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27 April 2022
31 Gang Members and Associates of Mexican Mafia Charged in Racketeering IndictmentRead the Press Release
A 33-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges 31 members and associates of the Orange County Mexican Mafia with racketeering offenses, two murders and six attempted murders, and related drug and gun charges.
“The Mexican Mafia allegedly preyed on vulnerable communities through fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment sends a clear message that the Criminal Division, and our federal, state, and local partners, remain committed to protecting all of our communities from violence and exploitation.”
The indictment includes charges of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR) murder and attempted murder, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, using a firearm to cause a death, and other firearm charges.
“The violence, drug dealing, and other criminal acts being committed in our communities by gangsters associated with the Mexican Mafia is being met with the strongest possible response by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California. “We will continue to investigate, arrest and prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law to restore a sense of safety to so many neighborhoods that have felt the impact of their destructive conduct.”
According to the allegations contained in the indictment:[1]
The OC Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme, is a “gang of gangs” that controls and directs other Hispanic gangs operating in Southern California and within the California penal system. The OC Mexican Mafia members divided control of various areas in Southern California, with the member in control of a specific area controlling the criminal activities in that respective territory and receiving “taxes” paid by gangs to allow them to deal drugs in that area. In addition to this widespread “tax” collection, it is alleged that the OC Mexican Mafia directly engaged in drug distribution in and out of prisons and jails. The indictment also alleges that the OC Mexican Mafia maintained authority over other Hispanic street gangs through murder, attempted murder and violent assaults with weapons including firearms.
“Cases targeting criminal enterprises like the Mexican Mafia require close collaboration with our local and federal partners and employ a variety of sophisticated techniques to overcome their evasive tactics,” said the Assistant Director in Charge Kristi K. Johnson of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The Mexican Mafia in Orange County controls the majority of local gangs and rules by threatening violence and exacting violence on their enemies or against their own members who don’t follow strict rules. This indictment is the latest in our continuing joint efforts to target gangs and drug networks that fuel the violence in our communities.”
The indictment further alleges that in or around 2016, and continuing to at least in or around April 2022, defendants Johnny Martinez, Robert Aguirre and Dennis Ortiz were the OC Mexican Mafia members in charge of criminal activities in Orange County and within Orange County jail and prison facilities. Defendants Omar Mejia, Miguel Jose Alvarado, Luis Heriberto Vasquez, Michael Cooper and Abraham Guajardo held positions of shot-callers or mouthpieces for Martinez, Aguirre, and Ortiz. Defendant Robert Martinez held a position of authority within the Orange County Jail as defendant Johnny Martinez’s representative. Defendant Brenda Vanessa Campos Martinez served as a secretary for defendant Johnny Martinez, and defendant Danielle Canales served in a similar capacity for defendants Johnny Martinez and Cooper. The violent crimes alleged against the OC Mexican Mafia include:
- The Jan. 19, 2017, armed robbery and shooting death of R.R.;
- The Aug. 21, 2017, shooting death of R.V., who was shot seven times in the back of the head and body, and left dead on the street in Orange, California;
- The Aug. 5, 2017, attempted murder of defendant Munoz, who had fallen out of favor with The OC Mexican Mafia and was shot seven times;
- The Dec. 1, 2017, attempted murder of D.D., a representative of a Hispanic street gang, who was allegedly abusing his power and authority within the OC Mexican Mafia enterprise;
- The Dec. 12, 2017, attempted murder of E.O., an OC Mexican Mafia associate incarcerated at Calipatria State Prison, who was believed to have violated the OC Mexican Mafia’s code by warning individuals that they were targeted for violence by the OC Mexican Mafia, and who suffered multiple injuries, including puncture wounds to his shoulders, stomach, lower back, and upper back;
- The Dec. 25, 2017, attempted murder of R.M. for showing disrespect to defendant Martinez;
- The July 29, 2020, attempted murder of F.B., a member of an Orange County Hispanic street gang incarcerated at the Theo Lacy Facility, who was targeted because he purportedly claimed that he would speak to law enforcement about the Mexican Mafia, and whose throat was slit; and
- Two murder attempts on Jan. 5, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2019, of defendant Cooper, who had fallen out of favor with defendants Martinez and Aguirre, and who in one incident was stabbed multiple times in the head and back area, and in the second was cut in the throat and face.
In addition to these alleged violent acts, law enforcement investigated the OC Mexican Mafia’s methamphetamine and heroin trafficking activities on the streets, as well as in the prisons and jails, and completed multiple undercover purchases of methamphetamine and heroin from OC Mexican Mafia associates who were selling narcotics on behalf of defendant Martinez and the OC Mexican Mafia.
Out of the 31 defendants charged in the indictment, 21 were already in custody, and nine were arrested last night and this morning. Those arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, and those already in custody will make initial appearances once each defendant is in federal custody.
The RICO statute provides for a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for acts performed as part of the criminal organization. The VICAR statute provides for a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder, a maximum sentence of 20 years for assault with a dangerous weapon, a maximum sentence of 10 years for attempted murder, and a maximum sentence of three years for attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. The charge of possessing, using, carrying and discharging a firearm in furtherance of, during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a maximum sentence of life, with a mandatory sentence of at least five years and up to 10 years. The charge of causing death using a firearm carries a maximum sentence of life. Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin carries a maximum sentence of life, and a minimum mandatory sentence of at least five years and up to 10 years. Felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI; the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); IRS-Criminal Investigation; the Santa Ana Police Department; the Anaheim Police Department; the Fullerton Police Department; the Orange Police Department; the Placentia Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Orange County Probation Department; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Marianne Shelvey and Danbee Kim of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Ahn, Gregory Scally, and Gregory Staples of the Central District of California are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
3 Mexican Mafia Members and 28 Associates Charged in Racketeering Indictment that Alleges Murders, Drug Trafficking and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A 33-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges 31 members and associates of the Orange County Mexican Mafia with racketeering offenses, two murders and six attempted murders, and related drug and gun charges.
The indictment includes charges of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering (VICAR), including murder and attempted murder; conspiring to traffic narcotics; distributing, and possessing with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine and heroin; using a firearm to cause a death; and other firearm charges.
“The violence, drug-dealing and other criminal acts being committed in our communities by gangsters associated with the Mexican Mafia is being met with the strongest possible response by law enforcement,” said United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “We will continue to investigate, arrest and prosecute these individuals to the fullest extent of the law to restore a sense of safety to so many neighborhoods that have felt the impact of their destructive conduct.”
“The Mexican Mafia allegedly preyed on vulnerable communities through fear, violence, and intimidation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment sends a clear message that the Criminal Division, and our federal, state, and local partners, remain committed to protecting all of our communities from violence and exploitation.”
The indictment alleges that the Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme, was comprised mostly of senior members of Latino street gangs who came together to control and profit from the activities of other Latino gangs operating in Southern California and within the California penal system. It is alleged that the Mexican Mafia members divided control of various areas in Southern California, with the member in control of a specific area controlling the criminal activities in that territory and receiving “taxes” paid by gangs to allow them to deal drugs in that area.
In addition to this widespread “tax” collection, it is alleged that the OC Mexican Mafia directly engaged in drug distribution in and out of prisons and jails. The indictment also alleges that the OC Mexican Mafia maintained authority over Latino street gangs through murder, attempted murder, and violent assaults with weapons including firearms.
“Cases targeting criminal enterprises like the Mexican Mafia require close collaboration with our local and federal partners and employ a variety of sophisticated techniques to overcome their evasive tactics,” said Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The Mexican Mafia in Orange County controls the majority of local gangs and rules by threatening violence and exacting violence on their enemies or against their own members who don’t follow strict rules. This indictment is the latest in our continuing joint efforts to target gangs and drug networks that fuel the violence in our communities.”
The indictment alleges that in or around 2016, and continuing to at least in or around April 2022, defendants Johnny Martinez, Robert Aguirre, and Dennis Ortiz were the OC Mexican Mafia members in charge of criminal activities in Orange County and within Orange County jail and prison facilities. Defendants Omar Mejia, Miguel Jose Alvarado, Luis Heriberto Vasquez, Michael Cooper, and Abraham Guajardo held positions of shot-callers or mouthpieces for Martinez, Aguirre, and Ortiz. Defendant Robert Martinez held a position of authority within the Orange County Jail as Johnny Martinez’s representative. Defendant Brenda Vanessa Campos Martinez served as a secretary for Johnny Martinez, and defendant Danielle Canales served in a similar capacity for Johnny Martinez and Cooper. The violent crimes alleged against the OC Mexican Mafia include:
- the Jan. 19, 2017, armed robbery and shooting death of R.R.;
- the Aug. 21, 2017, shooting death of R.V., who was shot seven times in the back of the head and body, and left dead on the street in Orange;
- the Aug. 5, 2017, attempted murder of defendant Munoz, who had fallen out of favor with the OC Mexican Mafia and was shot seven times;
- the Dec. 1, 2017, attempted murder of D.D., a representative of a Latino street gang, who was allegedly abusing his power and authority within the OC Mexican Mafia enterprise;
- the Dec. 12, 2017, attempted murder of E.O., an OC Mexican Mafia associate incarcerated at Calipatria State Prison, who was believed to have violated the OC Mexican Mafia’s code by warning individuals that they were targeted for violence by the OC Mexican Mafia, and who suffered multiple injuries, including puncture wounds to his torso;
- the Dec. 25, 2017, attempted murder of R.M. for showing disrespect to defendant Johnny Martinez;
- the July 29, 2020, attempted murder of F.B., a member of an Orange County Latino street gang incarcerated at the Theo Lacy Facility, who was targeted because he purportedly claimed that he would speak to law enforcement about the Mexican Mafia, and whose throat was slit; and
- two murder attempts on Jan. 5, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2019, of defendant Cooper, who had fallen out of favor with defendants Johnny Martinez and Aguirre, and who in one incident was stabbed multiple times in the head and back area, and in the second was cut in the throat and face.
In addition to these alleged violent acts, law enforcement investigated the OC Mexican Mafia’s methamphetamine and heroin trafficking activities on the streets, as well as in the prisons and jails. Authorities conducted multiple undercover purchases of methamphetamine and heroin from OC Mexican Mafia associates who were selling narcotics on behalf of Johnny Martinez and the OC Mexican Mafia.
“The Santa Ana Police Department is committed to working alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that violent, career criminals are incarcerated and are brought to justice,” said Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin. “Today’s operation was a result of years of dedicated investigation into some of the most dangerous gang members that plague our communities.”
“Today’s arrests are the culmination of a multi-year investigation that IRS-CI is proud to be a part of”, said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner. “The subjects of this investigation engaged is some of the most horrific acts imaginable, and we are glad to have done our part to help end their corrupt influence over our community.”
Out of the 31 defendants charged in the indictment, 21 were already in custody, and nine were arrested last night and this morning. Those arrested today are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Santa Ana, and those already in custody will make initial appearances once each defendant is in federal custody.
The RICO statute provides for a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for acts performed as part of the criminal organization. The VICAR statute provides for a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for murder, a maximum sentence of 20 years for assault with a dangerous weapon, a maximum sentence of 10 years for attempted murder, and a maximum sentence of three years for attempted assault with a dangerous weapon. The charge of possessing, using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of/during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a maximum sentence of life, with a mandatory sentence of at least five years and up to 10 years. The charge of causing death using a firearm carries a maximum sentence of life. Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin carries a maximum sentence of life, and a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years and up to 10 years. Felon in possession of a firearm or ammunition carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI; the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); IRS-Criminal Investigation; the Santa Ana Police Department; the Anaheim Police Department; the Fullerton Police Department; the Orange Police Department; the Placentia Police Department; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; the Orange County Probation Department; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office; and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are investigating the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Ahn, Gregory Scally and Gregory Staples of the Santa Ana Branch Office, and Justice Department Trial Attorneys Marianne Shelvey and Danbee Kim of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section are prosecuting this 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.
