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6 October 2022
Owner of Telecommunications Store Convicted for his Role in a Robbery Spree Targeting Other Telecommunication StoresRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Mario Peia (619) 546-9706
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 6, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Adde Munin Adde, the owner of a telecommunications store in San Diego County, pleaded guilty today in federal court, admitting that he received stolen electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets that were unlawfully obtained through robbery.
Adde pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Berg to three counts of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property. As part of his plea, Adde also agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $59,740.55.
This conviction is the culmination of an investigation coordinated between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National City Police Department, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, and San Diego Police Department, against those who committed 11 robberies and attempted robberies between January 14, 2020, and February 1, 2020.
The robbers targeted telecommunication stores such as Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile, and used what appeared to be firearms to violently demand cell phones, tablets, and electronic devices. The firearms were later determined to be BB guns. Altogether, six defendants have been convicted for the robberies: Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Zielinski, Marqwell Green, Jose Manuel Garcia, Lavonte Green, Keon Glover, and Kameron Moore. Five of the defendants have been sentenced to multi-year terms.
“Owners of pawn shops and those who sell cell phones, jewelry, and other commonly-stolen items should take notice of this conviction,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “When you buy stolen merchandise, you create a market for those who obtain the merchandise through violent means. As part of our fight against violent crime, we will prosecute you, along with those who commit the violent crimes, to the fullest extent permitted by law,” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and the investigating agencies for their excellent work on this case.
“The FBI remains fully committed to investigating not only those who steal from local businesses, but also those who knowingly purchase stolen items,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI's San Diego Field Office. “I want to thank the National City Police Department, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the San Diego Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California for their commitment and partnership in holding all parties accountable.”
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Violent Crime and Human Trafficking (VCHT) Section. Formed in 2019, the VCHT is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violent crimes, firearms and gang cases; sex trafficking and child exploitation; civil rights, and labor trafficking. The VCHT Section oversees the Southern District of California Coordinators for Project Safe Neighborhoods, Human Trafficking, and Project Safe Childhood. The VCHT Section also provides federal prosecutors to the downtown San Diego Violent Crimes Task Force-Gang Group, the North County Gang Task Force, and the East County Gang Task Force.
Adde is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge William Q. Hayes.
DEFENDANTS CASE NUMBERS
Adde Munin Adde 22-cr-0972-WQH
Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Zielinski 20-cr-1565-WQH
Marqwell Green 20-cr-1565-WQH
Jose Manuel Garcia 20-cr-1565-WQH
Lavonte Green 20-cr-1565-WQH
Keon Glover 20-cr-1565-WQH
Kameron Moore 20-cr-1565-WQH
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 2314
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison and $250,000 fine
Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, Hobbs Act Robbery, and Attempted Hobbs Act Robbery – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1951
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Sheriff’s Department
National City Police Department
Orange County Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Operating Illegal Casinos in Santa Ana and Paying Bribes to Police OfficerRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A Fountain Valley man has agreed to plead guilty to federal offenses for operating illegal gambling dens and paying $128,000 in cash bribes to a Santa Ana Police officer to avoid law enforcement scrutiny of his underground casinos, according to a plea agreement filed today in federal court.
Niem Ngoc Ha, aka “Dung Body,” 47, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy, operating an illegal gambling business and bribery. These three offenses cumulatively carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Ha is expected to formally enter the guilty pleas in court in the coming weeks.
In the plea agreement, Ha admitted that he opened and operated four illegal casinos commonly called “nets” (if they are in a commercial district) or “slaphouses” (for those in residential areas), all of which were located in Santa Ana. Ha admitted to conspiring with three others to operate the casinos, which featured video gambling machines and generated thousands of dollars in profits each day.
Ha acknowledged that acts of violence took place at the casinos. In one case, Ha directed a co-conspirator to physically assault a casino patron who had started a fight, and, in a separate incident, a worker at another casino was shot in the neck, according to the plea agreement.
Ha also admitted that over the course of about six months in 2020 he paid approximately $128,000 to then-Santa Ana Police Officer Steven Lopez in an effort to protect his illicit casinos from law enforcement intervention. Lopez, who pleaded guilty in December 2020 to accepting the bribes and is no longer employed by the Santa Ana Police Department, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 5, 2023.
Ha was one of nine defendants named in three indictments focusing on illegal gambling, attempted extortion and drug trafficking that were unsealed following a law enforcement takedown in May. Ha was named in an indictment that charges three other alleged co-conspirators, all of whom are currently scheduled to go on trial next May.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation into illegal gambling houses in Orange County is being conducted under the auspices of the Orange County Asian Organized Crime Task Force. The primary investigatory agencies are the FBI; the Santa Ana Police Department; the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control; IRS Criminal Investigation; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel S. Lim and Benjamin D. Lichtman of the Santa Ana Branch Office are prosecuting this case.
Omaha Man Convicted of Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Gregory Lukassen, 50, of Omaha, Nebraska, was found guilty on October 5, 2022, following a two-day jury trial in federal court for Distribution, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher scheduled Lukassen’s sentencing for January 5, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. Lukassen faces up to 20 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of five years.
In January 2020, officers contacted Lukassen at a residence in Bellevue, Nebraska, after receiving Cybertip Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that online service providers had reported uploads of child pornography. Lukassen admitted to chatting online regarding sexual fantasies and claimed to have received child pornography unintentionally during those chats. Forensic examinations of devices seized from Lukassen showed cache and/or thumbnail files of at least 38 unique images of child pornography on the devices, including some of the images reported in the Cybertips.
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 United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Violating the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JACOB BANKS, age 32, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on October 5, 2022 before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk to violating the Federal Gun Control Act and the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to the court documents, BANKS possessed a Springfield Arms .45 caliber pistol after he had already been convicted of several felony offenses. BANKS also admitted to possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activity.
BANKS pleaded guilty to 3 Charges. BANKS faces a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment on the felon in possession of a firearm charge. He faces an additional penalty on the drug count of 0-20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and at least three years of supervised release. On the additional gun charge, BANKS faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years up to life that must run consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. Finally, for each count to which he pled guilty , Banks faces payment of a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. Sentencing is set for January 11, 2023.
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 New Orleans Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller.
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Muskogee Resident Sentenced for Odometer Tampering and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Sebron Dejuan Brown, age 36, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release for one count of Conspiracy to Commit Odometer Tampering, two counts of Odometer Tampering, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
The Second Superseding Indictment alleged that from December 2016 through May 2017, Brown purchased high mileage vehicles and caused the odometers to be rolled back, which artificially and significantly inflated the vehicles’ value. In many instances, the defendant altered the odometers to display several hundred thousand miles lower than the true readings. After tampering with the odometers, Brown recruited others to engage in a conspiracy to stage vehicle collisions and submit fraudulent insurance claims. As a result of these fraudulent insurance claims orchestrated by Brown and his co-conspirators, the investigation revealed insurance carriers substantially overpaid for property damage to the vehicles, along with fabricated personal injury claims.
The charges resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with the assistance of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). This investigation developed after representatives from multiple insurance companies noticed a pattern of suspicious claims within the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Through this investigation, federal agents uncovered an extensive and elaborate scheme to commit odometer and insurance fraud.
"The defendant’s scheme endangered the public and defrauded multiple insurance companies,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I am thankful for the collaborative investigation by the FBI, NHTSA, and NICB. Through their efforts, the mastermind of this criminal conspiracy was identified and brought to justice.”
“Odometer fraud is a crime, plain and simple, so I applaud the court’s decision,” said NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson. “We continue to work toward keeping everyone safe on the roads, and the investigation and criminal prosecution of large-scale interstate odometer fraud is a part of those efforts. These types of fraud schemes keep older, less-safe, gas-guzzling vehicles on the nation’s highways, and victimize those who need reliable transportation to support their families. This case is an example of our commitment to ensuring justice for the victims and protecting the public.” The NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (800) 424-9393 or (202) 366-4761. More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/811284.pdf.
The Honorable David Cleveland Joseph, U.S. District Judge from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, temporarily assigned to the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Brown will report to a United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Cooper and Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.
Micronesian Couple Pleads Guilty to Withholding Passports for Labor TraffickingRead the Press Release
Defendants Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, residents of the United States and citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Des Moines, Iowa, to two counts of unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking or forced labor. A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Iowa had previously returned a five-count indictment against the defendants for recruiting two young men from Micronesia to come to the United States for the purpose of coercing their labor in a meat processing plant for the defendants’ financial gain.
According to their plea agreements, the defendants convinced the two victims to leave their homes in Micronesia in December 2019 and travel to the United States by promising them they could work in the United States and send money back to their families. Once in the United States, the defendants confiscated the victims’ passports and obtained jobs for them at a meat processing plant in Ottumwa, Iowa. Each week, the defendants took the victims to cash their paychecks before seizing almost the entire amount and leaving the victims with only $20 each week. The defendants used various means to compel the victims’ labor and services, including confiscating the victims’ passports and social security cards, imposing debts on them, limiting and monitoring their communication with family, physically and socially isolating them and creating a system of total financial dependence on the defendants. In so doing, the defendants created a situation where the victims either had to continue complying with the defendants’ demands or risk being homeless and without a means of supporting themselves in a foreign country where they did not speak the language and had no means of returning home.
“These defendants used the allure of jobs in the United States to entice the victims, and then exploited them and profited off their hard work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice remains committed to partnering with federal, state and local officials to investigate and prosecute human trafficking offenses, which have no place in our society.”
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose on Feb. 15. The defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider a number of variables. As part of the defendants’ plea, they have agreed to pay nearly $70,000 in restitution to the victims.
