zea used cash to purchase prepaid debit cards for use in the campaign and ordered insects to the victims’ home.
As part of the second phase of the campaign, Zea’s co-conspirators sent public tweets and private threatening Twitter messages that were written as if they had been sent by eBay sellers who were unhappy with the victims’ coverage in the newsletter. Some of these messages posted the victims’ address and threatened to visit them at their home.
The third phase of the campaign involved covertly surveilling the victims in their home and community. On Aug. 15, 2019, Zea travelled from California to Natick with Baugh and Harville to surveil the victims and to install a GPS tracking device on the victims’ car. Zea and Harville registered for a software development conference to explain the trip to Boston. The victims spotted the surveillance team and contacted local police. At Baugh’s direction, Zea also lied to an eBay investigator who was responding to the Natick Police’s request for assistance.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division; and Natick Police Chief James G. Hicks made the announcement today. eBay provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Former President of Massachusetts State Police Union and Former Lobbyist Convicted of RICO, Fraud, Obstruction and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
UPDATE: On June 2, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Dana Pullman's three wire fraud convictions and affirmed the other convictions. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
UPDATE: On June 2, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Anne Lynch's convictions for three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of tax fraud and affirmed the other convictions. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
BOSTON – The former President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) and the union’s former Massachusetts lobbyist were convicted by a federal jury today of racketeering, fraud, obstruction of justice and tax crimes.
Dana A. Pullman, 60, of Worcester, and Anne M. Lynch, 71, of Hull, were convicted following a 20-day jury trial of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Pullman was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud and two counts of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return. Lynch was convicted of an additional count of obstruction of justice and four counts of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2023. Pullman and Lynch were arrested and charged in August 2019 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2019.
“Being a police officer is a noble and valued profession. It is an honor and privilege to serve as a member of law enforcement. With that honor and privilege comes immense responsibility. Regardless of whether some may think it’s unfair, as members of law enforcement, we are and should be held to a higher standard. Our fundamental responsibility is plain and simple – to protect and serve. We enforce the law, we do not break it,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Police union leadership is supposed to fight for the rights, benefits and protections of their members. Not their own self-interests for personal financial gain. Mr. Pullman and Ms. Lynch concocted a fraudulent scheme to game the system for their personal financial benefit, all under the guise of looking out for hard working union members. Today’s conviction affirms that. Their criminal conduct has diminished the already strained relationship and lack of trust some communities feel toward law enforcement. And when communities don’t trust law enforcement, we are all less safe.”
“Today’s verdict proves that Dana Pullman and Anne Lynch were paid to look out for the best interests of Massachusetts State Police union members, but instead were only looking out for themselves, lining their pockets with thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks and defrauding at least two different companies seeking to do business with the state,” said Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “They crossed over the thin blue line to committing felonies while the real victims in this case—hard-working troopers, taxpayers, and businesses—were short changed and shut out of the honest government services they deserve. The FBI has zero tolerance for those who exploit their official positions for personal gain and then try to obstruct our investigation into their criminal conduct.”
“Instead of honestly representing the interests of the more than 1,500 Massachusetts law enforcement professionals, these defendants cared more about enriching themselves through a series of bribes and kickbacks. Today’s guilty verdict affirms that their actions violated the trust given to them and this conduct will not go unpunished,” said Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office.
SPAM is an association consisting of more than 1,500 Troopers and Sergeants from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP). SPAM acts as the exclusive bargaining agent between its members and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regarding the terms and conditions of SPAM members’ employment. Pullman, who was an MSP trooper from 1987 to 2018, was the President of SPAM from 2012 until his resignation on Sept. 28, 2018. Lynch’s lobbying firm represented SPAM during the same time period, in exchange for monthly retainer payments.
From at least 2012 until Pullman resigned as the President in September 2018, Pullman and Lynch turned SPAM into a racketeering enterprise, using Pullman’s position and power to defraud SPAM members, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and vendors looking to do business with the MSP. Among other things, Pullman and Lynch defrauded SPAM members and the Commonwealth of their right to honest services from Pullman when Lynch paid Pullman a $20,000 kickback in connection with a settlement agreement between SPAM and the Commonwealth. Pullman and Lynch defrauded two different companies that sought to do business with the MSP by hiding from the vendors the fact that Lynch was paying Pullman to direct vendors to use Lynch’s services. The defendants hid the payments from Lynch and her lobbying firm to Pullman in a manner designed to avoid reporting and paying taxes on that income to the IRS. Pullman and Lynch also attempted to obstruct the grand jury’s investigation of this matter by manipulating subpoenaed records, and Lynch attempted to obstruct the grand jury’s investigation by lying to investigators.
