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7 February 2022
Woodbury County Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty February 3, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Tarina Hinojosa, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, Hinojosa admitted that from January 2021 through September 2021, she and others distributed more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Evidence further showed that in February 2021, Hinojosa was arrested for possession of an eight-ball of methamphetamine in Sioux City. Also, in July 2021, in a traffic stop in Sioux City, officers seized 146 grams of methamphetamine in two separate baggies and $2,200 from Hinojosa. Later, in September 2021, in another traffic stop in Sioux City, officers seized approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine in multiple baggies from Hinojosa. Hinojosa admitted she planned to distribute some or all of these amounts of methamphetamine to other persons.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hinojosa remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Hinojosa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4082. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Wetumpka Man Sentenced Following Federal Gun and Drug ConvictionsRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Alabama – On Wednesday, February 2, 2022, Richard Herbert Smith, 45, from Wetumpka, Alabama, was sentenced to 145 months in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart. The judge also ordered that Smith serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence and pay a fine of $35,000.00. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented at his trial in June 2021, law enforcement learned that Smith was selling cocaine to a co-conspirator, Ronnie White, 51, from Montgomery. In December of 2017, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven by Smith and found five ounces of cocaine and a firearm. The jury also heard testimony that White regularly purchased cocaine from Smith and that White was expecting to buy between five and nine ounces on the day of the traffic stop. Other testimony was provided indicating that Smith often carried a firearm during these transactions and that he would occasionally conduct the illegal drug sales while wearing his Air Force Reserve uniform.
Ronnie White, who is a convicted felon, previously pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison in July of this year.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Montgomery Police Department, with assistance from the Prattville Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Alabama National Guard Counterdrug program. Assistant United States Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Mark E. Andreu prosecuted the case.
West L.A. Compounding Pharmacy Owner Sentenced to 2½ Years in Federal Prison for Running $14 Million Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A West Los Angeles pharmacist was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme that fraudulently obtained millions of dollars for compounded drugs in a scheme that paid illegal kickbacks for patient referrals and fraudulently paid patients’ copayments.
Navid Vahedi, 42, of Brentwood, was sentenced by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder. Vahedi and his West Los Angeles-based company, Fusion Rx Compounding Pharmacy, pleaded guilty in February 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and payment of illegal remunerations.
On January 18, Judge Snyder sentenced Fusion Rx Compounding Pharmacy to five years of probation. She has ordered Vahedi and his company to jointly pay $4,400,525 in restitution.
Fusion Rx was a provider of compounded drugs, which are tailor-made products doctors may prescribe when FDA-approved alternatives do not meet the health needs of patients. Vahedi, a licensed pharmacist, and Fusion Rx routed millions of dollars in kickback payments through the businesses of two marketers to steer prescriptions for compounded drugs to Fusion Rx.
As part of the scheme, Vahedi and the two marketers provided physicians with preprinted prescription script pads that offered “check-the-box” options on the form to maximize the amount of insurance reimbursement for the compounded drugs. From May 2014 to at least February 2016, Fusion Rx received approximately $14 million in reimbursements on its claims for compounded drug prescriptions.
As part of its contracts with various insurance networks, Fusion Rx was obligated to collect copayments from patients. Because the copayments might discourage patients from requesting expensive and potentially unnecessary compounded drug prescriptions, Fusion Rx did not collect copayments with any regularity and, in other instances, it provided gift cards to patients to offset the amount of the copayments, according to court documents.
After an audit raised concerns that Fusion Rx’s failure to collect copayments would be discovered, Vahedi directed Fusion Rx funds to be used to purchase American Express gift cards, which were then used to make copayments for certain prescriptions without the patients’ knowledge. Fusion Rx then submitted claims on these prescriptions to various insurance providers, falsely representing that patients had paid the required copayments.
“As a pharmacist offering compounded medications, [Vahedi] had a real opportunity to use his skills to help patients in need, individuals whose unique health challenges made it impossible for them to depend on the FDA-approved medications others rely on,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “Instead, defendant converted his pharmacy into an assembly line for his own enrichment.”
The two marketers involved in the scheme – Joshua Pearson, 42, of St. George, Utah, and Joseph Kieffer, 41, of West Los Angeles – previously pleaded guilty in this case. Judge Snyder sentenced Kieffer to six months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1.25 million in restitution. Pearson was sentenced to three years of probation.
The Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, the Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander B. Schwab of the Major Frauds Section and Jonathan S. Galatzan of the Asset Forfeiture Section prosecuted this case.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Medical Doctor Who Publicly Advocated for the Covid-19 VaccineRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Scott Eli Harris, age 51, of Aubrey, Texas pleaded guilty today to threats transmitted by interstate communication, related to a threatening message sent to a Maryland medical doctor, who publicly advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
“Threats and intimidation should not be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute such conduct.”
“During the pandemic, we have seen a disturbing increase in threats of violence targeting doctors and public health advocates,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Public health officials and doctors deserve our respect for their tireless efforts during the ongoing pandemic, and individuals who seek to use threats of violence to intimidate and silence them will be held accountable.”
“These threats are taken very seriously and the response to them is an example of the FBI’s dedication to keeping our community safe,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “No one should live in fear for doing their job. Posting a threat online, through mail or over the phone is a crime and comes with consequences, whether or not the person intended to carry out the threat.”
According to his plea agreement and statements made in connection with the plea hearing, Harris sent a threatening message from his cellular phone to a Maryland doctor who had been a vocal proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine. Harris’ message included violent statements including “Never going to take your wonder drug. My 12 gauge promises I won’t .… I can’t wait for the shooting to start.” The message also referenced the doctor’s Asian-American race and national origin.
Harris faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III has scheduled sentencing for April 21, 2022.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham and Trial Attorney Katherine DeVar of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/civil-rights and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Sending Violent Threats to Maryland Doctor Who Had Been a Vocal Advocate of the Covid-19 VaccineRead the Press Release
Scott Eli Harris, 51, of Aubrey, Texas, pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of willfully transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure a Maryland doctor who had been a vocal proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to documents and statements made in connection with the plea hearing, Harris sent a threatening message from his cellular phone to the doctor. The message from Harris included violent and explicit threats, such as, “Never going to take your wonder drug. My 12 gauge promises I won’t,” and “I’m a 5th generation U.S. Army veteran and a sniper… I can’t wait for the shooting to start.” The message also referenced the doctor’s Asian-American race and national origin.
“During the pandemic, we have seen a disturbing increase in threats of violence targeting doctors and public health advocates,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Public health officials and doctors deserve our respect for their tireless efforts during the ongoing pandemic, and individuals who seek to use threats of violence to intimidate and silence them will be held accountable.”
“Threats and intimidation should not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “This office and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and prosecute such conduct.”
“These threats are taken very seriously and the response to them is an example of the FBI’s dedication to keeping our community safe,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “No one should live in fear for doing their job. Posting a threat online, through mail or over the phone is a crime and comes with consequences, whether or not the person intended to carry out the threat.”
Harris faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Michael Cunningham of the District of Maryland and Trial Attorney Katherine G. DeVar of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Tax Return Preparer in Halifax County Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Roanoke Rapids woman was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, a one-year term of supervised release, and $818,650 in restitution, for aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of a false federal income tax return (Form 1040). On November 2, 2021, Makita Boone pled guilty to the charge.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Boone was engaged in the preparation and filing of false and fraudulent federal income tax returns for others through Renee’s Tax Pros (RTP), a business that she owned and operated at locations in Roanoke Rapids and Enfield. Specifically, between approximately 2015 and 2019, Boone prepared over 200 false tax returns for RTP customers that reported fraudulent W-2 wages for the purpose of maximizing the earned income tax credit and otherwise inflating the tax refund amount. The intended tax loss associated with the scheme was over $1,000,000.
Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:21-cr-00056-D.
St. Louis County man pleads guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanylRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk accepted a plea of guilty from Jarvis L. Fields on today’s date for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. A grand jury in the Eastern District of Missouri previously indicted Fields in December 2020. Judge Pitlyk set sentencing for May 3, 2022.
According to the plea agreement, on April 10, 2020, the St. Louis County Police Department received a report of shots fired in the 2400 block of Princess Drive in north St. Louis County, within the Eastern District of Missouri. When officers arrived on scene, they noticed a blue Ford Fusion idling with its brake lights illuminated. The officers decided to investigate due to the suspicious nature of the vehicle and proximity to the shots fired. Officers contacted Fields in the passenger seat of the vehicle which was determined to have stolen license plates.
Fields exited the vehicle while repeatedly ignoring the police officer’s commands. As officers attempted to restrain him, Fields advised he had a gun in his satchel, which was strapped across his shoulder. After a struggle, officers brought Fields to the ground. They were able to secure him only after cutting a strap on the bag and forcibly removing it. They later discovered approximately 430 clear capsules containing fentanyl and two bags of white powder containing fentanyl in the satchel Fields possessed.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Bluestone.
Springfield-Area Dentist Charged with Tampering with Drugs Administered to Patients and Other CrimesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Phillip Jensen, DMD, 61, of Rochester, Illinois, on February 1, 2022, charging him with eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products, and three counts of false statements related to health care matters. Jensen was arrested today and appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins at the federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois, for an initial appearance, at which the indictment against him was unsealed.
The indictment alleges that starting as early as December 2019 and continuing to at least August 17, 2020, Jensen, a registrant authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration to dispense controlled substances, adulterated the fentanyl that was supposed to be used as anesthesia during his patients’ surgeries. Specifically, the indictment alleges that prior to surgery, Jensen pierced the fentanyl vials, removed half the fentanyl, and set it aside for his personal use. He then refilled the vials of fentanyl with another solution and administered the adulterated fentanyl, which was now at half its labeled strength, to his patients.
