Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
18 March 2022
Molokai Man Pleads Guilty to Flight Interference and Assault of AttendantRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – Steven Sloan, Jr., 33, of Molokai yesterday pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright to interfering with flight crew members and assaulting a flight attendant on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo on September 23, 2021. Chief Judge Seabright scheduled his sentencing for August 4, 2022.
According to court documents and information presented in court, on September 23, 2021, at approximately 7:30 am, Hawaiian Airlines Flight #152 was in the air from Honolulu to Hilo when the flight attendant victim of the assault moved from the front of the aircraft and proceeded toward the rear, collecting trash. When he approached row six, he collected trash from the left side of the aisle and when he turned his attention to the right side, Sloan punched the victim in the chest with a closed fist. The victim, who did not know Sloan, was shocked as the blow was unexpected.
The victim saw that Sloan was upset or agitated and attempted to cover his body and create space from Sloan. Sloan then struck the victim on the back left side of head. Fearing for his safety, the safety of the other two flight attendants as well as the other passengers, particularly the woman seated next to Sloan, the victim advised the other flight attendants to abandon their normal flight duties and to monitor the doors of the aircraft in the event Sloan went for the doors. The captain of the plane was advised of this and returned the flight to Honolulu.
When he is sentenced, Sloan faces maximum penalties of 20 years in prison for the charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants, a fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of three years. The maximum penalties for the assault charge are one year imprisonment, a fine of $100,000, and a term of supervised release of one year.
“Crimes committed on an aircraft while in flight can imperil the safety of all those on board,” said United States Attorney Clare Connors. “This prosecution demonstrates the potential federal criminal consequences of assaulting a flight crew member.”
"The FBI takes these types of crimes seriously,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “The flight crew has a right to feel safe aboard an aircraft while also performing their duties. We encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings on board an airplane and understand that the FBI will investigate these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and State of Hawaii Department of Public Safety - Sheriff Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching.
Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Money Laundering ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – RYAN P. MULLEN, age 41, of Jayess, Mississippi, pleaded guilty on March 16, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of money laundering before U.S. District Court Judge Jane Triche Milazzo announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
As charged in the now unsealed indictment, MULLEN and a co-conspirator, Duane Dufrene, utilized fictitious entities, falsified tax returns, fraudulent financial statements, and fraudulent appraisals to orchestrate their scheme to defraud the lenders for the purchases of a residence in Jayess, MS (State Bank and Trust), The Briars bed and breakfast in Natchez, MS (Keesler Federal Credit Union) and two other Natchez hotels (Red Oak Capital Group, LLC). The sale of the Jayess residence was premised on false financial information provided by Dufrene to MULLEN, who then gave it to State Bank and Trust. The sales of The Briars and the two hotels were not only premised upon false information prepared by Dufrene and given to the financial institutions by MULLEN but also on inflated appraisals based upon side sales agreements between MULLEN and Dufrene. After the sales of the bed and breakfast and hotel properties, MULLEN paid Dufrene the sum of $90,000. MULLEN pocketed over $3 million from the overvalued loans and he used the proceeds to buy at least 20 high-end luxury cars, a number of which have been seized by the United States.
Sentencing for MULLEN is set for July 13, 2022. At that time, he faces a maximum sentence of up to thirty years as to the bank fraud conspiracy, and a maximum sentence of up to ten years on the money laundering conspiracy. After imprisonment, the defendant faces up to five years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine on the bank fraud count, and up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on the money laundering count. Each count also has a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation for their handling of the matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward J. Rivera and Andre Lagarde.
Minneapolis Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Armed Bank Robberies, Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 92 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for two armed bank robberies and firearms violations. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright sentenced the defendant.
According to court documents, on February 22, 2018, Samuel Lamar Brantley, 34, and two accomplices entered Lake Area Bank in White Bear Lake brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. Brantley was armed with a .40 caliber Glock handgun. During the robbery, Brantley ensured that none of the employees made phone calls or alerted law enforcement. Brantley and his accomplices stole approximately $9,816 in cash from the bank and split the proceeds.
According to court documents, on May 4, 2018, Brantley and an accomplice entered Bremer Bank in Brooklyn Center brandishing guns and demanding money from the tellers. Brantley was armed with a .40 caliber Glock handgun. A third accomplice was waiting in a getaway car. Brantley and his accomplices stole approximately $88,618 in cash from the bank and split the proceeds.
According to court documents, on May 21, 2018, following a shooting incident near Brantley’s residence, Brantley’s acquaintance, identified as “the Shooter,” handed off two handguns to Brantley. The next morning, Brantley met the Shooter at a Perkins restaurant so he could return the two firearms. During the course of their conversation, the Shooter told Brantley that he had used the firearms to shoot a man the night before.
On October 8, 2020, Brantley pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery, one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, and one count of disposing of a firearm to a felon.
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.
This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the Minneapolis Police Department, the White Bear Lake Police Department, and the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samantha H. Bates and Amber M. Brennan.
Mexican National Charged with Illegal Reentry and Interfering with a Federal AgentRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Mexican national was charged by criminal complaint on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in connection with illegally reentering the United States and forcibly interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in an effort to evade arrest.
Eduardo Alvarez, 31, was charged with one count of illegal reentry after deportation and one count of forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer engaged in the performance of official duties. Alvarez was arrested on Feb. 16, 2022, and has remained in custody since. He will appear in federal court in Worcester on March 22, 2022.
According to the charging documents, on the morning of Feb. 16, 2022, ICE officers travelled to a residence in Leominster where Alvarez was reportedly located. They observed Alvarez driving away from the residence in a white Audi, followed the vehicle and attempted to pull him over by activating lights and sirens. Officers then attempted to stop Alvarez by positioning their vehicles in front and behind the Audi, to block Alvarez in. Alvarez allegedly accelerated and struck the front vehicle, with the ICE officer still in the driver seat. It is alleged that Alvarez then drove off, traveling through a red-light into oncoming traffic and forcing other vehicles including law enforcement onto the side of the road before stopping at his own residence, where he attempted to hide from officers for approximately 90 minutes before surrendering.
Alvarez was previously removed from the United States in 2009 and 2011. In 2010, he was convicted of illegal reentry to the United States.
The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of forcible interference with a federal officer provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Todd M. Lyons, Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston; and Interim Leominster Police Chief Aaron Kennedy made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of Rollins’ Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Member of Meth Conspiracy Sentenced to 25 Years for Narcotics Trafficking and International Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Bristol, Tennessee man was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in federal prison for conspiring with others in Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina to traffic methamphetamine from Mexico into Southwest Virginia and then launder the monetary proceeds.
Jeremy Cole Canter, 34, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of conspiring to commit international money laundering, one count of possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams more of methamphetamine, and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, beginning in 2020, Canter and at least 15 other co-conspirators developed a wide-ranging distribution network that trafficked large shipments of methamphetamine into Southwest Virginia for redistribution. Canter and his co-conspirators made numerous trips to Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas to pick up large quantities of methamphetamine from accomplices who acted as a conduit from multiple sources in Mexico.
In order to launder the funds, the conspirators wired money in increments of $2,000 to designated individuals in Mexico as a finders-fee paid to co-conspirator Amy Deanna Cobb, 35, who – by virtue of her marriage to a member of a Mexican cartel – would then arrange a pickup location for the massive quantities of methamphetamine. In total, over $75,000 was wired to Mexico by various co-conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia, Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the DEA’s Washington Division made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Murphy prosecuted the case.
Media Advisory In-Person Press ConferenceRead the Press Release
WHEN: Monday, March 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office
70 Stamp Act Drive
Bolivia, NC 28422
Re: Arrests of Multiple Armed Drug Traffickers in Brunswick County
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference concerning multiple arrests for narcotic distribution and firearms. We will also highlight the important partnerships between all levels of law enforcement in this investigation.
In addition to United States Attorney Michael Easley, Brian Mein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshal Michael East, and Brunswick County Sheriff John Ingram will be present at this event.
Credentialed members of the media are invited to attend. For additional information, please e-mail Don Connelly at [email protected]. Please RSVP your intentions to attend the event.
McNairy Man Sentenced to 15 Years as an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN- Lamon Terrill Massengill, 50, of Selmer, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to manufacture, distribute or dispense cocaine base. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on October 7, 2020, officers executed a search warrant at a residence on Oak Street in Selmer, Tennessee. Officers recovered over 3 grams of crack cocaine, hydrocodone pills, marijuana, and two digital scales in Massengill's bedroom. On a chair in the bedroom, officers found an H&K 22 LR pistol loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, officers found a Revelation 22LR bolt action rifle with a round in the chamber.
Massengill gave a Mirandized statement in which he admitted to selling cocaine since March of 2020. He would purchase one ounce of crack cocaine two or three times, and one-half-ounce of crack cocaine on at least 20 to 30 occasions, then sell the crack cocaine. Massengill admitted to being a convicted felon who could not legally possess firearms, and that the firearms in his home were for his protection.
Massengill had previously been convicted of five aggravated burglaries, two aggravated assaults, and one burglary. As a result of his prior felony convictions, he is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.
On December 13, 2021, Massengill pled guilty.
On March 15, 2022, United States Chief District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Massengill to the mandatory minimum sentence of 180 months in federal prison as an Armed Career Criminal, with three years of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the McNairy County Sheriff's Department Narcotics Unit, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Christie Hopper prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
###Marrero Man Sentenced for Straw Purchase of FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BORIS GORDON, age 27 of Marrero, was sentenced on March 17, 2022 after pleading guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(a)(6) and 924(a)(2) on August 19, 2021.
According to court documents, on December 30, 2015, GORDON falsely stated to a federally licensed firearm dealer that he was the actual purchaser of a Glock Model 21, .45 caliber pistol, when he knew that he was not the actual buyer.
United States District Court Judge Barry W. Ashe sentenced GORDON to 6 months of home confinement to be followed by 1 year of probation. The court also ordered GORDON to pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
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.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is in charge of the prosecution.
Marionville Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Marionville, Missouri, man has been sentenced in federal court for producing child pornography and for receiving and distributing child pornography over the internet.
