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3 March 2022
Fresno Man with Prior Violent Felony Record Charged with Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Richard Ricardo, 26, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, a law enforcement officer pulled Ricardo over for a traffic violation. During the stop, the officer determined that Ricardo was driving on a suspended license, in violation of the California Vehicle Code. Before towing the car, officers searched it in accordance with the department’s inventory procedures. Inside the car, officers found firearm parts capable of being assembled into an operable firearm, ammunition, and firearm magazines. Ricardo is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition because of his prior felony convictions, including a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Ricardo faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Fraudulent check scheme sends Great Falls woman to prison for 26 monthsRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls woman who admitted to a fraudulent check scheme in which she used fake identifications and stolen checks to buy merchandise in the community was sentenced today to 26 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Rachel Sheree Abbott, 34, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $23,309 restitution.
In court documents, the government alleged that in 2019 and 2020, Abbott became involved in a fraudulent check scheme where she used fake identification cards, stolen checks and check printing software and materials to create new checks with valid account numbers.
Another individual would make for Abbott fake identification cards that contained a real identity with Abbott’s picture. Abbott also received stolen checks from others and would put this real identity on the stolen checks in conjunction with the real account number. Abbott then used the fake identification card and altered checks to spend approximately $25,000 at businesses in the Great Falls community.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica A. Betley and Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Great Falls Police Department.
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Former State Employee Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison for $2M Scheme to Defraud the Office of AIDSRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Schenelle M. Flores, 46, of Sacramento, was sentenced today to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution for organizing a scheme to divert funds from the California Department of Public Health, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. She was ordered to begin serving her sentence on May 18, 2022.
According to court documents, Flores used her employment at the Office of AIDS, within the California Department of Public Health, to coordinate the fraud scheme between December 2017 and November 2018. The Office of AIDS is responsible for working on behalf of the State of California to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Flores’s scheme involved directing a state contractor to make payments allegedly on behalf of the Office of AIDS and causing the contractor to charge those payments to the state. As part of the scheme, Flores caused the contractor to pay for personal expenses on its debit cards, order gift cards for personal use, and pay false invoices to shell companies for services allegedly provided to the Office of AIDS. Flores, other participants in the scheme, and their families and friends obtained at least $2 million in personal benefits, including cash, luxury suites at sports games, and vacations.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was referred by the California Department of Public Health and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miriam R. Hinman and Christopher S. Hales are prosecuting the case.
Another former state employee, Christine M. Iwamoto, 47, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty on Oct. 28, 2021, to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a related case, United States v. Iwamoto, 2:21-cr-193-TLN. Iwamoto is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on April 7, 2022. For the wire fraud count, Iwamoto faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. For the count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, Iwamoto faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the property involved in the transactions, whichever is greater. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Former Preschool Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A former preschool teacher was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for purchasing sexually explicit images of children, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Jason Sherod Baldwin, 29, was charged via criminal complaint in July 2020 and indicted less than a month later. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of receipt of child pornography and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle. He was ordered to report to the Bureau of Prisons on April 6.
In plea papers, Mr. Baldwin, a former teacher at Dallas’ Hockaday School, admitted that he used Kik, an encrypted messaging app popular among teenagers, to purchase links to child pornography from another Kik user. In chats, Mr. Baldwin requested “mainly preteen boy-on-boy vid[eo]s.”
According to court documents, the investigation into Mr. Baldwin began after FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at the home of a convicted sex offender in Philadelphia. A search of the offender’s phone revealed that he routinely used Kik to solicit payment for links child pornography. One of the accounts with which the offender communicated traced back to Mr. Baldwin.
On Oct. 29, Mr. Baldwin messaged the sex offender about purchasing child pornography. The offender shared a link to a “preview” folder and indicated a cost for the complete file set. Mr. Baldwin sent the money through PayPal and received links to the files a few minutes later.
The investigation showed that Mr. Baldwin purchased child pornography from the offender several times over the ensuing months, on Nov. 11 (two videos of minor males), Dec. 8 (a video and more than 100 images), Dec. 18 (two videos), and Jan. 21 (seven videos).
In an interview with law enforcement after he was arrested, Mr. Baldwin admitted that he had used Kik to purchase sexually explicit images of children. He said he had hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos of children stored on his cell phones, and that he had been viewing child porn for approximately eight years.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Plano Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau’s Philadelphia Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Dana prosecuted the case.
Former Nantucket Bank Employee Sentenced for Role in Two Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Nantucket Bank employee was sentenced today for her role in two fraud conspiracies.
Rushell Harris, 32, of Nantucket, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to four months in prison and two years of supervised release, one of which will be served in home confinement. Harris was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $161,038 and forfeiture of $90,925. On Oct. 8, 2021, Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Between approximately June 2014 and November 2018, Harris engaged in two separate wire fraud conspiracies. In the first conspiracy, Harris exploited her position at Nantucket Bank by obtaining personally identifiable information of a customer and surreptitiously taking photographs of the victim’s account information. Harris then shared that information with co-conspirators who attempted to transfer funds out of the customer’s bank account without authorization.
In the second conspiracy, Harris helped perpetuate a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting at least 13 victims who were contacted by co-conspirators via phone, informing them that they had won large prizes, and that in order to receive the funds they needed to pre-pay taxes on their winnings. In reality, no such prizes existed. After victims made an initial payment, they were advised that additional advance payments were required for expenses such as insurance, transportation or other international customs’ fees. Harris and her co-conspirators transferred proceeds of the scheme to associates in Jamaica and in the United States.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nantucket Police Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Mail Carrier Pleads Guilty to Stealing Sports Trading CardsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former mail carrier pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing nearly 100 sports trading cards worth thousands of dollars from the mail.
Paul O. Robinson, 26, of Richmond, Missouri, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to a federal information that charges him with one count of mail theft.
By pleading guilty today, Robinson admitted that he stole 94 sports trading cards, valued at approximately $39,994, and other items from the mail from April to June 2021.
Robinson worked for the U.S. Postal Service from 2018 to 2021. He was initially assigned to be a carrier at the Barry Woods Annex in Kansas City, Mo. In June 2021 a customer reported that he had mailed a Kevin Durant basketball sports trading card valued at $1,925 to a customer in Kansas City, Mo., but the card never arrived. The customer also provided the tracking and serial numbers for additional mail items that contained valuable sports trading cards and had been placed in the mail and were missing.
Four of the missing sports cards were recovered from a sports memorabilia store in Gladstone, Mo. Surveillance video from the store showed Robinson, in his postal uniform, presenting the cards for sale on June 12, 2021. When federal agents interviewed Robinson, he admitted that he stole the cards. Robinson also admitted to taking mail home in his car and destroying mail. Agents searched Robinson’s residence and found approximately 440 pieces of mail and one additional trading card.
In August 2021, 11 additional sports trading cards were recovered from a sports cards and memorabilia store in Liberty, Mo. Another sports trading card was also recovered from the sports memorabilia store in Gladstone.
Under federal statutes, Robinson is subject to a sentence of up to five 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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney R. Pratten. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
Former Kentucky Jail Official Charged with Civil Rights Offense, Writing a False Report and Making False Statements to InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
Gregory Evans, 50, was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Lexington, Kentucky, for using unlawful force against a pretrial detainee while Evans was a captain at the Madison County Detention Center.
Today’s indictment charges Evans with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, one count of writing a false report about the incident and one count of making false statements to law enforcement. The indictment alleges that Evans used unreasonable force when he assaulted pretrial detainee E.B., resulting in bodily injury to E.B.; and it further charges that Evans wrote a false report about the assault and that he made false statements to the FBI.
The first count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years of imprisonment, the second count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years and the third count carries a maximum penalty of five years. Actual sentences, in case of conviction, are decided by the judge.
This case was investigated by the Lexington Resident Agency of the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Andrew Manns for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office made the announcement.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Former Ellwood City Man Charged with Witness RetaliationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A former Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, man who is serving a federal prison sentence has been indicted by a federal grand jury for witness retaliation, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment, which was returned on October 26, 2021, and unsealed today, named Derick Davare, age 35, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about May 15, 2019, Davare engaged in conduct that caused and threatened to cause bodily injury to another person with the intent to retaliate against that person for giving information to a law enforcement officer relating to the commission and possible commission of a federal offense. Davare, who is serving a 150-month federal prison sentence, remains detained pending trial.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or a combination thereof. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Contract Nurse Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Participation in a Racketeering Conspiracy at Maryland Correctional Institution JessupRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced former Contract Nurse Joseph Nwancha, age 41, of Baltimore, yesterday to 30 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a racketeering conspiracy charge related to his participation in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Maryland Correctional Institution Jessup (MCIJ), including narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones.
The sentence 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 Secretary Robert L. Green, of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
According to court documents, MCIJ was a medium-security prison in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that housed approximately 1,100 male inmates, with 262 custody staff or Correctional Officers (COs) and 52 non-custody staff, including case management, medical, and administrative staff.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Nwancha conspired with inmates and individuals outside the facility who obtained and packaged contraband, including, suboxone strips, K2, tobacco, pills and cell phones, to smuggle into MCIJ in exchange for bribe payments. Nwancha was regularly the on-duty nurse during the evening and overnight shifts at MCIJ. Because of the nature of his employment, Nwancha had the opportunity to have contact with inmates in private without other prison employees or inmates observing the interactions.
