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7 July 2022
Smuggler sent to prison for transporting 26 in a locked near-freezing trailerRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 39-year-old Brownsville man has been ordered to federal prison for smuggling individuals in a scheme that involved dangerous and life-threatening conditions, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Carlos Alberto Avila pleaded guilty Jan. 6, 2022.
Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Avila to serve 21 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that the individuals were locked in the trailer for over three hours and were instructed to climb into the trailer and lay on top of ice. They likely would have been in there for four more hours. The court also learned they used a cell phone for light and crawled to the trailer door for warmth.
In handing down the sentence, the court noted Avila personally put a lock on the trailer, trapping the 26 individuals. Judge Morales noted they were stuck in near freezing and life threatening conditions.
On Oct. 26, 2021, Avila drove a 2019 Kenworth tractor-trailer into the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint located near Falfurrias. Following a K-9 alert, the vehicle was referred to secondary inspection where authorities discovered 26 individuals in the locked trailer. Each were determined to be unlawfully present in the United States.
The undocumented aliens were located on top of ice and pallets of frozen broccoli. They reported they were afraid they would freeze to death due to being in the trailer for an extended period of time. The control temperature for the refrigeration unit was set at 33 degrees.
Avila will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour prosecuted the case.
Six People Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining Loans Meant to Help Small Businesses During COVID-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Six Essex County, New Jersey, residents were arrested today for scheming to fraudulently obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Nyan Terry, aka “Racks,” 23, of Irvington; Samir Jefferson, aka “Tank Jeffe,” 23, of Newark; and Nasir Williams, aka “Harlem Pete,” 29, Hymeen Reynolds, aka “Meen,” 21, Brian Brown, aka “Bizz,” 40, and Cadece Lapread, 35, all of East Orange, are each charged by complaint with one count of bank fraud. Terry, Reynolds, Brown, Lapread, and Jefferson are also charged with one count each of bank fraud conspiracy. The defendants made their initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP.
To obtain a PPP loan, a qualifying small business was required to apply and provide information on its operations, including the number of employees and expenses. In addition, businesses generally had to provide supporting documentation.
In April and May 2021, Terry, Jefferson, Williams, Reynolds, Brown, and Lapread schemed to defraud PPP lenders by submitting fraudulent PPP loan applications in the names of nonexistent small businesses, along with forged tax forms. Based on the defendants’ misrepresentations, lenders approved at least three fraudulent PPP loans and disbursed more than $62,000 in federal COVID-19 emergency relief funds.
The counts of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy each carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jesse Levine in Newark; special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy Tomlins, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Bloomfield Police Department, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Newark Department of Public Safety for their assistance in the investigation.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Shaughnessy and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah A. Sulkowski of the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Escape from CustodyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Escape was sentenced on July 5, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Marlow Poor Thunder, age 27, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Poor Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 10, 2022. He pled guilty on May 26, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on March 29, 2022, in Winner, when Poor Thunder failed to report to the Winner City Jail following a furlough to attend a medical appointment, as ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno. An arrest warrant was issued on March 31, 2022. On April 7, 2022, Poor Thunder was arrested in Sioux Falls.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Poor Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
San Diego Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in 15-Year-Old’s DeathRead the Press Release
SAN DIEGO - Kaylar Junior Tawan Beltranlap of San Diego pleaded guilty today to distributing a counterfeit oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl that killed a 15-year-old Coronado High School sophomore, referred to in court records as C.J.S., on May 12, 2021.
During the change of plea hearing, Beltranlap admitted to utilizing his Instagram account to coordinating a drug transaction with C.J.S. Beltranlap warned C.J.S. to only take half the pill because it was “strong.” Law enforcement responded on May 13, 2021 after learning of C.J.S.’s fatal overdose. Beltranlap was arrested the next day carrying five pills, which also turned out to be counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. In the plea agreement, Beltranlap and the Government stipulated that the Sentencing Guidelines for distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and/or serious bodily injury will apply.
“C.J.S.’s tragic death must not be in vain. We need to continue to educate our middle and high school age children about the dangers of counterfeit fentanyl pills,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Our office will continue to pursue these cases to ensure that those who peddle this poison to youth face the full measure of federal prosecution.”
“C.J.S. was child and a member of our community. We know this will not make the family whole but we appreciate the multi-agency collaboration that went into holding this offender accountable.” said Coronado Police Chief Chuck Kaye.
“Parents: I’m pleading with you to please talk to your child – no matter their age - about the dangers of taking a pill that didn’t come from a doctor or pharmacist. Although difficult, this conversation could save your child’s life.” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe.
Beltranlap is scheduled to be sentenced on September 30, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo.
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the San Diego Police Department, the California Department of Health Care Services and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs—fentanyl in particular—that result in overdose deaths. The DEA created the DEA Overdose Response Team which investigates overdose deaths in San Diego County. Investigators from the Overdose Response Team, as well as the Coronado Police Department and NTF Team 3, contributed to the investigation into C.J.S.’s death.
DEFENDANT Case Number 21-CR-3442 CAB
Kaylar Junior Tawan Beltranlap Age: 21 San Diego, CASUMMARY OF CHARGES
Distribute of Fentanyl – Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)
Maximum penalty: 20 years in prisonAGENCY
Drug Enforcement Administration
Homeland Security Investigations
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Coronado Police Department
San Diego Police Department
California Department of Health Care Services
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.Sacaton Man Sentenced to over 7 Years for Helping Dispose of BodyRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Jordan Gene Hoover, 35, of Sacaton, Arizona, an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, was sentenced on Wednesday by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 7.5 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on August 23, 2017, Gabriel Quinn Enos shot the victim in the face with a shotgun, killing him. After Enos shot the victim, Hoover helped dispose of the victim’s body by throwing the body over a bridge and hiding the victim’s body within the terrain below. Enos was previously sentenced to 15 years for Voluntary Manslaughter. Hoover pleaded guilty to Accessory After the Fact on February 11, 2021.
The FBI and Gila River Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-00834-01-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2022-109_Hoover# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Rosebud Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on July 5, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Todd Kal Wilcox, age 42, was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Wilcox was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 13, 2021. He pled guilty on April 14, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on July 15, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota. On that date, a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officer responded to a call for service to remove Wilcox from a residence for being under the influence and disorderly. The responding officer asked Wilcox to leave the residence, and the officer removed a vodka bottle from Wilcox’s person while escorting him outside. Wilcox thereafter became combative and threatened and assaulted the officer with a metal bar.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Wilcox was ordered to self-report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service no later than Friday, July 8, 2022, by 2:00 p.m.
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on June 30, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Jackson Bissonette, age 31, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Bissonette was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 20, 2020, and pleaded guilty on March 23, 2022. The conviction stems from Bissonette, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, illegally possessing a TriStar Arms, Hunter EX.12 gauge over-under double-barrel shotgun, which was found after Bissonette came into contact with law enforcement in January 2020 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Black Hills Fugitive Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Bissonette was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Rapid City Man Charged with Illegal Possession of Drugs and FirearmsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Harold Salway Jr., age 22, was indicted on June 23, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy on June 29, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges stem from Salway, unlawfully using and conspiring to distribute a controlled substance, possessing two 9mm semi-automatic pistols and a .22-250 bolt-action rifle between January 2021 and June 2022 in Rapid City. The charges are merely an accusation and Salway is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Salway was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Meth Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on July 1, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Thomas Prado, age 57, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Prado was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on February 19, 2021. He pleaded guilty to the indictment on March 25, 2022. Prado was responsible for bringing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine to South Dakota during his involvement in the conspiracy. He obtained methamphetamine in California and shipped it to South Dakota via the U.S. Postal Service to post office boxes in Pine Ridge and Rushville, Nebraska. On several occasions he also transported methamphetamine himself from California. In South Dakota he dispersed the methamphetamine to others for use and distribution primarily in the Pine Ridge area.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Prado was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Phillip A. Talbert Confirmed as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of CaliforniaRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Phillip A. Talbert was sworn in today as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California. Mr. Talbert was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on April 25, 2022, and confirmed by the United States Senate on June 23, 2022.
