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21 October 2022
Repeat sex offender sentenced to ten years in prison for possession of images of child rape and abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A registered sex offender, who was on state probation following a ten-year prison sentence for molesting a young boy, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. John Wesley Stewart, 56, was arrested in May 2018, in Des Moines, Washington, when officers with the Washington State Department of Corrections found him with unauthorized electronic devices. The devices had more than 200 images of child rape and abuse. U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez imposed lifetime supervised release to follow this prison term.
“Mr. Stewart has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot safely live in the community and will continue to victimize children.” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “This ten-year sentence and lifetime of federal supervision are aimed at protecting the community.”
According to records filed in the case, in 2007, Stewart was prosecuted for molesting a young boy left in his care. Prior to being charged with that crime, Stewart had served as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician and paramedic in Whatcom County. He had also served as a foster parent. Following his 2007 conviction for rape of a child and possession of child pornography, Stewart was incarcerated until 2016. He was placed on state probation for life. Within six months of completing sex offender treatment, he was caught with hundreds of images of child sexual abuse.
In asking for the ten-year sentence prosecutors wrote to the court, “Child pornography offenses are, by their nature, horrific. Those who collect and share images and videos of children being raped and tortured further a market that thrives on the sexual abuse of children. The collection of this material drive demand for new material and normalize horrific acts of sexual exploitation. And it subjects victims of child abuse to perpetual re-victimization, knowing that the digital record of their worst moments forever travels the globe to satisfy the sexual appetite of child predators.”
Stewart has been ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the known victims pictured in the images on his devices.
The case was investigated by the Washington State Department of Corrections and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Quincy, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Quincy, Illinois, man, Daniel Kramer, 50, of the 100 block of Earel Camp Road was sentenced on October 18, 2022, to 120 months’ imprisonment for possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, 60 months’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and 120 months’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm by a felon. The 120-month sentences were ordered to run concurrently with each other while the 60-month sentence was ordered to run consecutively to the 120-month sentences.
At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Kramer had sold methamphetamine to a source working with law enforcement multiple times before officers with the Illinois State Police, West Central Illinois Task Force, and Quincy Police Department served a search warrant on his residence. During the search, officers found 300 grams of actual methamphetamine and 11 firearms. Kramer, a convicted felon, admitted he possessed all 11 firearms.
Kramer was indicted in December 2021 and pleaded guilty in June 2022.
The statutory penalties for possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute are up to life in prison, not more than a $10 million fine, lifetime supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime are up to life in prison (consecutive), not more than a $250,000 fine, not more than 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment. The statutory penalties for possession of a firearm by a felon are not more than 10 years in prison, not more than a $250,000 fine, not more than 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office; the West Central Illinois Task Force; and the Quincy Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.
Psychologist Convicted of Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a licensed Illinois psychologist of defrauding Medicare over the course of several years by causing the submission of fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services he never provided.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Renato F. Duarte, aka Ren Duarte, 63, of Chicago, caused the submission of fraudulent Medicare claims from July 2016 through June 2019 for psychotherapy services purportedly provided to nursing home patients in Chicago and surrounding areas. Duarte’s scheme included fraudulently billing for in person services on dates that Duarte was traveling outside of the country and fraudulently billing for psychotherapy purportedly provided to patients who were deceased.
Duarte was convicted of four counts of health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count. 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; U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois; Acting Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Chicago Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Trial Attorneys Steven Scott and Thomas D. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Prior Convicted Felon Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Andrew Joseph Vinyard, 43, of Ypsilanti, was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in federal prison on charges of attempted production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Vinyard was sentenced by United States District Judge Laurie Michelson following his guilty plea in June of this year.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge James A. Tarasca of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Detroit Division (FBI).
According to court documents, in November of 2019, Vinyard began offering two fourteen-year-old victims "modeling opportunities" and money in exchange for sex. In response to the concerns of the victims’ parents, an undercover officer posing as a female student at the same school as the minor victims, contacted Vinyard via his Instagram account. After being told that the undercover officer was 14 years old, Vinyard offered to purchase the undercover officer a new phone in exchange for sex acts and for the undercover officer taking sexually explicit photos with the phone. Vinyard also offered the undercover officer $500 to get together and get high on cocaine so he could "take her virginity" and take sexually explicit photographs of her. Vinyard requested multiple photos and videos of the undercover officer engaging in sexual activity. Vinyard also solicited live video texts of the undercover officer so Vinyard could direct the undercover officer to perform sex acts on herself.
“Today’s sentence reaffirms our office’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable and defenseless members of our community – children,” said U.S. Attorney Ison. “It is our hope that a 25-year sentence sends a message to the defendant, and the community at large that we will continue to root out this type of evil in our society and pursue stiff sentences for defendants like this who repeatedly prey on the young.”
“Protecting children from dangerous, serial child predators like Andrew Vinyard is a priority for our office," said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Detroit Field Office. "His repeated attempts to lure and exploit children are deplorable and our young people are safer with him behind bars. I am proud of the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the concerned parents that came forward to hold this man accountable."
The case was investigated by the officers of the Huron Township Police Department and special agents of the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eaton Brown.Parsons Man & Woman Each Sentenced to the Statutory Maximum of 60 Years for Sex Crimes Against ChildrenRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man and a Kansas woman were both sentenced to 60 years in prison for committing sexual crimes against children after prosecutors requested the statutory maximum for each count, to run consecutive to each other.
In June 2022, Dustin Strom, 26, of Parsons pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child (production of child pornography).
In July 2022, Thommie-Lyn Stansky, 28, of Parsons pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child (production of child pornography).
According to court documents, Strom and Stansky admitted that while living together as a romantic couple in February 2021, Strom expressed to Stansky his sexual interest in children. Stansky then created an image of herself sexually abusing a four-year-old victim and another image of herself sexually abusing a two-year-old victim. She shared these images with Strom. Strom also created images of himself sexually abusing the two -year-old and the four-year-old victims.
In August 2021, a social media platform reported Strom to law enforcement after some images were sent to other people via the Internet. Federal agents examining Stansky and Strom’s cell phones and social media accounts found communications between them in which they discussed the sexual abuse of children and child pornography.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly Gordon and Jason Hart prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."###
Orlando Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Federal Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy After Being Stopped While Transporting over $1 Million in CashRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew has sentenced Jason Pagan-Reyes (40, Orlando) to six years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Pagan-Reyes had pleaded guilty on June 21, 2022, and is currently serving a drug-related state prison sentence.
According to court documents, Pagan-Reyes was part of a conspiracy to deliver $1 million in drug proceeds to a money laundering organization that would launder the money back to the Dominican Republic. Pagan-Reyes was in contact with a courier for that organization who was, in reality, an undercover officer. On July 11, 2020, while driving to meet with the undercover officer, a trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol stopped Pagan-Reyes’s minivan in Polk County for a variety of traffic offenses. After a police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle, law enforcement recovered $1,000,495 in two large bags. A search of Pagan-Reyes’s cellphone revealed communications consistent with both drug trafficking and money laundering.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Florida Highway Patrol. 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. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
New York Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Distributing Child Sex Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A New York resident has pleaded guilty and been sentenced in federal court to 72 months’ incarceration and 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of distribution of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today. The Court ordered Keppel to pay a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and $2,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Grant Keppel, age, 23, of Williamsville, NY.
According to information presented to the court, on Nov. 11, 2019, Keppel, while residing in New York, participated in an online group dedicated to discussing the sexual exploitation of minors and offered for sale a link containing hours of video depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. Keppel then sold the link to an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation-Pittsburgh Agent who was investigating the online sexual exploitation of minors. As part of its investigation, the FBI discovered that Keppel had amassed a very large collection of child sexual abuse material in online cloud accounts.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Pittsburgh, as well as FBI-Buffalo and its Child Exploitation Task Force, including the New York State Police, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Keppel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Mexican National Extradited from Mexico to the United States to Face International Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Jaime Gonzalez Duran, a Mexican national, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today to face international drug charges.
According to allegations contained in court documents, between 2000 and February 2010, Gonzalez Duran, aka Hummer, 46, was a high-ranking member of the Zetas, an international drug trafficking organization allied with the Gulf Cartel. Together, the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, known collectively as “The Company,” were a violent, transnational drug trafficking organization based in Mexico that was engaged in the manufacture, distribution, and importation of ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and elsewhere into the United States. Gonzalez Duran was also the “plaza boss” for the Mexican cities of Reynosa and Miguel Aleman, controlling the Zetas drug-trafficking activities in those areas of operation.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a fourth superseding indictment against Gonzalez Duran on May 9, 2013. In October 2015, Gonzalez Duran was served with the provisional arrest warrant requesting his extradition to the United States. Gonzalez Duran remained detained in Mexico pending his extradition. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States on Oct. 20, 2022.
