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Friday 9 September 2022
High School Rowing Coach Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a High School Student and Possessing Sexually Explicit Material of 17-Year-Old Former StudentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kirkland Shipley, 48, a former teacher and girls’ rowing coach at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, was sentenced today to three years in prison for sexually abusing a high school student and possessing sexually explicit material of a 17-year-old former high school student, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Shipley, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on June 3, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree sexual abuse of a secondary education student and possession of a sexual performance by a minor. He was sentenced by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan. Following his prison term, Shipley will be placed on two years of probation. He also will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender.
According to the government’s evidence, one of the victims was on the girls’ crew team at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2014 to 2018. Shipley was her head coach from her sophomore year to her senior year, as well as her history and geography teacher. During her sophomore year of high school, Shipley began texting the victim about rowing and personal matters. This continued into her senior year, in which Shipley began to text the victim more frequently and about increasingly personal topics. On at least two occasions in May 2018, prior to this victim’s graduation, he picked the victim up in his car and sexually abused her at his residence in Northwest Washington.
The other victim was on the girls’ crew team at Walt Whitman High School from 2009—2013. Shipley was her head coach from her sophomore year to her senior year. He also was this victim’s history teacher during her junior year. During the spring of the victim’s senior year, Shipley began to message her on GChat more frequently, about rowing and personal matters. A month after her graduation, in July 2013, when the victim was 17 years old, Shipley invited her to his residence in Washington, D.C., and had sex with her. He continued having sex with this victim throughout the summer and after she began college in the fall of 2013. During this time, Shipley possessed sexually explicit photos and videos of the victim, while she was a 17-year-old minor. He also sent this victim photos and videos of his penis and of himself masturbating.
Shipley was arrested on Aug. 24, 2021.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson and Paralegal Specialist ReShawn Johnson.
Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Felice Roggen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Harvey Man Sentenced for Causing 2016 Oil SpillRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced JAMES TASSIN, age 52, of Harvey, was sentenced to 2 years probation on September 8, 2022 for violating the Clean Water Act in connection with an oil spill.
According to court documents, TASSIN was a marsh buggy operator working on the Chenier Ronquille Barrier Island Restoration Project, which was overseen by contractors working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”). TASSIN was a subcontractor working for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC (“Great Lakes”). The project took place where Louisiana’s coastal wetlands meet the Gulf of Mexico, near several oil and gas pipelines, including Bay Marchand-to-Ostrica-to-Alliance (“BOA”) pipelines, which ran underneath and parallel to the dike on northern side of the island.
Months after the project began, the Great Lakes site manager at the project instructed TASSIN to dig an access channel for crew boats that was different from the access channel in the project plans provided by NOAA. This new access channel ran directly over the BOA pipelines, which were clearly marked at the time. TASSIN worked on that new access channel over multiple days.
On September 5, 2016, TASSIN drove his marsh buggy through the newly deepened access channel and struck one of the BOA pipelines, causing it to leak oil that created a sheen in the surrounding water in Bay Long. When TASSIN reported the spill to his supervisors, the site manager instructed TASSIN to use his marsh buggy to obscure the evidence that he had been deepening the unauthorized access channel, and TASSIN did so.
TASSIN was charged with a Clean Water Act violation on January 25, 2021. He pled guilty on March 18, 2021.
Great Lakes was criminally charged in a separate case before the Honorable Greg G. Guidry. According to court documents in that case, Great Lakes pled guilty, based on its supervision of TASSIN. Great Lakes agreed to pay a criminal fine of $1 million, in additional to civil payments to the victim pipeline company of $3,166,667 in a related civil case. TASSIN’s employer also agreed in the same civil case to pay the victim an additional $1,666,667, for a total payment to the victim of over $4.8 million.
Judge Susie Morgan sentenced TASSIN to 2 years probation, a $2,500 fine, and a special assessment fee of $25.
The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses is in charge of the prosecution.
Freeport Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Minors He Met OnlineRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A Freeport, Ill. resident was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison for traveling to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a minor he met online.
ERICH BRINKMEIER, 27, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and one count of commission by a registered sex offender of a felony offense involving a minor. U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard in Rockford ordered that the prison term be followed by a lifetime of court-supervised release.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Freeport Police Department assisted in the investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus.
Brinkmeier admitted in a plea agreement that in October 2019 he traveled from Illinois to Iowa to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old minor he met online. Brinkmeier was a registered sex offender and was required under Illinois law to comply with the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
Brinkmeier also admitted to contacting another minor victim online and coercing her to send Brinkmeier sexually explicit images of herself.
Former New Pilgrim Federal Credit Union Manager Charged with EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been charged with devising a scheme to embezzle from his employer, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
A one-count information filed today in United States District Court charges Phillip Brian Topping, 42, of Birmingham, with embezzlement by a credit union employee.
According to the information, between August 2016 and August 2021, while employed at New Pilgrim Federal Credit Union as a Manager, Topping embezzled approximately $268,000 from an on-site ATM and from a teller cash drawer at New Pilgrim Federal Credit Union. Topping used the unauthorized funds for personal expenses.
The maximum penalty for embezzlement by a credit union employee is 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
The FBI investigated the case and received assistance from the National Credit Union Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan S. Rummage is prosecuting the case.
An information contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Member of Springfield Latin Kings Chapter Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former member of the Springfield Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) has been sentenced for drug offenses.
Jonathan Casiano, a/k/a “King Legend,” 36, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel on Sept. 7, 2022 to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. On May 11, 2022, Casiano pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
Casiano was identified as a member of the Latin Kings and a drug trafficker operating out of an apartment in Springfield. In July 2019, Casiano was arrested following a traffic stop in Springfield, during which he was found in possession of a privately made 9mm ghost gun with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, $9,880 in cash, 486 oxytocin pills and 810 plastic bags containing a total of 87 grams of fentanyl and 66 grams of cocaine.
Casiano was released from custody on the drug and firearm case in December 2019 after posting cash bail. Casiano was later indicted federally for the drug and firearm case and remained in warrant status until he was later arrested in February 2020 as part of an investigation into his ongoing drug trafficking. Following his arrest, a search of Casiano’s person and residence recovered over 2,400 individual plastic bags that contained a total of 68 grams of fentanyl, 140 grams of cocaine and other controlled substances. Each of the plastic bags were branded with a logo for retail sale ready for distribution.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. In total, 60 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty. Of the 62 charged defendants in the indictment, two remain in warrant status. All of the remaining defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. Casiano is the 54th defendant to be sentenced.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The two remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Louisiana Woman Indicted for Preparing over 110 Fraudulent PPP Loans Totaling over $1.1 Million DollarsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today the indictment of SHARNAE EVERY (“EVERY”), age 27, of Houston, Texas, who was charged with one (1) count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and two (2) counts of Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341.
The case against EVERY began as a result of a referral from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (“PRAC”) regarding possible fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans (“PPP”). Investigators determined there were at least 110 PPP sole proprietor loan applications in and around the Thibodeaux, Louisiana area and they all had the same invoices and federal tax forms (“Schedule C”) with the same business name and amounts.
According to today’s indictment, EVERY created a fictitious business called “Natural Hair Afro, LLC, Houma, LA 70360” and used this fictitious business name on nearly all of the fraudulent PPP loan applications. EVERY advertised under various aliases on Facebook to recruit individuals to obtain money from the PPP program. EVERY prepared and submitted false and fraudulent PPP sole proprietor loan applications via various online portals including, but not limited, to Blueacorn. EVERY created all of the false and fraudulent invoices, bank statements, and Schedule Cs. EVERY falsely certified that the applications and the information provided in the supporting documents were true and accurate when she electronically submitted the fraudulent PPP loan applications.
EVERY charged $45.00 to $120.00 from the individuals she recruited to prepare and submit the fraudulent PPP application. EVERY primarily used Cash App to receive the initial payments. EVERY then charged approximately $3,500.00 once the loans were funded. EVERY received these funds into her Current account, her Cash App account, or into her boyfriend’s Current account.
If convicted, EVERY faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years, followed by a term of supervised release for up to three (3) years, a fine up to $250,000.00, or twice the gross gain to the defendant, or twice the gross loss to any victim, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee, per count.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. The Veterans Administration, Office of the Inspector General, is an active member of the PRAC Fraud Task Force.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The United States Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Veterans Administration, Office of the Inspector General; United States Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General; United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; and the United States Secret Service’s Cyber Fraud Task Force, consisting of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thibodeaux Police Department, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit, and Assistant United States Attorney Edward Rivera, COVID-19 Fraud Coordinator.
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Former Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Possessing Drugs in PrisonRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Rauon Gordon, age 28, a former inmate of FCI Allenwood, pled guilty on September 7, 2022, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann, to possessing contraband in prison.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Gordon admitted that he possessed buprenorphine, a Schedule III narcotic, while he was an inmate at FCI Allenwood, in White Deer, Pennsylvania. The charge stemmed from an incident on September 21, 2021, when correctional officers searched Gordon and found 16 paper strips of Suboxone in his right pants pocket. Laboratory testing confirmed the Suboxone contained buprenorphine.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Inman are prosecuting the case.
Chief Judge Brann ordered the U.S. Probation Office to complete a presentence investigation report for Gordon. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
The maximum penalty for possessing contraband in prison is five years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
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Former Administrative Manager for Covington Public Works Department Indicted for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. - The former administrative manager for the City of Covington Public Works Department, Allison Donaldson, 49, of Covington, was indicted by a federal grand jury, on four counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictment alleges that Donaldson was employed as an administrative manager for the Public Works Department, from 2005 until 2022, and had access to credit card information for the department. The indictment further alleges that, starting in February 2020 and continuing until February 2022, Donaldson knowingly defrauded the City of Covington by using employee credit cards, making over $150,000 in purchases for herself and her home. The purchases listed in the indictment include repairs for a Mercedes Benz, Crate & Barrel furniture, and designer counter stools.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Daniel Cameron, Kentucky Attorney General; and Spike Jones, Chief of the Kenton County Police Department, jointly announced the indictment.