The indictment alleges Jensen committed multiple additional federal offenses related to this conduct, including eight different incidents of drug diversion in which he knowingly distributed a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the scope of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purpose. It also alleges eight incidents of Jensen acquiring fentanyl by fraud in that he obtained fentanyl from the vials and concealed his removal of fentanyl by refilling the vials with another substance and replacing the safety caps. The indictment further alleges one count of tampering with consumer products in that Jensen administered the fentanyl he adulterated to a specific patient which resulted in serious bodily injury to that patient. Finally, the indictment includes three counts alleging that Jensen knowingly and willfully, falsified, concealed, and covered up the nature and extent of the services he provided to patients of his practice, in connection with the delivery of health care benefits involving a health care benefit program.
At today’s initial appearance, the government requested that Jensen be detained. Magistrate Judge Schanzle-Haskins issued a temporary order of detention for Jensen pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on February 9, 2022.
If convicted, the statutory penalties for the alleged crimes charged are a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment for drug diversion, up to four years’ imprisonment for acquiring a controlled substance by fraud, up to twenty years’ imprisonment for tampering with consumer products, and up to five years’ imprisonment for a false statement related to health care matters.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas McMeyer and Sierra Senor-Moore are representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Springfield, Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Possessing Homicide Weapon and Ammunition in Violation of Federal LawRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Justin Orwat, 51, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was sentenced today in federal court to a prison term of 90 months upon his conviction for illegally possessing the .45 caliber handgun and ammunition that he used to kill Amanda Sanderson and Steven Lovely on October 27, 2017, in Townshend, Vermont. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III specified the 90-month federal sentence is to be served consecutively to the 179- to 180-month sentence imposed on December 10, 2021, in Windham Superior Court upon Orwat’s state conviction for manslaughter. Court papers indicate that Orwat will serve the state sentence and then the federal sentence. Together, the state and federal sentences combine for a prison sentence of twenty-two and a half years. At the conclusion of the federal sentence, Orwat will be subject to three years of federal supervised release.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest stated, “Today’s sentencing brings to a close the prosecution of Justin Orwat for the homicide of Amanda Sanderson and Steven Lovely. Based on the imposition of consecutive state and federal sentences, Justin Orwat will be removed from society until he is an old man. I commend the work of the Windham County State’s Attorney for leading this prosecution and am glad that we could assist our state partners in bringing Orwat to justice. Working collaboratively with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to address violent crime, and particularly gun violence, in our community is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Kelly Shriver stated, “The State of Vermont endeavored to obtain the best possible outcome on behalf of the victims of this crime. With the assistance of the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, we negotiated a resolution in which the defendant accepted responsibility for his actions and received a sentence commensurate with the seriousness of his offenses.”
The crimes were investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Orwat was represented by Dan Sedon, Esq., of Chelsea, Vermont. Deputy State’s Attorney Steven Brown prosecuted the homicide in Windham Superior Court. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher prosecuted the federal offense.
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 https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Seven men indicted for illegal firearms possession, drugsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Seven defendants face federal charges including drug trafficking and illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in U.S. District Court include guilty pleas and criminal sentences related to illegal gun possession.
The indicted cases are being investigated as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, in an ongoing effort to reduce violent crime with measures that included targeting those who illegally possess firearms.
“I have prioritized targeting violent crime in this District and as we continue to work to protect our communities from violent crime, a key element is the identification of those who illegally possess and use firearms,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “With our law enforcement partners, we want to put everyone on notice that federal resources are being brought to bear and we will fight for the safety of our neighborhoods.”
In the past four years, more than 730 defendants have been federally charged in the Southern District of Georgia for illegal firearms offenses – most often for possessing a firearm after conviction for a previous felony.
Defendants named in federal indictments from the February 2022 term of the U.S. District Court grand jury include:
- Thomas Kevin Robinson, 51, of College Park, Ga., charged with Interference with Commerce by Robbery; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Johnathon Emanuel McGahee, 24, of Thomson, Ga., charged with Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;
- Jonathan McGregor, 46, of Woodbine, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 or More Grams of Methamphetamine and a Quantity of Heroin; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Deon McWhorter, 36, of Brunswick, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Fentanyl, and 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Jonathan Bennett Capece, 53, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon;
- Akil Shawron Brown, 21, of Savannah, charged with Receipt of a Firearm by a Person Under Indictment; and,
- Jaleel Keron Frazier, 36, of Savannah, charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Additional defendants recently have been adjudicated on federal charges that include illegal firearms possession:
- William Thomas Nealous III, 30, of Martinez, was sentenced to 52 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies found Nealous with an AR-15 style rifle in his vehicle July 2, 2020, while investigating reports of a man driving slowly through a neighborhood. Nealous was on probation for a prior felony conviction at the time of the arrest.
- Christopher Lewis Tucker Jr., 22, of Thomson, Ga., sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to False Statement During Purchase of a Firearm. Thomson Police officers investigating a shooting in April 2021 learned through an ATF investigation that Tucker had illegally purchased a pistol from a Thomson pawn shop. Tucker claimed the pistol had been stolen, but Harlem Police officers found the pistol in Tucker’s possession during a July 2021 traffic stop.
- Sundiadaa Miller, 33, of Savannah, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Possession of Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Miller, who has a prior state felony conviction for armed robbery, was arrested in January 2020 by Savannah Police officers after he was found in possession of a pistol.
- Tavaris Kexon Ramsey, 43, an inmate at the Colquitt County Correctional Institute in Moultrie, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Ramsey was charged in August 2021 as part of the Operation Wynner Storm drug trafficking investigation in Wilkes County.
- Dillon Cole Gay, 28, of Pembroke, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and to an additional charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon for a case from the Eastern District of Tennessee transferred for prosecution in the Southern District of Georgia. Pooler Police officers arrested Gay Oct. 19, 2021 after finding a pistol and drugs in his possession during a traffic stop.
Agencies investigating these cases include the ATF, the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Savannah Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Brunswick Police Department, the Kingsland Police Department, the Dublin Police Department, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, and the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.
The cases are being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office Assistant U.S. Attorneys, including John P. Harper III and Noah J. Abrams, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Timothy Ruffini, with firearms forfeitures coordinated through the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office Asset Forfeiture Unit.
Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual to possess a firearm if he or she falls into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon; illegal alien; or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to purchase – firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, also is a federal offense.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
St. Thomas Business Owner Sentenced on Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) Wire Fraud ConvictionRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS, USVI – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced that Mashama Ferdinand, 38, of St. Thomas was sentenced on Friday to 33 months incarceration by Judge Robert A. Molloy on her wire fraud conviction. Judge Molloy also order Ferdinand to pay $383,397.00 in restitution to the United States. Ferdinand was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals, and upon release from prison, must serve a term of four years on supervised release.
According to court documents, on July 30, 2020, Ferdinand filed a PPP loan application on behalf of her company, Shama’s Specialties. The application fraudulently claimed that Ferdinand employed 15 employees and earned a quarterly payroll of $460,079.82. Court documents further revealed that Ferdinand electronically submitted her PPP loan application to Bluevine, Inc., and hours later on July 30, 2020, Ferdinand’s PPP loan application was approved in the amount of $383,397.00. Bluevine’s IP records revealed that Shama’s Specialties application package was processed by unnamed co-conspirators in Apopka, FL. Thereafter, on August 3, 2020, Bluevine deposited the PPP loan proceeds in the amount of $383,397.00 in Shama’s Specialties’ First Bank Virgin Islands’ checking account. On August 5, 2020, Ferdinand wired three separate payments in the amounts of $9,999.00, totaling $29,997.00, to three alleged co-conspirators as payment for their roles in processing her PPP loan application. Ferdinand also paid approximately $50,000.00 of the PPP loan proceeds to a business partner as a return on his investment in Shama Specialties. Months later, Ferdinand spent approximately $12,000.00 on dental veneers and $3,000.00 to pay off an American Express business credit card. As of the date of sentencing, Ferdinand reported having less than $10,000.00 of the PPP loan proceeds remaining. Records obtained from the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue confirmed that during 2019 and 2020, the period in which PPP loans were offered, no 501-VI nor 941-VI payroll records were filed on behalf of Shama’s Specialties. Ferdinand applied for PPP funds on two prior occasions, the first of which she received $85.00, and on the second occasion, her application was denied.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and Small Business Association Office of Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Delia Smith.
"The Paycheck Protection Program was intended to provide a lifeline to the nation’s small businesses and its employees" said Small Business Administration’s Inspector General Michael
Rochester Man Going to Prison for 15 Years for Forcing A Minor to Engage in Sex Trafficking in Exchange for HeroinRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Peter R. Kiwitt, 63, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of sex trafficking by coercion, was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that in January 2019, Rochester Police Officers responded to a residence for a report of a fatal overdose involving a minor victim. The owner of the residence found the minor deceased on his living room floor and called 911. He told officers he brought the minor victim to his residence to engage in commercial sex acts with her. The investigation determined that Kiwitt, a registered sex offender, used the victim’s addiction to heroin to coerce her to engage in commercial sex acts with men in the Rochester area.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter.
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Raytown Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Sending Obscene Material to MinorsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Missouri, man who is a registered sex offender was identified in two separate investigations and pleaded guilty in federal court today to sending obscene materials to minors.
Brent Deadmon, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of transferring obscene material to a minor. Deadmon, a registered sex offender, has prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy and statutory rape, and prior misdemeanor convictions for sexual misconduct and furnishing child pornography to a minor.
By pleading guilty today, Deadmon admitted that he sent obscene material – including pornographic images of himself – to two covert employees of the FBI, whom he believed were under the age of 16, who were involved in two separate and unrelated investigations.
Between March 8 and 29, Deadmon engaged in sexually explicit conversation on the FASTMEET application with a person he believed to be 14 years old, but who was actually an online covert employee in the FBI’s Chicago division. During those conversations, Deadmon expressed his desire in graphic terms to meet in person and have sexual contact. Deadmon provided his cell phone number and they communicated by texting from March 29 to May 1, 2021. Deadmon sent multiple pornographic images and videos of himself and others.
In a second, unrelated, investigation, Deadmon sent several pornographic images of himself and others and at least one video via the Meet24 application to a person he believed to be 15 years old, but who was actually an online covert employee in the FBI’s St. Louis division. In those conversations, from April 17 to June 7, 2021, Deadmon expressed an interest in meeting in person and offered to pay $500 to have sex with the purported 15-year-old and her 10-year-old sister.