Gonzalez Duran is charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana intending and knowing that those substances would be imported into the United States. If convicted, Gonzalez Duran faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA’s Houston Division Office is investigating with assistance from the DEA’s Mexico Country Office.
Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich, Melanie Alsworth, and Janet Turnbull of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance in this matter.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man Sentenced for Possessing a Gun After Being Convicted of Felony and Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Nicholus Leavy, 37, has been sentenced to 90 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony and domestic violence. Kevin G. Ritz, United
States Attorney, announced the sentence today.According to the information presented in court, the charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on May 7, 2021 at "Our Bar," a night club on Jackson Avenue in Memphis. Security guards denied
Nicholus Leavy entry into the club because he was carrying a gun, was intoxicated, and had been in a verbal altercation with a patron. When security guards asked Leavy to leave the club, he became irate and made threats to “shoot up the club.” Leavy got in his car and circled the block. As he drove towards the club, Leavy turned off his headlights, rolled down the window, continued making threats at the guards, and raised a black pistol. Officers recovered a pistol from the driver's side door of Leavy's car. The gun was loaded with 1 live round in the chamber and 8 live rounds in the magazine.Leavy had prior convictions for a felony and domestic assault. As a result of his convictions, Leavy is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
On October 13, 2022, United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Leavy to 90 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Memphis Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a gun violence 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.
Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin and Special Assistant United States Attorney Nathan
Vrazel prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
###For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901-544-4231 or [email protected]. Follow @WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.
Man Charged for Smuggling 238 Pounds of Methamphetamine Across the U.S.-Mexico BorderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Juan Alberto Gomez-Antimo, 25, of Mexico, was charged by criminal complaint on October 17, 2022, for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Importation of Methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico.
The complaint alleges that on October 14, 2022, Gomez-Antimo, entered the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry where Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 222 packages hidden in his car. The packages contained a white crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. The combined weight of the packages was over 238 pounds.
A conviction for each charged offense carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: MJ-22-02702-JFM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-188_Gomez-Antimo# # #
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.
Lutcher Man Sentenced to for Failure to Report International Travel as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that WILLIE WALKER, age 56, was sentenced on October 14, 2022 by Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to a probationary term of five years for failure to report international travel as a sex offender under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
According to court documents, WALKER was convicted in Washington State in 2002 of a sex offense that required him to register as a sex offender for life. In addition to registering as a sex offender, WALKER was also required to timely notify law enforcement at least 21 days prior to any travel outside of the United States. In February 2020 and April 2021, WALKER traveled to Ethiopia without informing law enforcement of either trip in violation of SORNA.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Marshals Service for their investigation of the matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Spiro G. Latsis and Rachal Cassagne are in charge of the prosecution.
Louisville Federal Grand Jury Returns Three Indictments Charging Fentanyl Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned three indictments this week separately charging three local men with fentanyl trafficking and firearms offenses.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the Pittsburg Division, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Chief Erika Shields of the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, and Chief Richard Sanders of the Jeffersontown Police Department made the announcement.
According to the indictments and court records:
Eddie Leo-David Price, age 39, was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years and maximum sentence of life in prison.
Keivon M. Albritton, age 25, was charged with four counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 5 years and maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Leangelo D. Sullivan, age 43, was charged with two counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 5 years and maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
According to criminal complaints, both Albritton and Sullivan distributed counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The tablets being sold by both men were round, blue pills imprinted with an M and a 30. These pills are counterfeit in that they are being sold illicitly as oxycodone when in fact they contain fentanyl which is increasingly linked to overdoses among users.
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 DEA, the USPIS, the ATF, the Kentucky State Police, the Louisville Metro Police Department, the Jeffersontown Police Department, and the Shively Police Department are investigating the cases.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Ford and Frank Dahl.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Local Magician Arrested for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Sutton, Mass. man who has worked as a magician for over 20 years, performing for children as young as kindergarten age, was arrested today on a child pornography charge.
Scott Jameson, 45, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Jameson was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
According to the criminal complaint filed today, in February 2022, federal authorities were contacted by Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a Cambodian Non-Governmental Organization founded to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation, to report that Jameson possibly engaged in inappropriate behavior with minors in Cambodia. According to the report, Jameson was allegedly observed improperly interacting with a young Cambodian boy at a park . Additionally, according to the report, two pre-teen Cambodian boys informed APLE employees that Jameson allegedly slept with them in their bed on more than one occasion but they did not report any sexual abuse.
Federal authorities in the United States were notified that Jameson, a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, had again travelled to Cambodia on Aug. 28, 2022. Upon his return to the United States on Oct. 19, 2022, Jameson was stopped at Logan Airport. During a search of Jameson’s belongings, agents located a video which appears to have been produced during his most recent trip to Cambodia, depicting the genitals of a young boy, 5-7 years old, who appears to be of Asian descent. A separate device contained over 100 images of apparent child pornography, including an image depicting a boy approximately 8-10 years old, nude from the waist down.
During a subsequent interview with law enforcement, Jameson stated that he has worked as a magician for over 20 years, regularly performing at libraries and private and family events across New England usually for children as young as kindergarten age and up to the eighth grade.
The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Sutton Police Chief Dennis J. Towle made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by United States Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigation and the Sutton and Littleton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to More Than 26 Years for Drug and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Blake Ruel, 35, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Ruel to a total of 322 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Ruel will serve an eight-year term of supervised release.
On May 11, 2021, an officer with the Omaha Police Department stopped Ruel’s vehicle in Omaha after officers conducting surveillance in Lincoln and Omaha observed Ruel engage in what they believed to be drug distribution activity. A police K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in Ruel’s vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and located what was later determined to be more than 104 grams of methamphetamine as well as a handgun. Ruel had prior felony convictions for terroristic threats and possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and Omaha Police Department.
Lecanto Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – Senior United District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Jason Ronald Santore (26, Lecanto) to 16 years and 8 months years in federal prison for possession and distribution of child sex abuse material. Santore had pleaded guilty on June 3, 2022.
According to testimony and court documents, Santore used the internet to transmit videos depicting the sexual abuse of children to a cooperating defendant. Based on these transmission, federal agents obtained search warrants for Santore’s residence, electronic devices, and online storage accounts. Agents located thousands of images and videos of child sex abuse material on Santore’s online accounts, many of which depicted the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.
Lead defendant in pill-production conspiracy sentenced to federal prisonRead the Press Release
AUGUSTA, GA: The final defendant of four conspirators in an industrial-level pill-production operation is joining his mother and two other defendants in federal prison after all admitted participating in an operation that used pill presses to package and distribute methamphetamine.
Albert Bynoe, a/k/a “Chino,” a/k/a “Bossman Chino,” 35, of Tucker, Ga., was sentenced to 92 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Bynoe to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to identify and dismantle this operation that created and distributed massive numbers of doses of illegal drugs in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Taking these meth merchants off the streets makes our communities safer.”
Three other defendants previously were sentenced:
- Bynoe’s mother, Cynthia Dessaure-Outlaw, 58, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by 12 months of supervised release after pleading guilty to Unlawful Transport of Drug Paraphernalia;
- Darnee Cooper, a/k/a “Lafayette,” a/k/a “Lafayette Bandz,” 34, of Columbia, S.C., was sentenced to 88 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; and,
- Nicholas Butler, 42, of Augusta, was sentenced to 72 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.
In 2020, investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration discovered that Dessaure-Outlaw was unlawfully purchasing large-scale pill press machines and kilogram quantities of chemical binding agents from several companies, some of which were located in foreign countries such as China and the United Kingdom. Investigators learned that Bynoe asked Dessaure-Outlaw, his mother, to order these machines in the name of her non-functional limited liability company so he could sell the machines and pills for profit.
In 2021, agents searched Bynoe’s residence in Decatur, Georgia and his rented storage unit in Tucker, Ga., seizing methamphetamine, a pill press machine, pill molds in the shape of a joker and seashells, firearms, drug paraphernalia, and cash. A September 2021 federal indictment charged Dessaure-Outlaw and Bynoe in the operation, along with Cooper, Butler and other members of the conspiracy.