The investigation preceding the indictments was conducted by the FBI, the Kentucky Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigation, and the Kenton County Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Winslow.
Donaldson will appear in Court on September 19, 2022, at 2 p.m. She faces up to 20 years on each count of wire fraud; she faces up to two years, to run consecutively on each count of aggravated identity theft; and she faces judgments for restitution and forfeiture of the property attained through the fraud. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Federal Jury Finds Three Guilty in Pyramid SchemeRead the Press Release
Owensboro, KY – A federal jury convicted an Owensboro man, a North Carolina man, and a Florida woman this week for conspiracies to commit mail fraud and securities fraud. The Owensboro man was also convicted of money laundering and attempted tax evasion for tax years 2013 and 2014.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson of the IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, made the announcement.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Richard G. Maike, 55, of Owensboro, Kentucky, Doyce G. Barnes, 73, of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Faraday Hosseinipour, 54, of Jacksonville, Florida, were convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with the sale of positions in Infinity 2 Global, or I2G, purportedly a multi-level marketing company which the United States proved at trial was operating as a pyramid scheme. Maike, Barnes, and Hosseinipour were also convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in connection with the sale of $5,000 Emperor positions in the company as a form of passive income. Maike was also convicted of money laundering and tax evasion in connection with his use of approximately $3.2 million in I2G funds, some of which were wired to and from an Infinity 2 Global bank account in Hong Kong and used by Maike to purchase 1800 acres of ranch land in Kansas for his personal use. The evidence at trial showed that in approximately 15 months, I2G sold nearly 5,000 of the $5,000 Emperor positions generating, along with other lower-priced positions, over $30 million in revenue, much of which went out in the form of commissions to the promoters at the top of the pyramid structure. Commissions were generated based on recruitment of new members into the company. Over 90% of the people who bought a membership in I2G lost money.
The trial started in Owensboro, Kentucky on July 12, 2022, and concluded with the jury’s verdict on September 7, 2022, after four hours of deliberation. Maike was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing. Maike, Barnes, and Hosseinipour are scheduled for sentencing in Owensboro before a United States District Judge of the Western District of Kentucky on December 12, 2022. Maike faces a maximum penalty of 125 years in prison. Barnes and Hosseiniour each face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. The United States District Judge will determine the defendants sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
One co-defendant, Richard Anzalone, previously entered a plea of guilty to the conspiracy to commit securities fraud and testified at trial. He will be sentenced at a later date. Two other co-defendants, Dennis Dvorin and Jason Syn, were severed for trial to be held at a later date. No trial date has been set for Dvorin and Syn.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Madison Sewell and Marisa Ford prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Cristy Crocket.
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Federal Jury Convicts Pontotoc County Resident of Abusive Sexual Contact and Sexual Abuse of A Minor in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Nathan Dale Smith, age 32, of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. The jury trial began on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, and concluded on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that Nathan Dale Smith sexually abused a female child under the age of 16 over the course of two years. Once the abuse was disclosed, the Defendant sent an incriminating text message to the victim’s mother apologizing for his actions.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the Defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Ada Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Smith was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the imposition of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Morgan Muzljakovich and Nicole Paladino represented the United States.
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Two Quincy Residents for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned indictments on August 9, 2022, against the following individuals:
Audrey Ohenmus 25, of Quincy, Illinois, is charged with both transferring a firearm to a prohibited person, Murquise D. Wooden, and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, Murquise D. Wooden on July 17, 2022. The penalty for transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person is up to 15 years imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. Ohenmus was ordered to be released on bond with conditions by United States Magistrate Judge Karen L. McNaught on August 25, 2022.
Murquise D. Wooden, also of Quincy, is charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, a felon, on July 17, 2022. The penalty, in light of previous criminal convictions alleged by the government, is a minimum of 15 years and up to a life term of imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine. United States Magistrate Judge Karen L. McNaught ordered the defendant to be remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on September 7, 2022.
The charges were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Illinois State Police, and the Quincy Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger is representing the government in the case prosecutions.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Federal Grand Jury A Indictments Announced- September 2022Read the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the September 2022 Federal Grand Jury A.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Raul Angel Alvarado-Ramos. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Alvarado-Ramos, 28, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been deported on May 29, 2020, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-295
Lori Ann Bailey. Bank Fraud (Counts 1-5, 11); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 6-10); Possession of Stolen Mail (Count 12); Theft or Receipt of Stolen Mail (Counts 13-15). On May 1, 2022, Bailey, 42, of Sand Springs, allegedly broke into mailboxes at an apartment complex and stole mail, including a victim’s Arvest Bank debit card. She then used the debit card to make purchases totaling $750 at various stores, including Burlington, Reasor’s, IHOP, Walmart and AutoZone, thus committing bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. On May 13, 2022, she further attempted to pass a forged and fraudulent check from an American Heritage bank account. She also allegedly possessed stolen mail on Aug. 6, 2021, including a package, checks, and Harley Davidson tags. On Nov. 3, 2021, she further stole three packages left for collection. On Dec. 14, 2021, she stole a package from a mail receptacle and authorized depository for mail matter. Finally, on Dec. 22, 2021, Bailey stole another package which had been left for collection. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-296
Curtis Edward Barnes Jr. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling, Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian Country. Barnes Jr., 42, of Haskell, is charged with entering the victim’s home through an unlocked door on July 27, 2022, violating a protective order. The following day, Barnes allegedly returned and forced his way through the back door of the victim’s home then hit and strangled the victim. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-315
Douglas Colby Barnes. Violence Against Mass Transportation Systems on Land (Count 1); Kidnapping in Indian Country (Count 2); Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country (Count 3); Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding (Misdemeanor) (Counts 4-6). On Aug. 13, 2022, Barnes allegedly rushed a Tulsa City bus driver while the bus was in motion and assaulted the driver and three other passengers who intervened. The driver was able to stop the bus, but the assault on the driver continued. At one point, the bus began moving again slowly until it crashed into a telephone pole. During the assault, Barnes allegedly struck the driver with force 14 times along with other strikes and slaps to the head, causing serious bodily injury. Barnes was finally subdued by a man who saw the bus hit the telephone pole. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chantelle D. Dial is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-297
Mikaili Diwani Cohn. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography; Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Cohn, 25, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly receiving, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material from May 26, 2022, to July 12, 2022. He also allegedly failed to register as a sex offender staring on March 29, 2022, through the date of the indictment. Cohn was previously convicted in the Northern District of Oklahoma for possession of child pornography on Nov. 3, 2017. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor A.S. Régal and George Jiang are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-298
Gonzalo Coronado-Aguilar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Coronado-Aguilar, 40, a Guatemalan National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed at or near Miami, Florida, on April 18, 2011. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-299
Manuel Flores- Topete. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Flores-Topete, 48, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 8, 2013, at or near El Paso, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-300
Juan Antonio Garcia-Rivera. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Garcia-Rivera, 30, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 30, 2019, at or near Paso Del Norte, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cymetra M. Williams is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-301
Juan Carlos Hernandez-Nava. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Hernandez-Nava, 40, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Nov. 28, 2017, at or near Brownsville, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-302
Brandon Jordan Lancaste. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. On Aug. 13, 2022, Lancaste, 20, of Tulsa, allegedly shot victim Keith Brown, killing him. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-316
Henry Mauricio Lopez-Villanueva. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lopez-Villanueva, 35, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 8, 2013, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-303
Mauricio Lorenzo-Juarez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lorenzo-Juarez, 35, a Guatemalan national, was charged with unlawfully reentering the United States on July 31, 2009, at or near Harlingen, Texas. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-304
Darrell Lamont Love. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. From June 1, 2022, to Aug. 18, 2022, Darrell Lamont Love allegedly failed to register as a sex offender. The U.S. Marshals Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-305
Milgen Perez-Chun. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Perez-Chun, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentered the United States after having been removed on Feb. 17, 2019, at or near Brownsville, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon A. Skates is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-306
Damien Rodrigues-Munis. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rodrigues-Munis, 49, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Dec. 10, 2011, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-307
Jose Rodriguez-Soto. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rodriguez-Soto, 29, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 5, 2013, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-308
Miguel Segura-Jasso. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Segura-Jasso, 37, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Feb. 5, 2010, at or near Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-309
Jose Rosendo Valadez-Chavez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Valadez-Chavez, 30, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 1, 2019, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon A. Skates is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-310
Tory Ceonta Williams. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Counts 1, 3); Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (Counts 2, 4); Receipt of Stolen Property in Indian Country (Misdemeanor) (Count 5). On Aug. 15, 2022, Williams, 18, of Tulsa, allegedly shot two male victims with intent to do bodily harm. He is also alleged to have knowingly received stolen federal law enforcement equipment. The FBI equipment included two sets of body armor, ballistics plates, four AR-15 magazines and a Glock 19 magazine. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan H. Heatherman is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-312
Zachary Ray Young; Kiarah Danea Shaw. Robbery in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. On Aug. 1, 2022, Young, 22, and Shaw, 20, both of Tulsa, allegedly assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon and stole the victim’s wallet. The victim suffered serious bodily injury during the assault. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-311
East St. Louis Man Sentenced for Gun OffenseRead the Press Release
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Fulton Lee Gully, 61, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 48
months imprisonment on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, after previously pleading guilty to one count
of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. As part of his guilty plea, Gully acknowledged that between
July 28, 2020, and October 27, 2020, while knowing he was a convicted felon, unlawfully possessed a
shotgun at a residence in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Gully had likewise been convicted in 2003 in this district of being a felon in possession of a
firearm and, in that case, received a sentence of 1 year and 1 day to be followed by 3 years of
supervised release. In 2005, Gully’s supervised release was revoked after he was found to have
possessed cocaine and marijuana. He was sent back to prison for 6 months to be followed by 6
months of home confinement. In 2006, Gully’s supervised release was again revoked and he was
returned to prison for 13 months after he violated the terms of his home confinement.“Felons possessing firearms, regardless of the circumstances, are serious offenses,” said United
States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “This defendant has repeatedly shown his inability to follow
the law or comply with restrictions placed on him by the courts. Our communities are less safe
when individuals like this possess guns.”Upon release from his 48-month term of imprisonment, Gully will serve 3 years of supervised
release.This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and prosecuted
by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak.Dover Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a MinorRead the Press Release
CONCORD –Tyler Townsend, 28, of Dover pled guilty in federal court on Friday to one count of sex trafficking of a minor, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Townsend posted online advertisements offering a minor female for commercial sex on a now-defunct website in 2017. The online account used to post the advertisements was linked to Townsend through email and phone records. Townsend often dealt directly with the individuals who responded to the advertisements, negotiating terms and discussing prices. He also frequently accompanied the minor female and collected the money that was paid by the individuals in exchange for sex with the minor female.