Beginning in September 2017, inmate Corey Alston began bribing Nwancha to bring contraband into MCIJ. On September 19 and September 20, 2017, via text message, Alston’s sister, Ashley Alston, and Nwancha discussed bribe payments. Ashley Alston told Nwancha that she had the “$200 he owe” and Nwancha responded that he was expecting $1,000 in addition to the $200 and wanted it deposited in his bank account. On September 22, 2017, Ashley Alston met with Nwancha to give him money. According to his plea agreement, over the course of his association with Alston, Nwancha agreed to smuggle contraband cell phones, a pocket knife, tobacco, K2 (a synthetic cannabinoid), and other contraband into MCIJ in exchange for bribe payments. Nwancha admitted that he also conspired with other inmates, including Irving Hernandez, to smuggle contraband, including K2, narcotics, tobacco, and cell phones into the facility in exchange for bribe payments.
On November 28, 2017, Nwancha was stopped at MCIJ in possession of approximately 230 grams of K2 intended for MCIJ inmates, including Alston. A cell phone recovered from Nwancha was subsequently searched and revealed numerous text message conversations between Alston, Hernandez and Nwancha discussing bribe payments and smuggling contraband into MCIJ. The next day, Nwancha booked a flight and left the country to travel to Dublin, Ireland. He remained out of the country until his arrest and extradition.
Inmate Corey Alston, a/k/a “C,” age 29, pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Inmate Irving Hernandez, age 27, also pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
This case arose from the efforts of the Maryland Prison Task Force, coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and comprised of local, state, and federal stakeholders that meet regularly to share information and generate recommendations to reform prison procedures and attack the gang problem that has plagued Maryland in recent years. The work of the Task Force previously resulted in the federal convictions of more than 78 defendants, including 16 correctional officers, at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers, at the Baltimore City Detention Center.
“Contraband is dangerous to our employees and the incarcerated population, endangering the safety and security of our correctional facilities," said DPSCS Secretary Robert Green. "Our detectives worked with federal agents to track this individual down overseas to make certain that he faced the consequences for his actions, and we will continue to pursue accountability for those engaged in criminal activity within our correctional system.”
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for their work in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney expressed appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, whose staff initiated the MCIJ investigation and have been full partners in this investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean R. Delaney, who is prosecuting this 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.
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Former Baldwin Man Sentenced for Dealing DrugsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years’ imprisonment on his conviction of violating federal narcotics trafficking laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Thomas Snelsire, 47, formerly of Baldwin, PA.
According to information presented to the court, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted a long-term investigation into drug-trafficking activity occurring in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Law enforcement identified several individuals, suspected at the time, of illegally distributing controlled substances, including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Erie, Fayette, and Washington Counties.
Beginning in August of 2020 and continuing through November 2020, the FBI conducted a federal Title III investigation, which resulted in the interception of thousands of wire and electronic communications over a total of ten telephones. Three of the intercepted telephones were used by Mr. Snelsire’s co-defendant, Anthony Peluso, to further his illegal drug trafficking activity. Snelsire, an associate of Peluso’s and a drug-trafficker in the Baldwin, and surrounding neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, dealt controlled substances out of his residence on Oakleaf Road, during the course of the conspiracy.
The Court was further informed that during intercepted communications, Snelsire and Peluso discussed various types and quantities of controlled substances. For example, in September of 2020, Snelsire obtained cocaine from Peluso but was intercepted over a period of several days complaining to Peluso about the quality of the cocaine. At one point, during these communications, Snelsire informed Peluso that he placed the cocaine on a napkin, which he set on a plate, telling Peluso: “I got it under lamp in living room.” Snelsire was attempting to salvage the cocaine by drying it out so that he could sell it to his drug customers. But, on September 13, 2020, law enforcement – in an unrelated matter – executed a search warrant at Mr. Snelsire’s residence on Oakleaf Road. During the search, law enforcement located suspected cocaine, laying on a napkin, on a plate, that was located under a lamp in the living room of the home.
Snelsire accepted responsibility for distributing at least 500 grams of cocaine and at least 100 grams of heroin during the conspiracy..
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Colville stated that this was a serious offense and the sentence imposed is sufficient but not greater than necessary to meet the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led the multi-agency investigation of this case, including the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. Other assisting agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department Homicide, Baldwin Police Department, Brentwood Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department and West Deer Township 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. for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Snelshire.
Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzling over $270,000 from Non-Profit OrganizationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kristina Ann Ballard, 52, of Largo, Florida, pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $270,000 from her former employer, a nonprofit organization. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.
Ballard pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of wire fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces a likely recommended sentence of between 33 and 41 months in prison. As part of the plea agreement, Ballard will be ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $271,465 and also will be liable for a forfeiture money judgment in that same amount. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2022.
In court documents, Ballard admitted that she worked for the nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., between August 2014 and December 2020, at which point she was fired for poor performance. She served as the organization’s Director of Finance.
From January 2015 through December 2020, Ballard embezzled $271,465 from the organization. She fraudulently wired organization funds to bank accounts that she controlled, intercepted credit card rewards checks issued to the organization, and then deposited those checks into a bank account she controlled, and fraudulently charged personal purchases on the organization’s credit card. On Nov. 5, 2020, she used the organization’s credit card to pay $24,694 in restitution to the Arlington County Circuit Court for a prior embezzlement scheme for which she was convicted in Virginia.
Ballard concealed her fraud from the organization by listing various beneficiary names on wire transfers and creating fake invoices, often using fake company names. She also forged the Executive Director’s signature on the credit card rewards checks before she deposited them.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart and former Paralegal Specialist Angeline Thekkumthala. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who prosecuted the case.
Florida Man Indicted for Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, Money Laundering, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - A federal grand jury in Greeneville returned a 15-count indictment on February 8, 2022, against Johntavis Rogers, 24, of Fort Myers, Florida, for wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. Rogers appeared in court on March 3, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Richardson Wyrick and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. Rogers had previously been arrested in Fort Myers on February 18, 2022, and was released pending trial, which now has been set for August 16, 2022, in United States District Court, in Greeneville, Tennessee.
The indictment alleges that Rogers used interstate wire communications to defraud financial institutions. According to the indictment, Rogers contacted unsuspecting persons in the Eastern District of Tennessee through various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Rogers would convince unsuspecting victims that he had discovered a way to legitimately deposit funds into their accounts with financial institutions and share the proceeds. When customers provided their account login information, the indictment alleges that Rogers would use online banking applications to deposit fraudulent checks into their accounts and then cause the transfer of proceeds from those checks to himself. The indictment alleges that the scheme affected six financial institutions in this area between March 2021 and August 2021.
If convicted of bank fraud, Rogers faces a term of 30 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, and up to five years on supervised release.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Crime Task Force, the Criminal Investigative Division of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and the White Pine Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Heavener represents the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that the charges in the criminal complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Fitchburg Man Sentenced for Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fitchburg man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
Angel Cruz, a/k/a “Papo,” 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 50 months in prison and four years of supervised release. On Oct. 18, 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
In October 2016, Cruz dispatched a co-conspirator to deliver drug proceeds to a second co-conspirator in California. In exchange for the proceeds, Cruz orchestrated the delivery of nearly one kilogram of cocaine back to Fitchburg. Cruz rented a vehicle and provided cash to his co-conspirator for the trip. When returning to Fitchburg, law enforcement stopped Cruz’s co-conspirator in Ohio and found the cocaine concealed inside the rented vehicle. Phone records revealed that, prior to the stop, Cruz was in constant communication with his co-conspirator to make sure he was returning with cocaine.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau; Lunenburg Police Chief Thomas Gammel; and Colonel Richard S. Fambro, Superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol made the announcement. Special assistance in the investigation was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Division and the Merrimack (N.H.) and Concord (N.H.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mulcahy of Rollins’ Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Hamtramck Police Officer Charged with BriberyRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A federal criminal complaint was unsealed today charging a former Hamtramck Police Department officer with bribery, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced. The charges were brought against Michael Stout, 60, of St. Clair Shores, who left the Hamtramck Police Department in 2020.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Acting Special Agent in Charge Josh P. Hauxhurst, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
According to the criminal complaint, while working as an officer with the Hamtramck Police Department, Stout accepted bribes, including a vehicle and $1,500 in cash, from a towing company operator.
In return, Stout provided information from the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network (or LEIN), a restricted law enforcement database, to the towing company operator. For instance, when the towing company operator told Stout that he was worried that a police vehicle had been following him, Stout called an unwitting employee to search LEIN so STOUT could provide the vehicle’s registration information to the towing company operator.
The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
This is the sixth defendant charged as part of the government’s investigation known as “Operation Northern Hook.” Northern Hook is an investigation of corruption within the government and the Police Department of the City of Detroit relating to the towing industry and other matters.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Cares.
