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2 November 2022
Former Georgia County Commissioner Convicted of ExtortionRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Atlanta convicted a former commissioner of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners today for extorting a DeKalb County subcontractor in connection with a $1.8 million contract.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from about May 2014 to August 2014, Sharon Barnes Sutton, 63, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, demanded monthly payments of $500 from a subcontractor, later increasing her demand to $1,000 per month. The subcontractor made the first $500 payment in June 2014 at a restaurant in Decatur and the second $500 cash payment in July 2014 at Barnes Sutton’s residence. The FBI disrupted Barnes Sutton’s continued demands in August 2014. Separately, Barnes Sutton also accepted a $5,000 cash bribe from an FBI confidential source who had business before the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners.
Barnes Sutton was convicted of two counts of extortion. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
The FBI Atlanta Field Office investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel Victor R. Salgado and Trial Attorney Jordan Dickson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) are prosecuting the case. Former PIN Trial Attorney Amanda Vaughn assisted in the prosecution.
Former Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to COVID FraudRead 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 Mohammad Fares, 28, formerly of Buffalo, now of Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to theft of government property, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $,250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who is handling the case, stated that on May 18, 2020, Fares submitted an online application to the New York State Department of Labor for unemployment insurance benefits, stating that he did not work any day during the week of May 18, 2020; that he did not have gross earnings over $504; that his last day of work was March 21, 2020; and that his workplace had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Fares co-owned a trucking company in Buffalo, for which he managed truck drivers and coordinated shipments. On June 11, 2020, Fares received $3,600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits. Every week through May 2, 2021, Fares certified to that he did not work during the prior week and had not returned to work. In doing so, Fares certified his continued eligibility for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits. During this time period, Fares continued to manage the trucking company. Fares received, in total, approximately $43,320 in unemployment benefits and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation.
The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It expands states’ ability to provide unemployment insurance for many workers impacted by COVID-19, including for workers who are not ordinarily eligible for benefits. The CARES Act provided for three new UI programs: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA); Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC); and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).
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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Labor Racketeering and Fraud, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Stansbury.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2022, before Judge Vilardo.
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Former Bangor Business Owner Sentenced to 20 Months for Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) Loan FraudRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Skowhegan man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for a bank fraud scheme arising from his applications for Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Nathan Reardon, 44, formerly of Brewer, Maine, to 20 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Reardon pleaded guilty on July 5, 2022.
In imposing sentence, Judge Walker called Reardon’s conduct “a fundamental breach of the public trust during a time of public crisis.”
According to court records, Reardon owned and controlled Global Disruptive Technologies Inc., a Bangor-based business. In April 2020, Reardon obtained a $59,145 PPP loan for Global Disruptive Technologies Inc. using false employee wage information and false supporting payroll documentation. Reardon then improperly spent the PPP funds on items and expenses he knew were not covered by the program. After receiving the first loan, Reardon submitted additional fraudulent PPP applications to the same bank in April and May 2020. Two of the applications were for companies that had no active business operations, employees or payroll.
The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law, enacted in March 2020, that was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who suffered economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP.
Businesses were required to use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spent the proceeds on these expenses within a set period and used at least a certain percentage of the funds for payroll expenses.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration investigated the case.
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Former Army Ranger bank robber resentenced to 31 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – The leader of a military-style bank robbery, who later assaulted a co-defendant and tried to hire someone to kill a federal prosecutor, was resentenced today to 31 years in prison for his crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Luke Elliott Sommer, 36, of Peachland, British Columbia, Canada, had successfully petitioned U.S. District Judge James L. Robart to review his sentence based on his youth at the time of the crimes and his reform while in prison. In reducing the sentence from 43 years to 31 years, Judge Robart first noted that Sommer’s crimes “are some of the most extreme, violent and dangerous actions to come before this court.”
“Luke Sommer told the court, and the victims of his crimes, that he had truly changed and expressed his sorrow for his actions,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “He claims to be committed to working on his reform and doing what is right – he now has more than a decade to demonstrate that commitment while he remains incarcerated.”
Luke Sommer was originally sentenced to 24 years in prison on December 12, 2008, for Conspiracy to Commit Armed Bank Robbery, Armed Bank Robbery, Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, and Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device – Hand Grenade. Sommer was the mastermind of the August 7, 2006, robbery of a Tacoma branch of Bank of America. Five men, including Sommer, participated in the robbery. Two were armed with fully automatic AK-47 machine guns. Sommer and another man carried loaded semi-automatic handguns. The men wore soft body armor to protect themselves in case of a shoot-out with police and carried hundreds of rounds of extra ammunition. Sommer told the others that he wanted to use the proceeds of the robbery to start a crime family to rival the Hell’s Angels in British Columbia, Canada. The men escaped with more than $50,000 but were quickly tracked down and arrested thanks to an alert citizen who noted the license plate of the getaway car.
Today, three victims of the bank robbery told the court how they suffered following the crime with post-traumatic stress and anxiety. The former branch manager described how she saw the red dot of Sommer’s laser site pointed at her young tellers. “The staff was never the same, I will never be the same,” the branch manager said.
In addition to the bank robbery, in 2010 Sommer was convicted of offering an undercover FBI task force officer as much as $20,000 for murdering an Assistant United States Attorney. Law enforcement was alerted to Sommer’s interest in hiring a hit man in January 2009, barely a month after Sommer was sentenced for the bank robbery. Sommer moved forward with the plot in March 2009, when he tried to hire the undercover officer telling him he wanted news reports of the hit to reflect that it was “murder not an accident.”
Additionally, on January 23, 2009, Sommer used a prison-made knife to attack a co-defendant in the bank robbery case. The two men were to be housed separately at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, but Sommer schemed to get to the other man’s prison unit with the weapon. Sommer attacked the other inmate, fighting until the two were pulled apart by staff. Sommer continued to yell and threaten the safety of the victim. Although the victim suffered a minor stab wound and multiple abrasions, neither man had to be hospitalized.
In reducing Sommer’s sentence, Judge Robart noted that “punishment is not vengeance or retaliation.” The judge said he put weight on the letters from Bureau of Prisons staff who indicate Sommer has “worked hard to do the right thing while incarcerated.”
Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Teal Miller handled the resentencing.
Florissant Man Admits Being Shot While Robbing a St. Louis StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from Florissant, Missouri on Wednesday admitted robbing a St. Louis store of $30 in 2020 before he was shot.
John L. Smith, 43, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to a robbery charge and a charge of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Smith admitted that on Aug. 19, 2020, he entered the New Carrie’s Corner Market at 4500 Athlone Avenue, pulled a small black handgun and pointed it through an opening in the plexiglass surrounding the cash register. Smith demanded, “Give me all you got!” He threatened to kill a store employee if he did not move faster toward the register. Another employee fired a shot that hit Smith, who ran away. Smith dropped his cellphone, however, which led investigators to him, as did DNA results from blood left behind.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced February 1 and both sides will recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison, the plea agreement says.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting the case.
Florida Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison for Defrauding Paycheck Protection ProgramRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Luke Joselin, 36, of Coral Springs, Fla., was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for seeking nearly $2 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
According to the evidence presented during a three-day trial in August 2022, Joselin and his co-conspirators, Judlex Jean Louis and Renaldo Harrison, flooded online loan processors with multiple fraudulent PPP loan applications. They used increasingly brazen tactics and sought more and more money as the scheme progressed.
Joselin first applied for and received a PPP loan of about $27,000 for his nonexistent sole proprietorship. He used a fake social security number and fake tax documents. He then coached Harrison and Jean Louis on how to do the same. Joselin and Jean Louis then applied for several more similarly sized PPP loans in the names of people whose identities they had stolen.
After obtaining these smaller-dollar PPP loans, Joselin, Harrison, and Jean Louis began submitting PPP loan applications worth around $180,000 for companies they controlled. These larger-dollar applications were typically for companies that had no real operations and also were supported by fake tax forms, including one form that Joselin, Harrison, and Jean Louis recycled in multiple applications, changing only the company name.
