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16 June 2022
Miami Man Charged with Committing Involuntary Manslaughter in Special Maritime Jurisdiction of U.S., Off Bimini CoastRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A 36-year-old Miami man made his initial appearance today in federal court to face charges that he committed involuntary manslaughter by crashing a boat at high-speed into a well-chartered rock formation off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas and killing two people over the Fourth of July holiday week in 2020.
According to the allegations of the indictment unsealed today, as well as in-court statements, on July 2, 2020, Josbel Fernandez Echevarria operated a United States-numbered pleasure boat in the waters off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas. Echevarria was driving the boat at high speed when it crashed into a well-charted rock formation known as Turtle Rock. Two people died in the crash.
The indictment charges Echevarria with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1112. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison on each charge.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Zinnia James, Special Agent in Charge, United States Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Southeast Region, announced the charges.
CGIS, Southeast Region, investigated the case. The Royal Bahamas Police Force assisted.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-FitzGerald is prosecuting this case.
An indictment contains mere allegations and a defendant is innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-20256.
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Merrimack Man Indicted for Making a False Statement During the Acquisition of a FirearmRead the Press Release
CONCORD –Leith Sukkar, 22, of Merrimack was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with one count of making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
Sukkar was arrested in Manchester on Thursday, June 16, 2022 and will have his initial court appearance at 3:30 pm today.
The indictment filed in court alleges that on May 3, 2022, Sukkar made a false statement during the purchase of a Glock model 29, 10mm pistol and a Glock model 43, 9mm pistol from Shooter’s Outpost, a federally licensed firearms dealer, located in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Sukkar falsely represented that he was the actual purchaser of the firearms, when, in fact, he was purchasing the firearms for another person.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Manchester Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the New Hampshire State Police.
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Medical Director of Baltimore County Pain Management Clinic Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Dispense OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Norman Rosen, age 84, of Towson, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone in connection with his operation of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management Associates, P.A., where he was Medical Director and part owner.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG); and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, Norman Rosen, is a doctor and was licensed to practice medicine in the State of Maryland. He served as the Medical Director and part-owner of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management (the “Practice”). Rosen primarily worked at the Practice’s Towson, Maryland locations. Rosen’s partner in the business and the Practice’s Associate Medical Director was Howard Hoffberg.
According to Rosen’s guilty plea, patients at the Practice were often prescribed high doses of oxycodone, and other opioid medications. Some patients were issued prescriptions for opioids after routinely providing aberrant urine toxicology screens, including positive results for cocaine, heroin, and other street drugs; positive results for controlled substances that were not prescribed by the Practice (which indicated the patient was likely buying medications off the street or was doctor-shopping); and/or negative results for the controlled substances prescribed by the Practice (which indicated prescribed substances were either not taken, being consumed too quickly, or sold by the patients). Rosen knew that the Practice received complaints about the behavior of patients, including reports of suspected drug transactions in the parking lots near the Practice. At times, patients were observed "nodding out" in the waiting area of the Practice. Some patients tried to bring in urine that was not theirs in order to pass urine toxicology screens. Some patients of the Practice overdosed and some of these patients required hospitalization and some died. Several major pharmacies refused to fill any prescriptions issued by the Practice because of the high doses being prescribed. Both Rosen and Hoffberg were aware of the conditions at the Practice and yet continued to prescribe medications to these patients.
As detailed in his plea agreement, as the Medical Director, Dr. Rosen established the rules for the Practice. One of his rules was that the customer, i.e. the patient, is always right. Sometimes, when other providers at the Practice discharged certain patients, Rosen continued to treat the patients at the Towson location. At times, if a patient failed a urine toxicology screen because of illicit substances in their system such as heroin or cocaine, Rosen declined to discharge the patient and instead required the patient to return to the Practice more frequently for follow-up, sometimes as much as three times a week.
Rosen admitted that he issued prescriptions to some patients outside the bounds of the usual medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. For example, Rosen prescribed large doses of oxycodone and clonazepam to a patient who had eight toxicology screens that were positive for cocaine and whose children had been taken from her because of her drug problems. Similarly, Rosen ignored the red flags and prescribed oxycodone and methadone to a patient who admitted to illicit drug use; had previously been criminally charged for prescription fraud and drug trafficking; had overdosed; had urine toxicology screens that were positive for heroin, cocaine, and marijuana; and had been accused of selling her pills.
Rosen faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III has scheduled sentencing for November 29, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.
In related cases, Rosen’s partner, Howard Hoffberg, age 65, of Reisterstown, Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the anti-kickback statutes, in connection with a scheme to accept payments from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing a fentanyl-based drug. He was sentenced to eight months in federal prison. Also, a physician’s assistant at the Practice, William Soyke, age 69, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and dispense oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone, and alprazolam and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI, the DEA, HHS-OIG and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason D. Medinger, who is prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and click on the “Save A Life” link.
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Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Election OfficialRead the Press Release
A Nebraska man pleaded guilty today to making multiple threatening posts on an Instagram page associated with an election official.
According to court documents, Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, made multiple threats in August 2021 toward the election official, specifically: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone.”
“The Justice Department will not tolerate illegal threats of violence against public officials,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Threats of violence against election officials are dangerous for people’s safety and dangerous for our democracy, and we will use every resource at our disposal to disrupt and investigate those threats and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“Threatening violence against election workers in an attempt to intimidate them while in performance of their duties will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Threats to election workers have no place in our society, and today’s plea demonstrates the success of our collaborative efforts to ensure the safety of the workers we entrust to effectuate the democratic process.”
“We are proud to work with our partners at FBI Denver, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division to hold this defendant accountable for threatening an election official in Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. “If you make online threats of violence, do not count on remaining anonymous.”
Ford also posted similar messages on Instagram pages associated with the President of the United States and with another public figure.
Ford is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and faces up to two years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell for the District of Nebraska, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
FBI Denver is investigating the case, with the assistance of FBI Omaha.
Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessie L. Smith for the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron M. Teitelbaum and Cyrus Y. Chung for the District of Colorado.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI field offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Nearly a year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the United States Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Colorado Election OfficialRead the Press Release
A Nebraska man pleaded guilty today to making multiple threatening posts on an Instagram page associated with an election official.
According to court documents, Travis Ford, 42, of Lincoln, made multiple threats in August 2021 toward the election official, specifically: “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. Do you think Soros will/can protect you?” and “Your security detail is far too thin and incompetent to protect you. This world is unpredictable these days….anything can happen to anyone.”
“The Justice Department will not tolerate illegal threats of violence against public officials,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Threats of violence against election officials are dangerous for people’s safety and dangerous for our democracy, and we will use every resource at our disposal to disrupt and investigate those threats and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“Threatening violence against election workers in an attempt to intimidate them while in performance of their duties will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Threats to election workers have no place in our society, and today’s plea demonstrates the success of our collaborative efforts to ensure the safety of the workers we entrust to effectuate the democratic process.”
“We are proud to work with our partners at FBI Denver, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division to hold this defendant accountable for threatening an election official in Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. “If you make online threats of violence, do not count on remaining anonymous.”
Ford also posted similar messages on Instagram pages associated with the President of the United States and with another public figure.
Ford is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and faces up to two years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Steven A. Russell for the District of Nebraska, and Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division made the announcement.
FBI Denver is investigating the case, with the assistance of FBI Omaha.
Trial Attorney Jonathan E. Jacobson of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessie L. Smith for the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case. Substantial assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron M. Teitelbaum and Cyrus Y. Chung for the District of Colorado.
This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI field offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. Nearly a year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the United States Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun.
Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.
To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.