The Eastern District of California is the largest federal district geographically in California and home to over 8 million residents living in 34 counties. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has over 180 personnel with its headquarters in Sacramento and offices in Fresno and Bakersfield.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office where I have served as a career prosecutor the majority of my legal career. I am humbled to have the support and confidence of President Biden and my two home state Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla. I pledge to serve the Eastern District of California by seeking justice in all of our criminal and civil matters. I am honored to lead the committed public servants in this outstanding office. I look forward to working with them and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and to represent the United States with the highest quality legal representation,” said Mr. Talbert.
On March 1, 2021, Mr. Talbert assumed leadership of the office as Acting U.S. Attorney. Mr. Talbert has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in this district for 19 years, first in the Narcotics and Violent Crime Unit in Sacramento where he prosecuted drug trafficking cases, then as the Chief of Appeals and Training in which he supervised the office’s appellate practice and trained incoming Criminal Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and then as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney under U.S. Attorneys appointed in two different administrations. He led the office for almost two years as the Acting and Interim U.S. Attorney in 2016-2017. Mr. Talbert also taught professional responsibility for four years as an adjunct professor at the U.C. Davis School of Law.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Talbert worked as a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he prosecuted a variety of federal criminal cases after being hired in the Attorney General’s Honors Program; as an Associate at the law firm of Stoel Rives LLP in Seattle, Washington, in the firm’s Litigation Department and White Collar Defense Practice Group; and as an Assistant Counsel and Associate Counsel at the Office of Professional Responsibility of the U.S. Department of Justice where he investigated claims of prosecutorial misconduct and other allegations made against Department of Justice attorneys. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable David R. Thompson (deceased), Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Talbert received his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude in Economics, from Harvard University; his Master of Economics from the University of Sydney, Australia, which he attended on a Rotary Foundation Scholarship; and his Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law where he was the Chief Articles Editor for the UCLA Law Review.
Oronogo Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping Webb City WomanRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A southwest Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to kidnapping a Webb City, Mo., woman and threatening to kill her and her family unless she recanted her testimony in his state criminal case.
Jeffrey Marsh, 34, of Oronogo, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, one count of kidnapping, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of stalking.
Co-defendant Zaqouri Traves Archer, 33, of Joplin, pleaded guilty on July 21, 2021, to his role in the kidnapping conspiracy and to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Marsh and Archer admitted they kidnapped a victim identified in court documents as “N.J.” and transported her across states lines from Kansas to Missouri.
N.J. was staying at a friend’s residence in Crawford County, Kan., because she was trying to hide from Marsh, her ex-boyfriend. Marsh was angry with her because she had reported him as a suspect when her Ruger handgun was stolen. Officers with the Oronogo Police Department had executed a search warrant on Marsh’s residence on Jan. 26, 2020. They located N.J.’s stolen firearm in Marsh’s bedroom, as well as other firearms, and stolen property. Marsh was charged with receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of a firearm in the Jasper County Circuit Court.
On Feb. 2, 2020, N.J. watched the Super Bowl at her friend’s residence and then walked out to her car to go to work. When she opened the front passenger door and placed her purse on the seat, Marsh grabbed her and told her to get into the vehicle. She began screaming and fell to the ground in an attempt to get her firearm out of her purse. She felt the barrel of a firearm placed against the back of her head, and Marsh told her to stop screaming or he would shoot her in the head. In the meantime, Archer – who, like Marsh, was dressed in all black – arrived. Archer had a Taser with him. N.J. was forced into the front passenger seat, with Marsh in the driver’s seat and Archer in the back passenger seat. Archer placed duct taped over N.J.’s eyes and face.
At one point as they were driving around and making several stops, Marsh shoved the barrel of his Kimber .45-caliber pistol in N.J.’s mouth and pulled the trigger. The gun made a click, but did not fire. After the click, Marsh chambered a round and shot it outside the vehicle towards a body of water. During the kidnapping, Marsh struck N.J. in her left jaw and told her she was going to recant her statements to the police.
Archer eventually left, and Marsh took N.J. to her apartment in Webb City in his vehicle. Marsh continued to threaten, abuse, and assault N.J. Marsh held N.J. at gunpoint in her apartment and she was unable to leave that night. Marsh told N.J. to recant her earlier statement or her, her kids, and her whole family would die. Marsh told N.J. that she needed to make his weapon charges go away or her kids would die. N.J. later told investigators that she felt in fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to herself,
In the morning hours of Feb. 3, 2020, Marsh took N.J. back to her vehicle so she could go to the Oronogo Police Department to recant her statement. Once at the Oronogo Police Department, N.J. tried to recant her statement, but then disclosed her kidnapping. Later that day, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department located N.J.’s firearm and Marsh’s firearm taped to the bottom of a dresser with duct tape.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Marsh has two prior felony convictions for burglary, three prior felony convictions theft, and prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, resisting an arrest, and possession of a controlled substance.
Under federal statutes, Marsh is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the FBI, the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Crawford County, Kan., Sheriff’s Office, and the Oronogo, Mo., Police Department.
Ohio County man sentenced for child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Zachary Musilli, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 5 years probation for a child pornography charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Musilli, 26, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to one count of “Possession of Child Pornography.” Musilli admitted to having child pornography with some depicting children under the age of 12 in March 2021 in Ohio County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danae DeMasi-Lemon prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI, the West Virginia Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Wheeling Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Office Manager for Veterinary Hospital Sentenced to 1 Year for Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Joleen Minnich, 41, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 12 months and one day in prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Minnich pleaded guilty to these charges on April 25, 2022,
The investigation revealed that between 2014 and 2017, Minnich used her position as office manager for County Veterinary Hospital in Bloomer, Wisconsin, to embezzle approximately $224,596 from the business’ bank account by creating 204 fraudulent checks to herself. The fraudulent checks fell into three categories. First, Minnich generated non-payroll checks to herself and failed to enter the checks into the accounting software program known as QuickBooks. Second, Minnich used QuickBooks to generate flexible spending checks to herself but failed to use the majority of the funds for out-of-pocket health care costs as required. Third, Minnich used QuickBooks to generate health insurance checks to herself but failed to use the majority of the funds for health insurance costs.
In addition, as the office manager, Minnich was responsible for remitting County Veterinary Hospital’s payroll taxes to the IRS. During her plea hearing, Minnich admitted that she failed to remit the payroll taxes because she used those funds to hide her embezzlement. To conceal her conduct, Minnich created false entries in QuickBooks showing she had remitted the payroll taxes. Minnich also admitted that she failed to report the embezzled funds on her personal 2017 tax return.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley stated that the severity of Minnich’s conduct and the length of the fraud were aggravating factors. Judge Conley also noted that the owner of County Veterinary Hospital was a longtime family friend of Minnich and her decision to embezzle money from the business was a “special type of betrayal.” At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Judge Conley ordered Minnich to pay a total of $278,445 in restitution for her embezzlement scheme and tax crime.
The charges against Minnich were a result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.
North Carolina Tax Preparer Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for preparing false trust tax returns on behalf of his Washington, D.C.-based and other clients.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Thy Muhammad owned and operated Seventh Millennium International, a Rocky Mount, North Carolina, tax preparation business. In 2013 and 2014, Muhammad prepared fraudulent trust tax returns for clients, falsely reporting that the clients had paid taxes in the name of purported trusts. One such false return resulted in the IRS issuing a refund check of more than $500,000, of which Muhammad took nearly $78,000 as a preparation “fee.” During these two years, Muhammad claimed a total of more than $5 million in fraudulent refunds from the IRS that his clients were not entitled to receive.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia ordered Muhammad to serve three years of supervised release and pay $669,000 in restitution.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jeffrey McLellan and George Meggali, and former Trial Attorney Abigail Burger Chingos, of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 144 Months in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that MICHAEL PAUL PERRILLOUX, age 43, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 144 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier after previously pleading guilty to Count Four of a four-count indictment charging him with distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including prepubescent children, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2252(a)(2). As part of the sentence, Judge Barbier further ordered PERRILLOUX to serve five (5) years of supervised release after his term of imprisonment, pay restitution to the victims in an amount to be determined on or before a hearing set for October 13, 2022, comply with sex offender registration requirements, and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Judge Barbier also ordered the forfeiture of several electronic items belonging to PERRILLOUX.