Additionally, Pullman embezzled and misused SPAM funds for personal use by using a debit card tied to a SPAM bank account to pay for thousands of dollars of meals and travel for an individual with whom Pullman was having a romantic relationship.
The charges of racketeering conspiracy and fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and fine of $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and IRS SAC Simpson made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina E. Barclay and Neil J. Gallagher Jr. of Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.
Former Owner of Jacksonville Tax Preparation Business Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Ali Akhenaten, formerly known as Darryl Oliver, to three months in federal prison for tax fraud. Akhenaten had been found guilty by a jury on April 14, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Akhenaten owned and operated a tax preparation business in Jacksonville called Florida Financial Solutions, at which he prepared tax returns for others. On the 2014, 2015, and 2016 tax returns Akhenaten prepared for the business, he underreported his business income and overstated the rent paid for his business property. On the tax returns he filed on his own behalf for 2014 and 2015, he underreported the income he earned from the business.
“Mr. Akhenaten chose to disregard the rules he himself taught to his tax and accounting students and instead prepare fraudulent returns to pad his own pockets,” said Brian Payne, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge. “Tax return preparers have a duty to prepare tax returns that comply with the law and we will continue to hold them true to that obligation.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
Former Maui Police Officer Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Attempted Child EnticementRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Brandon Charles Saffeels, 38, a former Maui Police Department officer, was sentenced today to ten years in prison and a 15-year term of supervised release following that prison term for attempted child enticement by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi. Saffeels pleaded guilty in April to attempting to engage in sexual contact with someone who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. In addition to his sentence, Saffeels must also register as a sex offender, as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
According to court documents and information presented to the court, on December 3, 2021, Saffeels contacted the online profile of what appeared to be a young female. The profile, however, was controlled by an undercover law enforcement officer (“UC”). Eventually during the conversation, Saffeels asked the UC, “How old are u?” and the UC responded “Plz dont judge but im 13.” To entice the UC, Saffeels offered to take the UC shopping and repeatedly offered to give her money. At one point, the UC asked him what she needed to do for the money and Saffeels responded, “Sex.”
On December 4, 2021, Saffeels contacted the UC and requested that they meet for sex at a designated location. Shortly after midnight the following day, Saffeels arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location where he was arrested by law enforcement.
When he was arrested on Maui on December 5, 2021, Saffeels was due to self-surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons on January 7, 2022, to begin service of a 30-month sentence Judge Kobayashi imposed for a federal public corruption offense. That offense involved an incident where Saffeels arrested a woman for suspecting driving under the influence of an intoxicant, and then began communicating with her, offering to provide perjured testimony to help her beat the case, if she would come to his house. At today’s sentencing, Judge Kobayashi ordered that Saffeels serve the two sentences concurrently, or at the same time.
“In seeking to sexually exploit a child while on release pending self-surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a separate criminal charge, Saffeels - a former law enforcement officer - engaged in reprehensible conduct that will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors. “The substantial term of imprisonment and the length of supervised release after incarceration is fully justified in this case.”
“The FBI remains committed to ensure the public’s safety even after someone is found guilty and awaiting sentencing. This former law enforcement officer committed another crime in attempting to entice a minor and was caught,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “The FBI will not stop in protecting Hawaii’s keiki and we thank the Maui Police Department and our other federal law enforcement partners as we work together on cases like this. We join the public in holding law enforcement officers to a higher standard.”
“Homeland Security Investigations will not tolerate the exploitation of keiki by people in a position of trust,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Tobon. “We are pleased his sentence is consistent with the heinous nature of the crime.”
This case is the result of a multi-agency operation known as “Keiki Shield,” involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Maui Police Department, and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohammad Khatib is prosecuting the case.
Former DMV Employee Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Participating in Corrupt Bribery Conspiracy involving Commercial Driver LicensesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Shawana Denise Harris, 52, of Phelan, was sentenced today to five years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to commit bribery, to commit unauthorized access of a computer, and to commit identity fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Harris was a long-time DMV employee who had the ability to update test scores for commercial driver’s license applicants in California. Using her position as a public employee at the DMV, Harris accepted bribes in exchange for fraudulently updating test scores for people pursuing commercial driver’s licenses. For at least 185 commercial license applicants, Harris used her access to DMV computers to enter fraudulent test scores indicating the applicants had passed written and/or behind the wheel commercial drive tests, when in reality the applicants had not passed those tests. Harris and a co-conspirator were typically paid at least $1,500 per applicant for fraudulently updating test scores, resulting in approximately $277,500 worth of corrupt bribes.
This case was the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne L. Rust and Christopher S. Hales prosecuted the case.