10 Members of Drug Trafficking Organization Indicted for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. On April 26, 2022, a federal grand jury in Chattanooga, Tennessee, returned a four-count indictment against 10 individuals: Marquis Rollins, also known as “Quez,” also known as “Q”; Emanuel Rollins, also known as “E Man”; Malik Young; Keunte Suttles, also known as “Kay Kay Watts”; Michael Garrick; Brandon Rakestraw, also known as “Lil Buddha”; Xavier Bickerstaff; Michael Jones, Jr., also known as “Mike Watts”; Taurus Moore; and Corey Long, all of Chattanooga. A trial date has not yet been set.
The indictment alleges that between November 2021 and March 2022, in the Eastern District of Tennessee, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing Fentanyl and 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A).
If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years’ imprisonment and up to a maximum of life imprisonment, five years on supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chattanooga Resident Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Red Bank Police Department. Numerous agencies from the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force assisted in the investigation.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
The investigation was also conducted as part of DEA’s Operation Overdrive. Launched February 1, 2022, Operation Overdrive uses a data-driven, intelligence-led approach to identify and dismantle criminal drug networks operating in areas with the highest rates of violence and overdoses. DEA, working in partnership with its fellow federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, has mapped the threats and initiated enforcement operations against those networks in 34 locations across 23 states in the initial phase of Operation Overdrive.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin T. Brown will represent the United States. Brown is a Special Assistant City Attorney with the Chattanooga Police Department assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute violations of federal firearm and drug laws.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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26 April 2022
“Captain” of Mexican Mafia in Laredo convictedRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 49-year-old Laredo resident has entered a guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and by an unlawful user or addict of narcotics, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Rogelio Garza admitted that on Oct. 28, 2021, he was in possession of a 9mm Taurus Model P111 G2A black pistol.
The investigation revealed Garza was selling narcotics out of a home located on the 3000 block of North Louisiana Avenue. Authorities were able to later to perform a traffic stop, at which time they discovered the firearm with one round in its chamber. They also found two grams of meth, one gram of heroin, six rounds of ammunition in a magazine and two glass pipes in the vehicle.
Garza knew he was a convicted felon who was not allowed to own a firearm. He further acknowledged he had purchased the firearm on the street from an unknown man for $200. He said he carried it for protection.
Garza has admitted to being a high-level member of the Mexican Mafia for the past 20 years, calling himself a “captain” who was asked to be the top Mexican Mafia member in Laredo. Garza additionally admitted to being addicted to various narcotics.
Law enforcement learned that Garza has six prior felony convictions, including four convictions for narcotics distribution. As such, he is prohibited per federal law of possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Garza has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing at a later date before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña. At that time, Garza faces at least 15 years and up to life in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Harrison is prosecuting the case.
Woman Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Benefits and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) FraudRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Defendant Millisen M. Martínez-Medina pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé to 13 counts of theft of government funds from the Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. She was charged in 12 separate cases regarding PUA fraud in April and October of 2021.
According to court documents, from June 2020, up to December 2020, Millisen M. Martínez-Medina engaged in deceptive conduct designed to fraudulently obtain Unemployment Insurance compensation from the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (PRDLHR) by using false personal identification information, including false social security numbers. Specifically, the defendant submitted to the PRDLHR Unemployment Insurance (UI) applications on her own behalf and on behalf of at least twelve others, utilizing false social security numbers.
Martínez-Medina, willfully and knowingly stole and converted to her own use or the use of another, money of the United States, namely UI benefits, payments to which no one was entitled, having a value of approximately $474,504.00.
Defendant Martínez-Medina is scheduled to be sentenced on August 23, 2022 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
These cases were investigated by various federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (USDOL-OIG), and the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), with the assistance of local law enforcement officials from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources, and the Puerto Rico Department of Treasury (Hacienda).
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Vanessa D. Bonano-Rodríguez from the Social Security Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Acevedo are in charge of the prosecution of these cases.
To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Vallejo Man Sentenced to over 4 Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Roosevelt Ronee Bohannon II, 44, of Vallejo, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to four years and two months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on April 11, 2019, officers were dispatched to assist with a male who was being combative with members of the Vallejo Fire Department. Officers arrived on scene and apprehended Bohannon, who had a revolver tucked into the front of his waistband. Bohannon has previously been convicted of four felony offenses for drug and firearms offenses and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Sauvageau prosecuted the case.
This case was 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.
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland Announces Comprehensive Community Outreach Approach and Recent Convictions in the Project Safe Neighborhood Gun Violence Reduction ProgramRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the comprehensive community outreach strategy that is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program (PSN). We are also announcing convictions in several federal cases involving firearms and fentanyl as examples of the enforcement prong of PSN.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland remains vigilant in the effort to reduce gun violence and the trafficking of controlled substances to ensure safer communities. However, prosecution alone is not enough to combat the impact of guns and drugs in throughout our communities. Our strategy to reduce violent crime statewide not only focuses on the prosecution of violence and the distribution of deadly drugs but by also by building community outreach and prevention efforts. As part of these efforts, we are committed to providing returning citizens with re-entry resources to reduce the number of individuals cycling in and out of the criminal justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “I encourage all returning citizens and their families to attend re-entry resource fairs in Baltimore and Prince George’s County where they can learn more about employment, housing, healthcare, and other support services. Our mission is clear – we plan to not only prosecute crime, we plan to prevent it.”
In the effort to positively influence students, bring awareness to parents and educators, and encourage previous offenders to pursue a crime-free future, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland provides training and outreach to schools, as well as supports and participates in previous offender re-entry efforts including:
Re-Entry Resource Fairs:
On April 27, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is co-hosting a re-entry resource fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Baltimore War Memorial located at 101 N. Gay Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202. This event will feature information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.
On April 20, 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland supported a re-entry resource fair hosted by the Bridge Center at Adam’s House and Employ Prince George’s. This event featured information for returning citizens and their families, including employment, educational, financial, health resources, and more helpful information.
Gang Culture and Our Children: How You Can Make a Difference: This presentation examines the impact gang culture is having on our children and focuses on the negative influences that traditional, nontraditional, and hybrid gangs have on our youth. It is designed by a certified Maryland Police and Training Commissions instructor and Gang Awareness trainer and meets the training mandates of the Maryland Safe Schools Act.
Project Safe Neighborhood/Project Safe Childhood Ballpark Outreach: During the summer of 2022, the United States Attorney’s Office and its federal law enforcement partners offer a wide range of prevention and intervention literature for youth. Future outreach will include outreach at Frederick Keys, Delmarva Shorebirds, Aberdeen Ironbirds, and Bowie Baysox baseball games.
Our office is also available to assist local communities and groups in identifying federal and state grant resources; provide guest speakers on a wide variety of public safety issues; and help connect individuals and groups to assist and protect their communities. For more information on our office’s community outreach programs, or for questions, please visit our community outreach page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
In addition to our commitment to community outreach and engagement as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods this program also brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Some highlights of the United States Attorney’s Office’s recent PSN prosecutions include:
United States v. Earl LeRoy Griffin Jr.: On April 19, 2022, Earl Leroy Griffin Jr., age 45, of Sunderland, Maryland was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the evidence presented at his four-day trial, on September 5, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Griffin’s residence and on his vehicle as part of a drug investigation. In Griffin’s locked vehicle, law enforcement recovered a stolen .40 caliber handgun, powder cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana. The vehicle was registered to Griffin. When he was searched incident to his arrest, Griffin had the keys to his vehicle and $1,870 in cash in his pockets. Griffin had four previous felony drug convictions and knew that as a result, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
United States v. Aaron Arthur Fields: On April 1, 2022, Aaron Author Fields, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl and to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and cocaine. According to his guilty plea, as the result of a Howard County fatal overdose, law enforcement discovered phone communications that indicated that an individual had made arrangements for the victim to purchase controlled substances from Fields. Additionally, investigators recovered three grams of heroin, believed to have purchased from Fields, from an individual during a traffic stop. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Field’s residence and recovered over 126 grams of cocaine, 28 grams of crack cocaine, and $1,911 in cash. Fields admitted that he distributed controlled substances to Victim 1 and that the death of Victim 1 resulted. Fields faces a maximum sentence of 240 months in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances and for the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and faces a maximum of 480 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Fields is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2022.
United States v. Zaid Rushdan: In February 2022, Zaid Rushdan, age 41, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute PCP and crack cocaine, and to possession of stolen firearms. Investigators determined that co-conspirators transported drugs and drug proceeds to facilitate Rushdan’s drug trafficking business after investigators observed their frequent trips to Rushdan’s apartment. In February 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Rushdan’s apartment and seized a number of items including over a gallon (4,486 grams) of PCP, approximately 299 grams of powder cocaine, approximately 31 grams of crack cocaine, seven handguns, two rifles, approximately 652 rounds of ammunition, and $14,485 in cash. Rushdan also knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, that four of the firearms were stolen. Rushdan is expected to be sentenced to at least 121 months, but not more than 151 months in federal prison on May 5, 2022.
United States v. DeAundre Keys: In February 2022, DeAundre Keys, age 35, of Lexington Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. As stated in Keys’ guilty plea, Keys sold fentanyl to three individuals. One of the three individuals became unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland concluded that the victim’s cause of death was fentanyl and alcohol intoxication. During an executed search warrant on Keys’ apartment in March 2021, law enforcement recovered 30.07 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, heroin, acetaminophen, 06-Monoacetylmorphine; drug paraphernalia, including a digital scale with fentanyl residue; a cutting agent; and plastic glassine baggies used for narcotics packaging and distribution; a Polymer 9mm handgun with a 30-round magazine containing 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition; one round of 9mm ammunition on the floor; two .40 magazines; an empty 30 round magazine; and $7,080 in cash, which were proceeds of Keys’ drug sales. The seized firearm was a ghost gun—privately made with parts manufactured outside Maryland, which has no serial number and is not a registered firearm. Keys knew that he had a previous felony conviction and was prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition. Keys is expected to be sentenced to between 120 months and 144 months in federal prison on May 24, 2022.
United States v. Gibran Nelson-Smith: In October 2021, Nelson-Smith, age 41, of Pikesville, Maryland, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute kilogram quantities of heroin, and crack cocaine and fentanyl. In 2018 and 2019, Nelson-Smith exercised a supervisory role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that operated in and around the Baltimore area. Nelson-Smith admitted that he endorsed the use of firearms by members of the organization to maintain security in the areas where drugs were being sold, and also endorsed the use or threatened use of violence by members of the organization to protect the drug sales activities of the organization. As the result of an executed search warrant at Nelson-Smith’s residence, law enforcement recovered several firearms, cash, and multiple controlled substances containing heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine. Nelson-Smith agreed that over the course of the conspiracy, he and his conspirators distributed at least a kilogram of heroin, at least a kilogram of crack cocaine, at least 250 grams of cocaine, and at least 10 grams of fentanyl.