According to court documents, in about November 2020, Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) executed a search warrant at PERRILLOUX’s New Orleans-area residence after receiving a tip that PERRILLOUX had uploaded images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children to an online, cloud-based file storage account. Agents seized numerous electronic devices belonging to PERRILLOUX. A subsequent review of the devices revealed that between at least 2017 and 2020, PERRILLOUX uploaded images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children via a computer and the internet to one or more online, cloud-based file storage accounts under his control. PERRILLOUX obtained, uploaded, and catalogued thousands of digital files (i.e., images and videos) depicting the sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, PERRILLOUX sometimes received payments in exchange for distributing depictions of his collection of CSAM by transmitting electronically a link to one of more of his online file storage accounts. Specifically, on or about September 10, 2018, PERRILLOUX received approximately $200 from Person 1 in exchange for PERRILLOUX providing Person 1 a link to an online file storage account under PERRILLOUX’s control that contained images and videos depicting CSAM.
Further, a review of PERRILLOUX’s electronic devices revealed that PERRILLOUX engaged in sexually suggestive online conversations with individuals, including minors, while pretending to be either a female or a younger male. During the conversations, PERRILLOUX requested that the minors either engage in sexually explicit conduct or take and send him sexually explicit pictures and videos. PERRILLOUX saved the sexually explicit images one minor victim sent him with the victim’s consent.
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 Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg was in charge of the prosecution.
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Mount Oliver Felon Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA -- A resident of Pittsburgh has been sentenced in federal court to eight years’ imprisonment, followed by a six-year term of supervised release on his convictions of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Willie Miller, age 30, formerly of the Mount Oliver section.
According to information presented to the court, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, initiated an investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and drug-trafficking activity in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, from approximately February 2019 through June 2019, the United States received authorization to intercept communications on 9 telephones, including the defendant’s phone. Intercepted communications revealed that the defendant was supplied by co-defendant Martel Yates and that he distributed brick and bundle quantities to co-defendant Brian Salaj.
Additionally, on June 20, 2019, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the defendant’s residence. In a bedroom identified as the defendant’s, law enforcement recovered packaged heroin and fentanyl, 27 mobile phones, an ink stamper, an owe sheet, and $16,076.00. In a hidden floorboard of that same bedroom, law enforcement recovered a Colt .380 caliber firearm. The defendant is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior felony convictions.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman stated, “Heroin has destroyed countless lives and snuffed out countless futures.”
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna and Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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.
Montgomery County Felon Sentenced to Nearly a Decade in Prison for 2021 Armed Robbery of City Line Avenue PharmacyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Patrick Harrison, 39, of Pottstown, PA, was sentenced to nine years in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney for a gunpoint robbery of a Rite-Aid pharmacy in Philadelphia that occurred on November 18, 2021.
On March 23, 2022, the defendant pleaded guilty to an Indictment charging him with Hobbs Act robbery; carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a violent crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon. In pleading guilty, Harrison acknowledged that he brandished a firearm and demanded money from store employees. The defendant then fled the store after stealing approximately $600. The defendant also admitted to illegally possessing a firearm, in this case a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol, which he was not permitted to do as a previously convicted felon.
“Mr. Harrison threatened the lives of employees in this pharmacy with a loaded weapon and stole $600, and for that crime he will now spend nearly a decade in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Repeat offenders who commit reckless violent crimes like this defendant will soon face serious federal charges and years in prison.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Eckert.
Money Transfer Company Ping Pleads Guilty to Failure to Combat Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A Texas company that transferred millions of dollars from the U.S. to Africa has admitted that it failed to adequately guard against money laundering, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced today.
Ping Express U.S. LLC pleaded guilty Wednesday to failure to maintain an effective anti- money laundering program.
“Through our special agents and forensic accountants, we work endlessly to eradicate crimes involving money laundering and bulk cash smuggling,” said Christopher Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Dallas. “Our investigative reach provides access to a wide range of financial networks allowing HSI to disrupt any criminal organization attempting to exploit global trade.”
According to court documents, the company – which was licensed to transmit money but was not licensed to conduct currency exchange – charged U.S. customers a fee to remit money to beneficiaries in Nigeria and other African nations.
By law, Ping was required to report any suspicious transactions to regulators. In plea papers, it admitted that it failed to file a single report over a three-year period, despite a significant amount of suspicious customer activity.
The company outlined its anti-money laundering policy in a memo to state regulators, claiming it would cap first-time customer transactions at $499, cap daily transactions at $3,000, and cap monthly transactions at $4,500. However, in plea papers, the company admitted it allowed more than 1,500 customers to violate these rules. In one instance, Ping allowed a customer to remit more than $80,000 in a single month – more than 17 times the purported limit.
Ping also admitted that it conducted money transmission business in states in which it was not licensed to do so, including Nevada, New Jersey, Utah, West Virginia, and Connecticut. The company claimed to have software that could detect and deter transmissions initiated in “unlicensed” states, but in reality, it admitted, the program didn’t function. In its summaries to state regulators, Ping chose to include a column labeled “IP Location,” but only recorded states in which Ping was properly licensed: Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Washington, and Washington, DC.
In less than three years, the company transmitted more than $167 million overseas, including $160 million transmitted to Nigeria. The company admitted it failed to seek sufficient details about the sources or purposes of the funds involved in the transactions, or the customers initiating the transmissions.
Three individuals – including two of Ping’s top customers – previously pleaded guilty to transmitting illegally-derived funds through Ping.
One, Collins Orogun, admitted last week that he accepted a fee in exchange for transferring money for “romance scam” fraudsters and other criminals. In one instance, an Indiana woman sent $15,00 to “Carson Jacks,” a purported oil roughneck in the Gulf of Mexico she fell in love with online, after he told her he’d contracted malaria. In another, a second Indiana woman sent $6,300 to “Thomas Ken,” a purported Irish ship captain she fell in love with online, to fix his ship.
In two years, Mr. Orogun received more than $1.3 million in cash, cashier’s checks, and wires into several U.S. bank accounts he controlled, and then quickly moved more than $1 million of the funds to Africa through Ping. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is set to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2023.
Ping CEO Anslem Oshionebo and Ping COO Opeyemi Odeyale also pleaded guilty to failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Ping’s IT/ Business Development Manager, Aleoghena Okhumale, pleaded guilty to knowingly transmitting illegally-derived funds. The CEO and COO were recently each sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, while the IT/Business Development Manager received a prison sentence of 42 months.
The company itself now faces five years of probation and a fine of up to $500,000. Sentencing has been set for Dec. 19, 2022.
Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation, assisted by the Texas Department of Banking. Assistant U.S. Attorney John de la Garza is prosecuting the case.
Missoula area man sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking controlled substancesRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A man who admitted to dealing controlled substances in the Missoula area for more than two years was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Jamie Scott Chandler, 48, of Alberton, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Chandler distributed methamphetamine and heroin in the Missoula area from about January 2019 through June 2021. Officers with the Missoula Police Department and Montana Probation and Parole arrested Chandler on June 29, 2021 in Missoula County on a state warrant. Officers searched Chandler’s backpack and recovered heroin, meth, packaging materials, and a large amount of U.S. currency. When interviewed, Chandler told law enforcement that he had obtained drugs and provided drugs to others and had purchased the drugs found in his backpack.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 160 Months in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking on Mille Lacs ReservationRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, between June 2019 and October 2020, Xavier Jerome Buckhanan, 47, conspired with others to traffic methamphetamine and other drugs from Las Vegas to communities in and surrounding the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement identified multiple packages containing drugs that were sent via the U.S. Postal Service from Las Vegas to a recipient in Eden Valley, Minnesota. On October 19, 2020, law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery of three packages that contained multiple bundles of methamphetamine. Officers arrested Buckhanan when he arrived to retrieve the packages.
Buckhanan was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Michael J. Davis. On December 14, 2021, Buckhanan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mille Lacs Tribal Police Department, Meeker County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Dogeagle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad prosecuted the case.
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Mexican national admits to trafficking 11 kilograms of cocaine through borderRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 31-year-old man residing in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Sergio Bustos-Cruz, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, pleaded guilty to smuggling 11.62 kilograms of cocaine.