Flint Man Pleads Guilty to Two Violent CarjackingsRead the Press Release
FLINT – A Flint man pleaded guilty today to committing two carjackings—one where he held a gun to a woman’s head, and the other where he beat and kicked a woman causing her severe injuries.
United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced the plea today and was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court records, Darian Welch, 20, of Flint, Michigan, committed the carjackings on July 23, 2021, in Grand Blanc, and September 12, 2021, in Flint Township. In both cases, Welch targeted strangers who were at gas stations after midnight. In the first carjacking, Welch approached the victim as she was pumping gas into her car. He pulled out a loaded gun, pressed the muzzle against her temple, and demanded her keys. Welch then took the keys and drove off in the car.
In the second carjacking, Welch approached the victim as she was about to leave the gas station in her car. He asked her for a ride to a local apartment complex not far away. She agreed to drop him off there. After the victim parked at the complex, Welch punched her in the face several times, yanked her out of the driver’s seat and threw her on the ground, and kicked her repeatedly. As a result, she suffered facial fractures and spent several days in the hospital recovering. After the assault, Welch drove off in the car. About an hour after the carjacking, Welch led the police on a high speed chase, lost control of the car, and slammed into a utility pole, knocking down power lines.
Welch faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of life in prison on the charge of brandishing a firearm while committing a carjacking. For the charge of carjacking that resulted in serious bodily injury, Welch faces a maximum of twenty-five years in prison.
“Citizens deserve to feel safe as they travel in their own communities,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office will zealously prosecute those who use guns to terrorize people just trying to live their lives.”
“Carjacking investigations are a priority to the FBI because these crimes create an unacceptable risk of harm to innocent victims completing the ordinary tasks of daily life,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “We are proud to work alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate these cases and make our communities safer places.”
Sentencing is set for March 14, 2023.
The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI, the Grand Blanc Police Department, the Flint Township Police Department, the Flushing Police Department, the Mount Morris Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Blaine Longsworth.
Fifth Defendant in Multi-Kilogram Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy SentencedRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Upper Marlboro, Maryland woman was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to distribute over seven kilograms of fentanyl.
According to court documents, between January 2018 and February 2021, Ericka Oliver, 34, and others would obtain kilogram quantities of fentanyl from various sources of supply. The group would then use a pill press to manufacture thousands of counterfeit prescription pills resembling legitimate pain medications, such as Oxycodone. In actuality, the pills contained fentanyl and other cutting agents. The group would then distribute the pills to redistributors and users in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for profit.
In June of 2020, during a court-authorized search of a coconspirator’s residence in Arlington, law enforcement seized pill manufacturing materials along with over seven kilograms of fentanyl in both pill and raw form, along with a loaded AK-47 semi-automatic firearm and $34,828 in U.S. currency. Upon her arrest in February 2021, law enforcement also obtained court authorization to search Oliver’s hotel room where an additional $58,960 in U.S. currency and high-end jewelry were seized. At Oliver’s residence, law enforcement located an additional 504 pressed pills containing fentanyl, cutting agents, and $6,500 in U.S. currency among other items.
Oliver is the fifth member of the conspiracy to be sentenced. Cornelius Frazier, 33, of Arlington, received a sentence of 151 months’ imprisonment; Kyle Bouldin, 31, of Woodbridge, received a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment; Brandon Williams, 29, of Spotsylvania, received a sentence of 125 months’ imprisonment; and Taurean Venable, 37, of Arlington, received a sentence of 120 months’ imprisonment for their respective roles.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Jason Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia; Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division; Andy Penn, Arlington County Chief of Police; Don Hayes, Alexandria Chief of Police; and David Huchler, Chief of Police, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bibeane Metsch and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Roberts prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-39.
Felon Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Cocaine, Revolver and Partially Constructed Ghost GunsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been sentenced to 45 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release on charges of violating federal drug and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence yesterday on Juan Santiago, 43, formerly of the City’s Homewood neighborhood.
According to information presented to the Court, on Jan. 28, 2021, members of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police executed a search warrant at a residence on Bennett Street, in the Homewood section of the City of Pittsburgh. While occupants inside of the residence were being hailed by officers, Santiago was observed exiting the rear of the residence carrying a large sum of money in one hand and a firearm tucked underneath his arm. Santiago fled back inside of the residence when he was confronted by officers. Santiago was pursued into the residence where he discarded the firearm inside of a kitchen cabinet. Santiago was ultimately detained inside of the dining room area of the residence where the money he was carrying was dropped onto the floor. From inside of the dining room area, officers discovered two partially constructed polymer ghost guns, an unloaded revolver, and 79 grams of cocaine and a digital scale consistent with drug trafficking. Santiago is precluded from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon a prior aggravated robbery conviction from Puerto Rico.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael R. Ball prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Juan Santiago.