Investigator Jeremy Tosh of the Ottumwa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Virginia Bruner and Ryan Leemkuil for the Southern District of Iowa and Trial Attorney Christina Randall-James of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.
Micronesian Couple Pleads Guilty to Withholding Passports for Labor TraffickingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Defendants Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, residents of the United States and citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Des Moines, Iowa, to two counts of unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking or forced labor. A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Iowa had previously returned a five-count indictment against the defendants for recruiting two young men from Micronesia to come to the United States for the purpose of coercing their labor in a meat processing plant for the defendants’ financial gain.
According to their plea agreements, the defendants convinced the two victims to leave their homes in Micronesia in December 2019 and travel to the United States by promising them they could work in the United States and send money back to their families. Once in the United States, the defendants confiscated the victims’ passports and obtained jobs for them at a meat processing plant in Ottumwa, Iowa. Each week, the defendants took the victims to cash their paychecks before seizing almost the entire amount and leaving the victims with only $20 each week. The defendants used various means to compel the victims’ labor and services, including confiscating the victims’ passports and social security cards, imposing debts on them, limiting and monitoring their communication with family, physically and socially isolating them and creating a system of total financial dependence on the defendants. In so doing, the defendants created a situation where the victims either had to continue complying with the defendants’ demands or risk being homeless and without a means of supporting themselves in a foreign country where they did not speak the language and had no means of returning home.
“These defendants used the allure of jobs in the United States to entice the victims, and then exploited them and profited off their hard work,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice remains committed to partnering with federal, state and local officials to investigate and prosecute human trafficking offenses, which have no place in our society.”
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose on Feb. 15. The defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider a number of variables. As part of the defendants’ plea, they have agreed to pay nearly $70,000 in restitution to the victims.
Investigator Jeremy Tosh of the Ottumwa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Virginia Bruner and Ryan Leemkuil for the Southern District of Iowa and Trial Attorney Christina Randall-James of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit prosecuted the case.
Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org.
Members of Multi-State Credit Card Fraud Ring Sentenced for Conspiracy, Credit Card Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Seven individuals have been sentenced for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, with some also being sentenced for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The defendants had previously been indicated on their charges beginning in 2018.
According to court documents, the defendants were part of a conspiracy with at least two goals: to traffic in and use counterfeit identification documents, including driver’s licenses and tobacco licenses, as well to traffic in and use stolen credit cards and large amounts of cash – all to purchase cigarettes in bulk, electronics, and other items from Sam’s Club stores and other retail stores around the country. The conspiracy began at least as early as January 2017 and continued through September 2018, with defendants Nfa Doumbouya, Ibrahima Diallo, Souleymane Camara, Betsy DeGracia, and Anderson Tejada Rossis traveling to different locations within the United States to use stolen credit cards to buy these items. The losses caused by the conspiracy totaled over $3 million.
Some defendants used counterfeit state-issued documents to open Sam’s Club memberships in names that were not their own – which enabled them to purchase cigarettes in bulk. At least one defendant, Michel Lamah, worked in an Indianapolis credit card processing facility, and provided stolen credit cards to codefendants. After purchase, some of the defendants arranged to store and ship the items bought with stolen credit cards to other locations.
The defendants pleaded guilty and were each sentenced by U. S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon as follows:
Defendant
Sentence
Charge(s)
Nfa Saidou Doumbouya, 37,
Atlanta, GA
Over 5 years in federal prison
2 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft
Ibrahima Diallo, 36, Atlanta, GA
Over 5 years in federal prison
2 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft
Souleymane Camara, 35, Indianapolis, IN
Over 7 years in federal prison
2 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft
Mamadou Magane, 32, Atlanta, GA
Time served
3 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy
Betsy Marie DeGracia,
Over 2 years in federal prison
3 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft
Anderson Tejada Rossis
3 years’ probation
Conspiracy and access device fraud
Michel Lamah, 31, Indianapolis, IN
Over 3 years in federal prison
3 years’ supervised release
Conspiracy and access device fraud
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Rodney Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Detroit Division made the announcement.
The United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this case. The U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Indiana State Police provided invaluable assistance.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Cindy J. Cho who prosecuted the case.
Man with Domestic Abuse Battery Conviction Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Michael O. Falcone, 41, of McComb, Mississippi, was sentenced today for illegal possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced Falcone to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to evidence presented to the court, on September 29, 2021, law enforcement officers with the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Falcone. Deputies observed Falcone with a knife that was visible on his person and multiple other knives in plain view in the vehicle and thus, conducted a pat down search of Falcone. The deputy found a fully loaded handgun magazine in Falcone’s outer front pocket. A search warrant was obtained by law enforcement to search Falcone’s vehicle. Inside deputies found a fully loaded Sig Sauer P365 handgun in the glovebox and a J.C. Higgins revolver located under the driver’s seat. Falcone previously pleaded guilty to domestic abuse battery in 2012 and was prohibited from possessing any firearm or ammunition.
Falcone was indicted for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in April 2022 and pleaded guilty to the charge on July 7, 2022.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening Election OfficialRead the Press Release
A Nebraska man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for making multiple threatening posts on an Instagram page associated with an election official.
“This sentence makes clear that those who illegally threaten election workers should be prepared to face meaningful penalties,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to hold accountable those whose illegal threats of violence endanger the public servants who administer our elections.”
According to court documents, Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, issued threats to an election official, including: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone.” Ford also posted similar messages on Instagram pages associated with the President of the United States and with another public figure.
“Make no mistake, threatening election officials is a serious attack on our democratic process,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today's sentence proves that the FBI and our partners will stand up to anyone who attempts to intimidate election workers for doing their jobs. The American voting system is secure and we are dedicated to ensuring it stays that way.”
The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI Omaha Field Office.
Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessie L. Smith for the District of Nebraska prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron M. Teitelbaum and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung for the District of Colorado provided substantial assistance.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the Task Force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The Task Force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI field offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. A year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the United States Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the Task Force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening Election OfficialRead the Press Release
DENVER – A Nebraska man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for making multiple threatening posts on an Instagram page associated with an election official.
“This sentence makes clear that those who illegally threaten election workers should be prepared to face meaningful penalties,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to hold accountable those whose illegal threats of violence endanger the public servants who administer our elections.”
According to court documents, Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, issued threats to an election official, including: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone.” Ford also posted similar messages on Instagram pages associated with the President of the United States and with another public figure.
“Make no mistake, threatening election officials is a serious attack on our democratic process,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today's sentence proves that the FBI and our partners will stand up to anyone who attempts to intimidate election workers for doing their jobs. The American voting system is secure and we are dedicated to ensuring it stays that way.”
The FBI Denver Field Office investigated the case, with the assistance of the FBI Omaha Field Office.
“This prison sentence sends a clear message to anyone who thinks hiding behind a computer screen will allow them to get away with posting threatening messages on social media,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch of the District of Colorado. “We will not tolerate threats against election officials.”“
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska hopes that today’s sentence will deter others from using social media to threaten violence against others, especially those who are tasked with the upholding the integrity of our Nation’s elections process,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell of the District of Nebraska. “This office is appreciative of the collective effort of the Denver Office of the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.”
Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessie L. Smith for the District of Nebraska prosecuted the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron M. Teitelbaum and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyrus Y. Chung for the District of Colorado provided substantial assistance.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the Task Force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The Task Force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI field offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. A year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the United States Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the Task Force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
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Case Number: 22-1073
Man Arrested for Making Threats to Maricopa County Election Official and to Official with Office of Arizona Attorney GeneralRead the Press Release
An Iowa man was arrested today in Hiawatha, Iowa, for allegedly sending a threatening communication to an election official on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Maricopa County, Arizona, and for allegedly sending a threatening communication to an official with the Office of the Arizona Attorney General.
Mark A. Rissi, 64, of Hiawatha, is expected to make his initial appearance today at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids.
According to the indictment, on or about Sept. 27, 2021, Rissi allegedly left the following voicemail for the election official with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors: “Hello Mr. [VICTIM], I am glad that you are standing up for democracy and want to place your hand on the Bible and say that the election was honest and fair. I really appreciate that. When we come to lynch your stupid lying Commie [expletive], you’ll remember that you lied on the [expletive] Bible, you piece of [expletive]. You’re gonna die, you piece of [expletive]. We’re going to hang you. We’re going to hang you.”
Additionally, on or about Dec. 8, 2021, Rissi allegedly said the following in a voicemail message he left for an official with the Office of the Arizona Attorney General: “I’m a victim of a crime. My family is a victim of a crime. My extended family is a victim of a crime. That crime was the theft of the 2020 election. The election that was fraudulent across the state of Arizona, that [VICTIM] knows was fraudulent, that [VICTIM] has images of the conspirators deleting election fraud data from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors computer system. Do your job, [VICTIM], or you will hang with those [expletive] in the end. We will see to it. Torches and pitchforks. That’s your future, [expletive]. Do your job.”
Rissi is charged with two counts of making a threatening interstate communication and one count of making a threatening telephone call. If convicted, Rissi faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison for each count of making a threatening interstate communication and up to two years in prison for making a threatening telephone call. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod of the FBI Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, with the assistance of the FBI Cedar Rapids Field Office.
Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean K. Lokey for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the Task Force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The Task Force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI Field Offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. A year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the Task Force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Leader of Sunset Trinitarios Gang Pleads Guilty to RacketeeringRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EDIBERTO SANTANA, a/k/a “Flaco Veneno,” pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy involving murder, arising out of SANTANA’s long-time leadership of the Sunset Trinitarios gang. SANTANA pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Today’s guilty plea should serve as a reminder that we are committed to seeking justice for victims no matter the passage of time and to holding gang leaders responsible for the violence that they instigate.”
