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20 October 2022
Washington man sentenced for interfering with flight crew on cross-county flight diverted to BillingsRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Washington man who admitted to interfering with an airline crew by jumping on a beverage cart and pushing a flight attendant into a seat, screaming and trying to remove his clothes on a flight that was diverted to Billings for his removal was sentenced today to three years of probation and ordered to pay $14,500 restitution to the airline, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Adam Alexander Williams, 33, of Auburn, Washington, pleaded guilty in June to an indictment charging him with interference with flight members and attendants.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on Jan. 9, Williams boarded an American Airlines cross-country flight from Seattle, Washington, to Charlotte, North Carolina. Once in the air, Williams’ behavior turned erratic and escalated. Williams yelled profanities and asked to no one in particular, “Where is Jasmine Sanders?” Williams jumped from his window seat, over two passengers in his row, and onto a beverage cart. As he came off of the cart, Williams pushed a flight attendant into a seat and began to run down the aisle of the aircraft.
Another flight attendant calmed Williams down and escorted him to his seat. About 10 minutes later, Williams again began yelling profanities. Flight attendants then seated Williams around a group of U.S. Marines, who happened to be on the flight. Undeterred, Williams began screaming about 10 minutes later while taking off his clothes. At that point, to ensure the safety of passengers, the aircraft’s captain diverted the plane to Billings so that Williams could be removed.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno B. Baucus prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Billings Airport Police.
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Washington Man Sentenced for Involvement in Sandpoint Teen's DeathRead the Press Release
COEUR D’ALENE – Antoinne James Holmes, 23, of Cusick, Washington, was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury and death, announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill sentenced Holmes to 151 months in prison and ordered that he pay $3,270 in restitution. Holmes, upon completion of his prison time, was also ordered to serve an additional three years of supervised release.
On August 28, 2020, 16-year-old G.D. was found unconscious in his bedroom at his father’s home in Sandpoint, Idaho. He died, despite attempts to revive him by family and medical personnel. The coroner determined G.D. died of a fentanyl overdose; a toxicology report and autopsy showed that G.D. had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system at the time of his death.
The case was investigated by the Sandpoint Police Department, Idaho State Police, and the DEA Drug Task Force in Coeur d’Alene. Officers began an immediate investigation into the death and learned G.D. had met with Holmes during the early morning hours of August 28, 2022, near Old Town, Idaho. Holmes sold G.D. pills containing fentanyl. It was one of these pills that eventually killed G.D. Based upon the evidence it appears that G.D. immediately lost consciousness after consuming the pill.
“This tragic case illustrates that fentanyl can be an instant killer,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “We must do all we can to rid our communities of this poison, and I know our federal, state, and local partners are dedicated to this mission. Prevention is also critical, and so we must all spread the word about this extremely addictive and deadly drug. This is truly about saving lives.”
“Unfortunately, this is another tragic example that One Pill Can Kill,” said Jacob D. Galvan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Seattle Field Division. “We will continue to work with all our state, local, and federal partners to hold accountable individuals like Mr. Holmes and ensure we keep our communities safe and healthy.”
As part of their investigation, officers learned that Holmes had been selling fentanyl-laced pills for several months prior to G.D.’s death. Idaho and other states have seen a massive influx of counterfeit pills in the last several years. The pills are mass-produced by criminal drug networks and falsely marketed as legitimate prescription pills. The pills are made to look like prescription opioids such as oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and alprazolam (Xanax); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall).
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for severe pain management and prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges. While prescription fentanyl can be diverted for misuse, most cases of fentanyl-related overdoses in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl that is sold through illicit drug markets for its heroin-like effect.
Counterfeit pills are becoming more and more common place. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its law enforcement partners seized nationally more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23, 2022 through Sept 8, 2022. Despite law enforcement efforts to educate the public and stop the flow of these illegal drugs, the number of overdose deaths related to these pills continues to rise. For more information regarding this concerning trend please visit: https://www.dea.gov/onepill.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, commended the cooperative efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
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Washington Man Charged with Hate Crime for Shooting and Damaging Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom HallRead the Press Release
A Washington man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Seattle, Washington, in connection with a May 15, 2018, shooting that damaged a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
Mikey Diamond Starrett, aka Michael Jason Layes, 50, of Olympia, Washington, was charged in a superseding indictment with one count of damage to religious property, including the use of a dangerous weapon. He also was charged with one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The original indictment charged the defendant with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to the indictment, on or about May 15, 2018, the defendant used a semi-automatic rifle to deface, damage and destroy religious real property at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall of Yelm, Washington, because of the religious character of the property.
If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the charge of damage to religious property involving the use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted on the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm charge, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The defendant faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed for the remaining firearms offense.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington made the announcement.
The ATF Seattle Field Division, the FBI Seattle Office and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the matter. Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca S. Cohen for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.
For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Washington Man Charged with Hate Crime for Shooting and Damaging Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom HallRead the Press Release
Seattle – A Washington man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Seattle, Washington, in connection with a May 15, 2018, shooting that damaged a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
Mikey Diamond Starrett, aka Michael Jason Layes, 50, of Olympia, Washington, was charged in a superseding indictment with one count of damage to religious property, including the use of a dangerous weapon. He also was charged with one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The original indictment charged the defendant with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to the indictment, on or about May 15, 2018, the defendant used a semi-automatic rifle to deface, damage and destroy religious real property at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall of Yelm, Washington, because of the religious character of the property.
If convicted, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the charge of damage to religious property involving the use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted on the unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm charge, the defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The defendant faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed for the remaining firearms offense.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Nick Brown for the Western District of Washington made the announcement.
The ATF Seattle Field Division, the FBI Seattle Office and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the matter. Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca S. Cohen for the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.
For more information and resources about the department’s work to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to production and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, between December 2018 and April 2019, Chad Michael Lehofer, 37, of Fredericksburg, repeatedly engaged in sexually explicit discussions with a minor online, enticed and coerced the minor to produce sexually explicit pictures and videos, and directed the minor to send the pictures and videos to Lehofer. When the minor tried to break off contact with him, Lehofer pretended to be a different person and continued to communicate with the minor online under that false identity. Lehofer sent threatening messages to the minor, telling the minor that if the minor did not send him sexually explicit videos, he would expose the minor to others, including the minor’s mother and friends. Lehofer claimed to be watching the minor’s house and would send the minor messages indicating that he knew the minor’s location and that he would be waiting at the minor’s home. In response to these threats, the minor produced a sexually explicit video and sent it to Lehofer.
After obtaining a warrant to search Lehofer’s cell phone, law enforcement discovered his phone contained numerous images and videos of child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent minors. Lehofer was previously convicted in Connecticut in 2006 for state offenses involving his sexual abuse of two minors.
Lehofer is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 16, 2023. He faces a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zoe Bedell and Lauren Halper for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Production and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Fredericksburg man pleaded guilty today to production and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, from at least December 11, 2018 through April 8, 2019, Chad Michael Lehofer, 37, repeatedly engaged in sexually explicit discussions with a minor online and enticed and coerced the minor to produce sexually explicit pictures and videos and send them to Lehofer. After the minor tried to break off contact with him, Lehofer pretended to be a different person and continued to communicate with the minor online. Lehofer sent threatening messages to the minor, telling the minor that if the minor did not send him sexually explicit videos, he would expose the minor to others, including the minor’s mother and friends. Lehofer claimed to be watching the minor’s house and would send the minor messages indicating he knew the minor’s location and he would be waiting at the minor’s home. In response to these threats, the minor produced a sexually explicit video and sent it to Lehofer.
After obtaining a warrant to search Lehofer’s cell phone, law enforcement discovered that his phone contained numerous images and videos of child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent minors. Lehofer was previously convicted in Connecticut in 2006 for state offenses involving his sexual abuse of two minors.
Lehofer is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16, 2023. He faces a mandatory minimum of at least 15 years in prison. 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.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; and Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Nachmanoff accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zoe Bedell and Lauren Halper, as well as Trial Attorney Eduardo Palomo from the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, are prosecuting the case.
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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
In 2021, EDVA launched “UnMasked,” a community-based educational outreach and prevention program in Virginia dedicated to raising awareness and educating the community about the prevalence of online sexual exploitation involving children and young adults. UnMasked is a multi-disciplinary partnership of local, state, federal, and non-profit stakeholders. The core curriculum is provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) NetSmartz program. To report an incident involving online sexual exploitation, call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a report at report.cybertip.org. To request an UnMasked event at your school or organization, please contact EDVA’s Community Outreach Coordinator at [email protected].
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-82.
Vallejo Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Flying to the Philippines with the Intention of Engaging in Sexual Conduct with a ChildRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Balbino Sablad, 81, of Vallejo, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $3,500 for traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, in 2019, Sablad flew to the Philippines with the intention of engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 16. Using Facebook, Sablad had engaged in sexual chats with a person he believed was the intended minor victim and he sent the intended minor victim over $2,000 prior to his travel to the Philippines. Before he arrived, he also discussed with a co-conspirator his plan to sexually abuse the intended minor victim in the Philippines.
“Today’s sentence reflects the disturbing lengths the defendant was willing to go to engage in sexual acts with a child,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Our office is committed to doing everything we can to help ensure that children are protected from future crimes by predators like the defendant.”
“The FBI works very closely with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to investigate perpetrators like Sablad and bring them to justice,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan. “Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to individuals who exploit our society’s most vulnerable that no matter how far they travel to commit these reprehensible crimes, they are not beyond the reach of law enforcement.”
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosanne Rust prosecuted the case.