James Crowder, 78, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes on Thursday, March 17, to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Crowder to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.
On March 29, 2021, Crowder pleaded guilty to one count of using a minor to produce child pornography and one count of receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to court documents, a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in June 2020 indicated that Google discovered files that contained child pornography uploaded to Crowder’s account and that Twitter discovered a file that contained child pornography in Crowder’s tweet.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Crowder’s residence on Aug. 6, 2020. Crowder was questioned and admitted he had exchanged images and videos of child pornography (depicting children as young as five years old) with others for a period of at least four years. Crowder also told investigators he placed a hidden camera in a bathroom to obtain videos and images of children, then distributed those files over the internet.
Officers seized several digital storage devices, which contained multiple images of child pornography. Investigators also found evidence that Crowder had actively received and distributed a number of images and videos of child pornography over the internet.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Man Sentenced to 46 Months Imprisonment for Trafficking Heroin Between Texas and LouisianaRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that WILSON ROMERO, age 55, of Katy, Texas, was sentenced on March 17, 2022 by United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe after previously pleading guilty to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
Specifically, WILSON ROMERO previously pled guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).
According to court documents, during a traffic stop on May 6, 2019, ROMERO was found with 994 grams of heroin hidden in a vacuum cleaner in the trunk of his vehicle. ROMERO subsequently admitted that he had paid $32,000 for the heroin and was trafficking it from Houston to New Orleans.
Judge Ashe sentenced ROMERO to a term of imprisonment of 46 months, followed by 2 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Louisiana State Police in investigating this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carboni and Jonathan L. Shih.
Man Pleads Guilty for Ketamine Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who arranged the shipment of more than 10 kilograms of ketamine into the United States pleaded guilty this week in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Xiao Yang Zhang, 28, a Chinese citizen living illegally in the United States, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy.
As part of his plea agreement, Zhang admitted to participating in a plan to bring ketamine into the United States through international shipments. The ketamine was hidden in packages of retail goods so they would pass through U.S. Customs unnoticed. Zhang rented two rooms in the Tulsa area for the purpose of receiving the packages of ketamine from France and Italy. Zhang traveled to the Tulsa locations to retrieve the ketamine then transported the drug back to California for delivery to others. Zhang admitted to importing a total of 10.5 kilograms of ketamine into the United States from Europe and understood it was against the law. Zhang took part in the drug conspiracy from October 2020 to July 2021.
While ketamine has accepted medical uses for short-term sedation and anesthesia, it is also illegally distributed for its hallucinogenic affects. It has also been used to facilitate sexual assault. According to a Drug Enforcement Administration fact sheet, street names for the drug include Cat Tranquilizer, Cat Valium, Jet K, Kit Kat, Purple, Special K, Special La Coke, Super Acid, Super K, and Vitamin K. Learn more here.
In 2016, Zhang was apprehended crossing the U.S. border from Mexico. He was released pending immigration hearings but failed to appear. He is known to have lived in Hawaii and California.
Zhang will be sentenced at a later date. As part of the plea agreement, Zhang will be deported following any term of imprisonment imposed by the Court.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case.
Man Caught Attempting to Enter A Wilmington Home with A Stolen Firearm SentencedRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. – David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that Avelino Johnson, 41, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison for possession of a stolen firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly pronounced the sentence.
According to court documents, on January 31, 2020, Johnson was arrested in Wilmington after unsuccessfully attempting to enter a victim’s home, banging on the door, and turning the doorknob. He was in possession of a stolen firearm and later tested positive for phencyclidine, also known as PCP.
“Mr. Johnson chose to violate federal law by possessing a stolen firearm while under the influence of drugs,” stated U.S. Attorney Weiss. “His behavior not only placed the victim in grave danger, but also the public at large. I wish to thank our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work in this case.”
“Anyone in possession of a stolen firearm and anyone possessing firearms while under the influence of drugs is a danger to public,” said ATF Baltimore Acting Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr. “The combination of the two is especially concerning. We are grateful that no one was hurt because of this defendant’s actions. ATF and our law enforcement partners will continue to work relentlessly to identify and arrest anyone who threatens the safety of our communities.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Mandelbaum prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Wilmington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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.
Madison Man Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Sexually Exploiting Teenage Boys on Social MediaRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Cash Otradovec, 31, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 17 ½ years in federal prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, for using minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct and make pictures and videos of the conduct. Otradovec pleaded guilty to this charge on December 9, 2021.
In May 2020, the FBI in Miami, Florida, was contacted by a father who reported that an unknown person attempted to obtain nude images from his 15-year-old son through several social media platforms. The investigation revealed that an Instagram account with the name Callie and a Kik account with the name Becky had been in communication with the minor. Further investigation tied those accounts to Otradovec.
In October 2020, Otradovec was interviewed and admitted to creating the two accounts, with the Callie Instagram account dating back to 2016. Using the two accounts, the defendant posed as Becky and Callie, two college women who were friends with each other. As these personas, Otradovec communicated with six different boys, ages 15-17, and tricked them into sending sexually explicit images. When the boys would refuse to send additional images, or create the videos Otradovec wanted, he relentlessly pursued them and threated to send the images he already had to all of the boys’ followers, even after the boys begged him to stop. In one case, a boy pleaded with Otradovec saying “I’m literally going to kill myself.” Instead of stopping, Otradovec, posing as Callie, told the boy the way to make it stop is to send the picture.
In sentencing Otradovec, Judge Peterson called this crime a “very cruel exploitation of the minors,” with that cruel exploitation being the heart of the wrong. Judge Peterson observed that this was not just one moment of bad judgment, but ongoing and persistent, calling the conduct terrorizing and humiliating for the victims.
Judge Peterson recognized that Otradovec was a veteran that served his country and was close to his family, but who lived a double life. Otradovec faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, but Judge Peterson found his conduct so serious, it warranted a sentence of 17 ½ years.
The charge against Otradovec was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Pfluger and Laura Przybylinski Finn prosecuted this case.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to 43 Years in Prison for RICO Conspiracy and Murder and Teenage BoyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An MS-13 member was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for RICO conspiracy and for his participation in the July 2018 murder of a teenage boy who was stabbed at least 32 times in a public park in Lynn.
Eliseo Vaquerano Canas, a/k/a “Peligroso,” 22, a Salvadorian national, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to 43 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Vaquerano will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In February 2021, Vaquerano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, also known as RICO conspiracy, on behalf of the MS-13 gang. As part of his racketeering activity, Vaquerano participated in the 2018 murder of a teenager, who was murdered with extreme atrocity and cruelty, and with deliberate premeditation, in violation of Massachusetts law.
MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational street gang operating in Massachusetts and numerous other states, as well as countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. MS-13 gang members often commit acts of extreme violence against suspected rivals, those suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, and others who the gang views as a threat. In recent years, dozens of MS-13 members have been convicted of RICO conspiracy and other serious felonies in the District of Massachusetts.
MS-13 is organized into “cliques” or branches operating in local territories. Vaquerano belonged to the “Sykos Locos Salvatrucha” clique of MS-13, which operated in the cities of Lynn, Chelsea, and other parts of Massachusetts. MS-13 has various ranks, with elevation to “homeboy” status generally requiring the commission of a significant act of violence. Evidence showed that Vaquerano had achieved homeboy status in MS-13 even prior to the July 2018 murder. Evidence also showed that Vaquerano helped recruit young members on behalf of the gang, including at Chelsea High School.
In November 2018, Vaquerano and five other MS-13 Sykos clique members were indicted following an investigation into the murder of a teenage boy, whose body found in a park in Lynn on Aug. 2, 2018. The six defendants in this case included five participants in the murder, as well as one longstanding member of the Sykos clique. In a related case, the government charged a juvenile co-conspirator who was the sixth person involved in the murder.
The evidence in this case, which included a recording of one of Vaquerano’s co-defendants describing the murder in graphic detail, revealed that Vaquerano Canas and five other MS-13 gang members murdered the victim based on their mistaken belief that he may have been assisting law enforcement.
On July 30, 2018, the six gang members lured the victim to a public park. At least four of the attackers, including Vaquerano, were armed with knives. The group pretended to be friendly with the unsuspecting victim and took him to a wooded area of the park where they surrounded the victim and repeatedly stabbed him to death. At least four of the six assailants took part in stabbing the victim. Vaquerano had an especially active role in the brutal attack. Evidence showed that as the victim was being attacked, he called out to Vaquerano for help, believing that Vaquerano was his friend. Instead, Vaquerano repeatedly stabbed and hacked at the victim with a large knife. Vaquerano attacked the victim with such force that parts of his large knife shattered, and pieces of the blade were embedded into the victim’s skull.
After killing the victim, the gang members left his body in the wooded area of the public park where it was discovered days later, on Aug. 2, 2018. An autopsy revealed that the victim suffered at least 32 distinct sharp force trauma wounds consistent with being stabbed repeatedly, along with multiple blunt force injuries.
All six defendants indicted in this case, along with the juvenile charged in the related case, have pleaded guilty. Vaquerano is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in the case. On Feb. 14, 2022, Erick Lopez Flores, a/k/a “Mayimbu,” was sentenced to 40 years in prison. On Feb. 15, 2022, Jonathan Tercero Yanes, a/k/a “Desalmado,” was sentenced to 33 years in prison. On Feb. 16, 2022, Henri Salvador Gutierrez, a/k/a “Perverso,” was sentenced to life in prison. On Feb. 18, 2022, Djavier Duggins, a/k/a “Haze,” was sentenced to 15 years in prison. A sentencing hearing for the remaining co-defendant, Marlos Reyes a/k/a “Silencio,” has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Acting Boston Police Commissioner Gregory Long; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher Reddy made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kunal Pasricha, Kaitlin O’Donnell, and Philip Mallard of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Long Island Physician Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Covid-19 Loan FraudRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Konstantinos Zarkadas, a Glen Cove-based medical doctor, was sentenced by United States District Judge Gary R. Brown to 51 months’ imprisonment for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in COVID-19 emergency relief funds. The Court also ordered Dr. Zarkadas to pay approximately $3.5 million in restitution. Dr. Zarkadas pleaded guilty in November 2021 to disaster relief fraud and wire fraud in connection with his receipt of small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDLP). As part of the plea agreement, Dr. Zarkadas forfeited $200,000 and four luxury wristwatches.