Townsend is scheduled to be sentenced on December 19, 2022.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Dover Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kasey Weiland and Anna Dronzek.
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District Man Sentenced to 31 Years in Prison for Murder of a Senior Citizen in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Tyrone Williams, 52, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 31 years in prison for first-degree felony murder of a senior citizen and other charges in a mid-day attempted robbery that took place in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Williams was found guilty by a jury on June 8, 2022, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury also found him guilty of attempted robbery of a senior citizen. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo to 30 years in prison on the murder charge and an additional year for committing the offense while on supervised release. A two-year sentence for the attempted robbery runs concurrently with the other time. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release. At the time of the murder, he was on supervised release for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the government’s evidence, at 11:45 a.m. on March 29, 2020, Bobby Poole Jr. 81, was walking home after going on his daily mile-long walk to a convenience store. On his way home, in the 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE, Mr. Poole was knocked down by Williams and a second unknown assailant. The two went through his pockets. Mr. Poole hit his head on a metal fence during the robbery, suffering brain injuries. He died on May 6, 2020, from complications of blunt force trauma to the head
Surveillance video from the convenience store shows Williams had been casing Mr. Poole and the convenience store and following him afterwards. The attack is not shown on video, but a civilian witness, who had just run into Williams at the store, saw Williams and the second assailant fleeing the area where Mr. Poole was found. Williams was located at the convenience store afterwards and is identified through surveillance video.
Williams was arrested on March 29, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal, Chimnomnso Kalu, and Daniel Lenerz, Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Lead Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling and Litigation Technology Specialist Paul Howell.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Ganjei and Ariel Dean, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 11½ Years in Prison for Killing Man on Busy Street in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerome Alexander, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 11 ½ years for killing a man in December 2019 in a busy commercial shopping area in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Alexander pleaded guilty in June 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 9½ to 14 years. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan accepted the plea and sentenced Alexander accordingly. Following his prison term, Alexander will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 19, 2019, shortly before 4 p.m., Alexander, armed with an illegal firearm, approached Richard Washington on a pedestrian-filled sidewalk in front of a variety store in the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue NE. Mr. Washington had shopped inside the store and was walking back to his car in a parking lot. Alexander attempted to force Mr. Washington to give him his property. As Alexander walked towards him, Mr. Washington tried to walk away, but Alexander continued to follow him.
Mr. Washington kept trying to create separation between himself and Alexander and told Alexander that he didn’t have anything. Alexander, however, continued to stalk Mr. Washington, who eventually swung his arm at Alexander, but his arm did not connect and thus, did not strike Alexander. Others on the street began to run away from the two as Alexander, with his right hand still in his right coat pocket, continued towards Mr. Washington. As Mr. Washington walked away from Alexander in front of the windows of the store, Alexander took out his firearm and shot Mr. Washington in the torso. Alexander then sprinted towards Benning Road NE, and fled. Shoppers and pedestrians ran in fear at the sound of the shooting, running across the busy intersection on Minnesota Avenue, and away from the perceived danger. Some stayed to call for help. Mr. Washington, 28, died from his injuries later that day.
Alexander was arrested on Dec. 31, 2019. He has been detained ever since.
Mr. Washington, at 6’8” in height, was known as Big Rich to his Morehouse College Football teammates, where in 2012 and 2013 he donned the number 74. To his family and friends, he was a gentle giant and beloved family member.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Coronado and Melissa Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Fatal Stabbing of Woman in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Carl Jones, 45, of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the fatal stabbing of his girlfriend earlier this year in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Jones pleaded guilty on Sept. 8, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of voluntary manslaughter and carrying a dangerous weapon. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of seven to nine years in prison. The Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr. scheduled sentencing for Dec. 9, 2022.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 27, 2022, at approximately 12:38 a.m., Jones went to the apartment of his girlfriend, Ladonia Boggs, in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE. Jones, who did not reside at the apartment, got into an altercation with Ms. Boggs over the death of their nearly two-month-old baby, which took place in May of 2021. During the altercation, he fatally stabbed Ms. Boggs with a knife. He then dragged her body to the front door of her apartment unit. Jones temporarily left the apartment at approximately 1:55 a.m. to throw a trash bag from the apartment into a nearby dumpster. Then, at approximately 2:52 a.m., he used Ms. Boggs’s cellphone to call 911, reporting that a male with a knife chased a woman into her house. Jones then left the apartment building before police officers arrived.
Ms. Boggs, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jones was arrested on April 27, 2022. He has been detained ever since.
At the time of her death, Ms. Boggs was awaiting court proceedings following her indictment on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in the baby’s death. She was accused of disposing of the baby’s body in a dumpster. Ms. Boggs had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Department of Justice Awards $400,000 to the Yakama Nation to Enhance Its Sex Offender RegistryRead the Press Release
Yakima, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, today announced a $400,000 Department of Justice grant to the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The grant provides support and resources to the Tribes for maintaining a sex offender registry and ensuring sex offenders’ registration is current at all times.
The grant, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (the “SMART” Office), in the Office of Justice Programs, was awarded on September 6, 2022. Funding was awarded pursuant to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, 34 U.S.C. § 20901, et seq. In accordance with this Act, funding is made available to assist jurisdictions with developing and enhancing programs to meet two goals: (1) ensuring that all states and federally-recognized Indian Tribes maintain an active sex offender registry; and (2) requiring registered sex offenders to maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the individual lives, works, or goes to school.
In announcing the $400,000 award, U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “The United States Justice Department is committed to devoting resources to support keeping communities safe and strong.” She continued, “Sex offender registration and community notification are essential to improving the safety of our communities. The $400,000 award will help ensure that the Yakama Nation and individual members of the community are able to track and monitor convicted sex offenders. This information is vital to ensure that parents, teachers and conscientious members of the community have the tools they need to keep our children and families safe in their schools, neighborhoods and homes.”
The SMART Office administers the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which sets forth a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. Among other things, SORNA requires that sex offender registries include the following information: duration of registration, in-person verification of sex offender registration information, participation in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov), and interjurisdictional notification of relocating offenders. More specific information about the implementation of SORNA is available at https://smart.ojp.gov/sorna. Information specific to implementation of SORNA in Indian Country is available at https://smart.ojp.gov/IC-SORNA-guide. Additional information about grants and funding through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs is available at https://www.ojp.gov/.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Accepting More Than $500,000 in Bribes in Connection with a Multi-Million Dollar New York City Public Works ContractRead the Press Release
Earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, George Djurasevic pled guilty to bribery, in violation of the Travel Act, admitting that he accepted more than half-a-million dollars in bribe payments in his role as a manager of a company (the “Company”) contracted by the New York City Water Board (NYCWB) to provide sewer and water pipe repair services to New York City homeowners. Djurasevic also pled guilty to tax evasion. Today’s proceeding was held before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo. When sentenced, Djurasevic faces a total of 10 years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Michael J. Driscoll, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); Jocelyn E. Strauber, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation; and Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS), announced the guilty plea.
“Motivated by greed, Djurasevic flushed away his integrity, accepting bribes and leaving New Yorkers to pay the bill, including when home repairs were not even completed,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace. “That the process of overseeing city contracts on warranties for costly repairs was corrupted is a betrayal to New York homeowners.”
“As he admitted with today’s plea, Mr. Djurasevic abused his position for personal gain and passed the tab on to New York City taxpayers. Those responsible for helping their fellow citizens obtain basic utility services have a duty to do so in an honest manner, not one motivated by greedy self-interest. The FBI and our partners remain dedicated to bringing those who take bribes at the expense of the public to justice,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said, "As today’s guilty plea establishes, instead of providing responsible oversight of City repair projects, the defendant used his status as a City contractor to line his own pockets with hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe payments. DOI and its federal partners will continue to thwart those who corrupt City processes and victimize New Yorkers."
“Djurasevic lined his pockets with ill-gotten gains and left the people of New York City to pay the tab. He then underpaid his taxes by more than a hundred thousand dollars, revenue used to fund programs for Americans who need it. It is clear that Djurasevic had little regard for the collateral damage of his schemes, and with this guilty plea he is one step closer to justice,” said Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge for IRS:CI in New York.
According to court documents and facts presented at the guilty plea proceeding, the Company was awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the NYCWB to sell warranties to New York City homeowners covering repairs to sewer and water pipes. Djurasevic was responsible for overseeing the Company’s sewer and water line repair work carried out by the Company’s plumbing sub-contractors in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn.
Djurasevic accepted approximately $500,000 in bribes over five years from a sub-contractor in exchange for, among other things, allowing the sub-contractor to overbill for work performed or to not perform certain repairs to the homeowners’ sewer and water pipes, as well as for his review of the sub-contractor’s determination as to whether repairs were covered by the Company’s warranty. Djurasevic also failed to report his true income to the Internal Revenue Service, which resulted in his failure to pay more than $114,000 in taxes. When sentenced, Djurasevic faces a total of 10 years in prison.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Pilmar, Robert Polemeni and Dana Rehnquist are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
GEORGE DJURASEVIC
Age: 54
Armonk, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-551 (LDH)
Colchester Man Indicted for Federal Drug OffenseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on September 8, 2022, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Dominique Troupe (also known as “Wop” and “Juice”), 35, of Colchester with one count of possessing with intent to distribute cocaine base.