Maine Resident Sentenced to 188 Months for Receiving Child Pornography from Minors and Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jay Scott Cloutier, age 58, of Lyman, Maine, was sentenced today to 188 months in prison for child exploitation offenses, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Cloutier admitted that between April 2019 and September 2019, he exchanged sexually explicit text messages with someone he thought was a 14-year-old child, in an attempt to entice the child into engaging in sexual acts with him. On September 20, 2019, he was arrested after he traveled from Maine to a prearranged meeting location in Colonie, New York, with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a 14-year-old child. Cloutier also admitted to having solicited and received a sexually explicit image of an actual 17-year-old child in November 2019 and a sexually explicit image of an actual 15-year-old child in February 2018.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dustin C. Segovia as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Lorain Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children and Possession of Thousands of Images of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Charles Allen Nakoff Jr., 34, of Lorain, Ohio, was sentenced on Thursday, June 16, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster to 30 years in prison, a life term of supervised release and ordered to pay $127,500 in restitution after Nakoff pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, transportation of child pornography, possession of child pornography and receipt and distribution of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“There is no tolerance in law enforcement nor society for those who harm, exploit and prey upon children,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “This office has placed a high priority on combating sexual exploitation of minors, and we will seek to hold these offenders accountable.”
“Nakoff preyed on the innocent, and our communities are safer with him behind bars,” said HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris III. “It is my hope that today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure to his victims. HSI is just as committed to providing care and support to the victims of these crimes as we are to catching those responsible.”
According to court documents, in April of 2020, law enforcement agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began an investigation into Nakoff after receiving a tip that an online account associated with an individual later identified as Nakoff contained approximately 1,500 files depicting child exploitation material, including some victims as young as toddlers.
In July 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Nakoff’s residence in Lorain and seized three phones and three computers. Authorities then searched Nakoff’s phones and found additional visual depictions of child pornography as well as numerous conversations via a mobile messaging and file sharing application with other users discussing and trading of child pornographic images.
During an analysis of the seized devices, investigators discovered several videos and images depicting Nakoff abusing multiple minor victims. Investigators determined that these videos and images were self-produced by Nakoff and Rosalina C. Dragga, 33, of Lorain.
Dragga was sentenced to 121 months in prison for her role in the matter.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik.
Leader of multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy pleads guilty to drug trafficking, firearms possession, and money laundering chargesRead the Press Release
Seattle – The Arlington, Washington based leader of a prolific and violent drug trafficking ring pleaded guilty this week to federal drug, gun, and money laundering crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Cesar Valdez-Sanudo, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and carrying a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. Valdez-Sanudo faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on October 4, 2022.
The drug ring was indicted in December 2020, following a lengthy wire-tap investigation. Law enforcement seized large amounts of drugs during the investigation including a 49-pound load of methamphetamine that was coming to Washington State from California. All told, law enforcement seized approximately 93 pounds of methamphetamine, 15 pounds of heroin, 35,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 24 firearms, approximately $525,000, and a bank account valued at $100,000.
Valdez-Sanudo was the leader of the ring. In messages to his coconspirators, he discussed violence against members of the ring suspected of stealing drug loads. When he was arrested at the Snoqualmie Casino, Valdez-Sanudo had three firearms in his vehicle, one with a homemade silencer. Valdez-Sanudo had told others he planned to confront a member of the ring who owed a debt for drugs.
When law enforcement searched Valdez-Sanudo’s Arlington property, they seized more than 27 kilos of meth, nearly 6 kilos of heroin, and nearly 2 kilos of fentanyl pills, much of it buried underground. On the property, there were 8 firearms.
Digging up drugsLaw enforcement seized cash, checks, and the contents of bank accounts as proceeds of the drug crime. Valdez-Sanudo schemed to launder funds through casinos and through the purchase of property and vehicles. Conspirators sought to avoid banking transaction reporting requirements by making deposits in amounts below the $10,000 threshold.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Tacoma Residence Office in partnership with Tahoma Narcotics Enforcement Team (TNET), Kent Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, SeaTac Police Department, Tacoma Police Department, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF), the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Amy Jaquette and C. Andrew Colasurdo.
Drugs fund buried in storage caseKentucky Psychiatrist Sentenced for Health Care Fraud Related to Referrals for Drug Testing at Greensburg LabRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced in federal court yesterday for one count of health care fraud, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone sentenced Varanise C. Booker, 67, to 36 months of probation and ordered that she pay restitution totaling $24,217.26 to the Kentucky Medicaid program.
During the defendant’s plea hearing on October 5, 2021, Booker admitted that she was a licensed psychiatrist who operated a medical practice, Family and Children Behavioral Health Services, in Louisville, Kentucky. Between approximately October 2011 and August 2013, the defendant further admitted that she referred patients for drug testing and related services performed by Universal Oral Fluid Labs (“UOFL”), a clinical drug testing and drug screening laboratory located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The court was further advised that the defendant engaged in health care fraud by causing UOFL to bill the Kentucky Medicaid program for testing based on referrals that were outside the ordinary course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Specifically, the defendant acknowledged that she did not document a legitimate justification for ordering certain drug tests and services, failed to document the results of certain drug tests and services performed by UOFL in her medical files, and failed to address the results of certain drug tests and services in the treatment of her patients. The defendant further admitted that she caused UOFL to pay her a certain portion of the reimbursements the laboratory received from Kentucky Medicaid in connection with her referral of unlawful drug tests and related services. As a result, the defendant caused losses to Kentucky Medicaid in excess of $20,000.
Assistant United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Section conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Booker.
Jury Convicts Colorado Man of Heroin Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Aurora, Colorado, man has been convicted by a federal trial jury of heroin trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm while traveling through Kansas City, Mo., on a bus bound for Virginia.
Izeall T. Collins, 43, was found guilty on Wednesday, June 15, of one count of possessing a kilogram or more of heroin with the intent to distribute, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to evidence introduced during the trial, law enforcement officers contacted Collins at a Kansas City, Mo., bus station on March 4, 2019, during a layover while Collins was traveling from Denver, Colo., to Norfolk, Va. Collins had been acting suspiciously, and admitted to officers that he had some marijuana in his possession. Officers searched Collins and found a large, hard, brick-shaped object in Collins’s pants.
Officers found 1.05 kilograms of heroin, which was packaged in a rectangular bag wrapped in silver duct tape, concealed in the waistband of his underwear. Officers also found a round of 9mm ammunition in his pocket.
Officers retrieved Collins’s backpack and soft-sided cooler from the bus and obtained a search warrant for them. Investigators later found a loaded Keltec 9mm semi-automatic handgun in he soft-sided cooler.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for approximately 30 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on both counts to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Tuesday, June 14.
Under federal statutes, Collins is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smith and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Bradshaw. It was investigated by the MOWIN (Missouri Western Interdiction and Narcotics) Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Jefferson Parish Felon Pleads Guilty as Charged to Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JOSEPH WOODS, age 31, of Metairie, Louisiana, pleaded guilty as charged to a three-count indictment. Count 1 charged the defendant with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); Count 2 charged him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c)(1)(A)(i); and Count 3 charged him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
According to court documents, WOODS was previously convicted of drug trafficking, among other felony firearm and drug offenses in Jefferson Parish. Due to these convictions, it is unlawful for him to possess a firearm. He is now convicted of possessing multiple firearms and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base (“crack”), and heroin. On October 4, 2020, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which WOODS was a passenger in Westwego, Louisiana. The officers observed two camouflage bags inside the vehicle before the driver drove off at a high rate of speed. The officers observed as the bags were thrown the side of the road. The bags were later recovered and additional evidence consistent with drug trafficking was found in the center console of the vehicle.
For Count 1 of the indictment, WOODS faces a maximum term of twenty (20) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and a minimum of three (3) years of supervised release. For Count 2, he faces a minimum term of five (5) years up to a maximum term of life imprisonment to run consecutive to all other sentences, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to five (5) years of supervised release. For Count 3, he faces a maximum of ten (10) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and up to three (3) years of supervised release. WOODS faces a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Westwego Police department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss is in charge of the prosecution.