“CBP Savannah will continue its strong collaboration with our partner agencies to safeguard the American public from the manufacture and distribution of illicit drugs,” said Scott Huntley, Assistant Port Director for Customs and Border Protection Savannah.
“This defendant has been removed from the streets and will now spend well-deserved time in prison,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The poisonous fake pills he manufactured and sold can no longer harm would-be users. DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting citizens from dangerous drugs.”
“We are committed to working with our partners to get dangerous drugs out of our communities,” said Michael Register, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “Illegal and unidentified pills on the streets pose a danger to public health. Thank you to the men and women working each day to bring these violators to justice.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew A. Josephson and Jeremiah L. Johnson.
Lackawanna County Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Yasin Abdul-Mattin, age 50, of Scranton, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022, before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to the charge of convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Abdul-Mattin is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. During his guilty plea, Abdul-Mattin admitted that on January 20, 2022, he possessed a loaded 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition. The charges stem from an incident in which members of the Scranton Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Abdul-Mattin’s vehicle on Luzerne Street in Scranton and found him in possession of that loaded 12-gauge shotgun.
The charges against Abdul-Mattin resulted from an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Scranton Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Gallagher are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
Under federal law, for the firearms charge, Abdul-Mattin faces a maximum sentence of ten years, a term of supervised release and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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KC Man Pleads Guilty to $4.1 Million Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a $4.1 million drug-trafficking conspiracy, which is linked to two murders, and which distributed 520 kilograms of methamphetamine in the metropolitan area.
Gerald Lee Ginnings, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays and admitted that between Jan. 1, 2018, and October 1, 2018, he participated with others in conspiracies to distribute methamphetamine and launder drug proceeds, and to possessing a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Ginnings was responsible for distributing, or assisting to distribute, at least five kilograms of methamphetamine. Proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy were used to pay living expenses, buy assets, and to purchase additional drugs for distribution. Ginnings and other co-conspirators used cash during the conspiracy to conceal the true nature of the proceeds from drug distribution.
Ginnings was arrested on June 28, 2018, and again on Sept. 27, 2018. During those arrests, law enforcement officers seized over 50 grams of methamphetamine and a Kel-Tec 9 mm handgun, which Ginnings obtained by trading for methamphetamine.
The drug-trafficking organization with which Ginnings was associated was responsible for two murders. In August 2018, James Hampton was beaten, kidnapped, and transported from St. Louis, Mo., to Kansas City in the trunk of a car. Conspirators also kidnapped Brittanie Broyles, a woman who was with Hampton when he was seized and who witnessed his beating and kidnapping. Ginnings was not with co-conspirators in St. Louis or on the trip from St. Louis to Kansas City.
On Aug. 6, 2018, Hampton’s car and body were discovered burning in Bates City, Mo. On Aug. 8, 2018, Broyles’s body was recovered by the Super Flea in the Northeast area of Kansas City. She had been murdered by two gunshots to her head. Investigators learned that Ginnings, in exchange for being forgiven a $5,000 drug debt, was involved in burning Hampton’s car. Ginnings was also involved in transporting Broyles after she was brought to Kansas City, during which time someone shot her twice in the head and she died.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony crime to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Ginnings has at least three prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle.
Ginnings is among 22 co-defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case.
Ginnings must pay a money judgment not to exceed $4,160,000, which represents the proceeds he received from the drug-trafficking conspiracy, as determined by the court at the time of his sentencing. That forfeiture amount is based on the unlawful distribution of more than 520 kilograms of methamphetamine, based on an average price of $8,000 per kilogram.
Under federal statutes, Ginnings is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant 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 United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bruce Rhoades and Robert M. Smith. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Sni Valley Fire Department, the Jackson, Lafayette, Buchanan, and Phelps County, Mo., Sheriff’s Departments, the FBI, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the St. James, Mo., Police Department.
Justice Department Updates Guidelines for Victim and Witness AssistanceRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today released revised Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. The revised guidelines update, for the first time in a decade, when and how Department employees work with victims and witnesses of crime to ensure that their voices are heard and that they are protected during criminal justice proceedings. The guidelines apply to all department employees engaged in the investigative, prosecutorial, correctional, and parole functions within the criminal justice system.
“Treating crime victims and witnesses with the dignity and respect they deserve is critical to the Justice Department’s mission. I saw that with searing clarity in my work responding to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The revised guidelines will ensure that we continue to fulfill our obligations to victims and witnesses through an approach that is victim-centered and trauma-informed.”
In 1982, Congress directed the Attorney General to promulgate the first Attorney General guidelines, which have been revised periodically to reflect changes in the law. This update improves and expands the Department’s policies for engaging with victims and witnesses of crime throughout the criminal justice process in several key ways, including:
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Expanded scope of support for those significantly harmed by crime: The revised guidelines significantly expand support for people who are significantly harmed by a crime but still may not meet the statutory definition of “victim” contained in the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA). Under the updated guidelines, Department employees should provide services or support to those people, including information, protection, consultation, and referrals for victim services, when feasible and appropriate.
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Earlier notification and consultation: Previous versions of the guidelines provided that rights guaranteed under the CVRA were only to be afford once a defendant was charged. The revised guidelines require affording those rights as early in the criminal justice process as is feasible and appropriate. The guidelines thus provide that prosecutors should, as appropriate, notify victims of plea agreements, deferred prosecution agreements, and non-prosecution agreements before a charging document is filed.
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Additional guidance regarding vulnerable populations: In order to protect the most vulnerable victims, the update strengthens reporting requirements to ensure that Justice Department personnel promptly report suspected incidents of child abuse that they discover through the course of their official duties, regardless of whether they are legally required to do so. Also included in the update are provisions addressing the specific considerations for victims who are: American Indians or Alaska Natives (AI/AN); older or living with a disability; financially vulnerable; from an underserved population; members of marginalized communities; and persons with limited or no proficiency in English
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Updates addressing technological development: Since the guidelines were last updated 10 years ago, technology has evolved dramatically. The revised guidelines provide updates throughout to address these changes, including acknowledging the different types of harm victims may experience in cyber intrusion cases and expanding the ways the Department can use technology to identify, notify, and support victims.
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Expanded Training: To ensure that Department employees are aware of the latest support and services afforded to victims, the revised guidelines expand the category of employees to receive continuous training on the guidelines to include anyone “who in the course of their duties are expected to come into contact with victims and witnesses.”
Through these additions and others, the revised guidelines will allow those affected by crime to be heard and protected throughout the criminal justice process. The guidelines will go into effect March 31, 2023.
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Jury Convicts Syracuse Man of Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - James Mack, age 39, of Syracuse, was convicted today following a four-day jury trial for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Carla B Freedman, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division, John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief of Police Joseph Cecile, Syracuse Police Department.
The evidence at trial established that James Mack used his Honda Accord as a stash location for his drug trafficking operation. During a search of the defendant’s Accord in Syracuse on February 12, 2020, Syracuse Police Detectives located a hidden compartment (or “trap”) in the dashboard. From the trap, Detectives recovered over 400 grams of cocaine, over 100 grams of cocaine base, and a loaded .38 caliber revolver.
The charges of which the defendant was convicted carry a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and maximum of life, a fine of up to $8,000,000.00, and a term of supervised release of at least 8 years following the defendant’s release from incarceration. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2023, in Utica, New York.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Syracuse Police Department-Special Investigations Division (SPD-SID). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrian LaRochelle and Jessica Carbone as 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.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Oct. 17 was:
Lavanchie Patricia Goodbird, aka Lavanchie Gourneau, 30, of Wolf Point, on charges of kidnapping of individual under 18, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to minor. If convicted of the most serious crime, Goodbird faces a mandatory minimum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Goodbird was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Fort Peck Law Enforcement, Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office and Wolf Point Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-77.
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Oct. 19 was:
Brian Kole Hofferber, 34, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl and possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted of the most serious crime, Hofferber faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release on the drug crime and a mandatory minimum five years to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the firearm crime. Hofferber was detained pending further proceedings. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and FBI’s Western Transnational Organized Crime Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-77.
Shaylene Jo Suchy, 35, of Seattle, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Suchy faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Suchy was detained pending further proceedings. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-114.
Appearing on Oct. 18 was:
Travis Alan-Cody Pair, 38, a transient, on charges of felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Pair faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Pair was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-110.