According to court filings, Troupe was arrested Wednesday evening as he got off the ferry in Grand Isle, after travelling to New York to obtain crack cocaine for distribution in Vermont. He was arrested with more than 200 grams (including packaging) of cocaine base in the trunk of his vehicle.
At the time of his arrest, Troupe was subject to conditions imposed last month by Chittenden Superior Court Criminal Division in connection with a pending prosecution in that court for Aggravated Assault and Burglary. The state-court-imposed conditions required Troupe to stay at his Colchester residence, subject to certain exceptions.
The United States has moved for Troupe to be detained during the pendency of his prosecution. He will be arraigned on the indictment and the Court is expected to take up the question of pre-trial detention at a hearing scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle.
The indictment is an accusation only and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. If convicted, Troupe faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison. Any sentence imposed, would be informed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
Troupe is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher.
Career Offender in Elyria Sentenced to More Than 21.5 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CLEVELAND - Terry L. Jackson Sr., 50, of Elyria, Ohio, was sentenced on Thursday, September 8, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent to more than 21.5 years in prison after Jackson was convicted in a trial by jury of distributing cocaine base (crack) and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base (crack) and methamphetamine.
“This sentence is another example of the successful cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement authorities in combating the scourge of opioids in our community,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “Repeat drug traffickers earn their way to federal court to answer for the poisoning of our communities.”
“Drug trafficking cases remain one of the highest priorities of the FBI,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Gregory Nelsen. “This sentence underscores an unwavering commitment to combatting drug trafficking. The FBI, together with our federal, state, and local partners, remain steadfast in disrupting the flow of deadly drugs that pose the greatest threat to the well-being of every person in the United States.”
"The Elyria Police Department would like to thank our federal partners, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office, for collaborating with us on the investigation of Terry L. Jackson," said City of Elyria Chief of Police William Pelko. "Mr. Jackson is a career criminal who we have dealt with many times throughout the years for numerous violent criminal and drug activity. The citizens of Elyria will no longer have to tolerate Jackson's criminal behavior. The Elyria Police Department will continue to work with our federal partners to investigate and prosecute these violent offenders."
According to court documents, in February of 2019, law enforcement officers with the Elyria Police Department began an investigation into Jackson, after receiving information that Jackson was distributing drugs out of an Elyria-area motel room. As a result, investigators conducted a controlled buy from Jackson and purchased a quantity of cocaine base (crack) from him. Shortly after, investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for the hotel room where Jackson was staying.
During the execution of the warrant, investigators encountered Jackson alone in the room and seized quantities of fentanyl, cocaine base (crack) and methamphetamine from him. Jackson was arrested at that time.
Jackson was classified as a career offender during the sentencing hearing due to multiple prior felony convictions, including drug trafficking and felonious assault. A career offender is an individual that commits either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense after two prior felony convictions for either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense.
This investigation was conducted by the Elyria Police Department, with assistance from the FBI and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Payum Doroodian and Robert J. Kolansky.
This case was investigated as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.)., a joint law enforcement initiative that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids and to identify wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers.
Bucks County Man Charged with Causing More Than $1.5 Million in Damage to Decommissioned Power Plants Across Philadelphia Region by Stealing Copper Wire to Sell for ScrapRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Michael Garrison, 43, of Croydon, PA, was charged by Information with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, eight counts of wire fraud, two counts of destruction of an energy facility, and one count of filing a false tax return.
The Information alleges that starting in 2018 and continuing until August 2021, Garrison broke into shuttered coal-fired power plants that had been decommissioned, including Titus Station in Berks County, Cromby Station in Chester County, Southward Generating Station in Philadelphia, and the Gould Street Generating Station in Baltimore, Maryland, in order to steal copper wire and other metal, which he then sold to scrap yards in Philadelphia. The Information further alleges that between January 2020 and August 2021, Garrison sold stolen scrap on approximately 175 separate occasions to a Philadelphia scrap yard, for which he was paid more than $117,000. But the payment the defendant received paled in comparison to the damage he caused to the power plants. For example, the Information alleges that in the summer of 2021 alone, Garrison caused more than $1.5 million worth of damage to Titus Station in order to expose and pull the copper wire and other metal that he stole from that facility. As set forth in the Information, Garrison is also charged with filing a false 2020 U.S. Income Tax Return that failed to declare the more than $62,000 he was paid that year from the Philadelphia scrap yard.
“Stealing or vandalizing energy facilities – operational or not – is a federal offense which will be vigorously prosecuted by our Office,” said U.S. Attorney Romero.
“Brazenly breaking into and damaging a power facility — for any reason — is unacceptable,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “It’s imperative to hold perpetrators accountable for their destruction and, in doing so, we seek to also deter others from committing such a serious federal crime.”
“No matter the source, all income is taxable,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Mr. Garrison is alleged to have earned a living by stealing. Income derived from theft is taxable and IRS-CI remain committed to investigating these types of crimes. “
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael S. Lowe and Judy Smith.
An Indictment, Information, or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Brockton Man Sentenced for Role in Dark Web Drug Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a highly sophisticated drug trafficking operation that manufactured and distributed a multitude of controlled substances using the Dark Web.
Allante Pires, 25, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 28 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Pires was also ordered to forfeit a 2013 Mercedes E sedan. The government recommended a sentence of 70 months in prison. On June 2, 2022, Pires pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, Ketamine and Alprazolam (Xanax).
Pires was indicted in June 2019 along with co-conspirators Binh Thanh Le and Steven McCall. Le, who was the ringleader of the drug-trafficking operation, created and operated a vendor site called “EastSideHigh” in markets on the Dark Network, more commonly known as the Dark Web. The Dark Web is any portion of the internet that can only be accessed with specific software, configurations or authorization that anonymize internet traffic. Le used these Dark Web markets to advertise various drugs for sale, including cocaine, MDMA, Ketamine and Xanax. Le ordered and received wholesale quantities of the drugs he and the others were distributing in the mail, principally from foreign sources in Canada and Europe. Le, Pires and McCall then processed and manufactured those controlled substances at an office space Le rented in Stoughton. After receiving the orders and payment via Bitcoin, the men mailed the drugs to customers throughout the United States.
Over 19 kilograms of MDMA, almost seven kilograms of Ketamine, nearly one kilogram of cocaine and more than 10,000 counterfeit Xanax pills were seized by authorities during the investigation. Investigators also recovered a computer with the “EastSideHigh” vendor page open, numerous packages containing MDMA and Ketamine, various shipping and packaging materials and a pill press from the office space in Stoughton.
On March 10, 2022, Le was sentenced to eight years in prison and three years of supervised release. Le was also ordered to forfeit more than 59 Bitcoin (representing a forfeiture in excess of $1.1 million), $114,680 in cash, $42,390 representing the proceeds from the sale of a 2018 BMW M3, along with other items including a pill press and currency counter. McCall pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on June 28, 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 28, 2022.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge for the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey; and Jennifer De La O, Director of Field Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Special assistance with the investigation was provided by the Homeland Security Investigations in Colorado; Postal Inspectors from around the country; and the Stoughton, Norwood and Brockton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Arnold of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
British Citizens Sentenced in Death of Scuba DiverRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – After more than 10 years on the run from authorities, Christopher Jones and Alison Gracey were sentenced in Miami federal court today for their role in the involuntary manslaughter death of a scuba diver in 2011.
The Honorable James Lawrence King, Senior United States District Court Judge, sentenced Jones to 51 months of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release. Alison Gracey was sentenced to the time she already has served in custody – 18.5 months and a one-year term of supervised release. Both will be deported from the United States at the conclusion of their prison terms.
Jones, 58, and Gracey, 55, owned the Key Largo Scuba Shack, LLC, a business that operated charter scuba diving trips in the Florida Keys from approximately June 2010 to December 2011. They operated a 24.8-foot vessel named the M/V Get Wet as part of the business. On December 18, 2011, the M/V Get Wet conducted a scuba trip with two crew members and six passengers. During their first dive stop, sea conditions went from calm to choppy and the boat operator noticed that the bilge pump had failed. As the divers reboarded the boat after the dive, the vessel began taking on water and rolling heavily. The Get Wet ultimately capsized, and quickly sank about 30 feet to the ocean floor. During its descent, a 300-pound bench that was not properly secured to the vessel’s deck detached. Made of buoyant material, the bench sprang toward the ocean’s surface as the vessel itself sank. The two large and heavy objects collided, pinning one of the passenger’s legs against the vessel’s windshield. The passenger was trapped and drowned.
Coast Guard experts later inspected the Get Wet and found serious deficiencies. None of Get Wet’s bilge compartments including the engine spaces below the ship’s deck were watertight. The aftmost bilge space was covered by a deck plate with holes for 30 bolts, 22 of which were missing and the remaining eight were loose. The wood at the bottom of the 300-pound bench was rotten, and the screws intended to secure it to the deck were too small. Beneath the deck, holes that allowed water to flow between the various bilge compartments compromised all the bulkheads. A bilge pump had been disassembled and re-assembled incorrectly, causing it to fail.
The Coast Guard’s criminal investigation following the death of the diver revealed that Jones and Gracey knew before the tragedy that the vessel needed repairs. Jones and Gracey continued operating the M/V Get Wet despite the following, all of which occurred prior to December 18, 2011:
- Following inspections, the United States Coast Guard had notified Jones and Gracey that the vessel needed repairs, including securing the center engine bench cover to the deck and making repairs below the deck to insure the water-tight integrity of bulkheads.
- The dive operation’s employees repeatedly informed Jones that the Get Wet flooded dangerously. The deck plates were barely attached, and the engine bench cover would rock back and forth.
- The Get Wet broke down repeatedly and equipment on the boat failed, including the pumps intended to de-water the vessel.
- On one voyage with Gracey aboard as dive master, the Get Wet almost sank.
- In the two months before the boat sank, a marine salvor towed the Get Wet to shore on three separate occasions.