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), and Thomas Fattorusso, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates there are consequences for those who treat vital government programs as cash give-a-ways and shamefully seek to profit from an unprecedented public health crisis,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will vigorously prosecute and bring to justice medical professionals like the defendant and other fraudsters who are driven by greed to maintain a lavish lifestyle at the expense of small businesses in legitimate need of COVID-19 emergency assistance.”
“It’s a shame to see rampant abuse of programs designed to help ordinary people struggling through the pandemic. Dr. Zarkadas chose greed over honesty by financing a luxury lifestyle on the backs of America’s taxpayers,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso. “Thanks to the investigative work of IRS-CI and the FBI, he’ll sail straight to federal prison instead of onboard his $1.7 million yacht that was illegally purchased with CARES Act funds.”
Between March 2020 and July 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Zarkadas fraudulently applied for, and received based on the false information that he provided, at least 11 PPP and EIDLP loans totaling approximately $3,700,000, on behalf of corporate entities he controlled. Dr. Zarkadas laundered the loan proceeds through various bank accounts, ultimately using the funds for extravagant personal purchases and other impermissible purposes. For example, in July 2020, Dr. Zarkadas used approximately $194,915.42 in PPP funds to finance the down payment on a $1.75 million yacht. To conceal the fraudulent nature of the purchase, Dr. Zarkadas made the check payable to a family member who was not the ultimate beneficiary of the funds and, in the check’s memo line, falsely indicated the funds were “repayment for payroll.” Dr. Zarkadas also withdrew tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of loan proceeds in cash and used some of the proceeds to satisfy more than $1 million in judgments against him, to lease luxury automobiles, and to make personal purchases, including several Rolex and Cartier wristwatches which he forfeited as part of his guilty plea in this case.
Congress created the PPP and EIDLP as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. Enacted on March 29, 2020, the CARES Act provided emergency financial assistance in connection with economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the allocation of funds for the issuance of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The PPP allowed qualifying small businesses to receive unsecured loans on favorable terms, which they were required to use for specified expenses, including payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP provided for forgiveness of the loan if recipient businesses spent the proceeds on these specified expenses within a limited time period and used a certain percentage for payroll costs.
Another source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the EIDLP, which provided low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. Under the program, EIDLP recipients were eligible to receive advances of up to $10,000 for small businesses within three days of applying for an EIDL (EIDL Advance). The amount of an EIDL Advance was determined based on the number of employees working for the applicant. The EIDL Advance did not have to be repaid.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Bagnuola is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
KONSTANTINOS ZARKADAS
Age: 48
Glen Cove, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-363 (GRB)
Local tax return preparer indicted for fraudRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The owner and operator of The Tax Company in Corpus Christi is set to appear in federal court on charges of tax fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Berlinda Luikens is charged in a 41-count indictment returned March 9. She is set to appear for her arraignment today at 10 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie K. Hampton.
The charges allege she submitted false Form 1040 tax returns by including fraudulent Schedule C and Schedule F items, including fictitious businesses. This resulted in higher tax refund amounts her clients were not entitled to receive, according to the charges.
Luikens allegedly caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue loss.
“IRS - Criminal Investigation (CI) takes the job of investigating criminal violations of our nation’s tax laws seriously because tax fraud steals from programs that help every American,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Rodrick Benton. “We will continue working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners to help identify suspected tax criminals and protect taxpayers’ money.”
If convicted, Luikens faces up to three years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each count of conviction.
IRS-CI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marck is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.Leader of Hustlas Don’t Sleep Gang Pleads to Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotic laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Robert Howell, Jr., age 34, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Howell participated in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He was one of the leaders of a drug trafficking organization that referred to themselves as Hustlas Don’t Sleep. Howell arranged for large shipments of fentanyl from the Philadelphia area and then arranged for its distribution throughout the Pittsburgh area.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. The law provides for not less than ten years in prison, a fine of $10,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Howell Jr., along with the assistance of numerous other law enforcement agencies and departments, including the Monroeville Police Department, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Allegheny County Police Department.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Leader of Guatemalan Drug Trafficking Organization and Guatemalan Politician Indicted for International Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
A federal court in the District of Columbia today unsealed two separate indictments charging Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, aka Chicharra, and his son-in-law Freddy Arnoldo Salazar Flores, aka Fredy, Freshco, Boyca, Boyka, Torojo, Flaquillo, and Flaco, with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States. Salazar Flores is a representative of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).
A grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment against Samayoa-Recinos on Aug. 1, 2018. According to court documents, beginning as early as 2006 and through 2016, Samayoa-Recinos allegedly conspired with others to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
A grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment against Salazar Flores on May 30, 2017. According to court documents, beginning as early as 2010 and through May 2017, Salazar Flores allegedly conspired with others to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The DEA’s Bilateral Investigations Unit and Guatemala Country Office are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Imani Hutty, Teresita Mutton, and Doug Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations and Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lakewood Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Criminal Charge for Threatening to Bomb SBA Offices and Assault Agency EmployeesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Lakewood man pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for threatening to bomb Small Business Administration (SBA) offices and then, the following year, threatening to assault SBA employees in response to his inability to obtain COVID-19 emergency business loans.
Christopher Joseph Antoun, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of making threats by interstate communication. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in this case in November 2021.
Antoun owns Federal Student Loan Consulting LLC, a company he runs out of his Lakewood residence, according to court documents. In early 2020, Antoun attempted to obtain a COVID-19 Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). These loans provide accessible and borrower-friendly capital to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Antoun attempted to receive approval for an EIDL loan or an advance from the SBA, but was unsuccessful in these efforts, court documents state.
According to his plea agreement, on May 3, 2020, Antoun emailed the SBA and threatened to “start bombing every location” the SBA owned. On September 13, 2021, Antoun again sent an email threatening to injure SBA employees.
Despite law enforcement contacting Antoun and warning him that further threats to the SBA would result in criminal prosecution, Antoun continued to threaten SBA employees by email.
On November 12 and November 17, 2021, Antoun sent emails threatening to injure SBA employees. Specifically, on November 17, Antoun sent an email to several SBA employees threatening to injure them by “beating the skulls” of such employees with a baseball bat.
Antoun admitted in his plea agreement that he intended to threaten SBA employees and he knew that such language would be perceived as a true threat.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha has scheduled a May 27 sentencing hearing, at which time Antoun will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Juan M. Rodríguez is prosecuting this case.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography over the InternetRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who possessed an extensive collection of thousands of images and videos of child pornography pleaded guilty in federal court today to sharing child pornography over the internet.
Philip A. Kocher, 40, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of distributing child pornography over the internet.
Law enforcement officers identified Kocher sharing child pornography on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network in August and December 2020.
On Jan. 22, 2021, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Kocher’s residence and seized a desktop computer and three hard drives, all of which contained child pornography. Investigators found roughly 3,800 files of child exploitive or child abuse images. More than 1,200 of those files were child pornography, which included depictions of infants, toddlers, bondage, and bestiality. Investigators also found an additional 17,000 files, much of which included child pornography.
Kocher admitted that he has been involved with child pornography for at least the past 15 years. He also admitted he had another collection of child pornography that was accidentally deleted a few years ago.
Under federal statutes, Kocher is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth W. Borgnino. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Justice Department honors fifth annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community PolicingRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - The Justice Department announced the recipients of the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This year’s awards recognize the exceptional work of 18 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.
Attorney General Garland announced the award recipients in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he attended a ceremony for three award recipients from the DeKalb County Police Department.
“The work of law enforcement has always been difficult—but perhaps no more so than in the recent past, as officers have faced a host of significant challenges. The officers and deputies receiving this year’s awards demonstrate how so many go above and beyond, even in the midst of trying circumstances,” he said. “Every day, thousands of people who work in law enforcement forge and maintain strong community ties that are essential for ensuring public safety. The recipients of this award represent quintessential examples of such critical efforts. It is an honor to recognize them.”
“Community policing depends on active engagement by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt Erskine. “The award recipients developed creative ways to reach out to youth in DeKalb County when the pandemic threatened to leave at-risk youth with no summer programs. It is through this kind of creative approach that we built trust with the citizens law enforcement serves.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, Tribal, and territorial police officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded officers and deputies have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: innovations in community policing, criminal investigations, or field operations. This year, the Department received 185 nominations from 145 agencies, recognizing a total of 347 individual officers, deputies, and troopers. There were 39 states represented in the nomination pool, covering state, local, campus, sheriff, and other agency types.
The work being honored this year reflects numerous examples of law enforcement officers working closely with the community to build trust, solve problems, reduce crime, and improve public safety.
The Department of Justice works closely with national law enforcement stakeholder groups during the award review period, taking advantage of their expertise and experience to determine the recipients in a competitive nomination process. The Department also works closely with its components, utilizing the breadth of knowledge within the Department to ensure a successful program that honors the exceptional service of our nation’s law enforcement officers and deputies.
Complete information on the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ag/policing-award.
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
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Ohio to Protect the Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in Ohio Primary ElectionRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced an agreement between the department and the state of Ohio through its Secretary of State to help ensure that military service members, their family members, and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the upcoming May 3, 2022, federal primary election. The agreement is necessary to provide a remedy for a potential violation of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
The agreement provides additional time for election officials in Ohio to receive and count absentee ballots from eligible UOCAVA voters, in order to ensure that such voters will have sufficient time to receive and submit their absentee ballots for the May 3, 2022, primary election. Under the agreement, UOCAVA ballots sent back will be accepted for an additional 10 days – until May 23 – so long as they are executed and sent by the close of the polls on May 3, and otherwise valid. The agreement also provides extended time for UOCAVA voters to vote, sign and transmit completed ballots through the close of polls on the election day for the May 3 election. The agreement also requires that election officials transmit ballots to UOCAVA voters by expedited means no later than April 5, 2022. The agreement provides that elections officials will send voters their ballots by email if requested by the voter, or by a form of express mail or other express delivery service if the voter requested that the ballot be sent by mail. The agreement also provides that the state will provide a means for voters to have expedited delivery for their voted ballots when returned to the county election boards, at the state’s expense. Under the terms of today’s agreement, Ohio will also provide notice of the remedial measures to the affected voters and reports to the department concerning the transmission and receipt of the UOCAVA ballots for the May 3 primary election.
