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Friday 10 December 2021
Two Men Admit Roles in Drug Trafficking OrganizationRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Newark men have admitted their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy based in Newark, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Rahim Jackson pleaded guilty by videoconference today before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin. Arthur Hardy pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2021, before Judge Martinotti in Newark federal court, to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of heroin.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The G-Shine set of the Bloods street gang operate at the Broadway Townhomes in Newark, in a residential neighborhood a short distance from two elementary schools and a high school. The organization’s leaders obtained their supply of narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl, from Jackson and Hardy, who delivered the narcotics either personally or through drug runners. The investigation revealed that, on numerous occasions, large narcotics deliveries took place in or around the Rotunda Recreation and Wellness Center on Clifton Avenue, where Jackson was employed and where Hardy was the director. These individuals also used the Rotunda Recreation and Wellness Center to stash narcotics and narcotics proceeds.
The count to which Jackson pleaded guilty is punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. The counts to which Hardy pleaded guilty are punishable by a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison. Jackson’s sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2022, and Hardy’s sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; members of the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Director Brian O’Hara; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to the guilty pleas.
She also thanked the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, the Rockaway Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Martin McParland, and special agents from the ATF, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews in Newark.
The Broadway Townhomes investigation was part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s OCDETF Unit in Newark and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Suchorsky of the Economic Crimes Unit.
Two Armed Robbers Sentenced to a Total of 40 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Corey Ray, 37, and Rodriguez Jones, 27, have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in federal prison for using a firearm during a crime of violence and interference with commerce by robbery. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, the victim posted a firearm for sale on Armslist.com and began corresponding with Corey Ray. The victim, along with his roommate, and Ray agreed to conduct the sale at Jesse Turner Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
On June 12, 2019, the victim met Ray in the parking lot of the park. After agreeing to purchase the firearm for $620, Ray then walked into the park to retrieve some cash for the transaction and did not return for several minutes. The victim eventually called Ray to ask if he was planning to return to purchase the firearm. A short time later, Ray returned with Rodriguez Jones and a second suspect. The two new subjects were armed with handguns and approached the victim’s vehicle. The victim was forced at gun point to the trunk to remove the pistol box and the two magazines. The victim's roommate then exited the vehicle and fired his own personal firearm. During the shootout, one of the robbers was killed. The victim’s roommate was shot in the left leg.
The victim and other witnesses identified the defendants as the armed suspects responsible for the robbery. Both Jones and Ray admitted to their participation in the robbery. The defendants later pled guilty.
On November 30, 2021, U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Ray to 240 months imprisonment to be followed by three years supervised release. Jones was sentenced on December 3, 2021, to 240 months in federal prison to be followed by three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Memphis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Rogers and Marques Young prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Trader Indicted for Commodities Insider Trading SchemeRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Houston returned an indictment on Dec. 7 charging a natural gas trader for an insider trading scheme involving natural gas futures.
According to court documents, Peter Miller, 41, of Puerto Rico, worked as a natural gas trader for his own company, Omerta Capital LLC. Miller conspired with others to misappropriate material, nonpublic information and to engage in fraudulent, noncompetitive trades, including prearranged trades, in natural gas futures contracts for their own personal gain. Miller and his co-conspirators caused prices to be reported, recorded, and registered on designated commodities markets that were not true, bona fide prices. The profits from these fraudulent trades were split among Miller and his co-conspirators.
In four related cases, Marcus Schultz, 41, of Houston, Texas; John Ed James, 51, of Katy, Texas; Mathew Webb, 51, of Tiki Island, Texas; and Lee Tippett, 62, of Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty on July 20, 2020, Feb. 1, 2021, June 15, 2021, and Aug. 17, 2021, respectively. Schultz pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate various provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act. James pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and wire fraud. Webb pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and wire fraud and to violate various provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act. Tippett pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and honest services wire fraud.
Miller is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and four counts of commodities fraud. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance on Dec. 16 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. If convicted, he faces a maximum total penalty of 25 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U. S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery for the Southern District of Texas; Acting Assistant Director Jay Greenberg of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Richard A. Collodi of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Richard Gross of the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI’s Houston Field Office and IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Leslie S. Garthwaite and Della Sentilles of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Deputy Chief Suzanne Elmilady and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahra Fenelon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Toledo Man Charged with Submitting Fraudulent Claims for Tax RefundRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal grand jury has returned a two-count indictment charging Lance Harris, 42, of Toledo, Ohio, with two counts of filing false and fictitious claims for a tax refund.
According to the indictment, in January and February of 2020, the defendant submitted fraudulent claims for a tax refund to the IRS in the amount of approximately $1.1 million for tax years 2019 and 2018.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jody L. King.
Three-Time Convicted Felon Convicted Again After Trial of Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Ricardo Torres, 37, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted today at trial of illegally possessing a firearm when he knew was prohibited from doing so because he had been previously convicted of a felony.
In September 2019, the defendant was Indicted for being a felon in possession of a firearm, charges which stemmed from a traffic stop conducted by Philadelphia Police officers in April of that year. The incident unfolded when Torres was driving in the area of C Street and Allegheny Avenue in the Kensington neighborhood. Philadelphia Police officers on routine patrol observed that one of his vehicle’s brake lights was not working, so the officers conducted a traffic stop. When the defendant leaned forward to retrieve his vehicle documents, one of the officers twice observed a bulge in Torres’ waistband, underneath his sweatshirt. One officer then asked Torres to step out of his car and began patting him down, immediately locating a loaded semiautomatic pistol inside Torres’ waistband. The defendant had been convicted on three prior occasions of felony narcotics charges and was therefore barred from legally possessing a firearm.
“The crime of being a felon in possession of a firearm is a serious offense, particularly in Philadelphia where gun violence has reached record-breaking proportions,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As the evidence presented at trial showed, Ricardo Torres illegally possessed a firearm which was recovered by Philadelphia Police officers. Our Office is determined to continue doing everything we can to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia by being ‘All Hands On Deck’ to get criminals like this defendant off the streets for a long time.”
“This investigation demonstrates our dedicated partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and the US Attorney’s Office,” said Matthew Varisco, Special Agent in charge of ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “We will remain committed to investigating and preventing convicted felons, like Torres, from possessing firearms and threatening the safety of our communities.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr.
Three Individuals Charged with Stealing Unemployment BenefitsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man and woman and a New York man were arrested today and charged for their alleged roles in a fraud committed in connection with unemployment insurance benefits, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Christopher Valerio, 31, of Woodbridge, New Jersey, Yanira Abreu, 40, of Keasbey, New Jersey, and Jose Tavares, 34, of New York, New York, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. All three defendants are scheduled to appear by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate District Judge Michael A. Hammer.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides unemployment benefits for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment, such as self-employed workers or independent contractors. The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance that provided an additional weekly benefit to those eligible for PUA and regular unemployment benefits.
From July 2020 through February 2021, the defendants and others fraudulently applied for unemployment insurance benefits from the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) by unlawfully utilizing the personal identifying information of at least a dozen victims, including the victims’ names, and Social Security numbers. Fictitious user profiles that the defendants created included mailing addresses that ostensibly belonged to the victims, but in fact were controlled by the defendants and others. Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, a financial institution transferred the benefit funds to debit cards in the names associated with the fictitious user profiles and sent the debit cards to the addresses associated with the defendants. The defendants withdrew funds using the cards at various ATM locations throughout New Jersey and New York.
The wire fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross profits or twice the gross loss suffered by the victims of his offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olajide A. Araromi and Fatime Cano of the Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three Individuals Associated with Connecticut Energy Cooperative Convicted of Misusing FundsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Leonard C Boyle, Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI’s New Haven Division, and Special Agent in Charge Joleen D. Simpson of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England announced that a federal jury in New Haven today found DREW RANKIN, 60, the former chief executive officer of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Corporation (“CMEEC”); JAMES SULLIVAN, 55, former chairperson of the CMEEC Board of Directors, and JOHN BILDA, 57, former City of Norwich representative on the CMEEC Board of Directors, guilty of an offense related to the theft of federal funds.
CMEEC is a cooperative public corporation that permits municipal electric utilities in Connecticut to join together to furnish electric power in the municipalities’ areas of operation. CMEEC’s members included the City of Norwich, the City of Groton, the Borough of Jewett City, the Second Taxing District of the City of Norwalk, the Third Taxing District of the City of Norwalk, and the Town of Bozrah. As the owners of CMEEC, each member town executed an agreement through its respective municipal electric utility outlining the terms and conditions under which the CMEEC members participated together in CMEEC. The CMEEC membership agreement provides that excess revenues are designated as “CMEEC Margin,” and that the excess revenues are to be returned to the member towns to help keep electricity costs stable for ratepayers.
Between 2010 and 2015, CMEEC received more than $9 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy. CMEEC member towns also received funds from federal grants.