Shortly after the diver’s death, Jones and Gracey fled the United States and spent over 10 years moving from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, fighting extradition each time law enforcement found them. They were finally arrested in 2021 in Spain, where Spanish authorities took them into custody based on an Interpol Red Notice. In January 2022, Jones and Gracey were extradited to the United States to face federal charges in Southern District of Florida.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez and Zinnia James, Special Agent in Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), announced the results of the sentencing hearing today.
The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service investigated the case. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs, provided invaluable assistance, pursuing the extradition of the defendants from multiple countries. The U.S. Marshal’s Service also assisted by transporting the defendants from Spain to Florida.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Raich worked on the investigation and initially prosecuted this case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is now handling.
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 12-cr-10013.
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Bonner Springs Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual acts with a child and taking nude pictures and videos of the child. According to court documents, Joshua Courtney, 35, of Bonner Springs pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and four counts of possession of child pornography.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received cybertips from Google, Snapchat, and Dropbox about child sexual abuse material photos and videos within accounts identified as belonging to Joshua Courtney. Agents found dozens of pornographic images in Courtney’s Google photos, including some of which were later identified to be of a 10-year-old child. Courtney admitted to investigators he took nude photos of the child, filmed himself while engaged in sexual acts with the child, and sent these materials to others. He also admitted receiving child pornography of other children on his cell phone.
“The Secret Service is proud of the effective partnerships it maintains with the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the United States Attorney’s Office, whose tireless efforts were instrumental in seeing justice served in this case,” said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brandon Bridgeforth. “We can think of no greater outcome than protecting our children from predators such as Joshua Courtney.”
Courtney faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of child exploitation and up to 20 years in prison for each count of possession of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for December 1. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Faiza Alhambra is prosecuting the case.
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Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
21 Indicted in Lawrence and Southbridge Area Cocaine and Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Twenty-one individuals have been indicted in federal court in Boston in connection with their alleged roles in drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) that distributed cocaine and fentanyl throughout the North Shore and Central Massachusetts.
The following defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute various weights of fentanyl and cocaine and for distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine:
- Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez, 30, of Southbridge;
- Isaac Gonzalez, 31, of Southbridge;
- Ismael Maysonet, 40, of Southbridge;
- Nataly Vazquez Pizarro, 40, of Southbridge;
- Jonathan Rivera Otero, 27, of Puerto Rico;
- Jassiel Ortiz Cardona, 28, of Puerto Rico;
- Josue Maisonet, 26, of Southbridge;
- Kimberly Heck, 38, of Southbridge;
- Edgardo Ramirez, 44, of Southbridge;
- Jacob Fuentes, 47, of Southbridge;
- Richard Watts, 27, of Southbridge;
- Juan Lara Tejada a/k/a “Mayimbe,” 31, of Lawrence;
- William Torres, 42, of Lawrence;
- Julio Rivera Morales, 49, of Philadelphia;
- Hector Luis Torres Rosario, 40, of Lawrence;
- Leduis Esteves Cabrera, 26, of Lawrence;
- Deborah Torres, 34, of Lawrence;
- Clinton Ortiz, 38, of Southbridge;
- Reinaldo Rosado, 39, of Southbridge;
- Roberto Lopez, 34, of Southbridge; and
- Henry Rodriguez-Ruiz, 47, of Southbridge.
“These defendants allegedly engaged in a large-scale criminal enterprise that sought to poison communities in Massachusetts and elsewhere with deadly narcotics. Today’s indictments should send a clear message that drug trafficking organizations operating in our Commonwealth will be rooted out, prosecuted and dismantled,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Those who exploit the vulnerable and pump lethal drugs into our neighborhoods for a profit are not welcome here. My office will stop at nothing to hold those involved accountable. Thanks to the exceptional coordinated work of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, North Shore and Central Massachusetts communities and beyond can rest knowing these alleged criminals have been removed from their neighborhoods. Our efforts will not stop.”
“Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities here in Massachusetts,” said Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division. “Let these arrests and seizures serve as an example and be a warning to those who distribute poisons like fentanyl and cocaine, that DEA will aggressively and actively pursue and hold you accountable. This investigation demonstrates the strength and continued commitment of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners here in Massachusetts and our solid relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to preserving the integrity of the U.S. Mail while also protecting our employees and the American public,” said Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “Today’s arrests reflect these values and should send a strong message to anyone who would attempt to use the U.S. Mail for illicit gain. This investigation highlights how the U.S. Postal Inspection and our law enforcement partners work together to disrupt Drug Trafficking Organizations that endanger our communities.”
According to the charging documents, investigators identified Jonathan Pizarro Gonzalez and Isaac Gonzalez as the leaders of a Southbridge-based DTO comprised of Vazquez, Maysonet, Maisonet, Fuentes, Ortiz, and Heck, among others, that distributed cocaine and fentanyl to retail customers and to other drug dealers. It is alleged that the DTO regularly used the United States mail to conduct drug trafficking activities. Specifically, the DTO allegedly obtained large quantities of cocaine through packages mailed from Puerto Rico to addresses used by the DTO and mailed packages containing fentanyl to recipients in Florida and elsewhere. Intercepted communications allegedly identified William Torres, Hector Luis Torres Rosario, and Cabrera, among others as Lawrence-based fentanyl distributors who worked to directly supply Gonzalez’s DTO and other distributors with fentanyl. Approximately nine kilograms of cocaine from packages sent through the mail and 800 grams of fentanyl were seized from various DTO members over the course of the investigation.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams of cocaine and 40 grams of fentanyl provides a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, DEA SAC Boyle and USPIS INC Larco-Ward made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service, Massachusetts State Police, Southbridge Police Department, Lawrence Police Department, Essex County Sherriff’s Department, and Worcester County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Thursday 8 September 2022
Worcester Investment Adviser Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester-based investment adviser pleaded guilty today in connection with a long-running scheme to steal more than $2.8 million from six clients.
James Kenneth Couture, 42, of Sutton, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of investment adviser fraud and one count of witness tampering. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 11, 2022.
Couture was a registered investment adviser, with an office in Worcester. In that capacity, he invested his clients’ funds in securities and various insurance products, including annuities, and set up and assisted clients with profit-sharing plans and other retirement products. From approximately 2009 to 2020, Couture misappropriated approximately $2.8 million from his clients by transferring funds out of his clients’ accounts, investing it in fictitious mutual funds and then selling other clients’ holdings to pay investment returns. In June 2016, Couture liquidated one client’s variable annuities to fund withdrawals by another client. Similarly, in December 2019 and January 2020, Couture paid a client he had previously defrauded by selling other clients’ mutual funds. As part of this scheme, Couture forged clients’ signatures on documents, or caused clients to sign documents by falsely representing that the proceeds of transactions would be used for the clients’ benefit. Couture also stole from clients using their own profit-sharing plans and conducting transactions in their names to disguise his fraudulent transactions.
Couture was initially charged in connection with this scheme in June 2021. After those initial charges were filed, Couture engaged in witness tampering by creating fake documents purported to be for his clients’ accounts and providing false information to at least one victim in the case for approximately six months. Couture was subsequently charged with witness tampering in connection with his efforts to deceive this victim on Jan. 14, 2022.
The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charges of aggravated identity theft each provide for a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison. The charge of investment adviser fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of witness tampering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael Rollins, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston made the announcement today. The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Waterbury Man Charged with Drug Distribution and Gun Possession OffensesRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, and Waterbury Chief of Police Fernando C. Spagnolo today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging CHRISTOPHER POLLER, 28, of Waterbury, was drug distribution and firearm possession offenses.
The indictment was returned on August 9. On September 6, Poller appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Poller has been detained since his arrest on related state charges on May 3.
The indictment alleges that, on May 3, 2022, Poller possessed quantities of fentanyl and crack cocaine that he intended to distribute, and two loaded handguns.
The indictment further alleges that Poller’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics distribution, larceny, assault, escape, and weapons possession offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
The indictment charges Poller with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”), an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least five years.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Waterbury Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Boyles through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice 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.
Wasilla Drug Dealer Sentenced to 13 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ANCHORAGE – A Wasilla, Alaska, man was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release for possessing heroin with the intent to distribute it.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sedric Williams, 43, led the Alaska State Troopers on a high-speed chase through Wasilla at 2:25 a.m. on September 14, 2018, in a reckless attempt to avoid getting caught with heroin in his vehicle. Weaving in and out of oncoming traffic at more than 110 mph, Williams lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a pole. He then climbed out of the vehicle’s window and ran down an ATV trail, ignoring orders from the Trooper to stop. After being tasered, Williams threw away a plastic baggie containing 122 grams of heroin into the nearby bushes.
Evidence at trial established that Williams intended to sell the heroin as part of an ongoing drug dealing business. Information contained on three cell phones found in Williams's wrecked car indicated that he had many clients who frequently texted him for a wide variety of drugs. The 122 grams of heroin Williams had in his possession when arrested had a street value of up to $61,000 and represented more than 1,000 individual doses.
Williams has a long history of drug and firearm-related convictions. In 2010, Williams was convicted in a previous federal jury trial of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy. Within just a few months of his release from federal prison in 2018, he resumed selling drugs.
“Illegal narcotics are a cancer in our society and the removal of Williams from the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage streets will help make our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker, District of Alaska. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure drug dealers face stiff consequences for their illegal activities and that justice is served.”
“The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to hold anyone that deals illicit drugs accountable for their actions,” said Colonel Maurice Hughes, Director of the Alaska State Troopers. “Overdose claimed the lives of hundreds of Alaskans in 2021, and law enforcement will continue to do our part to disrupt the tidal wave of illegal narcotics flowing into Alaska.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Alaska State Troopers investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison O’Leary and Chris Schroeder prosecuted the case.
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Washington Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Washington man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for coercion and enticement of a minor.
Jabarie Phillips, a/k/a Jabarie Lindsey, 44, of Seattle, Wash., was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. to 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release. On May 11, 2022, Phillips pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.