“This agreement reflects the Justice Department’s deep commitment to protecting the right to vote for members of our armed forces deployed around the world, their families, and U.S. citizens overseas, and ensuring that these voters are afforded a meaningful opportunity to vote in all federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “I commend Ohio state officials, who worked with the department to achieve a resolution that will safeguard voting rights for the state’s military and overseas voters in the upcoming primary election.”
UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters, serving both overseas and within the United States, and their families, and U.S. citizens residing overseas to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office. States are required to transmit absentee ballots to these voters, by mail or electronically at the voter’s option, no later than 45 days before each federal election.
The Supreme Court of Ohio required the post-decennial census districts for the Ohio General Assembly and Representative to Congress to be redrawn, and thus the districts for these offices were established much closer to the May 3, 2022, primary election than expected. In light of the delay in the ability to have ballots prepared due to the litigation, Ohio requested from the Department of Defense a hardship exemption, from UOCAVA’s 45-day advance transmission requirement for the May 3, 2022, primary election. On March 4, 2022, the application for a waiver was denied by the Department of Defense because Ohio’s original plan for sending UOCAVA ballots did not provide sufficient time for UOCAVA voters to receive, mark and return their ballots in time to have their votes counted.
Immediately following denial of the waiver by the Department of Defense, the Justice Department worked with Ohio officials to devise measures to remedy the anticipated UOCAVA violation. To implement the agreement on remedies reached with the department, Ohio enacted emergency legislation and the Secretary of State issued a directive to the county boards of elections.
More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting rights laws is available on the Department of Justice website at https://www.justice.gov/crt/uniformed-and-overseas-citizens-absentee-voting-act. Please report any complaints to the Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
Justice Department Issues Web Accessibility Guidance Under the Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice published guidance today on web accessibility and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It explains how state and local governments (entities covered by ADA Title II) and businesses open to the public (entities covered by ADA Title III) can make sure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities in line with the ADA’s requirements.
The guidance discusses a range of topics, including the importance of web accessibility, barriers that inaccessible websites create for some people with disabilities, when the ADA requires web content to be accessible, tips on making web content accessible and other information and resources. The guidance offers plain language and user-friendly explanations to ensure that it can be followed by people without a legal or technical background.
“We have heard the calls from the public on the need for more guidance on web accessibility, particularly as our economy and society become increasingly digitized,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This guidance will assist the public in understanding how to ensure that websites are accessible to people with disabilities. People with disabilities deserve to have an equal opportunity to access the services, goods and programs provided by government and businesses, including when offered or communicated through websites.”
Finally, the guidance reviews the department’s ongoing work to advance website accessibility for people with disabilities through statements of interest and enforcement matters. For example, the department recently entered into numerous settlements with businesses — including Hy-Vee, Inc., The Kroger Co., Meijer, Inc., and Rite Aid Corporation to ensure that websites for scheduling vaccine appointments are accessible.
The full guidance is available here.
To learn more about the department’s disability rights work, please visit www.ADA.gov.
Justice Department Announces Expansion of Technical Assistance Services Offered to Law Enforcement Agencies Through the Collaborative Reform InitiativeRead the Press Release
Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new Collaborative Reform Initiative. Managed out of the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), this initiative will be offering three different levels of assistance and expert services to state, local, and Tribal law enforcement partners nationwide. Each level of the initiative’s assistance is completely voluntary and provided at the request of law enforcement agencies. Attorney General Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta unveiled the new initiative at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) 2022 CEO symposium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“The Justice Department recognizes how much is being asked of law enforcement officers every single day, and we are committed to providing them with the support they need to build the collaboration, trust, and legitimacy that is essential to public safety,” said Attorney General Garland. “The Department’s new Collaborative Reform Initiative will provide our law enforcement partners nationwide with the opportunity to request support from a suite of customizable, targeted tools that will shape their capacity to keep communities safe and foster community trust.”
“Extensive consultation with law enforcement, community groups, and civil rights organizations identified a real opportunity to expand technical assistance options for law enforcement agencies that need it – and want it,” said Associate Attorney General Gupta. “This new collaborative reform approach builds on our highly successful CRI-TAC program and draws on the expertise of our partners to support law enforcement agencies as they implement best practices in community policing.”
The initiative will consist of three programs designed to build trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve; improve operational efficiencies and effectiveness; enhance officer safety and wellness; and develop and disseminate evidence-based, promising, and innovative public safety practices. This will be the first time in history that the COPS Office is managing and providing these various levels of assistance at the same time.
The new Collaborative Reform Initiative continuum will include:
- A continuation of the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC). This is the first level of assistance – and the most targeted and discrete. Established in 2017, CRI-TAC provides a wide range of targeted technical assistance services. The Department’s COPS Office leads CRI-TAC. But CRI-TAC involves a coalition of support and expertise from 10 leading law enforcement stakeholder organizations. Through CRI-TAC’s “by the field, for the field” approach, the Department is able to facilitate customizable, short-term technical assistance on more than 60 topics. Those topics range from gun violence reduction and prevention, to officer safety and wellness, to community engagement. Subject matter experts from the field design tailored solutions in collaboration with each agency to address its individual needs. Technical assistance timelines are established at the pace of the requesting agency, ranging from three to six months. Last year, CRI-TAC worked with 171 law enforcement agencies. The new initiative will maintain CRI-TAC as its first level of support.
- An updated Critical Response program. A law enforcement agency experiencing a high-profile event or other special circumstance, and that determines it could use assistance, will be able to reach out to the COPS Office for help. Like CRI-TAC, this program is also customizable and provides flexible assistance to law enforcement agencies in a variety of ways. Once an agency connects with the Department of Justice, tools will be in place to offer support ranging from after-action reviews, to peer-to-peer exchanges, to data analysis and recommendations, to facilitating discussions with experts. The timeline for these engagements will vary depending on the needs and scope of the situation, but it will range anywhere from two weeks to nine months. As is the case with CRI-TAC, this program is completely voluntary and will be offered as a way for the Justice Department to support the work of its law enforcement partners. The initiative will maintain the Critical Response program as its second level of support.
- An updated Organizational Assessments program. Building on lessons learned from the initial Collaborative Reform model that launched in 2012 but ended in 2017, the third and most intensive piece of this new model will be our Organizational Assessments program. This program will offer the most intensive form of support, involving in-depth assessments on systemic issues. Under the new initiative, when an agency participates in the Organizational Assessments program, areas for reform will be addressed with timely, ongoing, and actionable guidance. Participating agencies will be provided with the technical assistance they need to accomplish reforms as they are identified. To help ensure transparency and accountability, the Department will also routinely report the status of its efforts to the public. This level of support is intensive; it is designed to transform a law enforcement agency’s operations and its relationship with the community. This program is a voluntary opportunity for an agency that knows it needs to make changes, and wants to make changes. The Department will prioritize offering this level third level of support to agencies that have a clear desire to engage with the model.
In the coming weeks, the COPS Office will be releasing open solicitations for experienced service providers to reestablish the Critical Response program and the Organizational Assessments program. CRI-TAC is currently operational and will continue to be a resource that is part of the continuum of services.
Additional information on these new programs can be found on the COPS website at https://cops.usdoj.gov/CRIprogram.
The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to agency for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers.
Jury Convicts Man for a Shooting that Resulted in a Woman Being Struck by a BulletRead the Press Release
A federal jury today convicted a Tulsa man for taking part in a shooting that resulted in a woman being struck in the back of the head while she was driving, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Michael Sam, 21, was found guilty of Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country, Assault With a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country, Assault Resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country, and two counts of Carrying and Using a Firearm during and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
“Sam sought to settle a score when he recklessly shot into a car, missed his intended target, and struck a woman who was eight months pregnant. Not only did he have little regard for the individuals in the car, but he also endangered residents living in nearby homes,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Through a continuing, robust partnership between the AFT and Tulsa Police Department, Sam and other criminals have been brought to justice for the violent gun crime they commit in Tulsa’s neighborhoods.”
On April 8, 2019, the woman drove her boyfriend to a drug deal, where he arranged to illegally purchase Xanax. Sam was one of several individuals in the dealer’s car. Sam and the boyfriend knew one another from school. The boyfriend knew Sam did not like him and tried to shake his hand, but Sam refused. The boyfriend purchased the Xanax then returned to the car with the victim.
When they drove away, the victim noticed the dealer’s car following them in the rearview mirror. When she turned into a residential neighborhood, shots were fired from the dealer’s vehicle. A bullet struck the rear windshield, causing it to shatter then strike the victim in the back of the head. The victim lost control of the vehicle and hit a mailbox before coming to a stop. The boyfriend saw the dealers car, which Sam was in, drive by the crashed vehicle.
Another bullet went into a house in the neighborhood and was stopped by a glass door. The woman who lived in that house was home at the time in her living room.
A witness called 911 to report the incident, and the victim was transported to the hospital. The victim was approximately eight months pregnant at the time of the incident. The victim’s unborn child was not harmed. As a result of her injuries, the victim’s vision was affected for a period of time, and she continues to suffer from seizures and headaches.
In court, Sam’s former girlfriend testified that she showed Sam a news report about the crime. After viewing the report, Sam told her that he and another individual had shot a pregnant woman, but the intended target was the woman’s boyfriend. She said he bragged about the shooting and pretended to be holding a gun.
At the crime scene, Tulsa police officers collected 13 spent shell casings from the street and a projectile was recovered from the victim at the hospital. Investigators determined that a .40 caliber firearm and .45 caliber firearm had been used in the shooting.
In a download of Sam’s Facebook account, investigators discovered messages in which Sam offered to sell a Glock .40 caliber pistol on April 11, 2019, just three days after the shooting. Also, a download of the cell phone belonging to Sam’s girlfriend revealed text messages from April 11, 2019, in which Sam told the woman to hide his guns in a child’s backpack in their apartment after she texted him that someone was at the door and she was concerned it was law enforcement.