Jefferson County Woman Sentenced to 262 Months in Prison for Production and Attempted Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On June 16, 2022, the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, sentenced Shana Coffey, age 42, of Jefferson City, Tennessee, to serve 262 months in federal prison for producing and attempting to distribute child pornography, followed by lifetime on supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Coffey agreed to plead guilty to a superseding indictment charging her with producing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e) and attempting to distribute child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2522A(a)(2)(B). Coffey will be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which she lives, works, or attends school.
Coffey admitted that in April 2020 she used a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purposes of producing visual depictions of such conduct and, in June 2020, she attempted to distribute child pornography to others.
This prosecution was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States in court.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Jacksonville Man Indicted for the Illegal Possession of Multiple FirearmsRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida–United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a three-count indictment charging Michael Christopher Langston (37, Jacksonville) with illegally possessing 11 firearms and a firearm silencer. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Langston that the United States intends to forfeit the firearms and ammunition traceable to the offense. Langston was arrested on June 15, 2022, in Jacksonville.
According to the indictment, on August 4, 2019, Langston knowingly possessed a machine gun, a firearm silencer, and a Glock .40 caliber firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device. The indictment further alleges that Langston possessed 11 firearms knowing that he was an unlawful user of marijuana and anabolic steroids. He is also charged with possessing firearms after he was committed to a mental institution.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Cannizzaro and Laura Cofer Taylor. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Houston resident sentenced for attempting to bring kilos of deadly fentanyl to Galleria MallRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 22-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute approximately 4.65 kilograms of fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Juan Alvarado-Vargas pleaded guilty April 5.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo imposed a 72-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the prison term, Judge Marmolejo noted that Mexican Fentanyl is extremely dangerous and responsible for deaths all over the United States.
On Oct. 3, 2021, Alvarado-Vargas attempted to drive through the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint along U.S. Highway 59 near Freer. During a search of his vehicle, authorities discovered approximately 4.65 kilograms of fentanyl hidden inside his car battery.
At the time of his plea, Alvarado-Vargas admitted that smugglers had offered him approximately $4,500 to illegally transport drugs into the United States from Mexico. He further admitted that his ultimate delivery destination was the Galleria mall in Houston.
Fentanyl is a synthetic painkiller drug that has morphine and opioid-like side effects, but works at a mere one-hundredth of the/of a regular dose. Inadvertent exposure to high doses of fentanyl in micrograms can result in respiratory failure, overdose and ultimately death. Remember #OnePillCanKill
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
Holly Springs Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Holly Springs man was sentenced yesterday by Judge Louise W. Flanagan to a total of 140 months followed by 20 years of supervised release for Receipt of Child Pornography. On March 9, 2021, Ryan Evers, 28, pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in September 2018, Evers was communicating online via social media with a minor child. During the conversations, Evers discussed wanting to have sexual intercourse with the child and encouraged the child to send sexually explicit images to Evers. The child posed for pictures in the way Evers encouraged and sent the photographs to Evers.
The social media site reported the child pornography images to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC forwarded the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency in the state in which the child lived for investigation. Search warrants were executed on the social media site for the contents of the conversations between Evers and the minor child. Law enforcement officers were able to identify Evers though the IP address used during the online communications with the child and photographs that he sent the child. At the time of the communications, Evers lived in Holly Springs, North Carolina.
The child was identified and later disclosed there had been video calls with Evers during which the child sexually penetrated himself with objects encouraged by Evers.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00407-FL.
Hartford Man Admits Illegally Possessing Handgun in ManchesterRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MICHAEL JONES, 25, of Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 24, 2021, Jones pointed a firearm at another individual outside of a hookah lounge on Broad Street in Manchester. When Manchester Police arrived on the scene, Jones attempted to flee and discarded the firearm in the rear parking lot of the lounge. Jones was apprehended and the firearm, a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm pistol with an obliterated serial number, was recovered.
Prior to July 2021, Jones was convicted in state court of criminal possession of a firearm. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for September 7, at which time Jones faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Jones has been detained since his arrest.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Manchester Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick and John T. Pierpont, Jr.
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.
Hardy County man sentenced to 9 years for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Roger Allen See, of Wardensville, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 110 months of incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
See, 32, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” See admitted to distributing methamphetamine from September to November 2020 in Hardy County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Harborcreek Resident Pleads Guilty to Sending Ammunition to the Netherlands and Possessing Destructive DevicesRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal laws relating to smuggling goods from the United States, and possessing unregistered firearms, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Donald Robert Witherow, 48, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in September 2019, Witherow, without first obtaining the required approval, sent ammunition and ammunition magazines to the Netherlands. In addition, on March 26, 2020, Witherow possessed unregistered firearms, namely destructive devices.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reductions efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works 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 prevent and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for October 13, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.Pending sentencing, the court continued Witherow on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Witherow.
Hamden Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DARRYL SMALL, 34, of Hamden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Small after receiving information that he was distributing heroin and fentanyl in and around New Haven. In December 2020 and January 2021, investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of fentanyl from Small.
Small was arrested on February 24, 2021. On that date, a court-authorized search of his Hamden residence revealed $24,134 in cash and approximately $165,000 in jewelry. Judge Dooley ordered Small to forfeit the cash and jewelry, and Small’s 2016 Mercedes-Benz C300 that was also seized at the time of his arrest.
Small has been detained since his arrest. On March 7, 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Small’s criminal history includes felony convictions for criminal possession of a weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, and first-degree robbery.
The FBI Safe Streets Task Force includes officers from the New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor M. Reardon.
Grand Jury Indicts Bank Robbery SuspectRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a man with one count of bank robbery.
According to court documents, Roland K. Vandenberg, 55, allegedly robbed Emprise Bank on South Broadway Street in Wichita on June 2, 2022.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting the case.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Erice Salsbery,63, of Wichita was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of possession of counterfeit currency, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Grand Jury - June 2022Read the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 14 unsealed Indictments charging 15 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Abas Yassin Ali, age 19, of Omaha, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Counts I through III charge Ali with bank fraud beginning on or about January 1, 2021 and continuing through May 25, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment for each charge.
* Miguel Avalos-Diaz, age 25, and Jose S. Perez, age 26, are charged in a five-count Indictment. Count I charges Avalos-Diaz and Perez with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about December 10, 2021 and continuing to on or about March 30, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to a life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, not less than 5 years and up to a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Avalos-Diaz with distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about February 3, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to a life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, not less than 5 years and up to a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Avalos-Diaz with distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine on or about March 22, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, not less than 5 years and up to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Avalos-Diaz and Perez with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about March 30, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, not less than 5 years and up to a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges Avalos-Diaz and Perez with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about March 30, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ imprisonment and up to a life consecutive to Count IV, a $250,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about March 30, 2022.
* Edwin Baez, age 28, of Omaha, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Count I charges Baez with distribution of cocaine on or about March 22, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, not less than three years and up to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Baez with distribution of cocaine on or about April 27, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, not less than three years and up to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Baez with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on or about May 26, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, not less than a four-year and up to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges Baez with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about May 26, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to life imprisonment consecutive to Count I, a $250,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about May 26, 2022.
* Olegario Bernabe-Ortiz, age 49, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation on or about June 7, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jeffrey Bowlin, age 53, of Papillion, Nebraska, is charged in an eight-count Indictment. Counts I through VIII charge Bowlin with theft of mail beginning on or about April 24, 2022 and continuing through on or about May 21, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment for each charge.
* Joshua David Charter, age 44, is charged with escape from custody on or about May 21, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment for each charge.