On June 23, 2021, law enforcement officers located and arrested Deadmon. Officers found images of child sexual abuse on his cell phone.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Deadmon mutually agree that the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole is appropriate. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Portland Man Faces Federal Charges for Stealing Dozens of Firearms from Local Pawn ShopRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Portland man faces federal charges after he and several accomplices used a sledgehammer to break into a local pawn shop and steal forty-seven firearms.
Kory Dean Boyd, 38, has been charged by criminal complaint with stealing firearms from a federal firearm licensee and illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on January 31, 2022, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) were notified of a burglary at a Southeast Portland pawn shop. Early that morning, shop owners discovered two large holes in a concrete block wall on the building’s exterior and concrete debris littering the inside of the business. The room exposed by the holes contained dozens of firearms, 47 of which—including pistols, revolvers, rifles, and shotguns—were reported stolen.
ATF agents reviewed exterior surveillance video from the pawn shop and observed two vehicles and five individuals present near the holes in the building during the late evening and early morning hours of January 29 and 30, 2022. Two individuals carried a large-handled tool believed to be a sledgehammer. Several other individuals were seen carrying long firearm cases to the vehicles.
On February 4, 2022, ATF agents applied for and obtained search warrants for Boyd’s Southeast Portland residence. The same day, agents recovered eight firearms, including seven stolen from the pawn shop, from the residence. Boyd was arrested without incident and admitted to his involvement in the burglary. Boyd’s four accomplices are still at large. 38 of the firearms stolen from the pawn shop have yet to be recovered by law enforcement.
Boyd made his initial appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman. He was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case is being investigated by ATF with assistance from FBI, Portland Police Bureau and Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Pelahatchie Woman Pleads Guilty in Murder-for-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Pelahatchie woman pled guilty to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire, announced United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Field Office.
According to court records, Jessica Leeann Sledge, 40, pled guilty this morning before United States District Judge Carlton W. Reeves. Sledge admitted that, between September 2021 and November 1, 2021, in the Southern District of Mississippi, she used facilities of interstate commerce with the intent to hire an assassin to murder an individual in Mississippi. Sledge used the internet, her cell phone and the “Whatsapp” application to arrange a murder-for-hire. Unknown to Sledge, the “hitman” she hired via the internet to commit a murder was in fact an FBI Special Agent. On November 1, 2021, Sledge met in Brandon, Mississippi, with the individual she thought was the assassin she had hired in order to provide an additional payment and to provide additional information concerning her intended victim. The intended victim was ultimately unharmed. Following her arrest, Sledge waived her rights and admitted to her role in the murder-for-hire plot.
Sledge will be sentenced on May 16, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Oregon Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Multnomah County, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for transporting an adult victim from California to Oregon and selling access to her for sex.
Eddie Lewis West III, 37, was sentenced to 104 months in prison and a three years’ supervised release.
According to court documents and in-court testimony, West knowingly transported an adult victim across state lines, from California to Bend, with the intent of posting the victim on a dating website called Skip the Games for the sale of sexual services. In April 2019, local police saw the ad, set up an undercover meeting with West, and arrested him.
Upon further investigation, federal law enforcement authorities learned the victim felt trapped in an abusive relationship with West and feared for her safety. After West was arrested in September 2020 in a related assault case in Washington County Circuit Court, the victim felt safe enough to come forward and speak with authorities about West’s crimes.
On October 20, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging West with sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion and transportation of a person across state lines with the intent of having the person engage in prostitution. On August 3, 2021, he pleaded guilty to the latter charge.
U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Tigard Police Department and Bend Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie K. Wight.
If you or someone you know is in danger, please call 911. If you are a human trafficking victim or have information about a potential human trafficking situation, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting 233733. Calls and texts are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Human trafficking is a serious federal crime where individuals are compelled by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex, labor, or domestic servitude against their will. Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause unimaginable harm. In January 2022, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland launched a new national strategy to combat human trafficking that aims to prevent all forms of trafficking, prosecute trafficking cases, and support trafficking victims and survivors.
Nun Who Embezzled Tuition Money from Torrance Catholic Elementary School Sentenced to One Year in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A nun who was the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in federal prison for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips.
Mary Margaret Kreuper, 80, of the Arlington Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay $825,338 in restitution.
Kreuper pleaded guilty in July 2021 to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
For a period of 10 years ending in September 2018, Kreuper embezzled money from St. James Catholic School. As principal – a position she held for 28 years – Kreuper was responsible for the money the school received to pay for tuition and fees, as well as for charitable donations. Kreuper controlled accounts at a credit union, including a savings account for the school and one established to pay the living expenses of the nuns employed by the school.
Kreuper, who as a nun had taken a vow of poverty, diverted school funds into the St. James Convent Account and the St. James Savings Account and then used the diverted funds “to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges,” according to court documents.
Kreuper falsified monthly and annual reports to the school administration to cover up her fraudulent conduct and “lulled St. James School and the Administration into believing that the school’s finances were being properly accounted for and its financial assets properly safeguarded, which, in turn, allowed defendant Kreuper to maintain her access and control of the school’s finances and accounts and, thus, continue operating the fraudulent scheme,” according to court documents. Kreuper also directed St. James School employees to alter and destroy financial records during a school audit.
The total losses Kreuper caused to St. James Catholic School were $835,339.
“On an annualized basis (approximately $83,000 per year), [Kreuper] stole the equivalent of the tuition of 14 different students per year,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “These funds were intended to further the students’ education, not fund [Kreuper’s] lifestyle. In their letters [to the court], several students and parents commented on how the school was lacking in resources…Another parent discussed [in a letter to the court] how [Kreuper] said there was no money for an awning at school and no money for field trips.”
The Torrance Police Department, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation in this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Poonam G. Kumar of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Mexican national who was in the United States illegally was sentenced today to time served, or nine months and 298 days, in federal prison. David Ferrusquia-Sanchez, 38, previously pleaded guilty to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 22, 2021, law enforcement officers pulled over a vehicle on I-64 in Putnam County that lacked registration and was following a tractor trailer too closely. The driver, identified as Ferrusquia-Sanchez, provided a passport and a driver’s license, both of Mexican origin. Officers also learned that Ferrusquia-Sanchez had an active warrant for driving under revocation. A canine unit arrived on scene and alerted to the vehicle. A search of the vehicle yielded a loaded 9mm Sportarms pistol in a duffel bag behind the driver’s seat. Ferrusquia-Sanchez admitted that he had not been given any legal status in the United States.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Hurricane Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Keefe handled the prosecution.
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. 3:21-cr-00061.
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Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Continues to Fight Fraud Related to the Covid-19 PandemicRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Today Maryland United States Attorney Erek L. Barron announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has entered into a memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Special Inspector General Brian D. Miller of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) and Deputy Inspector General James D. Powell of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Office of Investigations, regarding the investigation and prosecution of fraud relating to The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While many of our neighbors have suffered to make ends meet during this ongoing pandemic, others stole taxpayer money meant to put food on the kitchen table,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “These partnerships allow us to beef up our efforts to prosecute those who steal from the American taxpayers.”
“SIGPR’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has already produced results and we are excited to continue our work to protect pandemic relief funds from fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Since the start of 2021, the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 23 defendants with criminal offenses based on fraud schemes connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. These cases involve attempts to defraud over $14 million and more than $419,000 has been seized as the proceeds of these fraud schemes. These cases were made possible by the coordination, perseverance, and skill of the many law enforcement partners working with us to bring to justice those committing COVID-19-related fraud.
The SIGPR MOU will allow the US. Attorney’s Office and SIGPR to enhance their efforts to provide a coordinated response to CARES Act funding fraud, with an emphasis on organized criminal activity; to link and associate isolated CARES Act-related complaints with larger schemes and related criminal activity; to speed up the prosecution of these cases and deter future fraud by increasing awareness of successful criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions against individuals and businesses engaging in CARES Act fraud.
The DOL-OIG MOU will allow up to two DOL-OIG special agents to be co-located in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Baltimore and Greenbelt, allowing a quicker response and more comprehensive and coordinated investigations involving CARES Act fraud, especially related to unemployment insurance fraud.
U.S. Attorney Barron also provided the following updates on the status of the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud, including schemes targeting the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) fraud
The PPP and EIDL fraud cases charged federally in Maryland during 2021 involve a range of conduct, from individual business owners who inflated their payroll expenses to obtain larger loans than they otherwise would have qualified for, to fraudsters applying for multiple loans using false claims about their purported business entities, and/or charities. Most charged defendants misappropriated loan proceeds for prohibited purposes, such as the purchase of houses, cars, jewelry, and other luxury items. For example, Brandon Fitzgerald-Holley, of Suitland, Maryland, used his non-operational nonprofit, the Coalition for Social Justice and Reform Incorporated (the Coalition), to fraudulently obtain $305,854 in PPP loan funds, even though the Coalition had no employees, income, or regular operations since its formation in 2018. Fitzgerald-Holley admitted that he used the funds to purchase personal items including clothing, a pool table, televisions, electronic equipment, a 2020 Dodge Charger Scat, and various accessories for the vehicle. He also used the funds to fund a vacation rental. Fitzgerald-Holley is awaiting sentencing.
In addition to Fitzgerald-Holley, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged eight other defendants with PPP and/or EIDL fraud. Those charges remain pending.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud
More than $860 billion in federal funds were appropriated for UI benefits through September 2021, to assist individuals who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Investigation indicates that international organized criminal groups have targeted these funds by using stolen identities to file for UI benefits throughout the country. Domestic fraudsters have also committed UI fraud. For example, an indictment filed in September 2021 alleges that from February 2020 through February 2021, three Maryland men, Gladstone Njokem, Martin Tabe, Sylvester Atekwane, and others conspired to fraudulently obtain more than $2.7 million in unemployment benefits. The indictment alleges that the conspirators impersonated victims in order to submit fraudulent UI claims, by obtaining the personally identifiable information (PII) of victims, often under false pretenses. The defendants allegedly shared the PII amongst themselves and with others and used the victims’ PII to submit fraudulent applications for UI benefits in Maryland, Michigan, and Tennessee. The defendants are awaiting trial.