On Jan. 13, 2020, law enforcement recovered a Glock Model 21, .45 caliber pistol during a traffic stop in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Forensic analysis showed that the pistol matched the cartridge casings recovered during the investigation into the Tulsa shooting. The driver, who was suspected of a separate crime, possessed the firearm but was not involved in the Tulsa shooting.
During testimony in court, an ATF Task Force Officer explained that criminals often trade, sell or dispose of firearms after they are used in high profile crimes in an effort to distance themselves from the guns and to hinder investigations. It was believed that Sam tried to do the same thing with the Glock .40 caliber pistol via Facebook just three days after the Tulsa shooting. The officer further said that the .45 caliber firearm was likely traded or sold sometime after the Tulsa shooting as well, which would explain why it was later found in Muskogee.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, titled Operation Squeezed Out. The investigation centered on a firearms trafficking ring operating in the Northern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere.
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.
U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree, of the District of Kansas, presided over the trial. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar and Nathan E. Michel are prosecuting the case.
Jennifer May-Parker Awarded Federal Bar Association Excellence Award, Assumes New Role as Chief Counsel for LitigationRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina is pleased to announce that the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of North Carolina Chapter, has awarded Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer P. May-Parker the 2022 Judge David Daniel Award for Excellence in the Legal Community. Today’s announcement coincides with May-Parker’s assumption of her new role as Chief Counsel for Litigation.
The Judge David Daniel Award for Excellence in the Legal Community was created by the Federal Bar Association in memory of Magistrate Judge Daniel to honor lawyers who exemplify integrity, commitment, and service to the legal community. The award honors one attorney each year who has shown a commitment to the legal profession, to the Eastern District of North Carolina, to the clients they serve, and to their community. To qualify, a nominee must practice in the Eastern District of North Carolina and exemplify the ideals of the legal profession and further the goals of equal justice under the law.
May-Parker has a lengthy record of success as a prosecutor and has shattered barriers in her career. She is the first woman, the first lawyer of color, and first federal prosecutor to receive this award. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York City (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office. She then served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Environmental Division of the North Carolina Department of Justice. In 2013, May-Parker was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a United States District Judge in the Eastern District of North Carolina. This year will mark May-Parker’s 23rd with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
During her tenure in the Office, May-Parker has been a criminal trial attorney, an appellate attorney, the Chief of the Appellate Division, the First Assistant United States Attorney, the Diversity Chairperson, and a HOPE Court Team member. She has tried numerous cases to jury verdict, written hundreds of briefs (and reviewed hundreds more) and argued many cases before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. May-Parker also served as a member of DOJ’s Appellate Chief’s Working Group, which provides advice to the Department on legal strategy and key issues.
May-Parker recently assumed the role of Chief Counsel for Litigation at the United States Attorney’s Office, a senior leadership role. In this role she will lead the Litigation Support and Victim-Witness Assistance Sections, lead the office’s training and mentorship programs for AUSAs, and take on special litigative projects in the areas of economic crimes and civil rights.
U.S. Attorney Easley stated, “We are all inspired by Jennifer’s accomplished career and dedication in serving others. Jennifer is always so willing to share her time, talent, and expertise to see justice done and to support her colleagues in the legal community. She is a great team player, and I am honored that she continues to work so hard for the people of Eastern North Carolina.”
Jackson County Man Sentenced for Violation of Lacey ActRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. — A McKee, Ky., man, Christopher Cool, 59, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, after pleading guilty to one count of violating the Lacey Act.
The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to commercialize and sell wildlife, in interstate commerce, if you know or should have known that the wildlife was taken, possessed, transported, or sold in a manner that is unlawful under the law or regulation of any state, the United States or a foreign country.
According to Cool’s plea agreement, in July 2020, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service discovered that Cool had 246 Eastern Box Turtles at his residence, which he was intending to sell and ship to individuals outside of Kentucky. The commercialization and sale of these turtles is prohibited by Kentucky statue and regulation; and without a permit, a person is only allowed to possess five or fewer turtles for personal use. Further investigation revealed that between July 2019 and July 2020, Cool had sold 669 Eastern Box Turtles, which had been taken from the wild in Kentucky. Cool received an average of $100 a turtle.
In June 2021, U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents received reports from Pennsylvania and West Virginia wildlife officers indicating that Cool was selling and trafficking turtles in interstate commerce. According to information received, Cool was seen with over 125 Eastern Box Turtles while traveling through West Virginia. At the time, Cool admitted to others that he was bringing the turtles from Kentucky and was getting paid $200 a turtle, by out of state purchasers. Cool was arrested in McKee, on September 15, 2021.
Cool pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act in November 2021.
“The Lacey Act is an important tool for preserving our valuable wildlife resources,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners, both state and federal, without whom this prosecution could not have been possible and this threat to protected wildlife could have continued.”
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, considers the illegal collection and commercialization of Eastern Box Turtles a high priority,” said Stephen Clark, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We will continue to work closely with our State partners and the United States Attorney’s Office to investigate and prosecute these important cases.”
Under federal law, Cool 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 two years. Cool is also required to complete 80 hours of community service.
U.S. Attorney Shier and Special Agent in Charge Clark jointly announced the sentencing.
The case was investigated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, and Pennsylvania Game Commission. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily K. Greenfield.
– END –
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on March 17 was:
Stephanie Lynn Thomason, 51, of Seaback, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Thomason faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Thomason was released pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-13.
Sean James Sage, 40, of Billings, on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted of the most serious crime, Sage faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release on the bank fraud crime and a mandatory minimum two years in prison consecutive to any other punishment, a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release on the aggravated identity theft crime. Sage was detained pending further proceedings. The Billings Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-88.
Appearing on March 15 was:
Jacob B Ramirez, 40, of Reed Point, on charges of attempted coercion and enticement. If convicted of the most serious crime, Ramirez faces a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release. Ramirez was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-25.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
XXX
Indiana Woman Pleads Guilty to Possessing NarcoticsRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Indiana, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Ruby Gil, 31, pleaded guilty to the offense at Count One of the Indictment, and a lesser included offense at Count One of the Superseding Indictment and before United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, on or about October 9, 2020, Gil possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin and fentanyl. Further, from on or about April 19, 2019, to on or about July 2021, Gil conspired to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for August 4, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, 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 Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Maureen Sheehan-Balchon are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation leading to prosecution of Gil. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, Southwest Pennsylvania Safe Streets Task Force, Indiana County Drug Task Force, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Illegal Hunting Violations Result in Suspension of Hunting Privileges for Montz, Louisiana ManRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, La. - United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Aaron St. Pierre, 27, of Montz, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States Magistrate Judge Joseph H.L. Perez-Montes to 5 years of unsupervised probation and a $4,550 fine for hunting violations. St. Pierre’s hunting privileges were suspended for 5 years, and he is banned from all National Wildlife Refuges for the duration of his suspension period.
St. Pierre pleaded guilty on March 16, 2022 to several wildlife violations, including hunting in a closed area, unlawful taking of a Whitetail deer, use of trail cameras, distribution and hunting over bait, and litter in a National Wildlife Refuge. These charges stemmed from an investigation into illegal hunting activity in a closed area on Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, from December 2021 through January 2022.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Wildlife Officers and Wildlife Canine Team, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moody.
# # #
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that FRANCISCO FRANCESCHINI, 28, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to firearm possession and drug distribution offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 8, 2021, a court-authorized search of Franceschini’s residence revealed a loaded 9mm handgun, a loaded .380 caliber handgun, and approximately 44 grams of crack cocaine.
Franceschini’s criminal history includes multiple state convictions for firearm and narcotics offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Franceschini pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”), which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. He has been detained since his federal arrest on September 23, 2021.
This investigation has been conducted by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crime Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
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.
Guatemalan National Indicted on International Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari (619) 546-8402
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – March 18, 2022
SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in San Diego against Guatemalan national Axel Bladimir Montejo Saenz, aka “Mosh,” aka “Kraken.”
The indictment returned on November 1, 2018, charges Montejo Saenz with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel. Montejo Saenz remains a fugitive.
Read the Indictment
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy continued up to and including November 2018 and involved the distribution of cocaine in the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico and elsewhere.
“Today marks another important step in disrupting the corridor of illicit drug trafficking from Central America into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. “This complex, multi-agency investigation demonstrates the breadth of the Department’s mission to stop the flow of narcotics well before they reach our shores.” U.S. Attorney Grossman thanked the prosecution team, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their excellent work on this case.
“This high-level indictment highlights the success of HSI’s collaborative efforts with the government of Guatemala and all of our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners. This partnership has resulted in significant seizures of narcotics, firearms and U.S. Currency from international cartels,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge for HSI San Diego. “HSI is committed to bringing international drug trafficking cartel members to justice and to dismantling these criminal organizations.”
“DEA and our law enforcement partners are determined to bring members of transnational criminal organizations that inundate our country with cocaine to justice in the United States,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe. “We will continue to work with our foreign partners to stop the importation of illicit drugs.”
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
DEFENDANT
Case Number 18cr4701-DMS
Axel Bladimir Montejo Saenz Age: 35 Huehuetenango, Guatemala
aka “Mosh,” aka “Kraken,”
aka “Gladiator,” aka “Baraja,”
aka “Solin,” aka “Ron Zacapa,”
aka “Captain Morgan,” aka “Corralejo”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 959, 960, 963
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 21, U.S.C., Section 853Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine
Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel Subject to the Jurisdiction of the United States –
Title 46, U.S.C., Sections 70503, 70506(b)
Criminal Forfeiture – Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70507(a)
Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fineAGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
U.S. Coast Guard
HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala
HSI Attaché Mexico City Mexico
Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs
Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
Department of Justice, Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
Joint Task Force-Investigations (JTF-I)
Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S)
U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC)
Four MS-13 Gang Members Convicted of Racketeering, Violent Crimes, and Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted four Northern Virginia MS-13 gang members yesterday for drug distribution, racketeering, and their roles in two attempted murders in Prince William County in 2019.