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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
United States Naval Officer Charged Federally for Cyberstalking, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Conspiracy for a Campaign to Harass His Ex-WifeRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Jason Michael Leidel, age 42, an active-duty commissioned officer of the United States Navy and Sarah Elizabeth Sorg, age 43, a Senior Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Transportation, both of Silver Spring, Maryland, with aggravated identity theft, fraud related to a protected computer, cyberstalking and conspiracy to commit cyberstalking. The criminal complaint was filed on October 17, 2022, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.
The defendants are scheduled to have initial appearances beginning at 3:00 p.m. today, in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson.
The federal charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Alison F. Zavada of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS); Special Agent in Charge Craig Miles of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (USDOT OIG); Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD); and Chief Paul W. Neudigate of the Virginia Beach, Virginia Police Department (VBPD).
As detailed in the affidavit, Leidel married his wife in 2005 and they had two children. Leidel has served in the military since 2003—first in the United States Air Force, then in the United States Navy (USN). In 2017, while on active duty with the USN, Leidel was accepted to a Ph.D. program at the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences (“USUHS”) in Bethesda, Maryland, and reported for his assignment in June 2018. In August 2018, Leidel and his wife permanently separated. She and the two children returned to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where they had lived prior to Leidel’s USUHS assignment.
The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint alleges that, since their separation, Leidel has engaged in an ongoing and extensive scheme to harass his ex-wife, interfere with court proceedings relating to domestic relations issues, and perpetrate fraud on courts in both Montgomery County, Maryland and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Among other things, Leidel used spoofed and fraudulent email accounts and phone numbers to falsely create communications purporting to be from his ex-wife, thus causing criminal charges to be filed against her, disrupt her employment, and interfere with her personal life. Leidel also allegedly sent emails from compromised accounts and spoofed accounts in order to portray his ex-wife as a mentally unstable parent, with the hope that he would gain custody of their minor children in order to deprive his ex-wife of his retirement accounts and pension in their divorce agreement.
In addition, according to the affidavit, Sorg shared her home with Leidel and was present when a search warrant was executed at their residence. Sorg was aware of information that linked multiple fraudulent online accounts used by Leidel to harass and victimize his ex-wife as early as August 2020 and has allegedly continued to provide assistance to Leidel to harass the victim, interfere with court proceedings, and perpetrate fraud on courts in Montgomery County, Maryland and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
If convicted, Jason Leidel and Sarah Sorg each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and for cyberstalking; a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft; and one year in federal prison for fraud related to a protected computer. 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.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the NCIS, the USDOT OIG, the MCPD, and the VBPD for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland State Police for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys P. Michael Cunningham and Thomas M. Sullivan, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa Observes Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Des Moines, IA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa and U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal joins the Department of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), advocates, survivors, victim service providers, justice professionals, police and first responders, and communities across the United States in observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
For too many victims, domestic violence impacts their life every day. The devastating consequences of domestic violence are widespread and affects the victims as well as the victims’ family and friends, and can cross generations and last a lifetime. Approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes. These rates are disproportionately higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, women of Color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and two-spirit people, and people with disabilities. Domestic Violence Awareness Month provides an opportunity to spread awareness about domestic violence and encourage everyone to play a role in ending gender-based violence.
“Domestic Violence Awareness Month reminds us of the human impact of domestic violence and our role along with the dedicated victim advocates, service providers, police and first responders in ensuring that victims and survivors have a path to safety, access to services, and a voice in justice,” said U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal. “Domestic violence happens in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our communities and a top priority of our office will continue to be assisting victims, prosecuting offenders, and supporting our community’s awareness of available resources.”
Targeting gun violence is a key part of combatting domestic violence and reducing violent crime. Domestic violence abusers with access to a gun are five times more likely to kill their partners, and in addition to their lethality, firearms are used by abusers to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control. Under federal law, people convicted of a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or are subject to a protective order are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. This crime is punishable by up to fifteen years in prison.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE), or the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 1-800-770-1650. Additional resources for victims and survivors of domestic violence can be found on the Resources page of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website at https://ncadv.org/resources.
U.S. Marshals Return Fugitive from Dominican Republic to Serve Money Laundering Conspiracy SentenceRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A man sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison in January 2006 for conspiracy to launder drug money was returned to Mobile following his arrest by the U.S. Marshals Service and extradition from the Dominican Republic. Nigal E. Carpio-Calderon appeared Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Mobile, and the court ordered him to remain in the U.S. Marshals Service’s custody until his designation to a Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence.
According to court documents, on January 24, 2006, the U.S. District Court sentenced Carpio-Calderon, now 62, for laundering the proceeds of drug money. Carpio-Calderon lived in Puerto Rico while he was on pretrial release. The court allowed Carpio-Calderon to self-surrender rather than being taken into custody immediately at his sentencing hearing. Carpio-Calderon then returned to Puerto Rico. As a release condition, Carpio-Calderon was not allowed to leave the District of Puerto Rico without written permission from the court. The court issued a warrant for Carpio-Calderon’s arrest on March 14, 2006, when his Pretrial Officer there reported that he could not locate him and his residence appeared abandoned.
“Thanks to the relentless work of the Marshals Service in Mobile, this money laundering criminal has been brought back to the United States to face justice and serve his sentence,” said U. S. Attorney Sean P. Costello. “We appreciate the hard work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Dominican Republic to make sure justice was served. Anyone considering running from their crime or their sentence should know that the U.S. Marshals Service and our other partners in law enforcement are going to find criminals wherever they try to hide,” added Costello.
“Today is a victory in the ongoing war against drug trafficking,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey. “Coordination with other agencies and leveraging each of our strengths was the key to bring Carpio-Calderon to justice in our continuous fight against drug trafficking and money laundering. Thanks to the diligence of our law enforcement partners at the U.S. Marshals Service, this criminal is now off the street and being held accountable for his actions.”
“This significant arrest and successful extradition from The Dominican Republic shows the great cooperation and collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Alabama,” said U.S. Marshal Mark F. Sloke. “To be able to locate a fugitive who has been on the run in a foreign country for over 15 years is a tremendous feat and we couldn’t have done it without the full support and commitment of The Dominican Republic.”
FBI Mobile SAC Paul Brown stated, “this arrest is a testament to the work ethic of the men and women who wear the badge, prosecute the cases, and pursue the fugitives. Those who assist in laundering drug money are no better than the dealers who peddle this poison in our communities and will be held accountable.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Griffin prosecuted the money laundering conspiracy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Lankford handled the extradition on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona Observes Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – United States Attorney Gary Restaino joins the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), advocates, survivors, victim service providers, justice professionals, police and first responders, communities across the U.S. and sovereign tribal nations in observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM).
“Domestic violence impacts our communities and our society across the board,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino. “And we who serve as federal prosecutors for the District of Arizona have a duty to use all the tools at our disposal—and leverage our partnerships with local law enforcement and prosecutors—to ensure victims have a viable path to safety and justice.”
Domestic violence is more prevalent than many realize. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and last a lifetime. Approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes; however, rates are disproportionately higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, women of Color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and two-spirit people, and people with disabilities. DVAM provides an opportunity to spread awareness about domestic violence and encourage everyone to play a role in ending gender-based violence.
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-185_Domestic Violence
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona Appoints District Election Officer for the Northern District of AlabamaRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jason Cheek will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Cheek has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Alabama, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen has the right to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
“The FBI is the primary investigative agency responsible for election-related crimes, like voter fraud and voter suppression,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Felix A. Rivera-Esparra said. “We will not tolerate criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election.”
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Cheek will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at 205-244-2001.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 205-326-6166.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney Chung Appoints Election Officer for the Western District of PennsylvaniaRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Yvonne Saadi will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSA Saadi has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Chung said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Chung said, “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Saadi will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 412-894-7516.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 412-432-4000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
United States Attorney Chung added, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.s. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe Announces Collections of over $6.5 Million in Criminal and Civil Cases During the Last Fiscal YearRead the Press Release
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe announced today that her office collected
$6,558,705.15 in civil and criminal actions in Fiscal Year 2022. Of that amount, $4,020,660.31 was collected in civil cases, and $2,538,044.84 was collected in criminal cases. The
FY 2022 criminal debt collection total exceeded the average of the previous five fiscal years by more than $1,000,000. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1st to September 30th.“The fact that we were able to collect more than $6 million dollars this year demonstrates the dedication and skill of the members of our financial litigation unit, as well as the excellent case work done by our civil and criminal divisions,” said U.S. Attorney Crowe. “The work of collecting restitution from criminal defendants and returning funds to victims of crime is a critical part of the job for all prosecutors,” she continued.
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department of Justice’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the United States and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to victims, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s
Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.U.S. Attorney Crowe also said, “These collections represent civil settlements, restitution to victims, as well as fines and monetary penalties. This money is back where it belongs – in the hands of victims and the taxpayers.”
Working with partner agencies and divisions, the Southern District of Illinois also collected
$539,030.27 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2022. The Department’s Asset Forfeiture Program encompasses the seizure and forfeiture of assets that represent the proceeds of, or were used to facilitate, federal crimes. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department’s Assets Forfeiture
Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.The Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Programs are, first and foremost, law enforcement programs. They remove the tools of crime from criminal organizations, deprive wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes, recover property that may be used to compensate victims, and deter crime. The Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury emphasize these law enforcement purposes to their own law enforcement agencies and all federal, state, local, and tribal partner agencies.