A total of six defendants, including Njokem, Tabe, and Atekwane, are charged with UI fraud and those charges remain pending.
Fraudulent Websites
To date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland has shut down 17 fraudulent websites which appear to have been used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the site, in order to use the information for nefarious purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks, and/or deployment of malware. The seized websites were almost identical to the names of authentic U.S. websites, including COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, retailers, and purported COVID-19 treatment. Several of the seized websites purported to sell vaccines and other treatments for the COVID-19 virus. Often, the fake domains mimicked the stylistic designs and language of the authentic U.S. website. After the seizures, individuals visiting the website see a message that the website has been seized by the federal government and are redirected to another website for additional information.
Of the three defendants charged with attempting to use a fraudulent website to sell fake COVID-19 vaccines, two are awaiting trial and one has pleaded guilty to his role in the fraud scheme.
Other COVID-19 related fraud schemes
Nicholas Milano White was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and was ordered to pay $29,324 in restitution for conspiring to steal mail, stealing benefits under the CARES Act, and aggravated identity theft. White was arrested after stealing mail from multiple U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in the Baltimore metropolitan area in March 2020, and Postal Inspectors learned that he had been conducting a bank fraud scheme that involved falsifying and cashing stolen checks. After his arrest, White continued engaging in fraud, including submitting a false claim for Florida state unemployment benefits using the personally identifying information of another person, and illegally acquiring and cashing an Economic Impact Payment check issued in the name of a couple residing in Maryland, in the amount of $2,900. In another case, Tyrese Carter, a former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee detailed to work in a Small Business Administration (SBA) virtual call center, was assigned to assist potential disaster loan applicants by answering questions about the SBA’s EIDL program. Carter admitted that he posed as an SBA employee to induce a victim business owner to wire him funds received. Specifically, Carter emailed the victim using an account created in the name of the purported SBA employee and directed the victim to wire funds to a PayPal account created in the name of “SBA Financial.” Carter was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered by pay restitution of $8,738.
Other defendants are charged with allegedly selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards and fraudulently obtaining funds by claiming financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, respectively. Those charges remain pending. Another defendant was convicted of selling misbranded disinfectants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Can You Do?
We encourage the public to follow these three steps when accessing COVID-19 related information and services online:
First, be careful where you click. Fraudulent websites are designed to look like legitimate websites. Websites may have small spelling errors or an additional letter or two in website URLs and email addresses, or a different domain suffix. Check email addresses and links to ensure you’re where you want to be.
Second, guard your personal information. Don’t enter it on an unknown website or in response to an unsolicited email. Criminals are trying to capture your information to compromise your identity and access your financial accounts. Your response may also deploy malware that compromises your digital device.
Third, always remember: the COVID-19 vaccine is not for sale. Only a limited number of manufacturers have authorization to provide the vaccine in the U.S. The federal government is covering the cost of the vaccine for all people living in the U.S. You will never be asked to pay for a vaccine.
In addition to the DOL-OIG and SIGPR, U.S. Attorney Barron recognized the efforts of a wide range of law enforcement partners for their work in COVID-19 related cases, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the FBI; the U.S. Secret Service; the IRS-CI; the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Offices of Inspectors General from SBA, Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
To report a COVID-19-related fraud scheme or suspicious activity, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to fight fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
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Mannford Man Sentenced for Sending Sexually Explicit Pictures to Individual He Believed Was a MinorRead the Press Release
A man who thought he was sending sexually explicit pictures to a 15-year-old runaway, but instead was communicating with an undercover investigator, was sentenced in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan sentenced Johnny Wayne Rose Jr., 41, of Mannford, to 78 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
In October 2021, Rose Jr. pleaded guilty to attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. In his plea agreement, Rose Jr. admitted that he used his cell phone, Facebook, and Kik to converse with an individual he believed was a 15-year-old female runaway who was addicted to methamphetamine. In those conversations, he attempted to convince the individual he believed to be a minor to meet for sex and offered to provide methamphetamine to the “minor.” He also asked for topless photographs from the “minor” and sent sexually explicit photographs of himself. Instead of speaking to a minor female, Rose Jr. was unknowingly communicating with an undercover investigator from the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office. The communications and photographs Rose Jr. sent constituted the attempted transfer of obscene material to an individual he believed was 15 years of age. The communications occurred between Feb. 25, 2021, and March 5, 2021.
This case was brought as part of Operation Clean Sweep, a four-month long operation that concentrated law enforcement efforts on counteracting the spike in internet facilitated child-exploitation crimes in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The operation was carried out in partnership with more than a dozen local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies. This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The Rogers County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case
Manchester Man Sentenced to Eight Years for Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Robert Audette, 32, of Manchester, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on July 12, 2019, Manchester police detectives executed a search warrant at an apartment Audette shared with his girlfriend, Quinn Pollock. A search of their room yielded $1,200 in counterfeit currency, drug paraphernalia, various drugs, and a loaded 9 mm handgun in the bed headboard. A search of Pollock’s vehicle revealed a backpack that Audette had been seen carrying during police surveillance. Officers had observed Audette place the backpack into the vehicle just prior to the search. The backpack contained a scale, 9 mm ammunition, and baggies containing over 40 grams of fentanyl.
Audette previously pleaded guilty on October 18, 2021. Pollock pleaded guilty to drug charges on November 20, 2020, an received a time-served sentence.
“Armed drug dealers present a serious threat to public health and safety,” said U.S. Attorney Farley. “Fentanyl traffickers endanger the community by selling a potent and deadly substance. When these drug peddlers are armed with firearms, the risk of violence and death is further increased. As this case demonstrates, we are working closely with the Manchester Police Department to identify and prosecute armed drug traffickers and hold them accountable for their unlawful conduct.”
This matter was investigated by the Manchester Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim H. Barth.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.). In July of 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the District of New Hampshire and nine other federal districts. The goal of S.O.S. is to combat the large number of overdoses and deaths associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In New Hampshire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focusing its efforts on prosecuting synthetic opioid trafficking cases arising in Hillsborough County, which includes Manchester and Nashua.
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Man Pleads Guilty to Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Daniel Trevino, 45, formerly from Primghar, Iowa, pled guilty on February 5, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, Trevino admitted that between December 2020 and April 2021, he and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. On April 24, 2021, Trevino was stopped while driving. After Trevino showed signs of impairment, law enforcement received permission to search a bag located next to Trevino. Inside the bag, law enforcement discovered a scale, cell phones, and other drug paraphernalia. When the vehicle was being secured to be towed, a black magnetic box fell from the steering column which later was found to contain approximately a quarter pound of methamphetamine. Trevino admitted he had just picked up the methamphetamine from a source in Colorado.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Trevino remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Trevino faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4076. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 41 Months in Federal Prison for AssaultRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Chief U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced MS-13 gang member Edin Velasco Garcia, age 21, of Frederick, Maryland, to 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for assault with a deadly weapon, in connection with his assault of two victims whom he believed were rival gang members. The sentence was imposed on February 2, 2022.
The 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 (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Jason Lando of the Frederick City Police Department.
MS-13 is a national and international gang composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Branches or “cliques” of MS-13, one of the largest street gangs in the United States, operate throughout Frederick County, Anne Arundel County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Velasco Garcia was a member of the Fulton Locos Salvatruchas (“FLS”).
At all times of this conspiracy, members of MS-13 were expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from rival gang members and other persons. To protect the gang and to enhance its reputation, MS-13 members were expected to use any means necessary to force respect from those who showed disrespect, including acts of intimidation and violence. MS-13 had mottos consistent with its rules, beliefs, expectations and reputation including “mata, viola, controla,” which translates as, “kill, rape, control,” and “ver, oir y callar,” which means, “see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing.” One of the principal rules of MS-13 is that its members must attack and kill rivals, often referred to as “chavalas,” whenever possible.
MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence both to maintain membership and discipline within the gang, as well as against rival gang members. Participation in criminal activity by a member, particularly in violent acts directed at rival gangs or as directed by gang leadership, increase the respect accorded to that member, resulting in that member maintaining or increasing his position in the gang, and opens the door to promotion to a leadership position.
As detailed in his plea agreement, from at least January 2019, Velasco Garcia agreed with members of MS-13 to conduct and participate in the gang’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity that included narcotics trafficking, extortion, and acts of violence.
According to his plea agreement, on March 22, 2019, Velasco Garcia and several other MS-13 members and associates approached Victim 1 and Victim 2 in a parking lot in Frederick, Maryland. They asked Victim 1 and Victim 2 if they were in a gang and they responded that they were not. Victim 2 had “18” tattooed on his arms, which is related to the 18th Street gang, one of MS-13 primary rival gangs. After calling other gang members on the phone to joint them, Velasco Garcia pulled out a black folding knife and attempted to stab Victim 2 with an overhead motion, but missed. Victim 2 ran but was caught by the group and punched several times. Victim 2 broke away and attempted to run away, but MS-13 members tackled him, punching and kicking Victim 2 several times before one person hit Victim 2 in the head with a rock. During the attack Velasco Garcia threw up several MS-13 gang signs. When the attack began, Victim 1 ran in a different direction and was also attacked. Gang members punched Victim 1 in the face and he was slashed with the knife in the face. Victim 1 was unconscious for a period of time and gang members stole his cell phone. Both Victim 1 and Victim 2 were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries.
Velasco Garcia admitted that the assaults on Victim 1 and Victim 2 were intended to maintain and increase the status of MS-13 and allow members to maintain or increase their status within the gang.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Frederick Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth S. Clark and Zachary Stendig, who prosecuted this case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Logan Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Logan man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on January 26, 2021, at the residence of Brian Dometric Knox, 37, in Cross Lanes. During the search, officers found approximately 79 grams of methamphetamine. Knox admitted that he possessed and intended to sell the methamphetamine. Knox also admitted that from December 1, 2020 to January 22, 2021, he sold approximately one ounce of methamphetamine every week.