A criminal complaint is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt.
Eugene Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Overdose Death of University of Oregon StudentRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Eugene man was sentenced to federal prison today for supplying a University of Oregon student with fentanyl-laced counterfeit Oxycodone pills that caused the student’s overdose death.
Micaiah Wendell Ray Hill, 21, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release.
According to court documents, in late December 2020, Emanuel “Manny” Dreiling, 20, an urban development student at the University of Oregon, died of a fatal overdose in his Eugene apartment. On December 24, 2020, officers from the Eugene Police Department responded to the scene and found a small baggie containing what appeared to be Oxycodone pills near Mr. Dreiling’s body. A toxicology report later confirmed Mr. Dreiling died of a fentanyl overdose.
A forensic analysis of Mr. Dreiling’s phone revealed text message conversations between Mr. Dreiling and a longtime friend wherein they discussed purchasing Oxycodone pills from another individual later determined to be Hill. Mr. Dreiling’s friend told investigators that he had been purchasing pills from Hill for nearly a year. Law enforcement soon identified Hill and a West Eugene home he used to distribute counterfeit Oxycodone. They also found evidence of Mr. Dreiling arranging to purchase and physically retrieving counterfeit pills from the same West Eugene home.
On December 31, 2020, law enforcement executed a state search warrant on the residence and arrested Hill. In an interview after his arrest, Hill admitted to selling the victim and others pills he suspected were counterfeit and contained fentanyl.
On April 14, 2021, Hill was charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. On November 18, 2021, Hill waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the single charge.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the Eugene Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Joseph H. Huynh and Jeffrey S. Sweet, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
In compliance with the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office does not name victims in court filings or press releases to protect their dignity and privacy. In honor of Mr. Dreiling’s memory, Mr. Dreiling’s family specifically requested he be named in this release.
Opioid abuse affects communities across the nation. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that there were more than 100,000 drug overdoses in the U.S. during the 12-month period ending April 2021, an increase of nearly 29% from the previous 12-month period. Synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) accounted for more than three quarters of these deaths. Drug overdose continues to be the leading cause of injury or death in the U.S.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. A 3-milligram dose of fentanyl—a few grains of the substance—is enough to kill an average adult male. The availability of illicit fentanyl in Oregon has caused a dramatic increase in overdose deaths throughout the state.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 8am and 11pm Pacific Time daily.
Erie Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to 5 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
Erie, Pa. - A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months in jail on his conviction of violating federal drugs laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter imposed the sentence on Joel Nicholas Gustave, Jr., 41, 3015 West 25th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, on or about November 1, 2019, Gustave possessed 840.8 grams cocaine with the intent to distribute, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Chung commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement (EAGLE), Safe Streets task force, which is comprised of investigators from the FBI, the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Erie Police Department, the Oil City Police Department, and the Titusville Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Gustave.
Dyer County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for over 11 Years for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute over 50 Grams of Actual MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN - David McNeely, 46, of Dyer County, has been sentenced to 140 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, in early 2017, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and Dyersburg Police Department (DPD) officers became aware of an ongoing drug trafficking organization in the West Tennessee area, specifically in and around Dyer County, Tennessee. The investigation revealed that the organization was trafficking large quantities of crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) and other controlled substances.
As a result, law enforcement officers developed further information from numerous sources which led to the execution of search warrants at target residences, stash houses, a storage unit, and for Facebook information, and text messages. To further the investigation, agents also conducted traffic stops, obtained information from confidential sources, and made controlled purchases from targets. Most of the crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) recovered was tested at Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratories and was determined to be 98% pure.
The targets of the investigation were David McNeely and co-defendants Christopher Faulcon, Tommy Taylor, Damien Nixon, Patricia Wilson, Elisha Kirk, and William Hardy. The investigation revealed that during the conspiracy, David McNeely purchased large quantities of crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) from Damien Nixon and was one of Nixon’s “best customers.” McNeely also bought large amounts of crystal methamphetamine from Tommy Taylor and Christopher Faulcon, and he sold methamphetamine to Elisha Kirk and many others.
On August 15, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at McNeely’s residence in Dyersburg. Officers found multiple bags containing approximately seven grams of marijuana and approximately 4 grams of crystal methamphetamine (“ice”). Officers also discovered five rounds of 9mm ammunition in the living room and $283 in cash on McNeely's person. Later tested at the DEA laboratory, the crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) was determined to weigh 3.47 grams (net) and was 92% pure.
McNeely waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with law enforcement officers. McNeely admitted that he had been buying and selling large quantities of crystal methamphetamine for several years. Based on his own admissions, McNeely was held responsible for distributing between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of actual methamphetamine (“ice”).
On February 9, 2022, United States District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced McNeely to 140 months' imprisonment, to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
McNeely is the next to last defendant in this case to be sentenced. The only remaining defendant, Tommy Taylor, has entered a guilty plea and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2022.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Dyersburg Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Josh Morrow and Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
###Dunbar Man Ordered to Pay over $70,000 for Defrauding Local Non-profitRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Dunbar man was sentenced to two years of federal probation and ordered to pay over $70,000 in restitution for defrauding a community caretaking non-profit that serves the West Dunbar, Institute, and Pinewood areas. The non-profit provides those communities with important services such as neighborhood clean-ups, pothole filling and road paving, senior citizen events, landscaping and grass cutting in common areas, the installation and maintenance of approximately 200 streetlights to deter crime and promote safety.
According to court documents, Walter Greenhowe, 73, was President of the non-profit from 2014 through 2018. While serving as President, Greenhowe engaged in a scheme to defraud the non-profit of approximately $130,349.07 by using the organization’s debit card to obtain cash for his personal use at roadside gaming parlors in and around Dunbar, Nitro, St. Albans, Cross Lanes, and South Charleston. These cash withdrawals often occurred late at night or in the early morning hours. Greenhowe admitted these transactions were unauthorized and unapproved by the non-profit.
Greenhowe also admitted that in 2017, during the course of his debit card fraud, he obtained a $25,000 donation check from a chemical company in Institute. Greenhowe did not turn this check over to the non-profit and instead opened a bank account under the non-profit’s name at a different bank than the one regularly used by the non-profit. Greenhowe deposited the donated check into the account and then withdrew the funds in cash over the course of three months.
Representatives of the non-profit and community members were present at the sentencing hearing today and addressed the Court directly. They expressed their need for restitution so that their organization could be restored to financial solvency as soon as possible to continue serving the citizens of the West Dunbar, Institute, and Pinewood communities.
The Court acknowledged the non-profit’s desire to restore itself to financial solvency and ordered Greenhowe to pay restitution of $70,349.07. Greenhowe previously repaid approximately $85,000 to the non-profit prior to the discovery of his fraud.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations, and the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin F. Scott prosecuted the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Nathan of the U.S. Attorney Office’s Financial Litigation Unit is coordinating restitution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00133.
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Detroit man admits to his role in a drug conspiracyRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Derek David Henderson of Detroit, Michigan, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Henderson, 42, pleaded guilty today to one count of Distribution of Five Grams or More of Methamphetamine.” Henderson admitted to working with another to sell more than five grams of methamphetamine in May 2019.
Henderson faces at least five and up 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Three Rivers Drug Task Force and the Fairmont Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Find the related case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/west-virginia-and-detroit-residents-indicted-drug-trafficking-operation
Deming man appears in federal court for child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jeffery Dean Biddle, 41, of Deming, New Mexico, made an initial appearance in federal court on March 2 facing charges of production and attempted production of child pornography, receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and enticement and attempted enticement. Biddle will remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for March 7.
According to a criminal complaint, on Oct. 7, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Biddle’s residence. During that search and subsequent searches of Biddle’s social media accounts, investigators found evidence that Biddle allegedly used several Facebook accounts to gain access or attempt to gain access to minor victims. Biddle also allegedly used his cellphone to communicate with victims. Some of the conversation led to Biddle allegedly requesting naked photos of children.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Biddle faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison for enticement. Due to a prior conviction in 2004 for criminal sexual contact of a minor, Biddle faces enhanced penalties of a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison for receipt of child pornography and a minimum of 25 years and up to 50 years in prison for production of child pornography.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case with assistance from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Las Cruces District Office, New Mexico State Police, the Deming Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial District. Assistant United States Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and Matilda McCarthy Villalobos are prosecuting the case.
Danville Man Sentenced for Role in Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DANVILLE, Va. – A Danville man, who was part of a conspiracy that distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in the Danville area in 2018, was sentenced yesterday to 70 months in federal prison.
Steven Ray Dove, 43, pleaded guilty in October 2020 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, and 50 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine, one count of distributing methamphetamine, and one count of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, beginning in March 2018, Dove conspired with Darrell William Murdock, 35 of Danville, VA, Lianna Nicole Parker, 31 of Rustburg, VA, and others to distribute methamphetamine in the Danville, Virginia area. Specifically, Dove admitted that Murdock was his main source of supply for the deadly drug.