United States v. Bobby Cannon: In December 2021, Bobby Cannon, age 24, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty to committing two murders and participating in the violent criminal conspiracy, the Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon (“NFL”) Criminal Enterprise. As a member of the NFL enterprise, Cannon admitted to distributing over one kilogram of heroin, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine. Cannon and his co-conspirators also participated in violent criminal activities including murder, illegal firearm possession, witness intimidation and more. Specifically, in 2018, Cannon shot and killed an individual on behalf of the NFL Criminal Enterprise (Victim 1). Victim 1 was believed to have been a federal witness cooperating with law enforcement. Cannon also shot and killed Victim 1’s girlfriend. Further, Cannon planned and attempted to murder another individual (Victim 2) in exchange for money from the NFL Criminal Enterprise in January 2019. Despite being shot y Cannon multiple times, Victim 2 survived the shooting. However, Victim 2 sustained life-threatening injuries. Cannon is expected to be sentenced to between 348 months and 432 months in federal prison on June 1, 2022.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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 is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines local, state and federal law enforcement efforts; community outreach; and public awareness, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Commemorates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and Sexual Assault Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana joins survivors, advocates, and communities nationwide in recommitting ourselves to this work: to believing survivors, strengthening prevention and education efforts, and holding offenders accountable.
The week of April 24 – 30 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The U.S. Attorney’s Office recognizes the importance of not only finding justice for crime victims in the courtroom but enforcing victims’ rights and providing victims with access to the resources and services that can help them heal. We want to celebrate the progress achieved and raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stands with those whose lives have been forever altered by crime and recognizes those in the district who assist the victims of crimes heal.
Today, at a ceremony held at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers recognized the following individuals and groups for their outstanding commitment to serving crime victims and pursuing excellence in victim services. U.S. Attorney Myers presented a plaque to each group and individual for their contribution to this effort.
- Detective David McDaniel, ATF Task Force Officer, IMPD
- IMPD Victim Assistance Unit
- IMPD Chaplain’s Office
- FBI Special Agent Andrew Willman
- IMPD Sergeant Linda Jackson
- Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Korobov
The Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 (CVRA) increased victim involvement in the federal criminal justice system by guaranteeing them certain basic rights, such as the right to be informed of any court proceedings or parole proceedings, the right to speak at public court proceedings, and the right to confer with the government attorney assigned to their case. But the most fundamental right that it enumerated was the “right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy.” The CVRA helped restore power to survivors who often feel powerless in the aftermath of a serious crime.
More information can be found at the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022), which treats sexual assault as the serious violation it is and creates new programs and initiatives that provide survivors of sexual violence with increased access to services and justice
“Sexual violence comes in many forms and its effects are far reaching,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. “I am so grateful for the passage of the VAWA 2022 and the positive impact it will have in caring for survivors. My office is committed to this effort and will hold offenders accountable for their actions, including those that use the online world to commit their crimes. As we fight on behalf of those who have been impacted by crime, it is fitting to recognize exemplary leaders and teams who bring justice and support to victims every day. Each of these awardees have made lasting contributions to bringing healing to victims and safety to our communities.”
The Southern District of Indiana is a national leader in the investigation and prosecution of sex crimes against children. For example, in fiscal year 2019, the Southern District of Indiana was second out of the 94 federal districts in the country for the number of child sexual exploitation cases prosecuted.
If you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced sexual violence, you are not alone and there are many services available to help, including the Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), and the StrongHearts Native Helpline, 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483). In addition, you can find a local resources page on OVW’s website, which lists state sexual assault coalitions that can direct you to local resources and services, as well as opportunities to get involved.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces It Will Not Pursue Criminal Charges Related to Officer-Involved Shooting on Southern Ute Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has concluded that it will not pursue federal criminal charges against Southern Ute Police Department officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old resident of Allison, Colorado, on September 12, 2021. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the decision today after reviewing all of the available evidence and notifying the family of the individual involved.
“We reviewed the evidence in this matter in close detail,” said United States Attorney Cole Finegan. “After a detailed and thorough analysis, the actions by law enforcement do not support bringing any criminal charge. Our office takes the loss of life seriously, and we appreciate the sensitive nature of this matter. The sensitivity of this matter also limits what information we can disclose publicly.”
The FBI performed the investigation, and the results were reviewed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In summary, the evidence demonstrates that on September 12, 2021, an individual in a pickup truck fled from a traffic stop and a high-speed chase ensued on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. After eluding law enforcement officers, the individual stopped the pickup truck on County Road 328 on a hill near the border of Colorado and New Mexico, within the exterior boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Southern Ute Police Department officers arrived in a marked patrol car behind the truck and got out of their vehicle. At that point, the individual reversed the truck and drove in the direction of the patrol car and the officers, placing them in fear of serious bodily injury or death. The officers fired their weapons, and the individual was killed.
Based on the location of the incident and the identity of the parties, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has sole jurisdiction over any criminal charges arising from this incident. The name of the decedent is being withheld at the request of the decedent’s family.
U.S. Attorney's Office Joins in Recognizing 41st Annual Crime Victims' Rights Week, April 24-30, 2022Read the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— Every April, the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) to honor crime victims, promote their rights and recognize victim advocates. This year’s observance, the 41st annual commemoration, takes place April 24-30, 2022 with the theme: Rights, access, equity for all victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office joins its federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners in taking this opportunity to highlight the importance of providing necessary services at the earliest possible stage of victimization and litigation. Early intervention helps prevent further victimization and encourages victim involvement in the criminal justice system, mitigating the cycle of violence and restoring hope for the future.
“Supporting and seeking justice on behalf of crime victims is central to the mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. We see unbelievable examples of victim courage nearly every day in the work we do. Their persistence and resolve, often in the face of incredible adversity, motivates all of us in federal law enforcement to continue vigorously advocating on their behalf,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
During National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, victim advocacy organizations, community groups and state, local, and tribal agencies host rallies, candlelight vigils, and other events to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services. This year, several national events are returning in-person, but will continue to feature livestream feeds. On the evening of April 28th, a candlelight vigil will be held on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol from 3:30-4:30 pm PDT. On April 29th, the National Crime Victims’ Service Award Ceremony will be held at Constitution Gardens National Park on the National Mall from 12:00-2:00 pm PDT. To access a livestream feed for either event, please visit ovc.ojp.gov/live.
OVC and the U.S. Attorney’s Office encourages widespread participation in the week’s events and in other victim-related observances throughout the year. For additional information about this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and how to assist victims in your community, please visit OVC’s website at www.ovc.gov. For ongoing updates from OVC and ideas throughout the year on how you can support victims, please subscribe to OVC’s email notifications at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/subscribe/.
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, please call 911. If you believe you’ve been the target or victim of a crime, please contact your local law enforcement agency or your nearest FBI field office immediately. The FBI Portland Field Office can be reached at (503) 224-4181 or by submitting tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
Two New Jersey Men Indicted for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Kelvin Vazquez-Pagan, age 24, of Passaic, New Jersey, and Carlos Perez-Rivera, age 37, of West New York, New Jersey, were indicted on April 26, 2022, by a federal grand jury for cocaine trafficking.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment charges Vazquez-Pagan and Perez-Rivera with possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine on March 23, 2022, in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The investigation was conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Gallagher are prosecuting the case.
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 charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum penalty under federal law is up to 40 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
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Three Indianapolis Men Facing Federal Charges for Eight Armed Cell Phone Store Robberies in Twenty-Five DaysRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – On April 21, 2022, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Indiana returned a seventeen-count indictment charging Quintez Tucker, 18, of Indianapolis, D’Maurah Bryant, 19, of Indianapolis, and Robdarius Williams, 19, of Indianapolis with conspiracy and multiple robbery and firearms offenses relating to a series of eight armed robberies committed over the course of twenty-five days. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrest of all the defendants.
According to court documents, beginning on November 8, 2021, and continuing through December 3, 2021, Tucker, Bryant, Williams, and others, including at least two juveniles, committed eight armed robberies of cell phone stores in Indianapolis and Fishers. Tucker, Bryant, Williams, and others planned the robberies and decided what combination of individuals would commit the robbery. Upon entering the cell phone stores, the defendants brandished firearms and stole cell phones, cell phone accessories, and U.S. currency from the stores and their customers.
The eight stores affected by the robberies were:
- Verizon: 11760 Olio Road, Fishers IN
- T-Mobile: 1560 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN
- T-Mobile: 11725 Fox Road, Indianapolis, IN
- AT&T: 4850 Southport Road, Indianapolis, IN
- Verizon: 1950 Kessler Blvd. West Drive, Indianapolis, IN
- T-Mobile: 1155 East Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis, IN
- T-Mobile: 6929 W 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN
- AT&T: 8855 South Emerson Avenue, Indianapolis, IN
Each of the defendants is scheduled to make their initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Wednesday, April 27, at 1:30 p.m. If convicted on the robbery charges, each faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count. If convicted of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, each faces a mandatory minimum of seven years up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. The Fishers Police Department, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Marion County Prosecutors Office also provided valuable assistance.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lawrence D. Hilton and Kelsey Massa, who are prosecuting this case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Taunton Man Sentenced for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Gino Romano, 50, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to one year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. On Jan. 18, 2022, Romano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Romano was charged in November 2020 after he was identified as a customer and distributor for a cocaine supplier who was charged in “Operation Snowfall” – a multi-year investigation into drug trafficking activities by Boston-based street gang members and associates. The investigation identified Romano on intercepted calls with the cocaine supplier during which he used coded language to negotiate pricing and a meeting location for a cocaine deal. At the designated location, Romano and the supplier met briefly in a vehicle before the supplier left the scene. A subsequent search of Romano’s vehicle recovered 125 grams of cocaine and the cellphone he had used to communicate with the supplier.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Douglas Bartlett, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Assistance in the investigation was provided by the Braintree, Cambridge, Canton, Randolph and Weymouth Police Departments; the Suffolk, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorneys’ Offices; and the Suffolk, Plymouth and Norfolk County Sheriffs’ Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin R. O’Donnell and Timothy E. Moran of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Summerdale Woman Sentenced to Ten Years for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – On April 25, 2022, United States District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey U. Beaverstock sentenced Esmeralda Vidana to ten years imprisonment for methamphetamine trafficking.
According to court documents during an investigation of drug trafficking, on October 1, 2019, a known drug trafficker, Jose Eduardo Bravo Rodriguez, was surveilled by law enforcement agents leaving Vidana’s home in Summerdale. Alabama. Agents later performed a traffic stop of Rodriguez and caught him with one ounce of methamphetamine. Rodriguez was prosecuted by the United States in a separate drug trafficking case.
Agents next visited Vidana to speak to her. During the conversation Vidana confessed that she possessed a large amount of methamphetamine in her home that she was selling. Agents recovered approximately 680 grams of methamphetamine. Vidana further confessed that the drugs came from a larger batch of 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine that she had previously obtained and had been selling. Vidana plead guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine in September 2021.
In addition to the ten-year sentence, United States District Court Chief Judge Jeffery Beaverstock further ordered that Vidana would also serve five years on supervised release following her imprisonment. As conditions of her supervision, Vidana will also undergo testing and treatment for drug and/or alcohol abuse, and she will be subject to a search of her person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Vidana pay $100 in special assessments.
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello stated: “This case is yet another great example of effective coordination between federal and state law enforcement to stop drug trafficking in the Southern District of Alabama. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to prosecute these cases vigorously.”
The case was investigated the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney George May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.Suburban man gets 35 years for sexually exploiting minors through SkoutRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 24-year-old local man has been ordered to prison for sexual exploitation and coercion and enticement of minors, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Benjamen Charles Slaughter pleaded guilty Aug. 4, 2021 to sexual exploitation of children, receipt and possession of child pornography.
Today, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown sentenced Butler to 420 months in federal prison. Following the lengthy sentence, Slaughter will be on supervised release for the rest of his life, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He was also ordered to pay $15,300 in special assessments and to register as a sex offender.