“A mere eight days after being released from prison for a manslaughter conviction, Mr. Phillips sexually exploited a 14-year-old girl – a child nearly 27 years his junior – both online and in person for his own perverse sexual gratification. Although today’s sentence cannot erase the enormous, immeasurable trauma this manipulative predator caused upon the victim and her family, I hope it provides some solace in knowing this dangerous individual will be removed from our communities for over a decade,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “As the chief federal law enforcement officer of our Commonwealth, it is my job to ensure the safety of our communities, especially that of our most vulnerable populations. My office will continue to work relentlessly to protect children from predators who seek to exploit them and rob them of their innocence.”
“Today’s sentence keeps Jabarie Phillips exactly where he belongs, behind bars, being held to account for his repulsive actions, and unable to victimize anyone else,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “What this convicted killer and child predator did is sickening, and the extensive trauma he inflicted upon the victim and her family will impact them forever. It is our sincere hope that this sentence will provide for her a measure of justice and help her heal.”
On April 23, 2019, approximately one week after being released from prison for a conviction of manslaughter, Phillips reached out to a 14-year-old middle-school girl from Massachusetts via Facebook and the two began communicating online using Facebook and their cellphones. Phillips, knowing the victim’s age, repeatedly asked her to take sexually explicit videos and photos of herself for him to view. During their communications, which continued over the course of approximately nine days, the victim told Phillips that she had issues with her family, to which Phillips responded, “If you run away let me know we can take this show on the road I need a partner in crime.” After communicating with and sexually exploiting the victim online, Phillips flew from Washington to Boston. On April 29, 2019, the girl met Phillips at Logan Airport, and then they traveled together to South Station to catch a bus to Seattle, Wash. While on the bus, Phillips engaged in sexual activity with the victim.
On May 3, 2019, authorities intercepted the bus in Minneapolis, Minn. where they arrested Phillips and recovered the girl. Phillips was arrested on two warrants – one out of Washington for violating probation following his release from prison for a 2008 conviction for manslaughter and one out of Massachusetts for kidnapping.
U.S. Attorney Rollins, FBI SAC Bonavolonta and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn made the announcement today. Various police departments in Southeastern Massachusetts also assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Vermont Man Sentenced for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on September 7, 2022, Stephen Salyer, 42, formerly of Underhill, Vermont, was sentenced in United States District Court in Rutland, Vermont to serve 40 months in prison after his guilty plea to one count of being in possession of a firearm after having been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also ordered Salyer to serve a three-year term of supervised release and to pay a $100 special assessment.
According to court records and proceedings, on September 21, 2021, the Winooski, Vermont Police Department received a report that a man was in possession of a firearm on a public street. Officers responded and encountered Salyer. Upon discovering that Salyer was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant, officers took him into custody. At that time, they discovered that Salyer was in possession of a 9mm High Point Luger C9 handgun. In 2019, Salyer had been convicted of Assault and Robbery with a Weapon and Eluding Law Enforcement Officer – Negligent Operation.
U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the efforts of the Winooski, Vermont Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives in the investigation and prosecution of Salyer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson handled the prosecution of Salyer. Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls represented Salyer.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn
Venezuelan Sentenced to 48 Months in Drug Conspiracy CaseRead the Press Release
St. Croix, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Daniel Jesus Salazar-Gonzalez, 43, one of eleven Venezuelan nationals apprehended at sea off the coast of St. Croix, was sentenced today to 46 months imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release by District Judge Wilma Lewis on the charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine while on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
According to court documents, on September 25, 2019, the United States Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley intercepted the "La Gran Tormenta", a suspicious 55-foot vessel displaying Venezuelan nationality, approximately 38 nautical miles south of St. Croix. The occupants of the vessel failed to respond to the Coast Guard’s efforts to engage in questioning, and thereafter changed course and began jettisoning packages. Coast Guard crew members later detained 11 individuals onboard the vessel and retrieved two bales from the ocean which contained packages of brick-shaped objects that tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride and weighed approximately 49 kilograms.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney’s Office Obtains Multi-Decade Sentences in Child Exploitation CasesRead the Press Release
Spokane – On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office obtained sentences of 20 and 15 years against two child exploitation defendants. Senior U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson sentenced Jessica Ann Barrington, 31, of Spokane, to 20 years in prison for sexually violating a three-year-old girl and sending images of that conduct to at least ten men she met online. Judge Peterson also sentenced Jason Dean Talbott, 44, of Spokane, to 15 years in prison for receiving child pornography in a secret lair that he created at a friend’s home – while he was on federal Supervised Release for a prior federal conviction for child pornography. When they are released from these lengthy terms, each defendant will be on federal supervision for the remainder of his or her life.
Documents and hearings associated with these cases revealed chilling conduct by the defendants.
Defendant Barrington sought out men online to exchange sexual images of minor girls, and to discuss plans for raping, torturing, and one day impregnating them. At one point she contacted a man online who ran a child pornography blog and used the handle “daddy4ltlgrl” and told him she had access to three little girls. When that man asked her if she “played” with them, Barrington sent him an image depicting a three-year-old’s genitals and followed that up with images depicting herself engaging in the sexual abuse of the girl. She later invited the man to come to Spokane from California, offering “to share them with you or just watch you with them.” She also offered to allow him to lock himself in a room with the children so he could rape them.
Defendant Talbott is a recidivist child pornography collector. In 2012, he was sentenced to 60 months in custody after he was convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography, in violation of federal law. In 2019, after he was released on his first conviction, he built a computer system in a room at a friend’s house and downloaded significant new quantities of child pornography. A search of his digital devices revealed that he had been collecting child pornography since as early as 2001, both before and after his first prison term. On December 30, 2019, Talbott was arrested by the FBI on an airplane that had just landed at Spokane International Airport after a flight from Denver. In addition to a huge quantity of child pornography stashed at his secret computer lair, Talbott also had child pornography on his person, in his luggage, and in his car.
“The FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office stand ready to respond with thorough investigations, aggressive prosecutions, and significant sentences for anyone who abuses children,” said Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District. “Although no sentence can give these children back their innocence, our community is safer with these criminals behind bars.” U.S. Attorney Waldref also emphasized that these crimes involve vulnerable victims: “In one case today, the victim was only three years old, and in the other, there were thousands of child victims whose trauma and abuse was recorded so it can circulate online forever. Today’s sentences send a clear message to those who seek to abuse children, whether behind closed doors or computer screens: justice is coming, and the consequences of abusing children will be severe.”
David M. Herzog, the Assistant United States Attorney who prosecuted the cases, thanked numerous agencies responsible for securing justice. “FBI worked hand-in-hand with state and local law enforcement in each of these cases, along with members of the United States Probation Office. I am particularly grateful to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office, which was in lockstep with the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout. Seamless cooperation across law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies allows us to reach fair global resolutions that will protect this community for decades.”
“I am heartbroken at the unspeakable horror these children endured, including from adults who should have protected them,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While nothing can reverse the harm to the victims, we hope these sentences send a strong message to would-be child abusers and bring our community peace of mind.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
These cases were investigated by the FBI’s Spokane Resident Office and the Spokane Police Department, with significant assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service and the United States Probation Office. The cases were prosecuted by David M. Herzog, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Two Rankin County Men Indicted for Discharging Industrial Waste into Jackson Sewer SystemRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Two Rankin County men appeared in federal court today on felony charges of illegally discharging industrial waste into the Jackson Sewer System, conspiracy, and making false statements, announced U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Charles Carfagno with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division’s Southeast Area Branch.
A nine-count federal indictment was unsealed in Jackson on September 2, 2022, charging Thomas W. Douglas, Jr., 61, and John S. Welch, Sr., 64, with carrying out a scheme whereby industrial waste from their company, Gold Coast Commodities, was discharged illegally into the Jackson Sewer System.
The defendants made their initial court appearances today at the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse in Jackson.
The case is set for trial on November 7, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on Count 1 of the indictment, three years in prison on each of Counts 2-6 of the indictment, and five years in prison on each of Counts 7-8 as to Douglas and Count 9 as to Welch.
The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the case.
Attorney Jeremy Korzenik with the Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay B. Baldwin 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.
Toledo Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in Fentanyl Pill ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TOLEDO - Nichole Zieroff, 32, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced on August 26, 2022, to fourteen months in prison by U.S. District Judge James G. Carr after Zieroff pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and eight counts of use of a communications facility to facilitate a drug felony.
According to court documents, from November 2019 to January 2020, Zieroff was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy in which she received packages through the mail containing fentanyl on behalf of her co-conspirators. In addition, court documents state that Zieroff used a cell phone on eight separate occasions to facilitate the conspiracy.
Zieroff pleaded guilty to the 10-count indictment on February 14, 2022.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert N. Melching and Deyana F. Unis.
Three Southwest Florida Family Members Sentenced to Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Distribution RingRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber today sentenced Michael Lee Faz (44, Labelle), Abel Deleon (45, Labelle), and Genaro Deleon, Jr. (63, Labelle) to federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Faz was sentenced to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison, Abel Deleon was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months’ imprisonment, and Deleon, Jr. was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in federal prison. Genaro Deleon, III (45, Lehigh Acres), the leader of the organization, is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2023. Each of the four had previously pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge.
According to court documents, Genaro Deleon, III based his drug distribution organization out of his Lehigh Acres home. In an unsuccessful attempt to thwart law enforcement investigations into his organization, Deleon, III buried the organization’s stash of methamphetamine in multiple locations in the woods around his secluded property, which was patrolled by his aggressive dogs and a network of motion sensing cameras.
Deleon, III employed his father, Deleon, Jr., and his two uncles, Abel Deleon and Faz, as dealers for the organization, responsible for making sales to customers and collecting the drug proceeds. Over the course of a year, law enforcement made at least nine undercover purchases from the organization yielding hundreds of grams of nearly pure methamphetamine. In October 2021, law enforcement arrested the defendants and executed a search warrant at Deleon, III’s house, resulting in the additional seizure of multiple firearms.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Three Paterson Police Officers Sentenced for Roles in Violating Individuals’ Civil RightsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Three Paterson, New Jersey, police officers were sentenced today for their respective roles in a conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden handed down the following sentences in Newark federal court:
- Police Officer Jonathan Bustios, 33, of Paterson, New Jersey, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Bustios previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights and one count of extortion under color of official right.