Earlier this year, Murdock was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division, announced the sentence.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Danville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Barish Swartz prosecuted the case.
Colorado Woman Sentenced to Three Years Probation for Possession of a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Lakewood, Colorado, woman convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance was sentenced on February 25, 2022, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann.
Rigdon, age 33, was sentenced to three years probation with conditions, a $1,000 fine, and a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Rigdon was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on July 24, 2018. She pleaded guilty on December 13, 2021, to a superseding information charging her with Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Rigdon was stopped by law enforcement with two co-defendants while traveling from Colorado to South Dakota in June 2018. Law enforcement located approximately 242 grams of methamphetamine in the locked glove box of the vehicle.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is comprised of law enforcement from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Chicago Man Charged with Federal Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Quintin Lewis, 31, of Chicago, IL, was arrested today, in Knoxville, Tennessee for committing various federal offenses, including being a felon in possession of firearms, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Lewis appeared in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, before the Honorable Jill E. McCook, United States Magistrate Judge, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the February 27, 2022 criminal complaint on file with the Court, Lewis’s arrest followed investigative activity at two recent local “gun shows” and the subsequent execution of a search warrant at a Knoxville area apartment that resulted in law enforcement officers seizing a total of 20 firearms, including a fully automatic Glock pistol, two AR style rifles, as well as numerous high-capacity magazines, over $32,000 in U.S. Currency, approximately 263 grams of heroin, 62 grams of cocaine, a half a pound of ice methamphetamine, and one pound of marijuana, as depicted in the photograph below which is included in the above-referenced criminal complaint.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office values the effective collaboration between the Knoxville Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in conducting this investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alan S. Kirk and Anne Marie Svolto represent the United States.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Cherokee Man Is Sentenced to More Than 30 Years for Second Degree Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – A Cherokee, N.C. man convicted of second degree murder by a federal jury was sentenced to 365 months in prison today, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Shane McKinley Swimmer, 22, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, was also ordered to serve eight years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Josh Taylor of the Cherokee Indian Police Department join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents, trial evidence, and today’s sentencing hearing, on November 10, 2018, Swimmer and his uncle, Charles Ray “Chino” West, were at his uncle’s residence on Rocky Knob Trail in Swain County, which is within the Qualla Boundary. Trial evidence established that shortly before 7:00 p.m., Swimmer attacked his uncle with a baseball bat, striking the victim in the head multiple times. Following the attack, Swimmer went to another family member’s house nearby and announced that the victim was dead before calling 911. Officers with the Cherokee Indian Police Department arrested Swimmer shortly thereafter. According to witness testimony, the victim was struck between eight and 30 times and sustained massive brain injuries. The victim’s official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
“Swimmer’s unprovoked and brutal attack caused the victim’s violent and untimely death,” said U.S. Attorney King. “I commend the FBI and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigative efforts in this case, which led to today’s lengthy sentence.”
Swimmer remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and the Cherokee Indian Police Department for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Pritchard and Alexis Solheim of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Chenango County Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Matthew Bormann, age 35, previously of Sherburne, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 120 months (10 years) in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Bormann admitted that on March 12, 2021, during a visit at his home from his United States Probation Officer, Bormann possessed at least 3500 images and video files of child pornography on a cellular telephone he was prohibited from possessing under the conditions of his supervised release.
In addition to the term of imprisonment for possessing child pornography, Bormann was sentenced yesterday to a 10-month consecutive term of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release by committing new criminal conduct, failing to answer truthfully questions from his probation officer, and failing to successfully complete mental health and sex offender treatment.
This case was investigated by the United States Probation Office and the FBI Mid-State Child Exploitation Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents and Investigators of the New York State Police, Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Champaign County Pair Charged with Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against an Urbana, Illinois, man, Kevin C. Beasley, 21, currently of the 300 block of North Drive in Rantoul, Illinois, on March 1, 2022, for allegedly possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon. The grand jury also indicted Ahzhnae D. Vassar, 21, of the 2000 block of Cynthia Drive in Champaign, Illinois, for allegedly making a false statement to a licensed firearms dealer while purchasing a firearm.
The indictment further alleges that Vassar unlawfully obtained possession of a Glock 17 semiautomatic pistol from Rural King in Champaign, Illinois by falsely certifying that she was the true purchaser of that firearm.
Beasley was arrested on February 16, 2022. A summons was issued for Vassar to appear in court on March 17, 2022 on these charges.
If convicted, the maximum statutory penalties facing Beasley and Vassar for their alleged crimes are a maximum of ten years’ imprisonment; three years of supervised release; and a $250,000 fine.
Agencies participating in the investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Champaign Police Department; and the Champaign Street Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Ritzer is representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
California Woman Admits Selling over 100,000 Counterfeit Retail Store Coupons Worth over $9.9 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Modesto, California, woman admitted today that she fraudulently created and sold over $9.9 million worth of counterfeit Catalina coupons used at various retail stores across the United States for the purchase of household items, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Tong Lor, aka “Mandy Carr,” 34, pleaded guilty by video conference before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From 2017 through May 2021, Lor was involved in a large-scale operation to produce and sell fraudulent Catalina Coupons using the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail system. A Catalina Coupon was a full-color, rectangular paper coupon that was part of a program created by numerous manufacturers of household products and honored by hundreds of participating retail stores located throughout the United States. Lor sold the counterfeit coupons via invitation-only internet groups associated with her businesses, which were accessible via the Internet site, Telegram Messenger Inc. (Telegram), a cloud-based, mobile instant communications service.
Lor printed coupons using fake bar codes and then mailed these counterfeit coupons in over 13,000 USPS parcels to purchasers in New Jersey and throughout the United States. Over 100,000 counterfeit coupons – with a value of over $9.9 million – were sold by Lor for use at retail stores across the country for discounts on household items such as diapers, laundry detergent, and toiletries.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Blake Coppotelli and Heather Suchorsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Arrest of Four Drug Traffickers in Clackamas County Leads to Seizure of 150,000 Fentanyl PillsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—On March 1, 2022, a coordinated law enforcement operation targeting four drug traffickers operating in the Portland Metropolitan Area led to the seizure of approximately 150,000 counterfeit prescriptions pills containing fentanyl and 20 pounds of suspected bulk fentanyl, the largest single fentanyl seizure in Oregon state history with an estimated street value of approximately $4 million.
The operation, led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Clackamas County Inter-agency Task Force (CCITF) with assistance from the FBI, came after federal agents learned that Ufrano Orozco Munoz, 27, was knowingly and intentionally conspiring with others to traffic large quantities of fentanyl manufactured in Mexico and elsewhere to Oregon for distribution and sale in the Portland area.
Three of Orozco’s associates were also arrested during this week’s operation. They include Abraham Vera Enriquez, 29; Jesus Miguel Zamora Cruz, 36; and Jose Javier Valdez Paramo, 32.
Orozco, Vera, Zamora, and Valdez have been charged by criminal complaint with conspiring with one another to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. All three made their first appearances in federal court today and were ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
HSI began investigating Orozco in February 2022 for his role in trafficking large quantities of fentanyl from Mexico to the U.S. for distribution in several western states including Arizona and Oregon.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case is being investigated by HSI and CCITF with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott M. Kerin is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
CCITF, led by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, works to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in Clackamas County, and reduce illegal drugs and related crimes throughout the community. The task force is comprised of members of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Canby Police Department, Oregon State Police, HSI, and FBI.
Arkansas Man Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute over 50 Grams of Actual MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – A former resident of Arkansas, James Elmer Sneed, 37, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, evidence revealed that James Elmer Sneed is a methamphetamine distributor who sold methamphetamine to individuals in Texas, Arkansas, and West Tennessee. Sneed previously sold methamphetamine to a female in Jackson, Tennessee. In January 2018, while traveling from Arkansas to Georgia, Sneed stopped in Jackson to meet with the female and sell her methamphetamine. After his arrival, Sneed was contacted by his co-defendant, William Hill, who is also a known narcotics distributor. Hill decided to travel to Jackson so that Sneed could arrange a meeting between Hill and the female subject for Hill to sell her drugs.
On January 4, 2018, Sneed rented a hotel room at the Country Inn & Suites in Jackson. After Hill arrived in Jackson, Sneed set up a meeting between Hill and the female subject. Sneed then left Jackson and let Hill use the hotel room for the purposes of storing and selling narcotics to the female and others.
On January 6, 2018, officers with the Jackson Police Department (JPD) were called to the Country Inn and Suites to assist management with the removal of the occupants from Sneed’s room. Management reported heavy foot traffic coming to and from the room, and the odor of marijuana outside the room. In addition, the occupants refused room service for several days, which was against hotel policy.
After officers entered the room, they observed a meth pipe on the bed and narcotics and money in an open safe. Hill and his girlfriend were removed from the room and Hill was
found in possession of the key to the safe. Later that day, members of JPD Metro Narcotics Unit obtained and executed a search warrant for the room. A search of the room revealed approximately 447 grams of crystal methamphetamine ("ice") in the safe, three sets of digital scales, five meth pipes, cutting agent, and $2,530 in cash.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory tested the methamphetamine and confirmed that the net weight of the substance was 410 grams, and that the purity level was 84%.