According to the evidence and testimony presented during the trial, Rankin, Sullivan, Bilda and others planned, organized and directed lavish trips outside of Connecticut, including trips to the Kentucky Derby in 2015 and 2016, and to a luxury golf resort in West Virginia in 2015. These trips did not relate to CMEEC business or CMEEC Member business, but were intended to personally benefit, compensate and reward the defendants, their family members, friends and associates. Costs for the trips, which totaled more than $800,000, included travel expenses, private chartered airfare, first-class hotel accommodations, meals, tickets to sporting events, golf fees, souvenirs and gifts.
In response to reporter inquiries about the Kentucky Derby and golf trips, Rankin underreported the costs of the trips, omitted the names of attendees who were not CMEEC employees or board members, and made other false statements related to how the trips were funded. After the trips were known to the general public, CMEEC canceled a reservation it had made for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, and was refunded only approximately $90,000 of the $298,960 it had prepaid for the trip in May 2016.
On November 6, 2018, a grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda, as well as Edward DeMuzzio, a City of Groton representative and the secretary of the CMEEC Board of Directors, and Edward Pryor, the former chief financial officer of CMEEC, with one count of conspiracy and three counts of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. The jury found Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda guilty of one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, and not guilty of conspiracy and a second count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. DeMuzzio and Pryor were found not guilty on each of the three counts. One count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds was dismissed during the trial.
At sentencing, Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda face a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah P. Karwan, Michael S. McGarry and Tara E. Levens.
Sex Offender Sentenced to More than Five Years in Prison for Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
A convicted sex offender was sentenced December 9, 2021, to more than 5 years in federal prison. Duane Levering, age 36, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 15, 2021, guilty plea to failure to register as a sex offender.
Levering was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in 2005. Levering knew he was required to register and update his residence information as a sex offender. Later, however, he was caught living in the attic of a home in Ft. Dodge from Spring 2020 to the time of his arrest on December 9, 2020, without registering. Levering has an extensive criminal history, including two prior federal convictions for failure to register as a sex offender, serious assault, aggravated assault, and multiple convictions for disorderly conduct, public intoxication, eluding police, failure to obey police, and theft.
Levering was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Levering was sentenced to 65 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Levering is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and investigated by the United States Marshal Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-3011.
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Sex Offender Arrested on Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A registered sex offender was arrested yesterday in connection with allegedly receiving and possessing child pornography via multiple groups on a messaging app.
Angel Figueroa, 49, of Fall River, was charged with receipt and possession of child pornography. Following an initial appearance yesterday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley, Figueroa was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Dec. 14, 2021,
According to the charging documents, Figueroa, a registered sex offender, was identified as an active member in at least four groups on a messaging app where child pornography was being disseminated. A preliminary forensic examination of Figueroa’s cell phone during a search of his residence yesterday revealed numerous images and videos of child pornography with minors as young as approximately six-years-old. During the search, Figueroa allegedly admitted that he viewed child pornography of female minors as young as approximately six-years-old via apps on his cell phone.
The charge of receipt of child pornography provides a sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Fall River Acting Chief of Police Paul Gauvin made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane, of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Saratoga County Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Distributing and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Cameron Hennelly, age 31, of Halfmoon, New York, was sentenced yesterday to serve 108 months (9 years) in prison for distributing and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his previous guilty plea, Hennelly admitted that, while using a social media messaging application, he sent a video depicting the sexual abuse of a child, whom he believed to be 11 years old, to another individual over the internet. A subsequent search of Hennelly’s phone revealed that he was in possession of multiple videos of child pornography, some of which featured toddlers.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, which will start after Hennelly is released from prison. Hennelly will also be required to continue to register as a sex offender.
Hennelly’s case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Williams as a part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Riverton Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that ANNIN DAMIAN SOLDIERWOLF, 52, from Riverton, Wyoming was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment, 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $500 and a $100 special assessment for abusive sexual contact. The sentencing hearing was held before Chief United States District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl on December 7, 2021.
Soldierwolf was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 22, 2022, on a single count of abusive sexual contact. The charges were based on Soldierwolf knowingly engaging in sexual contact with a minor who had not attained the age of 12 years; that is, he intentionally touched the minor’s breasts, buttocks and genitals, through the clothing, of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, and buttocks, with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, and degrade the minor, to arouse and gratify his own sexual desire. Soldierwolf abused the minor repeatedly over the course of five years.
On September 15, 2021, the Defendant appeared before Chief United States District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl and entered his plea of guilty to the sole count in the indictment alleging Abusive Sexual Contact.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case.
Case number: 0:21-cr-00880-SWS
Riverton Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual ContactRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that ANNIN DAMIAN SOLDIERWOLF, 52, from Riverton, Wyoming was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment, 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $500 and a $100 special assessment for abusive sexual contact. The sentencing hearing was held before Chief United States District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl on December 7, 2021.
Soldierwolf was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 22, 2022, on a single count of abusive sexual contact. The charges were based on Soldierwolf knowingly engaging in sexual contact with a minor who had not attained the age of 12 years; that is, he intentionally touched the minor’s breasts, buttocks and genitals, through the clothing, of the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, and buttocks, with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, and degrade the minor, to arouse and gratify his own sexual desire. Soldierwolf abused the minor repeatedly over the course of five years.
On September 15, 2021, the Defendant appeared before Chief United States District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl and entered his plea of guilty to the sole count in the indictment alleging Abusive Sexual Contact.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case.
Case number: 0:21-cr-00880-SWS
Quincy Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Quincy, Illinois, man, James Payne, 76, of the 600 block of College Avenue was sentenced on December 3, 2021, to a ten-year prison term for possession of child pornography.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough found that Payne’s prior criminal conviction for predatory criminal sexual abuse meant that he qualified for an enhanced sentence. The judge further found that Payne possessed over 1,000 images of child pornography, including images of children under the age of twelve and images depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct involving an infant or toddler.
Payne had previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on May 28, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins pursuant to a written agreement.
The statutory penalty for possession of child pornography is generally up to ten years’ imprisonment; however, where, as here, an individual has a prior conviction involving sexual abuse the penalty is not less than ten years’ imprisonment and not more than twenty.
"Child pornography is not a victimless crime, can be predictive of other hands-on offenses, and continues to plague our society," said acting U.S. Attorney Douglas J. Quivey. "We appreciate the hard work of the Quincy Police Department and our other law enforcement partners who work diligently every day to locate, investigate, and apprehend the people who perpetuate the child-pornography industry."
The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the Quincy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.
The case against Payne was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Prison Consultant Sentenced to 6 Years for Defrauding BOP Substance Abuse Treatment ProgramRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TONY TUAN PHAM, also known as “Anh Nguyen,” 52, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for coaching federal inmates and prospective inmates, who would not otherwise require substance abuse treatment, how to lie to gain admission into a Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) program that, if completed successfully, would result in a shortened prison term.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Residential Drug Abuse Program (“RDAP”) is a 500-hour substance abuse treatment program that is administered by the BOP. In order to gain admission to the RDAP, a federal inmate must meet certain criteria, including having a diagnosable and verifiable drug or alcohol abuse disorder. By successfully completing the RDAP, an inmate can qualify for up to 12 months in early release from custody.
Pham was a “Managing Partner” of Michigan-based RDAP Law Consultants, LLC. Pham, and others he supervised at RDAP Law Consultants, contacted federal criminal defendants and inmates through unsolicited emails and telephone calls with offers to assist, for a fee, those individuals in applying to, and qualifying for, the RDAP. Although Pham knew that many of the company’s clients did not abuse alcohol or drugs and were ineligible for the RDAP, he coached them how to feign or exaggerate a drug or alcohol disorder, and to make false statements to the BOP so they could gain admission to the RDAP.
Between September 2012 and January 2019, RDAP Law Consultants earned at least $2,628,137 in client fees through this scheme.
Pham had recently been released from federal prison and was living in a residential reentry center (“halfway house”) when the scheme began.
Pham was arrested on January 23, 2019. On December 4, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud.
Pham, who is released on a $100,000 bond, is required to report to prison on January 14, 2022.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis and Trial Attorney Avi Perry of the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of West Virginia and the Western District of Michigan for their assistance in this matter.
Presque Isle Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Michael Deveau, 36, to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. Deveau pleaded guilty in January 2021.
According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states that originated from suppliers in Mexico. Conspirators distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. On one occasion, Deveau and other conspirators traveled to Georgia to obtain methamphetamine intended for distribution in Maine.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Owner of Local Compounding Pharmacies Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Evasion and Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Southern California man who owned and operated two local compounding pharmacies was sentenced to federal prison today for evading the payment of approximately $5.5 million in personal income taxes and submitting false reimbursement claims to CVS Caremark, a national pharmacy benefit manager.