As part of his plea, Bustos-Cruz admitted he attempted to drive through the World Trade Bridge in Laredo on April 21.
Upon arrival, authorities referred him to secondary inspection where an X-ray scan of his tractor trailer revealed anomalies within the roof of the tractor cab. At inspection, law enforcement discovered several bundles containing 11.62 kilograms of cocaine.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing Oct. 18. At that time, Bustos-Cruz faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
Bustos-Cruz will remain in custody pending that hearing.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isaac is prosecuting the case.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Using a Social Security Number Belonging to Another PersonRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSE GARCIA-NUNEZ, age 33, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty on June 6, 2022 to illegally using a social security number belonging to another individual, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B). JOSE GARCIA-NUNEZ pleaded guilty before the Honorable Susie Morgan, U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana, and sentencing is set for October 13, 2022.
According to documents filed in federal court, JOSE GARCIA-NUNEZ used the social security number of another individual to secure employment and orientation training with a local company.
The maximum penalty for the offense is five years imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the victim, and a mandatory special assessment fee of one hundred dollars.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II is in charge of the prosecution.
Mexican National Captured on Drug Smuggling Vessel Sentenced to More Than 20 Years After Providing False Information to Law Enforcement During CooperationRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Senior U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Luis Alberto Bran-Lopez (43, Oaxaca, Mexico) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Bran-Lopez had pleaded guilty on April 15, 2022.
According to court documents, on January 14, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter STEADFAST interdicted a go-fast vessel (GFV) carrying Bran-Lopez and his six co-conspirators in international waters about 212 nautical miles south of Huatulco, Mexico. The defendants were carrying approximately 760 kilograms of cocaine on the GFV. During the boarding of the GFV, Bran-Lopez told the USCG that he and his co-conspirators were fishing for sharks even though there was a lack of fishing equipment and neither ice nor bait on board.
According to testimony and court documents, investigators learned of a plan that one of the seven co-conspirators would plead guilty and then provide information to law enforcement exonerating the others. Bran-Lopez was that person, and he later told federal agents, while under a cooperation agreement, that he tricked his co-defendants into thinking they were going on a fishing trip when, in reality, the co-defendants were going on a smuggling trip that Bran-Lopez had to take because his family had been kidnapped. The court rejected this explanation and found that Bran-Lopez had obstructed the investigation by making materially false statements to law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Panama Express Strike Force, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) comprised of agents and analysts from the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.
Man Who Possessed Methamphetamine and Firearms Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who possessed over fifteen grams of methamphetamine was sentenced July 6, 2022, to more than five years in federal prison. Kevin Kautman, age 37, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 1, 2022 guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
In a plea agreement, Kautman admitted that in December 2020, he was living in Dubuque, Iowa. Law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for his residence. Inside Kautman’s bedroom, police located a .45 caliber pistol, a stolen shotgun, a wide variety of ammunition, over 15 grams of methamphetamine, counterfeit money, digital scales, marijuana, and other narcotic-related items. At sentencing, the evidence showed that Kautman had a lengthy criminal history with convictions for domestic abuse, assault, harassment, and violating a no contact order. Kautman also threatened his roommate with a firearm.
Kautman was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Kautman was sentenced to 66 months’ imprisonment and fined $100. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Kautman is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 21-cr-1028.
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Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
A Florida man was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 32, of St. Augustine, pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Florida to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS on May 13, 2021. According to court documents, Langhorne pledged his allegiance to ISIS at some point in 2014, knowing that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization that engaged in acts of terrorism. Between 2018 and 2019, Langhorne reaffirmed his support of ISIS on various social media accounts, posted ISIS-produced videos to his YouTube account and participated in online ISIS chat rooms with like-minded individuals. In December 2018 and January 2019, Langhorne expressed in one of those chat rooms an interest in creating a video that would improve on existing videos demonstrating the making and use of a deadly explosive, triacetone triperoxide (TATP).
In February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) of the FBI who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making TATP and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video. Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, it should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes. However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS.
During the summer of 2019, Langhorne sent multiple messages to the UCE for assistance with creating a Nasheed, which is a form of Islamic vocal music. Langhorne stated he wanted the Nasheed to include a particular recording of an ISIS member yelling “Allahu Akbar” while breaking out of prison, as well as a clip of children saying, “kill them all.” Langhorne explained that he wanted the Nasheed “to encourage justified retaliation” against the United States for its role in killing Muslims.
The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.
Langhorne was arrested at his residence in Roanoke, Virginia, on Nov. 15, 2019. Langhorne admitted in a post-arrest interview that he had “probably at some point” pledged allegiance to both ISIS and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was the leader of ISIS from 2014 until his death on Oct. 26, 2019. Langhorne admitted that he communicated with the UCE and that he uploaded the TATP video to the internet.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger B. Handberg, Acting Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge Sherri E. Onks of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI, including partner agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, investigated the case with investigative support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations and Border Patrol and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger Handberg announces today that a Florida man was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, also known as ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Romeo Xavier Langhorne, 32, of St. Augustine, pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Florida to one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS on May 13, 2021. According to court documents, Langhorne pledged his allegiance to ISIS at some point in 2014, knowing that ISIS was a designated foreign terrorist organization that engaged in acts of terrorism. Between 2018 and 2019, Langhorne reaffirmed his support of ISIS on various social media accounts, posted ISIS-produced videos to his YouTube account and participated in online ISIS chat rooms with like-minded individuals. In December 2018 and January 2019, Langhorne expressed in one of those chat rooms an interest in creating a video that would improve on existing videos demonstrating the making and use of a deadly explosive, triacetone triperoxide (TATP).
In February 2019, Langhorne began communicating with an undercover employee (UCE) of the FBI who was posing as someone working on behalf of ISIS. Langhorne told the UCE about his plans to create and disseminate an instructional video on making TATP and sought the UCE’s assistance in creating the video. Langhorne told the UCE that, in order to ensure that the video was not removed from the internet by service providers, it should include disclaimers advising that it was intended for educational purposes. However, Langhorne informed the UCE that his true purpose in making and distributing the video was to arm ISIS adherents and others with knowledge of how to make TATP and use it for terrorism-related purposes in support of ISIS.
During the summer of 2019, Langhorne sent multiple messages to the UCE for assistance with creating a Nasheed, which is a form of Islamic vocal music. Langhorne stated he wanted the Nasheed to include a particular recording of an ISIS member yelling “Allahu Akbar” while breaking out of prison, as well as a clip of children saying, “kill them all.” Langhorne explained that he wanted the Nasheed “to encourage justified retaliation” against the United States for its role in killing Muslims.
The FBI produced a video in accordance with Langhorne’s instructions, but – unbeknownst to Langhorne – it featured an inert chemical formula for TATP that would not produce an explosion. In November 2019, the UCE provided versions of the TATP video to Langhorne, and Langhorne distributed the video by uploading it to a video-sharing website.
Langhorne was arrested at his residence in Roanoke, Virginia, on November 15, 2019. Langhorne admitted in a post-arrest interview that he had “probably at some point” pledged allegiance to both ISIS and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was the leader of ISIS from 2014 until his death on October 26, 2019. Langhorne admitted that he communicated with the UCE and that he uploaded the TATP video to the internet.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger B. Handberg, Acting Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, and FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Sherri E. Onks made the announcement.
“The willingness of this dangerous individual to go to great lengths to harm innocent Americans was always very real,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Sherri E. Onks, “but through hard work and determination, the FBI Jacksonville Joint Terrorism Task Force successfully disrupted his plan early on, and averted a threat to the safety of our community. Moving forward, we remain as vigilant as ever in our efforts to protect the public from others who support terrorist organizations, and we encourage the public to help us by reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
“Due to the outstanding cooperation and coordination by our law enforcement partners, great harm to our community was prevented,” stated U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “I applaud the diligence of those who worked expeditiously to disrupt this threat to our public’s safety.”
The FBI, including partner agencies participating in the Northeast Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, investigated the case with investigative support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.