On November 5, 2021, Sneed entered a guilty plea to conspiring with Hill and others to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine.
On February 25, 2022, United States Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Sneed to 120 months' imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Assistant United States Attorneys Josh Morrow and Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Area man sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in carjacking plotRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On March 2, 2022, United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced Antwan Jones to eight years in federal prison for his role in a carjacking, weapons charges and assaulting a federal officer. Jones had previously pleaded guilty in November 2021.
According to the plea agreement, Jones and his co-defendant stopped their SUV next to the victim on January 15, 2020. Jones approached the victim at gunpoint and demanded her purse. The carjacking victim surrendered her purse, which contained the keys to her car. Jones and his co-defendant drove around the area and used the victim’s key fob to locate her Mercedes Benz. Once they found the car parked nearby, they used the victim’s keys to drive her car away.
Later that night, police tracked the victim’s phone to East St. Louis, Illinois. There, police discovered the SUV originally used by Jones parked in the 1800 block of Boismenue Avenue with the victim’s purse still inside.
According to the indictment, Jones was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a previous criminal conviction.
Days later as federal authorities arrested Jones, he resisted the attempt and physically assaulted a federal officer. Jones’ co-defendant previously entered a plea of guilty in October and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
11 Defendants Charged in 19-Count Indictment Alleging Middle Georgia Meth Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Arrest warrants were executed today and 11 individuals are facing federal charges resulting from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation centered in Warner Robins, Georgia. An indictment is only an allegation of criminal conduct. All of the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.
A federal indictment was unsealed this morning charging the following individuals:
- Ontarrio Veal aka Torrie, 32, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
- Tamara Hall, 39, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, four counts of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
- Reginald Lowe, 40, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
- Milton Simmons aka Mann, 40, of Macon, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- Matthew Kay, 35, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of heroin;
- Donna Ussery, 30, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
- Victor Mendoza aka Dino, 33, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
- Parsa Ervin, 44, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
- Marquell Gaines, 38, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine;
- Eddie Linkhorn, 42, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and,
- Benjamin Luopa, 47, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Each defendant faces a mandatory minimum of ten years imprisonment up to a maximum term of life imprisonment.Initial appearances for the defendants will occur before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle today and at a later date to be scheduled.
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.
This case is being investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Warner Robins Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes is prosecuting the case.
- Ontarrio Veal aka Torrie, 32, of Warner Robins, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
2 March 2022
Yonkers Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Robbery, Firearms, and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that FERNANDO RA was sentenced to 18 years in prison today in connection with robbery, firearms, and narcotics offenses. RA previously pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021, before United States District Judge P. Kevin Castel.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “With today’s sentence, Fernando Ra will spend 18 years in federal prison for his admitted role in the brutal and violent kidnapping and torture of his victims. This case illustrates yet again how violence goes hand in hand with the illegal drug trade. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who engage in drug trafficking and violence.”
According to the Superseding Indictment and other publicly filed documents, on October 3, 2020, RA and his co‑conspirators kidnapped, restrained, robbed, and savagely assaulted two victims, using firearms and baseball bats to beat them. RA also used a knife to carve the letter “Z” into the skin of one of victims, an apparent reference to Los Zetas, the notoriously violent Mexican drug cartel. RA claimed that the victims owed Los Zetas a narcotics debt, and that he was attacking the victims on behalf of Los Zetas.
In addition to the kidnapping and robbery, RA also participated in a related conspiracy to traffic between 15 and 50 kilograms of cocaine from May 2020 through November 2020.
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In addition to today’s prison sentence, RA, 26, of Yonkers, New York, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of Special Agents from the New York Division of the DEA, and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Williams also thanked the DEA Buffalo Resident Office and the Paterson (New Jersey) Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rushmi Bhaskaran, Christy Slavik, and Benjamin Woodside Schrier are in charge of the prosecution.
Woman Previously Convicted in Fraud Scheme Admits to Defrauding the Federal Housing Administration, Business and Unemployment COVID Relief ProgramsRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A North Providence woman today admitted in federal court that she provided false information to a mortgage lender when applying for a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed mortgage, and that she fraudulently applied for a COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and unemployment insurance benefits under both the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Juliana Martins, 53, who was on federal supervised release at the time of the charged fraudulent activities, pleaded guilty to false statement on a loan application and theft of government property. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4, 2022.
At the time of her guilty plea, Martins admitted to the court that while on federal supervised release for her role in a stolen identity refund scheme, as well as while on state probation for an unrelated 2014 conviction for forgery and counterfeiting, she applied for an FHA-guaranteed loan. As part of the application process, she provided false explanations as to her gaps in employment while serving her federal sentence, claiming she was unemployed due to a “family emergency.” Martins also failed to disclose the fact that she was subject to a $385,533 federal restitution order.
Following the application, Martins and a co-borrower were issued an FHA-insured mortgage in the amount of $265,109.
Additionally, Martins admitted that in July 2020, she submitted a fraudulent application for a Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest COVID-related Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), falsely claiming that she was an independent contractor in the health service business, and that her business had been impacted by the pandemic. Finally, Martins admitted that she fraudulently applied for and received COVID-related unemployment insurance benefits while she was in fact employed as an office manager in April 2020. In total, Martins received over $40,000 in COVID relief benefits to which she was not entitled.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Michael Seaman and Sandra R. Hebert.
The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General; FBI; and Rhode Island State Police, with the assistance of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Unemployment Insurance Fraud Unit.
Rhode Islanders who believe their personal identification has been stolen and used to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits are urged to contact the Rhode Island State Police at [email protected] or the FBI Providence office at (401) 272-8310.
On May 17, 2021, the United States Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
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Wichita Falls, Texas Drug Dealers Sentenced to Combined 50 YearsRead the Press Release
Three Wichita Falls, TX drug dealers were sentenced to a combined 50 years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
Nathaniel Collazo, 20, Calvin Cruz, 25, and Annaleigh Trevino, 22, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Mr. Collazo and Mr. Cruz were sentenced to 20 years apiece in federal prison; Ms. Trevino was sentenced to 10 years.
In plea papers, the defendants admitted the conspired to distribute methamphetamine. In general, Mr. Collazo and Mr. Cruz obtained the stimulant, then distributed it to Ms. Trevino and others, who dealt it on the streets.
During a search of the defendants’ residence on June 3, 2021, law enforcement seized nine firearms, approximately eight pounds of methamphetamine, and $28,313 cash.
The Wichita Falls Police Department's Organized Crime Unit conducted the investigation with the assistance of The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Laura Montes, and Rob Boudreau prosecuted the case.
Waterbury Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that YEHUDI MANZANO, 37, of Waterbury, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a child exploitation offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 21, 2016, Manzano used his cell phone to record a video of himself engaging in sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl, and then uploaded the video to his Google Photos account.
Manzano was arrested on related state charges on November 10, 2016, and charged federally by indictment on May 3, 2018. Today, he pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for May 25.
Manzano is released on a $300,000 bond pending sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Waterbury Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Nancy V. Gifford.
U.S. Attorney Boyle thanked the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Waterbury for its close cooperation in investigating and prosecuting this matter.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Un“lucky” fugitive pleads guilty to double firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 44-year-old Corpus Christi resident has pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Joe Adam Ramirez aka Lucky admitted that on Sept. 4, 2020, he was in possession of drugs and a gun.
Ramirez was a known fugitive. However, authorities were able to locate him at a hotel in Corpus Christi. They conducted surveillance and observed him exit the hotel, enter the passenger side of a truck and depart the location. Law enforcement performed a traffic stop, at which time Ramirez attempted to flee on foot, but he tripped and fell.
At the time of the arrest, authorities discovered a loaded 9mm Taurus pistol, several bags of meth, Xanax and other prescription pills.
Ramirez knew he was aware of being a convicted felon and was not allowed to own a firearm. He said he ran because he did not want to go back to prison.
Ramirez has five prior felony convictions involving burglary of a vehicle, burglary of a habitation, theft from a person, aggravated robbery and possession of controlled substance. As such, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Ramos will impose sentencing June 8. At that time, Ramirez faces at least 15 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He also faces faces a five-year mandatory consecutive jail term for possessing the firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin and John Marck are prosecuting the case.
United States Attorney Breon Peace Announces Formation of Consumer Protection Team in the Office’s Civil DivisionRead the Press Release
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced today the creation of a Consumer Protection Team in the Office’s Civil Division. The Consumer Protection Team, comprised of six Civil Division Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including the Civil Division’s Chief of Affirmative Civil Enforcement, enhances the Office’s focus on protecting the health, safety, economic security, and dignity of individuals in the Eastern District of New York and nationwide, including our most vulnerable residents – older adults and children. The Office has responsibility for the enforcement of our nation’s laws in the Eastern District of New York, which encompasses three of the five boroughs of New York City – Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island – and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. The Eastern District of New York encompasses over eight million people.