Tulsa Man Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A Tulsa man was sentenced Thursday in federal court for attempting to entice an individual he believed was a 14-year-old child and for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Bradley Scott Pickens, 45, to 151 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography in Indian Country and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.
Pickens admitted in his plea agreement to knowingly possessing and accessing child sexual abuse material. Some of the depictions also included children under 12 years old. He further admitted to using his cell phone and other electronic means to attempt to persuade and entice an individual he believed to be a minor to engage in sexual activity from Nov. 5, 2019, to Nov. 28, 2019. Pickens was actually communicating with an undercover officer.
Law enforcement was first made aware of Pickens after an individual reported that she had discovered possible child pornography on Pickens’ cell phone. Authorities launched an investigation and obtained an Oklahoma search warrant for the phone. A forensic examination of the phone showed that Pickens took part in several conversations with individuals claiming to be minors. In those conversations, he encouraged one victim to engage in a sex act with her father.
As the investigation continued, an undercover officer with the Bristow Police Department posed as a minor female online, and the two eventually made contact. The undercover officer stated that he was a 14-year-old girl in those conversations. Pickens claimed that he had previously had sex with several 16-year-olds. Eventually Pickens proposed the two meet for a sexual encounter.
When Pickens arrived at the predetermined location, he was taken into custody. Law enforcement later searched a motel room and located condoms, a laptop, a cell phone and other items tying him to the crime.
The Broken Arrow and Bristow Police Departments and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.
Three Members of Violent Reading, PA Drug Gang Convicted by Jury of Federal Murder, Kidnapping and Drug Conspiracy ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams announced today during a press conference in the Berks County Courthouse that Jesus Feliciano-Trinidad, 33; Dewayne Quinones, 29; and Mayco Alvarez-Jackson, 25; all of Reading, PA, were convicted at trial of murder, kidnapping, drug distribution and firearms offenses arising from their involvement with a Reading-area drug trafficking organization which was responsible for multiple homicides, kidnapping, and conspiracies to kidnap in 2017 and 2018, including a quadruple homicide which occurred on January 28, 2018. All three defendants were convicted of federal murder and weapons charges relating to the quadruple homicide.
Over 15 defendants were charged in a series of indictments stemming from a years’ long investigation into the receipt, processing, and distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine. The indictments detailed the defendants using a number of buildings, residences, firearms and acts of violence to further their drug dealing efforts in and around Reading, including kidnapping and/or shooting multiple individuals in 2017 and 2018; conspiring to shoot and kill Miguel Reyes on December 13, 2017; kidnaping, shooting, and killing Hector Gonzalez-Rivera on January 24, 2018; and shooting and killing Jarlyn Lantigua-Tejada, Juan Rodriguez, Nelson Onofre, and Joshua Santos on January 28, 2018.
“These three defendants, members of the Trinidad gang, have been convicted by a jury of some of the most serious charges that exist under federal law with penalties of equal gravity,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “These convictions, after years of investigation and preparation, would not have been possible without the partnership of District Attorney Adams and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I want to thank them and all of our local law enforcement partners here in Berks County as we work together to prosecute violent drug trafficking organizations like Trinidad in order to keep the Reading community safe.”
“We appreciate the partnership between the Berks County District Attorney’s Office and the United States Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in the prosecution of this violent Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO),” said Berks County District Attorney Adams. “Today’s verdict indicates a very successful prosecution of this violent DTO that created mayhem in our community. These convictions indicate that the jury has held the leaders of this organization responsible for their acts of violence and drug trafficking, and as a result they will never be a threat to our community again.”
“These are three violent, dangerous men who terrorized the Reading area for years, trafficking deadly drugs and committing multiple murders,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The Trinidad organization’s actions destroyed families and had a devastating effect on the community’s public safety and quality of life. This case underscores how the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working together to target and dismantle the violent drug gangs wreaking so much havoc, just to make money and a name for themselves on the street. I want to thank the Reading Police Department and the Berks County District Attorney's Office, in addition to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania – for all the time, work, and resources they put into this investigation, resulting in today’s convictions.”
12 defendants charged in the investigation previously pleaded guilty to federal or state charges and are awaiting sentencing. Co-defendants Mariela Alvarado and Owen Malave-Medina were sentenced to 168 months and 90 months in prison, respectively.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, the Berks County Detectives, and the Reading Police Department, with assistance from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Montgomery County Detectives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly A. Lewis Fallenstein, Special Assistant United States Attorney Rosalynda M. Michetti, and Assistant United States Attorney Vineet Gauri.
Ten Defendants Charged in Drug Trafficking Probe Targeting Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Sales in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal drug trafficking investigation has resulted in charges against ten individuals for allegedly conspiring to distribute at least 35 kilograms of fentanyl-laced heroin and crack cocaine on the West Side of Chicago.
During the multi-year probe, law enforcement seized more than a kilogram of narcotics, as well as 13 firearms and more than $40,000 in suspected illicit proceeds. The investigation, led by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and Chicago Police Department, utilized covert surveillance operations, controlled narcotics purchases, and wiretapped communications to shut down the defendants’ drug trafficking activities, which were centered mainly in Chicago’s North Austin neighborhood.
Many of the defendants were arrested this week and have begun making initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
The federal charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and David Brown, Superintendent of CPD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Kelly and Simar Khera represent the government.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles drug traffickers and other alleged criminal offenders that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against alleged criminal networks.
Charged with a federal drug conspiracy are CARLOS JAMES, 46; SAMUEL BROOKS, 71; PAURICE ROSE, 46; DONALD WILLIAMS, 34; VASHON JAMES, 39; DAVID LAMB, 56; FELICIA SINGLETON, 57; THOMAS BIRT, 54; AVIS KNIGHT, 54; and HAYDEE CANO, 46; all of Chicago. Brooks is also charged with illegally possessing a handgun as a previously convicted felon.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Carlos James led a drug trafficking organization that distributed at least 35 kilograms of fentanyl-laced heroin and at least 1.1 kilograms of crack cocaine to street-level customers in Chicago from April 2021 to August 2022.
Carlos James allegedly worked with Rose and Williams to prepare and package the drugs for distribution on the street. The drug trafficking organization used multiple “stash houses” in Chicago, including residences in the 1700 block of North Mango Avenue and the 1600 and 1700 blocks of North Mayfield Avenue, to store the narcotics and the cash proceeds, the complaint alleges. Brooks served as a street-level manager of the organization, providing narcotics to Lamb, Singleton, Birt, Knight, and Cano to sell to customers on the street, the charges allege. Vashon James allegedly prepared crack cocaine and collected the proceeds after the sales.
During the probe, law enforcement executed court-authorized searches of the stash houses and other locations and worked with a cooperating source to make nine controlled purchases of narcotics from the defendants’ organization.
The public is reminded that a complaint contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than Ten Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and HeroinRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and heroin.
RAYLOE JACKSON, 46, of Maywood, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to possession of fentanyl and heroin with intent to distribute.
Jackson admitted in a plea agreement that on April 3, 2020, he met with a Rockford-based narcotics supplier in Maywood and obtained more than a kilogram of fentanyl and nearly 200 grams of heroin, which Jackson intended to distribute to another individual. When law enforcement attempted to stop Jackson after his meeting with the supplier, Jackson ran from the officers and threw a bag containing the fentanyl and heroin over a fence into a backyard of a residence on South 14th Avenue in Maywood. Officers ultimately caught and arrested him.
As part of his plea agreement, Jackson also admitted that in 2019 he possessed two kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute. This case was Jackson’s fourth felony drug-trafficking conviction.
U.S. District Judge Phillip G. Reinhard imposed the 124-month prison sentence after a hearing Wednesday in federal court in Rockford.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The investigation was conducted by a DEA task force, which includes officers from the Crystal Lake, Ill. Police Department, Belvidere, Ill. Police Department, and Boone County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office. The Rockford Police Department assisted in the investigation.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Paccagnini and Talia Bucci.
Stevens Point Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Alexander Kucharski, 21, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James Peterson to 5 years in prison for distributing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 12 years of supervised release.
Kucharski was arrested after law enforcement determined that he was creating and administering numerous Kik chat-groups devoted to exchanging child pornography. Whenever a chatroom would get shut down due to the nature of the content, he would open a new one. Each of these rooms had 50 members before they were shut down. Judge Peterson found that by administering these chat rooms, the defendant facilitated the continued victimization of numerous children.
The charge against Kucharski was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Stevens Point Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, and Plover Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Altman prosecuted this case.
St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing FirearmsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on March 20, 2021, Clifton Earl Jiles, 31, purchased the firearm, stating on the ATF Form 4473 that he was the actual buyer of the firearm, however he was not. Jiles admitted to making false statements in this way to purchase at least nine firearms. Jiles also admitted he gave one of the firearms to an individual who was legally unable to possess one.
Jiles pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis to one count of false statement during the purchase of a firearm. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.
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Springfield Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation EnterpriseRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., woman became the fifth defendant today to plead guilty in federal court to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise that victimized at least three children.
Angela Marie Brown, 39, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise from Jan. 1, 2017, to Nov. 6, 2019.
By pleading guilty today, Brown admitted that she engaged in a series of felony violations, including the sexual exploitation of a minor and receiving and distributing child pornography. Those felony violations, constituting three or more separate incidents and involving more than one minor victim, comprise a child exploitation enterprise.
Co-defendants Kevin Grant McMillan, 35, Christine Marie Rossiter, 36, and Amber Marie Baley, 38, all of Springfield, and Casie Dee Rice, 52, of Branson, Mo., have also pleaded guilty to the same charge.