According to the Indictment, SANTANA’s plea agreement, and statements made in Court:
SANTANA is the long-time leader of the Sunset Trinitarios (“Sunset”), a violent set of the national Trinitarios street gang that controlled territory in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, among other places. Under SANTANA’s leadership and at SANTANA’s direction, Sunset perpetrated a near-constant string of violent crime for nearly a decade, including murders, shootings, assaults, and robberies. Among other acts of violence, SANTANA ordered the March 13, 2011, murder of Dennis Marquez, age 16, who was stabbed to death in the Bronx; the October 23, 2013, murder of Michael Beltre, age 17, who was shot and killed in the Bronx; and the November 17, 2013, murder of Rafael Alam, age 23, who was shot and killed in the Bronx.
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SANTANA, 33, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy with murder as a special sentencing factor, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by a judge. SANTANA is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Crotty on February 8, 2023.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the New York City Department of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Celia V. Cohen, Jacqueline C. Kelly, Lindsey Keenan, and Jacob R. Fiddelman are in charge of the prosecution. The case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.
Lawyer from Leesville and Another Local Man Sentenced for their Involvement in Two Separate Child Pornography CasesRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced the sentencing of two defendants who were involved in separate child pornography cases. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced the following individuals today:
Michael Allen Smith, Jr., 33, a lawyer from Leesville, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 168 months (14 years) in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for enticement of a minor. Smith pleaded guilty on February 17, 2022 to the charge which was the result of an investigation into a complaint received in January 2020 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The mother of a 15-year-old boy reported that while her son was visiting a relative in the Leesville area, he had met and engaged in sexual conduct with an adult male. The mother told law enforcement that she had seen a video on her son’s phone of he and the adult male engaged in sexual conduct. She took the phone from her son and turned it over to law enforcement for further investigation.
The victim was interviewed, and agents determined that he had engaged in these acts with Smith, who recorded them on his phone at his residence in Leesville. The victim admitted that he met Smith on the social media platform Grindr and initially told Smith that he was 21-years-old. However, he later confessed that he was a minor and Smith continued the sexual relationship with the victim and in fact visited his profiles on social media and knew he was a minor.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Luke Walker and Earl M. Campbell.
In another case, Raymond Fontenot, Jr., 39, of Reeves, Louisiana, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production of child pornography. Fontenot pleaded guilty to the charge on July 6, 2022. According to evidence presented to the court, officers with the Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on Fontenot’s residence on November 9, 2021. While searching the residence, law enforcement officers found an Android tablet hidden in Fontenot’s bathroom. Another search warrant was obtained for the tablet and a forensic examination was performed. The examination revealed videos containing child pornography, specifically one from 2020 depicting sexual abuse of a prepubescent girl while she was sleeping. Fontenot admitted to law enforcement officers that he had created the video and had sexually exploited the victim.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Allen Parish Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen.
These cases are part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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La Crosse Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Lee D. Strawder, 40, La Crosse, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 46 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. This prison term will be followed by 36 months of supervised release. Strawder pleaded guilty to this charge on June 21, 2022.
On August 11, 2021, La Crosse Police Department officers purchased fentanyl and crack cocaine from Strawder in La Crosse using a confidential informant.
On September 8, 2021, La Crosse Police officers pulled over a car driven by Curtis Ross because officers knew that probable cause existed to arrest the passenger, Strawder, for violations of his state bond. Officers smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and searched the vehicle. Under the front passenger seat where Strawder was seated, officers found a loaded Canik 9mm handgun, a loaded Beretta 9mm handgun, and a bag containing over an ounce of marijuana. Strawder’s DNA was found on the Canik handgun. Ross’s DNA was found on the Beretta handgun. Both Strawder and Ross were prohibited from legally possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions.
At all relevant times, Strawder was out on bond for four different state cases. Since the events in the federal case, Strawder engaged in criminal conduct resulting in three additional state cases, all seven of which remain open. Strawder’s criminal history includes prior convictions for illegal firearm possession and drug dealing.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that Strawder is a repeat firearm offender and said that a prison sentence was important to protect the community.
Co-defendant Curtis Ross pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to 81 months in federal prison by Judge Peterson on September 9, 2022.
The charge against Strawder was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The La Crosse County District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Justice Department Statement on President’s Announcements Regarding Simple Possession of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today released the following statement from spokesman Anthony Coley regarding the President’s proclamation granting a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have committed, or been convicted of, the offense of simple possession of marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, as currently codified at 21 U.S.C. 844 and as previously codified elsewhere in the U.S. Code, or in violation of D.C. Code 48–904.01(d)(1):
“The Justice Department will expeditiously administer the President’s proclamation, which pardons individuals who engaged in simple possession of marijuana, restoring political, civil, and other rights to those convicted of that offense. In coming days, the Office of the Pardon Attorney will begin implementing a process to provide impacted individuals with certificates of pardon.
“Also, in accordance with the President’s directive, Justice Department officials will work with our colleagues at the Department of Health and Human Services as they launch a scientific review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
Justice Department Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Area Foundation to Prevent and Reduce Violent Crime in Baton RougeRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that the Reclamation and Restoration Ministries (RRM) has received $1,498,637 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and its component, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to prevent and reduce violent crime in the Baton Rouge area.
RRM is an organization located in Baton Rouge that promotes social and community wholeness by actively developing and implementing relevant and life-changing ministries and programs that will prevent and/or deliver youth and adults from violence, crime, truancy, drug abuse, homelessness, and prison.
With this grant, RRM will implement its Ready4Life Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Project in Baton Rouge Police District #4 that includes Scotlandville, Southern Heights, and Brookstown. One of the unique characteristics of the Brookstown neighborhood revealed by analysis is that the per capita income of residents is lower than that found in 97.7% of the neighborhoods in America. Also of note, 81.3% of the children in this area live in poverty and crime rates are higher than the national average.
For more information about this award, please contact the OJP Office of Communications at 202-307-0703 or [email protected].
Justice Department Announces Filing of Statement of Interest in "Ghost Gun" LitigationRead the Press Release
Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), in partnership with Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, filed a Statement of Interest today in The City of New York v. Arm or Ally, LLC, to express the Justice Department’s views on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)’s regulations concerning unfinished frame and receiver kits.
In the lawsuit, the City of New York alleges that multiple firearm businesses have sold tens of thousands of illegal, unfinished frames and receivers to New Yorkers. These frames and receivers, which are classified as firearms, were then converted into unserialized, untraceable handguns and assault-style weapons, known as “ghost guns.” Ghost guns contribute to the ongoing plague of gun violence.
The Department of Justice’s Statement of Interest informs the Court that the United States has serious concerns about the proliferation of untraceable firearms easily assembled from firearm parts kits and unfinished frames and receivers. The Statement of Interest makes clear that ATF has long held that the sale of all components necessary to produce a functional firearm are, and always have been, classified as the sale of a firearm under the Gun Control Act of 1968. Additionally, the Statement of Interest informs the Court of ATF’s authority to promulgate a rule updating its definition of “frame or receiver” and other statutory and regulatory terms.
Mr. Peace stated, “Ghost guns are a major contributor to the ongoing plague of gun violence. The United States will continue to employ every means available, including civil tools, to keep ghost guns and other illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals and reduce the risk of gun violence. The United States filed a Statement of Interest in this important litigation to ensure that the Court is informed of the federal government’s views of pertinent firearms statutes and regulations.”
Mr. Williams stated, “This Statement of Interest reflects the Department of Justice’s commitment to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to combat the growing problem of ghost guns. This Office is determined to prevent criminals from accessing untraceable firearms easily assembled from firearms parts kits and unfinished frames and receivers.”
“Ghost guns have for years helped fuel an escalating trend of firearms-related violence,” ATF Special Agent in Charge DeVito said. “The updated federal regulations are an important step in abating that trend in our local communities. Today’s filing sends a message that the United States will do its part, using all available means, to support our local partners in their own efforts to curb the flow of these dangerous weapons to the criminal element and violent offenders.”
For the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the filing of this Statement of Interest is part of EDNY’s larger Civil Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence. The EDNY’s Civil Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence was created earlier this year in recognition of the President’s directive to take a whole-of-government approach to combat the epidemic of gun violence and ensure public safety, and complements the EDNY’s Criminal Division’s successful efforts to reduce the scourge of gun-related crimes. The EDNY’s Civil Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence aims to collaborate with federal, state, and local officials, as well as community stakeholders, to address the root causes of gun-related crime, and supports reform efforts made across the government. In July 2021, the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York also joined a cross-jurisdictional strike force to help reduce gun violence by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key regions across the country.
This matter, as well as the EDNY’s Civil Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence, are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Blume, Richard Hayes, Joseph Marutollo, and Bonni Perlin of the Eastern District of New York, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jill Merenda. This matter was handled in partnership with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeannette Vargas and Lucas Issacharoff of the Southern District of New York; Director Alexander K. Haas, Assistant Director Lesley Farby, Trial Attorneys Daniel Riess, and Martin M. Tomlinson of the Federal Programs Branch; and Director Gustav W. Eyler, Principal Deputy Director Amanda Liskamm, and Trial Attorneys Patrick Runkle and Daniel Crane-Hirsch of the Consumer Protection Branch.
Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Big Run, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to violation of federal narcotics laws related to a nine-month Title III wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around the counties of Jefferson, Clearfield, and Allegheny, United States Attorney Cindy Chung announced today.
Darren Douglas, age 37, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possesses with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand. Douglas was one of 47 defendants charged in six related indictments as part of the Return to Sender investigation.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Douglas was a methamphetamine distributor who obtained between 1.5 kilograms and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine as part of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution conspiracy and redistributed it to methamphetamine users.