This Office has long been committed to bringing high-impact consumer protection cases. Together with its law enforcement partners, the Office has enjoined robocall scams, interdicted mass mailing fraud schemes, stopped the distribution of adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements, and brought other first-of-a-kind cases in this area. The Consumer Protection Team will strengthen the Office’s capacity to investigate and enforce laws that protect potentially vulnerable individuals from current and emerging consumer threats. The Consumer Protection Team will pursue all appropriate measures to stop culpable entities and individuals that engage in conduct threatening the health, safety, economic security, or dignity of those individuals, including affirmative civil enforcement cases seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, equitable monetary relief, and corrective action. Among the areas that the Consumer Protection Team will focus on are financial frauds and scams; fraudulent and deceptive marketing practices; consumer product safety; food, drug, and dietary supplement safety; and other conduct that may cause or threaten to cause serious harm to the people in this district and throughout the country.
In announcing the formation of the Consumer Protection Team, United States Attorney Peace stated: “I am proud to announce the formation of our Consumer Protection Team which will enhance our Office’s ability to protect older adults, children, and other potentially vulnerable victims from insidious fraud schemes and other illegal conduct committed by those who disregard the health, safety, and economic security of our residents for their own gain. Our goal is to use all available means to protect the residents of the Eastern District and improve their lives. The Consumer Protection Team is a critical part of the Office’s longstanding commitment to vigorously pursue those who prey on the public through increasingly sophisticated schemes.”
“The Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch is pleased to strengthen its longstanding partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York,” stated Deputy Assistant Attorney General Arun G. Rao for the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch. “We look forward to working with the office’s newly-formed Consumer Protection Team to advance significant consumer protection investigations and litigation. Our combined efforts will help safeguard the health, safety, economic security, and identity integrity of older adults, children, and other potentially vulnerable individuals both in the Eastern District of New York and throughout the United States.”
The Consumer Protection Team is led by the Civil Division’s Chief of Affirmative Civil Enforcement, Bonni J. Perlin; the Consumer Protection Team is made up of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Blume, Michael Castiglione, David Cooper, Melanie Speight, and Kevin Yim. The Consumer Protection Team is overseen by Civil Division Chief Joseph A. Marutollo and Civil Division Deputy Chief Richard K. Hayes. The Team will continue to partner and coordinate with the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and federal agencies.
U.S. Department of Justice Awards $150,000 Grant to Wisconsin Department of JusticeRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin joined the United States Department of Justice in announcing that it has awarded $150,000 to the Wisconsin Department of Justice for law enforcement agencies in the state for their immediate emergency response and subsequent investigation and prosecution of the Waukesha parade attack that occurred on November 21, 2021.
“Every day, the United States Department of Justice seeks to make our communities safer not only through prosecution of federal offenders but also by seeking to provide financial support, training resources, and technical assistance to our state, local, and tribal partners,” stated U.S. Attorney Frohling. “Today’s grant – to help agencies whose men and women responded to the Waukesha parade attack – is another example of that commitment.”
“November 21, 2021, is a day the City of Waukesha will never forget. On that day first responders answered the call to serve,” said Dan Thompson, Chief of Police, Waukesha Police Department. “On behalf of the Waukesha Police Department and all of the Law Enforcement agencies who assisted in this unprecedented incident, we are honored to hear that the state was awarded funds by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance to assist law enforcement agencies in this tragic event.”
The grant awarded will be utilized to reimburse agencies that have experienced a significant financial impact from the parade tragedy and the subsequent interventions that have been necessary to cope with the event. The grant program is managed by the Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at https://www.ojp.gov
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
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U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung Names Leadership Team, Reorganizes Criminal DivisionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – United States Attorney Cindy Chung has announced the office’s new executive leadership team and a restructuring of the Criminal Division that will allow the office to best effectuate the Administration’s priorities.
“This restructuring aligns the legal expertise and talents of the 59 Assistant United States Attorneys working in our Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and Erie offices with our priorities to uphold the Constitution, apply the law equally and fairly, and protect the citizens of western Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Attorney Chung. “I am confident that this reorganization will allow us to focus our attention on reducing violent crime, confronting the growing fentanyl threat and the rise of extremist ideology, prosecuting cyber criminals, and targeting those who exploit children and other vulnerable populations.”
Ms. Chung named Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. Mr. Rivetti served as Chief of the Criminal Division since 2019. Mr. Rivetti obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dickinson College and his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. Following graduation from law school, Mr. Rivetti was employed for five years as a litigation associate at a large Pittsburgh law firm. He then served as a law clerk for two years for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith. Mr. Rivetti has been employed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania for over 20 years. His primary areas of concentration have involved the investigation and prosecution of large-scale drug trafficking organizations, firearms offenses, and other violent crime.
Ms. Chung named Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song as Chief of the Criminal Division. From October 2010 through March 2018, Ms. Song served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Acting U.S. Attorney (November 2016 – December 2017). She also recently served as the Antiterrorism Advisory Coordinator and Senior Litigation Counsel for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Song is a founding member of the Veterans Treatment Court in Pittsburgh. Prior to joining the Western District of Pennsylvania, Ms. Song worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Arizona and served as Deputy Director of the Office of Tribal Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Yale University and the George Washington Law School.
Ms. Chung named former Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney. Mr. Kaufman served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2018 to 2021, and previously served as Chief of the Criminal Division from 2010 to 2018. In his 29 years as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Kaufman has handled a wide variety of violent crime, narcotics, child exploitation and white collar cases. Notable cases include the successful eight-week trial of the Pittsburgh La Cosa Nostra organized crime family on RICO charges, the prosecution of the distributors of China White, a deadly synthetic form of heroin which caused the overdose deaths of 17 individuals in 1988, the prosecution of Michael Carlow, owner of Pittsburgh Brewing and Clark Candy, for perpetuating a $31 million dollar check kiting scheme against PNC Bank, and obtaining the conviction of and an 11-year prison sentence for Dr. Oliver Herndon, a physician who was the most prolific illegal distributor of oxycodone in the Pittsburgh area prior to his arrest. Mr. Kaufman is a graduate of Allegheny College and Harvard Law School.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee J. Karl has been named Chief of the Civil Division. Mr. Karl joined the office in 2004 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the civil division where he defended the United States, its agencies and employees in a wide range of civil lawsuits. In 2010, he transferred to the Economic Crimes Section of the Criminal Division, where he prosecuted a variety of crimes, including frauds schemes, embezzlements, public corruption, tax violations and child exploitation. In 2018, he became the Deputy Chief of the Economic Crimes Section and assisted with supervising the section. Mr. Karl has held other positions within the office, including Ethics Officer, Asset Forfeiture Coordinator, Financial Litigation Coordinator and District Election Officer. Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Karl spent two years as a Litigation Associate at a large Pittsburgh law firm and spent one year as a Federal Judicial Law Clerk for the Hon. Ronald Buckwalter in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Ohio University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Irwin will continue to serve as Appellate Division Chief. Ms. Irwin is a 1991 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Following her graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. William W. Wilkins, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After several years in private practice in Pittsburgh following her clerkship, Ms. Irwin joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2000 as a member of the Civil Division. She transferred to the Appellate Division in 2004. In September 2018, she was named the Chief of the Appellate Division.
Don Haley will continue to serve as the Administrative Officer for the District.
In addition to naming her leadership team, Ms. Chung announced a restructured Criminal Division with two sections. The Violent Crime/Narcotics Section will be led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tonya Goodman as Chief, and the Deputy Chief will be Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Doolittle. The Economic/Cyber/National Security Crimes Section will be led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan as Chief.
Tonya Goodman is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia School of Law. Following her graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. Robert I. Richter in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 2001, Ms. Goodman joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she prosecuted both local and federal crimes, from misdemeanor domestic violence to federal drug offenses to homicide and violent crimes. From 2006 to 2012, she worked as an Associate at Reed Smith, LLP, where she focused on White Collar Criminal Defense and Internal Investigations. In 2012, Ms. Goodman joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Western Pennsylvania, originally working in the White Collar Section before transferring to Violent Crimes. Ms. Goodman has previously served as Chief and Deputy Chief of the Narcotics/Organized Crime Section.
Eric G. Olshan joined the office in 2017 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Economic Crimes Section. During his time in the office, he has served as the Civil Rights Coordinator, Health Care Fraud Coordinator, Public Corruption Coordinator, Environmental Crime Coordinator, and District Election Officer. From 2007 to 2017, Mr. Olshan was a Trial Attorney and Deputy Chief in the Public Integrity Section at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where he prosecuted public corruption and election crimes in federal districts throughout the United States. Mr. Olshan joined the Department through the Attorney General’s Honors Program following a clerkship for the Honorable Richard C. Tallman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Olshan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Barbara K. Doolittle joined the United States Attorney’s Office in 2009, after serving for two years as an Assistant Public Defender for Allegheny County. In her years as an AUSA, she has prosecuted violations of laws related to narcotics, firearms, Hobbs Act robberies, bank robberies, and human trafficking, among others. Ms. Doolittle was recognized as an Outstanding Prosecutor for her work on a lengthy wiretap investigation into drug trafficking in and around Fayette County. She has served most recently as a Deputy Chief in the Major Crimes section of the Criminal Division. Ms. Doolittle is a graduate of Brown University and Boston College Law School.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes civil and criminal matters on behalf of the United States of America and its agencies and defends claims against the United States in the 25 counties that make up the western part of the Commonwealth. The office currently employs 59 Assistant U.S. Attorneys across the Criminal, Civil and Appellate Division, and 55 support staff in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown.