* Donnale C. Clay, age 39, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Clay with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) on or about April 27, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 15 years’ and up to a life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, not less than ten-years and up to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Clay with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on or about April 27, 2022. The maximum penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, not less than six years and up to a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Clay with felon in possession of a firearm on or about April 27, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Catarino Gonzalez, age 50, is charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien after a felony on or about May 17, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Demetrius Jones Spence, age 53, is charged with bank robbery on or about July 11, 2018. The penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.
* Jeremy A. Kinney, age 48, of Campbell, Nebraska, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Kinney with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine (mixture) on or about May 26, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to a life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, not less than five years and up to a life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Kinney with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on or about May 26, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years’ and up to life imprisonment consecutive to Count I, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges Kinney with felon in possession of a firearm on or about May 26, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about May 26, 2022.
* Marcio Remberto Padilla Villatoro, age 24, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation on or about May 18, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* David Mark Platt a/k/a Mark Platt, age 56, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Platt with transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity on or about May 14, 2022. The penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years and up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, not less than 5 years’ and up to life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment. Count II charges Platt with committing a sex offense while on the sex offender registry on or about May 14, 2022. The penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, not less than 5 years and up to life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.
* Jose Rascon-Escobar, age 36, is charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien after a felony on or about May 25, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Delmer Sanchez Zuniga, age 41, is charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien after a felony on or about June 8, 2022. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Former West Tennessee Healthcare Director Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Melanie Haste, 62, formerly of Trenton, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, from 2012 until 2020, Haste served as the
Director of Risk Management at West Tennessee Healthcare and worked at the Jackson-Madison
County Hospital. During her time there, she developed a fraud scheme that allowed her to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization.In May 2020, Haste stole and attempted to deposit a check made out to the organization into her own account. The check was for more than $146,000. After bank personnel became suspicious, they froze her account and alerted West Tennessee Healthcare of her actions. After the matter was referred to law enforcement, it was discovered that beginning in 2017, Haste had stolen and attempted to steal more than $355,000 over a three-year period, using the hospital's money to pay personal expenses, finance vacations, and give to family members.
In January 2022, Haste pled guilty to one count of wire fraud.
On June 15, 2022, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Haste to 18 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. The
Court also ordered Haste to pay $209,181.47 in restitution to the organization. In imposing the sentence, the Court noted that Haste had abused the trust of her employer, and the seriousness of her offense warranted a prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.The case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department, Financial Crimes Unit, and the United States Secret Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Matt Wilson prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
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Former University of Arkansas Professor Sentenced to a Year and a Day for Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
An Arkansas man and former University of Arkansas professor was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release on one count of making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
According to court documents, Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 64, of Fayetteville, filed 24 patents in the PRC which bear Ang’s name or Chinese birth name. The University of Arkansas, where Ang worked as a professor, required individuals such as Ang to promptly furnish to the university “full and complete” disclosures of inventions, and university policy provided that it, not individual inventors, would own all inventions created by those subject to the policy. This policy was established “in furtherance of the commitment of the university to the widest possible distribution of the benefits of university research, the protection of inventions resulting from such research, and the development of Inventions for the public good.”
Despite this requirement, Ang did not disclose his Chinese patents to the university and, when interviewed by an FBI agent, lied about his involvement in the inventions. Specifically, when asked whether his name would be listed as “the inventor” of numerous patents in China, Ang denied being the inventor, despite knowing he was. In addition, Ang also received numerous talent awards from the PRC government, which he did not list on the university’s annual conflict of interest disclosure forms.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas and Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division made the announcement.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), NASA Office of Inspector General and Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case.
Former University of Arkansas Professor Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison for Lying to Federal Agents About Patents in ChinaRead the Press Release
FAYETTEVILLE – An Arkansas man and former University of Arkansas Professor was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison followed by one year of supervised release on one count of making a false statement to the FBI about the existence of patents for his inventions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court documents, Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 65, of Fayetteville, filed 24 patents in the People’s Republic of China bear Ang’s name or Chinese birth name. The University of Arkansas, where Ang worked as a professor, required individuals such as Ang to promptly furnish to the University “full and complete” disclosures of inventions, and University policy provided that it, not individual inventors, would own all inventions created by those subject to the policy. This policy was established “in furtherance of the commitment of the University to the widest possible distribution of the benefits of University Research, the protection of Inventions resulting from such research, and the development of Inventions for the public good.”
Despite this requirement, Ang did not disclose his Chinese patents to the university and, when interviewed by an FBI agent, lied about his involvement in the inventions. Specifically, when asked whether his name would be listed as “the inventor” of numerous patents in China, Ang denied being the inventor, despite knowing he was. In addition, Ang also received numerous talent awards from the PRC government, which he did not list on the university’s annual conflict of interest disclosure forms.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson made the announcement.
The FBI, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), NASA Office of Inspector General and Air Force Office of Special Investigations investigated the case.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo from the Department of Justice National Security Division prosecuted the case.
Five Indicted for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 14-count indictment today against Jesus Horacio Ramirez Hernandez, 40; Fernando Aldama Tinoco, 48; Walter Garcia-Ruiz, 34; Geovany Espinoza Norzagaray, 33; and Neftali Castillo Montes, 40; charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and unlawful use of a cellphone, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Montes sold an FBI confidential source over 14 pounds of methamphetamine between May 2019 and December 2020. Surveillance, wiretaps, and additional investigation uncovered Garcia-Ruiz, Norzagaray, Tinoco, and Hernandez as higher-level distributors. A search of a storage unit controlled by Tinoco resulted in the discovery of 33 pounds of methamphetamine, 7 pounds of cocaine, and 2 pounds of counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl. Tinoco is additionally charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.
This case is the product of an investigation by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Customs and Borders Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Felon Faces 20 Years in Federal Prison After Attempting to Rob a Baltimore Convenience Store While on Supervised Release for a Previous Federal ConvictionRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Larry Haynes, age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to attempt to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery.
The guilty plea 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; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, on January 21, 2022, Haynes attempted to rob a convenience store in Baltimore City. After the clerk refused to comply with Haynes’ demands, Haynes showed the clerk a gun tucked within his waistband. Subsequently, the clerk called the convenience store manager who fled to the manager’s office and called 911.
As stated in his plea agreement, off duty Maryland State Police officers responded to the scene and detained Haynes until Baltimore City police officers arrived. MSP officers recovered a 9mm handgun loaded with 9mm cartridges from Haynes’ waistband. The attempted robbery was captured on in-house store security cameras.
Haynes agrees that at the time of the attempted robbery, he was on supervised release for a prior federal firearms offense.
Haynes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison followed by up by three years of supervised release for attempt to interfere with commerce by robbery. U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for September 7, 2022 at 10:30 a.m.
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. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, MSP, and BPD for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia McLane, who is prosecuting 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Federal Jury Finds St. Paul Felon Guilty of Methamphetamine Distribution and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal jury convicted a St. Paul man of methamphetamine distribution and firearms violations, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, William Howard Proto, Jr., 44, was convicted on two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. During the trial, Proto pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
As proven at trial, on June 29, 2021, officers with the Bloomington Police Department arrested Proto after he was in the driver’s seat of a stolen Cadillac Escalade. Officers searched the vehicle and found nine pounds of methamphetamine, 200 grams of cocaine, digital scales, more than $50,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm. Following his arrest, Proto was indicted in U.S. District Court on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. On August 19, 2021, pursuant to a federal warrant, agents located Proto at a hotel in Woodbury. Proto was taken into custody in the hotel parking lot. At the time of the arrest, Proto had a handgun in his pocket and, in a black duffle bag, more than five pounds of methamphetamine and an assault-style rifle with no serial number.
Because Proto has multiple prior felony convictions in Dakota and Ramsey Counties, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bloomington Police Department.
This case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew S. Dunne and Joseph S. Teirab.