Matthew Hogan Peters, 38, was sentenced to three years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. Peters was also ordered to pay more than $3,441,263 million in restitution to the IRS, in addition to back taxes Peters has already paid.
“Far too often, Matthew Peters bent and skirted the law to pad his pockets and fund a lavish lifestyle. Peters’ crimes, and the illicit actions of others like him, only serve to increase the cost of healthcare and prescription medications for ordinary Americans,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “Healthcare fraud and tax evasion are serious federal crimes and will continue being handled as such by our office.”
“Health care fraud costs insurers and taxpayers tens of billions of dollars a year. Not only do government-funded programs—such as Medicare and Medicaid—take huge hits, but people in our community end up paying higher premiums for coverage. While neighbors and family members struggle to afford prescriptions and basic coverage, people like Mr. Peters are buying exotic homes and funding a lavish lifestyle,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon.
“Instead of providing honest pharmaceutical services, Mr. Peters instead focused his energies on a scheme designed to benefit only himself at the expense of the most vulnerable people in our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Bret Kressin, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Seattle Field Office. “Our country’s tax and health care systems are both essential to the well-being of all Americans, and IRS-CI is committed to protecting the integrity of these vital services.”
According to court documents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the Oregon Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Unit, and other agencies pursued a multi-year investigation into alleged illegal kickback arrangements at compounding pharmacies owned by Peters and members of his family in several states. Two such pharmacies, Professional Center Pharmacy and Professional Center 205 Pharmacy, were located in Southeast Portland.
The investigation ultimately revealed that Peters had devised various indirect means of incentivizing healthcare providers to write prescriptions for compounded drugs—custom-mixed medications that generate outsized reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare-benefit programs—and to direct those prescriptions to his pharmacies for dispensing. These arrangements proved enormously profitable for Peters’ pharmacies.
Peters’s healthcare fraud conviction stemmed from his requests for reimbursements from CVS Caremark, a major pharmacy benefits manger based in Arizona. Peters sought reimbursements of approximately $3.4 million for medication his pharmacies had purportedly dispensed. In mid-2015, CVS Caremark audited Peters’s reimbursement claims and identified nearly a quarter-million dollars in potentially unwarranted reimbursements. Dozens of the discrepant claims lacked records proving customers’ receipt of medications.
In October 2015, seeking to resolve these discrepancies and avoid possible suspension from CVS Caremark’s network, Peters submitted to CVS Caremark 41 forged patient attestations, purportedly confirming individual patients’ receipt of prescriptions. CVS Caremark auditors saw that the patient attestations all bore the same unique digital code and, after further investigation, suspended Peters’ pharmacies from their network. A subsequent federal investigation confirmed that Peters had used Docu-Sign, an electronic signature application, from his personal computer to sign the attestations.
Peters greatly expanded his criminal liability by attempting to hide his pharmacy profits from the IRS. The IRS’s financial investigation into Peters revealed that he had generated nearly $14 million in gross income between 2014 and 2017. Peters developed several schemes to try and conceal his income and fraudulently decrease his federal income tax liability. Most of these schemes involved spending pharmacy profits on personal expenses and telling his accountant (and the IRS) that they were legitimate business expenses.
Peters’s purported business expenses included $3.3 million for property and construction in Belize; more than $5 million for personal residences in Laguna Beach and San Carlos, California and Incline Village, Nevada; and millions in cash transfers to straw entities and trust accounts in the names of others for Peters’ personal use. All told, between 2014 and 2017, Peters underreported his income tax liability by more than $5.4 million.
On December 19, 2019, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count indictment charging Peters with healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft. Later, on July 20, 2020, he was charged by superseding criminal information with healthcare fraud and tax evasion.
On August 4, 2020, Peters waived indictment and pleaded guilty to health care fraud and tax evasion.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Offices of Inspectors General for the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Bounds and Seth D. Uram and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ballard Colgrove, for the District of Oregon.
Orange County Man Pleads Guilty to Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – James Taylor, age 33, of Orange County, New York, pled guilty yesterday to possessing and intending to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Keith Kruskall, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.
As part of his guilty plea, Taylor admitted that on March 2, 2020, he and his co-defendant possessed with the intent to distribute approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
Taylor faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life, when Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby sentences him on April 28, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashlyn Miranda.
Operation Shutdown Corner Update: Last of 17 Defendants Sentenced to More than 16 Years in Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
BECKLEY, W.Va. – The last of 17 defendants was sentenced for his participation in an extensive drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating between California and the Southern District of West Virginia. Oyontikeyta V. Jones, 43, of Beckley, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine and 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
According to court documents, between Junes 2018 and September 17, 2019, Jones worked with other members of a DTO to facilitate the distribution of methamphetamine in Raleigh County. During this time period, Jones had methamphetamine shipped from California to the Southern District of West Virginia. This was accomplished by having packages delivered to other members of the DTO. Jones or others would then give directions on where the drugs should be delivered. On August 9, 2019, a package from California was delivered to a residence in Bluefield. Jones directed the recipient of that package to bring the package to Raleigh County, and meet him at a specified location. After Jones was picked up by the other member, a traffic stop was made in Beckley on the car in which Jones was a passenger. When the law enforcement officer approached the car, Jones fled on foot but was later apprehended at a nearby business. During a search of the car, officers found the package that had just been shipped from California. The package contained approximately two pounds of methamphetamine. On August 6, 2019, officers with the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department approached Jones while he was stopped on the side of the road. Officers found a Glock, model 26, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Earlier that same day, Jones was observed on video surveillance possessing that same firearm. Jones knew that he was prohibited from possessing any firearm due to being convicted of a felony offense in California.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the cooperative investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office, the Beckley Police Department, and the West Virginia State Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess handled the prosecution. United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence.
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. 5:19-cr-00227.
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Office on Violence Against Women Announces Awards to 11 Indian Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal JurisdictionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced awards to 11 Indian Tribal governments to support them in exercising special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ). The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013) recognized the authority of tribes to exercise SDVCJ over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit crimes of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian country.
“We heard from tribal leaders that they need access to funds to support the day-to-day costs of SDVCJ, and I’m pleased to announce OVW is issuing eleven awards to implementing tribes to defray these costs,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Allison Randall. “OVW is dedicated to working with tribes to address challenges in protecting victims and responding to offenders in their communities, as well as supporting tribal sovereignty."
The recipients of the one-year awards under OVW’s Tribal Jurisdiction Program are: Chickasaw Nation ($250,000), Oklahoma; Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina; Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, Montana; Muscogee (Creek) Nation ($250,000), Oklahoma; Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Michigan; Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona; Port Gamble S’klallam Tribe, Washington; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Seminole Nation ($249,352) of Oklahoma; the Cherokee Nation ($250,000) of Oklahoma; and the Tulalip Tribes of Washington.
“Domestic violence is a scourge which impacts all segments of the Eastern District of Oklahoma, including our Tribal Nations,” said Acting United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “This grant funding will aid Cherokee, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole and Tribal prosecutors in the Eastern District to address the issue of domestic violence within their reservations.”
OVW’s Tribal Jurisdiction Program was authorized under VAWA 2013 and supports tribes with jurisdiction over Indian country in exercising SDVCJ. Tribal Jurisdiction Program funds may be used to strengthen tribal criminal justice systems, provide indigent criminal defense, conduct jury trials and provide services and applicable rights to crime victims. Costs could include, but are not necessarily limited to, incarceration costs (including medical care) for non-Indian SDVCJ defendants, trial costs for SDVCJ cases, defense counsel costs, costs associated with empaneling a jury for an SDVCJ trial, batterer’s intervention or other pre- or post-conviction supervision or programming costs and related training and technical assistance.
About the Office on Violence Against Women
The Office on Violence Against Women provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing federal grant programs, OVW undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. Learn more at www.justice.gov/ovw.
Nikolas P. Kerest sworn in as U.S. AttorneyRead the Press Release
Nikolas P. Kerest has taken the oath of office to become the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont. Mr. Kerest was nominated by President Joseph Biden on September 28, 2021 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 7, 2021. This afternoon, he took the oath of office from Chief United States District Court Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford.
“I am honored to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont. This office is home to a team of incredibly dedicated and effective public servants. It has a long history of outstanding work, integrity, and service to the Vermont community. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement and community partners to pursue equal justice under the law and to protect and serve the people of Vermont. I am excited to get started,” stated United States Attorney Kerest.
As United States Attorney, Mr. Kerest is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the District of Vermont. He oversees a staff of 51 employees, including 24 attorneys and 27 non-attorney support personnel. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to terrorism, public corruption, exploitation of children and older adults, firearms, narcotics, immigration, and civil rights. In civil cases, the office also represents the United States and its agencies in affirmative fraud cases, defends the United States in civil cases, and collects debts owed to the United States.