Marshall Daniel Dammann, 19, of a transient, on charges of robbery affecting commerce and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. If convicted of the most serious crime, Dammann faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the robbery crime and a mandatory minimum seven years to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, on the firearm crime if found to have brandished a gun. Dammann was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-116.
Ben Michael Williamson, 38, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Williamson faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least four years of supervised release on the drug crime and a mandatory minimum five years to life in prison, consecutive to any other crime, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the crime of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Williamson was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI’s Western Transnational Organized Crime Task Force and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-100.
Markel Dean Brown, 60, of Sidney, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute meth and distribution of meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Brown faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Brown was detained pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-103.
Jesse Lee Hopkins, 38, a transient, on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the most serious crime, Hopkins faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine and five years of supervised release on the bank fraud crime and a mandatory minimum two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft crime. Hopkins was detained pending further proceedings. Homeland Security Investigations and the Billings Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-108.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Independence Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography over the internet, including to an undercover federal agent, whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
Thomas E. Andries, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Andries to a lifetime of supervised release following incarceration.
On Sept. 8, 2021, Andries pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the internet.
Andries admitted that he sent a Kik message to an FBI Child Exploitation Task Force officer in Salt Lake City, Utah, who was posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online undercover capacity, on Feb. 12, 2019. Andries sent the undercover officer two videos of child pornography.
On May 14, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Andries’s residence and seized his cell phone. Andries admitted that he received child pornography via Kik Messenger and saved the files to his cell phone. Investigators found approximately 20 photos and 48 videos of child pornography on the cell phone, including young children and toddlers.
Investigators also found three images and 12 videos of child pornography in Andries’s Google Photos collection, and approximately 97 videos and 38 images of child pornography in his Dropbox account. Included in the Dropbox collection were pornographic images of toddlers and child bestiality.
Andries admitted to engaging with Kik groups who discussed the sexual abuse of children and exchanged child pornography files. He also admitted he exchanged his child pornography files within his group in order to receive additional files from other Kik users.
According to court documents, Andries told investigators that he communicated with three minor females via Kik beginning in 2018. He admitted to sending at least one of the minors, who lived in the United Kingdom, child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Honduran National Indicted for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that IVAN MARTINEZ-ESTRADA, “a/k/a “Julio Martinez-Estrada”, a/k/a “Julio Martinez”, age 51, was charged in a one-count indictment for illegal reentry of a removed alien in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a).
According to the indictment, IVAN MARTINEZ-ESTRADA (“MARTINEZ ESTRADA”) reentered the United States after he was previously deported on February 13, 2017. If convicted, MARTINEZ-ESTRADA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a maximum fine of up to $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of up to one year, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. He faces sentencing enhancement of 20 years because of prior felony convictions.
U. S. Attorney Duane Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carter K. D. Guice, Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.
Gang Member/Rapper Sentenced to 6 Years on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Daquan Tyreek Funchess-Johnson, 26, of Sumter, was sentenced to six years in federal prison after earlier pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Evidence presented to the court showed that in November 2019, officers with the Sumter Police Department were aware that Funchess-Johnson, a gang member and rapper who performed under the name “Lil Quan the CEO,” had outstanding warrants from Orangeburg County and was scheduled to perform at a local Sumter nightclub. Officers began surveillance and located Funchess-Johnson at approximately 3 a.m. outside a convenience store as he was headed back to his vehicle. Officers detained Funchess-Johnson on the outstanding warrants and located a loaded Ruger .45 caliber firearm concealed underneath his jacket in his vehicle.
The investigation showed that the firearm had previously been reported stolen from a gun store in 2017. A ballistics analysis through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) linked the firearm to shell casings recovered from two separate shooting incidents in Sumter in July 2019. Additionally, during the sentencing hearing, the court heard evidence that Funchess-Johnson, while in jail, recruited and paid a passenger in the vehicle to make a statement taking ownership of the firearm in an attempt to exonerate Funchess-Johnson. His plan did not succeed.
Funchess-Johnson is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior felony convictions. He has prior state convictions for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of cocaine, cruelty to children, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and false information to police.
United States District Judge Donald Coggins sentenced Funchess-Johnson to 72 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. In imposing the sentence, the court noted that this was not Funchess-Johnson’s “first rodeo” since he had been convicted of unlawful carrying of a firearm twice before in state court.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Sumter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey D. Haynes prosecuted the case.
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Fountain Inn Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison on Second Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
Greenville, South Carolina --- Dishannon Matthew Luther Workman, 28, of Fountain Inn, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Workman, who was on supervised release for a prior federal gun conviction, was in possession of a .380 Ruger pistol and marijuana when he was stopped by an officer of the Fountain Inn Police Department on June 17, 2020. Workman was released on a state bond but was sought by federal authorities for violation of his supervised release. On October 8, 2020, Workman was located at a car wash and taken into custody following a brief struggle. The arresting officers discovered a loaded .38 caliber revolver in his pocket and additional marijuana in the trunk of his car.
Workman was detained without bond and pleaded guilty to an information charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks sentenced Workman to 96 months in federal prison to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
Workman’s criminal history includes prior state convictions for assault and battery, burglary, and larceny, as well as a prior federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Fountain Inn Police Department, and the Greenville Police Department.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local 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. Assistant United States Attorney Chris Schoen prosecuted the case.
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Fort Myers Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Re’Shod Peter Jontavious Larry (28, Fort Myers) to seven years and eight months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Larry to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense. Larry had pleaded guilty on June 15, 2022.
According to court records, on November 16, 2021, officers from the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) stopped a vehicle for a routine traffic infraction. Larry was the front-seat passenger in the vehicle. After a certified police narcotics-detection dog alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in the vehicle, officers searched the vehicle and found a small baggie containing cocaine residue on the seat where Larry had been sitting. They also recovered a Smith and Wesson handgun from under the front-passenger seat, and a loaded high-capacity magazine from the glovebox directly in front of the front-passenger seat. FMPD personnel were later able to positively identify a latent palmprint lifted from the loaded magazine as belonging to Larry. At the time, Larry was a convicted felon who had only recently been released from prison for selling fentanyl. As a convicted felon, Larry is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon R. Eth.
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.
Former St. Louis County Employee Admits Pandemic Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A former St. Louis County, Missouri employee on Friday admitted hatching a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds in exchange for kickbacks.
Anthony “Tony” Weaver Sr. pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Court Judge Stephen R. Clark to four felony counts of wire fraud. Weaver was the “change management coordinator” at the St. Louis County jail at the time of his indictment in May and previously served as the administrative assistant to a former St. Louis County Council member.
Weaver admitted approaching a man who owned several small businesses in St. Louis County
with a scheme to fraudulently apply for grants from the county’s Small Business Relief (SBR) Program, shortly after that program began in May of 2020. The program used federal CARES Act money to help small businesses deal with the cost of closures due to pandemic-related stay-at-home orders.
Weaver approached the businessman, identified in court as “John Smith,” on May 6, 2020 and said his former boss on the council, identified as “Jane Doe,” needed to know the names of Smith’s businesses so she could approve them for a grant. Weaver said he would fill out applications for the maximum grant of $15,000 for each of Smith’s six businesses, adding that Doe’s office is “going to do what I tell them to do.”
Weaver then filled out the applications, falsely claiming that the businesses were closed and had to lay off employees during the pandemic. Weaver concealed the fact that Smith had at least 25% ownership in all six businesses because an owner was only allowed to apply for one grant. Weaver also promised on multiple occasions to split any resulting grants with Smith. Weaver discussed ways to conceal the fact that he was filling out the applications to prevent discovery of the scheme and any resulting kickbacks from Smith.
Weaver ultimately failed to obtain any fraudulent grants for Smith, but told Smith he’d been paid $300 as a kickback for obtaining a grant for someone else.
Weaver is scheduled to be sentenced January 25, 2023. Each wire fraud charge carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
Former Owner of Long Island Commercial Check Cashing Companies Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, John Drago, the former owner/operator of several check cashing businesses on Long Island, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for illegally structuring financial transactions and payroll tax evasion. The proceeding took place before United States District Judge Gary R. Brown. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Brown ordered Drago to forfeit $253,000 and to pay restitution of approximately $593,000. Drago pleaded guilty to fraud charges in September 2021. As a result of his plea, Drago was required to surrender his check cashing licenses, his federal money services business registrations and he is barred from applying for any such licenses or registrations in the future.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI) announced the sentence.