Knox pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 11, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West, the West Virginia State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney L. Cremeans is prosecuting the case.
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-00170.
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Justice Department Finds that Pennsylvania Courts Discriminated Against People with Opioid Use DisorderRead the Press Release
The Justice Department found that the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, through the actions of its component courts, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by prohibiting or limiting the use of disability-related medication to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) by individuals under court supervision. The letter of findings demands that Pennsylvania addresses the civil rights violations identified during the course of the investigation conducted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania.
The Justice Department identified three specific individuals with OUD who had been discriminated against by the Northumberland and Jefferson County Courts of Common Pleas. Two individuals alleged that the Jefferson County Court ordered all probationers to stop using their prescribed medication for OUD. A third individual alleged that the Northumberland County Court required her to stop using her prescribed OUD medication to graduate from drug court. The department’s investigation corroborated these allegations and additionally found evidence that multiple other county courts in Pennsylvania have treatment court policies that discriminate against individuals with OUD.
Pursuant to Title II of the ADA, the department provided the Pennsylvania judiciary with written notice of the supporting facts for these findings and the minimum remedial measures necessary to address them.
“Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder are protected by the ADA but too often face discrimination rooted in stereotypes and myths rather than in science. This is exactly the sort of discrimination the ADA was designed to prevent,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Ensuring that court-involved individuals with Opioid Use Disorder have access to the medications they need is critical to support recovery efforts and to break the cycles of opioid addiction that have harmed families and communities across our country. Ensuring that courts are employing science-driven and data-informed approaches to this crisis is an important priority for the Civil Rights Division.”
For more information on the ADA, please call the Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. The letter can be viewed here.
Justice Department Announces Strategy to Combat Human TraffickingRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the release of the Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Rooted in the foundational pillars and priorities of the interagency National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which President Biden released on Dec. 3, 2021, the Justice Department's National Strategy is expansive in scope. It aims to enhance the department's capacity to prevent human trafficking; to prosecute human trafficking cases and to support and protect human trafficking victims and survivors.
“Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” said Attorney General Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm. The Justice Department’s new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking will bring the full force of the Department to this fight.”
“Addressing human trafficking in Northern Ohio remains a top priority for our office and our law enforcement partners,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “As a united front, law enforcement in Northern Ohio continues to aggressively pursue traffickers and deliver critical aid to victims. This new plan, combined with grant funding awarded last fiscal year, will help us continue and improve our fight against human trafficking.”
In 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio secured a number of notable convictions and sentences against human traffickers, including:
- Manish Raj Gupta. A former Toledo-area physician who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and illegally dispensing a controlled substance. Gupta was sentenced to 235 months in prison.
- Larrien Brown-Austin. A Canton man who pleaded guilty to participating in a sex trafficking conspiracy that forced multiple women to perform commercial sex acts for profit. Brown-Austin is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2022.
- Reuben Rankin. A Cleveland man who was convicted of assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, sex trafficking of a minor, production of child pornography and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rankin is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12, 2022.
In addition, to support the victims of human trafficking, various organizations in the Northern District of Ohio were awarded approximately $8.7 million in grant funding this fiscal year from the Department of Justice to provide services and aid, including:
- $4.4 million awarded to the City of Cleveland and City of Akron to support the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
- $1 million awarded to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center for services for minor victims of sex trafficking,
- $600,000 awarded to Promedica Toledo Hospital to train sexual assault nurse examiners.
Among other things, the Justice Department’s multi-year strategy to combat all forms of human trafficking will:
- Strengthen engagement, coordination and joint efforts to combat human trafficking by prosecutors in all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and by federal law enforcement agents nationwide.
- Establish federally-funded, locally-led anti-human trafficking task forces that support sustained state law enforcement leadership and comprehensive victim assistance.
- Step up departmental efforts to end forced labor by increasing attention, resources and coordination in labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
- Enhance initiatives to reduce vulnerability of American Indians and Alaska Natives to violent crime, including human trafficking, and to locate missing children.
- Develop and implement new victim screening protocols to identify potential human trafficking victims during law enforcement operations and encourage victims to share important information.
- Increase capacity to provide victim-centered assistance to trafficking survivors, including by supporting efforts to deliver financial restoration to victims.
- Expand dissemination of federal human trafficking training, guidance and expertise.
- Advance innovative demand-reduction strategies.
The department’s strategy will be implemented under the direction of the National Human Trafficking Coordinator designated by the Attorney General in accordance with the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017.
If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
To read the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, click here.
Jennifer Faith Pleads Guilty to Murder for Hire in Husband’s DeathRead the Press Release
Jennifer Lynne Faith, the Oak Cliff woman who convinced her boyfriend to shoot her husband to death, pleaded guilty on Monday to orchestrating the murder, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
In February 2021, prosecutors charged Ms. Faith, 49, with obstruction of justice. In September 2021, they added a charge of use of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire, an offense that carries a potential death sentence. Ms. Faith pleaded guilty to the murder-for-hire charge before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle on Monday morning. In return for her plea, prosecutors agreed to drop the obstruction charge and to recommend a sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing will ultimately be at the discretion of the judge.
“Jennifer Faith’s cold-blooded plot to murder her husband was made all the more heinous by the way she behaved after his death. Even as she wept for her late husband on TV, Ms. Faith was corresponding with his murderer, plotting about how to cover up their crime,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF, DPD, and our law enforcement partners remain committed to getting justice for Jamie. We are proud to hold Ms. Faith accountable for her crimes, and look forward to proving our case against her boyfriend, Mr. Lopez, in court. Truth will prevail in the end.”
“Lies, deceit and ultimately the murder of a loving spouse. After attempting to manipulate family, friends and caring citizens, Mrs. Faith has now admitted to her heinous acts. I could not be prouder of the work of all those involved in this investigation, specifically, the Dallas Police Department Homicide Unit, the United States Attorney’s Office, and ATF Special Agents. What’s done in the dark will always come to light,” stated ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.
According to plea papers, Ms. Faith admitted that her boyfriend, Darrin Ruben Lopez, 49, gunned down her husband, American Airlines technology director Jamie Faith, on Oct. 9, 2020 in front of his home in Oak Cliff. (Mr. Lopez has been charged by the state with murder and by the feds with a gun crime. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Like all defendants, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)
Ms. Faith admitted that she knew Mr. Lopez – whom she called her “one and only love” – had suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, leaving him disabled. Both before and after the murder, she sent Mr. Lopez money and gifts, and even provided him with two credit cards which she paid off using the proceeds of a “Support Jennifer Faith” GoFundMe fundraiser launched in the wake of her husband’s death.
She also admitted that before the murder, she used two phony email accounts to correspond with Mr. Lopez, assuming the identities of her own husband and one of her friends in order to falsely convince Mr. Lopez that her husband was physically and sexually abusing her. (In plea papers, Ms. Faith stipulated that no such abuse ever occurred.) Ms. Faith admitted that she downloaded stock images depicting injuries from the internet and attached them to some of the emails to convince Mr. Lopez that the abuse was actually occurring.
Seven months into her relationship with Mr. Lopez, Ms. Faith exited her home with her husband to walk their dog, she acknowledged in plea papers. One minute into their walk, Mr. Lopez – who allegedly drove from his home in Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, to the Faiths’ home in Dallas, where he laid in wait at a neighbor’s home – allegedly shot Mr. Faith seven times before fleeing the scene in his black Nissan Titan pickup truck, which had a distinctive “T” decal on the back window.
After she learned that law enforcement was aware of the “T” decal, Ms. Faith appeared on DFW’s ABC affiliate, WFAA, and plead with the public to help investigators locate the decaled truck. Following the interview, Ms. Faith texted Mr. Lopez and encouraged him to remove the sticker from his truck, she admitted.
“I woke up in a bit of a panic… Something is eating away at me telling me you need to take the sticker out of the back window of the truck,” she texted him. “I don’t normally overreact like this… really think you need to get that sticker off ASAP, like today.” Mr. Lopez allegedly removed the sticker the following day.
Meanwhile, approximately one month after her husband’s death, Ms. Faith admitted, she initiated a claim with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company seeking approximately $629,000 in death benefits Mr. Faith had through his employer. She periodically updated Mr. Lopez on the status of the claim. In text messages, the pair discussed using the money to apply for a residence in her name in Tennessee.
In January 2021, shortly after she was asked to come in for questioning by investigators, Ms. Faith reached out to Mr. Lopez to coordinate their cover stories, she admitted in plea papers.
“If asked about you, you are an old friend going through a divorce. We talk every night because I am helping/giving support with the girls,” she texted. “Just in case they pulled phone records and ask.”
“Good idea,” Mr. Lopez responded. “You are doing good.”
ATF agents arrested Mr. Lopez on murder charges in Cumberland Furnace on Jan. 11, 2021. The firearm used to kill Mr. Faith was recovered inside Mr. Lopez’s home.
On Feb. 2, 2021, shortly before she was charged, Ms. Faith contacted a third party and asked that a message be forwarded to Mr. Lopez, who at the time was in custody in Dallas.
“I am with him, will always be with him regardless of whatever has happened. I’ve needed to be cautious because every communication is being monitored,” the message read in part. “Please tell him ASAP I will always be his.”
The Office of the United States Attorney General approved Ms. Faith’s plea agreement, as is customary in cases involving death penalty eligible cases. She is slated to be sentenced on May 26.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and the Dallas Police Department’s Homicide Unit conducted the investigation with the assistance of the ATF’s Nashville Field Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Aviation Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. NDTX Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Calvert and Andrew Briggs are prosecuting the case.
Indiana PA Man Pleads to Federal Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A former resident of Indiana, PA pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
Ahmed Doumbia, 28, pleaded guilty to a lesser-included offense at Count One and to the offense at Count Two of the Indictment before Senior United States District Judge Kim R. Gibson.
In connection with the guilty plea, on or about July 5, 2018, to on or about May 5, 2020, Doumbia did conspire to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and 28 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as “crack,” as well as, conspired to commit money laundering.