Ex-East Helena police chief sentenced to more than five years in prison for distributing child pornographyRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — East Helena’s former chief of police was sentenced today to five years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing child pornography using social media, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
William Daly Harrington, 43, of Helena, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to distribution of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also imposed $7,500 in fines. Harrington was ordered to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.
“As a career police officer and then as chief of police, Harrington had a duty to protect children, and yet he distributed child pornography. His actions perpetuated the sexual exploitation of children and harm inflicted on vulnerable victims. This sentence holds Harrington accountable not only for his criminal conduct but also for his breach of the public’s trust. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyndee L. Peterson and Wendy A. Johnson and all of our law enforcement partners for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
"Crimes against children are horrific, and this case was aggravated by the fact that William Harrington took an oath to protect and serve," said Dennis Rice, Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City FBI. "The FBI is committed to protecting society's most vulnerable and will hold those who prey on innocent children accountable."
“We appreciate the partnership of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that the FBI leads. We appreciate the City of East Helena assistance with this investigation as well,” said Lewis and Clark County Sheriff and Coroner Leo C. Dutton.
The government alleged in court documents that in September 2020, a Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s deputy, who is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, investigated a tip that Facebook Messenger had reported one of its accounts distributed child pornography to another account. The investigation determined that the Facebook Messenger account distributing child pornography belonged to Harrington, who was the chief of police for East Helena. Account records showed that on Nov. 17, 2019, Harrington sent 11 images to another account. Some of the images depicted child pornography. Law enforcement served a search warrant on Harrington’s residence and seized his cellular phone. An analysis of the phone found it contained images and videos of child pornography. As part of his investigation, the ICAC detective consulted with a pediatrician who concluded that some of the images depicted prepubescent children or children under the age of 12 years old.
Harrington admitted that he owned and used the Facebook Messenger account that distributed child pornography.
The government further alleged that Harrington was a mandatory reporter of child abuse, and, during the same timeframe, he sought out sexually explicit images of children, saved them to his phone and then distributed them. As chief of police, Harrington attended Child Protection Team Meetings, knew the consequences to the children depicted and, nonetheless, pursued the images at the expense of child victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyndee L. Peterson and Wendy A. Johnson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Bozeman Police Department.
This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.
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El Paso Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
EL PASO – Kevin Holguin-Cano, 29, of El Paso pleaded guilty this week to receipt of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, in June 2021, agents executed a search warrant on the residence of Holguin and found materials depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Holguin pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of a visual depiction involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. A sentencing date is not scheduled yet. Holguin faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Frank Burrola, El Paso Division, made the announcement.
The HSI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Rasmussen is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Dublin man pleads guilty to producing and possessing child pornographyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Dublin, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to sexually exploiting at least five minors and possessing child pornography.
Timothy W. Wright, 50, faces a minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison.
Wright admitted to placing a hidden camera in the bathroom of his home, thereby producing pornographic images of two minors via that hidden camera. To save videos or images of the minors from the hidden camera to his phone, Wright admitted that he would watch the video feed live. Investigators discovered approximately 27 videos and 152 images from the hidden camera on Wright’s phone.
In addition, Wright admitted he paid three additional minor victims at least $300 on numerous occasions in exchange for those minors lying nude on Wright’s bed while Wright engaged in sex acts or acts of masturbation with the minors. The defendant also admitting to paying for nude images from these three minors and those images were also recovered on Wright’s phone.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced the plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.
The case was being primarily investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance and cooperation of the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which operates under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, and, Columbus Division of Police, Dublin Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Unit, Delaware County Drug Task Force, and the United States Marshals Service.
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Dallas County Sheriff’s Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing $250k from Jail’s Commissary FundRead the Press Release
A Dallas County Sheriff’s Office supervisor who embezzled more than $250,000 from the jail’s inmate property fund pleaded guilty yesterday to a federal offense, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Umeka Treymane Myers, 49, was charged via criminal information on April 28. On Thursday, she pleaded guilty to theft from a program receiving federal funds.
According to plea papers, Ms. Myers worked as a supervisor at the Lew Sterrett Justice Center’s inmate property vault, which refunds inmates’ commissary account balances upon their release.
When an inmate’s account contains more than $30, property vault employees give them the balance on debit cards generated by software from the Keef Group.
If an employee makes an error processing a debit card, the software generates an error message, which only a lead clerk or supervisor (such as Myers), can clear.
After overriding a debit card error, however, Ms. Myers used released inmates’ book-in numbers to create new and duplicate debit cards, then entered the same amount from the card issued to the released inmate on to the newly created card.
Between 2018 and 2021, she fraudulently issued dozens of debit cards, which she used in Texas, Louisiana, Nevada, Maryland, and New York. (Her spending was confirmed by Winstar, Choctaw, and Margaritaville casino records, Southwest Airlines records, Bank of America ATM surveillance footage, and personal bank records.)
Ms. Myers now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the full cooperation of the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus Busch is prosecuting the case.
Crownpoint man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced today that Wade Dixon, 33, of Crownpoint, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. Dixon will remain in custody pending sentencing.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on July 10, 2021, Dixon engaged in a sexual act with the victim, identified as Jane Doe, who was 13 years old. The abuse occurred in McKinley County, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.
By the terms of the plea agreement, Wade faces 13 months in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The Navajo Nation Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the FBI. Special Assistant United States Attorney Chelsea N. Van Deventer is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.
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Corrections Officer, Inmate Charged in Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy Inside Stillwater PrisonRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Stillwater corrections officer and an inmate have been indicted for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution organization within the Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Stillwater, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, Faith Rose Gratz, 24, a MCF – Stillwater corrections officer, and Axel Rene Kramer, 34, an inmate who is currently serving a 288-month sentence for second degree murder, conspired with each other to distribute methamphetamine within MCF – Stillwater, Minnesota’s largest high security prison facility. As part of the conspiracy, Kramer obtained wholesale quantities of prepackaged methamphetamine from sources of supply outside the prison. After Kramer and another co-conspirator inmate worked with the drug suppliers to arrange meet up times and locations, Gratz would pick up the drug packages. Gratz used her position as a prison guard to smuggle the drugs into the secure facility and then provide the drugs to Kramer while she was on duty guarding him. Gratz did this on approximately six different occasions. Gratz also smuggled into the prison multiple cell phones that she provided to Kramer. Kramer used the cell phones to communicate with people inside and outside the prison and to facilitate his drug distribution network from within the prison.
According to court documents, Gratz and Kramer exchanged hundreds of text messages with each other. The messages included communications about the drug distribution conspiracy as well as discussions about their romantic relationship. Gratz also warned Kramer about upcoming searches of inmates’ cells so that Kramer could hide his phone and drugs to avoid detection.
On April 8, 2022, after recovering Kramer’s cell phone, law enforcement officers confronted Gratz about the drug distribution operation. Officers searched Gratz’s car and recovered a half pound of methamphetamine.
Gratz and Kramer are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Gratz is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendants will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court before a Magistrate Judge at a later date.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bayport Police Department, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry M. Jacobs is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Coral Springs Police Officer Charged with COVID Relief Fraud, Using Loan Money to Service and Repair His Vintage CarRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A South Florida federal grand jury has charged a Coral Springs police officer with fraudulently applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) for a COVID-19 relief advance grant and low-interest loan.
According to the Indictment unsealed today in federal district court, Jason Scott Carter, 44, of Boca Raton, submitted a fraudulent Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) application and loan agreement on behalf of Jason S. Carter, Inc., a South Florida business he allegedly owned and operated. That application falsely and fraudulently certified, among other things, that during the twelve 12 months prior to January 31, 2020, the business had gross revenues of $100,000, according to the Indictment. In reality, the business had only minimal gross revenues during that period. The Indictment also charges Carter with falsely and fraudulently certifying that he would use the funds only for business expenses to alleviate economic injury that the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the business. In fact, according to the charges, Carter spent more than $21,000 of the SBA loan money at a car repair and detailing company for luxury vehicles and high-end auto parts.