“Drago operated his check cashing business as a haven for tax cheats like himself, concealing over $9.5 million from the federal government,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that significant consequences follow business owners who place greed above public good.”
Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the New York State Department of Financial Services for their assistance.
"Drago used his seemingly legitimate check cashing business to defraud the government while lining his pockets. Over several years, he used his employees do his dirty work and, at his request, they cashed checks in a way to avoid IRS reporting requirements, concealing more than $9.5 million in check cashing transactions. His scheme to make some extra cash has now resulted in him spending time behind bars, where he will no longer have any pockets to be lined," said Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI.
According to court filings and facts presented at the plea and sentencing proceedings, Drago owned and operated check cashing businesses on Long Island, including Kayla Check Cashing Corp., North Island Check Cashing Corp., South Island Check Cashing Corp., East Island Check Cashing Corp., Bay Shore Check Cashing Corp. and Brentwood Check Cashing Corp. (collectively, the “Kayla Companies”). Financial institutions are required to file a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) for each cash transaction in excess of $10,000. In addition, a CTR is required to be filed by the financial institution when multiple checks, the total value of which exceeds $10,000, are cashed in a single day.
From January 2010 to October 31, 2013, Drago instructed employees to cash multiple checks in excess of $10,000 in a single day for certain customers without filing required CTRs. In addition, to avoid the required CTR filings, Drago directed employees to deposit and cash checks that had been submitted together on a single day in amounts in excess of $10,000. Drago also instructed employees to tell certain customers who presented individual checks in amounts exceeding $10,000 to return with multiple checks in amounts that were less than $10,000 to avoid the reporting requirement for such financial transactions. As a result of Drago’s scheme, more than $9.5 million in check cashing transactions were concealed from the IRS.
Between April 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013, Drago paid overtime wages and commissions to employees of the Kayla Companies in cash and failed to inform the IRS of the payment of these cash wages. Drago falsely underreported to the IRS the gross wages paid to his employees to avoid paying the full amount of Federal Insurance Contribution Act taxes that the Kayla Companies owed. In addition, as part of his plea, Drago agreed to pay restitution to the IRS for evading personal income taxes between 2010 and 2013. Overall, Drago’s payroll and personal tax evasion cost the IRS approximately $590,000.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Burton T. Ryan, Jr., Bradley T. King and Madeline O’Connor are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JOHN DRAGO
Age: 58
Central Islip, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-394 (S-1) (GRB)
Former Kerry Inc. Manager Pleads Guilty in Connection with Insanitary Plant Conditions Linked to 2018 Salmonella Poisoning OutbreakRead the Press Release
A former quality assurance director for food manufacturer Kerry Inc. pleaded guilty today to charges related to the manufacture of a breakfast cereal linked to a 2018 outbreak of salmonellosis, or Salmonella poisoning.
Ravi Kumar Chermala, 47, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of causing the introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce. Chermala, Kerry’s Director of Quality Assurance until September 2018, oversaw the sanitation programs at various Kerry manufacturing plants, including a facility in Gridley, Illinois, that manufactured Kellogg’s Honey Smacks breakfast cereal for Kerry’s customer, the Kellogg Company. In pleading guilty, Chermala admitted that between June 2016 and June 2018, he directed subordinates to not report certain information to Kellogg’s about conditions at the Gridley facility. In addition, Chermala admitted that he directed subordinates at the Gridley facility to alter the plant’s program for monitoring for the presence of pathogens in the plant, limiting the facility’s ability to accurately detect insanitary conditions.
“Food safety professionals cannot conceal potentially dangerous problems from customers or government regulators,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who engage in such conduct.”
“Today’s announcement reinforces that if an individual violates food safety rules or conceals relevant information, we will seek to hold them accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Lynda M. Burdelik, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Chicago Field Office. “The health of American consumers and the safety of our food are too important to be thwarted by the criminal acts of any individual or company.”
In June 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that an ongoing outbreak of salmonellosis cases in the United States could be traced to Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal produced at Kerry’s Gridley facility. In response, Kellogg’s voluntarily recalled all Honey Smacks manufactured at the plant since June 2017. The CDC eventually identified more than 130 cases of salmonellosis linked to the outbreak, with illness onset dates beginning in March 2018. The CDC did not identify any deaths related to the outbreak.
Salmonellosis can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps that last several days in healthy adults. Absent prompt treatment, salmonellosis can cause severe dehydration and even death in infants, young children, the elderly, transplant recipients, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
Chermala pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley in Peoria, Illinois. The sentencing date is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2023. Further information about the case will be posted to the department’s Information for Victims in Large Cases website at https://www.justice.gov/largecases.
The matter is being investigated by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cody Matthew Herche and Senior Trial Attorney James T. Nelson of the Department of Justice, Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
For more information about the enforcement efforts of the Consumer Protection Branch visit the branch’s website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Former Dallas County, Alabama, Deputy Sheriff Indicted for Sexual Assault, Kidnapping and Lying to InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
A former deputy sheriff with the Dallas County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office was charged in an indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Alabama for sexually assaulting and kidnapping a woman while he was on duty, and for misleading state investigators.
According to the indictment, on Jan. 30, 2020, Joshua Davidson, 32, while on duty as a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff, kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman in his custody. Davidson is also charged with making a misleading statement to investigators regarding his conduct related to the sexual assault and kidnapping. If convicted, Davidson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama and Special Agent in Charge Paul W. Brown for the FBI Mobile Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Mobile Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Arrington for the Southern District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Maura White and MarLa Duncan of the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Florida man pleads guilty for his role in international health care fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Nagaindra Srivastav has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and kickback charges for his role in selling fraudulent doctors’ orders to his co-conspirators, who used the orders to obtain at least $25 million in fraudulent payments from Medicare.
“Srivastav and his co-conspirators targeted our most vulnerable citizens to line their pockets with taxpayer money,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office is committed to finding and prosecuting those who exploit telemedicine and use it as a platform for their criminal schemes.”
“Healthcare fraud touches every corner of the United States. Srivastav’s actions cost taxpayers at least $25 million dollars,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “His criminal conduct was driven by personal greed. This guilty plea will serve as a reminder to others that the FBI and its law enforcement partners will investigate and prosecute individuals illegally exploiting healthcare technology for their own riches.”
“Health care fraud is not a victimless crime and those who defraud federal health care programs carelessly waste valuable taxpayer dollars and contribute to the rising cost of health care,” said Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles, at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, HHS-OIG remains committed to investigating and holding accountable perpetrators of health care fraud.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Srivastav was the owner of B2B Apps Solutions (“B2B”), a Florida-based company. Through B2B, Srivastav and his co-conspirators created and operated an internet-based platform that individuals and businesses in the health care industry used for the purchase and sale of physician orders for Durable Medical Equipment (“DME”), such as ankle, back, knee, or leg braces.
Through B2B, Srivastav paid and received remuneration for the referral of federal health care business. To accomplish this, Srivastav created a website, RepsHub, in which DME companies and others uploaded potential DME-patient information, called “leads,” which were generally obtained through telemarketing campaigns targeting beneficiaries for whom DME products could be billed. In addition, and in conjunction with his selling of physician orders, Srivastav also offered and sold leads, which he obtained through call centers controlled by himself and his co-conspirators.
Srivastav purchased the physicians’ orders that he sold to his customers from purported telemedicine companies based in the Philippines and Pakistan. These orders lacked medical necessity, and Srivastav was notified on numerous occasions that the purported authorizing physician had not actually spoken with the patient, signed the order, or prescribed the braces. Although Srivastav never personally submitted claims to Medicare or any other health care program, he is responsible for at least $25 million in federal health care program reimbursement.
Sentencing for Nagaindra Srivastav, 58, of Tampa, Florida, is scheduled for January 19, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O'Neal is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fentanyl Dealer Receives Enhanced Prison Sentence for Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge Anne Conway has sentenced Deonte Lee Barber (40, Rockledge) to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. Barber had pleaded guilty on February 3, 2022.
According to court documents and evidence produced at the sentencing hearing, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) utilized a confidential source to make controlled purchases of fentanyl from Barber. In total, Barber distributed 167 grams of fentanyl. During the course of the conspiracy, agents discovered that Barber had supplied C.M. with fentanyl on November 4, 2021, which resulted in C.M.’s death. Police were summoned to C.M.’s home in Rockledge after his mother called 911 crying that she had found her son deceased. Located in close proximity to C.M.’s body were a plastic pen with burnt residue on it and a pink plastic baggie with a brown powdery substance, later determined to be fentanyl. At the sentencing hearing, the Brevard County Associate Medical Examiner testified that C.M. died of an overdose in connection with his ingestion of fentanyl. C.M.’s blood analysis revealed that he had more than double the lethal amount in his system necessary to cause death.