According to court records and evidence presented during a three-week trial, Roberto Cruz Moreno, 22, of Woodbridge, and Marvin Torres, 21, of Manassas, were “chequeos,” which are soldiers, in the Guanacos Lil Cycos (GLCS) clique of MS-13; Kevin Perez Sandoval, 24, of Warrenton, was an “observacion,” which is a lower level soldier in the GLCS clique; and Jose Rosales Juarez, 27, of Manassas, was a “paro,” which is an entry level member of the GLCS clique.
In March 2019, Cruz Moreno picked up three other GLCS gang members and a victim identified as E.P.A. and drove them to an isolated wooded area in Bristow, where one GLCS gang member shot E.P.A. multiple times and another stabbed E.P.A. in the neck. They did this because GLCS gang members believed E.P.A. was disrespecting MS-13 and associating with a rival gang. Following the attempted murder, Cruz Moreno fled the scene with the three other GLCS participants and drove them to his residence. In April 2019, local law enforcement officers in Fairfax County found Cruz Moreno in possession of the same firearm used to shoot E.P.A and several grams of packaged cocaine in his vehicle, along with three other GLCS gang members traveling with him in the vehicle. Cruz Moreno had earlier that day been selling the cocaine on behalf of the clique.
In July 2019, Torres identified a victim, known as N.M.S., as a rival gang member in GLCS-controlled territory and provided photographs of N.M.S. to fellow gang members. On August 3 and 4, 2019, Rosales Juarez surveilled N.M.S. at a restaurant in Manassas, and discussed plans to kill N.M.S. with GLCS’ First Word, or leader, Andy Tovar, 32, of White Post. Tovar is considered to be one of the highest-ranking MS-13 members in the United States. On Aug. 12, 2019, Tovar granted permission to conduct the killing of N.M.S. That day, Perez Sandoval drove two members or associates of MS-13 to retrieve a firearm, then back to N.M.S.’s location where they shot him. Perez Sandoval then drove the associates from the scene of the shooting to Rosales Juarez’s residence. Rosales Juarez provided Perez Sandoval a different car to drive and rented a hotel room for the two other GLCS gang members involved in the attempted murder of N.M.S., in order to hinder law enforcement detection of those involved.
Prior to this trial, on February 4, Tovar pleaded guilty to each of the crimes with which he was charged in an indictment, including engaging in conspiracies to murder a victim identified as M.R.G. Tovar authorized GLCS gang members to kill M.R.G., and, on July 3, 2017, GLCS gang members traveled from Prince William County to Charlottesville to murder M.R.G because the GLCS clique believed M.R.G was a rival gang member. Following Tovar’s authorization, four GLCS gang members stabbed M.R.G to death over 140 times using knives and a machete before they dumped the victim’s body in a creek, burned his car, and fled back to Prince William County.
Tovar, Cruz Moreno, and Perez Sandoval each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Torres and Rosales Juarez each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Tovar will be sentenced on July 13, and Cruz Moreno, Perez Sandoval, Torres, and Rosales Juarez will be sentenced on August 31. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Tim Foley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division; Colonel Sean Reeves, Chief of Albemarle County Police; Douglas W. Keen, Chief of Manassas City Police; Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police; Amy Ashworth, Commonwealth Attorney for Prince William County; and Kevin Davis, Chief of Fairfax County Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Murphy, Nicholas J. Patterson, and Amanda Lowe are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-18.
Former Prison Case Manager Sentenced and Former Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty in Bribery Schemes to Smuggle Contraband to InmatesRead the Press Release
A North Carolina man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for accepting bribes to smuggle drugs and other contraband into Caledonia Correctional Institution (now Roanoke River Correctional Institution), and another North Carolina man pleaded guilty to a similar scheme.
Ollie Rose III, 62, of Pleasant Hill, was sentenced on March 15 to 46 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $42,000. According to court documents, Rose worked as a case manager at Caledonia Correctional Institution, a state prison in Halifax County. Rose admitted to using his position to smuggle contraband — including marijuana, tobacco, and synthetic cannabinoids (K2) — into the prison for inmates in exchange for bribes totaling at least $42,000, paid in cash and via a mobile application, and that he sometimes also took a portion of the drugs he smuggled into the prison as payment. The scheme lasted from at least November 2018 through October 2020, when Rose was arrested.
Warren Reed, 38, of Scotland Neck, pleaded guilty on March 18 to extortion under color of official right. According to court documents, Reed worked as a correctional officer at Caledonia Correctional Institution. He admitted to using his position as a public official to smuggle contraband — including marijuana and cell phones — into the prison for inmates in exchange for bribes. Reed is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office made the announcement.The FBI investigated the case with significant assistance from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Trial Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Lauren E. Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the cases.
The cases are part of the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to combat prison corruption. In addition to the above matter, the Public Integrity Section has obtained convictions against two other former North Carolina prison officials who smuggled contraband, including illegal narcotics, into Caledonia Correctional Institution in exchange for bribe payments. See United States v. Jeremy Chambers, No. 4:21-CR-00038 (E.D.N.C.); United States v. Kenneth Farr, No. 4:21-CR-00009 (E.D.N.C.). Separately, the Public Integrity Section has obtained convictions against several federal prison officials who smuggled contraband into Leavenworth Detention Center. See United States v. Willie Golden, Case No. 2:21-CR-20061 (D. Kan.); United States v. Janna Grier, Case No. 2:22-CR-20001 (D. Kan.); United States v. Jeane Arnette, Case No. 2:21-cr-20063 (D. Kan.); United States v. Cheyonte Harris, No. 2:21-CR-20054 (D. Kan.); United States v. Jacqueline Sifuentes, No. 2:21-CR-20053 (D. Kan.).
Former Postal Employee Pled Guilty to Unlawfully Opening the MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TYRONE DILLING, age 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana pleaded guilty on March 17, 2022, to unlawfully opening the mail before the Honorable Barry W. Ashe, District Court Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana.
According to documents filed in federal court, TYRONE DILLING was employed by the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier in New Orleans when he was apprehended opening and tampering with the content of mail items he was entrusted to handle for the Postal Service.
The maximum penalty for the offense is five years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the victim followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of one hundred dollars.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Postal Employee Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Opening the MailRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TYRONE DILLING, age 27, of New Orleans, Louisiana pleaded guilty on March 17, 2022, to unlawfully opening the mail before the Honorable Barry W. Ashe, District Court Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana.
According to documents filed in federal court, TYRONE DILLING was employed by the United States Postal Service as a letter carrier in New Orleans when he was apprehended opening and tampering with the content of mail items he was entrusted to handle for the Postal Service.
The maximum penalty for the offense is five years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the victim followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of one hundred dollars.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II is in charge of the prosecution.
Former Member of Springfield Latin Kings Chapter Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former member of the Springfield Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for a firearm offense.
Hector Adorno, a/k/a “King Gordo,” 36, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. On Sept. 1, 2021, Adorno pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition.
The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.
In May 2019, Adorno was wanted on assault charges. At the time of his arrest, Adorno was found in possession of a loaded firearm, located beside him at arm’s reach on a bedroom nightstand in his residence. Adorno was also on supervised release at the time for a serious federal drug conviction, for which he served 106 months, and was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Adorno is the 47th defendant to be sentenced in the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Employee Charged with Defrauding Apple, Money Laundering, and Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – A federal criminal case filed yesterday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California charges Dhirendra Prasad with defrauding his former employer Apple, Inc. of millions of dollars and with money laundering and tax evasion, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson.
The Information filed yesterday charges Prasad, 52, from Mountain House in San Joaquin County, with five crimes. In the first count, Prasad is charged with engaging in a conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud from 2013 through January 2019. In the second and third counts, Prasad is charged with separate conspiracies to launder fraud proceeds. The fourth count charges Prasad with conspiring to evade a co-conspirator’s tax liabilities for several years, and the fifth count charges Prasad with evading his own income tax liabilities.
In a related case filing, the government alleges that Prasad was employed by Apple from December of 2008 through December of 2018. For most of that time, Prasad was a “buyer” in Apple’s Global Service Supply Chain and responsible for purchasing parts and services from vendors on Apple’s behalf. Prasad is alleged to have exploited his position by engaging in multiple different schemes to defraud Apple, including taking kickbacks, stealing parts, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received, resulting in a loss of more than $10,000,000. Prasad is also described as evading tax on the schemes’ proceeds, which he also laundered.
Prasad’s alleged co-conspirators are Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, both of whom reside in the Central District of California. Hansen and Baker both owned vendor companies that did business with Apple, and the charges allege they each conspired with Prasad to commit fraud and money laundering. Neither Hansen nor Baker were charged with Prasad, but they were each earlier charged in separate federal criminal cases also unsealed yesterday and they have both admitted their involvement.
In addition, the United States filed a civil forfeiture action related to the criminal charges against Prasad in federal court on September 24, 2021. In that suit, the United States seeks to forfeit five pieces of real property and a dozen financial accounts traced to Prasad’s crimes. Those assets – which have an estimated aggregate value of $5,000,000 – have been frozen or otherwise encumbered pursuant to a court-authorized seizure warrant. The civil forfeiture action remains pending.
Prasad is scheduled to make his initial appearance on the criminal charges in San Jose federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen on March 24, 2022.
The Information charges Prasad with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. The maximum statutory sentence of imprisonment for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349 is 20 years. Prasad is also charged with two counts of conspiracy to engage in money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h), and the maximum statutory sentence of imprisonment for each violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) is 20 years. The fourth count against Prasad charges a conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. The maximum statutory sentence of imprisonment for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 is five years. Lastly, Prasad is charged with one count of tax evasion in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201, which carries a maximum statutory sentence of imprisonment of five years. Any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in the criminal Information are only allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael G. Pitman is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Sahib Kaur. Assistant United States Attorney Karen D. Beausey is representing the United States in the civil forfeiture action, with the assistance of Brenda Lukaitis. The prosecution was the result of an investigation led by Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.
Former AEP Employee Sentenced on Federal Fraud and Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced that Gregory Thomas Holland, 64, of Roanoke, Virginia, and a former American Electric Power (AEP) employee, was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison for wire fraud and filing false tax returns.