The Indictment charges Carter with one count of wire fraud. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Carter made his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart. He was released on bond, pending trial.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Omar Perez Aybar, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office, and David Walker, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Tampa, announced the charges.
HHS-OIG, Miami Regional Office (Tampa) and FBI Tampa investigated this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Laserna is handling asset forfeiture.
Indictments contain mere allegations and defendants are innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-cr-80094.
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Convicted Felon Indicted for Possessing A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Cedric Durham, Jr. (21, Tampa) with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Durham that the United States intends to forfeit the firearm and ammunition traceable to the offense. Durham was arrested on June 13, 2022, in Tampa. He made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson the following day and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, on March 6, 2022, Durham was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. At the time of the incident, Durham had a previous felony conviction for carrying a concealed firearm. As a previously convicted felon, Durham is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman and David Chee. The forfeiture will be handled by Assistant United States Attorney James Muench.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Columbia Man Facing Federal Charges After Resisting Arrest by Franklin Police OfficersRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – A federal indictment unsealed yesterday, charges a Columbia, Tennessee, man with drug distribution and firearms charges, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin.
Roy Gene Nicholson, III, 26, was indicted by a federal grand jury last month and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Nicholson was arrested yesterday by the United States Marshals Service and is currently in federal custody.
The charges are the result of an incident on April 24, 2022, where Nicholson was stopped on I-65 in Williamson County, Tenn., by an officer with the Franklin Police Department. According to the indictment, when the officer approached the car, he observed a pistol on the front passenger seat and smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The officer attempted to detain Nicholson and a physical struggle ensued. Nicholson was able to re-enter his vehicle and as two officers attempted to remove him from the car, Nicholson accelerated, dragging both officers for a distance and knocking them to the ground. The legs of one officer were run over by the vehicle as it sped away.
Nicholson was later arrested approximately one mile away and was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm, marijuana, and more than $3,600 in cash. A pink backpack found on a sidewalk nearby, contained approximately 200 grams of marijuana and plastic baggies. Officers had observed the pink backpack in Nicholson’s car during the earlier attempt to arrest him.
If convicted, Nicholson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Franklin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Herbert L. Bunton, III is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Carjackers Net a Collective Total of 41 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Justin Huddleston, 21, Terrance Moore, 21, and Angelo Smith, 23, have been sentenced to a collective total of 492 months in federal prison for carjacking and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, on Friday, September 20, 2019, at 1:45 a.m., victim R.H. was in her white Ford Fusion at the InTown Suites, when a male suspect pointed a pistol at her and carjacked her white Fusion. As the suspect drove away, he picked up two additional suspects.
Approximately two hours later, victim T.M. was at the Valero gas station on South
Perkins. While inside the convenience store, a male suspect from a white sedan followed her inside and then returned to the driver seat of the white sedan. The victim drove away, and the suspect driver followed her. When the victim reached a stop sign at Cottonwood and Claudette, the white sedan cut her off. The front passenger got out of the sedan, approached the victim, pointed a pistol at her, and demanded her car. The victim sped away, and the armed suspect fired a shot.Twenty minutes later, at the same Valero station, victim D.K. was pumping gas into his truck. The truck had an attached trailer with lawn equipment. Two male suspects from a white sedan approached him and pointed pistols at him, demanding his truck, phone, and wallet. The two suspects drove away in the victim's truck, and the driver of the white sedan followed the truck.
At 12:20 p.m. the same day, Memphis Police officers found victim R.H.'s Fusion at Big Daddy's Pawn
Shop on Hickory Hill Road. Terrance Moore was in the driver seat. Angelo Smith and Justin
Huddleston were in the pawn shop, pawning lawn equipment that belonged to victim D.K. Huddleston and Smith tried to run from police but were arrested.Victim R.H. identified Terrance Moore as the armed suspect who carjacked her of her Ford Fusion.
Victim D.K. identified Terrance Moore and Justin Huddleston as the armed suspects who carjacked him of his truck and trailer. Victim T.M. identified Angelo Smith as the suspect as the suspect who followed her in the Valero and drove the white sedan.On February 8, 2022, United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced
Huddleston to 180 months to be followed by five years’ supervised release. On February 11, 2022, Moore received 168 months to be followed by five years’ supervised release. Smith was sentenced on June 14, 2022, to 144 months in federal prison with five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.This case was investigated by the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Memphis
Police Department.Assistant United States Attorney Dean DeCandia prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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California Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining over 700 Credit Card Numbers to Purchase $500,000 in Las Vegas Event TicketsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS – A California resident was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for fraudulently obtaining over 700 credit card numbers to purchase more than $500,000 in tickets for various events in Las Vegas over a one-year period.
Carl Dewain Jefferson (36) pleaded guilty in September 2021 to use or trafficking of unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, between March 14, 2014, and March 13, 2015, Jefferson — who operated LV Show Tickets, LLC — fraudulently obtained credit card numbers to purchase tickets for various events in Las Vegas. Later, he resold the tickets on his own website, www.lvshowticket.net, and Craigslist. In total, Jefferson used more than 700 different credit card accounts to fraudulently purchase more than $500,000 worth of event tickets.
On September 4, 2014, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers executed a search warrant for two rooms reserved under Jefferson’s name. Officers seized a laptop, cell phones, a credit card embossing machine, forged debit cards, and business cards.
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Fang prosecuted the case.
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California Man Known as “icloudripper4you” Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Nude Photographs and Images from Apple iCloud AccountsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Hao Kuo Chi (41, La Puente, California) to nine years in federal prison for conspiracy and computer fraud. Chi had pleaded guilty on October 15, 2021.
According to court documents, Chi operated for years on Anon-IB, a now defunct website. Anon-IB was notorious for posting explicit and intimate images of others shared without consent and with the intent to intimidate, harass, or embarrass—commonly known as “revenge porn.” Chi hacked into the Apple iCloud accounts of victims across the United States in search of nude photographs and videos of young women, which he referred to as “wins.” Using the online moniker “icloudripper4you,” he then shared and traded these images with persons he had met on Anon-IB.
Chi’s email accounts contained the iCloud credentials of approximately 4,700 victims. These accounts also revealed that he had sent content stolen from victims to conspirators on more than 300 occasions. Some of those conspirators subsequently released the images into the public sphere. Chi not only shared his “wins” with conspirators, but he also kept many of those images for his own personal collection. Specifically, Chi maintained approximately 3.5 terabytes of victim data on cloud and physical storage, containing content attributable to more than 500 victims.
“Chi victimized hundreds of women across the country, making them fear for their safety and reputations,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. “This sentence reflects the resolve of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold cybercriminals responsible for their crimes.”
“This man led a terror campaign from his computer, causing fear and distress to hundreds of victims. The FBI is committed to protecting the American people by exposing these cybercriminals and bringing them to justice,” said David Walker, FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Cheyenne Man Charged with Trafficking Fentanyl Within 1000 Feet of a SchoolRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that a grand jury returned an indictment charging ROBERT BUTLER, 34, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, with possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a public elementary school and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Butler has been arrested and appeared before United States District Court Chief Magistrate Judge Kelly H. Rankin for an arraignment hearing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for July 25, 2022.
Butler faces no less than five years and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, no less than four years to life of supervised release, up to $6 million in fines and a $200 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This crime was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Margaret M. Vierbuchen.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case No: 22-CR-00061-ABJ
Cheyenne Man Charged on Fentanyl and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that a grand jury returned an indictment charging TROY MICHAEL PAINTER, 26, of Cheyenne, Wyoming with possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl and being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. Painter has been arrested and appeared before United States District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson for an arraignment hearing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for June 27, 2022.