Slaughter met the then 15-year-old female victim through a the social media website Skout, during which time he convinced her to become his “submissive.” Slaughter was actively involved in the bondage, discipline, dominance and submission world and had frequented the website Collarspace, a site for similarly-minded individuals.
Slaughter demanded one victim to engage in sex with strangers and wanted her to do so without using protection.
He had also started receiving child pornography prior to becoming an adult and created a Dropbox account to store some of his collection. Authorities conducted numerous search warrants for various social media and online storage accounts as well as Slaughter’s residence. Those revealed numerous images of child pornography, some of which involved babies and toddlers in provocative situations with animals and adult male genitalia.
Slaughter has been in custody since being determined a danger to the community and a flight risk, where he will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources link on that page.
Steven Wiggins Sentenced to Life in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Steven J. Wiggins, 33, of Dickson, Tennessee, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Wiggins was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2019 on carjacking and firearms violations which resulted in the death of Dickson County Sheriff’s Sergeant Daniel Baker on May 30, 2018. Following the federal indictment, the United States sought and received approval to seek the death penalty against Wiggins. On March 25, 2022, Wiggins pleaded guilty to the federal charges under a binding plea agreement with an agreed sentence of life imprisonment.
“Our office will never let a criminal attack on law enforcement go unanswered,” said U.S. Attorney Wildasin. “The full force of the Department of Justice will be brought to bear on anyone who commits such a heinous crime. I want to acknowledge the painstaking work of our many law enforcement partners, including District Attorney General Ray Crouch, who led the prosecution efforts at the state level, as we proceeded with the parallel prosecutions of Wiggins. Finally, let me acknowledge and thank Lisa Baker, Sergeant Baker’s widow, for staying the course through many difficult days of proceedings during the past four years. Together, we have achieved justice for Sergeant Baker.”
Wiggins brutally murdered Sergeant Baker by shooting him six times after Baker encountered him when responding to a suspicious vehicle call. Wiggins was found guilty of the murder by a Circuit Court Jury after a trial on August 5, 2021, and the jury imposed the death sentence.
Following today’s sentencing, and in keeping with the terms of the plea agreement, the United States moved to withdraw its notice of intent to seek the death penalty, and Wiggins will serve life in prison. This sentence has no effect on the State’s previously imposed death sentence, which will continue to move forward.
Agencies involved in the initial search and capture of Wiggins and the subsequent investigation include the Dickson County Sheriff’s Department; the 23rd District Attorney General’s Office; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the Tennessee Highway Patrol; the FBI; and numerous other local, state, and federal agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire prosecuted the case.
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Springfield Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with his involvement in a scheme to launder the proceeds of various phone fraud scams.
Utkarsh Thakur, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock scheduled sentencing for Sept. 14, 2022. Thakur was charged on March 29, 2022.
Between January and August 2021, Thakur’s co-conspirators called victims over the phone pretending to be individuals in positions of authority, such as law enforcement, and threaten the victims in order to obtain money. The victims were instructed to mail cash to fictitious individuals at addresses in Massachusetts. Thakur obtained fake identification cards in the names of those fictitious individuals, retrieved the cash mailed by the victims and transported the cash to others involved in the scheme. In total, Thakur laundered more than $1 million in victim funds and kept a portion of those funds for himself.
The charge of money laundering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by many local law enforcement partners, including the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Bellingham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Southern Oregon Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Assaulting Bureau of Land Management Employee with a Deadly WeaponRead the Press Release
MEDFORD, Ore.—A southern Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for assaulting a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee with a deadly weapon while the employee was taking photos of a campsite the man occupied on BLM property in Josephine County, Oregon.
Scott Dye, 56, was sentenced to time served and three years’ supervised release. Dye was in custody from the time of his arrest in June 2020 until his release after pleading guilty in December 2021.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2020, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office deputies and emergency personnel responded to an overturned school bus located on BLM property. Dye was identified as the driver and owner of the bus. On June 6, 2020, a BLM officer contacted Dye and told him he had 14 days to vacate the bus property.
From June 6, 2020 through June 16, 2020, Dye enlisted the aid of both BLM officers and civilians on multiple occasions to move his overturned bus. Throughout this time, Dye explained to witnesses that he was being harassed and intimidated by local civilians who did not want him there. On June 15, 2020, multiple individuals threw rocks at Dye and told him that he needed to leave. Dye told a BLM employee he was being harassed and expressed his desire to remove the bus from the crash site and vacate the area as soon as possible.
On the morning of June 17, 2020, a BLM employee was travelling in a government vehicle on official business and stopped near Dye’s encampment to take some photos. After taking two photos, the employee heard the rear driver side window of his vehicle shatter. Realizing he was being shot at, the employee opened his driver door and entered the vehicle. As soon as he shut the door, a second round struck the steering wheel of the vehicle sending shrapnel into the employee’s hand. The employee also sustained minor abrasions on his ear from flying glass. The employee quickly departed the scene and called 911.
Less than an hour after the shooting, Josephine County sheriff deputies and BLM officers observed Dye walking on a BLM road near the encampment and detained him. Dye told the officers he owned the bus and was returning from a walk. When asked if he possessed any guns in the camp, Dye declined. Dye was eventually driven to and released in Merlin, Oregon and instructed not to the return to the bus. He was arrested again later the same day by BLM officers.
On the same day as the shooting, FBI and BLM agents executed a federal search warrant on the bus and surrounding camp site. They found a .223 caliber shell casing on the ground near the bus and an empty black rifle case and .223 magazine inside the bus near Dye’s sleeping pad. From the rear of the bus where the spent shell casing was found, agents observed a direct line of site to the location where the BLM employee’s vehicle was struck by gunfire earlier that day. A ballistics analysis later conducted by the FBI concluded that three shots were fired at an upward trajectory from Dye’s bus toward the BLM employee and his vehicle
On June 18, 2020, Dye was charged by federal criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer, camping longer than permitted on public lands, and disposing of garbage on public lands. Later, on July 20, 2021, a federal grand jury in Medford returned a three-count indictment charging Dye with assaulting a federal officer; attempting to murder a federal officer; and using, carrying, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
On December 10, 2021, Dye pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by BLM and FBI with assistance from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Boccato, Adam Delph, and Amy Potter prosecuted the case.
Photo of Dye's campsite and overturned bus Photo of the BLM truck Photo of shattered window of BLM vehicle Photo showing bullet damage to steering wheelSouth Florida International Firearms Smuggler Sentenced to Almost 20 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A Delray Beach, Florida man who fueled an international firearms smuggling ring with guns he illegally purchased at South Florida gun shows through straw buyers has been sentenced to 200 months in federal prison.
Mackenzie Delmas, 27, pled guilty in May 2021 to numerous federal offenses, including conspiracy, firearms smuggling, straw purchasing of firearms, possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute MDMA.
Delmas was a convicted felon during the conspiracy, which operated from about 2018 to 2019. Unable to buy firearms himself due to his prior conviction, Delmas deployed straw buyers to gun shows throughout South Florida to buy firearms on his behalf. The straw buyers would falsely represent to the federally licensed firearms dealers at the shows that the firearms were for them, when in fact they were for Delmas. In a little over one year, Delmas obtained 25 firearms through straw buyers. In September 2018, Canadian law enforcement intercepted some of these guns as they were being smuggled from New York to Canada. In November 2019, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seized another gun connected to Delmas during a criminal investigation.
Delmas was one of seven defendants convicted and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida in this matter. Two additional defendants, Shalena Mary Haynes and Enza Esposito, are fugitives.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Christopher A. Robinson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Miami, announced the sentenced imposed by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case, with assistance from numerous federal, local, and foreign agencies, including the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division (DOJ - ATR), the United States Secret Service (USSS), the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO), the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Toronto Police Service (TPS), and the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires et de médecine légale (LSJML).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam McMichael and former DOJ Anti-Trust Trial Attorney, Paola Henry prosecuted the case.
You may find related court documents and information 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 19-cr-80045.
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Six Arrested for Trafficking Methamphetamine and Heroin in BakersfieldRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Six people were arrested in Kern County today following a year-long investigation of a Bakersfield-based drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
The defendants are scheduled to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto on Wednesday, April 27, at 2:00 p.m.
Those charged in the federal criminal complaint unsealed today are: Jorge Calderon-Campos, 41; Byron Adilio Alfaro-Sandoval, 45; and Johnathan Benjamin Torres, 30; all citizens of Mexico residing in Bakersfield; Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez, 66, of Bakersfield; and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 36; and Mark Garcia, 22, of Arvin.
According to court documents, Campos distributed in Bakersfield large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin that he imported from Mexico. Between March 2021 and February 2022, law enforcement agencies intercepted and seized approximately 86 pounds of methamphetamine and 1 kilogram of heroin that Campos and his co-conspirators attempted to distribute.
“We are committed to disrupting transnational criminal networks that flood our communities with dangerous drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Those who distribute large amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, and other illegal drugs in our communities will be held accountable.”
“The successful outcome of this yearlong investigation further highlights the importance of sustained cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement,” said HSI San Francisco/NorCal Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. “Through this multiagency effort, we were able to disrupt transnational criminal activity responsible for importing and distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin into our communities. We especially thank our agents, the men and women of our federal and local partners as well as the prosecutorial efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California.”
“DEA and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in the pursuit of criminal networks that set-up shop in our communities and push poison into our neighborhoods,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Kern County Probation Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of the charged offenses, each defendant faces a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison up to a maximum 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.
Sioux Falls Man Charged with Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Jordan Tyler Traversie, age 31, was indicted on April 5, 2022. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on April 25, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that Traversie, who had previously been convicted of a sex crime and required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, failed to do so between October 14, 2021, and February 16, 2022.
The charge is merely an accusation and Traversie is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Traversie was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Semmes Man with Prior Robbery Conviction Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Semmes man was sentenced to seven years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Noah Jones, 23, was arrested by Mobile Police Department officers on December 26, 2020 after he refused to stop for a traffic violation and led police on a high speed chase through a residential area of Mobile. During the pursuit, Jones lost control of the SUV that he was driving, slammed into a tree, bailed out of the vehicle, and ran on foot through several backyards before police caught and arrested him. Jones told officers that he ran because he was out on bond for a pending state murder charge.
Between the driver’s seat and center console of the SUV that Jones had wrecked, officers found a Glock 9mm pistol, which was equipped with a fully loaded 30-round high-capacity magazine. Jones admitted that he possessed the Glock pistol. On the back floorboard of the SUV, police found two additional fully loaded 9mm pistols, which Jones denied possessing. Jones was convicted of second degree robbery in Mobile County Circuit Court in 2017. His prior felony robbery conviction rendered his possession of firearms illegal under federal law.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Jones to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo drug testing and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Jones to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Seattle man who sold large quantities of fentanyl while out on bail for state drug charge sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 38-year-old Seattle man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84-months in prison for distributing fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Ricky Chavez Hernandez was out on bail from a King County Superior Court drug case when he repeatedly sold large amounts of fentanyl to someone working with law enforcement. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour imposed 3 years of supervised release to follow the prison term.
According to records filed in the case, in early April 2021, a confidential source working with federal agents set up a drug buy from an associate of Hernandez. At the site of the deal, Hernandez sold a quarter pound of powder fentanyl for $8,500. Hernandez also offered to sell a pill press and fentanyl pills. Analysis of the fentanyl Hernandez sold showed in contained not only fentanyl, but an animal tranquilizer. The next month, Hernandez was again selling fentanyl to the confidential informant. Finally, Hernandez was arrested after setting up a third drug deal on May 27, 2021.
When agents searched Hernandez’ home at the time of his arrest, they found a mixer used for cutting fentanyl with other substances, drug scales, and other drug trafficking equipment.