Following trial, a federal jury convicted Joselin of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, nine counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. In addition to the prison term, a federal judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida also ordered Joselin to serve three years of supervised release and pay $812,857 in restitution and $396,477 in asset forfeiture.
Jean Louis and Harrison were charged separately and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for their roles in the scheme.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Brian Swain, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Miami Field Office; and Matthew D. Line, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Miami Office, made the announcement.
USSS and IRS-CI investigated the case, with assistance from the Coral Springs Police Department: Economic Crimes Unit; the Broward County State Attorney’s Office; and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kiran N. Bhat and Michael B. Homer prosecuted the case. Assistant United States Attorney Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: here.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Five Men Indicted in Drug Conspiracy Case, Accused of Selling Drugs Within 1,000 Feet of SchoolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Five area men have been indicted on federal narcotics and firearms-related charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into a drug trafficking organization that operated outside a gas station and within 1,000 feet of a school on South Capitol Street.
The indictment was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Those charged include Tayion Hamiel-Ward, 25, of Washington, D.C.; Karl Dunn, 45, of Suitland; Brian Williams, 27, of Largo, Maryland; Kurtis Mathes, 33, of Washington, D.C., and DeShawn Barnes, 28, also of Washington, D.C. Hamiel-Ward previously was detained. Dunn, Williams, Mathes, and Barnes were arrested this week.
The indictment, which was unsealed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, followed an investigation into open-air drug markets operating near a gas station and tobacco store in the 4600 block of South Capitol Street SW. Since at least March 2021, there have been several shootings at these locations, and law enforcement has recovered firearms on the premises. The charges relate to four firearms, magazines, ammunition, marijuana, and more than $79,000 in cash seized from the defendants over the course of the investigation.
“Armed drug trafficking and traffickers put ordinary citizens at risk, and that conduct must be held to account,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This indictment is a testament to our strong, collaborative relationship with ATF and other law enforcement partners in dismantling drug operations that threaten public safety.”
“Today’s announcement is the result of a long-term investigation focused on the illegal use of firearms, narcotics trafficking, and acts of violence in our community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Amon of the ATF’s Washington Field Division. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of ATF and our valued law enforcement partners, violent criminals are being held accountable”
“Operations like this are a great example of our collective and decisive work at all levels – federal, state, and local – to band together and reverse the rise in violent, drug-related crime and ensure public safety. Let me be clear, drug trafficking organizations do not care if they are poisoning and killing people,” said Special Agent in Charge Forget of the DEA Washington Division. “As part of our initiative Operation Overdrive, we are making a difference in our communities, cutting violent crime, stopping violent drug traffickers in their tracks, and keeping our local families safe”.
All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. They also are charged with drug distribution, including charges that the transactions took place within 1,000 feet of a school. Hamiel-Ward, Dunn, and Williams also are charged with using, carrying, or possessing firearms during drug transactions. Mathes and Barnes also are charged with unlawfully possessing ammunition.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division, the DEA’s Washington Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI, the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police Department, and the U.S. Secret Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison McGuire and Brian Lynch, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Felon Sentenced to over Eight Years in Federal Prison After Shootout in Streets of Cedar RapidsRead the Press Release
A man who engaged in a gun battle in Cedar Rapids was sentenced on November 1, 2022, to more than eight years in federal prison.
Lamont Bailey, age 40, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 11, 2022 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Surveillance videos introduced at the sentencing hearing showed that, on December 11, 2021, Bailey drove his car to a business on Kirkwood Court SW in Cedar Rapids and parked. Before he exited his car, Bailey tucked a pistol into his waistband. Bailey then went into the business. As Bailey exited the business, he took his pistol out of his pants and re-entered his car. Three individuals were walking through the parking lot behind Bailey’s car, but there was no altercation at that time. Bailey drove his car onto Kirkwood Court SW, but then abruptly stopped his car and parked it on the side of the road. Moments after Bailey parked his car, one of the three individuals who had been walking through the parking lot began shooting toward Bailey’s car. Bailey then stood up from the driver’s side of his car and fired two shots in the direction of the three individuals. He then re‑entered his car and drove away. The other individual continued shooting at Bailey’s car. Officers located Bailey later that night and found a 9mm pistol that was later determined to match two shell casings from the scene of the shootout. Bailey had been previously convicted of three drug felonies in Chicago, Illinois.
Bailey was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Bailey was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Bailey is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa Williams and Dan Chatham and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
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.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 22‑CR‑00019‑CJW‑MAR.
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Federal Jury Vindicates Navy’s Merit Selection Promotion Process, Rejects Allegations of DiscriminationRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Morgan Suder (619) 546-8819 and Betsey Boutelle (619) 546-8764
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 2, 2022
SAN DIEGO – A federal jury has returned a unanimous verdict on Thursday in favor of the United States, rejecting allegations that the Navy wrongfully discriminated in selecting a Hispanic applicant over a Caucasian applicant for a supervisory engineering position in 2018.
The dispute focused on the process for promoting civilian engineers at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (“FRCSW”), which supports the nation’s aviation warfighters through overhaul, repair, and maintenance of Navy and Marine Corps front line tactical, logistical, and rotary-wing aircraft and their components. In 2018, FRCSW posted a vacancy announcement for a Supervisory Electronics Engineer, a high-level supervisory position requiring excellent communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. The plaintiff, Brett Gardner, one of three internal applicants, was not selected. Gardner then initiated administrative proceedings, alleging that the selecting official, a Hispanic woman, discriminated against him based on race. Two years later, the plaintiff voluntarily left the Navy to start a consulting business.
Following a lengthy administrative process and two years of litigation in U.S. District Court, the case proceeded to trial before a jury on October 24, 2022. During four days of evidence, multiple current and former FRCSW employees testified, about the thorough, unbiased process the Navy follows to ensure that promotion decisions are based on merit, not on impermissible factors such as race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or disability.
During the 2018 promotion process, the selecting official—the department head of Avionics and Propulsion and Power—appointed a three-member advisory panel to evaluate the applicants. One panel member served as EEO representative for the process, and he received additional EEO training immediately before the candidate interviews.
The advisory panel members all testified that they independently reviewed and scored the applicants’ resumes, and that each candidate was asked the same five interview questions. The selecting official explained that she drafted the interview questions but gave the panel chairperson flexibility to modify them if desired.
The three panel members all testified that they scored the candidates based on merit, and that the selected candidate outperformed the plaintiff in the interview process. They presented the scores and a recommendation to the selecting official, and she followed the panel’s recommendation. Many witnesses testified about the selecting official, emphasizing that she makes promotion decisions based on qualifications, not on race or other impermissible factors. She had promoted numerous Navy engineers of many races over the past decades, and she did not consider race in any of those decisions.
After deliberating less than an hour, the jury of seven citizens returned a unanimous verdict for the Navy on October 27, 2022, rejecting the claims of racial discrimination.
“The jury’s verdict confirms that the Navy’s process in this case was fair and merit-based,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. Haden thanked the trial team for their excellent work on this case.
“Fleet Readiness Center Southwest takes its duty to eliminate discrimination seriously,” said Katerina Chau, attorney with the Office of Counsel, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest. “We thank the jury for their time in hearing and considering the evidence in this important case.”