Major black tar heroin conspiracy in Katy lands three men in prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Three men have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Esteban Lopez Hernandez, 41, illegally resided in Katy and pleaded guilty in June 2021 as did two others - Robert Gomez, 28, Missouri City, and Longino Jaimes-Solorzano, 23, also illegally residing in Katy.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes found Hernandez to be a leader in the conspiracy and ordered him to serve a 235-month term of imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence detailing that their drug trafficking organization specialized in distributing black heroin. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Hughes noted the extreme negative impact of the drug on the community after hearing that since the group was placed in custody there is almost no black tar heroin circulating in the Katy area.
Gomez and Jaimes-Solarzano were previously sentenced to 10 years in prison. Not U.S. citizens, Hernandez and Jaimes-Solarzano are expected to face removal proceeding following their terms of imprisonment.
All three men were involved in drug trafficking organization that specialized in black tar heroin for approximately two years. Hernandez was found to be the leader, while Gomez and Jaimes-Solarzano served as drug couriers.
The drug had a major impact on the Katy area in 2017. A rash of several young drug-related overdoses had links to specific dealers in the Katy area. Authorities were ultimately able to identify the source of supply for the dealers and uncover other details of the organization. The investigation revealed the organization deployed multiple stash houses and used several couriers.
All have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office and Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation dubbed Operation Shadow Theory with the assistance of IRS – Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Office of Inspector General and the Katy and Houston Police Departments. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Louisville Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Dealing Methamphetamine in New AlbanyRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – Anthony Shanklin, 47, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced late yesterday to 7 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers began investigating Shanklin’s drug trafficking activities in 2021. Shanklin trafficked in numerous illegal drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, and THC edibles. Starting on May 3, 2021, and on three additional occasions, Shanklin brought methamphetamine from Louisville, Kentucky to sell at the Beechwood Public Housing area in New Albany, Indiana.
In total, law enforcement officers seized approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine during the four drug transactions.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Indianapolis, and New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Albany Police Department investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tonya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Shanklin be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 4 years following his release from federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney William L. McCoskey who prosecuted this case.
Local man pleads guilty to trafficking over six kilograms of cocaineRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 44-year-old man from Laredo has admitted to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Erasmo Medina-Villanueva pleaded guilty to trafficking 6.8 kilograms of cocaine.
As part of his plea, Medina-Villanueva admitted to attempting to drive through the Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry in Laredo on April 7.
At that time, he told authorities he was visiting his mother in Mexico. However, an X-ray scan revealed anomalies near the center console of his vehicle. Upon further inspection, law enforcement discovered several bundles containing cocaine.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $170,000.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing at a later date. At that time, Medina-Villanueva faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isaac is prosecuting the case.
Local man imprisoned after downloading nearly 700 pornographic imagesRead the Press Release
GALVESTON, Texas - A 40-year-old Alvin man has been sent to federal prison following his conviction of receipt of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Timothy Alan Fortenberry pleaded guilty Jan. 19.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown ordered him to serve 180 months in prison. The sentence will be immediately followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, during which time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Fortenberry was a registered sex offender serving a term of supervised release for prior federal convictions for receipt and possession of child pornography. He will again have to register as a sex offender.
The investigation began in June 2021, when law enforcement discovered an individual utilizing a computer sharing files of child pornography on BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing system. Authorities downloaded a torrent file which contained 694 images from Fortenberry’s computer and found images of minor females engaged sexually explicit conduct.
On July 12, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where Fortenberry was living. He admitted that while on supervised release, he purchased a tablet which was probation was not monitoring. He used it to download and view child pornography.
He further admitted that after doing so, he would factory reset the tablet in order to erase all of the child pornography.
Fortenberry will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Pearland Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Local man admits to receiving and storing child pornography via social mediaRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 22-year-old Laredo man has pleaded guilty to receipt and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Ricardo Reyna admitted to viewing and sharing child pornography between May 1, 2020 and May 6, 2022.
During the investigation, authorities found 51 video files and 16 images of child pornography on Reyna’s cellphones. Reyna admitted to viewing and sharing child pornography on Kik starting in 2020.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose a sentencing Oct. 18. At that time, Reyna faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Reyna has been and will remain in custody pending his hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney April Ayers-Perez is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to More than Fifteen Years for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Anthony Dwayne Jackson, 39, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Jackson to 188 months in prison for distribution of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine with a prior serious drug felony conviction. After serving his sentence, Jackson will be placed on supervised release for 10 years. Jackson faced a fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence because of a prior drug trafficking conviction. There is no parole in the federal system.
From January through March, 2021, an undercover Lincoln Police Officer made a series of controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Jackson in Lincoln in quantities ranging from an eighth of an ounce up to three ounces of methamphetamine. On April 8, 2021, officers arrested Jackson in Lincoln and searched his vehicle. Inside the vehicle was about an ounce of methamphetamine, a digital scale with suspected methamphetamine residue, and a number of baggies typically used in the packaging and sale of narcotics. The methamphetamine seized or obtained from Jackson that was tested for purity was at least 90% pure.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force.
Life sentence for Dayton man who fatally shot girlfriend’s ex-husband in front of victim’s childrenRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – Sterling H. Roberts, 39, of Dayton was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to life in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend’s ex-husband in front of the victim’s children.
A jury convicted Roberts in March 2022 of traveling interstate in August 2017 to murder Robert Caldwell, the former husband of his then-girlfriend after cyberstalking the victim.
According to court documents and trial testimony, around 6pm on Aug. 15, 2017, Caldwell and his three minor children left a counseling appointment in Riverside, Ohio. While crossing the parking lot, According to court documents and trial testimony, around 6pm on Aug. 15, 2017, Caldwell and his three minor children left a counseling appointment in Riverside, Ohio. While crossing the parking lot, Roberts executed Robert Caldwell by shooting him multiple times in front of his children. Caldwell died at the scene.
Roberts’ girlfriend at the time, co-defendant Tawnney Caldwell, and the murder victim had an ongoing dispute regarding the custody of their children. The two, along with four other co-defendants, collaborated to plan, execute and cover-up the murder.
“This heinous crime continues the American tragedy of children seeing loved ones shot down in front of them,” said Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Our justice system must work hardest to protect our society’s children by ensuring their physical safety and mental well-being.”
“Killing a father in front of his children is a cold and ruthless act that deserves a lengthy prison sentence,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers. “I applaud the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies that investigated this homicide and the prosecutors who pursued justice for the victim’s family.”
Judge Thomas M. Rose ordered Roberts to serve the life sentence consecutive to undischarged time from sentences in the U.S. District Court in South Carolina and to undischarged time in Montgomery County.
Sterling Roberts’ brothers, Chance Deakin and Christopher Roberts; Chandra Harmon (Tawnney’s mother); and James Harmon (Tawnney’s step-father) were each charged in March 2018 and have been convicted of crimes related to the cyberstalking and murder.
Tawnney Caldwell was sentenced in July 2021 to 35 years in prison for interstate stalking resulting in death.
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; Riverside Police Chief Frank Robinson and Sugarcreek Township Police Chief Michael A. Brown announced the sentence imposed today. Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith, Sheila G. Lafferty and Kevin Koller represented the United States in this case
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Las Vegas Man Charged with Theft of Firearms from St. George Firearms DealerRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – Brett Clinton Combs, 41, of Las Vegas, was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Utah with theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer and being a restricted person in possession of firearms.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaint and law enforcement affidavit filed by federal prosecutors, Combs used a rock to break into the Dixie Fish and Gun store in St. George during the early morning hours of March 4, 2022. After a “glass break” alarm alerted law enforcement to the incident, St. George police officers responded to find the front glass door of the business shattered and several cases containing firearms damaged. Video surveillance from the business showed a single suspect breaking the front glass door with a rock to enter the business. Continued surveillance footage showed the same suspect breaking several display cases, removing several firearms from the display cases, and then placing the firearms in a duffle bag, before exiting the business. A subsequent inventory of the firearms at the business revealed that 17 firearms, all 9mm semi-automatic pistols, were missing. During the investigation, responding officers discovered a substance resembling blood on broken glass from one of the display cases and submitted the substance to the Utah State Bureau of Forensic Services (UBFS) for analysis. Using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for comparison, investigators determined that the blood discovered on the broken glass was a DNA profile match with Brett Clinton Combs of Las Vegas. Additionally, one of the stolen firearms was recovered in conjunction with a separate crime in Las Vegas.