“For almost three decades, Gregory Holland was trusted to manage the accounts of American Electric Power customers. However, instead of living up to that trust, Holland betrayed it and stole more than $1.6 million dollars,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of Holland’s crimes and demonstrates that the prosecution of white-collar crime is one of my Office’s highest priorities. Our dedicated team is determined to work together with federal law enforcement to bring justice on behalf of the victims of fraud in Western District of Virginia.”
“Gregory Holland exploited his position of trust to enrich himself and spend his company’s money to support an excessive lifestyle while not reporting the stolen income to the IRS,” said Darrell Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. “Our special agents will continue to work with our law enforcement officers to follow the money trail and seek out those who don’t pay their fair share of taxes.”
According to court documents, Holland was employed at AEP for over 35 years and was responsible for managing AEP’s interests during customer bankruptcies, including filing claims on behalf of AEP as well as processing and collecting customer payments.
In 2001, unbeknownst to anyone else in the company, Holland opened a personal checking account using AEP’s name and address. Between May 2002 and January 2018, Holland admitted to depositing hundreds of checks intended for AEP into this account and used the money for numerous personal expenses, including membership dues at the Roanoke Country Club, lake house payments, car payments, clothing purchases.
In addition, Holland did not report any of this stolen income on his IRS Form 1040 Individual Income Tax Returns for tax years 2011 through 2017. The court determined today the total loss to AEP customers to be $1,616,591 with an additional $88,254 loss to the IRS.
The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Baudinet prosecuted the case.
Florida Resident Indicted for Possessing with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that DANTE BOWMAN, age 22, and a resident of Lake Worth, Florida, was charged in a one count indictment by a federal grand jury with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A).
According to the indictment, on October 19, 2021, BOWMAN possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of Count One, BOWMAN faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman.
Final Two Defendants Convicted in Prison-Based Drug Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A federal jury convicted two Wichita men on charges related to an inmate-run drug trafficking ring headquartered from a prison cell in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Following the presentation of court documents and evidence at trial, a jury found Kevin Lewis, 58, and Travis Vontress, 45, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute heroin, conspiracy to distribute cocaine powder, maintaining drug involved premises, and unlawful use of a telephone in furtherance of drug trafficking,
A jury also convicted Lewis of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. Vontress was also found guilty of possession with intent to distribute powder cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Both men are scheduled for sentencing June 22.
Twenty-one defendants pled guilty to charges related to this case. They include Travis Knighten, 49, and Armando Luna, 43, both inmates at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Knighten served as the brains of the operation and while in prison, used cell phones to direct co-conspirators in Wichita in the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs. Knighten is serving a 90-year sentence for killing a prison guard in 1993. The other defendants, all of Wichita, are Richard Adams, 29, David Bell, 48, Frederick Collins, 49, Byron Fitchpatrick, 47, Eric Goodwin, 55, Dorzee Hill, 42, Santoria Hill, 53, Orlando Hogan, 46, Derek Hubbard, 46, Mario Ponds, 41, Otis Ponds, 43, Robert Richmond, 50, Kimberly Schmidtberger, 40, Shamtus Smallwood, 48, Kevin Walker, 56, Tia Ward, 42, Eddie Washington, 62, Trevor Wells, 41, and Dallas Williams, 40.
“This sophisticated criminal organization went to great lengths to conceal their illegal activities from law enforcement such as using code words for various narcotics and street names instead of actual names. These court convictions show that as criminals work to evade the law, there are prosecutors and law enforcement agencies working just as hard to bring them to justice,” said Duston Slinkard, U.S. Attorney – District of Kansas.
The FBI, Wichita Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, Barton County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Service, Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Marshall Service, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Nebraska State Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.
###
Fentanyl symposium to feature experts in enforcement, prevention, treatmentRead the Press Release
MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – Fentanyl will be the focus of an event next week in Morgantown that will bring national experts to West Virginia to identify solutions to the substance abuse crisis.
Top officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the U.S. Border Patrol will be featured at the West Virginia Fentanyl Symposium, to be held on March 24. The audience will be filled with prosecutors, sheriffs, and police chiefs from throughout the state.
Speakers at the event will include Raymond Donovan, Chief of Operations at the DEA, who will address the Mexican cartel threat to the United States. Dr. Grant Baldwin, head of overdose prevention for the CDC, will discuss his agency’s response to the current crisis. Best-selling author Ben Westhoff, who penned the book “Fentanyl, Inc.”, will share his research on the fentanyl factories in China. The complete agenda can be found at https://www.ahidta.org.
“Fentanyl is widely available, highly addictive and causing damage to West Virginia unlike any other drug ever has,” said William Ihlenfeld, United States Attorney for the Northern District. “It’s critical that we hear from the best and the brightest as we fine tune our approach to enforcement and prevention.”
“A tragic number of West Virginians are losing their lives to fentanyl-related overdose deaths, devastating families and communities,” said Will Thompson, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District. “The West Virginia Fentanyl Symposium provides a valuable opportunity for us to learn from law enforcement, prevention and treatment leaders and to further sharpen our “all hands on deck” response to the opioid epidemic.”
Drug task force commanders will participate in a separate track, to share best practices and new trends in drug trafficking, and to finalize a statewide fentanyl enforcement strategy.
The invitation-only event is sponsored by the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts.
Federal Jury Convicts Cairo, Georgia, Man for His Role in 100+ Kilo Meth Distribution NetworkRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia man was found guilty on all counts by a federal jury yesterday afternoon following a four-day trial resulting from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into an extensive drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine in the region.
Kentrail Brown, 31, of Cairo, Georgia, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking on March 17, following a trial that began on March 14, before U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner. Brown faces a minimum of ten years up to a maximum life imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Kentrail Brown’s conviction concludes an extensive Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation that ultimately shut down a methamphetamine trafficking network centered in a small Southwest Georgia community. Brown, along with 15 co-defendants convicted in this case, have been held accountable for the grave harm caused by their criminal activities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia and our law enforcement partners are using every tool at our disposal to make our region safer and hold repeat and violent criminals accountable.”
“The conviction of these defendants is an example of DEA’s effort to confront, engage and eliminate drug distribution networks,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Because of the collaborative effort between DEA and its law enforcement partners, these defendants will spend well-deserved time in federal prison.”
“As this exhaustive investigation ends, we can assure citizens of Southwest Georgia that they are much safer because Brown and his co-defendants are off their streets,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI would like to thank our federal, state and local law enforcement partners for all of their hard work and commitment to ending the opioid epidemic here in Georgia.”
“This conviction demonstrates the great work of law enforcement at all levels to investigate and prosecute the illegal distribution of methamphetamine, a dangerous drug that continues to wreak havoc on Georgia communities. The GBI remains committed to working with our local and federal partners in drug enforcement to address these types of crimes,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, agents conducted a wiretap investigation into the drug distribution activities of Brown and numerous co-defendants beginning in March 2019. The investigation revealed that Brown and his co-defendants were engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine in southwest Georgia. In all, more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine are attributable to this organization.
The following co-defendants entered guilty pleas in this case and have been sentenced:
Phil Grim, 45 of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 120 months imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release;
James Levy Sapp, 40, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 87 months imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Mitchell Tomberlin, 49 of Whigham, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 60 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release; and,
R. Kevin Barrineau, 48 of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 57 months imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release;
The following co-defendants have entered guilty pleas and sentencings are scheduled for June 15-17:
Tobias Sanders, 32, Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Xavier Jordan, 33, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Joseph Jones aka Bae, 31, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
David Donald, 37, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Orrie Bell, 35, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Richard Bond, 47, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Mike Thomas, 47, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine;
Demorris Adams, 32, of Whigham, Georgia, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine;
Dewayne Isom, 31, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine;
Nicholas Harden, 29, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and faces up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and
Shandrekia Mango, 34, of Cairo, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
The case was investigated by DEA, FBI, GBI, Grady County Sheriff’s Office and Thomas County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah McEwen prosecuted the case.
Federal Defendant Admits to Threatening U.S. Probation OfficerRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Woonsocket man convicted in September 2011on drug trafficking and firearm charges admitted in U.S. District Court on Wednesday that, while serving a term of supervised release related to that conviction, he threatened a United States Probation Officer, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Following his conviction in 2011, Jason Collymore, 41, was sentenced to 144 months of incarceration to be followed by five years of federal supervised release. On Wednesday, Collymore pleaded guilty to an information charging him with threatening of a federal officer with bodily harm with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal officer while engaged in the performance of his official duties.
According to charging documents, in June 2021, a U.S. Probation Officer twice contacted Collymore to discuss his failure to attend counselling sessions as required by the court. After the second call, Collymore made several vulgar-filled and combative telephone calls to the Probation Officer. Collymore continued failing to attend the court-ordered counselling sessions.
During a subsequent telephone conversation between Collymore and his Probation Officer, and witnessed and recorded by the Probation Officer’s supervisor, Collymore threatened to appear at the court in person with the “whole gang” and physically harm the Probation Officer.
Collymore is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2022. Threatening of a federal officer with bodily harm with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal officer while engaged in the performance of his official duties is punishable by statutory penalties of up to six years in federal prison to be followed by a term of supervised release of three years. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zechariah Chafee, Sandra R. Hebert, and Lauren S. Zurier.
The matter was investigated by the United States Marshals Service.
###
Essex County Man Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Fraudulently Obtain More Than $700,000Read the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for conspiring to fraudulently obtain more than $700,000, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Jefferson Robert, 31, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud. Judge Neals imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal program unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides unemployment insurance benefits (UIB) for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment (e.g., self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers). The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program that provides an additional $600 weekly benefit to those eligible for PUA and regular UIB. The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) administers and manages the regular unemployment and PUA programs in the State of Washington.