The federal investigation began in May 2019 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified law enforcement that McMillan had uploaded three files of child pornography through his Gmail account. The Springfield Police Department was also investigating McMillan in a separate case involving an 8-year-old victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 2. Springfield investigators identified additional Google accounts that contained child pornography.
On Nov. 6, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McMillan’s residence, where they contacted a second, 15-year-old victim, identified in court documents as Jane Doe 1, and a 17-year-old minor. Officers seized five laptops, two hard drives, an Apple iPad, a cell phone, and seven USB/micro SD cards. A forensic analyst found images of child pornography depicting Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and a third victim, a toddler identified in court documents as Jane Doe 3. There were a total of 27,542 pornographic images and videos of subjects whose age is difficult to determine and child erotica. There was a total of 682 images and videos of bestiality pornography. There were 111 videos and images of child exploitive animated pornography located on the devices.
Investigators also found MMS messages between McMillan and Brown, who lived with him on and off for a few years, from January 2017 until April 2019. McMillan said he wanted to drug and sexually assault Jane Doe 1 (who was 13 years old at the time). Brown said she would be interested in assisting him in drugging and raping children and adult women. McMillan also sent Brown sexually explicit images of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 3. They exchanged incest-related pornography, bondage pornography, bestiality pornography, child pornography, and child erotica. They also had conversations about having sexual contact with children and about having children together and impregnating them.
Investigators found Facebook conversations in which McMillan and Brown extensively discussed engaging in sexual contact with other individuals, including children.
Under federal statutes, each of the five defendants is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 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 defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, and the Springfield, 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."
Southern Ohio woman admits to embezzling $700k from employerRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Sardinia, Ohio, woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to stealing more than $700,000 from the family-owned business for which she worked.
Tina Coday-Townes, 49, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, Coday-Townes previously served as the office manager for a business in Clermont County. In that role, she was responsible for accounts payable and bookkeeping, including inputting and sending data to a third-party payroll company.
The defendant admitted that from 2013 until 2019, she wrote checks using an employers’ signature stamp to pay off her personal credit cards. Coday-Townes made false entries into the accounting database, indicating the checks were to vendors rather than to her personal credit cards.
In addition, Coday-Townes entered overtime hours for herself, even though she was ineligible for overtime as a salaried employee.
As part of her plea agreement, Coday-Townes will pay $697,000 in restitution to her former employer, $11,500 to the State of Ohio for fraudulently paid unemployment benefits, and $35,000 to West American Insurance Company.
Coday-Townes was arrested by federal agents in April 2021.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered today before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley N. Brucato is representing the United States in this case.
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Six Individuals Charged with Conspiring to Act as Illegal Agents of the People's Republic of ChinaRead the Press Release
An eight-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging a total of seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)—Quanzhong An, his daughter Guangyang An, Tian Peng, Chenghua Chen, Chunde Ming, Xuexin Hou, and Weidong Yuan—with participating in a scheme to cause the forced repatriation of a PRC national residing in the United States. The lead defendant, Quanzhong An, allegedly acted at the direction and under the control of various officials with the PRC’s government’s Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection (Provincial Commission)—including Peng, Chen, Ming, and Hou—to conduct surveillance of and engage in a campaign to harass and coerce a U.S. resident to return to the PRC as part of an international extralegal repatriation effort known as “Operation Fox Hunt.”
Quanzhong An and Guangyang An were arrested this morning and are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. The remaining defendants remain at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged, the defendants engaged in a unilateral and uncoordinated law enforcement action on U.S. soil on behalf of the government of the People’s Republic of China, in an effort to cause the forced repatriation of a U.S. resident to China,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “The United States will firmly counter such outrageous violations of national sovereignty and prosecute individuals who act as illegal agents of foreign states.”
Mr. Peace thanked the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations for its work on the case.
“The victims in this case sought to flee an authoritarian government, leaving behind their lives and family, for a better life here. That same government sent agents to the United States to harass, threaten, and forcibly return them to the People's Republic of China. The actions we allege are illegal, and the FBI will not allow adversaries to break laws designed to protect our nation and our freedom,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
As alleged in the indictment, the defendants participated in an international campaign to threaten and intimidate John Doe-1, a resident of United States, and his family to force John Doe-1 to return to the PRC. These efforts were part of “Operation Fox Hunt,” an initiative by the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security to locate and repatriate alleged fugitives who flee to foreign countries, including the United States. The PRC government has targeted these alleged fugitives and their families to compel cooperation with the PRC government and self-repatriation to the PRC. The PRC government has taken such law enforcement actions on U.S. soil in a unilateral manner without approval, of or coordination with, the U.S. government.
Quanzhong An, who is a businessman operating in Queens, New York, and the majority shareholder of a hotel in Flushing, acted as the primary U.S.-based liaison for the Provincial Commission’s targeting of John Doe-1 and his family members, including his son, John Doe-2, both in the United States and in the PRC. As part of the scheme, various PRCbased conspirators forced a relative in the PRC (John Doe-3) to travel from the PRC to the United States in September 2018 to meet with John Doe-2 and convey threats that were intended to coerce John Doe-1’s return to the PRC. Yuan—John Doe-3’s superior at the PRC’s State Administration of Taxation—escorted John Doe-3 from the PRC to the United States, under the guise of a visit with a tour group.
On September 11, 2018, John Doe-2 met with John Doe-3 at a restaurant in Queens. In the recorded meeting, John Doe-3 explained that he had been forced to travel to the United States by the Provincial Commission, which wanted to repatriate the 100 most wanted fugitives, a group that purportedly includes John Doe-1. Yuan then joined John Doe-2 and John Doe-3 at the restaurant and indicated that he had been “tasked to relay the message” to John Doe-1 that the “leadership in China would like to encourage the elite overseas Chinese to return” and that the PRC government had already caused the repatriation of 80 of the 100 most wanted fugitives. Yuan explained that he had made “a special trip here,” as John Doe-1’s issue needed to be resolved “sooner or later,” and John Doe-1 needed to return to the PRC.
PRC-based defendants and coconspirators also engaged in a pattern of harassment targeting John Doe-1’s family members. In November 2017, Hou wrote John Doe-2 warning him that “coming back and turning yourself in is the only way out.” Hou further threatened that “avoidance and wishful thinking will only result in severe legal punishments.”The PRC government also harassed John Doe-1 and John Doe-2 through the filing of a lawsuit in New York State court, alleging that John Doe-1 had stolen funds from his former PRC based employer and that John Doe-2 had knowledge of and benefitted from his father’s scheme.
In a series of recorded meetings in 2020, 2021, and 2022, Quanzhong An repeatedly met with John Doe-2 and attempted to persuade John Doe-2 to cause the return of John Doe-1 to the PRC. In these meetings, Quanzhong An acknowledged that he is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which enforces the rules and regulations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) abroad. At various times, he attributed his instructions to Chen, Ming, and Peng and acknowledged that the Fox Hunt operation was motivated by the PRC government’s need to “save their faces” and repatriate as many fugitives as possible.
In the meetings, Quanzhong An admitted that the civil lawsuit filed against John Doe-1 and John Doe-2 would be withdrawn if John Doe-1 returned to the PRC. He stated that “they are still suing you to place additional pressure on you” and “will keep pestering you through a lawsuit” because the cost of it “really is a drop in the bucket for a country to spend $1 billion or $0.8 billion to meet the political task assigned by the Central Government.”
Quanzhong An admitted that he was acting as an agent of the Provincial Commission to increase his standing in the PRC. During his meetings with John Doe-2, Quanzhong An repeatedly transmitted threats on behalf of the PRC government. If John Doe-1 did not return, the PRC government would “keep pestering you, [and] make your daily life uncomfortable,” in addition to actions to “target and monitor” John Doe-1’s relatives in the PRC. On another occasion, he stated that “they will definitely find new ways to bother you” and “it is definitely true that all of your relatives will be involved.”
As set forth in the detention memorandum, Quanzhong An met with John Doe-2 again on September 29, 2022. During this meeting, Quanzhong An pressed for John Doe-1 to execute an agreement to return to the PRC in advance of the CCP’s 20th National Congress, which began on October 16, 2022. As part of such agreement, Quanzhong An sought a written confession from John Doe-1, which would be submitted directly to the PRC government.
As also alleged in the indictment, Quanzhong An and Guangyang An engaged in a money laundering scheme involving millions of dollars from the PRC to the U.S. financial system. As part of the scheme, the defendants and their coconspirators repeatedly lied to U.S. financial institutions to obscure the ownership and control of the funds. As a result of the money laundering charge, the government has charged forfeiture allegations against Quanzhong An’s hotel in Flushing, New York, as well as the defendants’ residences in Roslyn, New York.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of acting as agents of the PRC, Quanzhong An faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. The money launderingconspiracy charge against Quanzhong An and Guangyang An carries a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison. The remaining charges, including conspiring to act as agents of the PRC and conspiring to commit interstate and international stalking, carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Sara K. Winik, and Antoinette N. Rangel are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney
Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Morris of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.The Defendants: QUANZHONG AN
Age: 55
Roslyn, New YorkGUANGYANG AN
AGE: 34
Roslyn, New YorkTIAN PENG
AGE: 38
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINACHENGHUA CHEN
Age: Unknown
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINACHUNDE MING
Age: Unknown
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINAXUEXIN HOU
Age: 52
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINAWEIDONG YUAN
Age: 55
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINAE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR- 460 (KAM)
Seventeen Western Washington Tribes awarded DOJ grants for a variety of public safety programsRead the Press Release
Seattle – U.S. Attorney Nick Brown announced today that 17 tribes in Western Washington will get millions of federal dollars to support programs focused on community safety. The grant awards total more than $15.8 million.