Mr. Kerest has served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Vermont since 2010. He began serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the office, representing federal agencies in defensive and affirmative litigation in federal court in Vermont. From 2014-2019, he served as Civil Division Chief, continuing to represent federal agencies in addition to leading the division as part of the U.S. Attorney Office’s management team. In 2019, he joined the criminal division, prosecuting a variety of criminal cases, including drug trafficking offenses, violent crime, and immigration fraud.
Mr. Kerest clerked for the Honorable Fred I. Parker, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Burlington, VT from 2000 to 2001. He also worked for Ropes and Gray LLP in Boston, MA from 2001 to 2004. From 2004 to 2010, he worked as a litigator for Pierce Atwood LLP in Portland, ME.
Mr. Kerest attended Williams College, receiving a B.A. in mathematics in 1994. He attended Cornell Law School, earning his J.D. in 2000.
New York Man Sentenced for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Bronx, N.Y. man was sentenced on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021 in federal court in Boston for fentanyl distribution.
Carlos Nunez, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. On July 22, 2021, Nunez pleaded guilty one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and two counts of distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Over the course of approximately six months in 2019, Nunez and co-conspirator Yamel Cuevas Gonzalez conspired to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl to an individual in Massachusetts. Specifically, on two occasions in July and August of 2019, Nunez distributed more than 400 grams of fentanyl to the buyer. Nunez and Gonzalez were arrested after driving from New York to Walpole to distribute fentanyl in August 2019.
On May 3, 2021, Gonzalez was sentenced by Judge Talwani to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Gonzalez will face deportation to the Dominican Republic.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Walpole and Dedham Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Theft of Social Security Disability FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that ELIJAH CHARLES SORINA (“SORINA”), age 33, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on December 10, 2021 for Theft of Government Funds.
According to documents filed in federal court, SORINA continued to receive Social Security Administration (“SSA”) disability benefits after he claimed he was disabled and unable to work. Federal special agents determined SORINA began working for a local transportation company as a school bus driver in 2014 after he obtained a commercial driver’s license. SSA determined that from May 2014 until August 2016, SORINA received benefits of $19,897.00 to which he was not entitled because he concealed his employment from the SSA.
U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown sentenced SORINA to a sentence of time served, restitution in the amount of $19,897.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General and the Louisiana State Police. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
NLRB Employee Charged with Bribery and Honest Services FraudRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and David P. Berry, Inspector General of the National Labor Relations Board, announced today the unsealing of a Complaint charging ANETT RODRIGUES with honest services fraud and bribery. The charges stem from a scheme in which RODRIGUES, an employee of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), provided nonpublic NLRB documents to a co-conspirator in exchange for the regular payment of cash bribes. RODRIGUES will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Paul E. Davison in White Plains federal court later today.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Anett Rodrigues, a trusted employee of a federal agency with access to sensitive nonpublic information, monetized her position to divulge some of that information in exchange for bribes. Rodrigues’s alleged selling of the information provided a competitive advantage to the alleged bribe payer’s company, but it also leaves Rodrigues facing multiple felony counts.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed in White Plains federal court[1]:
The NLRB is a federal agency that enforces United States labor law relating to unfair labor practices and collective bargaining. Among other functions, the NLRB serves fact-finding and dispute-resolution functions, in which it investigates and resolves disputes between and among labor unions, company management, and company employees throughout the United States, and supervises the formation and elections of labor unions. Employees seeking to engage the NLRB to investigate and resolve a dispute may do so by filing a “charge sheet” outlining their allegations with their local NLRB regional office, and employees seeking the NLRB’s assistance in forming or joining a union can do so by filing a “petition” with their local NLRB regional office. These charge sheets and petitions are not immediately publicly available, though they are provided to the companies involved, typically within a matter of days, and may be available in redacted form via Freedom of Information Act requests, typically within a matter of weeks.
ANETT RODRIGUES used her employment with the NLRB to provide a competitive advantage to a co-conspirator (“CC-1”) who operated a Westchester County-based company that offered consulting services to clients – principally law firms – appearing before the NLRB. Between approximately 2017 and approximately 2021, RODRIGUES regularly provided cellphone photographs of NLRB charge sheets and petitions to CC-1, before they were otherwise available to CC-1 or to the public. CC-1 in turn sold the documents to clients for a per-document fee. In exchange this assistance, CC-1 regularly met with RODRIGUES to provide her with cash bribe payments.
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RODRIGUES, 53, of Nutley, New Jersey, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and one count of honest services wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the NLRB Office of the Inspector General’s investigator and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey C. Coffman and Derek Wikstrom are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth in this release constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Myanmar Citizen Pleads Guilty in Plot to Injure or Kill Myanmar’s Ambassador to the United NationsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the guilty plea of YE HEIN ZAW, a citizen of Myanmar, for his role in a conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. ZAW pled guilty today in White Plains federal court before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As he admitted in court today, Ye Hein Zaw participated in a plot to injure or kill Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in a planned attack that was to take place on American soil. Zaw now awaits sentencing for his crime. I commend the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners at all levels of government to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats and officials in the United States and bring the perpetrators of this plot to justice.”
According to the Information to which ZAW pled guilty, the complaint that was filed in this case, and statements made during court proceedings:
Between at least in or about July 2021 through at least on or about August 5, 2021, ZAW, a citizen of Myanmar residing in New York, conspired with others to injure or kill Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (the “Ambassador”). During the conspiracy, a co-conspirator communicated with an arms dealer in Thailand (the “Arms Dealer”) who sells weapons to the Burmese military, which overthrew Myanmar’s civilian government in or about February 2021. In the course of those conversations, the co-conspirator and the Arms Dealer agreed on a plan in which the co-conspirator would hire attackers to hurt the Ambassador in an attempt to force the Ambassador to step down from his post. If the Ambassador did not step down, then the Arms Dealer proposed that the attackers hired by the co-conspirator would kill the Ambassador.
Shortly after agreeing on the plan, ZAW contacted the co-conspirator by cellphone and, using a money transfer app, transferred approximately $4,000 to the co-conspirator as an advance payment on the plot to attack the Ambassador. Later, during a recorded phone conversation, ZAW and the co-conspirator discussed how the planned attackers would require an additional $1,000 to conduct the attack on the Ambassador in Westchester County, and, for an additional payment, the attackers could, in substance, kill the Ambassador. In response, ZAW agreed, in substance, to pay the additional $1,000 and to try to obtain the additional money.
ZAW pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
ZAW is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Halpern on May 10, 2022.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, which comprises special agents and task force officers from the FBI, NYPD, United States Probation Office, New York State Police, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Westchester County Department of Public Safety, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the police departments of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Greenburgh, White Plains, Peekskill, Ramapo, and Clarkstown. Mr. Williams also thanked the Pelham Manor Police Department and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service for their assistance in the investigation.
Mr. Williams said that the investigation is ongoing, and asked any individuals with relevant information to contact the FBI at (800)-CALL-FBI.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley and Benjamin D. Klein are in charge of the prosecution.
Missouri Woman Indicted for Pair of Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Missouri woman with two counts of bank robbery.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2021, She’Toia Mitchell, 35, of Lee’s Summit is accused of robbing a Bank of America branch located on Ohio Street in Lawrence, Kansas. Mitchell is also accused of robbing a branch of Wells Fargo Bank on West 103rd Street in Leawood, Kansas, on November 10, 2021.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Lawrence Police Department, and the Leawood Police Department are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Mississippi Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for 4 Business RobberiesRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Jacobly Whitehead, 27, of Greenwood, Mississippi, has been sentenced to 336 months in federal prison for Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on February 10, 2020, Whitehead, an unknown suspect at the time, entered Cricket Wireless on S. Third Street at approximately 5:50 p.m., pointed a black handgun at employees, and demanded money from the cash registers. Taking approximately $1,700, he then fled the scene.
On February 22, 2020, Whitehead, an unknown suspect at the time, entered the Metro PCS on S. Third Street at approximately 6:30 p.m., where he struck an employee with a black handgun and demanded money from the cash registers. He stole a firearm from an employee and approximately $2,000 and fled on foot. The suspect matched the description of the suspect of the robbery on February 10, 2020. The businesses were located within walking distance.
On March 17, 2020, Whitehead, an unknown suspect at the time, entered the Cricket Wireless on S. Third Street at approximately 9:30 a.m., pointed a black handgun at employees, and demanded cash from the register. While leaving the store, Whitehead struck an employee in the head with his pistol. He fled in a red Chevrolet Equinox which had several unique markings and visible features.
On March 31, 2020, Whitehead, an unknown suspect at the time, entered the Metro PCS on E. Shelby Drive at approximately 4:00 p.m., wearing a facemask and the same clothing as the suspect in the March 17, 2020 robbery. He pointed a black handgun at the employees, took approximately $800 from the register, and fled the scene in a red Chevrolet Equinox, with several similar unique markings. Prior to the robbery, the suspect entered the Dollar General behind the Metro PCS with his face uncovered and was captured on surveillance video.