Law enforcement established that Barber was the person who had sold the fentanyl to C.M. Testimony and exhibits showed that Barber communicated with C.M. by text message just prior to his death to arrange the fentanyl sale. Agents also uncovered additional evidence to corroborate that Barber had delivered the fentanyl to C.M. at his home just a few hours before C.M. was found dead. After C.M.’s death became known, Barber notified and warned other customers of the drug’s potency.
On December 2, 2021, DEA agents executed a search warrant at Barber’s storage unit, where he stored his drugs. Agents located drugs, scales, and a large number of pink baggies, identical to the one found next to C.M.’s body.
At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, the judge agreed with the government that Barber’s distribution of fentanyl had caused C.M.’s death and granted the United States’ motion for an enhanced sentence.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rockledge Police Department, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Cocoa Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Beatriz Gonzalez and Michael P. Felicetta.
Felon Sentenced for Possessing Destructive DevicesRead the Press Release
A man who had gasoline-filled destructive devices, commonly called Molotov cocktails, in his home on May 19, 2021, was sentenced today to more than two years in federal prison.
Melchizedek Robin Hayes, age 39, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 10, 2022 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, specifically three destructive devices.
In a plea agreement, Hayes admitted he had previously been convicted of prior burglary and multiple domestic abuse crimes. On May 19, 2021, Hayes had three Molotov Cocktails in his home, when Cedar Rapids Police Department officers responded to a call for emergency service and found them.
Hayes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hayes was sentenced to 26 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.
Hayes 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 Patrick Reinert and Ashley Corkery. This case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-00069.
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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Northshore Man for Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – A federal grand jury in New Orleans, Louisiana returned a four-count indictment on October 20, 2022 charging a man for violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
According to court documents, CODY SHAUGHNESSY, age 38, is charged in Counts 1, 2 and 3 with distribution of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B). In Count 4, SHAUGHNESSY is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
If convicted, SHAUGHNESSY faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, at least 4 years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
According to the indictment, SHAUGHNESSY distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine during August and September 2022. SHAUGHNESSY also possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on August 25, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Hammond Police Department, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman.
Federal Court Shuts Down New York Area Tax Return Preparation BusinessRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Eastern District of New York has permanently barred Brooklyn-based defendants Maria Cuervo and Danays Enterprises & Travel, Inc. from operating a tax return preparation business, including from their store located at 2786 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Defendants consented to the permanent injunction. The judgment entered by the Court also requires Cuervo to disgorge to the United States $150,000 in fees that the Government alleged she received as ill-gotten gains for preparing federal tax returns that make grossly incompetent, negligent, reckless or fraudulent claims.
Among the allegations in its complaint, the United States alleged that the defendants prepared customer’s tax returns, which reported fraudulent filing statuses, including improper claims of head-of-household status. The United States further alleged that the defendants prepared tax returns that claimed fraudulent dependent exemptions, as well as losses designed to improperly reduce reported taxable income.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. (More information can also be found here.) The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer, has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers, and offers information on how to avoid “ghost” tax preparers, whose refusal to sign a return should be a red flag to taxpayers. The IRS also has a list of important reminders for taxpayers who are about to file their 2020 tax returns, including how to prepare for a smooth filing process.
In addition, IRS Free File, a public-private partnership, offers free online tax preparation and filing options on IRS partner websites for individuals whose adjusted gross income is under $72,000. For individuals whose income is over that threshold, IRS Free File offers electronical federal tax forms that can be filled out and filed online for free.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Fayetteville Woman Sentenced to 90 Months for Kidnapping OffenseRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Fayetteville woman was sentenced today to 90 months in prison for her role in a December 2018 kidnapping conspiracy. On April 8, 2021, Merianda Gray pled guilty to the charge. She was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release and to pay $2,000.00 in restitution.
According to court documents, in December 2018, Gray and two co-defendants, Yomere Juan Busbee and James Calvin McEachern, Jr., held three adult victims, and a two-year-old child in a hotel room against their will for several hours after Busbee, a violent pimp and drug dealer, believed he was missing several hundred dollars and accused the victims of stealing it. During the incident Busbee, McEachern, and Gray threatened the victims and did not allow them to leave. Several of the victims were physically and sexually assaulted and tased. Eventually, one of the victims was able to get a message to a family member who called authorities. Busbee and McEachern fled after learning authorities were on the way, and three of the victims were able to escape. Officers with Fayetteville Police Department were able to retrieve the final victim from the room without incident. Co-defendant McEachern previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and is awaiting sentencing. Co-defendant Busbee was charged with five counts: conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, including of a minor, conspiracy to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base (crack), possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and felon in possession of a firearm. In September 2022, a jury found Busbee guilty of all counts after a three-day trial, and sentencing is pending.
Michael Easley, Jr. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fayetteville Police Department led the investigation. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-CR-00393-M.
Essex County Man Charged with Three Armed Robberies of Pharmacies in Elizabeth, New JerseyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man has been charged with three armed robberies of pharmacies for oxycodone and other prescription medication in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Charles Johnson, 28, of Irvington, New Jersey, was charged by complaint with three counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and three counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Johnson is scheduled to make his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In June and July 2022, Johnson robbed three different pharmacies in Elizabeth, New Jersey, using a similar approach for each of the robberies, including using a firearm, committing the robberies in the morning, demanding that employees of the pharmacies provide Johnson with oxycodone, promethazine, and other prescription medication, and threatening to shoot individuals in the pharmacies with a firearm. Law enforcement collected extensive video surveillance footage that linked Johnson to the robberies.
The Hobbs Act Robbery counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. The brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison, which must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed. Each count also carries a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gain or loss from the offenses, whichever is greatest.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited members of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the leadership of Prosecutor William A. Daniel; and the Elizabeth Police Department, under the leadership of Police Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker of the General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
El Mirage Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Dealing in Firearms Without a LicenseRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Abdur-R-Ahin Shamsid-Deen, 43, of El Mirage, Arizona, was sentenced on October 11, 2022, by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 30 months in federal prison. Shamsid-Deen previously pleaded guilty to Dealing Firearms Without a License.
From April to October 2019, Shamsid-Deen bought, and later sold, at least 55 firearms – mostly handguns – from Arizona gun stores for the purpose of selling them for a profit. Some of the handgun purchases were made for known members of a criminal street gang in Los Angeles, California. Law enforcement recovered 30 of the handguns that Shamsid-Deen purchased: 28 were recovered near Los Angeles, and two were recovered in Phoenix. Some of the firearms were used in robberies and drive-by shootings, and others were recovered from prohibited possessors—persons who are legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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, many stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Coleen Schoch and Brian Kasprzyk, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-21-00278-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-186_Shamsid-Deen
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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Eight Defendants Charged for Their Roles in Heroin, Fentanyl, and Crack Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Eight people were charged for their respective roles in a heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine distribution organization that sold large quantities of controlled substances in the area of Columbia Avenue and South Orange Avenue in Newark, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Zacqual Lancaster, Maurice Lee, Felix Lesperance, Rodger Busby, Marcellus Allen, Jack Jean-Baptiste, Trevon Smith, and Natequah Polk, all of Newark, are each were charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and 28 grams or more of crack cocaine. Seven of the defendants are in custody and are scheduled to have their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa in Newark federal court. Lancaster remains at large.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Since January 2022, law enforcement conducted extensive surveillance of an open-air narcotics market in the area of Columbia Avenue and South Orange Avenue, conducted numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, and analyzed telephone records, all of which demonstrated the extensive interactions between and among the conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; members of the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé; and members of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (“VCI”). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Frazer of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the Narcotics/Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Dubuque Teenager and Felon Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A Dubuque teenager and felon that possessed firearms was sentenced October 20, 2022, to more than four years in federal prison.
Dairein Dawon Dean, age 19, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 17, 2022 guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, prior to September 2021, Dean had been convicted of several felony offenses, including trafficking in stolen weapons, reckless use of firearm causing property damage, escape from custody, second‑degree burglary, and second‑degree criminal mischief. On September 4, 2021, law enforcement stopped Dean’s vehicle for having fraudulent license plates. During the traffic stop, Dean fled on foot, eluding officers. Officers searched Dean’s vehicle and recovered a loaded pistol. Then, on January 9, 2022, Dean fired several shots from his vehicle and struck an occupied residence at least five times.