Painter faces no less than five years and up to 40 years’ imprisonment, no less than four years to life of supervised release, up to a $5.25 million fine and a $200 special assessment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This crime was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Laramie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Jonathan C. Coppom.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case No: 22-CR-00065-SWS
Bogalusa Rapper Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Violating the Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JAVORIOUS SCOTT, aka JAYDAYOUNGAN, age 24, a Bogalusa resident and rapper was sentenced by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance to a sentence of time served after serving approximately seven (7) months’ imprisonment, one (1) year of supervised release, a $5,500.00 fine and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty to a one-count indictment that charged him with possession of a firearm while under indictment or felony, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(n)(1) and 924(a)(1)(D), announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, on October 29, 2021, Officers with the Bogalusa Police Department executed a traffic stop on a silver-colored Audi bearing a Virginia license plate traveling south on South Columbia Street in Bogalusa, Louisiana because the vehicle possessed a switched license plate. SCOTT, the driver of the vehicle, failed to provide his license or vehicle registration. While speaking to SCOTT and the passenger, officers smelled a strong odor of marijuana in the vehicle. The officers also observed a black handgun on the driver’s side floorboard directly beneath SCOTT’S legs. Officers removed SCOTT from the vehicle and observed a small amount of suspected marijuana in the driver’s seat. Officers then recovered a loaded Ruger, Security-9, 9mm, pistol from the driver’s side floorboard.
At the time that the officers located and seized the firearm from the floorboard, SCOTT was under indictment for felony crimes in Harris County, Texas.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Bogalusa Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones.
Billings man convicted at trial of kidnapping minors, transporting a person for sexual activity, drug trafficking and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — A judge today convicted a Billings man on multiple crimes stemming from an investigation into kidnapping of minors, transportation of persons for illegal purposes, cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking and firearms crimes, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters found Angelo Corey Stackhouse, 52, guilty of all crimes charged in an indictment, including transportation of a person with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, distribution of cocaine to a person under the age of 21, distribution of cocaine and meth, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and two counts of kidnapping.
Stackhouse faces a mandatory minimum of 27 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.
Judge Watters presided at a four-day bench trial that began on June 13. The court will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Judge Watters set sentencing for Oct. 27. Stackhouse’s detention was continued.
“Stackhouse was a violent cocaine trafficker who used drugs, a firearm and threats to prey on and sexually assault victims, including kidnapping two minor girls with the purpose to sexually assault them. Stackhouse’s convictions hold him accountable for multiple crimes. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake and all of the investigative agencies for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents and in evidence presented at trial, the government alleged that in early 2020, Stackhouse trafficked illegal narcotics, primarily cocaine. Stackhouse went to Denver, Colorado, among other locations, to obtain cocaine for redistribution in the Billings community through the summer of 2020. During this time, Stackhouse also transported a young adult female to Colorado and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Then in September 2020 and again in April 2021, Stackhouse kidnapped two minor females for the purposes of sexually assaulting them. One of the minor victims was from the Crow Indian Reservation and a second minor victim was from Billings.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Billings Police Department and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
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Berks County Man Sentenced to Fourteen Years in Prison for Narcotics and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that George Steve Rugel, 46, of Reading, PA, was sentenced to fourteen years in prison and five years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., for possessing with intent to distribute the dangerous narcotic fentanyl. In addition to the fentanyl, other drugs including heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as firearms were found inside the defendant’s Reading apartment that he used as a stash house for his drug distribution activities.
In November 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession of a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agents and Task Force Officers based in New York City and Allentown into Rugel’s distribution of the dangerous narcotics fentanyl, heroin, and other controlled substances in New York City and in the Reading area of Berks County. During the investigation, Rugel delivered fentanyl to individual in New York. When Rugel attempted a second delivery of fentanyl to an individual in Reading in June 2020, he was arrested by DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers. At the time of his arrest, Rugel was found in possession of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl in his car, and a loaded firearm on his person. The investigation also led to the discovery of Rugel’s apartment in Reading, where he stored additional controlled substances, including another kilogram of fentanyl, and firearms.
“Drug distribution and gun violence are an epidemic in cities like Reading and across the Eastern District, and the federal government is aggressively prosecuting these crimes to get dangerous criminals like this defendant off the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “George Rugel was a large-scale, armed drug trafficker, which put our community in grave danger. We want to thank the DEA and the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, and all of our involved law enforcement partners for their hard work and dedication.”
“Rugel not only trafficked in illicit fentanyl, a dangerous street drug that is largely responsible for the overdose crisis, but also carried a loaded handgun at the same time,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “His criminal behavior involving both drugs and guns are representative of two of the most pressing threats that are endangering the safety of our communities.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration – Allentown Resident Office, Berks County District Attorney’s Office Detectives, and Reading Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary A. Futcher and Kishan Nair.
Baltimore Man Facing Federal Indictment for Use of a Firearm Resulting in Death During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury yesterday returned an indictment charging Ziyon Thompson, age 21, of Baltimore, Maryland, for interference with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and for use of a firearm resulting in death during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, in connection with the murder of an alleged marijuana trafficker.
The indictment 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 Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to the three-count indictment and other court documents, from March 2022 through May 2022, Thompson conspired with others, including three individuals in California, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
The indictment and other court documents allege that on May 8, 2022, Thompson kidnapped the victim, who was one of the individuals he conspired with in California to traffic large quantities of marijuana from California to Maryland. The victim had traveled to Maryland to meet with Thompson to discuss their business. Court documents allege that after kidnapping the victim, Thompson “FaceTimed” one of the victim’s associates in California, filmed the victim, who was bound and gagged, and demanded 200 pounds of marijuana and $50,000 for the safe return of the victim.
As detailed in court documents and alleged in the indictment, after not receiving the demanded ransom, Thompson shot the victim, killing him. Firefighters responding to a house fire in a vacant residence in the 300 block of Furrow Street in Baltimore discovered the burnt body of the victim. Baltimore Police Department homicide detectives recovered a gas can and shell casings in the residence and Baltimore Fire Department investigators ruled that the fire was intentionally set.
If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for interference with commerce by extortion and for the drug conspiracy; and a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison for use of a firearm resulting in death during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Thompson is detained in federal custody and is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
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. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane, who is prosecuting 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Baltimore Felon Sentenced to over Eight Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Tarance Damon Cousar, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 102 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a stolen firearm. Cousar was a previously convicted felon and knew that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Cousar admitted that he knew, or had reason to know, that the gun was stolen.
The guilty plea 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 Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, in 2021, law enforcement began investigating drug trafficking and firearms-related incidents in the area of the 1200 block of West Baltimore Street in Baltimore. Investigators monitored members of a suspected drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) who conducted hand-to-hand transactions of suspected controlled dangerous substances (“CDS”). Individuals, including Tarance Cousar, were seen on CCTV exchanging cash for vials containing suspected CDS, frequently out in the open.
In April 2021, investigators purchased a total of 11 vials of suspected MDMA, also known as Ecstasy. Lab analysis of the drugs determined that it was Eutylone, a controlled substance that is a substitute of MDMA. On June 17, 2021, investigators watching the CCTV feed again observed Cousar conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on June 24, 2021, law enforcement executed court-authorized search warrants at Cousar’s residence, on his vehicle, and on his person. When law enforcement arrived at Cousar’s residence, Cousar was found in the living room. Investigators recovered: a 9mm pistol and 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition located in the pistol’s magazine; one black plastic bag containing 62 grams of Eutylone, along with empty packaging material; a digital scale with a white powdery residue; a black plastic bag containing drug packaging material; and a cell phone. Law enforcement checked the serial number on the firearm and learned that it had been stolen from North Carolina.
Cousar admitted that everything found in the house belonged to him. Further, Cousar knew that as a result of previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute CDS, voluntary manslaughter, and use of a handgun in a crime of violence, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
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. PSN, an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime, is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. 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.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Anatoly Smolkin, 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/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Armed Pitt County Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More than 17 YearsRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Alterick Wallisima Boyd of Winterville, NC, was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 280 grams or more of cocaine base (crack), 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine; and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base (crack).