Officers with MPD's Safe Streets Task Force located a possible suspect vehicle owned by a woman who lived on Court Street. This address was within walking distance of the first two robberies. Investigators researched the woman’s husband, identified as Jacolby Whitehead who also matched the description given by many of the robbery victims.
Surveillance conducted at their residence showed Whitehead driving the red Equinox. Further, law enforcement executed a search warrant for the vehicle and the residence. They recovered clothing similar to that described by the witnesses and seen on surveillance video. Whitehead was Mirandized and admitted to all four of the robberies.
Whitehead pled guilty on July 21, 2021.
On December 3, 2021, U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman, sentenced Whitehead to 336 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel D. Winnig prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. SAUSA Winnig is currently assigned from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office for the purpose of prosecuting violent crimes and firearms offenses in federal court.
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Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty for Violent Robbery of a Minneapolis BusinessRead the Press Release
St. Paul, Minn. – A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today to a Hobbs Act robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a store clerk, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2021, Marlow Ramsey Carson, 30, robbed Blue Sky Wireless and West Bend Furniture located in Minneapolis. During the robbery the defendant stuck a handgun under a barrier on the counter and demanded money from the store clerk. Carson shot the store clerk in the chest before running out of the store and entering the passenger side of his vehicle, which quickly sped away. The store clerk was transported by ambulance to the emergency room where he was later pronounced dead.
Carson plead guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of possession of ammunition as a felon. Carson has prior felony convictions and is therefore prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Jacobs and Samantha H. Bates are prosecuting the case.
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Miami Resident Charged with Committing $38 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme, Spending Proceeds on Beachfront Condos and Luxury VehiclesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – A Miami man charged with submitting approximately $38 million in fraudulent health care claims to United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield was arrested this morning by federal law enforcement agents.
According to allegations in the federal grand jury indictment, from February 2015 through July 2021, 63-year-old Armando Valdes owned and operated Gasiel Medical Services, Corp. (“Gasiel”) a medical clinic in Miami, Florida. It is alleged that Gasiel submitted approximately $38 million in false and fraudulent claims to United and Blue Cross for infusions of Infliximab which were medically unnecessary and not provided to patients as billed. Infliximab, known by the brand name Remicade, is an expensive prescription immunosuppressive drug approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, pediatric Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, pediatric ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis. The indictment alleges that United and Blue Cross paid Gasiel nearly $8 million as a result of the fraudulent claims for Infliximab submitted by Valdes. According to the indictment, Valdes used his ill-gotten proceeds to purchase four real estate properties, including a beachfront condo in Pompano Beach, as well as luxury vehicles including a Cadillac Escalade and a Tesla Model S.
The indictment charges Valdes with ten counts of health care fraud. If convicted, Valdes faces up to 100 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Valdes will make his initial appearance today at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra, who sits in Miami.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office announced the charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael B. Homer is prosecuting this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture.
An indictment is a charging instrument containing allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20590.
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Miami Federal Jury Convicts Man Who Kidnapped and Tortured VictimRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – This week, a federal jury in Miami returned a guilty verdict against 56-year-old Serge Nkorina, a man who kidnapped a victim at gunpoint and later tortured him inside a storage container with a blow torch.
At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Moore and Marc Chattah presented evidence that from late 2018 to early 2019, Serge Nkorina and his co-conspirator, Justin Boccio, plotted to kidnap and torture a victim in an attempt to obtain tens of thousands of dollars from him. The victim was a South Florida plastic surgeon who had treated Nkorina’s wife. To learn the victim’s daily movements, Nkorina and Boccio stalked the victim at home and work and placed a GPS tracker on the bottom of his car. To get ready for the torture session, Nkorina and Boccio purchased devices from hardware and medical supply stores and rented a storage container in Margate, Florida to use as the torture site.
Prosecutors presented evidence that on January 14, 2019, Nkorina and Boccio followed the victim from work to a supermarket. When the victim returned to his car with groceries, they tased his neck and threw him into a van. Nkorina and Boccio took the victim to the Margate storage container, where they tortured him for hours. Nkorina burned the victim’s hands with a blow torch, forcing the victim to reveal the security gate and door codes to his home. When Nkorina and Boccio tried to use the information that night to enter the victim’s home, they were scared off by a light connected to the doorbell camera. Nkorina and Boocio aborted the plan and dumped the victim at a strip club parking lot.
The jury found Nkorina guilty of conspiring to commit kidnapping and kidnapping. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck will sentence Nkorina on February 15, 2022, at 9:30 a.m., in federal district court in Miami. Nkorina faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Justin Boccio previously pled guilty and is currently serving a 135-month sentence.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Moore and Marc Chattah are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 19-cr-20261.
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Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron Announces More Than $1.8 Million in Grants from the Department of Justice to Reduce the Backlog of DNA Testing in Six Maryland Law Enforcement AgenciesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron today announced $1,835,897 in Department of Justice grants to six Maryland law enforcement agencies to be used to reduce the backlog in DNA testing at their laboratories. The awards will be used to hire additional staff, improve and maintain laboratory capabilities, purchase specialized equipment to improve laboratory operations, and fund technical training and continuing education. The awards are part of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Program’s Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 21 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program.
In addition, the Justice Department awarded two grants totaling $615,477 to the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, under the FY21 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program. Under the first grant, $365,477 will be distributed to six forensic crime laboratories and the Chief Medical Examiner's Office to reduce backlogs related to latent print examination, firearms examination, and drug analysis and to purchase equipment needed to improve the quality and efficiency of forensic services statewide. The second grant of $250,000 will be used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to purchase and implement and Laboratory Information Management System in order to improve efficiency and address needs including: chain of custody records; workflow automation; improved data security; and long-term data storage.
“Forensic science, especially DNA testing has become critical in solving many crimes,” said United States Attorney Erek L. Barron. “These funds will assist our state and local law enforcement partners to improve laboratory efficiency and address the backlog of DNA testing in order to allow victims to obtain justice without undue delay.”
The following Maryland organizations received funding to control and reduce the backlog of DNA cases:
- The Anne Arundel County Police Department Forensic Services Section received $260,000 which will be used to hire a full-time Laboratory Technician, fund more than 100 hours of overtime, and to purchase specialized equipment to allow quicker turnaround times for testing.
- The Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab received $401,985 which will be used to fund the salaries for four scientists to perform laboratory testing procedures and identify samples to forward for DNA testing
- The Baltimore County Police Department Crime Lab received $222,597 to purchase specialized equipment and technology to improve lab performance and to pay for technical training and continuing education.
- The Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division received $431,315 to control the backlog of forensic biology/DNA cases by outsourcing, maintain current laboratory capabilities and improve operations, and provide required continuing education.
- The Montgomery County Police Crime Laboratory received $260,000 which will be used to outsource cases as needed to compensate for increased case submissions and fewer analysts performing casework analysis and to fund continuing education for analysts.
- The Prince George’s County Police Forensic Science Division received $260,000 to outsource DNA evidence from backlogged cases in order to reduce the current backlog of DNA 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 and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.# # #
Man from Belen pleads guilty to federal firearm and carjacking chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQERQUE, N.M. – Michael DeHerrera, 25, of Belen, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court on Nov. 24 to being a felon in possession of firearm and carjacking. DeHerrera will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
DeHerrera was indicted on July 29, 2020. According to the plea agreement, on Feb. 3, 2020, DeHerrera carjacked a victim by threating her with a screwdriver in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. DeHerrera began to drive away with a victim still in the car, causing her to jump from the moving vehicle. DeHerrera also admitted that on Feb. 18, 2020, he possessed a firearm before attempting to dispose of it by throwing it from the window of a moving vehicle.
At the time DeHerrera possessed the firearm, he had a prior felony conviction for armed robbery. As a convicted felon, DeHerrera could not legally possess a firearm.
By the terms of the plea agreement, DeHerrera faces five years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick T. Mendenhall is prosecuting the case.
Man Sentenced to 365 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – On December 8, 2021, U.S. District Judge Francisco Besosa sentenced Jadiel Torres-Rijos to a term of 365 months (30 years and 5 months) in prison for his participation in a robbery resulting in the murder of Armando Rosado-Molina, a businessman who owned several gas stations and other commercial properties, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Between March 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, Torres-Rijos and his co-defendants planned to commit a robbery at Rosado-Molina’s residence in San Lorenzo. During the evening hours between March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2019, Torres-Rijos and his co-defendants set up surveillance near Rosado-Molina’s residence. They were armed with a baseball bat, a weapon having the appearance of a rifle, and pepper spray. Torres-Rijos and his co-defendants later breached the residence and encountered Rosado-Molina who tried to defend himself with a firearm he legally owned. During a physical struggle with one of the robbers, Rosado-Molina lost control of the firearm. He was subsequently beaten with a baseball bat, after which point he was shot and killed.