Dean was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Dean was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a three‑year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Dean 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 Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives, and Firearms, and the Dubuque 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‑01004.
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Diamond Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Diamond, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for the sexual exploitation of a child.
Terry Lee Miksell, 66, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Thursday, Oct. 20, to life in federal prison without parole.
On March 29, 2022, Miksell was found guilty at trial of one count of producing child pornography and one count of using the internet and a cell phone to induce a child to engage in sexual activity.
At the time of the offense, Miksell was employed as a counselor at a Purdy, Mo., drug treatment facility and in a trusted position with the victim and her family.
Facebook initiated two CyberTips in September 2019 after locating sexually explicit messages and images between Miksell and a 16-year-old victim. Miksell asked the child victim in Facebook Messenger chats to send him sexually explicit images and videos. She told investigators she sent those images and videos at his request but often was reluctant to engage with the sexually explicit messages and felt bad about it. At one point she refused to send an image and Miksell used manipulation tactics to get her to continue to engage and send those images. Miksell also sent pornographic pictures of himself to the child victim.
Officers executed a search warrant at Miksell’s residence on Jan. 16, 2020, and seized several devices, including a cell phone. The cell phone contained a pornographic video of the child victim.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James J. Kelleher, Stephanie Wan, and Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Clinton, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Clinton, Illinois, man, Arthur Hatfield, 37, of the 500 block of East Washington was sentenced on October 19, 2022, to 41 months’ imprisonment, followed by seven years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography.
At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that between March and October of 2019 Hatfield possessed thousands of images of child pornography on multiple electronic devices and the internet-based application Pinterest. Furthermore, the images included children as young as five years of age engaged in sexual acts.
Also at the hearing, United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough found that the defendant possessed over 17,000 images and videos of child pornography, that they contained images of prepubescent children engaged in the lascivious display of their genitalia as well as engaged in sexual acts, and that the defendant had used software to attempt to mask his IP address when he engaged in collecting the child pornography.
Hatfield was indicted in August 2020 and plead guilty in September 2021.
The statutory penalties for possession of child pornography are up to 20 years in prison, up to life of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment.
The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigations Zone 4 investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Chesterfield Man Convicted in Scheme to Embezzle Funds in Law Firm Trust AccountRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Chesterfield man yesterday on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Joshua Brian Romano, 40, owned various businesses that purchased, rehabilitated, and sold homes around Richmond. He funded this work via construction loans that were held in escrow in the trust account of a Chesterfield County law firm. The loans were earmarked for use by Romano only for the purchase of and rehabilitation of specific properties, and only with the lender’s express approval for each disbursement. Acting at Romano’s direction, Lindsey Epps Passmore, 39, a paralegal at the law firm, disbursed $1.2 million of a lender’s funds held in trust for Romano’s projects without receiving the lender’s approval or by misleading the lender about how the funds were to be used. The funds were then used for purposes outside the scope of the agreements with the lender.
Romano faces 20 years in prison on each charge when sentenced on January 19, 2023. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Passmore pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is scheduled for sentencing on November 17.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-26.
Camden Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Desmund M. Walker, 37, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to an information charging him with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Judge Hillman imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On May 16, 2020, patrol officers from the Camden County Police Department encountered Walker in the vicinity of South 8th and Thurman streets in Camden. Walker fled from the officers through Robert B. Johnson Park, was apprehended, and found to be in possession of 17.67 grams of fentanyl wrapped in 93 white wax folds.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hillman sentenced Walker to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
California Man and Fremont Man Sentenced in Conspiracy to Produce and Transfer Fraudulent DocumentsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Luis Alberto Castro-Santos, 35, of Pomona, California, and Tomas De La Cruz-Perez, 37, of Fremont, Nebraska, were sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Conspiracy to Produce and Transfer Fraudulent Documents. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Castro-Santos and De La Cruz to imprisonment for terms of 24 months and 15 months, respectively. Prior to sentencing, De La Cruz-Perez had forfeited $9,170.00 as proceeds of the fraudulent document scheme. There is no parole in the federal system. After their release from prison, each will begin a 3-year term of supervised release. Both will be deported by U.S. immigration authorities after completing their respective sentences to imprisonment.
In the spring of 2020, law enforcement officers investigating an identity theft matter involving the use of a deceased person’s Social Security number learned that fraudulent identity documents could be obtained from De La Cruz-Perez.
Over the course of the year, investigators made several purchases of fraudulent documents (Social Security cards, state Driver’s Licenses, and Lawful Permanent Resident cards (I-551s) from De La Cruz-Perez, who was receiving dozens of packages originating in California through the U.S. Mail. Investigators determined that Castro-Santos was the source of the fraudulent documents mailed to De La Cruz-Perez for sale to customers in Nebraska. Investigators determined that Estuardo Ruiz-Orozco, of Wakefield, Nebraska, was also selling fraudulent documents obtained from Castro-Santos in California. Ruiz-Orozco was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 24 months on May 12, 2022. The remaining defendant in the case, Martin Alonzo Castro, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2023.
Investigators planned and executed coordinated arrests of the defendants on April 14, 2021. Investigators obtained warrants to search the Nebraska defendants’ residences and cars, yielding hundreds of counterfeit federal and state identity cards.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General, and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.
California Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Making Threatening Calls to Tufts University CampusRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man has agreed to plead guilty in connection with making threatening communications to the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) in May 2021.
Sammy Sultan, 49, of Hayward, Calif., was charged by an Information with and has agreed to plead guilty to one count of making threats in interstate commerce. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Sultan was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on March 31, 2022.
According to the charging documents, on or about May 28, 2021, Sultan made eight phone calls to TUPD, six of which included specific threats. During the calls, which collectively lasted about an hour, Sultan allegedly claimed to have entered a dorm room somewhere on the Tufts University campus, to be hiding beneath a bed, and to possess a taser and pistols. On several occasions, Sultan stated that he intended to use the taser if a woman returned to the dorm room and discovered him hiding beneath the bed. It is alleged that Sultan played the sounds of a taser activating and a pistol racking during the calls.
TUPD and local police carried out an hours-long, room-by-room search of numerous buildings on Tufts University’s Medford campus but failed to locate the caller. A subsequent investigation of electronic evidence determined that Sultan had made the calls from California. A law enforcement officer familiar with Sultan’s voice from a prior investigation recognized Sultan’s voice on the TUPD call recordings.
Sultan previously pleaded guilty in December 2017 in the Northern District of California to making hundreds of obscene and harassing phone calls to law enforcement agencies, for which he was sentenced to two years in prison.
The charge of making threatening communications in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by the Tufts University Police Department; Massachusetts State Police; Illinois State Police; and the Medford, Somerville, North Andover, Malden and Peabody Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy H. Kistner of Rollins’ National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bixby Man Convicted for Attempted Carjacking in Tulsa and a Double Homicide in Broken ArrowRead the Press Release
A Bixby man was convicted Friday in federal court for an attempted carjacking in Tulsa and a later double murder that occurred in Haikey Creek Park in Broken Arrow, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
A federal jury found Hunter Isaiah Hobbs, 21, guilty of all seven counts against him, including two counts of conspiracy to carry, use, and brandish a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; attempted carjacking; robbery in Indian Country; felony murder in Indian Country; causing death by carrying, using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and obstruction of justice by killing a victim.
Hobbs’ codefendant Denim Lee Blount, 20, of Tulsa, will go to trial at a later date. Blount is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
“Hunter Hobbs conspired with an accomplice to rob two acquaintances and then killed them so they couldn’t report the robbery to police. The week prior, the pair shot a complete stranger during an attempted carjacking,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The relentless efforts of this Office, the FBI, and the Tulsa and Broken Arrow Police Departments resulted in Hobbs being held accountable for these callous crimes. I want to thank the jury for their service and for following the evidence to a guilty verdict."
“The defendant in this case acted in blatant disregard for the law and more importantly, human life,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to remove violent offenders like Hobbs from our communities.”
“The Broken Arrow Police Department, the Tulsa Police Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office all worked closely together on this case,” said Broken Arrow Chief of Police Brandon Berryhill. “We are so appreciative of the team-approach, and we are always ready to do the same for our regional partners.”