Hernandez engaged in the drug trafficking in this case while out on bail for charges related to drug trafficking crimes charged in state court. In a search of Hernandez’ home in 2019, agents recovered two firearms, fentanyl powder, heroin, and fentanyl pills. Law enforcement also found methamphetamine, cocaine, and the tools of a drug dealer such as scales and cell phones in the residence.
In asking for a 90-month sentence, prosecutors noted that fentanyl is deadly, not only for drug users but for others who can be inadvertently exposed. Hernandez “was mixing pure powdered fentanyl with various other substances at his house where his mother, girlfriend, and infant daughter lived. Mixing drugs with the lethality of fentanyl — which can kill through air exposure alone—is dangerous enough. Doing so with an infant in the house indicates exceptional recklessness regarding the health risks to others,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
Hernandez’s federal sentence and his state sentence on the 2019 case can be run concurrently. Following prison, he will be on federal supervised release for 3 years.
The case was investigated by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Seattle and Federal Way Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristine Foerster.
San Fernando Valley Man Indicted on Federal Charges Alleging He Sold Pound Quantities of Meth and Dozens of ‘Ghost Guns’Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today charged a San Fernando Valley man with selling a total of nearly 16 pounds of methamphetamine and 89 firearms, including dozens of “ghost guns,” or firearms that lack serial numbers.
Julio Ernesto Lopez-Menendez, 26, a.k.a. “Iroe,” of Reseda, was charged in a 13-count indictment with four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, four counts of possession of unregistered firearms, and four counts of possession of firearms not identified by serial numbers.
Lopez-Menendez’s arraignment is scheduled for May 5 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. He has been in federal custody since his April 14 arrest on a criminal complaint in this case.
The indictment returned today details a series of alleged transactions involving Lopez-Menendez from January 6 to April 7, 2022. These transactions typically involved large numbers of firearms and, sometimes, pound quantities of methamphetamine. Some firearms sold were so-called “ghost guns,” named because of their lack of a serial number.
Ghost guns are often assembled from parts purchased separately or in a kit. Because the separate parts do not bear serial numbers, the assembled ghost guns do not bear serial numbers, and they cannot be registered or traced.
In one deal on January 20, Lopez-Menendez allegedly sold the buyer – who was an undercover operative – a dozen firearms, including 10 semi-automatic “ghost gun” pistols. In a February 10 transaction, Lopez-Menendez allegedly sold the buyer nearly one pound of methamphetamine and 14 firearms, including nine semi-automatic ghost gun pistols, for $15,000.
During the final two drug deals alleged in the indictment, Lopez-Menendez sold the buyer approximately 4.2 kilograms (9.2 pounds) and 2.2 kilograms (4.8 pounds) of methamphetamine on March 8 and March 23, respectively.
In total, Lopez-Menendez sold approximately 7.25 kilograms (15.98 pounds) of methamphetamine and 89 firearms – including 53 ghost guns, the indictment alleges.
Lopez-Menendez does not have a federal firearms license and does not have any firearms registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, the central registry for all items regulated under the National Firearms Act, according to court documents.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Lopez-Menendez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the for each distribution of methamphetamine charge. He would face statutory maximum sentences of five years in federal prison for the unlicensed firearms business charge, 10 years in federal prison for each possession of an unregistered firearm count, and 10 years in federal prison for each count of possession of a firearm without a serial number.
The FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Chou of the Violent and Organized Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
San Diego Man Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Joseph Orabona (619) 546-7951
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – April 26, 2022
SAN DIEGO – Jonathan Madison of San Diego was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 100 months in prison for knowingly recruiting, advertising, and soliciting a teenage girl to engage in commercial sex acts.
Madison pleaded guilty in February 2021. In his plea agreement, Madison admitted that he transported underage girls and women and provided them to customers for commercial sex acts, which took place in California and Colorado from November 2017 through April 2020. During this time, Madison transported, provided, maintained, and obtained an underage girl (while she was 15 and 16 years old) for the purpose of her to engage in commercial sex acts, including in San Diego County. As part of his human trafficking activities, Madison caused online advertisements of the underage girls and women to be posted on various websites for customers to solicit them for commercial sex.
Madison also admitted that he videotaped himself having sexual intercourse with an underage girl and later transmitted the video to her by cell phone.
Madison, aka “Jay Jay,” “Boobutt,” and “JT,” was arrested in April 2020 on sex trafficking charges and ordered detained without bond by the Court. A federal grand jury returned an indictment in May 2020 against Madison charging him with sex trafficking of a minor.
“This is a fitting sentence for a man engaged in trafficking of children,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Our office will continue to seek justice when our community’s most vulnerable victims are subjected to these heinous crimes.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and members of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force for their excellent work on this case.
“Today’s sentence sends a strong message to those who intentionally target and victimize children,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners on the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force will use all investigative resources to identify and prosecute those who prey on minors.”
Madison has been detained in custody since his arrest in April 2020.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant not only imposed the 100-month prison sentence, but also ordered Madison to serve a five-year term of supervised release and to pay a $5,000 mandatory penalty assessment pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Madison will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
DEFENDANT Case Numbers: 20CR1228-BAS
Jonathan Madison Age: 31 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Sex Trafficking of a Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591
Maximum Penalties: 10-year mandatory minimum and a maximum of life in prison; mandatory Sex Offender Registration; a maximum term of supervised release of life; mandatory restitution to the victims.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, which consists of:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- California Department of Justice
- California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation – Parole
- California Highway Patrol
- ICE/Homeland Security Investigations
- National City Police Department
- San Diego City Attorney’s Office
- San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
- San Diego County Probation Department
- San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
- San Diego Police Department
- The United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California
Rapid City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Stolen FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Stolen Firearm was sentenced on April 22, 2022, by Judge Karen E. Schreier, U.S. District Court.
Huya Smoke, age 20, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Smoke was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 19, 2021, and pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021. The conviction stems from Smoke knowingly being in possession of a stolen 9mm semi-automatic pistol in Rapid City in April 2021. At the time, Smoke was also under indictment in Meade County, South Dakota.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Smoke was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Queens Business Owner Sentenced for Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A New York man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for tax evasion and employment tax crimes.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Rocco Manzione, of Queens, owned and operated several Brooklyn-based concrete companies. From 2011 to 2017, Manzione withheld more than $1 million in federal employment taxes from his employees’ wages, but he did not timely file employment tax returns for his companies, nor did he pay the required taxes to the IRS. Instead, Manzione spent these funds on family vacations, multiple mortgages, private school tuition and luxury vehicles. For the third quarter of 2016 alone, Manzione did not pay over to the IRS $85,000 in employment taxes for Advanced Transit Mix Corp., one of the companies he owned.
In addition to the payroll tax scheme, Manzione also filed false tax returns and evaded his individual income taxes. From 2012 through 2017, Manzione initially did not file federal income tax returns, even though he earned more than $3.9 million in taxable income during that period. He concealed some of his income from the IRS by transferring funds from one of the concrete companies he owned to a bank account in the name of a nominee corporation.
In December 2015, Manzione wanted to purchase a condominium in Miami for more than $1 million. The lending banks, however, required him to provide federal income tax returns for the previous three years. To qualify for a mortgage, Manzione conspired with his accountant, John Savignano, to file false 2012 through 2014 tax returns that underreported his income for each of those years.
In total, Manzione caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $2.8 million. Savignano is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Rachel P. Kovner ordered Manzione to serve two years of supervised release and to pay approximately $2.8 million in restitution.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Kathryn Carpenter of the Justice Department’s Tax Division prosecuted the case.
Prior Felon Going to Prison for Possessing A Gun and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Marco Sweat, 41, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who handled the case, stated that on June 9, 2019, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Buffalo Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, executed a search warrant at Sweat’s residence on Langfield Drive in Buffalo. During the search, investigators seized three firearms and 125 rounds of ammunition. Sweat, having previously been convicted in Erie County Court of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, and Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The sentencing is result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division.
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Presidential Designation of ATF Acting DirectorRead the Press Release
On April 25, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden signed an order designating Gary M. Restaino, the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, to serve as Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Presidential Order became effective upon the President’s submission to the U.S. Senate of the nomination of former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettlebach to serve as permanent ATF Director. Acting Director Restaino will continue to serve as U.S. Attorney while the Senate considers Mr. Dettlebach’s nomination.
“After three decades of dedicated service, Deputy Director Marvin Richardson stepped up to lead ATF when he was needed the most, and under his leadership the brave professionals of ATF have worked tirelessly to protect our communities from violent crime and the scourge of gun violence,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We are extremely grateful that Marvin will continue his service to the Justice Department and our country as Deputy Director. We are also grateful for the leadership and commitment of Gary Restaino, a U.S. Attorney and career prosecutor who has served with the Department for nearly 20 years, as he takes on this new assignment as Acting Director of ATF.”
Deputy Director Richardson will work closely with Acting Director Restaino to ensure both an effective transition and continuity in executing ATF’s crucial public safety mission.
Pittsburgh Man Indicted for Early March Robbery Spree, Firearms Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of robbery, attempted robbery, and firearms violations, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The nine-count Indictment named Eric Jones, 32, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, Jones committed four robberies and attempted robberies from March 6, 2022, until March 15, 2022. Specifically, on March 6, 2022, Jones is alleged to have committed a robbery at the Fox’s Pizza Den in Oakmont. Jones is also accused of committing a robbery at a Sunoco gas station and convenience store in Verona on March 10, 2022. On March 15, 2022, Jones is accused of attempting to rob a Family Dollar on Frankstown Road in Pittsburgh, and the Edgewood Avenue Express in Edgewood. The Indictment further alleges that Jones discharged a firearm during three of those robberies, and brandished a firearm in connection with another. Jones also is also accused of possessing a semiautomatic pistol from March 6, 2022 until March 19, 2022.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life in prison, a fine of $2,225,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was the result of a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Allegheny County Police Department, the Oakmont Police Department, the Penn Hills Police Department, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Edgewood Police Department, and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Nearly 22 Years for Kidnapping and Robbing United States Postal WorkersRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that James Chandler, 55, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison, and five supervised release by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick for two counts of robbery of a postal worker and one count of kidnapping.
In September 2021, the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges in connection with two incidents that occurred on January 11 and February 4, 2021, during which Chandler robbed postal workers using a replica handgun, forcing them into their postal trucks and stealing packages from inside. During the incident in February, Chandler also forced the postal worker to drive him for several blocks in her postal truck before he fled on foot.
“Targeting and violently assaulting employees of the United States Postal Service is a serious federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Mail carriers provide an essential service to nearly every citizen and business, oftentimes going above and beyond to execute their duties in challenging circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chandler terrorized two postal workers at gunpoint, and he will now spend decades behind bars for his actions.”
“Early in 2021, James Chandler terrorized two mail carriers with the United States Postal Service by pointing a gun their faces and robbing them of parcels they were delivering. With some old fashioned police work, Postal Inspectors and Philadelphia Police detectives quickly identified and arrested Mr. Chandler,” said Damon Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division. “While Inspectors are busy investigating narcotic trafficking, mail fraud schemes, and the theft of mail, few other crimes will mobilize Inspectors and the resources of the Inspection Service more so than violence committed against its employees or its customers. I want to thank the officers and detectives of the Philadelphia Police Department and the prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office for working alongside us in holding Mr. Chandler responsible.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Oshana.
Pharmacist Sentenced for $180 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A former Mississippi pharmacist was sentenced today to 10 years in the Southern District of Mississippi for a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors for the referral of medically unnecessary prescriptions. The conduct resulted in more than $180 million in fraudulent billings, including more than $50 million paid by federal health care programs.