Torres-Rijos and his co-defendants, all of whom have already pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing, took over $20,000 from Rosado-Molina’s residence, and two motor vehicles.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to bringing those who commit acts of violence to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The imposition of a 365-month sentence sends a loud and clear message that violent offenders will be held accountable for their crimes.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation was in charge of the investigation, and Assistant United States Attorney Alexander Alum prosecuted the case.
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Man Sentenced for Smuggling Migrants Across Dangerous Terrain Where Three Sisters DiedRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Charlotte E. Kaiser (619) 546-7282
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 10, 2021
SAN DIEGO – Rito Rios-Quinones of Chihuahua, Mexico, was sentenced in federal court today to two years in prison for smuggling five migrants across treacherous terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border. It was the same route used by his brothers, Cecilio and Ricardo Rios-Quinones, who were convicted in connection with an ill-fated smuggling event that resulted in the deaths of three sisters in February 2020.
Rito Rios-Quinones pleaded guilty in March 2021 to Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting. As part of his plea agreement, Rios admitted that he and his brothers worked for a human smuggling organization. He agreed to learn the smuggling routes, be paid to serve as a foot guide and teach other foot guides the routes.
Rios further admitted that he trained his brother Ricardo on the smuggling route a few days before the February 10, 2020 event that resulted in the deaths of sisters Juana Santos Arce, Margarita Santos Arce and Paula Santos Arce of Oaxaca, Mexico.
On that day, agents from the Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) unit, along with Border Patrol agents from the Campo-Boulevard area and rescue personnel from the City of San Diego Fire & Rescue Department placed their own lives at risk during a rescue operation of Cecilio and Rito Rios-Quinones and attempted rescue of the sisters, whom Cecilio and Ricardo were guiding along the route. All three women died of hypothermia. Subsequently, Cecilio and Ricardo Rios-Quinones pleaded guilty to Transportation of Aliens Resulting in Death, among other charges, and were each sentenced on April 2, 2020, to 66 months in custody.
In today’s case, Rito Rios-Quinones admitted in his plea agreement that he knew his brothers smuggled these three women along this route and that the three women died during the smuggling event. Despite this knowledge, on or about November 3, 2020, Rito Rios-Quinones was apprehended for smuggling five other migrants along this same route for the same smuggling organization. The migrants were going to pay or have others pay on their behalf $7,000 to $8,000 to the organization to be smuggling into the United States.
“This defendant knew about the tragic deaths along this smuggling route, and yet he still attempted the perilous journey, failing to make sure these victims had the proper clothing, supplies or equipment to make it,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “These are callous acts of greed. Smugglers, we will find a way to identify you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Migrants, don’t put your lives in the hands of people with absolutely no regard for your safety.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and agents from Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations for their excellent work in this case.
“Human smuggling organizations enrich themselves while endangering the lives of those they smuggle,” said Border Patrol’s Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke. “We are grateful for the tenacity, persistence, and hard work that our law enforcement partners have demonstrated in this case. Collaboratively, our efforts have resulted in Rios-Quinones’ arrest, conviction, and just sentencing.”
“The actions of this individual are another example of the complete disregard human smugglers have for the people who pay them,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Anyone considering making the perilous journey across the border with smugglers should know that they place their lives in extreme danger because these transnational criminal organizations only value the profits from their illegal enterprise. HSI, along with its law enforcement partners will continue to bring to justice individuals like Rios-Quinones who place greed and profit before human life.”
DEFENDANT Case Number 19cr0868-CAB
Rito Rios-Quinones Age: 33 Chihuahua, Mexico
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain and Aiding and Abetting– Title 8, U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii) and Title 8, U.S.C., Section 2
Maximum penalty: Ten years in prison, and $250,000 fine.
AGENCIES
U.S. Border Patrol, Intelligence Unit
Homeland Security Investigations
Leading ISIS Media Figure and Foreign Fighter Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Terrorist Organization, Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Saudi-born Canadian citizen pleaded guilty today to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS), resulting in death.
According to court documents, Mohammed Khalifa, aka Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi and Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir, 38, served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in January 2019, following a firefight between ISIS fighters and the SDF. In addition to serving as a fighter and executing two Syrian soldiers on behalf of ISIS, Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple ISIS videos.
Khalifa traveled to Syria in the spring of 2013 with the intent of becoming a foreign fighter and ultimately joining ISIS. He joined ISIS in or around November 2013 and swore allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In early 2014, he was recruited to join ISIS’s media department due in part to his language abilities as a fluent English and Arabic speaker. Starting in 2016, Khalifa directed various supporter networks that assisted in the translation, production, and dissemination of propaganda released under various ISIS media brands in order to reach Western audiences. He worked within the ISIS media operation until late 2018.
Khalifa provided the narration and translation for approximately 15 videos created and distributed by ISIS. The productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and exceedingly violent ISIS propaganda videos: “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun,” distributed on September 19, 2014, and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour,” distributed on November 29, 2017. The videos depict glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, footage of ISIS attacks and fighting, and depictions of ISIS attacks in the United States.
The ISIS “Flames of War” videos include scenes of Khalifa executing a different Syrian soldier in each of the two videos. In the final scenes of both videos, a masked Khalifa speaks to the camera and is then seen executing a kneeling Syrian soldier while other masked ISIS members also shoot the prisoners kneeling in front of each of them.
During the time Khalifa was a prominent member of ISIS, the terrorist organization was conducting a hostage-taking and ransom demand campaign involving American, British, and European journalists and aid workers. Between August 19, 2014 and February 6, 2015, ISIS killed eight American, British or Japanese citizens in Syria as part of the hostage scheme.
In January 2019, Khalifa engaged in fighting on behalf of ISIS and attacked an SDF position in Abu Badran, Syria. Khalifa, alone and armed with three grenades and an AK-47, threw a grenade on the roof of a house where SDF soldiers were standing. The grenade detonated and Khalifa ran into the house and attempted to go to the roof, but an SDF soldier was firing from the stairs. Khalifa began firing at the SDF soldier and attempted to use all three of his grenades during the attack. Khalifa fired most of his ammunition during the assault before his AK-47 jammed. Khalifa surrendered to the SDF on or about January 13, 2019 and was detained by the SDF. Earlier this year, he was transferred to the custody of the FBI and brought to the Eastern District of Virginia, where he had his initial appearance on October 4, 2021.
Khalifa pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15, 2022. Khalifa faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the Justice Department are prosecuting this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-271.
Leading ISIS Media Figure and Foreign Fighter Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorist Organization Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
A Saudi-born Canadian citizen pleaded guilty today to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS), resulting in death.
According to court documents, Mohammed Khalifa, aka Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi and Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir, 38, served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in January 2019, following a firefight between ISIS fighters and the SDF. In addition to serving as a fighter and executing two Syrian soldiers on behalf of ISIS, Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple ISIS videos.
Khalifa traveled to Syria in the spring of 2013 with the intent of becoming a foreign fighter and ultimately joining ISIS. He joined ISIS in or around November 2013 and swore allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In early 2014, he was recruited to join ISIS’s media department due in part to his language abilities as a fluent English and Arabic speaker. Starting in 2016, Khalifa directed various supporter networks that assisted in the translation, production and dissemination of propaganda released under various ISIS media brands in order to reach Western audiences. He worked within the ISIS media operation until late 2018.
Khalifa provided the narration and translation for approximately 15 videos created and distributed by ISIS. The productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and exceedingly violent ISIS propaganda videos: “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun,” distributed on Sept. 19, 2014, and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour,” distributed on Nov. 29, 2017. The videos depict glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, footage of ISIS attacks and fighting, and depictions of ISIS attacks in the United States.
The ISIS “Flames of War” videos include scenes of Khalifa executing a different Syrian soldier in each of the two videos. In the final scenes of both videos, a masked Khalifa speaks to the camera and is then seen executing a kneeling Syrian soldier while other masked ISIS members also shoot the prisoners kneeling in front of each of them.
During the time Khalifa was a prominent member of ISIS, the terrorist organization was conducting a hostage-taking and ransom demand campaign involving American, British, and European journalists and aid workers. Between Aug. 19, 2014 and Feb. 6, 2015, ISIS killed eight American, British or Japanese citizens in Syria as part of the hostage scheme.
In January 2019, Khalifa engaged in fighting on behalf of ISIS and attacked an SDF position in Abu Badran, Syria. Khalifa, alone and armed with three grenades and an AK-47, threw a grenade on the roof of a house where SDF soldiers were standing. The grenade detonated and Khalifa ran into the house and attempted to go to the roof, but an SDF soldier was firing from the stairs. Khalifa began firing at the SDF soldier and attempted to use all three of his grenades during the attack. Khalifa fired most of his ammunition during the assault before his AK-47 jammed. Khalifa surrendered to the SDF on or about Jan. 13, 2019 and was detained by the SDF. Earlier this year, he was transferred to the custody of the FBI and brought to the Eastern District of Virginia, where he had his initial appearance on Oct. 4, 2021.