“It is fitting that on this day when we wear purple to show support for victims of domestic violence, we are announcing significant grants to tribal communities to assist victims of crime, in ways that are tailored by the tribes to fit the needs of their citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “Some of these grants strengthen the re-entry services for enrolled tribal members leaving jails and prisons – this is critical work for increasing community safety.”
Sixteen of the Western Washington tribes will receive grants to improve services for victims of crime. The tribes and grant amounts are:
- Quinault Indian Nation - $1,889,616
- Lummi Nation - $504,456
- Cowlitz Indian Tribe - $410,246
- Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe - $347,240
- Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe - $347,240
- Nooksack Indian Tribe - $410,246
- Squaxin Indian Tribe - $410,246
- Nisqually Indian Tribe - $504,456
- Puyallup Tribe of Indians - $918,594
- Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians - $347,240
- Jamestown S’Kallam Tribe - $347,240
- Swinomish Indian Tribal Community - $410,246
- Tulalip Tribes of Washington - $609,742
- Muckleshoot Indian Tribe - $504,456
- Port Gamble S’Kallam Tribe - $410,246
- Skokomish Indian Tribe - $410,246
Two tribes successfully competed for grants to improve re-entry services for tribal citizens leaving jails or prisons. The Port Gamble S’Kallam tribe was awarded $750,000 and the Puyallup Tribe was awarded $899,672.
Two tribes focused applications on drug treatment and drug courts: The Makah Indian Tribe was awarded $742,362 for its Tribal Healing and Wellness Court. The Lummi Nation was awarded $1 million to expand care and reduce barriers for those suffering with addiction and mental health issues. It’s Drug Court and Family Court services will be enhanced.
Two tribes were awarded grants under the Support for the Adam Walsh Act program. The Skokomish Tribe was awarded $396,361 for implementation if its sex offender registration program. Similarly, the Nooksack Tribe was awarded $376,841 for its sex offender registration program.
Two tribes were awarded grants to assist them in reviewing and reinvigorating their tribal justice programs. The Swinomish Tribe was awarded $105,000 to help develop a comprehensive strategic plan for its justice system, and an additional $450,000 for a new advocacy program for child victims of crime. The Port Gamble S’Kallam tribe was awarded $1,211,379 for physical improvements to its justice center, including its Behavioral Health Center.
Finally, the Quinault Indian Nation was awarded $637,923 to enhance its ability to share data with the National Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
Seven Chicago-Area Residents Charged with $16 Million COVID-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
CHICAGO – Seven Chicago-area residents have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly fraudulently obtaining at least $16 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.
The defendants engaged in fraud related to the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) – one of the sources of relief under the CARES Act, according to a 33-count indictment returned Wednesday in the Northern District of Illinois. Charged with wire fraud and money laundering are MAJA NIKOLIC, 34, of Brookfield, Ill., MARKO NIKOLIC, 34, of La Grange, Ill., NEBOJSA SIMEUNOVIC, 37, of Lyons, Ill., MIJAJLO STANISIC, 33, of Willowbrook, Ill., BRANKO ALEKSIC, 33, of Chicago, MILICA SUMAKOVIC, 31, of Chicago, and DORDE TODOROVIC, 32, of Chicago.
Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; R. Sean Fitzgerald, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations; J. Russell George, Inspector General of the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago; and Hannibal Ware, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kavitha J. Babu.
The EIDL program provided loan assistance or grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses. According to the indictment, the defendants in the spring and summer of 2020 submitted to the SBA fraudulent applications in which they claimed to own and operate various businesses in Illinois and Florida. The applications and supporting documents contained materially false representations about the defendants’ companies, including the number of purported employees, revenue amounts, and other expenses, the indictment states.
The indictment alleges that the defendants caused the SBA to disburse at least $16 million in EIDL loans and grants into bank accounts controlled by the defendants and others. The defendants allegedly used the money to make cash withdrawals and transfers for their personal benefit.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Each wire fraud and money laundering charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving COVID-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or filing an online complaint at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Seattle man, who worked as a babysitter, charged with production and possession of child pornographyRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 23-year-old Seattle resident is charged federally with production and possession of child pornography following an investigation by the Seattle Police Internet Crimes against Children task Force. Antonio Diego Brugnoli-Baskin was taken into custody this morning and appeared in federal court today. Brugnoli-Baskin was previously charged in King County Superior Court.
Brugnoli-Baskin remains detained pending additional hearings.
According to the criminal complaint, Brugnoli-Baskin came to the attention of law enforcement when electronic service provider Google Inc. reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an account later associated with Brugnoli-Baskin had uploaded 129 images of child sexual abuse. Law enforcement sought to determine the owner of the account and location of the account owner. Brugnoli-Baskin was contacted by law enforcement in early September 2022. Law enforcement learned he has been offering his services as a baby-sitter.
Production of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison to life in prison. Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC) and the FBI.
Any families whose children may have been left in Brugnoli-Baskin’s care can contact SPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children detective [email protected].
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Laura Harmon. Ms. Harmon is a Deputy King County Prosecutor specially designated to prosecute child exploitation crimes in federal court.
Red Lake Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a MinorRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Red Lake man was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release for sexually abusing a minor announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, on October 11, 2020, within the exterior boundaries of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, Keith Allen Ehrich, 40, engaged in sexual acts with a minor.
Ehrich pleaded guilty on July 7, 2022, to one count of sexual abuse of a minor. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District court by Senior Judge Michael J. Davis.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, Red Lake Police Department, the Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Chelsea A. Walcker prosecuted the case.
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Rapid City Man Indicted for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender.
Gary Lewis Halfe, a/k/a Gary Redstone, age 66, was indicted in August of 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on October 19, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a minimum of five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Between February 2020 and May 2020, in Rapid City, Halfe failed to register as a sex offender as required of him under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
The charge is merely an accusation and Halfe is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the United States Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Halfe was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Raleigh County Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Jamie Vass, 45, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 7, 2022, Vass sold approximately 1 ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at her Beckley residence. Vass further admitted to selling approximately 47 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant at her residence on March 27, 2022.
On April 5, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Vass’ residence and found quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl as well as a Ruger LC 9mm pistol, a Lorcin L22 .22-caliber pistol and $827. Vass admitted to telling the officers that she had been selling approximately 4 ounces of methamphetamine every four days and approximately 7 grams of fentanyl per week from December 2021 until her arrest on April 5, 2022.
Vass is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-115.
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Raleigh County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – James Pratt, 30, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 25, 2021, Pratt was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers in Beckley. Pratt possessed a Browning, model Hi-Power, 9mm pistol found by officers in the vehicle during the traffic stop.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Pratt knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions in Raleigh County Circuit Court for first-degree robbery on August 5, 2010, and child abuse resulting in injury on July 29, 2013.
Pratt is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani is 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-106.
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Portales man pleads guilty to production of child pornographyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Augustin Gallegos pleaded guilty on Oct. 17 to production of child pornography. Gallegos, 37, of Portales, New Mexico, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has been scheduled for Jan. 17, 2023.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, from approximately March 31, 2018, to May 16, 2019, Gallegos knowingly persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a child, identified as Jane Doe, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Gallegos engaged in sexual acts with the victim, who was approximately nine years old at the time, and photographed the acts. The images were later located on a memory card inside a Sony Cybershot digital camera.
By the terms of the plea agreement, Gallegos faces 18 to 23 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the Roswell Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory, with assistance from the Texico (New Mexico) Police Department, Portales Police Department, and 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, as part of the New Mexico Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program is a nation-wide network of task forces including over 90 federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in New Mexico dedicated to investigating, prosecuting and developing effective responses to Internet crimes against children.
The United States Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
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Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Admits Role in Health Care Fraud and Criminal HIPAA SchemesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A former pharmaceutical sales representative admitted his role in two criminal conspiracies involving health care fraud and wrongful obtaining and disclosure of patients’ protected personal health information, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced today.
Keith Ritson, 42, of Bayville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Oct. 19, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiring to wrongfully disclose and obtain patients’ individually identifiable health information in violation of the criminal provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2014 to 2016, Ritson was a pharmaceutical sales representative who promoted compound prescription medications and other medications. Compound medications are specialty medications mixed by a pharmacist to meet the specific medical needs of an individual patient. Although not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are properly prescribed when a physician determines that an FDA-approved medication does not meet the health needs of a particular patient, such as if a patient is allergic to a dye or other ingredient.
Ritson and his conspirators discovered that certain insurance plans with pharmacy benefit management services – including plans for state and local government employees and eligible dependents – covered compound medications from a Louisiana pharmacy, Central Rexall Drugs, Inc. (Central Rexall). The pharmacy benefits administrator paid prescription drug claims and then billed the state of New Jersey and other insurance plans for the amounts paid. The conspirators identified that certain compound medication prescriptions would reimburse by insurance for thousands of dollars on a monthly basis. Ritson received a percentage of the amount that Central Rexall received from the pharmacy benefits administrator for the prescriptions he arranged. Ritson recruited individuals with insurance plans that covered the compound medications to receive the medications, regardless of their medical need for them. Ritson himself also received medically unnecessary compound medication prescriptions. Ritson earmarked patients who had insurance plans that covered the compound medications at the medical practices of Dr. Frank Alario.