Judge Wiegand scheduled sentencing for Douglas on Feb. 8, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. The law provides for a sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life in prison, a fine not to exceed $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The court ordered that the defendant remain on bond pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan D. Lusty and Michael R. Ball are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Services, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Allegheny County Police, and Pennsylvania State Police. Also assisting were the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office, and the Clarion Borough Police Department.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 30 Months, Ordered to Repay $7.5 million for Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh on Thursday sentenced a business owner from Jackson, Missouri to 30 months in prison for health care fraud and ordered him to repay $7.5 million.
Jamie McCoy, 42, pleaded guilty on Nov. 23, 2020 to three felony counts: health care fraud, making false statements related to health care matters and offering and paying illegal kickbacks for referrals. He admitted owning or operating companies that supplied orthotic braces and other durable medical equipment (DME): AE Wellness LLC, Summit Medical Supply, Patriot Medical Supply and DME Device Co.
McCoy contracted with marketing firms who placed ads on television and online that offered orthotic braces at no cost. The companies sent patient information to a telemedicine doctor who signed an order for medical equipment without evaluating or even communicating with the patient in some cases, McCoy’s plea agreement says. Those leads, consisting of the patient information and the medical equipment order, were then sold to DME companies.
McCoy admitted paying 70% to 80% of his profits to one person who supplied leads to AE Wellness. Another received $35-40 for leads without a doctor’s order and $280-$300 for a “full lead.”
From September 2016 to August 2017, AE Wellness submitted $6 million in reimbursement claims to Medicare for DME and $67,955 to Tricare. Patriot Medical Supplies billed Tricare $23,951. McCoy admitted knowing Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare, which reimburses for health care services provided to current and former members of the military and their families, would not pay for items obtained by paying illegal kickbacks.
After AE Wellness was suspended in 2017 for paying illegal kickbacks, McCoy, AE’s office manager Brandy McKay and Jackson Preston Siples III, who ran day-to-day operations at AE, opened new DME companies. They concealed McCoy’s role, and continued to pay kickbacks for referrals and leads, McCoy’s plea agreement says.
From June 5, 2018 to March 21, 2019, McCoy and McKay submitted $1.8 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare and $15,540 to Tricare on behalf of a company known as MC Medical. From March 8, 2018 to March 13, 2019, Siples submitted $6 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare and $145,614 to Tricare on behalf of a company known as Integrity Medical Supply. Siples submitted $922,562 in false claims to Medicare from March 5, 2019 to Match 27, 2019 on behalf of Radiance Health Group.
McKay went on to manage a series of companies that continued the scheme.
“Submitting false claims for medically unnecessary equipment diverts funding from the necessary services required to support beneficiaries of federal health care programs,” stated Curt L. Muller, Special Agent in Charge with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable individuals who choose to waste vital taxpayer dollars by participating in health care fraud schemes.”
McKay was sentenced Jan. 18, 2022 to three years in prison and ordered to repay $7.5 million. Siples pleaded guilty in May to the same charges as McCoy and is awaiting sentencing.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dorothy McMurtry and Derek Wiseman are prosecuting the case.
Inland Empire Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Two-Month ‘Smash-and-Grab’ Robbery Spree Targeting Cellphone StoresRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Bernardino County man was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for committing 52 smash-and-grab robberies of T-Mobile and AT&T cellphone stores throughout Southern California during a two-month crime spree, using hammers to smash display cases to steal iPhones and other merchandise.
Tony Tyron Lee Stewart, 22, of Highland, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who also ordered him to pay $333,122 in restitution.
Stewart, the lead defendant in this case, pleaded guilty on June 9 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
On January 15, 2022, Stewart and two co-conspirators – Rayford Newsome, 21, of Compton; and Jerome Gregory Belser, 21, of San Bernardino – robbed T-Mobile stores in Long Beach, Carson, Inglewood, Encino, and Camarillo.
Stewart and his co-conspirators entered the stores during store hours, carrying hammers with employees and customers present. Once inside the stores, the defendants, wearing ski masks, used the hammers to smash security display cases, threaten employees and customers, and then stole cellphones, watches, and other electronic devices. They then fled the store and made their escape in a car.
After the Camarillo robbery on January 15, the trio – with Newsome driving – fled from police officers when law enforcement attempted a lawful traffic stop. Stewart and his co-conspirators led police on a vehicle pursuit through a residential neighborhood in North Hollywood before Newsome stopped the car.
In addition to these robberies, from November 11, 2021 to January 13, 2022, Stewart and other members of the conspiracy committed smash-and-grab robberies at cellphone stores in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Kern counties.
Specifically, the stores robbed were located in South Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Hermosa Beach, East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Pico-Union, Hollywood, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Valley Village, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, Mission Hills, San Fernando, Burbank, Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Azusa, La Crescenta, South El Monte, Duarte, Monrovia, La Cañada Flintridge, Covina, Hacienda Heights, Lancaster, Norwalk, Downey, Bell Gardens, Cerritos, Bellflower, Rowland Heights, La Habra, Simi Valley, Camarillo, and Tehachapi.
The robberies – several of which occurred on the same date – resulted in a loss of approximately $293,444. In addition, the robberies caused approximately $46,376 in damage to the stores.
Both Newsome and Belser have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery in this case. On September 9, Judge Kronstadt sentenced Belser to 70 months in federal prison. Newsome’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 5, 2023, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
“Stewart and his co-defendants terrorized cell phone stores throughout Southern California, traumatizing employees and customers in over 50 different stores in just over two months – all for [Stewart’s] own personal gain,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “In almost each of these…robberies, there were between two and four employees present along with multiple customers. Each employee is forced to return to these work locations, provide customer service, and attempt to earn a living a while dealing with the fear and anxiety that they may again be robbed or threatened with a dangerous weapon while at work.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin B. Reidy and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced yesterday to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, in July of 2020, detectives with the 18th East Judicial Drug Task Force received information that Richard Allen Stapleton (aka Ricky), age 46, was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in Garland County. Later that month, detectives were able to conduct multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Stapleton.
The methamphetamine was tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory and confirmed to be pure methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harris prosecuted the case.
Hill District Man Charged with Stealing FBI PropertyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of theft of government property, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment, returned on Oct. 4 and unsealed today, named Lashawn Norwood, 57, of the City’s Hill District neighborhood, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about September 28, 2021, Norwood willfully and knowingly did embezzle, steal, purloin and convert to his own use property, in a value exceeding $1,000.00 belonging to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Ball is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Greenwood Man Charged with Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Greenwood, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Noah One Star, age 62, was indicted in September of 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on October 4, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 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 Indictment alleges that between March 30, 2021, and April 3, 2021, One Star, who had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding a year, knowingly possessed a High Standard Sporting Firearms, model Sentinel Mark IV, .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR) caliber, double-action revolver, bearing serial number S31420 and rounds of Western brand .22 WMR ammunition. All had previously been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
The charge is merely an accusation and One Star is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
One Star was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Grant County woman sentenced for meth chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Betty Arlene Chapman, of Cabins, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 41 months of incarceration for her role in a methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution operation, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Chapman, 44, pled guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute at Least Five Grams of Methamphetamine - Aiding and Abetting.” Chapman admitted to working with others to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine in January 2020 in Grant County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The task force consists of the FBI, West Virginia State Police, Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Franklin County Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Child EnticementRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a man who tried to meet with a 12-year-old girl for sex and then fled from police to 18 years in prison.
Joshua L. Brown, 40, of from St. Clair, Missouri, pleaded guilty Dec. 21, 2021 to a felony charge of coercion and enticement of a minor. He admitted offering drugs to a 12-year-old in exchange for sex, while he was on parole from a child molestation conviction.
On March 3, 2020, Brown used Instagram to contact the girl. He made remarks about the girl’s breasts, requested photographs and referenced engaging in sexual acts with her. The girl told her mother, who contacted the Breckenridge Hills Police Department.
“We are incredibly indebted and grateful to this child - that she did the right thing,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson said during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.
Police took over the girl’s cellphone and Instagram account and began posing as the girl. Brown offered to provide marijuana and methamphetamine if the girl would engage in sexual intercourse. Brown arranged to meet the girl at Sims Park in Breckenridge Hills to engage in sex.
On March 17, 2020, he showed up in a Ford F150 truck at about 12:45 a.m. and sent a message via Instagram to the girl telling her to “leave now” so the two could meet. When a police officer in a marked patrol vehicle activated his emergency lights and tried to stop Brown, he sped off, running three stop signs and two traffic lights before reaching the highway. Brown eventually drove off of Interstate 44 and down a steep embankment before crashing the truck through the gate of a private property owner’s land. Brown then abandoned his truck and fled on foot.
He was arrested in Jefferson County after a brief standoff in January of 2021.
A review of Brown’s Instagram account revealed that the defendant followed a large number of Instagram pages devoted to young girls.
At the time of his initial arrest, Brown was on parole after being sentenced to seven years in state prison in a 2011 case in Jefferson County Circuit Court. He had pleaded guilty to child molestation in the first degree in a case involving a victim under the age of 12.
The Breckenridge Hills Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Four Colombians sentenced for $1.4 million international drug money laundering schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Gilberto Lopez-Giraldo, Raul Lopez-Giraldo, Guillermo Escobar, and Alexander Duque-Casanova have been sentenced for engaging in a more than $1.4 million drug money laundering conspiracy involving major cities from across the United States to Cali, Colombia.
“Illegal drug proceeds provide the critical lifeblood for drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our office is committed to disrupting the ability of international drug cartels to profit from their illegal activities by seeking to evade law enforcement detection through money laundering operations conducted within the United States.”
“These criminals thought their scheme would go undetected and they could profit from their criminal activities, but they were wrong,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI, along with our Federal and international partners, is committed to dismantling these organizations no matter where they attempt to operate, and targeting their illicit proceeds is just one of our many tools.”