Assistant United States Attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case. Special Agents from the ATF, along with officers from the St. George Police Department, are conducting the investigation.
An Indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Kyle Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on June 30, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Christine Richards, age 26, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, $170 restitution for drug testing costs, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richards was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on December 21, 2021. She pleaded guilty to the Indictment on April 8, 2022. Richards was responsible for bringing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine to South Dakota during her involvement in the conspiracy. In South Dakota she dispersed the methamphetamine and recruited others as sub-distributors to sell for her. Richards frequently traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation to sell methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Richards was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kansas City, Missouri, Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime in Attempted Murder of TeenRead the Press Release
A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court today to committing a hate crime by shooting a local teenager eight times in an attempted murder that was motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation.
Malachi Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Robinson, who has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 10, 2021, will remain in federal detention until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
By pleading guilty today, Robinson admitted that he shot the victim, identified in court records as “M.S.,” approximately eight times with a Taurus 9mm pistol in an attempt to kill him because of his sexual orientation, causing life-threatening injuries.
“This defendant is being held accountable for violently attempting to end the life of someone because of his sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted. Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country. The Justice Department will continue to use our civil rights laws to pursue justice for survivors and others impacted by bias motivated crimes.”
“Violence against others, motivated by hatred of their sexual orientation, is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens. When those rights are threatened, the Justice Department will act to hold the violators accountable.”
“Hate crimes—and the violence we saw in this case—are especially cruel because victims are attacked because of who they are,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI treats hate crimes as the highest priority of our civil rights program because everyone deserves to feel safe to express who they are, without fear of violence from others. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to all communities affected by hate.”
According to today’s plea agreement, after a chance meeting at the Kansas City Public Library on May 29, 2019, Robinson and M.S. talked briefly over Facebook Messenger before leaving the library. Robinson then walked with M.S. in the Swope Park area under the guise of looking for a place to engage in a sex act. Around the same time, Robinson wrote separately to his girlfriend that he “might shoot this boy” because of his sexual orientation. When Robinson and M.S. ultimately entered a wooded area nearby, Robinson pulled out his pistol and fired repeatedly at M.S.
Robinson fled through the woods toward his apartment building, and continued to engage in attempts to avoid detection or arrest. Later that day, and in the days that followed, Robinson told others that he shot M.S. because of his sexual orientation.
Under federal statutes, Robinson is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Moore and Assistant Director Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Ketchmark for the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime in Attempted Murder of TeenRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court today to committing a hate crime by shooting a local teenager eight times in an attempted murder that was motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation.
Malachi Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Robinson, who has been in federal custody since he was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 10, 2021, will remain in federal detention until his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
By pleading guilty today, Robinson admitted that he shot the victim, identified in court records as “M.S.,” approximately eight times with a Taurus 9mm pistol in an attempt to kill him because of his sexual orientation, causing life-threatening injuries.
“Violence against others, motivated by hatred of their sexual orientation, is unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Such callous disregard for the life of a teenage victim, gravely wounded in a failed murder attempt, must be challenged by a commitment to protect the civil rights of all our citizens. When those rights are threatened, the Justice Department will act to hold the violators accountable.”
“As today’s plea indicates, any act of violence motivated by bias, hate or discrimination toward anyone is not only reprehensible but will not be tolerated by any law enforcement agency and is unwelcome in our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office. “Every individual has the right to live without fear of being attacked or harassed regardless of their sexual orientation. The FBI is committed to protecting those rights and will aggressively investigate those who violate them.”
“This defendant is being held accountable for violently attempting to end the life of someone because of his sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This attempted murder is a reminder that hate crimes against the LGBTQI+ community are real and must be confronted. Violent acts targeting people based on their sexual orientation are heinous crimes that have no place in our country. The Justice Department will continue to use our civil rights laws to pursue justice for survivors and others impacted by bias motivated crimes.”
According to today’s plea agreement, after a chance meeting at the Kansas City Public Library on May 29, 2019, Robinson and M.S. talked briefly over Facebook Messenger before leaving the library. Robinson then walked with M.S. in the Swope Park area under the guise of looking for a place to engage in a sex act. Around the same time, Robinson wrote separately to his girlfriend that he “might shoot this boy” because of his sexual orientation. When Robinson and M.S. ultimately entered a wooded area nearby, Robinson pulled out his pistol and fired repeatedly at M.S.
Robinson fled through the woods toward his apartment building, and continued to engage in attempts to avoid detection or arrest. Later that day, and in the days that followed, Robinson told others that he shot M.S. because of his sexual orientation.
Under federal statutes, Robinson is subject to a sentence of up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Ketchmark with the Western District of Missouri and Trial Attorneys Shan Patel and Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.
Jamaican Man Who Supplied Flight Attendant with 60 Pounds of Cocaine to Smuggle at LAX Sentenced to Nearly 14 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Jamaican national was sentenced today to 165 months in federal prison for supplying a JetBlue flight attendant with nearly 60 pounds of cocaine that she attempted to smuggle onboard a flight at Los Angeles International Airport.
Gaston Brown, 42, of Clarendon, Jamaica, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder.
A federal grand jury indicted Brown in January 2017, charging him with two counts of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, one count of unlawful use of a means of identification, one count of use of a counterfeit access device, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
At the conclusion of a four-day trial in February 2018, a jury found Brown guilty of all charges.
On six occasions between October 2015 and March 2016, Brown paid JetBlue flight attendant Marsha Gay Reynolds, 35, of Jamaica, New York, to transport cocaine and drug money across the country. Brown paid her to carry the drugs and cash in suitcases through “known crewmember” checkpoints at LAX and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. As a known crewmember, Reynolds was subjected to much lighter screening at airport security checkpoints and would be able to transport the cash and cocaine without being stopped.
To evade detection by law enforcement, Brown, an illegal immigrant and convicted felon, used identities he had stolen from two mentally disabled men so he could meet Reynolds in the “sterile” area of the airport, past security. While in the airport’s sterile area, he retook possession of the drug- and cash-laden suitcases, and traveled across the country with them, undetected.
On March 18, 2016, Brown supplied approximately 27 kilograms (59.5 pounds) of cocaine to Reynolds. She then attempted to board a JetBlue flight in Terminal 4 at LAX. After showing her official badge and identification to the Transport Security Administration officer on duty at the known crewmember checkpoint, Reynolds was randomly selected for additional screening. Reynolds was then escorted to a secondary screening area. Upon arriving at this checkpoint, Reynolds dropped her luggage, removed her shoes, and fled the area, running down an upward-traveling escalator and away from TSA officers.
Reynolds eventually surrendered herself to the Drug Enforcement Administration at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on March 23, 2016. She remained in custody while her case was pending and ultimately pleaded guilty in December 2016 to one count of conspiracy to possess and to distribute cocaine. In April 2018, she was given credit for time served and was released. Brown was indicted for the charges in this case while in federal custody for attempting to illegally re-enter the United States in April 2016 following deportation.
This investigation was conducted by the Los Angeles International Airport Criminal Enterprise Task Force (LAACETF), an inter-agency task force based at LAX. The Task Force, which includes representatives of the FBI, the DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The LAACETF provides a coordinated law enforcement effort to target airport/airline internal criminal enterprises that use the aviation system to transport large amounts of illicit drugs throughout the United States and various international destinations.
Assistant United States Attorney Suria M. Bahadue of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
Jackson Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to court documents, Christopher Hawkins, 38, was arrested by Jackson Police officers at a Jackson hotel following a domestic disturbance call where drugs were found in the hotel room. Hawkins was indicted for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He pled guilty on March 22, 2022.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Murray prosecuted the case.
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Assault on Federal Law Enforcement OfficerRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man pled guilty to assault on a federal law enforcement officer, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
According to court documents, on June 26, 2021, Demario Cotton, 39, was in a vehicle fleeing law enforcement when he stopped and fired a rifle multiple times at law enforcement vehicles, causing bodily injury to a federal law enforcement officer who was in the performance of his official duties. Cotton was subsequently taken into custody and admitted to his illegal actions.