Robert opened bank accounts with a fraudulent passport in another individual’s name. He and his conspirators then caused an application to be made to ESD for UIB in the name of a victim. In response, ESD caused UIB to be deposited into one of the fraudulent bank accounts. Robert and his conspirators: partook in business email scams, including causing a victim to transfer approximately $28,000 into one of the bank accounts; partook in romance scams, including causing a victim to make five deposits into one of the bank accounts totaling approximately $19,000; and fraudulently obtained money from the IRS by causing the IRS to transfer payments in four victims’ names into one of the bank accounts. Once the fraudulently obtained money was in the bank accounts, Roberts moved the money, including through the purchase of money orders. Robert and his conspirators caused more than $700,000 in losses.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Neals sentenced Robert to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $675,371.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, Philadelphia Division; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone in New York; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charges After Eight Days of TrialRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland –Adebowale Ojo, age 38, of Damascus, Maryland, pleaded guilty late yesterday to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and to distribution of controlled substances, after eight days of trial. Ojo admitted that he distributed cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin, in Maryland and West Virginia.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, during the course of the conspiracy from about May 2016 through July 2018, Ojo distributed controlled substances, including crack cocaine, cocaine, and heroin, to both users and street level dealers in Maryland, including Montgomery and Frederick Counties, as well as in West Virginia. At times, Ojo used other individuals to turn over the drugs to his customers after Ojo arranged the sale of the substances and to drive him to conduct sales and to meet his sources of supply.
As detailed in the plea agreement, between January and March 2018, an individual purchased drugs from Ojo on four separate occasions, at the direction of law enforcement. Ojo met the individual at a restaurant in Gaithersburg to conduct the transactions. Ojo admitted that he sold the individual a total of 25.66 grams of crack cocaine, 5.82 grams of cocaine, 2.16 grams of heroin, and four grams of heroin/fentanyl mixtures. Another individual purchased crack cocaine and heroin from Ojo in July 2018, at the direction of law enforcement. That individual went to Ojo’s apartment in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where Ojo cooked the crack cocaine, then sold 2.88 grams of crack cocaine to that individual, as well as 1.64 grams of heroin.
On November 28, 2018, Ojo was a back seat passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by a Maryland State Trooper near Frederick, Maryland. Ojo did not provide the Trooper with any identification, but did give his name. A query of the name revealed an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The Trooper also requested a drug detecting K-9 to scan the vehicle. The K-9 scan was positive. A subsequent search of Ojo’s person resulted in the discovery of a bag containing 13.82 grams of MDMA, also known as Molly and Ecstasy. Ojo admitted that he intended to distribute the MDMA.
Ojo and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Ojo will be sentenced to between 11 and 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for Ojo on August 4, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked the Maryland State Police for its assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica C. Collins and Kelly O. Hayes, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
# # #
Disbarred Attorney Sentenced to Four Years for Conspiring to Commit Bankruptcy Fraud and Defrauding Clients of $1.3 MillionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber has sentenced James Lee Clark (61, Wilton Manors) to 48 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud and wire fraud. Clark had pleaded guilty on December 14, 2021.
According to court documents, from January 2010 through February 2017, Clark, who was a licensed attorney, conspired with his paralegal, Eric Liebman, to defraud mortgage creditors and guarantors holding notes on properties in foreclosure. Clark and Liebman falsely and fraudulently represented to distressed homeowners that they would negotiate with creditors and guarantors to prevent foreclosures in exchange for the homeowners’ execution of quitclaim or warranty deeds for the properties to an entity controlled by Liebman. Clark and Liebman also convinced the homeowners to pay rent or agree to sell their houses. In order to continue collecting ill-gotten rents and/or profit from the property sales, Clark filed fraudulent bankruptcy petitions in the names of the homeowners to prevent the mortgage creditors from lawfully foreclosing and taking title to the properties.
Additionally, from January 2012 to February 2017, Clark defrauded his clients out of approximately $1.3 million. As part of his practice, Clark acted as a trustee for clients and held their money in various bank accounts. Instead of using the funds for the purpose intended by his clients, Clark diverted the money into his law firm’s bank accounts, and used it for personal expenses, like gambling, travel, and automobiles.
Liebman previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud. He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Office of the United States Trustee for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division) provided substantial investigative support. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
Departments of Justice and State Launch International Program to Support Women in Leadership Roles in CounterterrorismRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) and the Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau (DOS/CT) recently launched a new program to support women in leadership roles in counterterrorism.
The project, Engaging Multinational Police Women on Equality and Rights (EMPoWER), builds the capacity of women to combat terrorism by supporting them through leadership opportunities and inclusion in counterterrorism efforts. The EMPoWER Program conducted its first-ever regional symposium this week in Opatija, Croatia, drawing more than two dozen law enforcement participants from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kenya.
“It is said that when it comes to terrorism, the world is small,” said ICITAP Director Gregory Ducot. “We recognize the need to increase the participation of women in counterterrorism law enforcement by educating leaders, creating opportunities for networking, and connecting with professional colleagues.”
“As leaders, we are supposed to listen to everyone around us,” said Samuel L. Pineda, Director of the Programs Office with DOS/CT. “We are supposed to empower people to be their best. And that’s what the EMPoWER Program is supposed to do: help us all become better through education, through support, and through operational networks that help us carry out our mission.”
“We hope that this is the first of many symposiums that not only help women to succeed in their role in the country-specific law enforcement agencies, but will also help U.S. counterterrorism efforts abroad,” said ICITAP Senior Law Enforcement Advisor – EMPoWER Lynn Holland.
The inaugural symposium in Croatia included executive law enforcement and counterterrorism subject matter experts, who provided weeklong advanced professional training.
Developing advanced training, providing mentorship programs, and offering insight into current trends in new technology are key elements for building the capacity of women engaged in combatting terrorism globally.
The EMPoWER Program plans to expand its initiatives in other regions, including Asia and Africa and the Middle East and serve as the beginning of the process of identifying and engaging up-and-coming leaders in the field of counterterrorism in their respective countries. Consecutively, this initiative will lead to the creation of regional task forces in which selected leaders will engage in international collaboration, strategic communication, and information sharing with U.S. government agencies, jointly working toward the goal of countering terrorism on the global platform.
To learn more about ICITAP, visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-icitap.
Council Bluffs Woman Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Methamphetamine and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Angela Michelle Brown, 46, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was sentenced on March 18, 2022, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Brown to 10 years’ imprisonment on the drug charge and a consecutive 5 years on the gun charge. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing her term of imprisonment, Brown will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
In October of 2017, Omaha Police Officers utilized a cooperating witness to buy gram quantities of methamphetamine from Brown at various Omaha locations. The cooperator conducted four buys over a year and a half. During each buy, Brown took the cooperator with her to buy from her source of supply of methamphetamine.
On April 16, 2021, officers arrested Brown on an arrest warrant. In her possession officers found approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine and a gun.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Correctional Officer Greg Mckenzie Indicted for Obstructing Investigation of Smuggling of Firearm into Metropolitan Correctional CenterRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General New York Field Office (“DOJ-OIG”), announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging GREG MCKENZIE, a Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, with obstructing a federal investigation into the smuggling of a firearm into the Metropolitan Correctional Center (“MCC”). The loaded firearm was recovered from inside the MCC on March 5, 2020. MCKENZIE was arrested today and will be presented before Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger later today. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Greg McKenzie is alleged to have obstructed justice by lying to federal agents investigating the smuggling of a firearm into the MCC in 2020. His alleged use of a prepaid cellphone to communicate secretly with an inmate from whose prison cell the firearm was recovered and subsequent false denials about those communications is a serious crime.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “McKenzie allegedly obstructed justice when he lied to federal investigators regarding his contact with a MCC inmate who last occupied a cell in which a loaded firearm was discovered. As a federal corrections officer, McKenzie was responsible for protecting the welfare of the inmates and his coworkers in the facility. Instead of fulfilling that duty, he chose to lie to the agents investigating a gravely serious violation of safety protocols. With today’s charges, he will be forced to face the consequences of his actions.”
DOJ-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Ryan T. Geach said: “McKenzie’s alleged lying and obstruction of a federal investigation are serious offenses, especially because a loaded firearm in the hands of an inmate endangers not just the prison, but the entire community.”
According to the Indictment[1] unsealed today:
On or about March 5, 2020, a loaded .22 caliber firearm (the “Firearm”) was recovered from inside an MCC prison cell that had last been occupied by two inmates, including “Inmate-1.” Several weeks before the Firearm was recovered, Inmate-1 and his wife had each communicated by phone with a particular cellphone used by MCKENZIE (the “McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone”). However, when law enforcement agents interviewed MCKENZIE regarding the Firearm investigation, MCKENZIE falsely denied having any connection to the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone.
Specifically, on January 30, 2020, MCKENZIE purchased the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone from a store in lower Manhattan, just moments after having withdrawn approximately $120 in cash from a nearby ATM. The next day, MCKENZIE used the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone to repeatedly exchange calls with Inmate-1 – who was using a contraband cellphone from within the MCC – and Inmate-1’s wife.
Meanwhile, cellphone location information revealed that the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone frequently traveled between MCKENZIE’s Danbury, Connecticut residence and the MCC on dates and times consistent with MCKENZIE’s work schedule. On the evening of January 31, 2020, MCKENZIE and Inmate-1’s wife each briefly traveled to the same location in the Bronx at the same time, and MCKENZIE thereafter traveled directly to the MCC to begin a shift beginning at midnight on February 1, 2020, whereupon he was assigned to the very unit where Inmate-1 was housed and from where the Firearm was later recovered.
Surveillance video and call detail records further established that after beginning his February 1, 2020, shift, MCKENZIE and a colleague conducted a routine check of Inmate-1’s cellblock. Moments later, Inmate-1, using a contraband cellphone, called and then texted the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone. Within minutes, MCKENZIE briefly returned to Inmate 1’s cellblock – this time alone – while appearing to carry an object under his left arm.
On November 4, 2021, two federal agents conducted a voluntary interview with MCKENZIE. During the interview, MCKENZIE falsely denied ownership, possession, and use of the McKenzie Prepaid Cellphone, and falsely denied ever using any prepaid cellphone to communicate with an MCC inmate or inmate’s associate.
* * *
MCKENZIE, 35, of Danbury, Connecticut, is charged with one count of false statements, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2), which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the FBI, DOJ-OIG, Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption and Narcotics Units. Assistant United States Attorneys Aline R. Flodr, Jonathan E. Rebold, and Daniel H. Wolf are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Assistant United States Attorney Juliana N. Murray.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.