As a pharmaceutical sales representative not associated with Alario’s medical practices, Ritson was not permitted to access and obtain patients’ individually identifiable health information and protected health information. As part of the criminal HIPAA scheme, Alario permitted Ritson to have significant access to his medical offices, medical files, and patient information. Ritson was present in the office both during and outside normal business hours and had access to areas of the office restricted to staff, including areas with patient files and office computers. Ritson looked up patients’ information in files and on office computers to determine if they had insurance that covered the compound medications. Ritson then would earmark files in advance so that Alario knew to whom to prescribe the medications. Ritson also joined Alario in patient exam rooms during appointments, which gave patients the impression that Ritson was employed by or affiliated with the medical practices. Ritson used patients’ confidential information to fill out prescription forms that Alario authorized, and then Ritson received commissions on those prescriptions. Alario pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2022, to conspiring to wrongfully disclose patients’ individually identifiable health information. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7, 2023.
Three former executives of Central Rexall – Christopher Kyle Johnston, 43, of Mandeville, Louisiana; Trent Brockmeier, 60, of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and Christopher Casseri, 54, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana – were charged on Sept.17, 2020, in a 24-count indictment with health care and wire fraud and other offenses. The charges against them remain pending. A fourth former pharmacy executive, Hayley Taff, 39, of Hammond, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to health care fraud conspiracy on Aug. 12, 2020, and is scheduled to be sentenced March 13, 2023. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Johnston, Brockmeier and Casseri are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ritson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the health care fraud conspiracy count, and a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $50,000 fine on the criminal HIPAA conspiracy count. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2023.
Attorney for the United States Khanna credited agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; IRS Office of Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins in Newark; and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina O. Hud of the Criminal Division; R. David Walk, Jr., Chief of the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the Criminal Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Ward, Senior Trial Counsel of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit.
Otsego County Man Sentenced to Approximately 7 Months’ Imprisonment for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Michael Hawkins, age 60, of Maryland, New York was sentenced today to just short of seven months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, David L. McNulty, United States Marshal for the Northern District of New York, and Sharon B. MacDermott, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office.
During his earlier change of plea hearing, Hawkins acknowledged that he was convicted in 1997 in Rhode Island of First-Degree Child Molestation and Second-Degree Child Molestation. He served 20 years in prison for those crimes and became required to register as a sex offender under SORNA for 25 years upon his release. At the time of his arrest in this case, Hawkins had been residing in Otsego County New York for several months after having relocated from Rhode Island and did not report his change of address to the Sex Offender Registry in either jurisdiction, as required by SORNA.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc
October is Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett joins the United States Department of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), advocates, survivors, victim service providers, justice professionals, police and first responders, and communities across the United States in observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness month.
Domestic violence is more prevalent than many realize. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and last a lifetime. Approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence in the United States every year. If each adult experienced only one incident of violence, an adult in the United States would suffer violence every three seconds. Because domestic violence is a pattern, many experience repeated acts of abuse annually. That means an incident of abuse happens far more frequently than every three seconds.
We can do better. We must do better. The women and men of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky are committed to holding people accountable for acts of domestic violence by enforcing federal laws designed to address the issue. “We will use all the tools at our disposal—and leverage our partnerships with local law enforcement and prosecutors—to ensure victims have a viable path to safety and justice,” noted United States Attorney Bennett.
Today is #PurpleThursday, a national day of action. Please join us in our commitment to end domestic violence.
If you need help, contact the National Hotline (@ndvhofficial) at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or the Strong Hearts Hotline (@strongheartsdv) at 1-844-762-8483. #DVAM2022
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Nurse Practitioner Admits to Perpetrating $4.37 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme; Will Forfeit the Profits of His FraudRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A registered nurse and nurse practitioner who fraudulently billed commercial health insurers and Medicare nearly $4.4 million for services that he falsely claimed to have provided to patients in Rhode Island, New York, and Florida, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Rhode Island to an eleven-count information charging him with health care fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and causing the introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Alexander A. Istomin, 56, admitted that he routinely submitted fraudulent claims for in-person patient services that he falsely claimed to have performed at his offices in Rhode Island, New York, and Florida. In some instances, the patients that Istomin claimed he met with in person were out of the country at the time of the alleged visits. On many other occasions that he claimed to have been seeing patients, Istomin himself was either in a different state or another country, often times in Russia. The investigation also determined that the supposed office that Istomin maintained in East Greenwich, and to which he had some payments mailed, was a non-existent medical practice at which no medical services were provided.
Additionally, Istomin admitted to a federal judge that he waived copayments for some Medicare patients, despite being aware that waiving copayments is prohibited. By waiving copayments that patients otherwise would be responsible for, Istomin induced his patients not to report his fraudulent billing to Medicare.
Istomin also admitted that he carried out schemes in which he would use patient names and information to get prescriptions to be filled at pharmacies. He arranged for those prescriptions to be returned to him so that he could then distribute those drugs to individuals other than those in whose names the prescriptions were filled.
According to a signed Plea Agreement filed with the court, in addition to pleading guilty to charges of health care fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and causing the introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, Istomin will forfeit $4,379,158.98, the sum of money equal to the amount he received from perpetrating health care fraud.
Istomin is scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Milind M. Shah and Mary Rogers.
The matter was investigated the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; and the FBI.
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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Offense Against A MinorRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – David William McConnell, 39, of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 15, 2022, until May 30, 2022, McConnell used the Kik messaging app, exchanged text messages and communicated by phone with a woman he believed to be a single mother of 11-year-old and 13-year-old daughters in Beckley, West Virginia. During these conversations, McConnell expressed interest in engaging in sexual activity with the two minor females and teaching the woman to engage in sexual acts with her daughters.
McConnell admitted to telling the woman that he planned to travel from his Charlotte residence to a Beckley hotel to meet her and the two minor females on May 30, 2022. McConnell further admitted to telling the woman that he planned to shower with each of the minor children and engage in sexual acts with both of them. On May 30, 2022, McConnell was arrested in Beckley.
McConnell is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, five years up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. McConnell must also register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) West Virginia Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force.
United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-124.
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Nine Multi-National Cocaine Traffickers IndictedRead the Press Release
A ten-count indictment was unsealed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York charging defendants Carlos Ernesto Angucho Guerrero, Eduard Mauricio Rendon Agudelo, Clemente Riascos Coral, Luis Fernando Sánchez Isaza, Alejandro Alberto Estupiñan Alzate, Belcy Gomez Murcia, Diego Fernando Ceron Munoz, Jhon Armando Panta Gutierrez, and Carlos Adolfo Meza Sanchez, with an international cocaine-distribution conspiracy that resulted in the attempted distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine destined for the United States.
Estupiñan Alzate was extradited to the Eastern District of New York from Colombia today. The defendant was arraigned this morning before United States Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes, Jr., and ordered detained pending trial.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); New York Division; Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York; Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD); and Steven A. Nigrelli, First Deputy Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP), announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendants’ attempt to traffic thousands of kilograms of cocaine into our communities was stopped by the coordinated cross-border efforts of law enforcement,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office is working tirelessly with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to hold these narcotics distributors accountable and dismantle their criminal enterprise.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Direccion Antinarcoticos, Unidad Especializada Contra el Trafico de Cocaina and Sensitive Investigative Unit of the Colombian National Police and the Ecuadorian National Police’s Sensitive Investigations Unit for their assistance.
“This investigation shut down a drug pipeline that shipped multi-ton quantities of cocaine from clandestine laboratories in the jungles of Colombia to the streets of the United States,” said DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Tarentino. “I commend the men and women in the New York Strike Force, U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York, DEA Special Operations Division, DEA Bogota Country Office, and the Colombian National Police for their diligent efforts to intercept and identify the organization responsible for trafficking this significant amount of poison.”
“HSI, in collaboration with our partners at the New York Strike Force, leverages every resource across the globe to stem the tide of illegal substances into our communities. It’s a direct result of these multi-lateral relationships that law enforcement successfully disrupted the drug trafficking organization’s capability to profit from threatening our public safety,” said HSI New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Alfonso
“Today’s charges demonstrate that the investigative efforts of New York City law enforcement are far-reaching, precisely focused, and patient,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “As long as individuals – wherever they are based – are involved in illegal narcotics trafficking, the NYPD and our partners will relentlessly work to stop the threat to public safety. I commend and thank all of our local, state, and federal colleagues who took part in this New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation for their tireless efforts in building this strong, multinational conspiracy case.”
As alleged in the charging documents, between December 2016 and October 2017, the defendants belonged to an international drug trafficking organization and conspired to coordinate the transportation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine from laboratories in the rural areas of Cauca and Nariño in southwestern Colombia to the Pacific Coast of Colombia and/or Ecuador. The organization regularly operated in Ecuador, using land routes to transport cocaine from laboratories to the Pacific Coast of Ecuador. To distribute these drugs internationally, the criminal enterprise shipped cocaine via sea vessels, including submarines, in the eastern Pacific Ocean and by land in Central America to Mexico, en route to the United States.
Using intelligence from sources including lawfully intercepted calls and communications, this investigation revealed that these sophisticated criminal co-conspirators operated in multiple countries to coordinate the shipment of thousands of kilograms of cocaine ultimately destined for the United States. As a result of the investigation, law enforcement successfully seized multiple-hundred-kilograms of cocaine traced to this criminal organization.
If convicted, Estupiñan Alzate faces a mandatory term of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charges are the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York Strike Force. The New York OCDETF Strike Force is housed at the DEA’s New York Division and includes agents and officers of the DEA; the New York City Police Department; the New York State Police; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; the U. S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Marshals Service; New York National Guard; U.S. Coast Guard; Port Washington Police Department; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret Schierberl and Chand Edwards-Balfour are in charge of the prosecution. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) Judicial Attachés in Bogotá, Colombia provided valuable assistance in the investigation and with securing the arrest and extradition of Estupiñan Alzate.