Federal Jury Convicts Buffalo Man for His Role in Murder of Three People in Front of A ChildRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal jury has convicted Deandre Wilson of multiple charges for his role in a narcotics conspiracy which resulted in a triple homicide. Following the six-week jury trial, Wilson was found guilty of:
• narcotics conspiracy
• Hobbs Act robbery
• murder while engaged in a narcotics conspiracy
• discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking crimes
• two counts of discharge of a firearm causing death in furtherance of a crime of violence and drug trafficking crimes
• conspiracy to obstruct justice
• two counts of obstruction of justice
• conspiracy to use fire to commit a felony
• two counts of use of fire to commit a felony
• conspiracy to damage and destroy a vehicle used in interstate commerce by fire
• damaging and destroying a vehicle used in interstate commerce by fire
• possession with intent to distribute marijuanaAssistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler, Maeve E. Huggins, and Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that in 2019, Deandre Wilson joined a longstanding narcotics conspiracy with co-defendants Jariel Cobb, James Reed, and others. Wilson, who had only recently been released to New York State parole after serving a lengthy prison term for Murder in the 2nd Degree, entered the conspiracy to obtain kilograms of cocaine and other controlled substances for distribution. In furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy, on September 15, 2019, Cobb arranged a purchase of a kilogram of cocaine from Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred, who served as Cobb’s sources of supply. Valentin-Colon, along with his wife. Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, their minor son, and Roman-Audiffred, arrived in their vehicle, a white minivan, at a residence on Roebling Avenue, as directed by Cobb. Roman-Audiffred exited the van and entered the residence’s kitchen, at which time Wilson hit her in the head with a blunt object and she fell to the floor. Wilson then went outside and shot and killed both Valentin-Colon and Merced Plaud, in the presence of their minor son, who was seated in a child’s car seat. Wilson then drove the minivan and hid it behind a building on Scajaquada Street near Kilhoffer Street in Buffalo.
A short time later, Cobb and Reed moved the body of Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred from the kitchen into the residence’s basement, where Cobb dismembered her body. Cobb placed the body parts into multiple trash bags and placed them into the trunk of his vehicle, and then drove to a residence on Box Avenue, removed the trash bags, and placed them into a burning fire in a fire pit area in the backyard. Wilson later joined his co-conspirators on Box to assist in the destruction of evidence.
During the early morning hours of September 16, 2019, Wilson and Cobb retrieved the minivan from Scajaquada Street, with the bodies of Miguel Valentin-Colon and Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud still inside, as well as their minor son. Wilson and Cobb drove the minivan to a non-residential area on Tonawanda Street and doused the vehicle and the bodies with gasoline, lighting the vehicle and bodies on fire. They took the minor child and left him on a stranger’s porch on Potomac Avenue in Buffalo.
Wilson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced. Jariel Cobb and James Reed were previously convicted and also face a maximum of life when sentenced.
The verdict is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; the Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory, under the direction of Commissioner James Jancewicz.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 23, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford, who presided over the trial.
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Former Edwardsville Resident Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
East St. Louis, Ill. – A former resident of Edwardsville, Illinois, pled guilty on Friday, October 28, 2022, to making a series of false statements during his 2018 bankruptcy case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Illinois. According to court documents, Kevin Kahrig, 49, a former building contractor in the area, concealed gassets from his creditors by transferring those assets to his girlfriend-turned-spouse, Catharine Kahrig, prior to filing bankruptcy. As part of his plea, Kahrig admitted that he transferred $277,850 in cash and checks to Catharine Kahrig in 2016, then closed all his bank accounts the next year. Kahrig hid those cash transfers and many of the closed accounts in his later filings with the bankruptcy court. Next, Kahrig took his name off a lakefront home he co- owned with Catharine Kahrig and hid this transfer from the bankruptcy court. Kahrig also sold his boat before bankruptcy. He gave the $395,000 he got from the boat to Catharine. Although Kahrig did disclose the sale of this boat to the bankruptcy court, he lied about the amount he received from the sale and did not disclose that he had provided those funds to Catharine. All told, Kahrig concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets from his creditors.
“Individuals who hide assets and make false statement on bankruptcy pleadings not only defraud their creditors, but they use the federal courts as a part of their fraud,” said United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “That is an intolerable abuse of the bankruptcy system which demands transparency and forthrightness by those seeking to have their debts discharged or restructured. Those who engage in such behavior will be held accountable by this office.”