Khalifa pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 15, 2022. Khalifa faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III accepted the plea.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.
La Crosse Man Sentenced to 90 Months for Trafficking MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Christopher H. McCartney, 36, La Crosse, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 90 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. This term of prison will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. McCartney pleaded guilty to this charge on September 27, 2021.
On April 30, 2021, La Crosse Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop in La Crosse on a Chevrolet Impala being driven by McCartney. After a positive K-9 alert, officers searched the Impala and located multiple bags containing a total of 118 grams of methamphetamine. McCartney had $1,342 in cash on his person.
Based on the drugs found during the traffic stop and because of McCartney’s supervision status, law enforcement officers searched his residence in La Crosse. There they found more bags of methamphetamine which weighed a total of 78 grams, as well as $3,500 in cash.
When interviewed by officers, McCartney admitted to selling methamphetamine for profit.
At the time of these events, McCartney was on state supervision for methamphetamine trafficking and out on state criminal bond for two other methamphetamine related cases. His supervision was revoked and he is currently serving a sentence of 27 months in state prison. Judge Conley ordered this federal sentence to run concurrently with the state prison sentence.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Conley highlighted McCartney’s criminal history that included the prior conviction for methamphetamine trafficking which resulted in a six-year state prison sentence in 2016.
The charge against McCartney was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department. The La Crosse County District Attorney’s Office also provided assistance in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.
Lander Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling with the Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct and Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that GARRETT THOMAS FINDLAY, 24, of Lander, Wyoming, pleaded guilty to one count of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and four counts of production of child pornography at a change of plea hearing held on November 29, 2021, before Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson.
Findlay was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 20, 2021. The indictment alleged that Findlay produced images and videos of minors and traveled to Florida for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. Sentencing has been set for February 17, 2022.
As to the four counts of production of child pornography, Findlay faces minimum and maximum penalties for each count which include: 15 to 30 years’ imprisonment; five years to life of supervised release; up to a $250,000 fine; a $100 special assessment; up to a $5,000 special assessment fee pursuant to the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015; and up to a $50,000 special assessment and mandatory restitution of not less than $3,000 per requesting victim pursuant to the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
As to the single count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, Findlay faces the possibility of up to 30 years imprisonment, five years to life of supervised release; a $100 special assessment; up to a $5,000 special assessment fee pursuant to the Victims of Sex Trafficking Act of 2015; and up to a $50,000 special assessment pursuant to the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
The investigation was conducted by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Port Charlotte, Florida; Colorado Springs Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children unit (ICAC) Colorado Springs, Colorado; Hawaii Department of Attorney General ICAC Task Force, Kentucky State Police, Electronic Crimes Branch; Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County, Florida; Louisiana Bureau of Investigation-Cyber Crime Unit; Maui Police Department, Maui Hawaii; Montana Department of Justice ICAC unit; Oregon Department of Justice; United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations; Washington State ICAC Task Force; and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation ICAC team. Assistant United States Attorney Christyne M. Martens prosecuted the case.
Kent, Washington, man sentenced to 12 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minorRead the Press Release
Seattle– A 27-year-old Kent, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 12 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Al-Penyo Brooks, was charged federally in November 2020, in coordination with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Brooks was identified as a suspect in May 2020, when Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies and Seattle Police Department officers worked urgently to recover a 17-year-old girl who had run away from her Pierce County, Washington home. Brooks recruited the girl online, and then encouraged her to leave home and groomed her to work as a prostitute. Brooks pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor in June 2021.
At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said “Outside of murder, this is the most despicable thing you can do…particularly given the age of the victims. The conduct is simply not acceptable… it is someone who does not belong in society.”
“Mr. Brooks has spent most of his adult life exploiting the most vulnerable, living off the prostitution profits of juveniles and young women,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “This lengthy prison sentence, with 10 years of supervised release to follow prison, are necessary to protect the public.”
According to records in the case, the girl has developmental delays, and unbeknownst to her guardian, had set up a Facebook account. Using Facebook Messenger, Brooks communicated with the girl about her interest in music and writing songs. Brooks’ communications led the girl to believe he could promote her in the music business. Even after the girl told Brooks she was seventeen, Brooks made arrangements to pick her up near her home and told her how to evade her guardian. He picked her up and had an associate change her hair and clothing. He provided her with drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted her while she was impaired. Brooks then instructed the girl to walk the “track” on Aurora Avenue North, telling her to perform sex acts for money. The girl was ultimately taken to an apartment in north Seattle were police located her when she signed into Facebook on the IP address listed for the apartment.
In his plea agreement, Brooks also acknowledged previously recruiting a teenage runaway to work for him as a prostitute when she was fifteen years old. Brooks also acknowledged threatening to kill the girl if she did not work for him as a prostitute and to assaulting and controlling her. Brooks also acknowledged assaulting an adult female who was working for him in prostitution. In that case Brooks pushed the woman from a moving car when she told him she no longer wanted to work for him as a prostitute. A neighborhood doorbell camera captured images of the woman being pushed from the moving car and dragged under its wheels. She was treated at Harborview for significant lower body injuries.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department. The King County Prosecutors Office worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham.
Kinnear Woman Arraigned for False Statement of Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that BENITA LOUISE SMITH, 56, of Kinnear, Wyoming was charged by indictment for making a false statement. Smith appeared for an arraignment hearing before United States Magistrate Teresa M. McKee on November 30, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for January 31, 2022, before United States District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal.
The indictment alleges that on or about October 26, 2020, Smith did knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, that is, by stating and representing to a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent that a Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer had sexually assaulted her after he took her into custody, when the defendant knew the officer had not sexually assaulted her.
If convicted, Smith faces up to eight years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
This crime is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Elmore will be prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case No. 21-cr-00091-NDF
Kinnear Woman Arraigned for False Statement of Sexual AssaultRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that BENITA LOUISE SMITH, 56, of Kinnear, Wyoming was charged by indictment for making a false statement. Smith appeared for an arraignment hearing before United States Magistrate Teresa M. McKee on November 30, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial has been set for January 31, 2022, before United States District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal.
The indictment alleges that on or about October 26, 2020, Smith did knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, that is, by stating and representing to a Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent that a Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer had sexually assaulted her after he took her into custody, when the defendant knew the officer had not sexually assaulted her.
If convicted, Smith faces up to eight years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
This crime is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Elmore will be prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Case No. 21-cr-00091-NDF
Justice Department Statement on Supreme Court Decision Regarding Texas SB8Read the Press Release
The Department of Justice today released the following statement from spokesman Anthony Coley following the Supreme Court’s decision in Whole Woman’s Health et al. v. Jackson:
“The Department of Justice brought suit against Texas Senate Bill 8 because the law was specifically designed to deprive Americans of their constitutional rights while evading judicial review. The department will continue our efforts in the lower courts to protect the rights of women and uphold the Constitution.”
Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Senior Litigation Counsel and Community Outreach Director Cindy Cipriani (619) 546-9608
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – December 10, 2021
SAN DIEGO – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Southern District of California was awarded $185,384.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the fiscal agent for the Southern District of California.
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
“Through Project Safe Neighborhoods, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive prosecution and community outreach solutions to address them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Our grants have been distributed to local law enforcement and community organizations to prevent gun violence, facilitate reentry, reduce gang membership and other important programs. This money is an investment in public safety.”
In the current round of funding, the Southern District of California PSN Task Force plans to fund violent crime law enforcement efforts and nonprofit agencies that focus on gang prevention, violence intervention, and facilitating successful reentry into the community from custody. The District’s PSN awards over the past two years have funded enforcement of red flag laws, youth mentoring, credible messenger programs, and research into ways to measure the success and bolster the capacity of lived experience mentoring.
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
For a list of all grantees, please visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf.
Information about these and other FY 2021 grant awards from the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Grant Awards Page.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov
Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Justice Education Center, Inc., based in West Hartford, was awarded $161,479 to administer PSN grant funds in the District of Connecticut.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
District of Connecticut grant funds will help to maintain gang task forces in PSN cities, including Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury, and allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office to continue to coordinate with federal, state and local partners to investigate gun crimes and determine if federal prosecution is appropriate. Funds will also be used to promote and
encourage active community involvement, and enhance emotional wellness, education and technology training opportunities as a prevention to gang and gun violence.
With approval from BJA, the Fiscal Agent will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.
“Our office has had a long-running partnership with The Justice Education Center, which, for years, has worked to improve public safety and help young people turn away from gun crime by promoting positive alternatives, including educational and career opportunities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C Boyle. “We are pleased that these grant funds will allow this relationship to continue, and look forward to working with The Justice Education Center to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s cities.”