Judge Gibson scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. The law provides for a minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Arnold P. Bernard Jr. is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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.
OCDETF conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. The task force is headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and is comprised of members drawn from the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Indiana Borough Police Department.
In Separate Cases, Three Maryland Men Facing Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation of Children to Produce Child Pornography and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Federal grand juries in Maryland have returned indictments against three men in unrelated cases charging them with sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography and related charges. Charged in the three indictments are Gary Rocky Jones, age 42, of Baltimore; Dennis James Harrison, age 39, of Rocky Ridge, Maryland; and Jose Alexander Diaz-Rodriguez, age 22, of Thurmont, Maryland.
The indictments were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; Chief Jason Lando of the City of Frederick Police Department; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith, III.
A superseding indictment was returned on February 2, 2022, against previously convicted sex offender Gary Rocky Jones, adding 27 counts of sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography, 15 counts of use of an interstate commerce facility, specifically, the internet, to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity—relating to 15 minor victims from around the country, and commission of a felony crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender, to his original charges of distribution and possession of child pornography. The superseding indictment alleges that between 2014 and August 2015, Jones twice produced images and videos of a minor male engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was age 14 to 15 years old during the exploitation. The superseding indictment also alleges that from September 2018 through August 2020, Jones used social media accounts to persuade, entice, and coerce another 15 minor males from several states and ranging in age from eight to 17 years old, to engage in sexually explicit conduct. During these internet-based communications, Jones allegedly caused and attempted to cause the victims to produce live and recorded visual depictions of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct, both alone and with others, and send Jones the sexually explicit images and video via the internet. Further, the superseding indictment alleges that on April 2, 2018, Jones distributed child pornography, and possessed child pornography from December 2, 2014 through January 31, 2020, and from May 29, 2017 through July 14, 2020, respectively, in affiliation with two separate email addresses and related storage accounts. Finally, the superseding indictment alleges that between 2015 and September 2020, Jones committed felony offenses involving minors while Jones was required to register as a sex offender under Maryland law.
According to Harrison’s nine-count indictment, which was returned by the Grand Jury on February 3, 2022, Harrison sexually exploited two minor girls beginning when the one victim was two years old and when another victim was 10 to 11 years old, to produce child pornography; coerced and enticed a 12-year-old victim to engage in illegal sexual conduct; possessed child pornography; and committed a felony crime involving a minor while he was a registered sex offender. From at least September 2020 through August 2021, Harrison engaged in sexual activity with Jane Doe 1, a 12-year-old girl who resided in Pennsylvania. The indictment alleges that Harrison picked-up Jane Doe 1 from her residence and drove her to various location in Maryland, including Harrison’s residence, where he engaged in illegal sexual activity with Jane Doe 1. The indictment alleges that Harrison attempted to and did use, persuade, induce, entice, and coerce Jane Doe 1 to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce visual depictions of such conduct. Harrison also allegedly used a hidden camera and a mobile phone in 2018 to produce a series of image files depicting Jane Doe 2, a 10-to-11 year old minor, nude and partially nude in a bedroom and bathroom in Pennsylvania and in a bathroom in Maryland. The images were taken without the knowledge of Jane Doe 2. The indictment alleges that on August 12, 2021, Harrison possessed child pornography on his phone, a tablet, several USB drives, and a micro SD card. Finally, the indictment alleges that Harrison committed these offenses involving a minor while he was required to register as a sex offender under Maryland law.
Finally, Jose Alexander Diaz-Rodriguez is charged in a three-count indictment, returned on February 3, 2022, with sexual exploitation of a child on July 26, 2021, by employing, using, persuading, inducing and coercing a prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct; for distributing child pornography on June 4, 2021; and for possessing visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on July 26, 2021.
If convicted, Jones and Harrison each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment for each count of coercion and enticement of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, and a mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison for commission of a felony crime involving a minor by a registered sex offender. Jones also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Diaz-Rodriguez faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child; a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography; and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Jones is in federal custody and is scheduled for trial on December 5, 2022. Harrison and Diaz-Rodriguez are in custody on state charges and will have an initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, although dates for those hearings have not been set.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
These cases were 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 and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the Jones case which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Paul A Riley. Mr. Barron also recognized the FBI, the City of Frederick Police Department, and the Frederick State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the Diaz-Rodriguez case, and HSI, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the Harrison investigation and prosecution. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, Chief Counsel with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, who are prosecuting the Diaz-Rodriguez and Harrison cases.
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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Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Crack Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man caught last year with cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, pleaded guilty today.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, Donald Duane Cole, 51, admitted that he was present when agents executed a search warrant at his residence on 9th Avenue in Huntington on July 29, 2021. Cole admitted to agents that he was in possession of crack cocaine and agents seized crack cocaine during the search. Cole admitted that he intended to sell the crack cocaine. Cole further admitted that he participated with others in a conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and fentanyl in the Huntington area between April and July 2021.
Cole pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 16, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force. The Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force consists of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling the prosecution.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
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. 3:22-cr-00007.
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Hamilton meth trafficker sentenced to more than eight years in prisonRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Hamilton man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in Missoula and Ravalli counties was sentenced today to eight years and four months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
George Thomas Walker, 44, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Walker trafficked methamphetamine in Missoula and Ravalli counties from about October 2019 until February 2021. Confidential informants told law enforcement that Walker was a prolific trafficker and that he mostly obtained his meth from Washington and brought it back to Missoula for distribution. In October 2020, law enforcement located Walker in his vehicle. In a search of the vehicle, officer found two firearms, ammunition, meth and drug paraphernalia. During a traffic stop of Walker in February 2021, law enforcement later searched his vehicle and recovered meth, heroin and other drug paraphernalia. And in March 2021 in Ravalli County, law enforcement searched the residence of an associate of Walker’s and recovered meth in property that Walker had left for safe keeping.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Missoula Police Department, Great Falls Police Department, Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Department of Correction’s Probation and Parole Division.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Fredonia Man Going to Prison for 50 Years for Producing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Dustin Post, 26, of Fredonia, NY, who was convicted of production and possession of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 50 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who handled the case, stated that the New York State Police in Fredonia began investigating Post after receiving a parental complaint involving the commission of a possible sex offense upon a minor. In the summer of 2019, Post video-recorded his sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. On November 15, 2019, investigators removed a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, and four flash drives from Post’s residence. A forensic analysis of the electronic devices recovered multiple images and videos of child pornography. During the course of the investigation, a total of nine minor females and one adult female were identified as victims of Post.
The sentencing is a result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall.
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Four Men Sentenced to Prison for Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Four men charged with federal firearms offenses in late 2020 and 2021 have been sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough.
Kai R. Estomo-Encallado, 21, of Grayson, Texas, was sentenced on February 4, 2022, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a shotgun with a barrel less than 18 inches long.
Donovan Hoover, 26, of the 600 block of Wood St. in Springfield, Illinois, was sentenced on January 31, 2022, to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Eric Allison, 26, of the 2200 block of E. Laurel St. in Springfield, was sentenced on January 24, 2022, to 18 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year-term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
Latayveon Wells, 22, of the 200 block of N. State St. in Springfield, was sentenced on October 18, 2021, to 24 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a felon.
All of the men had previously pleaded guilty to the offenses of conviction.
The statutory penalties for the offenses of conviction are up to 10 years’ imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to a three-year term of supervised release.
“Even one gun in the hands of someone who should not possess a weapon can lead to fatal consequences,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore. “The collaboration between local and federal agencies as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods is essential to reducing gun violence in our community.”
The Department of Justice’s recent renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: (1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; (2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; (3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and (4) measure results with the goal of reducing the level of violence in our communities, not increasing the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in and of themselves.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; the Springfield Police Department; and the Illinois State Police investigated the cases as a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Senor-Moore and Sarah Seberger represented the government in the prosecutions.
Former La Joya official convicted in bribery schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – The former La Joya Independent School District (LJISD) assistant superintendent of Student Services has admitted to taking $28,000 in bribes, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Jose Luis Morin, 41, Mission, pleaded guilty today and agreed to forfeit $28,000.
As part of the plea, Morin admitted to receiving approximately $28,000 as bribes beginning in 2019 for his official and favorable recommendations at LJISD. They pertained to energy savings contracts awarded to a company as well as job order contracts and facilitating the processing of pay applications related to those contracts. The LJISD school board subsequently approved the contracts Morin recommended.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the plea and set sentencing for April 19. At that time, Morin faces up to five years in federal prison.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Agriculture, Texas Department of Insurance and McAllen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Former Jacksonville School Teacher Arrested for Possessing Videos Depicting the Sexual Abuse of ChildrenRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Michael Paul Gillis (64, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing a computer disk drive containing videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. If convicted, Gillis faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Gillis was arrested at his home by FBI agents on February 2, 2022.
According to court documents and information provided in open court, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Gillis’s residence on February 2, 2022, and seized a computer hard disk drive that was inside a desktop computer belonging to Gillis. A forensic review of this disk drive revealed that it contained videos depicting prepubescent children being sexually abused.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Former Alabama Correctional Lieutenant Sentenced for Failing to Intervene in Unlawful Inmate AssaultRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that Willie M. Burks III, 41, a former Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) lieutenant, was sentenced today in federal court to 108 months’ imprisonment, with two years of supervised release to follow. Burks was convicted by a federal jury on July 21, 2021 of failing to stop an officer under his command from assaulting an inmate at ADOC’s Elmore Correctional Facility.
The evidence at trial established that on Feb. 16, 2019, former Correctional Sergeant Ulysses Oliver Jr., Burks’ subordinate, went to an observation room holding two handcuffed and unresisting inmates. Oliver, intending to punish the inmates for bringing contraband into the prison, pulled the first inmate from the observation room into an adjacent hallway, where he struck the victim multiple times with his fists and feet, and then used his collapsible baton to repeatedly strike the victim. Burks came into the hallway after Oliver had finished beating the first inmate. Burks then stood and watched as Oliver pulled the second inmate from the observation room, threw him on the floor, and beat the inmate with his feet and his collapsible baton. Despite having the duty, ability and opportunity to intervene to stop Oliver from beating the second inmate, Burks only stood by and said, “it’s fair.” Other ADOC correctional staff who reported to Burks were present for some or all of the assaults, but none intervened to stop Oliver from beating the inmates.