“Kevin Kahrig chose lies and deception at every step to conceal assets and escape financial obligations” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “The FBI takes our responsibility to pursue allegations of bankruptcy fraud very seriously and will always work to hold accountable those who try to bypass the system”.
“Concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding is a crime that threatens the integrity of the bankruptcy process and public confidence in that process,” stated Nancy J. Gargula, United States Trustee for Indiana and Central and Southern Illinois (Region 10). “We are grateful to all of our law enforcement partners in this case and, in particular, to United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe for her commitment to pursuing those who lie about assets in bankruptcy.”
Kahrig’s offense carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. Kahrig’s sentencing is set for February 2, 2023, at 10:00am.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, in collaboration with the Southern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Fraud Working Group coordinated by the U.S. Trustee for Region 10, after referral by the U.S. Trustee. The U.S. Trustee Program is the component of the Justice Department that protects the integrity of the bankruptcy system by overseeing case administration and litigating to enforce the bankruptcy laws. Region 10 is headquartered in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Peoria, Illinois, and South Bend, Indiana. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Reed.
East Prairie Man Sentenced to Serve over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Elijah G. Riley, 27, was sentenced Thursday to 135 months in federal prison for the offense of distribution of child pornography. Riley, of East Prairie, Missouri, appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
According to court documents, an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation began communicating with Riley on a social messaging application in August of 2021. During the course of their communications, Riley sent a video depicting an adult male sexually abusing a young female child. The FBI located Riley days later and placed him under arrest. At his guilty plea hearing earlier this year, Riley admitted that he used the internet to send the child pornography video to the agent. After serving his 135-month sentence, Riley will be placed on supervised release for a period of 20 years. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the Government.
Doctor Sentenced for Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ehab Kodsi, age 56, of Watervliet, New York, was sentenced today to pay restitution in the amount of $245,212, and to pay an additional $25,000 fine, after admitting to filing a false tax return and deliberately underreporting his income from 2015 to 2018.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ordered Kodsi to pay $245,212 to the IRS, and Kodsi has already made this payment. Judge Kahn also imposed 1 year of probation, to include 100 hours of community service.
Kodsi is the sole owner of a pain management clinic located in Queensbury, New York. He is also a partner in a real estate company that owns several properties, including the office building in Queensbury that houses his pain management clinic.
In pleading guilty, Kodsi admitted that from 2015 to 2018, he underreported his businesses’ revenues to the IRS, and improperly deducted personal and business expenses. As a result, Kodsi failed to report a total of $822,069 in income and failed to pay $245,212 in taxes.
Kodsi did not report income received from third parties reimbursing services provided by his pain management clinic, deducted personal expenses as business expenses, deducted the same business expense multiple times, and overstated business expenses related to his and his family’s use of vehicles.
This case was investigated by IRS-CI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Confrontation with U.S. Capitol PoliceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bernard McCutcheon, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for an incident last summer in which he confronted U.S. Capitol Police officers while in possession of two Molotov cocktails, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
At the time of the offense, McCutcheon was on probation in another case in which he threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking on a street in Northwest Washington.
McCutcheon pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe to a total of 60 months in prison, but the judge suspended half of that time on the condition that McCutcheon later successfully complete three years of probation.
According to court documents, on July 6, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m., McCutcheon was in possession of two Molotov Cocktails on the steps of 25 Massachusetts Avenue NW when U.S. Capitol Police officers responded to a 911 call. As the officers approached McCutcheon, he backed away from them while holding one of the Molotov Cocktails. During this confrontation, that Molotov Cocktail hit the ground near where the officers were standing.
McCutcheon then took out the second Molotov Cocktail. While in close proximity to one of the officers, McCutcheon attempted several times to light the white cloth hanging from the bottle. After failing to light the cloth, McCutcheon fled and ran into a nearby bicycle rack, where the second Molotov Cocktail shattered on the ground. In a search at the time of the arrest, officers found a backpack containing a 2-liter soda bottle containing a pale amber liquid consistent with the appearance and odor of gasoline. McCutcheon has been in custody since his arrest.
In the earlier case, McCutcheon pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. On the afternoon of April 28, 2021, McCutcheon threw a Molotov cocktail at a woman who was walking near a gas station in the 300 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. The bottle landed on the victim’s foot and burst into flames, catching her shoe on fire and bruising a toe. Shards of glass from the bottle also cut the victim’s shin. On May 20, 2022, McCutcheon was sentenced to 13 months in prison in this case, with all of the time suspended on the condition that he successfully complete 18 months of supervised probation.