On February 16, 2021, Boyd entered a plea of guilty to the charges.
“Working with law enforcement at every level to stop the trafficking of dangerous and illegal drugs in our communities is a top priority for this office,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This defendant, and his co-conspirators, will now be spending significant time behind bars rather than peddling significant quantities of drugs on the streets.”
According to court documents and other information presented in court, the investigation began in October 2018 when agents of the Greenville Regional Drug Task Force (GRDTF) in Greenville, North Carolina, received information that Boyd obtained narcotics from a source in Atlanta and was distributing large quantities of cocaine and heroin in Pitt County, North Carolina. Boyd would often hide his drugs in a concealed area, or “trap”, in his vehicle.
Agents determined that Boyd would bring 4–5 kilograms of cocaine and 1–2 kilograms of heroin per trip from Atlanta to North Carolina. The investigation showed that Boyd was working with several co-conspirators, including Michael Aaron Cartwright and Antoinette Charmane Becton.
On January 2, 2019, agents saw Boyd meeting with Cartwright. Agents conducted a traffic stop of Cartwright and seized 1.3 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment in the rear passenger floorboard.
The same day, Boyd was arrested and found in possession of cocaine and a stolen handgun. Agents then searched Boyd’s residence and seized $32,840, a .22 caliber handgun, ammunition, and approximately one kilogram of heroin.
Investigators also searched a trailer used by Boyd. They seized 1.5 kilograms of heroin and 99 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl.
From October 2019 until February 2020, agents also conducted controlled purchases of cocaine, cocaine base (crack), and 1.2 kilograms of 100% pure crystal methamphetamine from Boyd and Antoinette Becton.
Boyd, Becton, and Cartwright were charged by federal indictment on February 19, 2020. Boyd’s co-defendants have previously been sentenced:
- Michael Aaron Cartwright): 81 months imprisonment; and
- Antoinette Charmane Becton, a/k/a “Charmane Cox”): 166 months imprisonment; $222,461 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Greenville Regional Drug Task Force (GRDTF), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
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. 4:20-CR-0016-M.
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 272 Months in Prison for Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man was sentenced to 272 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a felon, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, law enforcement received information from a confidential informant that Gregory Lynn McCoy, 60, was in possession of a handgun and illegal narcotics. On October 22, 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of McCoy’s residence and nearby vehicle. McCoy was inside the residence at the time. Upon his arrest, McCoy tossed multiple bags of illegal narcotics into a nearby closet. Officers found 20 bags of illegal narcotics and a box of .45 caliber ammunition hidden inside his residence. Officers also found a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a loaded magazine and two additional magazines in the center console of McCoy’s Dodge Durango. The vehicle was registered to McCoy and McCoy’s DNA was found on one of the three magazines.
On November 1, 2021, McCoy was convicted at trial of possessing a firearm as a felon. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. McCoy was sentenced to 262 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon and to an additional 10 months in prison for having committed the crime while on supervised release. Due to his multiple prior felony convictions, McCoy qualified for an increased penalty under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. MacLaughlin and Joseph S. Teirab prosecuted the case.
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Alleged Gangster Disciples Members Indicted for Murder, Federal Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging five alleged members of the Gangster Disciples with murder and racketeering related to the alleged murder of three people, as well as various other offenses including drug trafficking and obstruction of justice.
Philmon Deshawn Chambers, aka Dolla Phil, 33, of Atlanta; Andrea Paige Browner, aka Light Brite, aka Shawty, 27, of Athens, Georgia; Lesley Chappell Green, aka Grip, 34, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Robert Maurice Carlisle, aka Different, 33, of Lithonia, Georgia; and Shabazz Larry Guidry, aka Lil L, aka L, aka Lil Bro, aka Lil Larry, 27, of Decatur, Georgia, are each charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy. Chambers and Browner are additionally charged with Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering-murder (VICAR); the carry, use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and use of a firearm resulting in death.
The Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago, Illinois, dating back to the 1970s, and are now active in at least 25 states. Among the crimes alleged in the indictment are three gang-related murders triggered by the murder of a Gangster Disciple member. After that murder, other Gangster Disciples allegedly sought to identify and retaliate against those responsible for the victim’s death. Chambers allegedly followed Rodriguez Apollo Rucker to his Athens residence where he shot and killed Rucker, who was a relative of a suspect of the first murder.
According to the indictment, after learning that police suspected Chambers of Rucker’s murder, Chambers and Browner fled from Georgia to Texas. In order to cover up this crime, Chambers allegedly ordered that fellow gang members he suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson, be killed. Defendants Green, Guidry and Carlisle allegedly shot and killed Ruff and Jackson and left their bodies in a storage unit in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they were discovered four months later.
Chambers allegedly held a “Position of Authority” with the Gangster Disciples organization, which included overseeing members of the “Enforcement” or “Elimination” team (E-Team); Browner was allegedly a member of the “Sisters of the Struggle” or “SOS,” a parallel female component of the Gangster Disciple organization; Green allegedly was a member of the E-Team; Carlisle was a member of the GD organization; and Guidry allegedly held a “Position of Authority” as the “Assistant Literature Coordinator.”
These cases are being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case is being investigated by FBI Athens Resident Agency Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and Gwinnett County Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison of the Middle District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Ken Kaplan of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alleged Gangster Disciples Members Indicted for Murder, Federal Racketeering ChargesRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Georgia returned an indictment yesterday charging five alleged members of the Gangster Disciples with murder and racketeering related to the alleged murder of three people, as well as various other offenses including drug trafficking and obstruction of justice.
Philmon Deshawn Chambers, aka Dolla Phil, 33, of Atlanta; Andrea Paige Browner, aka Light Brite, aka Shawty, 27, of Athens, Georgia; Lesley Chappell Green, aka Grip, 34, of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Robert Maurice Carlisle, aka Different, 33, of Lithonia, Georgia; and Shabazz Larry Guidry, aka Lil L, aka L, aka Lil Bro, aka Lil Larry, 27, of Decatur, Georgia, are each charged with Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organization (RICO) conspiracy. Chambers and Browner are additionally charged with murder in aid of racketeering; the carry, use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and use of a firearm resulting in death.
The Gangster Disciples are a national gang with roots in Chicago, Illinois, dating back to the 1970s, and are now active in at least 25 states. Among the crimes alleged in the indictment are three gang-related murders triggered by the murder of a Gangster Disciple member. After that murder, other Gangster Disciples allegedly sought to identify and retaliate against those responsible for the victim’s death. Chambers allegedly followed Rodriguez Apollo Rucker to his Athens residence where he shot and killed Rucker.
According to the indictment, after learning that police suspected Chambers of Rucker’s murder, Chambers and Browner fled from Georgia to Texas. In order to cover up this crime, Chambers allegedly ordered that fellow gang members he suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, Derrick Ruff and Joshua Jackson, be killed. Defendants Green, Guidry and Carlisle allegedly shot and killed Ruff and Jackson and left their bodies in a storage unit in Lawrenceville, Georgia, where they were discovered four months later.
Chambers allegedly held a “Position of Authority” with the Gangster Disciples organization, which included overseeing members of the “Enforcement” or “Elimination” team (E-Team); Browner was allegedly a member of the “Sisters of the Struggle” or “SOS,” a parallel female component of the Gangster Disciple organization; Green allegedly was a member of the E-Team; Carlisle was a member of the GD organization; and Guidry allegedly held a “Position of Authority” as the “Assistant Literature Coordinator.”
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary for the Middle District of Georgia made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by FBI Athens Resident Agency Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and Gwinnett County Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ken Kaplan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison of the Middle District of Georgia.
These cases are being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.