After the assault, Burks allowed Oliver to come back into the observation room where the victims were held. As Burks again stood by and did nothing, Oliver entered, stood over the victims, and shoved the tip of his baton into the face of one of the victims, lacerating the victim’s face.
Oliver and two other former corrections officers have pleaded guilty in connection with this incident. Oliver pleaded guilty to assaulting the two inmates on April 2, 2019. Former ADOC correctional officers Bryanna Mosley and Leon Williams pleaded guilty in May and July 2019, respectively, to failing to intervene to stop the assaults.
“Those working inside our jails and prisons have a duty to intervene in the face of unlawful and violent conduct being carried out by their colleagues,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under the Constitution, correctional officers may not physically assault inmates for violations of prison rules, and any officials who see this happening must do what they can to stop it. The Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute officers who stand by and do nothing while other officers brutalize inmates in their charge.”
“The job of a correctional officer can be difficult and hazardous,” said U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart for the Middle District of Alabama. “A vast majority of them serve with honor and are dedicated to upholding their duty to protect and serve. Unfortunately, some choose to ignore their sacred oaths and engage in criminal conduct or turn a blind eye when others do so. This office will continue to vigorously enforce our nation’s laws and hold officers who break the law accountable.”
“The unacceptable actions of Willie Burks in no way reflect the hard and tireless work of our corrections staff, who endeavor each day to provide a safe and rehabilitative environment for all incarcerated people,” said Arnaldo Mercado, the ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms Burks’ behavior and blatant violation of his sworn oath to serve. Any and all incidents such as this are thoroughly investigated and, if appropriate, referred to the proper prosecuting authority. We extend our thanks to the DOJ for their assistance in bringing forth justice in this case.”
“The mission to protect the civil rights of American citizens is a priority of the men and women of the FBI and does not end after incarceration,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryan D. Duchene of the FBI’s Mobile Division. “The actions of the corrections officers in this case will not be tolerated and we are proud to be a part of bringing them to justice.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Mobile Division and ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Counts of the Middle District of Alabama and Trial Attorneys Katherine DeVar and David Reese of the Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.
Fontana Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking Underage Girl He Met on InternetRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A San Bernardino County man who paid a teenager he met on the internet to have sex with him on two occasions was sentenced today to 136 months in federal prison.
Jason Dee Taylor, 42, of Fontana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal. Judge Bernal also ordered Taylor to pay $3,508 in restitution to the victim.
At the conclusion of a four-day trial in November 2021, a federal jury found Taylor guilty of one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Taylor contacted the victim on a public website. They exchanged messages through that website’s messenger feature and then switched to communicating via Instagram messenger.
Although she initially represented that she was 19 years old, the victim told Taylor almost immediately that she was 16, even though she was 15 years old at the time. In response, Taylor wrote her, “I’ll be honest. I like your age, it’s kinda hot.”
Twice in April 2020, Taylor drove to Santa Barbara County, picked up the victim, took her to a hotel, and paid her a total of $600 for sex.
That same month, the victim’s family friend, whose phone she used to communicate with Taylor, found the messages between Taylor and the victim. When a member of the victim’s family sent Taylor a message informing him that they were going to report him to law enforcement, Taylor deleted his Instagram account, but not before the family friend had taken screenshots of the incriminating communications.
“The minor victim was not a fully developed young woman with whom [Taylor] had sex in the heat of the moment, only to find out she was underage,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “Rather, this was a case where [Taylor] looked for, found, and exploited a teenager who was willing to sell her body for money because that is what he wanted.”
The FBI investigated this matter, with the assistance of the Guadalupe Police Department, the Santa Maria Police Department, and the Fontana Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted this case.
Florida man sentenced for filing fraudulent tax returns with the IRSRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Windsor Nycklass, of West Park, Florida, was sentenced today to 36 months of incarceration for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Nycklass, 32, pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of “Wire Fraud” and one count of “Aggravated Identity Theft.” In March and April 2015, Nycklass unlawfully obtained the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of multiple taxpayers without their knowledge and consent. Nycklass then used the taxpayers’ information to fraudulently access the IRS eAuthentication (“eAuth”) Online Taxpayer System. Nycklass then filed fraudulent tax returns using the taxpayers’ identities. The fraudulent tax returns were processed at an IRS facility location in Martinsburg.
Nycklass was ordered to pay $50,801 in restitution to the IRS.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration – Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
Florida Woman Facing Federal Indictment for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Janice Martina Mason, age 28, of Melbourne, Florida, with second degree murder. The indictment was returned on February 3, 2022.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the U.S. Park Police.
According to the indictment, on November 24, 2021, Mason killed Victim 1 on property under the jurisdiction of the United States.
If convicted, Mason faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Mason is in custody on related state charges. She is expected to have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on February 14, 2022, although that date has not yet been confirmed.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the U.S. Park Police for their work in the investigation and thanked Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess and her office for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen Nazmy and Kim Oldham, who are prosecuting the federal 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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Felon in Possession Gets Max TimeRead the Press Release
OXFORD, MS – An Arkansas man was sentenced on Tuesday to the statutory maximum 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Antonio Leshun Johnson, Age 44, of Elaine, Arkansas, was found in possession of a firearm by Hernando City police officers in May of 2018. Officers initially made contact with Johnson because his vehicle was obstructing traffic on Commerce Street. During that contact, an officer patted Johnson down for safety and found a loaded Taurus Model PT 845 .45 caliber handgun in his pants pocket. Officers subsequently found a loaded .45 caliber magazine in the driver’s door and a loaded .45 caliber magazine in the trunk. A duffel bag on the back seat of the vehicle contained an Olympic Arms Model K23P 5.56 mm pistol with added vertical foregrip, laser, rail light, and ammunition casing catcher.
Johnson had a lengthy criminal history with felony convictions dating back to the 1990’s. In 1998, Johnson was convicted in California of two counts of robbery and assault with a firearm. In 2004, he was again convicted in the Northern District of California of Armed Robbery and Felon in Possession of a Firearm and received a ten-year sentence for those offenses. More recently, in 2019, Johnson was convicted in the Western District of Tennessee for three counts of Bank Robbery, Using a Firearm in a Crime of Violence and Kidnapping. Johnson received a sentence of 432 months for those offenses.
In announcing the maximum ten-year sentence in the instant case, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock acknowledged that the sentence was intended to help promote respect for the law, deter criminal conduct, and protect the public.
“Removing violent armed criminals from our streets is a key goal of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program and a priority for this office,” remarked U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “As always, we appreciate the cooperation and assistance of our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to help meet this goal and make our communities safer.”
“The collaborative effort of federal and local law enforcement, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, has led to the lengthy sentencing of this career criminal and is another example of our commitment to fight gun violence,” said ATF New Orleans Field Division Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “ATF will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”
Federal Jury Convicts Man of Illegally Selling “Ghost Gun” in Chicago SuburbRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury has convicted a man on a firearm charge for illegally selling a “ghost gun” to a convicted felon in a Chicago suburb.
The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Thursday convicted JOSEPH GHANDOUR of illegally selling an AR-15 rifle to the felon during a meeting in a grocery store parking lot in Deerfield, Ill., on July 28, 2017. The rifle was considered a “ghost gun” because it contained no identifiable serial number and had been manufactured by another individual from parts collected from various sources. Unbeknownst to Ghandour, the felon to whom he sold the rifle was cooperating with law enforcement.
Ghandour, 31, of Glenview, Ill., was convicted of selling or disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon who could not lawfully possess a firearm. The charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2022, at 10:30 a.m.
The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albert Berry III and Chester Choi.
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence. As part of the Chicago firearms trafficking strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes.
Federal Jury Convicts Lincoln Man for Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal jury last week convicted the last defendant in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley.
The jury returned its guilty verdict against Alacaliph Woodard, 52, of Lincoln, after three days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor. Woodward was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and “crack” cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The evidence at trial showed that Woodard was present during the execution of a federal search warrant. Woodard was found to be in possession of a firearm and a distribution amount of methamphetamine, cocaine base (more commonly known as “crack cocaine”), and powdered cocaine. Agents also recovered more than $6,000 and evidence of drug distribution. Woodard conspired directly with the leader of the organization to distribute the drugs found during the search warrant.
Demetris Sims, 41, of Anniston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, “crack” cocaine, in January 2022.
Shelton Lewis Sims, 41, and Laroyal Dontarius Fomby, 34, both of Lincoln, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, “crack” cocaine. Sims pleaded guilty in July 2021. Fomby pleaded guilty in August 2021.
Brent Scott Conner, 42, of Anniston, and David Lee Clark, 39, of Lincoln, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, “crack” cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine in July 2021.
DEA investigated the case along with the Lincoln Police Department and Talladega Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Blake Milner and Jonathan Cross are prosecuting the cases.
Federal Indictment Charges Telecommunications Company with Conspiring with Former Motorola Solutions Employees to Steal TechnologyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A telecommunications company conspired with former employees of Chicago-based Motorola Solutions Inc. to steal digital mobile radio technology developed by Motorola, according to an indictment unsealed today in federal court in Chicago.
According to the indictment, Motorola Solutions developed the DMR technology through years of research and design. Motorola Solutions marketed and sold the radios, which are sometimes referred to as “walkie-talkies,” in the United States and elsewhere. The indictment alleges that China-based HYTERA COMMUNICATIONS CORP. LTD. recruited and hired Motorola Solutions employees and directed them to take proprietary and trade secret information from Motorola without authorization. The charges allege that while still employed at Motorola, some of the employees allegedly accessed the trade secret information from Motorola’s internal database and sent multiple emails describing their intentions to use the technology at Hytera.