- Police Officer Eudy Ramos, 35, of Paterson, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Ramos previously pleaded guilty to Counts One and Seven of an indictment against him, charging him with conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights and filing a false police report. Ramos also pleaded guilty to an information charging him with using unreasonable and excessive force in violation of individuals’ civil rights.
- Police Officer Matthew Torres, 33, of Paterson, was sentenced to three years of probation. Torres previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to violate individuals’ civil rights and filing a false police report.
In addition to the prison terms, Judge Hayden sentenced Bustios and Ramos to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited 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 sentencings. He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, and the Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jihee G. Suh, Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the Special Prosecutions Division.
Three Defendants Plead Guilty Resulting from Separate Project Safe Childhood Investigations in Southwest GeorgiaRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – Three defendants entered guilty pleas in federal court today resulting from three separate Project Safe Childhood investigations centered in Southwest Georgia.
Larry Dewayne Goldsmith, 23, of Indianapolis, Indiana, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and faces a minimum of ten years up to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Jawara Kitt, 29, of Albany, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material and faces a minimum of five years up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
Walter Kenneth Rathel, 56, of Donalsonville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment to be followed by at least five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
In addition, all three defendants will have to register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison. U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is presiding over these cases. Sentencings are expected to occur within 90 days.
“Finding and stopping predators who seek to exploit or sexually abuse children is of utmost importance to our office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “We will use every resource at our disposal to track down dangerous sex offenders who target children and bring them to justice.”
“The pain and harm caused to the children are irreparable,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to work hard toward protecting our nation’s children from such individuals that are so clearly focused on doing them harm.”
“These cases send a clear message to child predators that HSI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will tirelessly seek justice for children who are preyed upon by individuals like these defendants,” said Katrina Berger, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Georgia. “We are thankful that these individuals are no longer able to prey upon children.”
Goldsmith’s plea agreement is sealed at the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protect the victim.
Kitt admitted in his plea agreement to distributing child sexual abuse material online and through social media depicting children under the age of 12-years-old, including infants and toddlers, being raped and sexually assaulted by adults. Kitt’s activities were discovered in Sept. 2021 as part of an active FBI investigation into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material online. An undercover FBI agent was contacted by Kitt via the instant messaging app Kik; Kitt inquired if the undercover agent was an “active dad” or a person who has access to a child and is actively sexually abusing the child. Kitt distributed child sexual abuse material to the undercover agent during the course of the investigation. A federal search warrant was executed at Kitt’s Albany residence in Jan. 2022, where agents found Kitt distributed videos depicting child sexual abuse material 144 times in three weeks, between Oct. 19 - Nov. 8, 2021. Kitt was taken into federal custody on April 14, 2022.
According to court records, Rathel was discovered to be in possession of child sexual abuse material during the course of an ongoing investigation targeting child predators by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in April 2021. A special agent with HSI was monitoring a certain account on the instant messaging app Kik and saw an individual post a MEGA link to numerous files of child pornography that was owned by Rathel. Agents obtained a federal search warrant and conducted a search of Rathel’s Donalsonville residence on July 13, 2021, finding 49 images and 139 videos of child sexual abuse material on two of his devices, as well as child sexual abuse materials on his Amazon account.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Goldsmith’s case was investigated by FBI with assistance from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Kitt’s case was investigated by FBI. Rathel’s case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Donalsonville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melody Ellis is prosecuting the cases.
Three California Men Charged in Conspiracy to Ship Fentanyl-Laced Oxycodone to Middle Tennessee and Other StatesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Three Santa Rosa, California men were arrested in California yesterday and charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in middle Tennessee, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Matthew Cox, 26, Marcus Johnson, 24, and Ricardo Molinero-Alcarez, 27, were arraigned before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of California today and will be transported to the Middle District of Tennessee at a later date.
According to the criminal complaint, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations were investigating the distribution of counterfeit fentanyl-laced Oxycodone tablets with the inscription “M30,” being shipped from the Santa Rosa area to Virginia, and to more than a dozen other states, including Tennessee. Subsequent investigation, including surveillance and the review of social media sites and mobile payment records, identified the trio charged today.
During the investigation, agents determined that the drug distribution network was tied to other individuals in Columbia, Tennessee, and that fentanyl laced tablets were being shipped to middle Tennessee. During a recent search in Columbia, law enforcement recovered a loaded firearm and blue tablets inscribed “M30.”
On July 25, 2022, HSI agents seized a package from a UPS Store in Sebastopol, California, which was destined for Nashville. This package contained thousands of counterfeit fentanyl-laced Oxycodone “M30” tablets weighing approximately 2.4 kilograms. The package also contained more than eight pounds of methamphetamine.
On August 9, 2022, agents intercepted two packages from the Santa Rosa area which were destined for residences in Nashville. One package contained 472 grams of the Oxycodone “M30” tablets and the other package contained approximately four pounds of methamphetamine.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the FBI; and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Safeeullah is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Thirteen Defendants Charged in Imperial Valley Takedown of Drug Trafficking NetworkRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Matthew J. Sutton (619) 546-8941 and Assistant U. S. Attorney J’me Forrest (619) 546-6741
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 8, 2022
SAN DIEGO – An indictment was unsealed in federal court today charging 10 alleged members of an Imperial Valley-based methamphetamine distribution network with drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. In addition, three more related defendants were charged today via complaint with drug trafficking offenses.
In a coordinated multi-state takedown that took place yesterday, federal, state, and local law enforcement agents and officers arrested multiple defendants and executed six search warrants in Imperial County. During the searches agents seized additional narcotics and two firearms. As of today, nine of the thirteen defendants are either in federal or state custody, and the search continues for four defendants. In addition to these seizures and arrests yesterday, during this long-term investigation, law enforcement has seized more than 119 pounds of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs and more than $80,000 in cash.
According to the indictment and other publicly-filed documents, this Imperial Valley-based network allegedly smuggled multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine across the international border. The defendants then used cars, the U.S. Mail, and commercial delivery services like FedEx to distribute that methamphetamine to sub-distributors located throughout Imperial County as well as in the state of Minnesota. In addition, the network used a corrections officer to smuggle fentanyl and contraband cellular telephones into Centinela State Prison.
“This case is the culmination of years of work by our agents and prosecutors, alongside our local law enforcement partners, to target a prolific Imperial Valley-based drug trafficking network,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to use every tool we have to stop these drug traffickers and bring them to justice.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team for their excellent work on this case.
“These arrests are the result of a multi-year collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Disrupting these illegal drug distribution networks is a vital step in preventing dangerous drugs from entering our communities, and HSI will continue to use its broad investigative authorities to aggressively investigate and bring to justice anyone who attempts to smuggle drugs across our borders.”
“The results of this long-term investigation reflect the commitment of the DEA and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to stop methamphetamine trafficking networks,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe. “Together, we will continue the fight against the distributors that are driving addiction in the United States.”
Postal Inspector in Charge of the Los Angeles Division Carroll N. Harris stated, “Operation Gotham City showed when the night is darkest, Postal Inspectors will endure to bring justice to those who criminally misuse the US Mail. I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies involved, which resulted in the success achieved today.”
U.S. Attorney Grossman also thanked federal, state, and local law enforcement for the coordinated team effort in the culmination of this investigation. This case was led by Homeland Security Investigation - Imperial Valley Border Enforcement Security Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Deputies, agents, and officers from the United States Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, California Highway Patrol, El Centro Police Department, Calexico Police Department, Brawley Police Department, the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office and the Imperial County Sheriff's Office also provided vital assistance for the investigation.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
*An indictment and or complaint 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.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22-cr-1553-BAS
(D1) Omar Castro Age: 30 Calexico, CA
(D2) Brianna Nunez Age: 31 Imperial, CA
(D3) Ramon Luna Age: 40 Calexico, CA
*(D4) Vanessa Vega Age: 37 Calexico, CA
*(D5) Sasha Brown Age: 34 Calexico, CA
*(D6) Michelle Figueroa Age: 22 Calexico, CA
(D7) Violette Espinoza Age: 38 Hillside, IL
(D8) Hector Perez Age: 28 Colton, CA
*(D9) Brent Boggess Age: 32 Calexico, CA
(D10) Guillermo Hernandez Age: 30 Calexico, CA
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22-mj-8640-JLB
(D1) Mario Gallegos Age: 37 Calexico, CA
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22-mj-8641-JLB
(D1) Ray Munoz Age: 41 Calexico, CA
DEFENDANTS Case Number 22-mj-8642-JLB
(D1) Ricardo Velarde Age: 41 Calexico, CA
*Fugitives
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C., § 841(a)(1))
Distribution of Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))
Importation of Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 952 and 960).
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life imprisonment, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations
Drug Enforcement Administration
United States Postal Inspection Service
United States Marshals Service
United States Border Patrol
Customs and Border Protection, Office of Air and Marine
California Highway Patrol
El Centro Police Department
Calexico Police Department
Brawley Police Department
Imperial County Sheriff's Office
Imperial County District Attorney's Office
Imperial Valley - Law Enforcement Coordination Center
Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona
Swanton Woman Sentenced for Distributing Crack Cocaine While on Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Pamela Yandow, 50, of Swanton, Vermont, was sentenced today in United States District Court in Rutland, Vermont to two years’ imprisonment for distributing cocaine base in October of 2021. Yandow had been released from federal prison in April of 2021 and was on supervised release when she committed this offense. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford also sentenced Yandow to another two years’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively, for violating the terms of her supervised release.
According to court records, Yandow began violating the terms of her supervised release by using narcotics within weeks of her release from Bureau of Prisons custody. Then in October of 2021, Yandow distributed cocaine base, commonly known as “crack,” on multiple occasions to a confidential informant at or near her residence in Swanton. Yandow’s extensive criminal history dates back to 1996, and includes a 2003 federal conviction for bank fraud, a 2013 state conviction for narcotics distribution, and a 2019 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base. Yandow received an 84-month prison sentence in 2019 but sought and obtained compassionate release in April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the St. Albans Police Department. He also thanked the Swanton Police Department, the Vermont State Police Drug Task Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Border Patrol for their assistance.