Cotton was charged with assault on a federal law enforcement officer, and he pled guilty on July 1, 2022. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Murray is prosecuting the case.
Iowa Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute MethRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Waterloo, Iowa, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on July 5, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Kurtis Jensen, age 43, was sentenced to nine years and six months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Jensen was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on April 6, 2021. He pled guilty on April 7, 2022.
Beginning on an unknown date and continuing until April 6, 2021, Jensen reached an agreement or came to an understanding to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the District of South Dakota. During Jensen’s involvement, he purchased approximately four ounces of methamphetamine from a co-conspirator and transported it through South Dakota. On May 17, 2020, he was stopped in a vehicle by a South Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper. The trooper eventually searched the vehicle, found the four ounces of methamphetamine and arrested Jensen. Jensen intended to deliver the methamphetamine in his possession to a co-conspirator in Iowa. At the time of Jensen’s arrest, he had an extensive criminal history and was on parole.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Jensen was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Howes Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Howes, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on July 5, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Arnold Dean Buck Elk Thunder, Jr., age 55, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Buck Elk Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 8, 2022. He pled guilty on March 14, 2022.
Buck Elk Thunder was convicted of Sexual Contact with a Child under the age of 16 in May 2001. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. Between May 17, 2021, and January 11, 2022, Buck Elk Thunder failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Buck Elk Thunder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Hanover, Maryland Man Who Used a Ghost Gun to Shoot at United States Secret Service Security Guards is Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Jeremiah Peter Watson, age 24, of Hanover, Maryland, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm in relation to a violent crime.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Acting Chief of Police Christopher Stock of the U.S. Park Police.
According to his guilty plea, on February 25, 2021, Watson drove to the entrance of a United States Secret Service facility, positioning his vehicle in a manner that blocked the driveway and prevented other drivers from passing through the entrance of the facility. When a security officer (Victim 1) approached Watson to ask him to move his vehicle, Watson became verbally combative and did not move his vehicle.
A second security officer (Victim 2) approached Watson and asked him to move his vehicle and informed him that if he did not move his vehicle, a United States Secret Service agent would arrest him. Watson continued to be combative towards the security. During the confrontation, Watson approached Victim 1 aggressively and lunged at Victim 2, putting his face within inches of Victim 2’s face.
When Watson lunged at Victim 2 and reached into his pocket, Victim 2 was startled and believed that Watson was armed. In response, Victim 2 began to pull out his firearm and Victim 1 sprayed pepper spray at Watson. Watson then retreated into his vehicle and drove away.
Before Watson drove away, the victims noted Watson’s distinctive colored cell phone case and license plate number. As Victim 1, Victim 2, another security guard (Victim 3) and a United States Secret Service agent (Victim 4), began to re-enter the facility building, the victims saw Watson’s vehicle return and saw a flash of a gunshot coming out of the driver-side window towards them. Watson did another U-turn and fired at least four additional shots before he drove away.
As stated in his guilty plea, United State Park Police officers responded to the scene where law enforcement recovered three 9mm ammunition shell casings and located a bullet fragment within a wall. Through the review of information associated with Watson’s license plate registration, law enforcement linked the vehicle to Watson’s Hanover, Maryland address and identified the vehicle at Watson’s residence later that night.
On February 26, 2021, law enforcement executed search warrants at Watson’s residence and recovered Watson’s cell phone, 9mm ammunition, two empty 9mm cartridge cases, and a privately made 9mm handgun without a serial number, also known as a “ghost gun”. Forensic examination concluded that the cartridge cases recovered from Watson’s vehicle had been fired from the recovered ghost gun and that the bullet fragment recovered from the scene was consistent with having been fired from the same ghost gun.
All four victims were acting in the course of their duties as federal officers or employees when Watson discharged his firearm at them.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the U.S. Park Police for their work in the investigation and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Secret Service for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Hampton Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Loan Fraud While in BOP Halfway HouseRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for falsely applying for loans intended to grant COVID-19 relief to small businesses.
According to court documents, in August 2020 and January and February 2021, Marlon McKnight, 44, falsely applied for four loans administered by the Small Business Administration. He applied for three Economic Injury Disaster Loans and one Paycheck Protection Program loan using false information, including false business names, income, and employee information, as well as a false tax return. McKnight sought over $100,000 in loans and obtained approximately $35,000. McKnight used the $35,000 obtained to pay his personal expenses, contrary to the purposes for these loans. McKnight submitted certain false applications from a halfway house and others after just being released from the Bureau of Prisons.
McKnight had been incarcerated because this instance of fraud came directly on the heels of a previous federal fraud scheme wherein McKnight, his wife, and several others victimized banks and stole individual identities. McKnight had been sentenced to 30 months for that scheme and ordered to pay nearly $100,000 in restitution. In addition to the 27-month sentence, McKnight was sentenced to an additional four months of consecutive incarceration for his violation of supervised release from his prior case.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Tira Hayward, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Samuels prosecuted the case.
This case was investigated under the leadership and coordination of the Newport News Financial Crimes Task Force.
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-71.
Haitian Gang Member Charged with Hostage Taking for Kidnapping of 16 U.S. Missionaries in Fall 2021Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Jean Pelice, a Haitian national, also known as “Zo,” with hostage taking for his role in the armed kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in Haiti in the fall of 2021. The victims were Christian missionaries serving in Haiti and most of them were held captive for 61 days before escaping.
Pelice, 27, a member of the 400 Mawozo gang, was transferred into U.S. custody on May 16, 2022, on the basis of an arrest warrant in the matter and has since been detained. He made his initial appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and John J. Bernardo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, made the announcement today.
The charges brought today are related to the Oct. 16, 2021, kidnapping of 17 Christian missionaries near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sixteen of the kidnapping victims were U.S. citizens, including five children, one as young as eight months’ old. According to the complaint, Pelice, along with other 400 Mawozo gang members, used firearms to guard the missionaries during their captivity. 400 Mawozo made ransom demands for the release of the missionaries, and one of the gang’s stated goals in holding the hostages was to secure from the Haitian government release of Joly Germine, a 400 Mawozo leader, from prison. Two of the hostages were released on or about Nov. 18, 2021, and three more were released on or about Dec. 5, 2021. The remaining hostages escaped captivity on or about Dec. 16, 2021.
Germine, 29, also known as “Yonyon,” was indicted in the District of Columbia on May 10, 2022, on a charge of conspiracy to commit hostage taking. He has pleaded not guilty.
Charges in a complaint or indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Franklin County Man Sentenced to 300 Months for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
FRANKFORT, Ky.— A Belfry, Ky., man, Edward Leonidas Lewis, 54, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison on Wednesday, by U.S. District Judge Greg Van Tatenhove, after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
According to Lewis’ guilty plea, on February 25, 2021, law enforcement found images of child pornography on four different electronic devices in his possession. Lewis then admitted to using “spy cameras,” hidden in bathrooms and bedrooms of his residences, to produce child pornography images of a victim.
Lewis was previously convicted of four counts of Possession of a Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor, in Franklin Circuit Court, in May 2013.
Lewis pleaded guilty to the federal charge in March 2022.
Under federal law, Lewis must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for life.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the HSI and KSP. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye.
This case was prosecuted 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 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.
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Fourth Felon Who Possessed Guns Found During a Search of a House in Waterloo Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
The final person charged after five guns were found during a search in Waterloo, Iowa, was sentenced July 6, 2022, to more than three years in federal prison.
William Rashad Burt, age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 22, 2022 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Evidence in this case showed that, on July 6, 2021, law enforcement officers searched a residence and located four felons, including Burt, and five firearms. Officers also found evidence of marijuana trafficking. Burt was found with a revolver and $1,272 in cash. While being arrested, Burt told officers that he would obtain more guns and threatened them. Burt was previously convicted of the felony offense of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
Burt’s co-defendants were sentenced on June 10, 2022. Qunshaundes Davion McNealy was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. William McNealy III was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment. Sahjit Mcyle Phillips was sentenced to 100 months’ imprisonment for possessing firearms and the Court revoked Phillips’ term of supervised release for a 2017 federal conviction and imposed an additional term of 10 months’ imprisonment to run consecutively to the new case for a total of 110 months’ months imprisonment.