On May 8, 2021, at 10:29 pm, two men later identified as Hobbs and Blount approached a man in a parking lot in an attempt to steal his vehicle. The victim stated that the defendants pointed firearms at him. The two ordered the victim to get out of his vehicle, and when the victim refused, both men shot through his windshield, striking him multiple times. The two then fled the scene. An investigator with the Tulsa Police Department estimated that the victim had been shot approximately 10 times.
The victim was transported to St. Francis Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The victim suffered permanent nerve damage to a finger as a result of the shooting. Surveillance cameras from a nearby apartment complex captured the incident and the men’s uncovered faces.
Less than a week later, prosecutors contended that Hobbs and Blount killed Caleb Vaughn Collier and Kelly Ray Olen Landsaw Davis at Haikey Creek Park in Broken Arrow. During trial, prosecutors contended that Hobbs shot and killed Collier 15 total times with a 1911 Colt Commander .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and Blount shot and killed Landsaw Davis with a 12-gauge shotgun.
At the crime scene, Broken Arrow police officers located 15 .45 caliber shell casings, one fired 12-gauge shotgun shell, and one unfired 12-guage shotgun shell.
The Tulsa Police Department’s Forensic Laboratory examined the cartridge casings and shotgun shells collected from both crime scenes and determined they came from the same two firearms.
Law enforcement was able to link Hobbs and his codefendant to the double homicide by accessing Davis’ Facebook account. Investigators learned that Hobbs had been messaging Davis about meeting up in Haikey Creek Park just prior to the murders. Hobbs’ cell phone data also placed him at the park at the time of the crime.
Officers also linked the two men to the attempted carjacking after speaking with family members who confirmed Blount and Hobbs were the individuals in the video committing the crime.
Investigators further confirmed that Hobbs’ Colt Commander was the same pistol he accidentally discharged years prior in an incident at his grandfather Ike Shirley’s home in Bixby. Shirley was the Chief of Police in Bixby at that time as well as at the time of the murders. At the end of the accidental discharge investigation, the pistol was signed out of evidence and returned to Hobbs.
During the course of the investigation, the FBI interviewed the defendants’ friends and family members. They learned that the two had conspired to commit the attempted carjacking and double homicide and talked to witnesses about their involvement.
Agents further learned that after the double murder, the men drove off in Collier’s car, parked it near an apartment complex where they were staying, and set fire to the car to destroy potential evidence.
During trial, Hobbs’ former fiancé testified about remarks Hobbs made following both incidents.
She stated that when Hobbs returned from the May 8, 2021, attempted carjacking, Hobbs said that he shot through the driver’s window because he thought the driver was going to shoot Blount. He bragged that the driver was likely dead since he was slouched over in the vehicle. He then had her download a Newson6 app so he could keep tabs on reports about the attempted carjacking.
On the night of May 12, 2021, Hobbs’ former fiancé also stated that the group was hanging out with friends when Hobbs told her that he and Blount were going to go smoke with Collier and Landsaw Davis. He then said if things went wrong “he’d handle it.” She asked to go with him, but he was adamant she didn’t go.
Hobbs returned early the morning of the crime and described the events that took place. Hobbs told her that when Collier started running from the defendants that he shot Collier in the back with a full magazine. He then reloaded the pistol and emptied the second magazine into the victim’s neck and face. Then Hobbs said he kicked the victim in the face. His former fiancé described how Hobbs joked about the crime, mocked the victim, and then mimicked the victim’s dying breaths. She said the two then returned to his grandfather’s home, where Hobbs resided, and played video games.
In closing prosecutors argued that Hobbs’ crimes were senseless and that ultimately “violence was the motive.” They described how he sought to create a violent persona and bragged about leaving a trail of bodies as a result of his crimes. Finally, prosecutors stated that Hobbs was trying to be known as a killer. They asked the jury to give him the title of “killer” and find him guilty on all counts.
The FBI and Tulsa and Broken Arrow Police Departments conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Nassar, Ryan H. Heatherman and Leah D. Paisner are prosecuting the case.
Beaumont Felon Sentenced for Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Beaumont man has been sentenced for a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Gregory Cherry, Jr., 40, pleaded guilty on June 6, 2022, to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on Oct. 20, 2022.
According to information presented in court, on August 1, 2022, law enforcement officers responded to a report that an individual had a firearm and was arguing with another person in a gas station parking lot in Beaumont. Officers encountered Cherry, who matched the description of the person who was reported as having the firearm. As officers approached Cherry, he began running from the officers. After a brief foot pursuit, officers caught Cherry, and Cherry resisted arrest. During the struggle Cherry was able to retrieve a firearm from his pocket and throw it a short distance away. One officer was injured during the struggle with Cherry. Cherry was eventually taken into custody and officers were able to recover the firearm.
Further investigation revealed Cherry is a convicted felon and prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Cherry was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 6, 2021.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, 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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
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Baton Rouge Man Sentenced to 292 Months in Federal Prison for Interference with Commerce by Robbery and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Forrest Hardy, age 33, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 292 months in federal prison following his convictions for interference with commerce by robbery. The Court further sentenced Hardy to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the firearm involved be forfeited.
According to admissions made during his plea, on or about January 7, 2020, at approximately 6:41 p.m., Hardy, while wearing a mask, entered the Boost Mobile Store, located at 8180 Scenic Hwy, Baton Rouge, which is across the street from Baton Rouge Police Department’s Fourth Precinct police station, and pointed a firearm at an employee. After Hardy demanded money kept in the cash registers, the employee complied with Hardy’s demands, who removed and pocketed the cash. Hardy then fled from the store and ran to a 1999 Lexus SUV.
Following investigative leads, the following day, detectives identified the vehicle driven by Hardy and developed him as a suspect of this robbery. Video cameras captured images of Hardy’s car enabling detectives to identify Hardy’s vehicle as a gold-colored Lexus, bearing distinct coloring on the right front quarter panel.
On January 8, 2020, at approximately 7:20 p.m., Hardy, while wearing a green jacket and a black mask over his face, entered a Metro PCS cellular phone store, located at 1966 North Foster Dr., Baton Rouge. Hardy then pointed a loaded Glock, model 22, .40 caliber pistol, with an extended magazine and a weapon-mounted flashlight at an employee and demanded cash from the register. He removed the cash from the register and pocketed it. While aiming his firearm at the employee, Hardy demanded the cash that the business kept in its safe in the storage room. Concerned for his safety, the victim led the robber to the storage room. From his vantage point, the victim observed Hardy rummaging through the safe. Following the robbery, Hardy fled the premises in same vehicle, the 1999 Lexus SUV, he used the night before. Notably, the day before the robbery the safe contained an Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and after the robbery the Apple iPhone Pro Max was no longer in the safe.
Later, on the evening of January 8, 2020, at approximately 8:25 p.m., law enforcement officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department stopped Hardy in the 1999 Lexus SUV, which bore the distinct coloring on one of its sides. Law enforcement officers observed, in plain view, a black handgun with an extended magazine, and a black mask on the front passenger seat. Police thereafter arrested Hardy.
A day or so later, during the execution of a search warrant on the 1999 Lexus SUV, law enforcement personnel found an assault style firearm, a .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine, stolen cash, a ski mask, the gloves used by Hardy during the robberies, and ammunition.
Previously, Hardy had been convicted of armed robbery in East Baton Rouge Parish in 2007 and convicted of second-degree battery and false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon in Lafayette Parish in 2019.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Baton Rouge Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert W. Piedrahita and Jeremy S. Johnson.
20 October 2022
York County Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Federal Program FundsRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Leonard Hart, age 50, of Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to obtaining by fraud and misapplying money from Lincoln Charter School (LCS) in York, Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, LCS is a recipient of federal program funds because it receives grants funded by the U.S Department of Education—primarily Title I funding, which is financial assistance for schools with high numbers of children from low-income backgrounds.
From 2013 until November 2021, Hart was LCS’s Principal and CEO. LCS offers a program by which employees are able to receive partial tuition reimbursement for furthering their education. Hart misrepresented that he was pursuing a Ph.D. and submitted numerous requests for reimbursement for courses that he falsely claimed he was taking from a few universities. He also falsified records to support these claims for tuition reimbursement and pressured a lower-level employee of the school and former LCS student to assist him in creating a forged diploma.
Hart admitted to submitting to LCS nearly 20 false and fraudulent reimbursement requests between 2018 and 2020. Hart also agreed to pay $55,311 in restitution, representing the total amount of funds he received through fraudulent reimbursement requests.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 10 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
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