The Honorable James A. Crowell IV, who presided over the defendant’s earlier case, revoked his probation and sentenced him to the remaining time on his original sentence
In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Manger commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Capitol Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tonya Queen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Correctional Officer Charged with Accepting Bribes to Smuggle Contraband into William E. Donaldson Correctional FacilityRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A former corrections officer at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility has been charged for his role in a conspiracy to smuggle cell phones, controlled substances, and other contraband items to inmates at the facility, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis.
A two-count information filed in U.S. District Court yesterday charges former Alabama Department of Corrections (“ADOC”) Correctional Officer Wilson Brian Clemons, also known as “Mario Lopez” and “My Granddaddy Otis,” 32, of Jasper, with one count of conspiracy and one count of using a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of an unlawful activity.
According to the charging document, between November 7, 2021, and November 23, 2021, Clemons abused his position as a corrections officer and agreed to accept bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband items into Donaldson. The charging document alleges that Clemons used a fake name to create an account with the mobile payment service Cash App so that he could accept bribe payments from inmates and their associates anonymously.
According to the plea agreement, also filed yesterday, Clemons has agreed to plead guilty to both charged counts. The plea agreement states that Clemons was stopped outside of Donaldson on November 23, 2021, after he attempted to bring cell phones, marijuana, Xanax, cigars, and scales into the facility. Clemons has agreed to forfeit the money he made from the conspiracy.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy and use of a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of illegal activity is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid are prosecuting the case. The ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division assisted in the investigation.
An information contains only charges. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.
Convicted felon sentenced to three and a half years in prison for escapeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Paul Lujan was sentenced on Nov. 2 to three years and six months in prison for escape. Lujan, 27, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on June 22.
On April 11, 2018, Lujan was convicted of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On June 29, 2020, the Bureau of Prison placed Lujan at the Diersen Charities, Diersen Residential Reentry Center in Albuquerque. Less than a month later on July 24, 2020, resident monitors discovered that Lujan was not in his assigned dorm, and securities videos showed Lujan leaving the facility without permission on July 23, 2020. Lujan did not return to the facility.
Upon completion of his prison term, Lujan will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Prisons. The Albuquerque Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico prosecuted the case.
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Convicted Felon Admits to Being an Armed Drug DealerRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Providence man convicted multiple times on Rhode Island state drug charges admitted to a federal court judge that he illegally possessed two loaded firearms and 16 grams of heroin seized during an FBI Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Giancarlo Fermin, 35, today pleaded guilty as charged by way of indictment to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to information presented to the court, in August 2021, FBI agents executed a court-authorized search of Fermin’s residence and located two fully loaded firearms, ammunition, approximately 16 grams of heroin, and numerous items used to prepare and package narcotics for distribution, including a grinder, a digital scale, and more than 2,000 blue miniature paper envelopes.
As FBI agents entered Fermin’s residence, the agents saw Fermin tossing blue envelopes, some containing heroin, out of a window.
Fermin is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.
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Convenience Store Owner, Worker, Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Federal Food Stamp ProgramRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAVED SAEED, 53, and DASTGIR SAEED, 69, both of South Windsor, were sentenced today in New Haven federal court for food stamp fraud offenses. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall sentenced Javed Saeed to one year and one day of imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine. Judge Hall sentenced Dastgir Saeed to two months of imprisonment and two years of supervised release, the first two months of which must be served in home detention, and ordered him to pay a $2,500 fine.
The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (“SNAP”) is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. SNAP recipients purchase eligible food items at retail food stores through the use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, and SNAP benefits may be accepted by authorized retailers only in exchange for eligible items. Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps are not eligible for purchase with Food Stamp benefits, and it is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items. SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. The program is designed so that the total amount of each purchase made with SNAP benefits is electronically transferred to the retailer’s designated bank account.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Javed Saeed is the owner of Manchester Quick Mart, a convenience store and Mobil gas station located at 262 Oakland Street in Manchester. His father, Dastgir Saeed, and others, including Siddiq Chaudhary and Mohammed Khan, helped operate the store. Between January 2017 and January 2020, Javeed Saeed, Dastgir Saeed, Chaudhary, Khan and others illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including gasoline and male enhancement pills, and charged the customers’ food stamp cards a premium of nearly 50 percent for these transactions.
Javed Saeed has paid full restitution in the amount of $211,208.
On May 10, 2022, Javed and Dastgir Saeed each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud.
Chaudhary and Khan, both of South Windsor, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and one count of engaging in food stamp fraud. They await sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
Concord Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding InvestorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Concord man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to defrauding an investor of $72,000.
Eric Lyons, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of investment advisor fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 15, 2023.