Case Number
Brett Gardner v. Secretary of the Navy, 20-cv-2172-MMA-RBB
SUMMARY OF CLAIMS
- Race Discrimination in Violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Unanimous Jury Verdict in favor of the Navy)
- Retaliation in Violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Summary Judgment entered for the Navy prior to trial)
AGENCY
Department of the Navy – Fleet Readiness Center Southwest
Federal Jury Finds Louisville Men Guilty of Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and Heroin, Distributing Fentanyl, and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – Yesterday, a federal jury convicted two local men of a drug trafficking conspiracy involving heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl, multiple counts of distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and several federal firearms crimes.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between December 7, 2017, and July 15, 2020, Frank Trammell, Jr., age 30, and Khalid Ashanti Raheem, II, age 25, conspired to distribute fentanyl and heroin in the Louisville area. Additionally, on ten occasions, Trammell, often assisted by Raheem or others, sold fentanyl to undercover informants at various locations in eastern and southern Jefferson County as well as in the downtown area. These fentanyl sales took place in parking lots of restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores, and always involved two vehicles parking window to window while fentanyl and cash were tossed from vehicle to vehicle.
Pursuant to court authorized wiretaps, over 3,000 drug related phone calls and text messages were intercepted in a thirty-day period. During these intercepted calls, dozens of drug transactions on a nearly daily basis were arranged. Drug addicted customers, when unable to come up with cash, would sometimes trade packages of socks and underwear, firearms, or assorted prescription medications in exchange for what they believed to be heroin. However, DEA laboratory testing established that Trammell was almost always selling fentanyl to those seeking heroin. During one intercepted call, a drug user called Trammell and said that she believed he had sold her fentanyl and that he should warn his other customers to “be careful.”
Evidence presented at trial also included the results of several search warrants of premises and vehicles simultaneously executed on July 15, 2020. From locations related to Trammell and Raheem, law enforcement seized over 240 grams of fentanyl, $284,000 in cash, assorted ammunition, and eleven firearms, including at least one assault rifle and one stolen handgun.
The jury also convicted Trammell of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and two counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Raheem was also convicted of one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Sentencing for both defendants is scheduled for February 28, 2023, before a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Trammell faces a minimum sentence of fifteen years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Raheem faces a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of forty years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Trammell remains in federal custody, and Raheem was taken into custody following the verdict.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the ATF, and the Louisville Metro Police Department, with assistance from the DEA, the IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Matthews Police Department, the Jeffersontown Police Department, the Shepherdsville Police Department, the Kentucky State Police, and the Indiana State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin McKenzie and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank E. Dahl, III prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Federal Juries Convict Two Men of Sex Trafficking ChildrenRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Federal juries have convicted two men on sex trafficking charges for recruiting two children to travel to Chicago from Indiana and causing them to engage in sex acts for money.
The juries in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Tuesday convicted KENNEDY SPENCER, also known as “Kenny,” 53, of Chicago, and RONALD WILLIAMS, also known as “Slim,” 63, of Lynwood, Ill., on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Spencer and Williams were tried before separate juries in a trial that lasted more than two weeks.
The convictions carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and a maximum of life.
The convictions were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and John S. Morales, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Tinley Park Police Department and the FBI out of South Bend, Ind., provided valuable assistance in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew C. Erskine and Erika L. Csicsila.
According to evidence presented at trial, the victims were under the age of 18 when Spencer induced them to travel to Chicago in the spring of 2018. Once in the city, Spencer on multiple occasions arranged for the victims to meet with individuals to engage in commercial sex acts. Williams drove the victims to some of the meetings. Afterward, Spencer and Williams kept the bulk of the proceeds.
Both victims testified at trial about their ordeals being sex trafficked by Spencer and Williams.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678 or logging on to www.cybertipline.com.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Louisville Man for CarjackingRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky returned an indictment today charging a local man with carjacking and a business robbery.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court records, Robert Dumonte, 31, of Louisville, was charged with one count of carjacking, one count of interference with commerce by robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
The defendant is currently in custody on state charges and will be arraigned in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky once he is transferred to federal custody. If convicted of carjacking, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. If convicted of interference with commerce by robbery, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. If convicted of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, he faces a minimum sentence of 7 years and maximum sentence of life in prison to run consecutive to all other sentences. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
The FBI and Louisville Metro Police Department are investigating the case.
The charges were the result of an ongoing joint federal and local law enforcement initiative targeting carjackings which includes the United States Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Emily Lantz is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Drug Dealer Sentenced in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today, that BROCK MELANCON, age 35 from Terrebonne Parish, was sentenced on October 27, 2022 to 262 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine as well as for federal firearms violations.
Earlier this year MELANCON pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, and 3 of the superseding indictment pending against him.
Count 1 charged MELANCON with participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Count 3 charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin. Count 2 charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. At his sentencing hearing, United States District Judge Barry Ashe found that MELANCON was a “career offender” and imposed a sentence of 262 months as to Counts 1 and 2 and 120 months as to Count 3, all to run concurrently with each other. He was also placed on supervised release for a term of five years after his release from prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Houma Police Department, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.). Assistant United States Attorney Maurice Landrieu was in charge of the prosecution.
District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed in December 2018 Killing of 15-Year-Old YouthRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malik Holston, 20, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of first-degree murder and other charges for the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the murder charge, the jury found Holston guilty of two related firearms offenses. The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt scheduled sentencing for Jan. 26, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 13, 2018, at approximately 3:40 p.m., Holston and a second assailant – both armed and wearing masks – pursued 15-year-old Gerald Watson through the parking lot area near buildings in the 2900 block of Knox Place SE. Mr. Watson ran inside a multi-unit apartment building, followed by Holston, while the second gunman waited outside. Inside the building, Holston cornered Mr. Watson at the top landing and shot him 16 times with a .40-caliber revolver. Holston and the second gunman then fled the scene. Mr. Watson was taken to a hospital, where he died from the injuries.
The shooting took place shortly after Mr. Watson returned home from school and headed outside to play basketball. Within about five minutes of leaving home, the shooting occurred.
Holston was arrested on Dec. 18, 2018, and has been in custody since that time.
The second assailant was himself killed by gunfire on Sept. 10, 2019.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who provided assistance in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Special Agents Durand Odom and Mark Crawford of the Criminal Investigations Unit; Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen; Witness Security Coordinators Marlon Hernandez-Quijano, Maenylie Watson, La June Thames, and Katina Adams-Washington; Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling and Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez; Chrisellen Kolb, Chief of the Appellate Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Curt, Daniel Lenerz, and Peter Roman.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Liebman and Andrea Coronado, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Denton County Man Guilty of Child Pornography ViolationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Denton County man has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
James Buck Briggs, 48, of The Colony, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography today before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant. Briggs entered his guilty plea during his federal trial on the charges.
According to public information, in December 2021, an undercover law enforcement officer encountered Briggs in an online chat room dedicated to the sexual abuse of children. Briggs and the undercover officer began a chat which resulted in Briggs sending the officer a video depicting child pornography involving a very young female victim. The undercover officer was able to trace the IP address to Briggs’ residence in The Colony and a search warrant was executed. A search of Briggs’ cellular phone revealed hundreds of images which contained child pornography. Briggs was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 20, 2022.
Briggs faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each count at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Frisco Field Office and the Plano Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lesley Brooks and Maureen Smith.
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Defendant Charged with Trafficking Firearms from Arkansas to All Five Boroughs of New York CityRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Kyler Booker with conspiring to deal in firearms and making false statements to acquire firearms. According to public filings, Booker was a straw gun buyer who purchased at least 137 firearms from dealers in Arkansas between December 2019 and September 2021. Law enforcement has recovered at least 13 firearms illegally acquired and distributed by Booker in New York City, across all five boroughs. Booker was arrested this morning in Arkansas and is scheduled to be arraigned today at the federal courthouse in Little Rock, Arkansas, and removed to the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrest and charges.
“Today’s arrest stops one bad actor who illegally purchased at least 137 guns, funneling many into our community including putting firearms in the hands of minors and a convicted criminal,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “While 13 guns have been recovered from across all five boroughs of New York City, as is the unfortunate side effect of the gun violence epidemic, many more of the defendant’s firearms may still be out there. Our Office and our law enforcement partners remain committed to keeping our community safe by doing all we can to stop gun traffickers and quell gun violence.”