From 2007 to 2020, Hytera and the recruited employees used Motorola’s proprietary and trade secret information to accelerate the development of Hytera’s DMR products, train Hytera employees, and market and sell Hytera’s DMR products throughout the world, the indictment states. According to the indictment, Hytera paid the recruited employees higher salaries and benefits than what they received at Motorola.
The 21-count indictment was partially unsealed today by court order in U.S. District Court in Chicago. It charges Hytera with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets. Hytera and others are also charged with individual counts of possession or attempted possession of stolen trade secrets. The names of other defendants who have not appeared in U.S. District Court are redacted.
The indictment was announced by John C. Kocoras, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells, Steven Dollear, and Vikas Didwania.
Hytera’s arraignment in federal court in Chicago has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, the company faces a potential criminal fine of three times the value of the stolen trade secret to the company, including expenses for research, design, and other costs that it allegedly avoided.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Federal Indictment Charges PRC-Based Telecommunications Company with Conspiring with Former Motorola Solutions Employees to Steal TechnologyRead the Press Release
A federal indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District of Illinois, charging a telecommunications company with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets. The indictment alleges that a telecommunications company conspired with former employees of Chicago-based Motorola Solutions Inc. to steal digital mobile radio (DMR) technology developed by Motorola.
According to court documents, Motorola Solutions developed the DMR technology through years of research and design. Motorola Solutions marketed and sold the radios, which are sometimes referred to as “walkie-talkies,” in the United States and elsewhere. The indictment alleges that PRC-based Hytera Communications Corp. LTD recruited and hired Motorola Solutions employees and directed them to take proprietary and trade secret information from Motorola without authorization. The charges allege that, while still employed at Motorola, some of the employees allegedly accessed the trade secret information from Motorola’s internal database and sent multiple emails describing their intentions to use the technology at Hytera.
As alleged, from 2007 to 2020, Hytera and the recruited employees used Motorola’s proprietary and trade secret information to accelerate the development of Hytera’s DMR products, train Hytera employees, and market and sell Hytera’s DMR products throughout the world, the indictment states. According to the indictment, Hytera paid the recruited employees higher salaries and benefits than what they received at Motorola.
The 21-count indictment was partially unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago by court order. It charges Hytera with conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets. Hytera and others are also charged with individual counts of possession or attempted possession of stolen trade secrets. The names of other defendants who have not appeared in U.S. District Court are redacted.
If convicted, Hytera faces a potential criminal fine of three times the value of the stolen trade secret to the company, including expenses for research, design, and other costs that it avoided. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, First U.S. Attorney John C. Kocoras for the Northern District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Wells, Steven Dollear and Vikas Didwania for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Nic Hunter of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Denham Springs Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Brittany Monroe Knapp, age 35, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, to 46 months in federal prison following her conviction for wire fraud. The Court further sentenced Knapp to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment and ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $869,940.
According to admissions made as part of her guilty plea, on or about November 14, 2019, Knapp submitted an expense report from a computer located in Baton Rouge to the Oceans Healthcare corporate office in Plano, Texas, in which she falsely represented that Employee A had authorized the purchase of certain equipment from a vendor, at a cost of approximately $1,338.00, to conceal the fact that she had actually charged $1,338.00 in Oceans Healthcare funds to an online PayPal account that she controlled.
Also according to Knapp’s admissions, on or about December 15, 2019, from a computer located in Baton Rouge, Knapp submitted an expense report to the Oceans Healthcare corporate office in Plano, Texas, in which she falsely represented that Employee A had authorized the purchase of certain products from the vendor for approximately $1,919.62, to conceal the fact that she had actually charged $1,919.62 in Oceans Healthcare funds to an online PayPal account that she controlled.
Throughout the course of the fraudulent scheme, Knapp, without authority, embezzled over $750,000 of Oceans Healthcare funds to which she was not entitled.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner.
Convicted Felon Sentenced to over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
EL DORADO – A Hamburg man was sentenced today to 92 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court documents, during an investigation on December 9, 2019, the Ashley County Sheriff’s Department and the Arkansas State Parole Office conducted a search of the residence belonging to Richard Patrick Stanley, 35. The Search resulted in officers locating and seizing two firearms and narcotics from the residence.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Ashley County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Arkansas State Parole Office and the ATF, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Conspiring San Jose Fraudsters Sentenced to Prison in Automobile Resale SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Seymur Khalilov, Ramil Heydarov, and Orkhan Aliyev all were sentenced today to 24 months, 20 months, and 20 months in custody, respectively, for their roles in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The sentences were handed down by the Hon. Susan Illston, United States District Judge.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge in October 2021. According to the plea agreements, between 2016 and May 2021, Khalilov, 32; Heydarov, 31; and Aliyev, 32, all of San Jose, conspired to purchase high-mileage vehicles, roll back the odometers, and falsify documentation to make the vehicles appear newer. The co-conspirators then allegedly sold the vehicles on Craigslist at significant profits. The defendants admitted they fraudulently sold at least 78 vehicles in this way for a total of at least $550,000.
Judge Illston sentenced the defendants as follows:
Defendant
Prison Term
Restitution/Forfeiture
Supervised Release
Khalilov
24 months
To Be Determined
3 years
Heydarov
20 months
$379,325 forfeiture
3 years
Aliyev
20 months
$196,578 forfeiture
3 years
Judge Illston has not yet scheduled a date for a hearing to determine Khalilov’s restitution. In addition, Judge Illston ordered that victims of the scheme have one year from the date of judgment to come forward to seek restitution; any forfeited monies remaining after that period will be forfeited to the United States.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, from at least October 2017 through December 2020, Khalilov, Heydarov, and Aliyev conspired to purchase high-mileage vehicles, roll back the odometers, and falsify documentation to make the vehicles appear newer. Specifically, the co-conspirators altered the odometers of numerous vehicles and altered registrations and titles, among other items, to fraudulently decrease the mileage readings of the vehicles and, thus, increase their sales value.
The government’s sentencing memorandum provides additional details of the scheme. For example, the memorandum provides an example of how Khalilov altered an odometer on a vehicle so that the mileage was reduced from 35,000 to 35 miles. The co-conspirators also admitted they posted advertisements of the vehicles on Craigslist to advertise the vehicles to victims who were not aware of the fraudulent alterations. Additionally, the defendants admitted using doctored driver’s licenses containing their photograph but the names of prior vehicle owners to facilitate the sale of these vehicles. Evidence in the case demonstrated Aliyev possessed multiple driver’s licenses with the same photograph but different people’s names. The co-conspirators each acknowledged that the goal of the conspiracy was to sell vehicles to victims for an increased price based on the fraudulent odometer readings. According to the plea agreements, the co-conspirators sold at least 78 vehicles with rolled back odometer readings, resulting in a total loss to the victims of between $550,000 and $1 million.
All three defendants were charged in a single criminal complaint filed on May 3, 2021, and each was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349.
They each pleaded guilty to the charge.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. When purchasing a vehicle, Homeland Security Investigations recommends that people protect themselves by taking the following steps:
• Purchase your own vehicle-history report prior to purchasing a car and compare the mileage on the report to the advertised mileage.
• Check the seller’s physical identification card or driver license and ensure it matches the information on the vehicle’s pink slip.
• Avoid using cash, when possible. Cashier’s checks and other payment methods might be safer and easier to track.
• Conduct transactions at public places where there are cameras and other people around.
• If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (800) 424-9393 or (202) 366-4761.Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ankur Shingal, Leif Dautch, and Christopher Kaltsas are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk and Soana Katoa. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the California Department of Motor Vehicles Investigations Division in Vallejo, the San Ramon Police Department, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigations.
Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Cyberstalking Federal Probation OfficerRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for cyberstalking his federal probation officer.
ISAAC MYLES partially exposed his genitals to an officer from the U.S. Probation Office during an official visit to Myles’s home in September 2018. Myles at the time was on court-supervised release after recently completing a federal prison sentence. After the incident in his home, Myles repeatedly called the officer, leaving sexually explicit voicemails on her phone and referring to the officer in obscene and degrading terms.
Myles, 52, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of cyberstalking. U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman on Wednesday sentenced Myles to four years and four months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of court-supervised release.
The charge was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; David Gelement, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Jodrey.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Dana Stevenson, 30, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with a shooting that occurred in Charleston. In connection with a separate incident, Stevenson also pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl in South Charleston.
According to statements made in court, Stevenson illegally possessed 9mm caliber ammunition on July 5, 2021. The ammunition was recovered at the scene of a shooting that occurred in broad daylight at Central and Glenwood Avenues on Charleston’s West Side. Stevenson is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to his 2018 federal convictions in the Southern District of West Virginia for the felony offenses of distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Approximately five weeks later on August 12, 2021, members of the South Charleston Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Stevenson and Stevenson fled at a high rate of speed. Stevenson was eventually apprehended and officers recovered approximately 38 grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia from the vehicle. The quantity of fentanyl and presence of certain paraphernalia established that Stevenson intended to distribute the drug.
Stevenson pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on May 2, 2022.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the South Charleston Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Stephanie S. Taylor are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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-00161.
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Camden Man Sentenced to 92 Months in Prison for Robbing BanksRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden man was sentenced today to 92 months in prison for his role in a bank robbery spree in July 2018, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Laque Hunter, 37, of Camden, previously pleaded guilty to Count Three of an indictment charging him with bank robbery. Judge Renée Marie Bumb imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
On July 24, 2018, Anthony L. Livingston, 50, of Camden, recruited Hunter to rob the Collingswood Ocean First bank on his behalf, and drove Hunter to the bank. Hunter robbed the bank with a demand note. Livingston served as the getaway driver, and the two split the proceeds. Livingston was convicted at trial in May 2019 of two counts of bank robbery and was sentenced in November 2021 to 200 months in prison.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Bumb sentenced Hunter to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI-Cherry Hill, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia; the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay; the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Gilbert “Whip” Wilson; the Collingswood Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kevin J. Carey; the Gloucester Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief W. Harry Earle; and the Stratford Police Department, under the direction of Chief Ronald M. Morello, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen M. Harberg and Patrick C. Askin of the Camden Office.