Between 2015 and 2017, Lyons participated in the operation of multiple investment funds, including the Synchrony Value Fund LP, for which Lyons solicited investors and participated in distribution decisions for the funds. In that role, Lyons defrauded an investor by allowing for the distribution of that investor’s gains, as well as a portion of their underlying investment, to other investors. The defrauded investor eventually liquidated their position in the fund, receiving approximately $72,000 less than the amount to which they were entitled.
The charge of investment adviser fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Cincinnati man charged with federal hate crime for physically assaulting Asian American student based on raceRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man has been charged with committing a federal hate crime by physically assaulting a victim based on the victim’s race.
Darrin Johnson, 26, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday and arrested this morning. His case was unsealed when he appeared in federal court at 1:30pm.
According to the indictment, on Aug. 17, 2021, Johnson physically attacked an Asian American victim on Calhoun Street at the University of Cincinnati.
It is alleged Johnson made racist comments toward the victim, including, “Go back to your country…You brought the kung flu here…You’re going to die for bringing it.”
After allegedly threatening to kill the victim, Johnson’s charging documents detail that he punched the victim on the side of his head. The force of the punch caused the victim to fall and hit his head on the bumper of a parked car.
The victim suffered multiple injuries, including a minor concussion and facial lacerations.
Two individuals who witnessed the assault intervened and one held Johnson down until law enforcement arrived.
In October 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and criminal intimidation for the incident and was sentenced to serve 360 days in county jail.
If convicted of a federal hate crime, Johnson would face up to 10 years in prison.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Chicago Man Sentenced to 148 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Chicago, Illinois, man, Eric T. Bogan, Jr., 36, of the 2000 block of West 21st Place, was sentenced on November 2, 2022, to 148 months in prison for attempted enticement of a minor, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Bogan will also be required to comply with the sex offender registry.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James E. Shadid, the United States presented evidence that Bogan believed he was communicating with the father of an 11-year-old daughter on an online platform. For more than three months, Bogan discussed meeting with that individual to pay to have sex with the child. Bogan explicitly detailed the sexual acts he wanted to engage in with the girl. He also offered to bring the girl a marijuana edible to give her when they met for sex. Bogan arranged a meeting in January 2022. Law enforcement agents arrested him and searched his car pursuant to a warrant. They discovered a package of marijuana peanut butter edibles in the vehicle.
The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are 10 years to life imprisonment, a possible fine of up to $250,000, and up to a life term of supervised release. The charge also carries a mandatory special assessment of $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 if the defendant is not indigent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook represented the United States in the prosecution.
The case against Bogan was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Cairnbrook Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing and Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Cairnbrook, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Vicky Wagoner, age 40, pleaded guilty to Count One of the Indictment before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, from on or about November 9, 2021, Wagner did possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for April 6, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Wagoner.
Brothers from Pine Ridge Reservation Found Guilty of KidnappingRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal trial jury has convicted Jesse Sierra, a/k/a Jesse Sierro, age 37, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Kidnapping, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force, Interstate Domestic Violence, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Assault by Strangulation of a Dating Partner following a five-day federal trial in Rapid City, South Dakota. The jury also convicted Jesse Sierra’s brother, Dustin Sierra, a/k/a Dustin Sierro, age 38, also of Oglala, of Kidnapping and Interstate Domestic Violence. The verdicts were returned on October 28, 2022.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count of conviction.
The Sierras were indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2019.
Evidence at the trial established Jesse Sierra traveled to the female victim’s place of employment in July 2019, and convinced her to leave with him and his brother, Dustin. When the Sierra brothers began driving the female to the Pine Ridge Reservation, then against her will, the female attempted to jump out of the vehicle. Jesse Sierra wrapped his arm around her neck and strangled her to a point of unconsciousness. Each time the female regained consciousness, Sierra strangled her again. Between July 13, 2019, and July 17, 2019, the Sierra brothers took the female to a number of locations on the Pine Ridge Reservation against her will. Jesse inflicted multiple physical and sexual assaults upon the female during the time he held her against her will. Around July 17, 2019, Dustin drove Jesse and the female to Chadron, Nebraska, and hid her in a motel. On July 21, 2019, Jesse dropped her off at the hospital in Chadron. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies searched for the victim from July 14, 2019, until she was located at the Chadron hospital on July 21, 2019.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Rapid City Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Box Elder Police Department, Dawes County Sheriff’s Office, Chadron Police Department, and Nebraska State Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Sazama and Kelsey Blair prosecuted the case.
Presentence investigations were ordered and sentencing dates were set for January 27, 2023. The defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Brookfield Doctor Sentenced to Eighteen Months’ Imprisonment for Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on October 27, 2022, Dr. Manuel Thomas (age: 49), a former pediatrician, had been sentenced by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and maintaining a premises for the purpose of unlawfully distributing controlled substances.