Mr. Peace thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas for its assistance with the investigation.
“As alleged, Kyler Booker illegally trafficked firearms directly into the hands of violent criminals in New York; far from the neighborhoods in which they were originally purchased. This case is yet another example of fully exploiting crime gun intelligence and the collaborative work amongst law enforcement and prosecutors to identify and stop these individuals. Mr. Brooker and all others involved in weapons trafficking should know that the men and women of the ATF Joint Firearms Task Force, NYPD and EDNY will work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. Special thanks to the ATF Little Rock Arkansas Field Office for their tireless work on this investigation,” stated ATF Special Agent-in-Charge DeVito.
“The surge of gun violence in New York City is being fueled by individuals who circumvent the law and supply firearms to trigger-pullers,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “The weapons recovered in this case were headed to only one place, our neighborhoods, in the hands of criminals fully prepared to commit acts of wanton violence. I commend and thank all of the investigators with the NYPD, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District for their outstanding work on this and many other cases.”
As alleged in court filings, Booker visited numerous federally licensed retailers in Arkansas and, in 26 separate transactions, purchased at least 137 firearms, including dozens of 9-millimeter pistols. In connection with purchasing the firearms, Booker falsely affirmed that he was the actual buyer when, in fact, he had conspired to sell the guns to other individuals, including customers he communicated with by phone and over Facebook.
The NYPD has recovered at least 13 of the firearms dealt by Booker from across every borough, including eight from Brooklyn:
- Twelve of the recovered firearms were loaded;
- Two were recovered from or near a minor;
- One was recovered from the residence of a parolee who had been convicted of attempted burglary;
- Seven were recovered on a party bus that had been stopped for traffic violations.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Booker faces a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment for each of the false statement counts and a maximum of five years’ imprisonment for the conspiracy count.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs section. Assistant United States Attorney Victor Zapana is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
KYLER BOOKER
Age: 44
Little Rock, ArkansasE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-489 (NM)
Cranston Man Appears in Federal Court on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Cranston made an initial appearance in federal court today on charges that he allegedly produced and possessed child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
It is alleged that Gregory Phillips, 42, coerced a 7-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and that he possessed images and videos of child pornography.
Phillips is charged by way of a federal criminal complaint with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
The defendant’s alleged conduct was brought to the attention of a Cranston Police Department Detective and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in June 2022 by way of a report provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. After further investigation, Philips was arrested on September 3, 2022, and ordered detained on Rhode Island state charges.
Philips was taken into federal custody today pursuant to a federal arrest warrant issued on October 26, 2022.
United States Attorney Cunha thanks the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for their assistance which led to the filing of a federal criminal complaint A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Homeland Security Investigations assisted the ICAC Task Force and the Cranston Police Department in the investigation of this matter.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
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Cogan Station Man Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Devon T. Buck, age 34, of Cogan Station, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on November 1, 2022, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann to two years of probation and a $3,000 fine for attempting to evade income taxes. Chief Judge Brann also ordered Buck to pay restitution in the amount of $203,324 to the IRS.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Buck operated a landscaping business called DCL Landscaping and for the calendar years 2015 through 2019, Buck attempted to evade $203,324 in federal income taxes. Buck prepared and delivered business invoices to DCL customers requesting that they make checks for landscaping services payable to Buck personally, instead of DCL, Buck asked customers to not place the DCL name on their checks, and he provided DCL invoices to customers which included an instruction to make their payments payable to Buck individually. From 2015 through 2019, Buck diverted approximately $677,877 of DCL receipts by cashing customer checks rather than depositing them into a business bank account, and he deposited only $240,749 of customer payments into the DCL business bank account during that period. He provided fraudulent business summaries to his tax return preparer for use in preparing IRS Form 1040 income tax returns and Schedule C statements of business receipts and expenses, which falsely underreported DCL gross receipts and evaded the payment of federal income taxes.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel prosecuted the case.
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Clinton Township Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
DETROIT – A Clinton Township man who coerced several minors into sending him sexually explicit photographs of themselves was sentenced to 30 years in prison, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Alexander James Decker, 21, admitted that in April and May of 2021 he met a 13-year-old girl on Snapchat and requested that she make and send him sexually explicit images of herself. When she stopped sending images, he threatened to distribute the previous sexually explicit images she had sent, to have $700 of pizza delivered to her house, and to mail feces to her home if she did not comply. Decker also threatened and coerced several other minors into providing him with sexually explicit images. In June 2022, Decker pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of children. At his plea hearing, Decker acknowledged that through his actions, he qualified as a repeat and dangerous sex offender. Decker was sentenced by United States District Judge Sean F. Cox.
“This offender terrorized and tortured minors to obtain sexually explicit images from them. This significant sentence shows that we will continue to work to protect the most vulnerable and to make the Internet a safer place for our children.” stated Dawn N. Ison, United States Attorney.
“Mr. Decker hid behind the anonymity of the Internet to target, sexually exploit, and threaten children in the most reprehensible of ways. The protection of our children from predators like this defendant will remain a priority for the FBI as long as criminals like him exist,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “I commend the bravery of the young victim who took the first step towards holding Decker accountable for his crimes by reporting him to law enforcement.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Rawsthorne.
Cincinnati man sentenced to 16 years in prison for selling fentanyl to high school studentRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 192 months in prison for distributing fentanyl that caused the near-fatal overdose of a high school student.
In March 2019, Marcus Phoenix, 33, sold a teenager fentanyl. Court documents detail that the overdose victim had texted Phoenix and requested $20 worth of “fire.” The high schooler believed “fire” to be Percocet, which he/she had purchased from Phoenix in the past.
The teenager overdosed and, after two doses of Narcan failed to stop the overdose’s effects, emergency room doctors performed life-saving surgery. Ultimately, the overdose victim was on life support in a medically induced coma for a week before regaining consciousness. In all, the overdose victim was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and required extensive physical therapy to regain the ability to walk and perform other daily tasks.
“When teens seek out prescription opioids, they are often in fact buying counterfeit versions, which increasingly contain fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “My office will continue to identify, investigate and prosecute those responsible for putting deadly drugs in the hands of our youth.”
Subsequent law enforcement investigation revealed that Phoenix, who was on probation at the time for a local aggravated drug trafficking conviction, continued to sell fentanyl in March and April 2019. While conducting a search warrant at Phoenix’s apartment in June 2019, investigators discovered 20 grams of fentanyl and drug trafficking paraphernalia.
Phoenix was arrested on federal charges in June 2019 and pleaded guilty in May 2021.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration; Lt. Col. Charles A Jones, Superintendent, Ohio State Highway Patrol; West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog; and other members of the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland. Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Timothy D. Oakley are representing the United States in this case.
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Canadian Man Sentenced for Importing PseudoephedrineRead the Press Release
A Canadian man who imported pseudoephedrine from Canada into the United States and Australia during 2011 and 2012 was sentenced today to 9 years in federal prison.
Joseph Damgajian, age 51, from Laval, Qubec, Canada, received the prison term after a May 25, 2022, guilty plea to one count of using the U.S. and Canadian Mail systems to distribute pseudoephedrine, one count of unlawfully importing pseudoephedrine into the United States, and one count of making false customs declarations to illegally import pseudoephedrine into the United States.
In a plea agreement, Damgajian admitted that during 2011 and 2012, he was selling pseudoephedrine using the Internet. A methamphetamine lab search in Iowa during July of 2011, identified Damgajian as a source for pseudoephedrine, a chemical used to manufacture methamphetamine. Damgajian sold over 4.2 kilograms (9.25 pounds) of pseudoephedrine through an online market. He hid in the pseudoephedrine in vitamin bottles that he resealed and produced false customs declarations in an effort to avoid the seizure of the substances by customs officials. Agents in the United States made undercover purchases of pseudoephedrine from Damgajian and coordinated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who seized additional packages of pseudoephedrine Damgajian was illegally sending from Canada to other countries including the United States and Australia.