Two Sentenced for Cheating on Coal Mine Dust SamplingRead the Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last week, in United States District Court in Louisville, Kentucky, Steve DeMoss and Ron Ivy, two former mine managers, were sentenced for repeatedly violating the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) regulations requiring accurate respirable coal-dust-sampling in underground coal mines. Respirable coal dust causes coal workers’ pneumoconiosis or black lung disease. Black lung is a progressive and irreversible disease leading to lung failure and death. Yet it is preventable by reducing the levels of respirable coal dust to which miners are exposed.
Starting in 2013 and continuing through 2015, DeMoss and Ivy were Safety Directors at Parkway and Kronos mines operated by the Armstrong Coal Company. As Safety Directors, they oversaw the required regular dust-sampling that would ensure that the mines’ ventilation and engineering controls were adequate to keep respirable coal dust at safe levels. Mine operators can lower respirable dust by adjusting air flow in the mine and by using water sprays and other engineering controls. Mine operators must also comply with MSHA’s dust regulations, which require regular testing of the air where miners are actually working to ensure respirable coal dust is at safe levels. Both DeMoss and Ivy, rather than conducting the dust-sampling as required for full shifts, repeatedly took the dust-sampling monitors off miners wearing them. DeMoss and Ivy would then move the monitors out of the dusty working areas and into areas with clean air in an attempt to ensure the monitors would not register elevated dust levels.
DeMoss, 52, of Hopkins County, was sentenced to six months of probation for removing dust-sampling devices from miners before the end of the designated sampling period.
Ivy, 53, of Hopkins County, was sentenced to six months of probation for removing dust-sampling devices from miners before the end of the designated sampling period.
“We will continue to aggressively prosecute those whose actions violate safety regulations put in place to protect the health of our coal miners,” stated United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett. “I commend the work of the prosecutors assigned to this case and the investigators from the MSHA’s Madisonville District Office who worked tirelessly to investigate the violations.”
“The Department of Labor is committed to protecting the health and safety of Kentucky’s miners,” said Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda. “Working with our partners at the MSHA and the Department of Justice, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who put coal miners at risk by ignoring critical health and safety requirements.”
The investigation of the case was conducted by MSHA’s Madisonville District Office.
Western District of Kentucky Assistant United States Attorney Corinne Keel and Special Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Grover and Dana Ferguson from the Department of Labor prosecuted the case for the United States.
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Tennessee Woman Sentenced to 24 Months’ Imprisonment for Smuggling Narcotics into Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Lisa Montpelier, 48, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be followed by two years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann for smuggling suboxone into the United States Penitentiary (USP Allenwood) in Allenwood, Pennsylvania.
According to United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Montpelier pleaded guilty in March 26, 2021 to the offense of providing contraband to an inmate. During a visit to an inmate at USP Allenwood in 2017, Montpelier used an open-mouth kiss to pass a balloon containing 21 suboxone strips to an inmate. The incident was monitored via a closed-circuit camera and the suboxone was later recovered from the inmate.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur prosecuted the case.
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Tax preparer sent to prison for tax fraud…againRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A woman is headed to prison for falsely preparing tax returns following a prior order not to engage in that business, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Marcia Angella Johnson pleaded guilty Sept. 7, 2021.
Today, U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. sentenced her to a total of 15 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional testimony that described how Johnson received probationary sentences in her three prior state criminal cases and yet continued to commit crimes. The court also heard testimony about Johnson’s 2011 case, which the United States elected to pursue civilly instead of criminally and which involved her submission of over 200 tax returns with a loss the government of over $1 million. In that case, a stipulated preliminary injunction and default judgment were issued against Johnson barring her from preparing tax returns. The tax credits she tried to obtain in that case were described in a filing as “so exaggerated that no reasonable person could conclude they were anything but deliberately fabricated.”
At the time of her plea, Johnson admitted that since 2016, she had been preparing income tax returns for clients even though she had been prohibited from doing so. During this time, she prepared numerous false returns which claimed various false items on her clients’ behalf. These included false wages, salaries, tips and tax credits such as earned income credit, child tax credits and American opportunity credits.
As a result of her criminal acts, the United States suffered a loss of at least $54,545 in tax revenue, which Johnson was ordered to pay back as part of her sentence. Johnson herself admitted to pocketing between $13,000 and $15,000 after preparing tax returns each year from 2016 through 2019.
Johnson previously admitted to preparing or assisting to prepare approximately 200 false tax returns. In 2011, the court banned her from conducting a tax preparation business.
She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
IRS – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Laurence Goldman prosecuted the case.
Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Two Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Akiem Howard, age 22, of Syracuse, pled guilty yesterday to robbing two Syracuse convenience stores and brandishing and discharging handguns in furtherance of both robberies, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, John B. DeVito. Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Chief Kenton Buckner, City of Syracuse Police Department, and William Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney.
As part of his guilty plea yesterday, Howard admitted that on December 13, 2020, and again on December 21, 2020, he robbed two convenience stores in Syracuse, NY. During both robberies, Howard pointed handguns at store clerks. During the second robbery, Howard was accompanied by another alleged robber carrying a rifle. While fleeing the store, Howard fired several rounds from his handgun at the store clerk. One of the bullets struck the other alleged robber in the leg. The other alleged robber’s case is pending, and she is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty. As part of his guilty plea yesterday, Howard also admitted to committing three other armed robberies in Syracuse on December 19, 2020.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 6, 2022, before the Hon. Thomas J. McAvoy in Binghamton, New York, at which time Howard faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 17 years, a maximum term of life, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the Syracuse Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID), the SPD Intelligence Section (Intel), the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Staten Island Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a ChildRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Blaise Caroleo was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. Caroleo pleaded guilty to the charge in November 2019.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentence.
“Today’s lengthy sentence underscores the commitment of this Office to seeking justice and healing for children who are sexually abused and exploited,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “We will continue to prosecute dangerous online predators like the defendant who victimize vulnerable minors.” Mr. Peace thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and the FBI’s Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force for their investigative work on the case.
Between approximately January 24, 2016, and October 12, 2016, Caroleo enticed a 14-year-old girl to produce sexually explicit images of herself, and to send these images to him using an Internet application called Kik. The account username for the application on Caroleo’s cell phone was “Nimfeater.” A review of Nimfeater’s Kik account revealed a series of messages in which Caroleo requested sexually explicit photos of Kik users who have been identified as minors, some as young as 12 years old.
This prosecution is 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas Axelrod and Erin E. Argo.
The Defendant:
BLAISE CAROLEO
Age: 57
Staten Island, NYE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-177 (S-1) (ENV)
South Bend Man Sentenced to 222 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Miles Wilbourn, 29 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to three counts of carjacking, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Wilbourn was sentenced to 222 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in August and September of 2019, Wilbourn and accomplices lured victims to South Bend apartment complexes on several different dates under false pretenses. When the victims arrived, Wilbourn and his accomplices attacked and robbed them, stealing their cars, and wallets. One of the victims was so severely beaten they had to be hospitalized.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.
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.
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Six Drug Traffickers Are Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney has ordered six defendants responsible for trafficking narcotics in Mecklenburg and Gaston Counties to serve prison terms ranging from seven to 25 years, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The federal prosecutions are the result of investigations conducted by the Western District’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which focuses on disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking networks operating in Western North Carolina.
The charges the defendants were convicted of and the sentences they received are as follows:
- Dietrich O’Brian Sarratt, 37, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on May 19, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and was sentenced on Tuesday to 300 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Daniel William Brock, IV, 35, of York, South Carolina, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on Tuesday to 228 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Dakota Reese Davis, 34, of Maiden, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on April 21, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on Tuesday to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Christopher Dewayne Jenkins, 31, of Gastonia, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on April 7, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine and was sentenced today to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Chad Richard Tate, 51, of Cherryville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on January 26, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on Tuesday to 120 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
- Mildred Marie Johnson Colon, 33, of Dallas, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on November 5, 2020, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on Tuesday to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Since 2019, these OCDETF investigations have led to the federal prosecution of more than 60 individuals for drug trafficking, and law enforcement have seized more than 87 kilograms of narcotics, including over 24 kilograms of fentanyl, 66 firearms, more than $385,000 in cash, and over $800,000 in other property.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, the Huntersville Police Department, and the Gastonia Police Department for their investigative efforts.
Assistant United States Attorney Steven Kaufman, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on February 28, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Chester Dennis Marshall, age 55, was sentenced to five years of supervised release and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Marshall was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 4, 2021. He pled guilty on October 25, 2021.