“This is a victory in the ongoing war against drugs trafficking,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge James E. Dorsey. “Concealed income will eventually come to light. Coordination with other agencies and leveraging each of our strengths is the key in the fight against drugs trafficking and money laundering. Thanks to the financial expertise and diligence of our agents, these criminals are now off the street and being held accountable for their actions.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Gilberto and Raul Lopez-Giraldo, Escobar, and Duque-Casanova were members of a money laundering crew based in Cali, Colombia, who conspired to coordinate the collection of money from drug traffickers in cities across the United States, including Atlanta, Chicago, and New York. The group laundered the money through a network of bank accounts in the United States and elsewhere.
The money from these accounts was used to purchase electronics and other goods in the United States then resold on the black market in Colombia. The purpose of this scheme was to secretly convert the drug money collected in the United States into Colombian pesos for drug trafficking organizations.
During the investigation, the defendants and their co-conspirators orchestrated the collection of illicit drug proceeds totaling approximately $1,496,817.
For example, during an undercover operation on November 21, 2012, investigators received $149,980 in U.S. currency from two conspirators who arrived in a truck in the parking lot of a store in Duluth, Georgia. The money was wrapped in bundles and hidden in a box inside a garbage bag. Agents conducting surveillance of the meeting followed the truck from the parking lot to a residence in Norcross, Georgia, that was later determined to be a methamphetamine conversion lab. Republic of Colombia authorities lawfully intercepted telephone conversations between the defendants and other conspirators related to the $149,980 in drug proceeds.
The defendants were later indicted on five counts of money laundering in the Northern District of Georgia, and, with cooperation of Colombian officials, arrested and extradited to the United States. On March 7, 2022, the defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and received the following sentences:
- Gilberto Lopez-Giraldo, 51, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to five years, ten months in prison.
- Raul Lopez-Giraldo, 40, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
- Guillermo Escobar, a/k/a Memo, 54, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to six years, six months in prison.
- Alexander Duque-Casanova, 48, of Cali, Colombia, has been sentenced to three years, ten months in prison.
The Court adjusted the sentence of each defendant downward by 12 months from these terms of incarceration to account for the length of time the defendants spent in custody in Colombia while awaiting extradition to the United States. One co-defendant, Harby Mayor-Mejia, remains at large outside the United States.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation agents in Atlanta, Chicago, and Colombia.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas N. Joy, Laurel Boatright Milam, and Tyler A. Mann prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Fort Wayne Man Convicted by Jury of Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Remon D. Phillips, 39 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was found guilty following a three-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Judge Holly A. Brady, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Phillips was found guilty of the single-count Indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm in February 2022.
Phillips will be scheduled for sentencing by separate order of the Court. Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Fort Wayne Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah E. Nokes and Lesley J. Miller Lowery.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Former West Virginia Parole Officer Pleads Guilty to Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
A former Regional Director of Parole Services for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Parkersburg, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Southern District of West Virginia to witness tampering.
According to court documents, David Jones admitted that earlier this year, he deliberately withheld information and lied to state and federal investigators during their investigations of sexual misconduct reportedly committed by a parole officer supervised by Jones. Jones also admitted that, on multiple occasions from 2020 to this year, he repeatedly instructed a witness in the same investigation to lie to federal investigators and to destroy and withhold evidence. Specifically, Jones admitted that he encouraged the witness to delete recordings she had of the parole officer and that he instructed the witness to delete evidence of his own communications with her.
Jones faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has been set for Jan. 19, 2023.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Division investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Kathryn E. Gilbert and Nikhil Ramnaney of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Coleman for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Former Rhea County Executive Sentenced to 33 Months' Imprisonment for COVID-19 Related FraudRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On October 6, 2022, George Thacker, 59, of Spring City, Tennessee, was sentenced to 33 months in prison by the Honorable Charles E. Atchley, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
As part of a plea agreement filed with the court, Thacker agreed to plead guilty to a one-count Bill of Information charging him with wire fraud in relation to COVID-19 relief funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Thacker was ordered to pay $665,600.00 in restitution and a $15,000.00 fine, and he will be on supervised release for 3 years following his release from prison.
In 2020, the United States Government enacted The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in an effort to stave off negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two related programs – the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program – provided forgivable or low-interest loans to businesses affected by the pandemic.
According to court documents, between May 2020 and February 2021, Thacker submitted three separate fraudulent applications for a total of over $650,000 in PPP and EIDL relief funds. At the time, he served as the elected County Executive for Rhea County, Tennessee, and the owner of Thacker Corporation, a business headquartered in the Eastern District of Tennessee. As part of the loan application process, he certified that he would use the money for specific business-related purposes such as paying Thacker Corporation’s rent and continuing to pay his employees’ salaries. But instead of putting the relief funds to their intended purposes, Thacker used them to enrich himself. Among other things, he used the money to buy Bitcoin, Ether, and other cryptocurrencies and to fund his personal investment accounts.
“COVID-19 relief fraud is a serious crime,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Mr. Thacker’s scheme to defraud exploited a relief program designed to ease the economic suffering of all American workers and businesses. Today, he is being held accountable for his actions, and the Court’s sentence should demonstrate to any who are tempted to follow in his footsteps that this crime carries with it serious consequences. I commend the hard work of the United States Secret Service and all involved with this prosecution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to uncovering and prosecuting those who unlawfully exploited the COVID-19 pandemic for personal gain, and we will continue to work together with our federal law enforcement partners to ensure that any who abuse federal relief programs are brought to justice.”
"One of the Secret Service's primary roles is to protect the U.S. financial infrastructure, including pandemic related fraud. At the onset of the pandemic, fraud related to personal protective equipment was of primary concern to all law enforcement. Additionally, the release of Federal funding through the CARES Act and subsequent funding heightened this priority. The Secret Service is committed to combatting financial crime, especially in cases where fraudsters take advantage of American citizens during these trying times. The Secret Service, through its partnership with Federal and State, local law enforcement, and the private sector financial institutions, will continue to make this a primary concern for the Department," said Resident Agent in Charge Juan Alicea of the United States Secret Service (“USSS”) Chattanooga Resident Office.
The prosecution resulted from an investigation by the USSS.
Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.
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Former Medical Assistant at Desoto Regional Health System Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Debra Bossier a/k/a Debra Palmer, 48, of Mansfield, Louisiana, entered a guilty plea today to one count of acquiring or obtaining controlled substances by fraud. The hearing was held before United States District Judge Donald E. Walter.
According to evidence presented to the court, Bossier worked as a Medical Assistant at the Desoto Regional Health System (Desoto Regional) in Mansfield, Louisiana. Desoto Regional used an Electronic Medical Records System to document patient encounters and generate electronic prescriptions. Bossier used the Electronic Medical Records System to falsely document telephone encounters to obtain controlled substances by fraud and forgery by generating controlled substance prescriptions for herself, her husband, her daughters, and a daughter’s boyfriend.
The primary controlled substances that Bossier obtained by fraud were Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 10-325 which is sometimes marketed under the brand name “Norco” and Oxycodone-Acetaminophen 10-325 which is sometimes marketed under the brand name “Percocet.” Bossier also fraudulently generated prescriptions for Adderall, Vyvanse, and Ativan. During the scheme to defraud, Bossier improperly generated over 200 prescriptions.
Once the prescriptions were generated, Bossier would print the prescriptions and mark them with an “E” above the name of the physician who allegedly prescribed the medications and would fill them at Mansfield Drug Company or would provide the fraudulent prescriptions to her family members. The family members would then fill the prescriptions at Mansfield Drug Company. One of the fraudulent prescriptions was filled at Mansfield Drug Company on October 31, 2019. Bossier generated this prescription for 120 tablets of Percocet for herself in the name of Debra Palmer. Percocet contains Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance.
“Medical providers and their employees have a duty to put patient’s interests ahead of their own and not take advantage of their employment situation for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “The defendant in this case fraudulently obtained multiple controlled substances for herself and others without a valid prescription. This office will continue to hold those accountable who commit such selfish acts.”
Bossier faces a maximum sentence of not more than four years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has been set for February 10, 2023 at 11:00.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
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Former Leader of Proud Boys Pleads Guilty to Seditious Conspiracy for Efforts to Stop Transfer of Power Following 2020 Presidential ElectionRead the Press Release
A former leader of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty today to seditious conspiracy for his actions before and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His and others’ actions sought to stop the transfer of power by disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Jeremy Bertino, 43, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol breach. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, stemming from a court-authorized search of his residence in March 2022. As part of the plea agreement, Bertino has agreed to cooperate with the government’s ongoing investigation.
According to court documents, the Proud Boys describe themselves as members of a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.” Bertino joined the Proud Boys in approximately 2018 and was, for a time, the vice president of his local Proud Boys chapter in South Carolina.
As stated in the court documents, on multiple occasions in 2020, Bertino traveled to Washington, D.C., for rallies as a member of the Proud Boys. During one trip, on Dec. 12, 2020, several individuals, including Bertino and other Proud Boys members, were involved in an altercation. During that altercation, Bertino, among others, was stabbed. Bertino was hospitalized, released, and was still recovering outside of the Washington D.C. area from his injuries as of Jan. 6, 2021. Otherwise, he would have traveled to Washington.
In December 2020, Bertino accepted an invitation from Enrique Tarrio, then Proud Boys’ national chairman, to join a new chapter that Tarrio had devised called the “Ministry of Self Defense” (MOSD). In the weeks leading to Jan. 6, Bertino participated in encrypted chats and other communication with members of MOSD leadership. Bertino understood from his discussions with MOSD leadership that they agreed that the presidential election had been stolen, that the purpose of traveling to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, was to stop the certification of the Electoral College Vote, and that the MOSD leaders were willing to do whatever it would take, including using force against police and others, to achieve that objective.