Damgajian was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Damgajian was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Damgajian is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Postal Inspectors, Canadian Border Services Agency, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of: the DEA; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Marion Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 12-CR-2035.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Brandishing AR-15 and fleeing results in prison for San Ygnacio manRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 46-year-old man has been sent to prison following his conviction of being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
The jury deliberated for 45 minutes before convicting Daniel Arturo Lozano July 27 following a one-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Lozano to serve 46 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court stressed the fact that Lozano was a convicted felon yet brandished a firearm to law enforcement. The court further noted he would “have to make some changes.”
On June 21, 2021, law enforcement responded to reports describing Lozano’s angry and disorderly behavior at Lozano’s Country Store located in San Ygnacio.
Upon their arrival, Lozano fled the scene and began a vehicle chase before returning to the store. At that time, he exited his vehicle and brandished an AR-style rifle. Lozano left the rifle at the store, returned to his truck and departed. Law enforcement took Lozano into custody later that night.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that the weapon Lozano displayed was actually a realistic-looking pellet gun that law enforcement found when they arrested him. However, the jury saw both the pellet gun and AR-style rifle compared side by side and the rifle was identified as the weapon Lozano had showed at the scene.
The jury did not believe defense claims and found Lozano guilty as charged.
He has been previously convicted of possession of cocaine. As such, he is prohibited per federal law of possession of a firearms or ammunition.
Lozano will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Bajew and David Fawcett prosecuted the case.
Box Elder man sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting woman with car jack handleRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Box Elder man who admitted to hitting a woman with a car jack handle on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to two years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Brian Lee Big Bow, 45, pleaded guilty in July to assault with a dangerous weapon.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in January 2021, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. An investigation determined that earlier in the evening Big Bow began assaulting the victim, identified as Jane Doe. During the assault, Big Bow tried to hit Jane Doe on the head with a car jack handle but struck her in the arm as she blocked the blow.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy A. Johnson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Rocky Boy’s Police Department.
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Berwick Bank Officer Sentenced to 12 Months’ ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Matthew W. Mensinger, age 49, of Berwick, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States Chief District Judge Matthew W. Brann, to 12 months of imprisonment for perpetrating a scheme to obtain bank loans through false statements.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Mensinger was the Chief Lending Officer of a Berwick, Pennsylvania-based financial institution. Between approximately November 2011 and June 2020, Mensinger persuaded family members and business owners to obtain approximately $690,000 in loans from his financial institution, by submitting false loan applications purportedly for small business purposes and home mortgages. Mensinger, in turn, authorized and facilitated the loan approvals in his position as a financial institution officer. In fact, however, the individuals provided the money to Mensinger, who did not qualify to obtain the loans in his own right, and who promised that he would repay the loans.
In addition to Mensinger’s sentence of imprisonment, Chief Judge Brann also ordered him to perform 30 hours of community service, and to pay the remaining restitution owed to the financial institution, of over $290,000.
The case was investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.
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Armed Hartford Drug Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL DAVIS, 34, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis was arrested on state charges on February 10, 2021, after law enforcement officers observed him conducting drug sales on Main Street in Hartford’s North End, and a search of his person revealed a loaded Remington Arms, model RP9, 9mm handgun, and five glass vials containing MDMA (“ecstasy”). A related search of Davis’s vehicle revealed several vials of crack cocaine and MDMA.
Davis, who was released on bond in his state case, was again arrested on April 7, 2021, after he was observed selling drugs in the same area of Main Street, and then tossed a plastic bag containing 48 wax sleeves of heroin from his car window as he was pursued by law enforcement.
Davis’s criminal history includes state convictions for firearm and narcotics offenses.
Davis has been detained since April 7, 2021. He was charged federally and, on May 9, 2022, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman with the assistance of Law Student Intern Nicholas Barile.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Adams County Felon Sentenced to 26.5 Years in Prison for Robbery and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Denver – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces a federal judge sentenced David Houston Vargas, age 30, to 26.5 years in prison for his role in robbing two stores using a firearm, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to facts presented at trial, on November 14, 2020, the defendant committed two armed robberies, one at a Foot Locker store in Lakewood, Colorado, and another at a DSW store in Westminster, Colorado. In both robberies, he brandished a revolver in order for him and his co-defendant to grab merchandise from the stores. The defendant told one store employee something to the effect of, “This is my first time…don’t do anything stupid.” Later that evening, the defendant got into a car chase with an Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy, while his co-defendant in the car he was driving repeatedly fired shots at the deputy using the defendant’s revolver. Vargas was identified and arrested several days later.
The Honorable Judge R. Brooke Jackson presided over the four-day trial. The jury returned its verdict on June 3, 2022. Judge Jackson sentenced the defendant to 26.5 years in prison on November 2, 2022. Co-defendant Kitira Hayes, age 22, of Arvada, was sentenced to 14.75 years in federal prison on March 1, 2022, for her role in the armed robberies and shooting at a law enforcement officer. Taylor Amanda Isaac, age 25, of Lakewood, was sentenced to 4 years of probation on September 16, 2022.
“The defendant showed no regard for the safety of others. He will have a long time behind bars to reflect on how his actions harmed so many people in just a matter of hours,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan. “We appreciate the victims’ willingness to testify, the investigators thorough examination of the evidence, and the jury’s thoughtful deliberations in bringing this defendant to justice.”
“Dangerous criminals too often choose gun violence against law enforcement and innocent people who are simply trying to live their lives responsibly and in peace every day,” said Special Agent in Charge David S. Booth. “ATF will continue to vigorously investigate, apprehend, and pursue the prosecution of those who do.”
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Lakewood Police Department, the Westminster Police Department, and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celeste Rangel, Melissa Hindman and Elizabeth Young.
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.
Case number: 21-cr-00024
5 Dayton men convicted of 2019 kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in victim’s deathRead the Press Release
Dayton, Ohio – The final of five defendants has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to participating in the summer 2019 kidnapping and subsequent death of Kwasi Casey, whose body was later found in a detached garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton.
Devon Love, 29, admitted to conspiring with four others to kidnap and abduct the victim at gunpoint on July 7, 2019.
Mr. Casey was taken to one of the defendant’s homes, where he was held against his will and beaten with a baseball bat. Another defendant made ransom demands of the victim’s family.
Court documents detail that the victim escaped on July 8, 2019, but was recaptured and forced into a co-conspirator’s minivan, where the victim was again physically assaulted. Mr. Casey ultimately died as a result of the defendants’ actions.
Between July and September 2019, the defendants concealed the victim’s body at a garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton. On Sept. 17, 2019, the defendants set the garage on fire to destroy evidence and the victim’s body. On Sept. 26, 2019, the victim’s burnt remains were recovered from the burnt garage.
Eric Blackshear, 43; Antoine Dye, 37; Markale Thomas, 28; and Ryan Reese, 27; have also pleaded guilty in this case. Blackshear was sentenced in June 2022 to 360 months in prison. The other four defendants are pending sentencing.
Sentencing of the defendants is 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; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith and Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy are representing the United States in this case.
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46-Year-Old Fort Defiance Man Sentenced to 390 Months for Third Offense of Aggravated Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Harrison Shirley, 46, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, was sentenced on October 24, 2022, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 390 months in prison, followed by lifetime supervised release. Shirley, a member of the Navajo tribe, was indicted on one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child in November 2020. One year later, Shirley pleaded guilty to Sexual Abuse, with a sentencing range of 20 to 40 years in prison.
On August 10, 2019, Shirley was living on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation outside of Tucson, Arizona, when he molested the then 7-year-old victim, while a visitor at a residence. Twenty years earlier, in May of 1999, while living on the Navajo Indian Reservation, then 23-year-old Shirley committed two sexual abuse crimes. He pleaded guilty to both offenses and was sentenced in August 2000 to concurrent terms of 97 months in prison.