The United States was represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Yandow was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls.
Sturgis Man Indicted for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sturgis, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Dallas Ford, age 28, was indicted in March of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 31, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge stems from Ford illegal possessing a .22 caliber, semi-automatic pistol in December 2021 in Sturgis. The charge is merely an accusation and Ford is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, and the Sturgis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Ford was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
St. Louis County Felon Convicted of Gun Charge at TrialRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County, Missouri whose girlfriend told police about a hidden gun was convicted Thursday by a jury of one charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rodrick Mitchell, 34, of Breckenridge Hills, Missouri, is scheduled to be sentenced December 13 and could face up to 10 years in prison.
On July 9, 2020, Mitchell’s girlfriend went to the Wentzville Police Department and said that she’d just left Mitchell at a hotel after becoming upset with him. Mitchell’s girlfriend said she was afraid of him because he has a temper and was violent. She also told police she wanted to return their rental car but could not because there was a gun under the car’s hood. She told police he had hidden guns there in the past.
Under the hood, officers found a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun near the driver’s side fender and a drum magazine loaded with 38 rounds near the air filter. Mitchell’s DNA was found on the gun.
Mitchell was indicted on March 10, 2021 on the gun charge.
The Wentzville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley M. Walker and Catherine Hoag are prosecuting the case.
Sioux Falls Man Convicted of Dealing Meth and Illegally Possessing FirearmsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Willie Gene Murphy, Jr., age 51, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was found guilty of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of a Controlled Substance, as a result of a federal court trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on September 7, 2022.
On September 1, 2022, Murphy pleaded guilty to the charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person in the same case pursuant to a Petition to Plead Guilty.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in custody and/or a $1,000,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Murphy was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2022.
On December 17, 2019, Murphy knowingly and intentionally possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. Additionally, Murphy was a convicted felon and knowingly and intentionally possessed firearms, to wit: a Ruger, model AR-556, .5.56 x 45 mm, semi-automatic rifle, a Smith and Wesson, model SD40VE, .40 caliber handgun and a Smith and Wesson SD 9, 9-millimeter handgun.
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.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and the sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sikeston Man Sentenced to Serve 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU - The United States Attorney's Office announced that David A. Rodgers, 41, of Sikeston, Missouri, was sentenced to serve 240 months (20 years) in federal prison for firearm and methamphetamine-trafficking offenses. Rodgers appeared for his sentencing hearing today before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
After receiving information that Rodgers was distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, law enforcement officials obtained and executed a search warrant at his Sikeston home in August 2020. They found a safe in Rodgers’ bedroom that contained over 800 grams of methamphetamine, several semi-automatic pistols and approximately $6,000 in cash. Rodgers admitted in his guilty plea earlier this year that he intended to sell the methamphetamine and that he possessed the firearms to facilitate his drug-trafficking. Rodgers has an extensive criminal history, including state felony convictions for various crimes. He was also on parole at the time the search warrant was executed. After serving his sentence, Rodgers will be placed on supervised release for a period of five years.
This case was investigated by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester handled the prosecution for the government.
Saint Albans Man Sentenced to 2 Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Saint Albans man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor today for possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Jason Lee Lary, 40, to two years in prison and five years of supervised release. Lary pleaded guilty on February 3, 2022.
According to court records, in April 2021, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop during which Lary was found in possession of more than 50 grams of cocaine base, approximately 80 grams of a fentanyl mixture, approximately 40 grams of cocaine, almost 26 grams of methamphetamine and $4,250 in cash.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assisted with the investigation.
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Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl and cocaine.
Armando Gomes, 34, of Central Falls, Rhode Island, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Oct. 18, 2021, Gomes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
On three separate occasions in September 2017 Gomes sold fentanyl and cocaine to undercover officers. Gomes sold 4.99 grams of fentanyl and 6.94 grams of powder cocaine on Sept. 14, 2017; 4.86 grams of fentanyl mixed with cocaine and 6.87 grams of cocaine on Sept. 18, 2017; and 4.86 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl and 6.78 grams of cocaine on Sept. 22, 2017.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Weymouth Police Chief Richard Fuller made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of Rollins’ Asset Recovery Unit prosecuted the case.
Proposed Settlement Resolves Clean Water Act Claims Regarding New Hampshire Fish HatcheryRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) announced an agreement with the State of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The agreement will require the Powder Mill State Fish Hatchery (the Hatchery) in New Durham, New Hampshire, the state’s largest fish hatchery, to take action to reduce phosphorus in its discharges to the Merrymeeting River, comply with a federal Clean Water Act permit and study downstream water quality.
The Hatchery is owned by the state and operated by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. CLF sued officials of the Fish and Game Department in 2018 under the citizen-suit provisions of the Clean Water Act, alleging, among other claims, violations of the federal permit’s narrative prohibition against water quality violations caused by its phosphorus discharges and, in an amended complaint, violations of the reissued permit’s numeric phosphorus limits. The United States, on behalf of EPA, filed a motion to intervene in the CLF action, filed its own complaint against the State of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and lodged a proposed consent decree signed by all parties. If entered by the court, the consent decree would resolve the claims of both the United States and CLF.
“This settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency are committed to addressing risks to water quality in our nation’s rivers and streams,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This settlement will lead to significant reductions in phosphorus discharges to the Merrymeeting River and downstream ponds and help reduce risks to anyone fishing or coming into contact with these waters.”
“Harmful algal blooms in New England waters have been increasing in recent years and need to be addressed in order to protect human health and the environment,” said Regional Administrator David Cash of EPA’s New England Office. “This settlement not only requires the Powder Mill Hatchery to reduce phosphorus discharges that contribute to such blooms but also requires steps to be taken to address the phosphorus that has accumulated in downstream sediments over the years.”
Under the proposed settlement, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department must make upgrades to the Hatchery, including constructing new wastewater treatment systems and reconfiguring the facility’s tanks to promote the settling of solids containing phosphorus, in order to increase phosphorus removal and meet permit limits by Dec. 31, 2025. The Fish and Game Department will also implement best management practices to reduce the phosphorus discharged from the Hatchery in the interim, including adding a neutralizing agent, reconfiguring facility tanks to promote the settling of solids containing phosphorus, and increasing the frequency of removal of these solids.
In addition, the consent decree requires the Fish and Game Department to conduct a water quality assessment in downstream waters and study options for remediating the harmful effects of accumulated phosphorus pollution in the river and sediments. EPA, CLF and the Fish and Game Department will then enter into further negotiations on the implementation of any necessary remediation.
For more information:
- The proposed consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Copies of the complaint and consent decree are available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees
- Harmful algal blooms and cyanobacteria: www.epa.gov/cyanohabs
- Clean Water Act enforcement: www.epa.gov/enforcement/water-enforcement
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Pill Mill Operator Convicted for Oxycodone DiversionRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned a guilty verdict yesterday against PURIFICACION CRISTOBAL for her participation in a conspiracy to distribute oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose acting outside the usual course of professional practice. CRISTOBAL was also convicted of two counts of oxycodone distribution pertaining to specific prescriptions. She was found not guilty of other counts of oxycodone distribution pertaining to other prescriptions. CRISTOBAL will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who presided over the approximately two-week trial.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Purificacion Cristobal prescribed powerful medications to patients, some of whom had no medical need for them and were likely selling them, thereby contributing to the flow of highly potent drugs into the black markets of New York. We trust medical professionals to responsibly handle potentially harmful drugs, and this Office will not turn a blind eye to those professionals who break that trust.”
As proven at trial, PURIFICACION CRISTOBAL, a licensed nurse practitioner purporting to specialize in psychiatry, operated a clinic on Westchester Avenue in the Bronx. Between approximately June 2019 and June 2020, CRISTOBAL prescribed tens of thousands of doses of oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose outside of the usual course of professional practice. Oxycodone is a highly potent and addictive opioid that commands high prices in the black market because of demand by drug abusers. CRISTOBAL often prescribed oxycodone in combination with Xanax (alprazolam) and/or Adderall (amphetamine), controlled substances that are themselves frequently abused and resold illicitly.
CRISTOBAL never performed physical examinations or medical tests, often asked patients to take their pick among different narcotics, and was repeatedly warned by others that her patients were reselling or abusing the drugs she prescribed. She encouraged existing patients to recruit others, regularly accepted cash, and charged different cash “fees” depending on how many prescriptions she wrote for a particular patient. CRISTOBAL also coordinated with a nearby pharmacist, to whom she referred many of her patients, to shield her unlawful prescribing practices from law enforcement scrutiny.
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CRISTOBAL, 75, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, was convicted of one count of conspiring to distribute oxycodone and two counts of distributing oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose acting outside the usual course of professional practice. Those counts carry, in the aggregate, a maximum potential sentence of 60 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Tactical Diversion Squad in the New York Field Office, which is comprised of agents and officers from the DEA, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Department of Investigation, Health & Hospitals Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the New York National Guard.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Jun Xiang, Kyle A. Wirshba, and Derek Wikstrom are in charge of the prosecution.
Pierre Man Sentenced for Failure to AppearRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Appear was sentenced on September 6, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Michael Pomani, age 44, was sentenced to time served of two months in federal prison, one year of supervised release with a condition that he be placed on home confinement for two months, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Pomani was also ordered to pay $16,800 in restitution to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the care of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as a result of his illegal sale of bald eagle feathers, hawk wings, and owl feathers.
Pomani was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 10 of 2022. He pleaded guilty on June 6, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on December 12, 2017, when Pomani failed to appear for his pretrial conference and jury trial. Pomani had previously been charged with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and was released on bond in October 2017. Pomani knowingly failed to appear for his jury trial on the wildlife charges.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Pomani was released to begin serving his term of supervision.