Bertino continued to participate in planning sessions as he recovered from his injures. At least as early as Jan. 4, 2021, he received encrypted chat messages indicating that members of MOSD leadership were discussing the possibility of storming the Capitol. On Jan. 6, Bertino monitored activities through mainstream and social media, as well as posting in the MOSD chats. He posted messages himself to MOSD leaders and members to encourage and assist in the operation, such as advising those on the grounds of the Capitol to “form a spear.” Similarly, Bertino posted to his public social media account, “DO NOT GO HOME. WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF SAVING THE CONSTITUTION.” On the evening of Jan. 6, 2021, Bertino messaged Tarrio and celebrated the achievement, saying, among other things, “You know we made this happen,” and “1776 motherf****r.”
The firearms charge stems from an FBI search of Bertino’s residence on March 8, 2022. While executing a search warrant, agents located six firearms, including an AR-15 style firearm with a scope, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Bertino was barred from possessing firearms and/or ammunition due to a previous conviction.
Bertino was charged in a criminal information that was filed today. Five other members of the Proud Boys, including Tarrio, were indicted on June 6, 2022, on seditious conspiracy and other charges. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. A sixth member of the group, Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2022, to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
Bertino faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and up to 10 years in prison for the firearms charge. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. No sentencing date was set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington, Charlotte, and Columbia, South Carolina Field Offices.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Former Leader of Proud Boys Pleads Guilty to Seditious Conspiracy for Efforts to Stop Transfer of Power Following 2020 Presidential ElectionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former leader of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty today to seditious conspiracy for his actions before and during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He and others sought to stop the transfer of power by disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Jeremy Bertino, 43, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol breach. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm, stemming from a court-authorized search of his residence in March 2022. As part of the plea agreement, Bertino has agreed to cooperate with the government’s ongoing investigation.
According to court documents, the Proud Boys describe themselves as members of a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.” Bertino joined the Proud Boys in approximately 2018 and was, for a time, the vice president of his local Proud Boys chapter in South Carolina.
As stated in the court documents, on multiple occasions in 2020, Bertino traveled to Washington, D.C., for rallies as a member of the Proud Boys. During one trip, on Dec. 12, 2020, several individuals, including Bertino and other Proud Boys members, were involved in an altercation. During that altercation, Bertino, among others, was stabbed. Bertino was hospitalized, released, and was still recovering outside of the Washington D.C. area from his injuries as of Jan. 6, 2021. Otherwise, he would have traveled to Washington.
In December 2020, Bertino accepted an invitation from Enrique Tarrio, then Proud Boys’ national chairman, to join a new chapter that Tarrio had devised called the “Ministry of Self Defense” (MOSD). In the weeks leading to Jan.6, 2021, Bertino participated in encrypted chats and other communication with members of MOSD leadership. Bertino and other MOSD leaders agreed that the presidential election had been stolen, that the purpose of traveling to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, was to stop the certification of the Electoral College Vote, and that the MOSD leaders were willing to do whatever it would take, including using force against police and others, to achieve that objective.
Bertino continued to participate in planning sessions as he recovered from his injures. At least as early as Jan. 4, 2021, he received encrypted chat messages indicating that members of MOSD leadership were discussing the possibility of storming the Capitol. On Jan. 6, Bertino monitored activities through mainstream and social media, as well as posting in the MOSD chats. He posted messages himself to MOSD leaders and members to encourage and assist in the operation, such as advising those on the grounds of the Capitol to “form a spear.” Similarly, Bertino posted to his public social media account, “DO NOT GO HOME. WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF SAVING THE CONSTITUTION.” On the evening of Jan. 6, 2021, Bertino messaged Tarrio and celebrated the achievement, saying, among other things, “You know we made this happen,” and “1776 motherf****r.”
The firearms charge stems from an FBI search of Bertino’s residence on March 8, 2022. While executing a search warrant, agents located six firearms, including an AR-15 style firearm with a scope, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition. Bertino was barred from possessing firearms and/or ammunition due to a previous conviction.
Bertino was charged in a criminal information that was filed today. Five other members of the Proud Boys, including Tarrio, were indicted on June 6, 2022, on seditious conspiracy and other charges. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. A sixth member of the group, Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2022, to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.
Bertino faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and up to 10 years in prison for the firearms charge. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. No sentencing date was set. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington, Charlotte, and Columbia, South Carolina Field Offices.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Former Columbus vice officer sentenced to prison for depriving a victim’s civil rights through fraudulent arrestRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus vice officer was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 18 months in prison for conspiring to violate an individual’s constitutional rights.
Steven G. Rosser, 46, of Delaware, was convicted following a jury trial in February 2022.
Rosser was employed with the Columbus Division of Police for 19 years and assigned as a detective in CPD’s vice unit from April 2013 until October 2018.
According to court documents and trial testimony, in 2018, Rosser and others conspired to deprive one of the owners of the Dollhouse, a gentlemen’s club on Karl Court, of his civil rights by seizing and searching him and his vehicle without probable cause in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
At trial, the government presented evidence that Rosser was part of a scheme to frame the victim for cocaine possession. The actual amount of cocaine planted on the scene as part of the scheme was a miniscule amount, approximately .017 gram.
After orchestrating the fraudulent arrest, Rosser falsified documentation to conceal the conspiracy activity.
Rosser was indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested in March 2020.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Superintendent Joseph Morbitzer; and Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents and officers from the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s BCI, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office and the Columbus Division of Police.
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Former Associate Principal and High School Teacher Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Enticement and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JONATHAN SKOLNICK was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for enticing minor children to send him nude and sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves over the Internet. On April 5, 2022, SKOLNICK pled guilty before U.S. Judge Colleen McMahon, who imposed his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For approximately seven years, Jonathan Skolnick abused his position of trust as an associate principal and teacher in New York City schools by posing as a teenage girl online and successfully enticing minor victims, including his own students, to send him child pornography. This lengthy prison sentence holds Skolnick accountable for his horrific crimes and the extraordinary harm and trauma he caused to many minor victims and their families.”
According to the Indictment, court documents, and based on statements made in open court:
Between in or around August 2012 and in or around June 2018, JONATHAN SKOLNICK worked as a high school teacher at a school in Brooklyn, New York. In or around July 2018, SKOLNICK became an associate principal at a middle school in the Bronx, New York, where he worked until his arrest in September 2019. While in those roles, SKOLNICK posed as a teenage girl online, contacted minor victims by email, social media message, and text message, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minor victims, and enticed the minor victims to send him nude and sexually explicit photographs and videos. Many of the minor victims were students at the schools where SKOLNICK worked.
During the time period of his crimes, SKOLNICK used at least 21 different email and social media accounts to contact nearly 100 different individuals and solicit nude and sexually explicit images and videos. When certain minor victims stopped communicating with SKOLNICK, he threatened to release the photographs and images that the minor victims had sent.
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In addition to his prison term, SKOLNICK, 40, of the Bronx, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth A. Espinosa and Rebecca T. Dell are in charge of the prosecution.
Fire Service Plus Inc. Agrees to Pay $985,131 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Involving Defective Fire Suppression Foam for the MilitaryRead the Press Release
Fire Service Plus Inc. (FSP), a Georgia-based company, has agreed to pay $985,131 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by supplying fire suppression foam that did not meet military specifications, the Department of Justice announced today.
FSP manufactures commercial and military-grade fire suppression foam. FSP’s military grade foam, known as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), was sold under the brand name “FireAde MILSPEC.” The United States alleged that from January 2018 through April 15, 2021, FSP falsely certified that its military-grade fire suppression foam was compliant with applicable military specifications when, in fact, it was lacking the correct percentages of a key chemical. The Navy, Defense Logistics Agency and other federal government agencies purchased barrels of FSP’s military-grade foam to extinguish fires.
“Compliance with applicable military specifications is essential to ensure the safety of our military personnel,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to hold accountable those who knowingly violate the rules and regulations governing the purchase of military grade equipment.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) will aggressively pursue allegations against contractors providing substituted or inferior products, which risk the safety of our warfighters,” said Special Agent in Charge Cynthia Bruce for the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, DCIS Southeast Field Office. “I appreciate the work of the investigative team to trace and remove all substandard products from inventory across the government ensuring the performance of this life saving equipment.”
“Fire Service Plus’s alleged actions to provide the Department of the Navy with a substandard fire suppressant that failed to meet contract specifications posed a significant and potentially devastating threat to DON personnel and property,” said Special Agent in Charge Peter Tolentino for the NCIS Economic Crimes Field Office. “NCIS extends sincere gratitude to our partners at the DCIS, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), and Department of Justice for their substantial efforts to protect our nation’s warfighters from harm caused by defective materials that do not meet the high standards of the U.S military. We remain committed to fully investigating allegations of product substitution that threaten the safety and wellbeing of DON personnel.”
“Intentionally selling non-conforming products used in emergency response has the potential to put lives at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Damiani for the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Southern Region. “As evidenced by the settlement agreement with Fire Service Plus, we remain steadfast in our commitment to working with our partners to maintain standards for goods procured to safeguard our nation’s citizens and service members.”
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) with investigative support from DCIS, NCIS, the Defense Contact Audit Agency-Office of Investigative Support, the Major Procurement Fraud Unit of the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, CGIS and DOT-IG.