Detectives from the Tohono O’odham Police Department, along with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Schmit, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-2524-TUC-SHR-LAB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-198_Shirley
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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.
1 November 2022
Woman Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NICOLE STEINER, formerly known as Nicole Balkas, 33, formerly of Stratford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for health care fraud offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Steiner owned and operated Helping Hands Academy, LLC, in Bridgeport, which provided applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and was as a participating provider in the Connecticut Medicaid Program (“Medicaid”). From December 2018 to October 2020, Steiner submitted and caused to be submitted fraudulent claims to Medicaid for applied behavior analysis services that were purportedly provided to Medicaid clients. She submitted claims for dates of service when no applied behavior analysis services of any kind had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims, and she inflated the number of hours for certain claims even when applied behavior analysis had been provided to the Medicaid clients identified in the claims. Steiner also submitted false Medicaid claims in 2020 using a former employee’s name and performing provider number.
After the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), which administers the Medicaid program in Connecticut, terminated Helping Hands Academy as a provider, Steiner made several false statements and submitted an altered document to DSS in an effort to rescind the termination and to receive payment for previously submitted claims.
Medicaid suffered a loss of more than $500,000 as a result of Steiner’s admitted conduct.
On April 28, 2021, Steiner pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud related to this scheme.
After her guilty plea, and while she was released on bond awaiting sentencing, Steiner was a silent partner in another company that provided applied behavior analysis services to children diagnosed with ASD called New Beginnings Children’s Behavioral Health LLC. Steiner was responsible for billing claims to Medicaid, managing payroll, and recruiting and screening potential employees, and she and had access to and used her business partner’s email and other online accounts to operate the company. Steiner and the company engaged in health care fraud by billing Medicaid for thousands of dollars in services not rendered and, in particular, billing for services not rendered by Steiner.
Steiner was arrested on May 2, 2022, and, on July 29, she pleaded guilty to a second count of health care fraud.
While released on bond and living in New Jersey awaiting sentencing in both cases, Steiner submitted false Medicaid applications indicating that she lived in Bridgeport in order to get Medicaid coverage for her and her children.
Steiner was remanded to custody at the conclusion of the sentencing proceeding.
Judge Meyer ordered Steiner to pay $505,955.56 in total restitution.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Attorney Avery acknowledged the valuable cooperation of the Connecticut Department of Social Services in the investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
Wilson Man Sentenced to 20 Years on Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Jose Lopez of Wilson was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for possession of child pornography. Lopez, 20, pleaded guilty to the charge on August 8, 2022. According to court documents and other information presented in court, from February through August of 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received eight reports of illegal activity from Snapchat, Discord, and Twitter for an IP address out of Wilson, NC. Surveillance and database inquiries identified the resident as the defendant Jose Lopez. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the house in Wilson on October 25, 2021, and seized multiple electronic devices, including phones and laptops. A forensic examination of the devices uncovered over 700 videos and 1,500 images depicting children engaged in sexual acts or displaying their genitals. Some depicted infants and toddlers. The examination also uncovered online chats in which Lopez discussed a desire to have sex with children and brags about raping three minors, including a nine-year-old girl.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Department of Homeland Security investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-0051-BO.
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Westbrook Man Fined $4,000 for Baiting Ducks in Violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty ActRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Casey, Regional Chief, Division of Refuge Law Enforcement, announced that DAVID FOSTER, 51, of Westbrook, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport for violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Judge Dooley ordered Foster to pay a $4,000 fine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in late September and early October 2020, after receiving an anonymous complaint, the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police (EnCon) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel investigated the spreading of whole kernel corn around a hunting blind on Menunketesuck Island in Westbrook. Foster had received a summons for waterfowl baiting/taking violations in the same area in October 2009. On October 10, 2020, which was the opening day of duck hunting season, officers who had established surveillance near the duck blind observed Foster, two other hunters shoot and retrieve ducks over the area that had been baited. When they finished, officers conducted a compliance check. Under questioning, Foster admitted that he had spread corn over the hunting area to attract ducks.
Foster pleaded guilty on August 2, 2022.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuge Law Enforcement, and the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel J. Gentile.
Waschko’s Pharmacy to Pay $210,000 for Recordkeeping Violations of the Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Waschko’s Pharmacy, located in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay the United States $210,000 in civil penalties for allegedly failing to comply with recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act.
The Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. sections 801 et seq. (CSA), was passed to combat illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, including prescription medications. The CSA’s recordkeeping and prescribing requirements are designed to prevent the diversion of controlled substances for illegal purposes. The CSA is enforced by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division, whose mission is to prevent, detect, and investigate the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals and listed chemicals from legitimate sources while ensuring adequate and uninterrupted supply for legitimate medical, commercial, and scientific needs. Under the CSA, entities registered with the DEA who purchase, distribute, dispense, transfer, or sell controlled substances must comply with inventory and documentation requirements, and are subject to compliance audits.
Regulations promulgated under the CSA require that each DEA registrant, including pharmacies, both maintain complete and accurate records of each substance manufactured, received, sold, delivered, dispensed, or otherwise disposed of by the registrant and promptly report any thefts or significant losses. These requirements play a vital role in ensuring the appropriate handling, accounting, and distribution of controlled substances. Violations of the record-keeping requirements subject DEA registrants to civil monetary penalties.
The present civil investigation stemmed from a report alleging actual diversion. A DEA inspection revealed that, between August 2019 and August 2021, Waschko’s Pharmacy failed to keep complete, timely, and accurate inventories and records regarding the receipt and dispensing of Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances, including but not limited to oxycodone, amphetamine salts, buprenorphine/naloxone, and alprazolam. As a result of Waschko’s Pharmacy’s alleged actions and inactions, thousands of doses of controlled substances went unaccounted for. Waschko’s Pharmacy cooperated with the investigators and has since been placed under new ownership and hired a new pharmacist-in-charge. This settlement addresses the independent obligation of Waschko’s Pharmacy to ensure it has systems in place adequate to prevent improper dispensing, as required by 21 U.S.C. §§ 827, 842, and associated regulations.
“The requirements to keep complete and accurate records at the pharmacy level are not merely a bookkeeping practice; rather, they are crucial measures intended and designed to keep our communities safe from the diversion and potential abuse of prescription drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Karam. “Our office is committed to working collaboratively with our agency counterparts to ensure pharmacies in this district are doing their part to address the national opioid crisis, and I commend the owners of Waschko’s Pharmacy for realizing the seriousness of these requirements, recognizing gaps in their practices, and putting measures in place to protect their legitimate dispensing from diversion in the future.”
“Pharmacies are entrusted with the proper dispensing and safeguarding of powerful prescription drugs such as oxycodone, buprenorphine, and naloxone. With that responsibility comes the expectation that pharmacies can properly account for these same drugs,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “Civil settlements like this one are a tool for insuring compliance with the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act and to prevent the loss of these drugs.”
This Settlement Agreement is neither an admission of liability by the pharmacy nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.
This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Division. The investigation was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Harlan W. Glasser and the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) Unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa Announces Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
Des Moines, IA – United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Leemkuil will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Leemkuil has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Southern District of Iowa, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Richard Westphal said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Ryan Leemkuil will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 515-473-9300.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 515-223-4278 (Des Moines).
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
United States Attorney Westphal said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins Announces Election Day Program EffortsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Eugenia M. Carris will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Carris has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Massachusetts, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be permitted to vote without interference or discrimination and to have their vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to do their vitally important jobs without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will stand up and protect the integrity of the election process,” said U.S. Attorney Rollins.
The Department of Justice plays an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. The law also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, intimidation, and any other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“Voting is the bedrock of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are eligible to vote can exercise that right if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt the voting process are held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Rollins. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Carris will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 617-748-3363.”