The Defendant:
DIEGO FERNANDO CERON MUÑOZ (also known as “Galleta”)
Age: 36
ColombiaJHON ARMANDO PANTA GUTIERREZ (also known as “Gafas”)
Age: 48
EcuadorCARLOS ERNESTO ANGUCHO GUERRERO (also known as “Corleone” and “Flaco”)
Age: 40
ColombiaEDUARD MAURICIO RENDON AGUDELO (also known as “Oz”)
Age: 41
ColombiaCLEMENTE RIASCOS CORAL (also known as “Pastuso”)
Age: 55
ColombiaLUIS FERNANDO SÁNCHEZ ISAZA (also known as “Gym” and “Pechuga”)
Age: 55
ColombiaALEJANDRO ALBERTO ESTUPINAN ALZATE (also known as “Porcelana” and “Armitage”)
Age: 43
ColombiaBELCY GOMEZ MURCIA (also known as “La Senora” and “Jesus”)
Age: 57
ColombiaCARLOS ADOLFO MEZA SANCHEZ (also known as “Lechuga” and “Charly”)
Age: Unknown
EcuadorE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-367 (MKB)
Nigerian National Sentenced to Prison for Role in Romance Fraud and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Kenneth Ogudu, also known as Kenneth Lee, 28, a citizen of Nigeria residing in Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to two years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ogudu was also ordered to pay $324,865.85 in restitution.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from May 2019 to October 8, 2020, Ogudu participated in a romance fraud scheme that defrauded more than 200 victims, many of them elderly, of at least $2.5 million. Ogudu was living in Huntington during part of this conspiracy, from May 2019 to December 2019. The scheme targeted individuals looking for romantic partners, friendship, and other close personal and business relationships on dating websites and other social media platforms. The conspirators created profiles using fictitious names, locations, and images that allowed Ogudu and other co-conspirators to contact victims and cultivate relationships with them. Induced into believing they were in a romantic relationship, friendship or business relationship with the false personas, the victims were persuaded to send money for a variety of false and fraudulent reasons for the benefit of the false personas.
Ogudu admitted that he allowed victims to transfer money to his bank account that he knew was from unlawful activity. Ogudu kept some of the money for himself and forwarded some of the money to his co-conspirators via wire transfers or Zelle. Ogudu admitted that he disguised the illegal nature of the money being transferred, adding another layer to the fraud and money laundering scheme. Ogudu further admitted that he and his co-conspirators transferred large sums of their fraud proceeds to offshore accounts. Ogudu obtained funds from at least 12 different fraud victims during the money laundering conspiracy.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), the West Virginia State Police, and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen Robeson and R. Gregory McVey prosecuted the case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-68.
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New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Transporting Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Armando Daniels, 33, of New York, was sentenced in federal court today in Omaha, Nebraska, for transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Daniels to 10 years of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Daniels will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Between January and April of 2021, Daniels (32 years old at the time) communicated with a 15-year-old female (“Victim”) from Sarpy County, Nebraska, via cellular phone and internet applications including Discord. In April of 2021, Daniels drove from his home in New York to pick up Victim and take her to New York. On the evening of April 6, 2021, Daniels arrived in Nebraska, picked up Victim, and began driving her to New York. Victim left her cell phone at home in Nebraska. That evening, when Victim’s family became aware she was missing, they called authorities and Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office instantly began trying to find her.
Using call records associated with Victim, deputies obtained cell phone location data of phones that had recently been in contact with Victim. Located data showed the phones traveling east across Iowa and Illinois. Location data showed that on the evening of April 7, 2021, the phones were in Princeton, Illinois. The investigation later revealed that Daniels sexually assaulted Victim at a hotel in Princeton, Illinois. Surveillance footage from the hotel showed Daniels and Victim together at the hotel.
At about 4 a.m. on April 8, 2021, Indiana State troopers located Daniels and Victim in Elkhart, Indiana. Daniels and Victim were parked in Daniels’s car. Indiana State troopers arrested Daniels.
This case was investigated by the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana State Police, the Suffolk County, New York Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 78 Months for Laundering Millions from Fraud Schemes Perpetrated by Ghana-Based Criminal EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FREEMAN CELVIN, a/k/a “Celvin Freeman,” was sentenced today to 78 months for his participation in a fraud and money laundering conspiracy based in the Republic of Ghana (“Ghana”) involving the theft of millions of dollars. On March 30, 2022, CELVIN was convicted after a jury trial of all seven counts against him before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who imposed today’s sentence. CELVIN was previously arrested on February 17, 2021, and has been detained since his arrest.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Freeman Celvin used an auto business in New Jersey as a front to launder millions of dollars in fraud proceeds to scam artists in Ghana. The online scams perpetrated by Celvin’s partners in Ghana were lucrative and callous, as they targeted vulnerable, elderly men and women and tricked them into transferring their life savings to the defendant, who then took his laundering fee and sent the money abroad. Today’s sentence demonstrates that money launderers who assist online scammers abroad will be held accountable and brought to justice for their crimes.”
As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
From in or about 2014 through in or about February 2021, a criminal enterprise based in Ghana (the “Enterprise”) committed a series of business email compromises and romance scams against individuals and businesses located across the United States, including in the Southern District of New York. The objective of the Enterprise’s business email compromise fraud scheme was to trick and deceive businesses into wiring funds into accounts controlled by the Enterprise through the use of email accounts that “spoofed” or impersonated employees of a victim company or third parties engaged in business with a victim company. The Enterprise also conducted romance scams by using electronic messages sent via email, text messaging, or online dating websites that deluded victims, many of whom were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone, into believing the victim was in a romantic relationship with a fake identity assumed by members of the Enterprise. Once members of the Enterprise had gained the trust of the victims using the fake identity, they used false pretenses to cause the victims to wire money to bank accounts the victims believed were controlled by their romantic interests, when in fact the bank accounts were controlled by members of the Enterprise, like CELVIN.
CELVIN received fraud proceeds from victims of the Enterprise in personal bank accounts as well as business bank accounts for his company Freeman Autos LLC, a company purportedly involved in, among other things, automobile sales. The defendant also received fraud proceeds from other U.S.-based members of the Enterprise either by wire transfer or cash deliveries. Once CELVIN received fraud proceeds, he took out a percentage fee and then withdrew, transported, and laundered those fraud proceeds to other members of the Enterprise abroad in Ghana. The defendant primarily laundered the fraud proceeds by using the money to purchase automobiles and other goods and shipping those products to Ghana and elsewhere. The defendant’s transactions had the appearance of legitimate business transactions. This trade-based money laundering scheme was designed to obscure the origin of the fraud proceeds as well as the identity of the ultimate beneficiaries of these schemes.
From in or about 2016 through in or about 2021, CELVIN controlled more than eight bank accounts that had deposits that totaled over approximately $5.7 million during that time period. The vast majority of those deposits consisted of large wire transfers and check or cash deposits from U.S.-based individuals and entities that were victims of the Enterprise’s fraud schemes.
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In addition to his prison term, CELVIN, 48, of East Orange, New Jersey, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and further ordered to forfeit $290,604.15. CELVIN’s co-conspirators, FRED ASANTE and LORD ANING, were previously sentenced to 108 months and 24 months in prison, respectively, earlier this year.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Sagar K. Ravi, Katherine C. Reilly, and Mitzi Steiner are in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Construction Company Operator Indicted for Tax Crimes and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Newark unsealed an indictment today charging the operator of a New Jersey construction business with tax evasion, employment tax crimes, aiding the filing of false tax returns, and making false statements in bankruptcy.
According to the indictment, Zeki Donuk, of Landing, operated a construction business first under the name Titan Builders LLC and later as Titan Steel Construction LLC (collectively, “Titan”). From at least 2016 through 2019, Donuk allegedly cashed checks payable to Titan instead of depositing them into business bank accounts. Donuk allegedly concealed the cashed checks and did not report them either as gross receipts on Titan’s corporate tax returns, or as income on his or his wife’s personal returns.
According to the indictment, from the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017 Donuk also did not collect, account for, or pay over to the IRS employment taxes on behalf of Titan’s employees, despite a legal obligation to do so. For those quarters, Donuk allegedly did not file quarterly employment tax returns on behalf of the businesses.
The indictment charged that in 2019, Donuk allegedly made false statements on documents he filed in a personal bankruptcy case. Specifically, Donuk allegedly concealed from the Bankruptcy Court that he owned a vacation property in Pennsylvania, had signatory authority over certain bank accounts, owed tax debts to the IRS, and operated his construction business as Titan Builders and Titan Steel.
If convicted, Donuk faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count of tax evasion, employment tax violations, and bankruptcy fraud charges and a maximum penalty of three years in prison on each of the counts of aiding or assisting the filing of false tax returns. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Melissa S. Siskind of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Nesbit Man Sentenced to Prison for Racist ThreatsRead the Press Release
Oxford, Miss. – A Nesbit man was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in prison for transmitting a communication in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure the person of another.
According to court documents, Aubrey Suzuki, 21, was communicating on an encrypted messaging platform with members of a white nationalist organization. Authorities were alerted when Suzuki began making threats to accelerate and wage a race war in the United States. Suzuki made numerous statements about Nazi and white supremacist ideology, and also stated:
Honestly I don’t want to be a normal person. I want to breathe revolution. I want to be in the middle of the boondocks with my mates killing n****** sp*** fa***** and blowing up the system.