The conviction stems from Marshall failing to register as a sex offender as required by federal law between January 2, 2021, and January 25, 2021. Marshall had previously been convicted of a sex offense in federal court, which required him to register for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Sex Offender Sentenced to over Five Years in Federal Prison for Failure to Register in MarylandRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar today sentenced Lawrence A. Marvitz, age 44, of Hagerstown, Maryland, to 69 months in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender and for violating his supervised release for a previous federal conviction. Judge Bredar also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Marvitz must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea, on July 13, 2012, Chief Judge Bredar sentenced Marvitz to a year and a day in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography. As a condition of his supervised release, Marvitz was prohibited from possessing or using any computer, except with the permission of his probation officer, or in connection with authorized employment. Marvitz was also required to cooperate with U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office monitoring of compliance with this condition, including participating in a computer and internet monitoring program, identifying computer systems and internet-capable devices to which Marvitz had access, and permitting random, unannounced examinations of electronic devices under his control.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Marvitz was released from custody in May 2013. In January 2017 Marvitz’s case was transferred to the U.S. Probation Office for the Northern District of West Virginia for supervision. On September 19, 2019, Marvitz moved to an apartment in Hagerstown, Maryland. Marvitz did not obtain permission from his U.S. Probation Officer prior to changing his residence, nor did he update his sex offender registration by registering his new address in West Virginia or by registering as a sex offender in Maryland.
On October 9, 2019, a U.S. Probation Officer (USPO) conducted an unannounced home visit to Marvitz’s new address and observed what appeared to be an empty computer box. Marvitz advised the USPO that he had just purchased the new computer and that he was planning to remove his old laptop. Marvitz had not obtained the permission of the USPO prior to purchasing the new computer. The USPO instructed Marvitz to contact the monitoring company immediately so the monitoring software could be installed on the new computer. After the visit by the USPO, Marvitz did update the West Virginia and Maryland sex offender registries with his address.
On November 20, 2019, the USPO returned to Marvitz’s residence. Marvitz advised the USPO that he had wiped his old laptop and sold it to a local pawn shop. The USPO observed an internet cable that disappeared behind a computer desk. Upon further inspection, the USPO located Marvitz’s old laptop and an external hard drive hidden behind the computer desk. Search warrants were subsequently obtained for Marvitz’s apartment and for a total of 20 electronic devices that were ultimately seized. A forensic examination of the old laptop and external hard drive found by the USPO revealed seven videos and five images depicting prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The files had been downloaded from the internet between January 12, 2018 and September 30, 2019.
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 Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for its assistance in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Judson T. Mihok, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Seventeen Kentuckians Indicted for Animal Fighting ChargesRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky.- In four separate indictments, issued by a federal grand jury sitting in London, 17 Kentuckians have been indicted with various offenses related to animal fighting and cruelty.
In the first indictment, the grand jury charged Cruz Alejandro Mercado-Vazquez, 43, of Maysville, Ky., with two counts of attempted bribery and one count of possessing animals for the purpose of having the animals participate in an animal fighting venture.
The indictment alleges that, on two separate occasions, Mercado-Vaquez offered a bribe of more than $5,000, to the Mason County Sheriff, to influence the Sheriff in connection with a planned animal fighting venture. The indictment further alleges that Mercado-Vazquez knowingly bought, possessed, and trained roosters to participate in an animal fighting venture.
In the second indictment, the grand jury charged Rickie Dale Johnson, 55, Jacklyn Rachelle Johnson, 31, Harold “Fuzzy” Hale, 72, all of London, Ky, with conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animals in an animal fighting venture, in connection with the Bald Rock chicken pit in Laurel County. The indictment alleges that Rickie Johnson rented property from Hale and, for at least two months in 2021, operated regular animal fighting ventures at that location, with assistance from Jacklyn Johnson. The following individuals were also charged with exhibiting an animal, specifically a rooster, in the animal fighting venture at the Bald Rock pit:
Orville D. Asher, 39, of London, Ky
Dallas Cope, 35, of Livingston, Ky
Hiram B. Creech, Jr., 47, of East Bernstadt, Ky
Bradley Cye Rose, 72, of Parkers Lake, Ky.
Joshua Westerfield, 36, of London, Ky
In the third indictment, the grand jury charged Millard Oscar Hubbard, 72, of Manchester, Ky.; Timothy Sizemore, 42, of Manchester, Ky.; Beachel Collett, 28, of Oneida, Ky.; Lester Collett, 25, of Manchester, Ky.; and Justin Smith, 33, of Manchester, Ky., with one count each of conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animal fighting ventures. Sizemore was also charged with knowingly promoting the animal fighting events using instrumentalities of interstate commerce.
The third indictment alleges that, between November 2018 and January 2020, the defendants conspired to operate weekly animal fighting ventures at Riverside Game Club, in Manchester, Ky. The indictment further alleges that Riverside Game Club was owned and operated by Hubbard. Sizemore, with the assistance of Beachel and Lester Collett, organized the participants into various fights, cataloged the entry fees, the weight of the roosters, tracked the weapons used on the animals, arranged the fights and tracked the wins and losses of various participants. Sizemore allegedly distributed advertising material about the fights, and Hubbard collected admissions fees and had trailers that could be rented to individuals who participated in the animal fighting. It was also alleged that, the defendants paid regular employees, including Smith, to work the fights.
The third indictment further charged Sizemore with one count conspiracy to operate a weekly animal fighting venture at Blackberry Chicken Pit, located in Pike County, Kentucky. It alleges that Sizemore, with the assistance of others, operated weekly animal fighting ventures at Blackberry between May 2020 and December 2021.
In the fourth indictment, the grand jury charged Walter H. Mitchell, 55, of Ewing, Ky, Jerrard McVey, 47, and Linda McVey, 42, of Carlisle, Ky, with conspiracy to knowingly sponsor and exhibit animals in an animal fighting venture, in connection with the Valley, a chicken pit on the border of Nicholas and Fleming Counties.
“Animal fighting ventures are cruel and illegal,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “We are committed to enforcing federal animal cruelty laws and I want to commend the efforts of our law enforcement partners, whose dedication and effort led to these indictments for the Eastern District of Kentucky.”
“The gruesome ritual of animal fighting simply has no place in a civilized society. Animal cruelty, however, is just one criminal aspect surrounding this barbaric activity. Whether it is illegal gambling or the attempted corruption of our public officials, the criminal enterprise surrounding cockfighting operations will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen, FBI Louisville Office. “Through outstanding cooperation and great work, the FBI and its state and federal law enforcement partners have dealt a serious blow to cockfighting and a multitude of other criminal activities in the Eastern District of Kentucky.”
United States Attorney Shier; Jason M. Williams, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Cohen; Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; and Superintendent Rob Townsend, Indiana Gaming Commission, jointly announced the indictments.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by USDA, FBI, KSP, and the Indiana Gaming Commission. The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Smith and Andrea Mattingly-Williams.
Each defendant faces up to 5 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Mercado-Vasquez faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for the attempted bribery counts. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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SeaTac man sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes involving the sexual abuse of young boysRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 38-year-old SeaTac, Washington, man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 25 years in prison for four federal felonies related to child sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Brandan L. Wilkins pleaded guilty in February 2021, to travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor; possession of child pornography; receipt of child pornography; and enticement of a minor. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour noted that the sexual abuse of minors had occurred over a long period of time, and he said he was “particularly offended” by examples of Wilkins electronic chats with young children where he pressured them to send him sexually explicit images.
“Mr. Wilkins’ pattern of predatory and dangerous conduct left a trail of traumatized children in his wake,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “This lengthy sentence and the lifetime of supervised release imposed, are necessary to protect the children in our community.”
According to records filed in the case, in July 2018, an electronic service provider notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an internet account later linked to the defendant received a video of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement identified Wilkins as the owner of the internet account. A search of his online activity revealed Wilkins was posing as a 13-year-old boy to solicit sexually explicit pictures from young teens. When law enforcement served a search warrant at Wilkins’ residence, they seized electronic devices containing thousands of images of child pornography.
When law enforcement searched Wilkins’ wallet, they found a student ID card for a youth that Wilkins had befriended. Interviews with Wilkins and the youth revealed Wilkins had traveled with the victim to various locations to engage in sexual activity. In 2009 and 2011, Wilkins traveled with the youth who was then 12-years old to Disneyland and other locations where he engaged in sexual activity with the child. Wilkins admits he posed as a ‘father figure’ for the boy so he could have access to the child. The abuse began when the child was just 8 years old.
In asking for the lengthy sentence and lifetime supervised release Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson wrote to the court, “By sexually exploiting his many victims, the defendant has forever impacted their lives in ways that may have significant long-term health consequences. What these victims endured at his hands has the potential for severe lifelong psychological consequences to their self-esteem and well-being.”
Wilkins was employed as a TSA agent at Sea-Tac airport. He has been in custody since his arrest in December 2018.
Wilkins will next be appearing in King County Superior Court to face charges of sex offenses against a minor. King County is recommending a sentence of 290 months in custody – that sentence will run concurrently with his federal sentence.
The case was investigated by the Kent Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.