In addition, the FBI will have agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 857-386-2000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. If you have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud please contact any of us at the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Rollins.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
US Attorney Announces District Election Officer for the Northern District of MississippiRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clay Joyner announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Rob Coleman will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Coleman has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Mississippi, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Joyner said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Joyner noted that: “The right to vote is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that everyone who is entitled to vote can do so if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt or interfere with that right are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Coleman will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (662) 234-3351 during business hours or (662) 816-4304 after hours.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (662) 234-1713. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
United States Attorney Joyner remarked, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Election Day Program to Protect Election Workers and Voting RightsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that the public can call the Office’s Election Day Hotline at 888-636-6596 to report voting rights concerns, threats against election officials, or any other activity that would interfere with the right to vote in the District of New Jersey. This number will be active Oct. 29, 2022, through Nov. 11, 2022, and will be staffed live on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.
The Department of Justice plays an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy,” U.S. Attorney Sellinger said. “Citizens must be free to vote without interference or discrimination, and election officials must be free to serve without threats of violence. In coordination with the Department’s Election Day Program, our office will do everything in its power to protect the rights of voters and election workers throughout New Jersey.”
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
In addition to the Election Day Hotline, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI can be reached by the public at 973-792-3000. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws, or any civil rights violation, can be made at any time to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Hotline, 855-281-3339, or by submitting an online complaint here, or to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Susan Millenky, Sara Aliabadi, and Mark McCarren will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming general election.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma Continues to Protect Voting Rights During ElectionsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Charles M. McLoughlin will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election.
AUSA McLoughlin has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the election process,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Eligible voters must be able to cast their vote free from interference or discrimination. Likewise, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice, where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. Those who may have specific information about discrimination or election fraud can make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division,” Johnson said.
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO McLoughlin will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 918-382-2713.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office can be reached by the public at (405) 290-7770.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Participation in Justice Department's Nationwide Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Perry H. Piper will lead the efforts of the Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Piper has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the Office’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy, said United States Attorney Hamilton. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA Piper will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (423) 385-1332 or (423) 504-7318.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (865) 544-0751.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate, stated United States Attorney Hamilton. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney Shier Announces Environmental Justice Coordinators, Welcomes Reporting from Concerned CitizensRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Carlton S. Shier, IV, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, announced on Tuesday a new initiative to address environmental justice and public health concerns. U.S. Attorney Shier has designated two Assistant United States Attorneys, Emily Greenfield and Carrie Pond, as Environmental Justice Coordinators to coordinate the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to address those concerns. Members of the public may visit the website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/environmental-justice for information on where to report environmental violations or public health issues, and how to report such concerns to the Environmental Justice Coordinators.
The Office’s reporting procedures are part of the Department of Justice’s Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy, which seeks to advance environmental justice through timely and effective remedies for environmental violations and injuries to natural resources in “underserved communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened, including low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and Indigenous communities.”
The Department of Justice enforces the Nation’s civil and criminal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste laws. An intentional decision to violate these laws may be a federal crime. For example, intentionally discharging pollutants into a river without a permit, or bypassing a required pollution control device, is a criminal act that carries the possibility of incarceration and monetary fines. The Department also protects natural resources and handles cases relating to tribal rights and resources.
The district’s Environmental Justice Coordinators also will lead efforts to remedy environmental violations and contaminations by pursuing actions under the civil rights laws, worker safety and consumer protection statutes, and the False Claims Act. For example, a federal contractor who violates a contractual provision mandating the proper disposal of hazardous waste may be subject to liability under the False Claims Act; a landlord who leases a home without disclosing known information about lead-based paint may violate federal lead disclosure rules.
The Office will continue to partner and coordinate with the Environmental Protection Agency, law enforcement partners, local communities, and agencies across federal, state, and local governments to better serve the needs of disadvantaged communities and the mission of environmental justice throughout the Eastern District of Kentucky. To find out more information about Environmental Justice, learn about additional points of contact for federal agencies, or to contact our Coordinators, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/environmental-justice.
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U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson Appoints District Election OfficerRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Daniel Schiess will lead the efforts for the District of Nevada in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Schiess has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Nevada, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Frierson. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Schiess will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: (702) 388-6336,” said U.S. Attorney Frierson.
In addition, the FBI will have agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office can be reached by the public at: (702) 385-1281 or at tips.fbi.gov.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said U.S. Attorney Frierson. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld Appoints Election Officer for 2022 ElectionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Stephen D. Warner will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Warner has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of West Virginia, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Warner will be on duty in the District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 304-637-2121.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 412-432-4000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell Appoints District Election Officer to Oversee Election Day ComplaintsRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Ann Hoffman will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Hoffman has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of South Dakota and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process, and we ask that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to our office.”
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
AUSA/DEO Hoffman will be on duty in the District of South Dakota while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at (605) 357-2363. In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (605) 334-6881.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn from the Democratic Republic of the CongoRead the Press Release
A federal judge sentenced Herdade Lokua, 34, and Jospin Mujangi, 32, of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to prison for their roles in trafficking wildlife products from DRC to Seattle. Lokua was sentenced to 20 months in prison and Mujangi was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Both men had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and Lacey Act charges on July 13.
The court determined that Lokua was the organizer of a trafficking operation involving more than five other co-conspirators whose goal was to ship a cargo container full of elephant ivory, white rhinoceros horn, and pangolin scales to Seattle. Mujangi helped package the wildlife products and handled the financial details to process the payment through a Chinese bank and then back to DRC.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates that wildlife trafficking leads to prison, and that we are committed to prosecuting this crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “I commend our Homeland Security Investigations and DRC partners in stopping this trafficking ring before tons of protected wildlife products entered the illegal market.”
“Wildlife trafficking is decimating many species worldwide and has broader impacts to a country’s economic development and security,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI is proud of our international public and private sector partnerships who enabled the success of this investigation and will continue to leverage those partnerships to target and dismantle future trafficking organizations who seek profit over the risk of extinction.”
In their prior guilty pleas, both defendants admitted that, beginning in November 2019, they agreed to smuggle the wildlife products at issue to the United States. They worked with a middleman to negotiate the sales and coordinate imports to Seattle. Between August and September 2020, Lokua and Mujangi made several small sales to build trust with the buyers. They sent three packages containing approximately 49 pounds of ivory from Kinshasa. They arranged for the ivory to be cut into smaller pieces and painted black; the packages were then falsely labeled as containing wood.
Lokua and Mujangi acknowledged that in June 2021, they sent nearly five pounds of rhinoceros horn to Seattle using a similar scheme. Lokua discussed sending two tons of ivory and one ton of pangolin scales concealed in a shipping container. He stated that payment would have to be routed through a bank account in China before they could access the cash in Kinshasa.
Lokua and Mujangi admitted that they traveled to Seattle on Nov. 2, 2021, to meet with prospective buyers who were actually undercover federal agents. After negotiating the details for 4,900kg of ivory, 3kg of rhinoceros horn, and 1,500kg of pangolin scales, worth $3.5 million, agents arrested both men in Edmonds, Washington.
The investigation was part of “Operation Kuluna,” an international operation conducted between HSI Seattle, the government of the DRC and the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. After the arrests, the task force in DRC acted on information provided by HSI Seattle to seize 2,067 pounds of ivory and 75 pounds of pangolin scales in Kinshasa worth over $1 million, all contraband related to wildlife trafficking.
The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits, among other things, falsely labeling shipments containing wildlife. The United States, DRC and approximately 181 other countries are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is an international treaty that restricts trade in species that may be threatened with extinction. CITES has permit requirements for protected wildlife, and the indictment alleges that the defendants did not obtain any of the necessary papers or declarations from DRC or the United States.
The CITES treaty has listed the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) as a protected species since 1975 and the African elephant (Loxodanta africana) since 1977. All species of pangolin were added to the CITES appendix with the greatest level of protection in 2017. All three mammals are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
HSI Seattle conducted the investigation, with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. Senior Trial Attorneys Patrick M. Duggan and Ryan C. Connors of the Environmental Crimes Section with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington represented the government.
Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn from the Democratic Republic of the CongoRead the Press Release
Seattle – A federal judge sentenced Herdade Lokua, 34, and Jospin Mujangi, 32, of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to prison for their roles in trafficking wildlife products from DRC to Seattle. Lokua was sentenced to 20 months in prison and Mujangi was sentenced to 14 months in prison. Both men had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and Lacey Act charges on July 13.
At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said, “The message must be conveyed that if you get caught you are going to jail…. This is an ugly trade in the body parts of majestic animals.”
The court determined that Lokua was the organizer of a trafficking operation involving more than five other co-conspirators whose goal was to ship a cargo container full of elephant ivory, white rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales to Seattle. Mujangi helped package the wildlife products and handled the financial details to process the payment through a Chinese bank and then back to DRC.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates that wildlife trafficking leads to prison, and that we are committed to prosecuting this crime,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “I commend our Homeland Security Investigations and DRC partners in stopping this trafficking ring before tons of protected wildlife products entered the illegal market.”
“Wildlife trafficking is decimating many species worldwide and has broader impacts to a country’s economic development and security,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “HSI is proud of our international public and private sector partnerships who enabled the success of this investigation and will continue to leverage those partnerships to target and dismantle future trafficking organizations who seek profit over the risk of extinction.”
“The elephant in the room has been addressed today as Mr. Jujangi and Mr. Lokua receive their just rewards for trafficking illegal wildlife products,” said Special Agent Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “Conservation efforts on behalf of endangered and protected animals is critical to their continued survival, and IRS-CI is proud to work with our partners both domestically and internationally in order to safeguard these creatures.”
In their prior guilty pleas, both defendants admitted that, beginning in November 2019, they agreed to smuggle the wildlife products at issue to the United States. They worked with a middleman to negotiate the sales and coordinate imports to Seattle. Between August and September 2020, Lokua and Mujangi made several small sales to build trust with the buyers. They sent three packages containing approximately 49 pounds of ivory from Kinshasa. They arranged for the ivory to be cut into smaller pieces and painted black; the packages were then falsely labeled as containing wood.
Lokua and Mujangi acknowledged that in June 2021, they sent nearly five pounds of rhinoceros horn to Seattle using a similar scheme. Lokua discussed sending two tons of ivory and one ton of pangolin scales concealed in a shipping container. He stated that payment would have to be routed through a bank account in China before they could access the cash in Kinshasa.
Lokua and Mujangi admitted that they traveled to Seattle on Nov. 2, 2021, to meet with prospective buyers who were actually undercover federal agents. After negotiating the details for 4,900kg of ivory, 3kg of rhinoceros horn, and 1,500kg of pangolin scales, worth $3.5 million, agents arrested both men in Edmonds, Washington.
The investigation was part of “Operation Kuluna,” an international operation conducted between HSI Seattle, the government of the DRC and the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa. After the arrests, the task force in DRC acted on information provided by HSI Seattle to seize 2,067 pounds of ivory and 75 pounds of pangolin scales in Kinshasa worth over $1 million, all contraband related to wildlife trafficking.
The Lacey Act is the nation’s oldest wildlife trafficking statute and prohibits, among other things, falsely labeling shipments containing wildlife. The United States, DRC and approximately 181 other countries are signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is an international treaty that restricts trade in species that may be threatened with extinction. CITES has permit requirements for protected wildlife, and the indictment alleges that the defendants did not obtain any of the necessary papers or declarations from DRC or the United States.
The CITES treaty has listed the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) as a protected species since 1975 and the African elephant (Loxodanta africana) since 1977. All species of pangolin were added to the CITES appendix with the greatest level of protection in 2017. All three mammals are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
HSI Seattle conducted the investigation, with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. Senior Trial Attorneys Patrick M. Duggan and Ryan C. Connors of the Environmental Crimes Section with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington represented the government.
Tax preparer sentenced for fraudulently inflating tax returnsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A former local tax preparer has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of fraudulently filing tax returns from 2014 to 2017, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
David Wright pleaded guilty June 3.
Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced him to 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. Wright was further ordered to pay $178,688 in restitution to the IRS. At the hearing, the court heard additional argument regarding how Wright profiting from several years of fraudulently filing tax returns. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the nature of the offense, the fact that Wright employed others to participate in the fraudulent activity and that these fraudulent filings were done without the knowledge of the taxpayer clients.
The investigation revealed Wright and his employees prepared and submitted 43 fraudulent tax returns for 16 clients. They consistently used false Schedule C Business Income or Loss deductions to inflate tax refunds for clients.
They included fake expenses such as advertising, vehicle/transportation, legal/professional services, office/business property costs, maintenance, supplies, travel and utilities. This caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax loss to the IRS.
Wright was taken into custody and will be transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahra Jivani Fenelon prosecuted the case.
Statement of U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref on November 2022 General ElectionRead the Press Release
Spokane – United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) George J.C. Jacobs, III will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Jacobs has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Washington, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Waldref said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Waldref stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Jacobs will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number:509-353-2767.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 509-458-8100.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
United States Attorney Waldref said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
State inmate charged with threatening a judgeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – An inmate at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex has been charged with threatening to kill a state judge and his family, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Owen Mason Dornon, 22, was indicted today on seven counts of “Mailing Threatening Communications.” It is alleged that Dornon mailed letters to Judge Timothy L. Sweeney in Pleasants County, West Virginia, threatening to harm him and his family. Dornon is presently serving a state prison sentence that was imposed by Judge Sweeney.
Dornon faces up to five years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton J. Reid is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated with assistance from the West Virginia Division of Corrections.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
St. Paul Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as an Armed Career Criminal, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on March 17, 2022, Geraldo Jay Dilworth, 34, was in possession of a Springfield Armory .45 caliber pistol while waiting to board a train at the Union Depot Station in St. Paul. Because he has multiple prior felony convictions in Ramsey and Washington Counties, Dilworth is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
Dilworth pleaded guilty today before Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to one count of felon in possession of a firearm as an Armed Career Criminal. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Paul Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso is prosecuting the case.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to Four Years for Gun Charge Linked to ShootingRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis felon to four years in prison for being caught with guns after a shooting in 2021.
Jerry Johnson, 57, pleaded guilty July 25 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers found two pistols and one rifle at his home on May 24, 2021 while they were investigating a gun crime.
He also admitted being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in a 2003 case in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
In Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, a woman testified that Johnson shot a woman standing on the side of the road near the intersection of Kennerly and North Newstead avenues in St. Louis. The shooting was caught on tape, and officers found a green Cadillac matching the description of the shooter’s car outside Johnson’s home, with the engine still warm.
Johnson was subject to enhanced penalties after Judge Fleissig found that his responsibility for the shooting had been proven by a preponderance of the evidence.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case
Springfield Man Sentenced for Role in Large-Scale Heroin Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield man was sentenced on Oct. 27, 2022 in federal court in Springfield for his role in a large-scale heroin trafficking organization.
William Brantley, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 43 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In July 2019, Brantley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin. He was indicted along with 17 co-conspirators in August 2017.
Brantley was a member of a Springfield-based drug trafficking organization led by co-conspirator Alberto Marte. Marte had direct contact with heroin supply sources in the Dominican Republic. On a monthly basis, members of the organization transported between eight and 20 kilograms of heroin to the Springfield area. Brantley regularly purchased large amounts of heroin from Marte which he then distributed to various retail-level dealers in the Springfield area. Specifically, Brantley purchased 300 packs – or 30,000 doses – of heroin from Marte on a number of occasions from July 2016 to September 2016.
In March 2020, Marte was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Field Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood; Chicopee Police Chief Patrick J. Major; Holyoke Police Chief Manny Febo; and West Springfield Police Chief Paul Connor made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil L. Desroches of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.