Senior Trial Counsel Art J. Coulter of the Civil Division handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Felon Convicted of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A federal jury convicted a Hampton man yesterday on charges of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Christopher McPherson, 30, of Hampton, was arrested in April 2021 for his charged role in a drug trafficking organization. When he was arrested, he was found in possession of a firearm, cocaine, marijuana, a cutting agent to mix with cocaine, a money counting machine, currency and a cocaine press, which is a device used to press powder cocaine into kilogram sized blocks. Witnesses testified that the firearm in his possession was a tool of the drug trade used to intimidate others and to protect McPherson from other drug dealers. The jury also heard that McPherson was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
McPherson was convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and of possessing the firearm after having been convicted of a felony. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when sentenced on February 13, 2023. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Robert C. Young accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Nielsen are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-10.
Federal Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict Against Previously Convicted Drug TraffickerRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte federal jury has convicted Lance Richardson Pagan, 52, of Gastonia, N.C., of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and powder cocaine and possession of a firearm by convicted felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. presided over the two-day trial, which ended on Tuesday.
Michael C. Scherck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Travis Brittain of the Gastonia Police Department (GPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and evidence presented at trial, on January 12, 2022, law enforcement investigating Pagan’s drug distribution activities executed a search warrant at his residence. Trial evidence established that law enforcement seized from Pagan’s bedroom a trafficking amount of cocaine base and powder cocaine, and three handguns. Pagan was previously convicted of a federal drug trafficking offense and sentenced to seven years in prison. As a convicted felon, Pagan is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Pagan is currently in federal custody. At sentencing, Pagan faces a sentence of up to 30 in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
U.S. Attorney King credited today’s outcome to investigations led by the Western District’s OCDETF team, which have resulted in the conviction of more than 70 individuals, and the seizure of over 567 kilograms of cocaine, more than six kilograms of cocaine base, more than 17 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than four kilograms of heroin, over 30 kilograms of fentanyl, 127 firearms, and more $437,000 in cash and other property.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and GPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven R. Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case.
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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Five Springfield Illinois Residents for Wire Fraud Related to COVID Relief FundsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A grand jury returned indictments on October 4, 2022, against five Springfield, Illinois, residents, charging them with fraud related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) administered through the Small Business Administration (SBA). They are:
Sean Jackson, 32, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred in May and June of 2021 in Sangamon County, Illinois.
Richard Lawuary, 31, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred in May and June of 2021 in Sangamon County.
Charles Walker III, 31, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred in April of 2021 in Sangamon County. At the time of the indictment, Walker had been released on bond for pending unrelated federal charges.
Shawntelle Lynn, 31, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred in April and May of 2021 in Sangamon County. At the time of the indictment, Lynn had been released on bond pending unrelated federal charges.
Randi Lewis, 34; of Springfield, was charged with two counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges the offenses occurred in March and April of 2021 in Sangamon County.
Each of the individuals has been issued a summons to appear in federal court in Springfield for arraignment. If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties for the alleged crimes charged are a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and restitution.
Agencies participating in the investigation include the United States Secret Service, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Springfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore is representing the government in the prosecutions.
COVID-19 disaster relief and enhanced unemployment benefits are intended to help people and businesses suffering as a result of the pandemic. If members of the public suspect anyone fraudulently obtained or misused benefits, they should contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NDCF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submit the NCDF Web Complaint Form. The NCDF is a national coordinating agency within the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division dedicated to improving the detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution of criminal conduct related to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19). Hotline staff will obtain information regarding complaints, which will then be reviewed by law enforcement officials. More information is available at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Federal Civil Rights forum coming to MorgantownRead the Press Release
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – The enforcement of federal civil rights laws will be the focus of a forum to be held next week in Morgantown.
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld and his staff will host a half-day event on Tuesday, October 11 to highlight the constitutional rights of citizens and how they are enforced through civil and criminal actions. Hate crimes, disability rights, housing rights, and more will be explained by experts in each of those areas of the law.
“Federal civil rights laws are an important tool in our efforts to make communities in West Virginia safer and more welcoming, but they are often overlooked,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “The forum in Morgantown will allow for the public to hear from experts and learn more about the enforcement of laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion.”
The event will begin at 9 am at the Mon County Center at Mylan Park. It is free and open to the public.
To learn more, go to justice.gov/usao-ndwv.
Fairfield Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — William Josiah Scrivner, 36, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on March 23, 2022, law enforcement officers observed Scrivner as the driver and sole occupant of a vehicle in the parking lot of the NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield. The officers arrested Scrivner on an outstanding Solano County arrest warrant. A post-arrest search of his person and vehicle resulted in approximately 40 grams of methamphetamine, $551 on his person, and a digital scale in his car. A probation search of Scrivner’s residence resulted in the discovery of two firearms, one of which was stolen, firearm parts and ammunition, additional methamphetamine, and two more scales. Scrivner is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he has been convicted of several felonies, including two prior convictions for possession of methamphetamine for sale and a prior conviction for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police Department, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
Scrivner is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.
Drunk driver sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that on Oct. 5, Anthony Faustine, 42, of Acoma, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma, was sentenced on to five years and 10 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country.
Faustine pleaded guilty on Jan. 26. On April 22, 2020, Faustine attempted to evade law enforcement while driving with a blood alcohol level at twice the legal limit. When Faustine lost control of the vehicle, a passenger, identified in court records as John Doe, was ejected and died from injuries sustained in the crash. The incident occurred on the Pueblo of Laguna.
Upon his release from prison, Faustine will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico State Police and Laguna Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuted the case.
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Derry Man Sentenced to 132 Months for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a MinorRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Jason Ellis, 45, of Derry was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ellis engaged in sexually graphic online conversations with numerous individuals, some of whom appeared to be minors as young as 14 years old. Several of these chats included Ellis soliciting and receiving nude images from apparent minors. Ellis also sent images of his own genitalia to apparent minors. One of the individuals that Ellis was corresponding with online was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Ellis corresponded with the undercover and expressed his desire to meet her for sexual contact. His chats with the undercover took place over several months and included explicit discussions about sexual acts. Portions of these conversations, as well as the online accounts Ellis had used to communicate with the undercover, were later found on Ellis’ phone during the execution of a search warrant. Also found on Ellis’ phone were over 100 images of child sexual abuse material.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Derry Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey A. Weiland.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Dallas Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Leading Violent Sex Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
A Dallas man who called himself “Macknificent” was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for human trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Tremont Blakemore, 43, was first charged in September 2019. He pleaded guilty in April to sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, who ordered him to turn over several trophies – including one engraved “Playa of the Year” – to the federal government. She also ordered him to forfeit several Rolex watches and diamond and gold jewelry.
“This defendant systematically brutalized his victims, convincing them that they had no choice but to live life according to his dictates,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “We formed the North Texas Trafficking Task Force – a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement dedicated to ending the scourge of human trafficking – to pursue cases just like this one. We hope that today’s sentence will be a balm to survivors as they work to rebuild their lives.”
"Tremont Blakemore can no longer flaunt a life of luxury through the proceeds he illegally garnered by forcing women into the commercial sex trade industry thanks to the work of our special agents and law enforcement partners of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force who investigated and arrested this violent criminal," said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester R. Hayes Jr. "For the next twenty years, Mr. Blakemore will have time to reflect on the pain he caused those he subjugated for his own selfish gains. Our hope is that the victims he forcefully manipulated will begin the healing process now that he is no longer a threat to society."
In plea papers, Mr. Blakemore admitted to running a large-scale human trafficking organization, using the threat of grotesque violence to force women to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.
He compelled the women to travel cross-country to engage in commercial sex and posted ads for them on sites like Backpage.com. He demanded that the women to turn all proceeds over to him and required them to seek permission for personal expenditures.
Mr. Blakemore further admitted that when his victims disobeyed his “rules” – leaving the house without his permission, keeping money for themselves, etc. – he used violence to quell them into submission. According to court documents, victims told law enforcement that he slapped, punched, choked, kicked, and burned them with cigarettes.
“I’m going to make an example out of someone soon,” he wrote in a group text message to victims. “I will not continue to tolerate disrespect that’s one of my biggest pet peeves.”
In an effort to appear successful in order to recruit additional victims to his trafficking organization, Mr. Blakemore admitted, he used proceeds of his victim’s sexual encounters to purchase luxury goods, including multiple pieces of diamond and gold jewelry and multiple Rolex watches. He flouted his lifestyle to impress other traffickers, and even sported multiple trophies touting his success as a “pimp.”
Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Oakridge Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, and the North Texas Trafficking Task Force’s law enforcement partners. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Dana and Melanie Smith (fmr.) prosecuted the case.
Convicted Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Crime Against Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Norman Leon Geipe II, 39, pleaded guilty today to resisting a federal officer causing bodily injury.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 14, 2021, deputy U.S. Marshals approached Geipe outside a Parkersburg homeless shelter and told Geipe they had an arrest warrant alleging he had failed to register as a sex offender. Geipe physically resisted the attempt to take him into custody and bit the left forearm of one of the deputy U.S. Marshals, breaking the skin and drawing blood.
Giepe is scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service and the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Troy D. Adams and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-98.
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Convicted Felon Who Discharged A Gun at Amtrak and House of Mercy Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Alejandro Rivera, 36, of Schenectady, NY, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that in April 2021, Rivera traveled from Schenectady to Rochester, NY, on an Amtrak train. As he was exiting the station, Rivera pulled a 9mm pistol from his waistband and fired the pistol, apparently accidentally, into the wall with multiple people in the area, many of whom ran for cover. Rivera then picked up the spent shell casing from the floor and exited the train station. As he approached the area of Central and Joseph Avenues in Rochester, Rivera fired another round into the air. After leaving the Amtrak station, Rivera went to the parking lot at the House of Mercy on Ormond Street in Rochester, where he got into an argument. After a security guard came out of the House of Mercy to see what was happening, Rivera again fired the 9mm pistol. Rochester Police Officers were called to the scene, but Rivera fled on foot. Approximately a week later, Rivera was arrested by Rochester Police Officers near the Amtrak station.