According to court records, Thomas previously had pled guilty to both counts, acknowledging that he had distributed controlled substances, including powerful opiates, for years, in a manner outside of a professional medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.
At sentencing, the United States requested that the Court impose a term of imprisonment based on a variety of factors, including evidence that Dr. Thomas had provided opiates to patients he knew were already addicted to controlled substances, in exchange for cash and pills for his own personal use.
“Medical professionals who prescribe controlled substances not for a medical purpose but instead to line their own pockets violate both their oaths to do no harm and also federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad. “The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those doctors who are fueling the opioid crisis accountable for their actions.”
“The DEA will continue keeping Wisconsin families safe from the dangerous and illegal actions taken by medical practitioners who do not adhere to the Controlled Substances Act,” said John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Wisconsin.
“The FBI takes medical misconduct very seriously,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle. “along with our partners, we will aggressively pursue offenders who take advantage of vulnerable patients for their own personal gain.”
After completing his term of imprisonment, Thomas also must spend three years on federal supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Knight.
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Barbour County man sentenced for meth chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Austin Jay Robinson, of Belington, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 21 months of incarceration for a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Robinson, 23, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Robinson admitted to selling methamphetamine in April 2021 in Barbour County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Barbour County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Joseph Wayne Dadisman, of Philippi, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 136 months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Dadisman, 50, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Possession with intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Dadisman admitted to having more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth” and “ice,” in June 2021 in Barbour County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Bangor Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Bangor man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Kristopher Churchill, 40, to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Churchill pleaded guilty on April 21, 2022.
According to court records, on April 5, 2021, Churchill was stopped by a Maine State Trooper for multiple traffic violations. The trooper asked for a drug detection dog to come to the stop, and the dog alerted to the presence of drugs. During a search of the vehicle, a large amount of suspected fentanyl or heroin in plastic shopping bags was discovered in the back seat floorboard area as well as in a box within arm’s reach of Churchill. Laboratory analysis confirmed the packages contained fentanyl. The quantity of fentanyl seized was consistent with distribution as opposed to a personal use quantity.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Maine State Police investigated this case.
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Armed Theodore Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to Five Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Theodore man was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it.
According to court documents, Marcus Maurice Dryer, 45, was arrested by Mobile narcotics detectives on January 25, 2022. That day, detectives executed a search warrant at Dryer’s residence in Theodore and recovered, among other things, two kilograms of cocaine, 345 grams of marijuana, $14,000 in banded-up cash, drug paraphernalia, and 13 guns, one of which previously had been reported stolen. Detectives interviewed Dryer, who admitted that he had been transporting drugs from Texas to Mobile and selling them. Dryer also admitted that he was a convicted felon and knew he was not allowed to possess guns.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Dryer to serve a four-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Dryer to forfeit $14,000 in cash and to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Mobile Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Unit and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasee Heisterhagen and Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Armed Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Brandon Corey Skeith (40, Jacksonville) today pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl and cocaine base with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Skeith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and up to life, in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement and court documents, Skeith sold drugs out of a motel near Dunn Avenue in Jacksonville. In April 2022, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit observed Skeith selling fentanyl from the motel and obtained a search warrant for his room. During the execution of the search warrant, officers seized fentanyl packaged for sale, cocaine base, scales, beakers, and a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement analyzed the pistol and found Skeith’s DNA on the firearm.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot. Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran is handling forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Alexandria Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Treymon Daykeem Reed, 29, of Alexandria, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge David C. Joseph to 72 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of firearms.
Reed was indicted in February 2022 and pled guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on August 10, 2022. The charges stem from two separate incidents that occurred in the Alexandria area. The first occurred on September 15, 2020 when an officer with the Alexandria Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle being driven by Reed. During the stop, officers smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and asked if there was any inside. Reed told officers that he had thrown it out the window and consented to a search of the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, officers found a large bag of marijuana, 62 marijuana cigarettes, 194 oxycodone pills and a Sig Sauer 9mm magazine with two rounds of ammunition.
The second incident occurred on February 1, 2021 when an officer with the Alexandria Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for running a stop sign. The driver was determined to be Reed. When Reed stepped out of the vehicle, the officer noticed Reed had a large object in his pants pocket. A pat down was performed, and officers discovered two large bags of suspected marijuana in his pants pocket. Officers later also recovered a loaded Glock 9mm pistol and $13,000 cash between the driver’s seat and center console.
Reed had prior felony convictions for second degree battery in 2013 and assault by drive-by shooting in 2009 and was therefore, prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition. The firearms and ammunition recovered from both traffic stops were analyzed by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case was investigated by the ATF and Alexandria Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.
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