According to court documents, Mitchell “Chad” Barrett, 55, now of Gulf Breeze, Florida, and formerly of Mississippi, participated in a scheme to defraud TRICARE and other health care benefit programs by distributing medically unnecessary compounded medications. Barrett was licensed as a pharmacist in Mississippi and was a co-owner of various compounding pharmacies. As part of this scheme, Barrett adjusted prescription formulas to ensure the highest reimbursement without regard to medical necessity. He solicited recruiters to procure prescriptions for high-margin compounded medications and paid those recruiters commissions based on the percentage of reimbursements paid by pharmacy benefit managers and health care benefit programs, including commissions on claims reimbursed by TRICARE. He further routinely and systematically waived and/or reduced copayments to be paid by beneficiaries and members, and utilized a purported copayment assistance program to falsely make it appear as if his pharmacy and its affiliate compounding pharmacies had been collecting copayments.
Barrett pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2021, to conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. In addition to the term of imprisonment, Barrett was ordered to pay restitution and forfeit all assets traced to his ill-gotten gains.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Cyndy Bruce of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DoD OIG-DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Jackson Field Office and DoD OIG-DCIS are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen and Alejandra Arias of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn Van Buskirk of the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case with assistance from Sara Porter and Dustin Davis from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Pennsylvania man sentenced for drug trafficking chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – John Ross Lawrence, of Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 70 months of incarceration for a drug a charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Lawrence, 32, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Lawrence admitted to selling methamphetamine in February 2021 in Marshall County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton J. Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, and the Cameron Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Owner of Tax Preparation Business Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Defrauding Small Business OwnersRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – The former owner of a tax preparation business who defrauded at least eight small businesses, many of whose owners spoke English in a limited capacity, was sentenced yesterday to 24 months in federal prison for wire fraud and ordered to pay $190,294 in restitution.
According to court documents, Lisa Tucker Dillard, 60, of Roanoke, Virginia owned and operated a bookkeeping and tax accounting business in Franklin County, and in exchange for a monthly fee, claimed to provide accounting services to small businesses, including the preparation of federal taxes.
Beginning in 2017, Dillard began a scheme to defraud local small business owners, many of whom spoke limited English. As part of this scheme, Dillard advised her victims that they owed a tax liability to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but that she had established an installment agreement with the IRS for payment. Dillard then instructed her victims to make those installment payments directly to her claiming that she would then forward the money to the IRS.
In creating a sense of legitimacy, Dillard applied a fraudulent IRS logo to fake receipts that she presented to her victims to make it appear that the money had been remitted to the IRS and applied to the victims’ alleged tax liabilities. In actuality, Dillard neither filed taxes nor paid any money to the IRS on behalf of any victim. Moreover, Dillard was never approved by the IRS as an authorized tax return filer because she never obtained either a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) or an Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) as required by the IRS.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin B. Johnson prosecuted the case.
Orangeburg and Columbia Men Who Shot Towards Police Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Two felons who shot towards, police – Phillip Michael King, 35, of Barnwell, and Anthony Lafayette Legette, a/k/a “Amp Legette,” 37, of Columbia – were collectively sentenced to nearly 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal firearms violations.
“As recent events in our state have shown us, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis. “We will not tolerate violence against the police in South Carolina, and I want to thank the law enforcement agencies that responded and prioritized these cases.”
“Violent individuals in possession of firearms illegally are a threat to our communities and a threat to the brave men and women working to keep our streets safe,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Mein. “ATF is proud to join our local, state, and federal partners in bringing these individuals to justice.”
"These cases are examples of how local law enforcement work in partnership with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney to arrest and prosecute prolific violent offenders,” said Columbia Chief of Police W. H. “Skip” Holbrook. “Cases like these remove the ‘trigger pullers’ from neighborhoods in our cities."
King pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition – his second such conviction in federal court. Evidence presented in court showed that on September 22, 2018, an officer with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety attempted a traffic stop near downtown Orangeburg because the vehicle was reported as stolen. The vehicle failed to stop for blue lights, sirens, or marked patrol cars, and took the police on a car chase through the city. King leaned out of the rear passenger window during the pursuit and discharged two rounds from a pistol in the direction of the police car behind him. The vehicles came to a stop and King fled on foot. A loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol was recovered in the path of King’s flight on foot. King later confessed to the shooting and to hoping that during it he would be shot and killed by the police. Shell casings collected from the area of the shooting were forensically matched by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to the firearm recovered, and ATF determined the firearm was stolen.
Legette also pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Evidence presented in court showed that on November 3, 2017, Legette was driving under the influence when he was in a car accident with an off-duty Columbia Police Department officer near downtown Columbia. When the vehicles came to a stop, the off-duty officer approached Legette, identified himself as an officer with the Columbia Police Department, and showed his law enforcement credentials. Legette then failed to follow commands and appeared to reach for a firearm. The off-duty officer brandished his service weapon, and Legette fled the scene in his vehicle to an apartment complex in Columbia. Legette walked inside, retrieved a pistol, told a resident that an officer was following him, came outside and announced, “there goes that [explicative] right there.” Legette pointed his firearm in the air in the direction of the officer and discharged one round. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the residence, recovered a loaded Cobra Industries, .38 caliber Derringer pistol with one spent casing inside the revolver. Legette later admitted to the shooting.
King was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based on numerous prior felony convictions, including assault with intent to kill in an incident related to a prior shooting, arson, and a federal felon in possession of a firearm conviction. King’s convictions began in 2003 and they also include unlawful carrying of a pistol, simple assault and battery, and failure to stop for blue lights.
Legette was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based on numerous prior felony convictions, including assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in a matter related to an assault that was a part of a gang ritual, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and assault and battery 2nd degree. Legette’s convictions began in 2002 and they also include driving under the influence, drunkenness, drug possession, simple assault and battery, and failure to comply with a police command.
Senior United States District Court Judge Terry L. Wooten sentenced King to a total of 114 months in federal prison. Senior United States District Court Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Legette to 63 months in federal prison. Both sentences will be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision, and there is no parole in the federal system.
King’s case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
Both cases were 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 cases were investigated by the ATF, SLED, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, and Columbia Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the cases.
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Omaha Man Sentenced to 180 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug and Firearm ConvictionsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Adan Casillas-Aguilar, 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking offense. Casillas-Aguilar received a sentence of 180 months’ imprisonment with a five-year term of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system. Casillas-Aguilar also forfeited $48,317 that was seized as part of the investigation.
On November 9, 2020, officers with the Omaha Police Department utilized an informant to purchase 25 grams of pure methamphetamine from Casillas-Aguilar. On November 24, 2020, a second controlled buy using an informant resulted in an additional 150 grams of pure methamphetamine being purchased from Casillas-Aguilar.
On December 2, 2020, a search warrant was executed on Casillas-Aguilar’s residence in Omaha. During the search, 9.88 pounds of methamphetamine and $48,317 were seized. In addition, officers located 8 firearms, including a loaded rifle that was located on the kitchen table.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Oklahoma Inmate Indicted for Orchestrating Drug and Firearms Conspiracies Using Contraband CellphonesRead the Press Release
An inmate who used contraband cell phones to lead a methamphetamine distribution operation has been charged along with five others in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Richard Deeter, Jr. was charged with directing a continuing criminal enterprise from prison. Deeter along with Donald Pearson, Jonna Steele, Johnny Sparks, Izabella Boling, and Nicole Cox, were charged in a 43-count indictment with taking part in drug and firearms conspiracies that included the trafficking of methamphetamine and the use of firearms to further their drug operation.
“This case demonstrates how the use of contraband cell phones within prisons fuels violent crime in communities across our state,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “My office is committed to working together with our law enforcement partners to thwart the use of contraband cell phones and hold accountable those individuals operating large scale criminal conspiracies from behind prison walls.”
Deeter allegedly directed the purchase and pick up of bulk quantities of methamphetamine from Oklahoma City for the purpose of redistributing the drug within the Northern District of Oklahoma. Deeter and his coconspirators utilized Facebook messenger, video calls, text messaging, encrypted instant messaging, and other methods to conduct operations. The indictment alleges he communicated with his coconspirators and others about where to pick up the methamphetamine, drug pricing, and to whom the drug would be sold. Deeter accepted payment from coconspirators and drug customers through the use of Green Dot cards and Cash App. He is also alleged to have directed the use of firearms to further the drug operation and the collection of drug debts. The conspirators kept residences in Tulsa for storing the guns and methamphetamine.
According to the indictment, criminal acts conducted as part of the conspiracy are:
-In November 2021, Deeter had a phone conversation asking an individual to find someone who could pilot a drone for the purposes of smuggling contraband into prison.
-In December 2021, Deeter sent a text message to an individual with a list of people who owed him money. On that list was Michael Johnson. Deeter directed an individual to collect the debt by stealing Johnson’s car. During the Jan. 5, 2022, attempt to collect the debt, Johnson was shot and killed.
-In June 2021, Deeter directed an individual to travel to Oklahoma City to purchase approximately 5 to 7 kilograms of methamphetamine. The next month, he directed the same individual to travel to the city to purchase 14 kilograms of methamphetamine.
-In July 2021, Deeter directed an individual to find someone to shave the heads and eyebrows of two women who owed him money.
-In November 2021, Deeter allegedly messaged Boling asking her to sell approximately 13 firearms over Facebook Messenger for a total price of $5,000.
-From November to December 2021, Deeter directed an individual to store firearms at a residence located at 1815 N. Atlanta Place in Tulsa. During that time, Deeter also used a cell phone, including video calls, to direct the same individual to trade methamphetamine for firearms.
-In November 2021, Deeter arranged for a Universal Aryan Brotherhood member to deliver a 12-gauge break open shotgun to the same residence to hide the firearm from police.
-In September and October 2021, Deeter paid rent for 1814 N. Atlanta Place in the form of counterfeit oxycodone pills, which contained fentanyl.
*An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Defendants are charged as followed:
Richard Deeter Jr., 44, residing in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester: continuing criminal enterprise (Count 1); felon in possession of a firearm (Counts 2,3) Firearms Conspiracy (Count 5); drug conspiracy (Count 6); use of a communication facility in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony (Counts 7-29, 31-39); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count 40, 42); possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (count 43).
Donnie Pearson, 36, of Sand Springs: felon in possession of a firearm (Count 4); firearms conspiracy (Count 5); drug conspiracy (Count 6), use of a communication facility in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony (Count 30).
Jonna Steele, 37, of Tulsa: firearms conspiracy (Count 5); drug conspiracy (Count 6); use of a communication facility in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony (Count 16, 18).
Johnny Sparks, 34, of Tulsa: drug conspiracy (Count 6); possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (Count 41).
Izabella Boling, 25, of Broken Arrow: firearms conspiracy (Count 5); drug conspiracy (Count 6); possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (Count 43).
Nicole Cox, 26, of Mountain Home, Arkansas: firearms conspiracy (Count 5); drug conspiracy (Count 6); use of a communication facility in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony (Count 17).
Deeter and Pearson are members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood.
The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case.
Ohio man sentenced for selling methamphetamineRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Kaprice D. Russell, of Steubenville, Ohio, was sentenced today to 124 months of incarceration for drug charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Russell, age 34, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base, Cocaine Hydrochloride, Methamphetamine, and Heroin,” “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine Hydrochloride within 1000 feet of a Protected Location,” one count of “Distribution of Heroin,” and one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base.” Russell admitted to working with others to sell cocaine base, cocaine hydrochloride, methamphetamine and heroin from June 2019 to August 2021 in Ohio County and elsewhere, including the Southern District of Ohio.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department, investigated. The Belmont County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Clairsville Police Department assisted.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Nigerian woman sentenced for scamming Social Security Administration and FEMA out of nearly a million dollarsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Ivie Shevon Sajere has been sentenced for her role in a conspiracy that defrauded the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) out of nearly $1,000,000. The conspiracy involved the false filing of thousands of online applications for SSA retirement benefits and FEMA disaster benefits using stolen personal information.