Following Rivera’s arrest, Rochester Police investigators executed a search warrant at the residence of Rivera’s mother on Joseph Avenue. During the search, they recovered the loaded 9mm pistol. Rivera has four prior felony convictions and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith, and the Amtrak Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sam Dotson.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 6, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Geraci.
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Connecticut U.S. Attorney's Office Celebrates U.S. Attorney's AwardsRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony was celebrated this afternoon in New Haven. The ceremony at the City of New Haven’s aldermanic chambers recognized approximately 190 individuals for their investigative efforts and other contributions to 30 significant federal criminal prosecutions and civil cases in Connecticut since 2019. The awards ceremony, typically an annual event, has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During a time when the COVID-19 pandemic brought much of world to a standstill, the awardees we honor today, and countless other members of federal, state and local enforcement agencies, found a way to continue their critical work, often at great risk to their own health and safety, to ensure that the wheels of justice never stopped turning,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery. “Their important work has positively impacted communities across our state. They have served Connecticut and our nation with distinction, and we are proud to call them ‘partners.’”
In addition to the criminal and civil case awards, U.S. Attorney Avery presented several special awards during the ceremony.
The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Investigator was presented to recently-retired Special Agent James Wines of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who distinguished himself as an invaluable criminal investigator with the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team (“CAST”). Special Agent Wines provided critical cell site analysis and testimony in numerous federal and state investigations and prosecutions, including 28 murder trials in Connecticut and neighboring states.
The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Partnership was presented to Supervisory Attorney Patrick Ward and Senior Staff Attorneys Robert Ziemiecki and Stephanie Scannell-Vessella of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Attorneys Ward, Ziemicki and Scannell-Vessella have worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to defend litigation, including an 850-member class action, brought by medically-vulnerable inmates at FCI Danbury during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Attorney’s Outstanding Community Award was presented to Stacy Spell for his superior service as the New Haven Project Manager of Project Longevity, a statewide group violence reduction initiative, and his prior work as a long-time member of the New Haven Police Department and as a community activist.
The Financial Fraud and Public Corruption Unit Award was presented to a team of investigators from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) whose work led to the successful prosecution of Farouq Fasasi and several associates in Connecticut who were involved in lottery scams and romance fraud scams that defrauded primarily elderly victims across the country of more than $5 million. Fasasi and five others were convicted of various charges stemming from the schemes and, in August 2022, Fasasi was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.
The Major Crimes Unit Award was given to members of the Town of Groton Police Department, FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), who jointly investigated Randall Tilton, a U.S. Navy mechanic who sexually assaulted seven infants and children over an eight-year period, and produced videos and images of his sexual abuse. In June 2021, Tilton was sentenced to 210 years of imprisonment.
The Violent Crimes and Narcotics Unit Award was presented an FBI special agent and FBI Task Force Officers from the New Haven Police Department and Milford Police Department who led “Operation Fantasy Island,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation targeting members and associates of the Island Brothers gang. The Island Brothers trafficked heroin, crack and cocaine in both the New Haven region and the area of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and engaged in violence to protect its turf. Twenty-Five individuals were convicted of various drug and firearm offenses as a result of the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut and representing the federal government in civil litigation. The Office is composed of approximately 68 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
Conehatta Man Found Guilty in ShootingRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Conehatta man was found guilty on several federal charges at the conclusion of a jury trial that began October 3, 2022, in U.S. District Court in Jackson, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
According to court documents, Mike Austin Anderson, 36, of the Conehatta Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation used a handgun to shoot another tribal member multiple times.
In June of 2021, a federal grand jury indicted Anderson on the charges of assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Hon. Daniel P. Jordan, III., Chief United States District Judge, presided over the trial and scheduled sentencing in the case for January 12, 2023. Anderson faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He is currently being held in federal custody.
United States Attorney LaMarca commended the work of the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns.
Civil War Reenactor Indicted for Planting Pipe Bomb at Cedar Creek BattlefieldRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – A federal grand jury in Charlottesville has indicted Gerald Leonard Drake, 63, from Winchester, Va., for mailing threatening letters, stalking, and planting a pipe bomb at the Cedar Creek Battlefield in Middletown, Virginia during a Civil War reenactment event in 2017. In the mailings sent to victims and two newspapers, Drake purported to be a member of Antifa and threatened harm, including referencing the Unite the Right riots in Charlottesville.
The indictment, which was unsealed following Drake’s arrest today, charges him with fifteen criminal offenses including: mailing threatening communications, malicious use of explosives, possession of an unregistered destructive device, unlawful manufacture of a destructive device, use of explosives to commit a federal felony, and stalking.
“This indictment and arrest mark the culmination of a nearly five-year investigation into the perpetrator of the attempted bombing,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Over that time, career federal prosecutors and federal agents steadfastly investigated and uncovered the identity of the individual who sought to terrorize innocent civilians in the Western District of Virginia. In the aftermath of the riots in Charlottesville, and at a time when people sought to heal, this defendant instead sought to sow political discontent and mayhem. From the local police who secured the scene, to the state police that diffused the bomb, and through to the federal agents who investigated the true identity of the perpetrator, this was truly a quintessential example of law enforcement partnership.”
“The FBI is grateful no one was injured by this explosive device, and no physical harm came to the individuals being threatened. In our mission to protect the American people, law enforcement will continue to take threats to individuals and public places seriously and will hold those responsible accountable for their actions. If you suspect a similar crime is about to occur or have information about one that has, please contact the FBI immediately at 804-261-1044 or via tips.FBI.gov,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.
As detailed in the indictment, Drake belonged to a reenactment unit that participated in the annual reenactment at Cedar Creek Battlefield until he was removed from his unit in 2014. In later years, Drake volunteered with the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation (CCBF), which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of history related to the Cedar Creek Battlefield and which hosts an annual reenactment attended by merchants, reenactors, and visitors.
On September 23, 2017, a letter was received at the CCBF visitor center addressed to “Cedar Creek Battlefield people.” The envelope and its letter both bore a printed Antifa symbol depicting a black flag overlayed atop a red flag inside of a circle. The letter claimed the reenactment event “clearly celebrates the war to keep African-Americans in chains,” and warned the reenactment organizers that if the event was not cancelled, the trouble they would inflict on Cedar Creek Battlefield would make the riots that took place in Charlottesville in August look like “a Sunday picnic.”
In response to the letter, the CCBF posted a warning on its website that security had been increased and apologized for the inconvenience.
On October 14, 2017, the CCBF hosted the planned 153rd anniversary and reenactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek. During the afternoon hours, as the battle was coming to an end, an unexploded pipe bomb was discovered in one of the merchant tents. The pipe bomb contained metal nuts, a mercury switch, a battery, ball bearings, black and red wires, powder, and other items.
Deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to investigate and seize the explosive device, which was later rendered safe by Virginia State Police. Due to its discovery, however, all remaining reenactment activities were cancelled, and individuals were evacuated from the area.
Following this incident, Drake continued writing letters purporting to be sent by Antifa, including letters to the CCBF, its board members, an individual associated with Civil War reenactments, and news publications. During this same time frame, Drake continued to volunteer with the CCBF.
On November 6, 2017, a letter was received by The Gettysburg Times at its offices in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Once again, the letter and envelope both bore Antifa motifs and warned that if the Gettysburg Remembrance Day Parade allowed confederate flags or confederate men and women to be in the parade, “we will disrupt the whole weekend.” The letter also stated that “we have a new person to make our bombs for us since the Cedar Creek one was a dud,” and “[w]e will also run over people with a couple of trucks and might have a shooter on the rooftop [or elsewhere] along the parade route.” However, the Gettysburg Remembrance Day Parade of 2017 occurred without incident despite these threats.
In 2018, one year after Drake planted the pipe bomb at Cedar Creek Battlefield, he sent another letter to the then-President of the CCBF as well as The Winchester Star, a local newspaper in Winchester, Virginia. In this letter, Drake warned organizers to “cancel this event or you will regret it!” and discussed the various ways in which a “suspicious package” could be smuggled into the event.
On July 3, 2018, the annual Cedar Creek Battlefield reenactment was cancelled due to security concerns. In addition, the president of the CCBF resigned due to tensions caused by Drake’s threats.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virginia State Police, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Middletown Police Department participated in the investigation.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Burroughs Medearis, Melanie Smith, and Cagle Juhan 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.
California Man Sentenced to over Seven Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS – A California man was sentenced today to 87 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release on one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on or about March 16, 2021, Troopers with the Arkansas State Police (ASP) initiated a traffic stop on a passenger vehicle operated by Uriel Ramirez-Manzanares, age 40. After determining that Manzanares did not have a valid driver’s license, a vehicle inventory was conducted prior to the vehicle being towed. The inventory resulted in Troopers locating and seizing a black bag that contained suspected narcotics and a blue bag that contained approximately $11,084.00 of United States currency. The ASP Troopers subsequently requested the assistance of agents from the 18th East Drug Task Force. During an interview with Manzanares, he admitted that he knew the vehicle contained narcotics and that he was aware of the presence of the United States Currency. Further, Manzanares stated that he was in-route to Hot Springs, Arkansas, to deliver the narcotics and money to an area drug dealer. Further, Manzanares also advised that he had delivered drugs to the Hot Springs area on at least two (2) previous occasions.
One package of suspected narcotics was determined to be 420.94 grams of pure methamphetamine by the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory. The other packages of narcotics were submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and determined to be approximately 214 grams of Fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Arkansas State Police, the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.