Burt was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Burt was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Burt is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file numbers are 21-cr-2064
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Fourth Circuit Upholds Multiple Life Sentences for Raleigh Gang Leaders Convicted on RICO charges and Gang-Related MurdersRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A three-judge panel from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a unanimous, published opinion affirming the trial convictions and multiple life sentences for gang leaders who were convicted on charges of racketeering (RICO), drug trafficking, and gang-related murders.
“These gang leaders used gun violence, intimidation, and murder to terrorize parts of Raleigh for nearly two decades” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “The Court’s ruling ensures they will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. We will never stop seeking justice for victims of gun violence and we will ensure sentences reflect the severity of the crime committed.”
Demetrice R. Devine, a/k/a “Respect,” of Garner and Brandon Jowan Magnum, a/k/a “B-Easy,” of Knightdale were convicted in October 2019 for Conspiracy to Participate in a Pattern of Racketeering (RICO conspiracy), two counts of Murder in Aid of Racketeering, two counts of Murder with a Firearm During and in Relation to a crime of Violence, Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, and Conspiracy to Commit Witness Tampering.
In 2020, Devine was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment followed by a term of 240 months imprisonment and 5 years supervised release. Mangum was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 240 months in prison. Devine and Mangum appealed the sentence on numerous counts, all of which were rejected by the Court.
Demetrice Devine is currently serving his life sentences at the “Supermax” Federal Prison in Colorado, as recommended the Court at the sentencing hearing.
Evidence presented at trial and other public documents established that Devine was the leader of the Gangsta Killer Bloods (GKB), and then created the Black Mob Gangstas (BMG), which became part of the Donald Gee Family (DGF) organization. The BMG/DGF are sets of the “Bloods” gang whose members committed various crimes in the city of Raleigh and especially in the area of Haywood Street.
Mangum was another high-ranking member of BMG/DGF. BMG/DGF members committed acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline, both within the gang and against non-gang members. Members committed acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, and assaults, in order to maintain their positions within the gang and to be promoted within the leadership structure of the gang.
BMG/DGF also held gang meetings to communicate gang information, to recruit members, issue punishment and collect gang dues from each BMG/DGF member for the benefit of the BMG/DGF organization. A portion of the dues were saved and utilized locally in what was referred to as a “community rent box” (CRB) while another portion was sent up the chain of command to gang leadership in Virginia and New York. BMG/DGF members were permitted to earn their money for dues through various methods, including, but not limited to, robberies, fraud schemes, and drug distribution. The monies were used locally for loans to gang members, for drug purchases, for firearm purchases, for gifts, and cellular telephones for high-ranking members who were in jail. Devine ordered that individuals selling narcotics in and around Haywood Street who were not BMG/DGF members were also required to pay gang dues in order to continue their drug sales in territory controlled by BMG/DGF. Individuals who did not pay gang dues risked being robbed, assaulted, or murdered.
In his leadership position, Devine directed members of his gang to shoot a 16-year-old rival gang member, Adarius Fowler, who died from gunshot wounds. He also ordered a gang member to shoot a person who provided information to law enforcement regarding the murder of Fowler. While this person was recovering from those gunshot injuries in the hospital, Devine ordered that the person be killed.
Devine presided over a “beat-in” gang initiation of a BMG/DGF gang member and personally assaulted another gang member whose loyalty he questioned. Devine conspired with other gang members to silence and threaten gang members that had been provided subpoenas to testify in a federal proceeding.
Mangum, along with other gang members, conspired to shoot an 18-year-old rival gang member, Rodriguez Burrell, because he refused to pay money to BMG/DGF. Burrell was shot multiple times in the presence of his father and died of his wounds.
In affirming the convictions and sentences, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that “Devine’s desire for ‘respect’ at all costs led to the murder of Adarius Fowler, while the Gangstas’ insatiable desire for ‘money’ led to the execution of Rodriguez Burrell. This collective malevolence . . . led to a neighborhood where so many deserved so much better and where respect for the old and opportunities for the young existed no longer.”
Devine and Mangum both sold drugs on behalf of BMG/ DGF. Specifically, the jury found Devine guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute more than 280 grams of cocaine base (crack), more than 500 grams of cocaine, and a quantity of marijuana. Devine frequently provided drugs to lower ranking gang members for further distribution into the community. The jury found Mangum guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.
The prosecution of Devine and Mangum was a part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) targeting violent gang members and drug traffickers in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Raleigh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Raleigh/ Wake City-County Bureau of Identification, United States Marshal’s Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dena King (now U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina) and Scott Lemmon (now Deputy Criminal Chief for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina) prosecuted this case with Christina Taylor with the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Fritz defended the case before the Appellate Court.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:16-cr-00012-D.
Court documents for the appellate cases can be found on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals PACER website by searching for Case Nos. 20-4280 and 20-4327.
Four individuals, including owners of a freight forwarding company, charged for exporting 600 stolen outboard engines to MexicoRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Four Florida residents -- Carlos Orlando Ledesma, 56, Nadia Esperanza Ledesma, 45, and Roberto Marrero-Cisneros, 65 (all from Miami), and Osmani Valdivia Perez, 55 (from Lehigh Acres), were arrested and have made their initial appearances in federal court to face charges in the Southern District of Florida that they exported around 600 stolen outboard engines to Mexico through a Miami-based freight forwarding company.
Nadia Ledesma is the President of a freight forwarding company in Miami, and Carlos Ledesma is the warehouse manager. According to allegations in the indictment, from 2015 to 2018, Carlos and Nadia Ledesma received stolen outboard engines from Valdivia and others for export to Mexico. Valdivia paid cash for the exportation of the stolen outboard engines he delivered to the freight company himself, as well as for the exportation of stolen outboard engines delivered by others. Marrero-Cisneros created false serial number stickers to be placed on the stolen outboard engines. Nadia and Carlos Ledesma and their co-conspirators caused false bills of sale to be created, and false export information to be submitted to the United States, it is alleged.
The indictment charges Carlos Ledesma, Nadia Ledesma, Valdivia, and Marrero-Cisneros with conspiring to export stolen outboard engines and to smuggle goods from the United States. In addition, it charges: Carlos Ledesma and Nadia Ledesma with four counts of exporting stolen outboard engines, one count of attempting to export stolen outboard engines, and four counts of smuggling goods from the United States; Valdivia with two counts of exporting stolen outboard engines and two counts of smuggling goods from the United States; and Marrero-Cisneros with one count of exporting stolen outboard engines and one count of smuggling goods from the United States.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge, Zinnia P. James, Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Region, made the announcement.
This case is being investigated by HSI and CGIS, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ana Maria Martinez of the Southern District of Florida. Asset forfeiture is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove.
An indictment and criminal complaint are charging instruments containing allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fla.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20269.
Former St. Croix Casino General Manager Sentenced to 18 Months for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Leva Oustigoff Jr., 60, Cumberland, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 18 months in federal prison for making false statements on his taxes. Oustigoff pleaded guilty to this charge on March 29, 2022.
Between 2015 and 2018, Oustigoff filed false tax returns by failing to report over $130,000 in income derived from money he embezzled from the St. Croix Turtle Lake Casino, operated by the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. Oustigoff, a tribal member, was general manager of the St. Croix casinos during this time. He used the money for various personal expenses, including remodeling and construction on his personal residence. The unreported income amounted to a tax loss of just over $40,000.
In sentencing Oustigoff to prison, Judge Conley wanted to send a message to the Tribe that the Court took seriously that its leaders cavalierly took money from the Tribe to line their own pockets instead of helping the larger community. The Court observed that Oustigoff was a trusted steward who took advantage of his position. Finally, Judge Conley cautioned that while this may have been the “way of doing business,” it is unhealthy and cynical, and must stop. During his sentencing, Oustigoff told the Court that he convinced himself that using the money for home improvements was legitimate, but that he knew deep down it was not.
The charge against Oustigoff was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and IRS Criminal Investigation, with the cooperation of the St. Croix Tribe.