“This was a massive fraud that impacted two government agencies and harmed thousands of victims across the country whose identities were stolen,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “Sajere’s prison sentence is the culmination of a complicated investigation and prosecution and serves as a cautionary tale to other fraudsters similarly minded.”
“This sentence holds Sajere accountable for her role in this complex conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration, alone, of nearly seven hundred thousand dollars. She stole personal information of innocent people and used it to defraud the SSA by abusing its online services,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General, for the Social Security Administration. “My office will continue to uphold the integrity of the SSA’s online services and programs that so many Americans rely on. I thank the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations, and other law enforcement agencies for joining us in this comprehensive investigation. I also thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”
“Anyone with malicious intent can cause widespread damage to victims, and in this case, the defendant orchestrated an identity theft spree that resulted in the defrauding of two agencies that provide substantial assistance to individuals in need,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “This scheme highlights the importance of national collaboration when it comes to combatting identity theft, and I thank our law enforcement partners for their essential assistance with this investigation.”
According to U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in approximately June 2017 until September 2018, the defendant and her husband, Neville Sajere, both Nigerian nationals who engaged in marriage fraud in an unsuccessful attempt to become U.S. citizens, participated in a money laundering scheme that defrauded nearly a million dollars from SSA and FEMA.
The scheme involved unknown fraudsters filing applications for Social Security retirement benefits and FEMA disaster relief benefits using stolen personal information. The individual victims whose personal information was stolen were often individuals highly acclaimed in their fields. It appears that these individuals were targeted because, even though they were of retirement age, they had not filed for SSA retirement benefits and did not need disaster benefit relief. Thus, the fraudsters had a better chance of getting the applications approved. The victims included a movie director, an award-winning journalist, the daughter of a legendary movie director, and a highly esteemed academic.
Once an application was approved, the fraudsters directed that the funds be deposited onto a Green Dot debit card opened using other stolen personal information. As soon as the money hit the Green Dot debit card, the defendant generated payments through Square, Stripe, and PayPal to Nevada Bridge TV, a Nigerian streaming service/television production company owned by the defendant’s husband; BAGMA, an African gospel award show business owned by the defendant’s husband; and Shevonz, a clothing store owned by the defendant.
Ivie Shevon Sajere (a/k/a Ivie Shevon Owubo), 38, Suwanee, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., to two years, six months in prison. She was also ordered to pay $949,616.40 in restitution to SSA and FEMA. Sajere was remanded into custody at the close of the sentencing hearing to begin her sentence. Because Sajere is not a United States citizen, she is likely to be deported after she completes her sentence. Sajere pleaded guilty on November 30, 2021, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Diane C. Schulman, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
New York Man and Woman Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of MinorsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A New York woman was sentenced today to 76 months in prison for sex trafficking of a minor. Her co-defendant, also from New York, was previously sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.
According to court documents, for at least a decade beginning around 2010, Omel McLean, 54, maintained a group of women and minors based in New York City whom he forced to engage in commercial sex. He controlled them with physical abuse, using a baseball bat and paddles to discipline them, and by providing and restricting their access to illegal controlled substances. McLean commonly required minors he recruited to have sex with him first. He impregnated several of his victims and then further manipulated them by restricting access to their children.
McLean recruited his co-defendant, Antoinette Finklea, 26, when she was herself a minor. Eventually, she supervised the group of women and minors for McLean. She posted advertisements and arranged the commercial sex acts. When she was old enough to travel out of state, she would bring women and minors to the Hampton Roads area, where McLean had a substantial client base.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Mike Goldsmith, Interim Chief of Norfolk Police; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Montoya and Rebecca Gantt prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-50.
Missoula nurse sentenced for felony drug diversionRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Missoula nurse who admitted to diverting fentanyl and hydromorphone from Community Medical Center for her own use was sentenced today to two years of probation and fined $2,000, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Mary Schmidt Monahan, 61, pleaded guilty in January to unlawfully obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception, and subterfuge.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that from July 2020 until about February 2021, Monahan, who is a nurse at Community Medical Center in Missoula, diverted fentanyl and hydromorphone. In January 2021, a coworker noticed Monahan acting suspiciously and observed Monahan with her back to a patient filling syringes with two drug vials. Monahan put something in her jacket pocket, pulled up her right arm sleeve to her elbow, stepped into the corner of the curtain, then returned and wiped her arm with an alcohol pad and raised it for about a minute. Shortly afterward, Monahan asked the coworker to witness her disposal of the medications Dilaudid and fentanyl. In February 2021, another coworker saw Monahan doing something with her hands before placing a vial into her scrub’s pocket. The coworker noted that Monahan was acting in an anxious manner and reported the incident. Monahan’s supervisors confronted her, and she admitted to stealing narcotics and using them. A search of Monahan’s bag revealed unmarked syringes, some of which were used, and some contained liquid, and wrappers from used alcohol swabs. Monahan provided a urine sample, which tested positive for fentanyl.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Missoula Police Department.
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Middletown Woman Pleads Guilty to Failure to Pay over TaxRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced that a Delaware woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to failure to account for and pay over federal employment taxes. Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly accepted the plea.
According to court documents, Nyashia Coryaba, 59, of Middletown, the owner of a home healthcare agency, failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service the federal income taxes withheld from her employees during the third quarter of 2019. Coryaba further admitted to failing to pay over these same taxes between June 2015 and December 2019. Defendant also agreed to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service in the amount of $579,640.22.
Coryaba faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison when sentenced on August 31, 2022. Judge Connolly will determine her sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Weiss commented on the plea, “The failure to pay over employment taxes is not only a theft from the government, it is also a theft from the workers whose taxes have been withheld. My office will continue to pursue cases where hard working individuals are victimized by their employer’s failure to comply with tax obligations.”
Coryaba chose to pay personal expenditures using funds from her company, all while being fully aware that she had not paid over to the IRS payroll taxes withheld from her employees’ paychecks,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Yury Kruty. “Her actions adversely affect her employees’ ability to collect future social security and Medicare benefits. We will continue to track down and hold accountable those who fail to remit to the IRS payroll taxes."
IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley F. Wolf is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 21-cr-48.
Michigan Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A Michigan man pleaded guilty yesterday to tax evasion arising from his near decade-long effort to prevent the IRS from collecting taxes he and his businesses owed.
According to court documents, Scott Chappelle, 61, of Okemos and East Lansing, was an attorney and former CPA who operated Terra Management Company, Strathmore Development Company Michigan LLC and Terra Holdings LLC, all of which were involved in real estate development and property management in the East Lansing area. As part of his guilty plea, Chappelle admitted he did not pay over to the IRS employment taxes withheld from the wages of the companies’ employees. When the IRS sought to collect the unpaid taxes, Chappelle made false statements to the agency about his and his companies’ assets and income, concealed his vacation house on Lake Michigan and purchased real property in nominee names instead of his own. Chappelle also falsely told IRS employees he could not afford to pay his tax debts, when in reality he was contemporaneously using business bank accounts to pay paid for personal expenses such as mortgage payments on two houses and a condominium, college tuition for his children, personal credit card bills, life insurance premiums, car payments for himself and one of his children, and expenses associated with boats he owned.
Chappelle also lied to IRS special agents who were investigating his misconduct. He falsely stated he had not purchased property since the IRS began collection activities, and he concealed the source of the funds used to pay for a mortgage on a condominium in East Lansing. During the criminal investigation, Chappelle also filed a false employment tax return for Terra Holdings LLC on which he claimed the company had no employees and paid no wages during the time period covered by the return. In fact, Chappelle knew the company had employees and paid wages during that period because he approved submissions to the company’s payroll provider.
Chappelle further admitted to making false statements on a loan application when he refinanced the mortgage on his Lake Michigan vacation house in Harbor Springs.
Chappelle is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 2. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Birge for the Western District of Michigan made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Melissa S. Siskind of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. VerHey for the Western District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
Michigan Man Arrested for Federal Kidnapping, Firearms, and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Michael Harris, 35, was arrested Sunday, April 24, 2022, in Knoxville, Tennessee by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Knoxville Police Department (KPD), and Knox County Sheriff’s Office on charges involving kidnapping an officer assisting federal authorities, prior convicted felon in possession of firearms, and possession with intent to distribute narcotics.
Harris made his initial appearance today, April 26, 2022, at 11:00 am in United States District Court in Knoxville, before the Honorable Debra C. Poplin, United States Magistrate Judge, and was detained pending further proceedings.
According to the complaint filed on April 25, 2022, ATF agents, Knoxville Police officers with the Organized Crime Unit and Special Operation Squad, and Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies were conducting a surveillance operation at the RK Gun Show located at the Expo Center, located at 5441 Clinton Highway, I-75 Expo Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
During the operation, law enforcement observed Harris purchasing several firearms and firearm accessories at various vendors inside the R.K. Gun Show. Harris was also using Facetime as he walked around the gun show showing different guns and accessories to an unknown individual. Due to this suspicious activity, law enforcement followed Harris to a vehicle in the parking lot of the Knoxville Expo Center and observed him loading firearms and firearm accessories into the back of a rented, red Chrysler minivan.
After a brief surveillance, officers located the red Chrysler minivan parked in a parking spot at the Shell gas station located at 6730 Clinton Highway, Knoxville, Tennessee, and activated their blue lights on their marked vehicles and approached the minivan. Officers immediately smelled the odor of marijuana wafting from the minivan. Harris exited the minivan, and an officer began to search the backseat area of the minivan. Harris noticed this and re-entered the minivan and drove away with the officer still inside. The officer in the minivan attempted to subdue Harris and to gain control of the vehicle. Harris drove the minivan into oncoming traffic and crashed into another vehicle. Harris fled the violent accident on foot but was apprehended in the adjacent woods a short time later. The officer in the minivan sustained serious injuries. Officers recovered approximately two pounds of methamphetamine, additional quantities of heroin and marijuana, and multiple firearms and rounds of ammunition during a subsequent search of the minivan. Harris was determined to be a convicted felon.
The details of the charges, which include: federal kidnapping, 18 U.S.C. § 1201(a)(5), possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), and possession with intent to distribute more than fifty grams of methamphetamine, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A) - are outlined in the arrest warrant and supporting affidavit, which are filed as public records in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, Case Number 3:22-mj-1110.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Knoxville Police Department, and the Knoxville Sheriff’s Office.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne-Marie Svolto of the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Mexican nationals sentenced for deadly human smugglingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – Two Mexican men have been ordered to prison following their convictions of conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens which resulted in multiple deaths, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Fabian Hernandez, 29, Emmanuel Ferral-Tonche, 20, both of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo imposed a 60-month term of imprisonment for both men. They are expected to face removal proceedings following their sentences.
On June 9, 2021, Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche marched a group of approximately two dozen individuals through the hot south Texas brush. Some were unable to keep going. At no time did Hernandez or Ferral-Tonche offer water or attempt to look for anyone who had fallen behind or gotten lost.
Authorities responded to multiple 911 emergency calls coming from the Hachar Ranch property in Webb County. Law enforcement discovered 24 individuals illegally present in the United States who had become lost at that location. They identified Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche as the smugglers.