While investigating the online threats made by Suzuki, agents learned that he was in the process of purchasing an AR-15 rifle from an online dealer. Suzuki was arrested immediately thereafter.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner stated “The defendant in this case made credible threats to shoot members of various minority groups, and then purchased a semi-automatic rifle. While all Americans enjoy a constitutional right to free speech, that right does not include a right to threaten or terrorize other individuals. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will vigorously prosecute such conduct, and the agents and prosecutors who worked to stop this potential mass shooting are to be commended.”FBI Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby remarked, "Mr. Aubrey Suzuki sought to intimidate members of the community through his threats. The FBI prioritizes the protection of civil rights to ensure citizens remain safe without fear of any harm. We remain committed to tirelessly thwarting the nefarious actions of those, like Mr. Suzuki, who intend to impart fear upon citizens based on biases."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs prosecuted the case.Native of Mexico Indicted on Unlawful Reentry ChargeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Magdiel Perez-Bartolon, age 24, of Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury on illegal reentry charges.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the indictment alleges that Perez-Bartolon was removed from the United States on November 28, 2009, through Nogales, Arizona. He is alleged to have illegally reentered the United States sometime after that date, and was located in the United States on September 29, 2022, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE). Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime M. Keating is prosecuting the case.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 2 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.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Morris County Man Indicted on Tax and Bankruptcy FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Morris County, New Jersey, man was arrested today by federal agents on charges of tax and bankruptcy fraud, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division announced.
Zeki Donuk of Landing, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with three counts of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns, two counts of tax evasion, five counts of failure to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over trust fund taxes, and two counts of making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings. He 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:
Donuk operated a construction business first under the name Titan Builders LLC and later as Titan Steel Construction LLC (collectively, “Titan”). From at least 2016 through 2019, Donuk allegedly cashed checks payable to Titan instead of depositing them into business bank accounts. Donuk allegedly concealed the cashed checks and did not report them either as gross receipts on Titan’s corporate tax returns or as income on his or his wife’s personal returns. From the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017 Donuk also did not collect, account for, or pay over to the IRS, employment taxes on behalf of Titan’s employees, despite a legal obligation to do so. For those quarters, Donuk allegedly did not file quarterly employment tax returns on behalf of the businesses. In 2019, Donuk allegedly made false statements on documents he filed in a personal bankruptcy case. Donuk allegedly concealed from the bankruptcy court that he owned a vacation property in Pennsylvania, had signatory authority over certain bank accounts, owed tax debts to the IRS, and operated his construction business as Titan Builders and Titan Steel.
Each count of aiding or assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of tax evasion carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of failure to collect, truthfully account for, and pay over trust fund taxes carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins; the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew McKay; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s National Security Unit in Newark and Trial Attorney Melissa Siskind of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division in Washington, D.C.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Miles City meth trafficker sentenced to six years in prisonRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A Miles City man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in the community was sentenced today to six years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Robert George Medina, 39, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement investigating a drug trafficking organization in Miles City arranged for controlled purchases of methamphetamine and a firearm from Medina in November and December 2019. When arrested on Dec. 9, 2019 for a probation violation, Medina was found with 38.4 grams of pure meth.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
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.
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Middlesex County Man Charged with Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man has been charged in connection with production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Sunil Vaid, 50, of North Brunswick, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with one count of production of child pornography. He appeared on Oct. 18, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Vaid used multiple fraudulent online personas on a social media platform and several email accounts to target female victims under the age of 18 and solicit them to provide Vaid with nude photos and videos of themselves. Vaid interacted with the victims on the social media platform, then used an email account to communicate with the victims. At different times, he posed as a male who was interested in a romantic relationship and could help them start their modeling careers, a female who could help their careers, and a personal trainer.
The production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and members of the Newark Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, with the investigation leading to the charges and arrest. He also thanked the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the North Brunswick Police for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shontae D. Gray of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Michigan woman admits to role in drug distribution operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Aaliyah Snowden, of Eastpointe, Michigan, has admitted to her role in methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin drug distribution operation, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Snowden, age 27, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Maintaining Drug-Involved Premises.” Snowden admitted to working with another to run an apartment in Star City for the purpose of distributing methamphetamine from April to June 2020.
Snowden faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zelda E. Wesley and Sarah E. Wagner are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI's Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Task Forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff's Office; and the Morgantown, WVU, Granville and Star City Police Departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office; the FBI in Houston, Texas; the Houston Police Department's Multi Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles, California.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Related case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/25-people-indicted-drug-trafficking-operation-spanned-several-states
Michigan Man Sentenced to Life for Stalking, Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-Old Lubbock GirlRead the Press Release
A Michigan man who stalked and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old Lubbock girl was sentenced today to life in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
In June, a jury convicted Thomas John Boukamp, 22, on 16 counts: one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual conduct, one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, one count of enticement of a minor, two counts of receipt of child pornography, ten counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, and one count of cyber stalking. He was sentenced today to U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
“This man stalked and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old, then had the gall to claim in federal court that their so-called ‘relationship’ was consensual. The child, who bravely faced her abuser in court, asserted in no uncertain terms that his advances were unwelcome. By law, 14-year-olds simply cannot consent to sexual contact with adults. We are immensely proud of this child and hope this sentence brings some solace to her and her family,” U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham said.
"This defendant displayed reprehensible behavior, which was countered by the bravery of the victim that so courageously testified against him," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for victims and their families, hold perpetrators accountable and protect others from harm."
According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Boukamp met the child, identified in court as Jane Doe, on the instant messaging platform Discord when she was just 13 years old.
The pair exchanged a series of messages, in which he threatened to hurt her family if she disclosed their budding “relationship.”
Mr. Boukamp later transported Jane Doe, then 14 years of age, to his home in Michigan, where he sexually assaulted her, forcibly removed her braces with pliers, strangled, and hit her.
The victim’s father testified at trial that when she ran away to Michigan, his terrified daughter brought her baby blanket with her.
The victim herself also testified at trial and described the abuse she suffered at Boukamp’s hands.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors introduced into evidence a recorded jailhouse phone call in which Mr. Boukamp insisted he would not apologize for “quote unquote ‘raping a 14-year-old.’”
“I like teenage girls! They don’t like that I like that,” he said of federal agents and prosecutors. “I frankly don’t care what the morality of this current time and place says. It’s not wrong. There’s nothing wrong about it. And they’re not going to ever convince me of its wrongness. So up theirs. I hate this nation.”
Reminded that authorities were monitoring his jailhouse calls, he threatened, “if you’re listening to this, yeah, your family is going to die.”
“Play this at my [expletive] sentencing! Do it! I hate you!” he said, before hurling specific invectives at a federal judge and two federal prosecutors.
At the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorneys also introduced into evidence a letter Mr. Boukamp wrote to a family member noting his victim’s supposed “betrayal” and asking for help to escape prison.
The victim’s father submitted a statement to the court describing the trauma his daughter continues to endure:
“Her childhood was ended too soon. He took that from her,” he said. “She struggles with her self-esteem. I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to truly love herself again… We hope that she can be okay. We hope that she can make it through this. We know that she will never be the same. We know that she will never get her innocence back.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas and Detroit Field Offices, the Lubbock Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and the Antrim County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Child Advocacy Center of the South Plains. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Woolam and Jeff Haag prosecuted the case.
Miami Federal Prison Nurse Charged with Smuggling Drug-Laced Documents to InmatesRead the Press Release
MIAMI -- Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 32, has made his first appearance in federal court to face charges that he accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband, including illegal drugs, into the Federal Detention Center in Miami (FDC-Miami) and delivering it to inmates. Montanez-Mirabal is a licensed registered nurse who has worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons at FDC-Miami since February 2020.
According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, from November 2021 to August 2002, Montanez-Mirabal smuggled drug-laced legal documents and other prohibited items to inmates at FDC-Miami in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes and other things of value. It is alleged that the documents that Montanez-Mirabal delivered to inmates were sheets of paper that had been soaked in liquids containing illegal drugs, then dried. The inmates who received the laced paper from Montanez-Mirabal then resold it to other inmates at FDC-Miami, says the complaint.
It is alleged that in addition to money, Montanez-Mirabal accepted other bribes, such as the free use of a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce.
The criminal complaint charges Montanez-Mirabal with bribery, providing contraband in prison, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. His bond hearing is set for October 21 at 10:00 a.m. in federal duty magistrate court in Miami. If convicted, Montanez-Mirabal faces up to 45 years in prison.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez, FBI Miami Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt, and Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General, Miami Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith made the announcement.
FBI Miami and DOJ-OIG Miami are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation and a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-mj-03762.
Methamphetamine Distributor Sentenced to over 7 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOISE – Steven John Gallardo, 43, of Boise, Idaho was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.
According to court records, between March and July 2021, Gallardo was involved in the distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine in the Boise area. On three occasions, Gallardo sold methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer. In July 2021, officers obtained a search warrant for Gallardo’s residence. Inside they found more methamphetamine, multiple firearms, and $11,129 in drug proceeds.
Following Gallardo’s arrest, he informed officers that he had been selling methamphetamine to supplement his income for over a year because he did not want to work a seven-dollar-an-hour job. He further stated that he was selling approximately one pound of methamphetamine every one to two weeks prior to his arrest.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also sentenced Gallardo to five years of supervised release, which will commence upon completion of his prison sentence. Gallardo pleaded guilty to the crime on July 26, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Joshua D. Hurwit, of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, Boise Police Department, and Ada County Sheriff’s Office, which led to charges.
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