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
For a list of all grantees, please visit: FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf (ojp.gov)
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The Puerto Rico Public Housing Authority was awarded $151,223 to administer PSN grant funds in the District of Puerto Rico.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
“In the District of Puerto Rico, we continue to increase the collaboration between law enforcement, state agencies, community organizations and our communities to be able to prevent and reduce violent crime,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Protecting our communities from violence is a top priority and we remain fully committed and engaged with our partners to make Puerto Rico safer.”
Grant funds will support law enforcement operations with the goal of reducing drug trafficking and violent crimes in Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. Grant funds will also support community engagement initiatives to build stronger relationships of trust between those communities and law enforcement. With approval from BJA, the Fiscal Agent will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
For a list of all grantees, please visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/FY21-Project-Safe-Neighborhoods-Awards.pdf
In addition to the grant listed above and other grants previously announced, in recent weeks the Department of Justice has awarded the following additional grants to entities and organizations in Puerto Rico:
1. Puerto Rico Police Bureau: $150,000 for the PRPB Crisis Response Training Program
2. Puerto Rico Forensic Science Institute: $296,966 for the Puerto Rico 2021 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program
3. Guara Bi, Inc. in partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections (PRDC): $899,264 for the Second Chance Act Puerto Rico Treatment and Recovery
4. Puerto Rico Institute of Forensic Sciences: $635,846 for the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program
5. Puerto Rico Department of Justice: $37,015 for the JRJ Student Loan Repayment Program
6. Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: $221,382 for the PR Department of Correction and Rehabilitation Residential Substance Abuse Program
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The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants – including more than $378,000 in the Northern District of Texas – to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core.
Fort Worth’s Safe City Commission, also known as One Safe Place, will handle the Northern District of Texas PSN funds, which will be distributed to police departments and nonprofits that support the PSN mission through enforcement and crime prevention programs.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. With approval from BJA, the Safe City Commission, the Northern District of Texas’s fiscal agent, will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.
“I am immensely proud of the Northern District of Texas’ award-winning PSN program, which relies on collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement and area nonprofits to reduce violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham. “Our data-driven, compassionate approach ensures that our residents feel safe in their communities. We’re focused not just on locking up criminals, but at getting to the root cause of violence and stopping it. We’re determined to make Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Amarillo better places to live and work, and we’re hopeful this grant money will help us achieve that goal.”
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime. You can read more about the Northern District of Texas’ PSN program here. For a list of all PSN grantees nationwide, click here.
Justice Department Awards $481,285 Grant to Support Crime-Fighting Efforts in Suffolk and Nassau CountiesRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced that it has awarded over $480,000 to the Suffolk County Police Department as part of more than $17 million in grant funding to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. The funding will support a collaborative effort between Suffolk and Nassau Counties to identify and reduce violent crime and strengthen community partnerships and outreach. The funding will go to the Suffolk County Police Department, the Nassau County Police Department and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. Suffolk County has been receiving PSN grants since 2017 and has split the funding with Nassau County since 2018.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
“The Project Safe Neighborhoods grant will support our efforts to collaborate with the Suffolk and Nassau County Police Departments in developing strategies to reduce gang and gun violence on Long Island. The grant will also help to strengthen our partnerships with community organizations and expand our community outreach programs. Together, we will work hard to make our communities safer,” stated United States Attorney Breon Peace.
“This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”
“Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” stated Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”
In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all.
PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Jury Convicts Former AT&T Employee of Conspiracy, Fraud, and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal jury today convicted Alejandro Garlynn Williams, 40, of conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft, finding him guilty of all counts in the indictment against him.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Williams began working as a retail sales consultant at an AT&T store location in Fayetteville, North Carolina in March 2016. In that capacity, Williams’ responsibilities included activating AT&T customer accounts and selling cell phones for those accounts.
In October 2017, Williams was introduced to Anthony Jamison, a resident of Hamlet, North Carolina. Jamison was named as a co-conspirator in the indictment and previously pleaded guilty in this matter. Between October 2017 and January 2018, Williams and Jamison conspired to establish AT&T cellular accounts with the stolen personal identifying information (PII) of unwitting victims in North Carolina and South Carolina for the purpose of obtaining thousands of dollars’ worth of high-end cell phones for resale on the black market.
The evidence at trial established that Jamison would provide Williams with the victim PII, to include Social Security numbers and dates of birth, through text messages and other means. Jamison would then send various recruits into the AT&T store to meet with Williams to act as the “customer” for the surveillance cameras. Thereafter, among other things, Williams would use the stolen victim PII to run hard credit checks, activate lines of service in the victims’ names, and, ultimately, issue cell phones to the “customer” for resale by Jamison. To facilitate the conspiracy, Williams ensured the phones were activated and sold under financing plans that required little or no payment from the “customer” at the point of sale, but which made the victims personally liable for the devices without their knowledge. Many victims only learned of the scheme when they discovered AT&T bills addressed to them in the mail. During one particular transaction, for example, Williams used the stolen personal identifiers of a North Carolina victim to issue nine iPhone devices, valued at over $8,500, on installment plans created using that victim’s name and credit history. In total, the associated losses to AT&T as a result of the scheme, including phones and accessories, was in excess of $85,000.00.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan accepted the verdict. Assistant United States Attorney Adam F. Hulbig prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The United States Secret Service was assigned to the investigation of the matter and received valuable assistance from AT&T’s asset protection unit.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:20-cr-00547-FL-2.
Irvington Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearm in High Speed ChaseRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – An Irvington man was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on April 14, 2020, Mobile police officers spoke with a woman who reported that her boyfriend, Michael Bates, 28, had taken her car without her permission and that there was a firearm in the vehicle. At around the same time, employees of the La Quinta Inn in Tillman’s Corner called for police assistance because Bates was there, acting erratically, and flashing a firearm. An officer from the Mobile Police Department responded to the La Quinta Inn. When Bates saw the officer, he started the car and sped away. Police officers and deputies from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office gave chase. Bates led police on a high-speed chase for over six-and-a-half minutes. The chase began in Tillman’s Corner, a heavily populated area with many pedestrians. At one intersection, his reckless driving caused a crash. He then continued to flee, driving through a shopping center parking lot and a Winn Dixie parking lot at speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour. At one point, when driving down Old Pascagoula Road toward Theodore Dawes Road, he was driving on the wrong side of the road. Speeds reached up to 130 miles per hour. The pursuit ended when Bates lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. Bates had to be physically removed from the car and he fought officers the entire time. As the officers were attempting to handcuff Bates on the ground, they discovered the firearm in his waistband.
Bates had previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance, theft of property of the first degree, burglary of the third degree, and theft of property of the first degree. Each of these prior felony convictions disqualified Bates from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
United States District Judge Kristi DuBose imposed a forty-one month sentence of incarceration, with credit for the time Bates has spent in custody prior to sentencing. The judge also ordered Bates to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison. Judge DuBose ordered that Bates pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobile Police Department, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Misbranded Vitamin B12 InjectablesRead the Press Release
An Iowa man pleaded guilty today to a felony charge related to the sale of misbranded vitamin B12 injectable drugs, the Department of Justice announced.
Brady Tomlinson, 46, of Des Moines, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa to one count of introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead. According to court documents, Tomlinson sold injectable vitamin B12 solutions online beginning in May 2015. Tomlinson marketed the injections as weight loss drugs. According to court documents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed Tomlinson during a December 2016 inspection that dispensing the drugs without valid prescriptions violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Tomlinson closed his business for a week following the inspection, but then created a new website and continued selling the same kinds of misbranded B12 injections from December 2016 until April 2019.
“Dispensing drugs such as these without a prescription or the involvement of a medical professional endangers consumers and violates the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will continue to work hand-in-hand with the FDA to investigate and prosecute the illegal dispensing of prescription drugs.”
“Selling prescription drugs online – with no medical supervision – can cause serious harm and put consumers’ health at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who jeopardize U.S. consumers’ health and safety.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen H. Locher set sentencing for Tomlinson for April 15, 2022.
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam J. Kerndt of the Southern District of Iowa and Trial Attorneys Ross Goldstein and Marcus P. Smith of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch prosecuted the case.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on Dec. 9 was:
Kalled Sam Hassen Jaha, 39, of Chinook, on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious crime, Jaha faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release. Jaha was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-76.
Appearing on Dec. 7 was:
Nicole Jo Brent, 44, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Brent faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Brent was released pending further proceedings. The U.S. Postal Service and FBI’s Western Transnational Organized Crime Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-94.
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Dec. 7 was:
Ronald Joseph Champange, 62, of Great Falls, on charges of prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Champange faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Champange was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Great Falls Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-75.
Appearing on a criminal complaint was:
Nathaniel Jameco Brown, 44, of Spokane, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Brown faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least three years of supervised release. Brown was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-85.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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