Law enforcement also found the remains of three deceased people. Authorities determined Hernandez and Ferral-Tonche had guided at least two of them before they succumbed to dehydration and hyperthermia while traveling on foot.
At the hearing today, the court heard additional evidence that neither man attempted to help look for or offer water to the aliens they smuggled despite the great heat.
Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with assistance from the Laredo Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez prosecuted the case.
Members of Brooklyn-Based "Bamalife" Gang Charged with Racketeering and Multiple Gang-Related ShootingsRead the Press Release
A 35-count, second superseding indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Darrius Sutton, also known as “Blizz Meecho,” Trava Selby, also known as “Stoney,” Andrew Simpson, also known was “Drewski,” Tyshawn Sumpter, also known as “GT,” Ronnie Warren, also known as “Bossman Horse,” and Corey Williams, also known as “Moncler Mellz,” with racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in-aid-of racketeering—including attempted murder and murder conspiracy—firearms offenses, drug-dealing and fraud. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants were members and associates of a violent East New York gang called “Bamalife,” which has ongoing and violent rivalries with other gangs in East New York and elsewhere in Brooklyn. Simpson and Warren were arrested earlier today and will be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara. Selby, who is presently in New York State custody, and Sutton, Sumpter and Williams who are already in federal custody on related charges, will be arraigned at a later date. During Simpson’s arrest in Edison, New Jersey, members of law enforcement recovered a Glock handgun with an extended ammunition clip from the defendant’s pants.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Region (DOL-OIG), and Keechant L. Sewell, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the arrests and charges.
“As alleged in the superseding indictment, the defendants wreaked havoc in East New York and nearby neighborhoods, with innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire as members of Bamalife carried out senseless violence directed against rival gangs,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, are working tirelessly to protect our communities by dismantling criminal enterprises that are engines of a broad range of crimes, taking the violent gang members off the street and stopping the cycle of gun-related violence.”
“Gang members and their rivals aren’t the only ones affected by the hostility they inflict upon themselves. In this case specifically, as we allege, the defendants’ activity threatened the safety and security of the residents of East New York, who deserve to walk their streets without the fear of violence. Today’s charges should send a message that the FBI remains committed to strengthening our communities by eliminating this type of illegal activity.” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
“The Unemployment Insurance Program exists to provide needed assistance to qualified individuals who are unemployed due to no fault of their own. Fraud against the Unemployment Insurance Program distracts state workforce agencies from ensuring benefits go to individuals who are eligible to receive them. The Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with our many law enforcement partners to investigate those who exploit the Unemployment Insurance Program,” stated DOL-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Mellone.
“Today’s charges further illustrate our unwavering commitment to dismantling violent gangs while taking illegal guns off our streets,” said NYPD Commissioner Sewell. “We use every resource available to keep our neighborhoods safe, and any person who puts New Yorkers at risk must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI’s New York Field Office, the Office of the Inspector General’s New York Regional Office, and all the investigators involved in this important case.”
As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, the defendants are charged in connection with six non-fatal shootings in East New York and elsewhere in Brooklyn that wounded 12 individuals. Also as alleged in the indictment, the defendants financed their violent shooting spree through drug-dealing and various forms of fraud, including bank fraud and unemployment benefits fraud.
The August 11, 2019 Shooting
As alleged, on August 11, 2019, Sutton accosted a member of a rival gang after a party in East New York. Sutton demanded to know if the victim was a member of the rival gang and then began shooting and pursuing the intended victim as the victim attempted to flee. Sutton struck and seriously injured his intended target and also struck an innocent bystander in the leg.
The April 20, 2020 Shooting
As alleged, on April 20, 2020, Sutton ambushed a male victim in the vicinity of 375 Sheffield Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn. Surveillance video shows Sutton approaching the victim undetected from behind, drawing his weapon, firing several shots and striking the victim in the chest, thigh and wrist before fleeing the scene. Following Sutton’s arrest on federal charges for this shooting, Warren took images of Sutton shooting his victim that were part of a court filing and posted them to Instagram with the message: “MY BOY GREAT.”
The May 16, 2020 Shooting
As alleged, on May 16, 2020, Sutton and Sumpter, together with others, shot and seriously injured a member of a rival gang in the vicinity of 2211 Pitkin Avenue in East New York, Brooklyn. Surveillance video of the shooting shows two cars pulling up to a location approximately four blocks from the shooting. Sutton exited one of the cars and approached 2211 Pitkin Avenue, where members of a rival gang are known to congregate, while Sumpter and other coconspirators waited in the vehicle. Surveillance video from inside the building shows Sutton in the lobby holding a firearm. Moments later, Sutton shot the rival in the courtyard of 2211 Pitkin Avenue, ran back to the waiting vehicles, and fled the scene.
The July 14, 2020 Shooting
As alleged in the indictment, on July 14, 2020, Sutton, Sumpter, and others opened fire on a member of a rival gang member in the vicinity of 620 Vermont Avenue in East New York. Video surveillance footage of the shooting shows Sutton, Sumpter and others arrive at the scene in two cars. Sutton and Sumpter exited one of the vehicles and began shooting, striking the rival gang member and seriously injuring him. Sutton, Sumpter, and several other individuals then ran back to the waiting vehicles, which sped off.
The February 6, 2021 Shooting
As alleged in the indictment, on February 6, 2021, Sumpter shot at a group of individuals outside a six-year old’s birthday party in the vicinity of 1093 Putnam Avenue in Brooklyn, after a member of Bamalife had an altercation with those individuals at the party. Video surveillance footage shows Sumpter outside the entrance to the party as guests, including young children, were leaving. The surveillance footage shows a group of individuals running from the scene and shows Sumpter chasing after them while firing several shots. Following the shooting, Sumpter fled in a waiting vehicle.
The August 16, 2021 Shooting
As alleged in the indictment, on August 16, 2021, Simpson and at least two accomplices shot into a crowd outside of 927 Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn, striking eight individuals. Video surveillance of the incident shows Simpson and his accomplices double-park near the scene of the shooting, after which two of the conspirators approached the large crowd gathered in the courtyard and began firing. The shooters returned to the waiting vehicle and sped off.
Murder Conspiracies
As alleged in the indictment, from 2014 to the present, Sutton, Simpson, Sumpter and Williams conspired to murder members and associates of another East New York-based gang and beginning in 2016, Sutton, Selby, Simpson, Warren and Williams conspired to murder John Doe 1, in part in retaliation for an incident in which Warren was shot. In the course of the conspiracy, Warren released a rap song and accompanying video in which Warren and other members of Bamalife can be heard shouting that John Doe 1 and his girlfriend are “going to die together.”
Bank Fraud and other Fraudulent Schemes
As alleged in the indictment, members of Bamalife earned money through illicit means, including various fraud schemes. As alleged, in June 2019, Warren and Williams engaged in a scheme to create and deposit fraudulent checks drawn on bank accounts of unwitting victims. Warren and Williams used information from victims’ bank accounts to create fraudulent checks, which they deposited into the account of co-conspirators in order to obtain funds. Williams bragged on social media about the proceeds of his fraud schemes. For example, on July 9, 2021, he posted the following to his Instagram account with the username “darealmonclermellz”: “I just spent 80k last week like it was nothing.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The charges in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Trowel and Nick M. Axelrod are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
DARRIUS SUTTON (also known as “Blizz Meecho”)
Age: 24
Brooklyn, New YorkTRAVA SELBY (also known as “Stoney”)
Age: 27
Brooklyn, New YorkANDREW SIMPSON (also known as “Drewski”)
Age: 24
Brooklyn, New YorkTYSHAWN SUMPTER (also known as “GT”)
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New YorkRonnie warren (also known as “Bossman Horse”)
Age: 25
Hoboken, New JerseyCorey williams (also known as “Moncler Mellz”)
Age: 27
Rembert, South CarolinaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-323 (S-2) (AMD)
Maywood Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
BENTON, Ill. – Antonio Ferto-Castorena, 31, of Maywood, Illinois, was sentenced on Thursday, April
21, 2022, to a total of 168 months in prison after pleading guilty for arranging to have sex with a minor online and traveling to pick her up in the Southern District of Illinois. Antonio
Ferto-Castorena, a citizen of Mexico, was also ordered to pay restitution and serve 5 years of supervised release.According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Ferto-Castorena used an online chat application to meet a teenage girl. Ferto-Castorena engaged in sexual conversations with the minor.
On February 5, 2020, Ferto-Castorena drove from Maywood, Illinois, to Teutopolis, Illinois, to pick up the minor from school. School employees notified the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office who apprehended Ferto-Castorena prior meeting the minor.As part of his plea agreement, Ferto-Castorena admitted to producing child pornography of a minor who was located in California, using an online chat application. The images were located on
Ferto-Castorena’s cell phone.The investigation was conducted by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Effingham Police
Department, and the FBI Springfield and Chicago Field Offices.The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”Mariano Lake man sentenced to five years in prison for Manslaughter in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Harrison Davis, 60, of Mariano Lake, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court today to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country. Davis pleaded guilty on May 10, 2021.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on July 1, 2018, in McKinley County, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, Davis was riding an ATV with his five-year-old grandson. Davis was intoxicated at the time, causing him to crash. Both Davis and his grandson were ejected. The grandson was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene from blunt head trauma. Medical records show Davis’ blood alcohol content was .278 three to four hours after the crash.
Upon his release from prison, Davis will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case.
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Local Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - A man pleaded guilty to tax evasion arising from his near decade-long effort to prevent the IRS from collecting taxes he and his businesses owed.
According to court documents, Scott Chappelle, 61, of Okemos and East Lansing, was an attorney and former CPA who operated Terra Management Company, Strathmore Development Company Michigan LLC, and Terra Holdings LLC, all of which were involved in real estate development and property management in the East Lansing area. As part of his guilty plea, Chappelle admitted he did not pay over to the IRS employment taxes withheld from the wages of the companies’ employees. When the IRS sought to collect the unpaid taxes, Chappelle made false statements to the agency about his and his companies’ assets and income, concealed his vacation house on Lake Michigan, and purchased real property in nominee names instead of his own. Chappelle also falsely told IRS employees he could not afford to pay his tax debts, when in reality he was contemporaneously using business bank accounts to pay for personal expenses such as mortgage payments on two houses and a condominium, college tuition for his children, personal credit card bills, life insurance premiums, car payments for himself and one of his children, and expenses associated with boats he owned.
Chappelle also lied to IRS special agents who were investigating his misconduct. He falsely stated he had not purchased property since the IRS began collection activities, and he concealed the source of the funds used to pay for a mortgage on a condominium in East Lansing. During the criminal investigation, Chappelle also filed a false employment tax return for Terra Holdings LLC on which he claimed the company had no employees and paid no wages during the time period covered by the return. In fact, Chappelle knew the company had employees and paid wages during that period because he approved submissions to the company’s payroll provider.
Chappelle further admitted to making false statements on a loan application when he refinanced the mortgage on his Lake Michigan vacation house in Harbor Springs.
Chappelle is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Birge for the Western District of Michigan made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Melissa S. Siskind of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. VerHey for the Western District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.
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Knox County Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Armed Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. — A Barboursville, Ky., man, David E. Hamblin, 37, was sentenced to __ months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to Hamblin’s plea agreement, in July 2021, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle and found him in possession of over 50 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm, which was loaded and in the pocket of the driver’s side door. Hamblin admitted he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and he possessed the firearm to protect himself from the dangers associated with his drug trafficking activities.
Hamblin pleaded guilty in November 2021.
Under federal law, Hamblin must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Chief Winston Tye, Barboursville Police Department; and Sheriff Mike Smith, Knox County Sheriff’s Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, Barboursville Police Department, and Knox County Sheriff’s Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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