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Thursday 28 October 2021
Chenango County Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Sexually Exploiting Three ChildrenRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Patrick Kain, age 35, of Norwich, New York was sentenced today to thirty-five years’ imprisonment for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of committing a felony involving a minor by a registered sex offender. The announcement was made by 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).
Kain was convicted in Chenango County Court of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in 2014, and because of that conviction is required to register as a sex offender in New York State.
As a part of his previously entered guilty plea, Kain admitted that from roughly 2016 through 2019 he created sexually explicit images and videos of three different victims, each of whom were approximately five years old. These depictions generally involved Kain secretly recording the victims’ genitals. Included among this material is a video of Kain reaching his hand toward one of the victim’s genitals, putting his hand inside that victim’s underwear, and pulling it aside. In addition to the child pornography that Kain created, he also possessed approximately 90 videos and 10 images of child pornography not involving his own victims, both on his laptop and in an online storage account.
Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, which will start after Kain is released from prison, required Kain to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose image he possessed on one of his electronic devices, and ordered a $400 special assessment.
This case was being investigated by the FBI, the New York State Police, and the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON – Memphis Ross, 20, of Charleston, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him. Ross is one of the 15 individuals charged as part of the long-term investigation dubbed the “Woo Boyz.”
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on July 26, 2020 at the Charleston home of Ross’ mother and located an IMI Uzi 9mm submachine gun. Ross admitted bringing the fully automatic firearm into his mother’s home and that the firearm was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Officers also found three other firearms, ammunition and some marijuana during the search.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman handled the prosecution.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00032.
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Chalmette Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Heroin and CocaineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that KEVIN GRAY, age 49, a resident of Chalmette, Louisiana, pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. GRAY is facing a sentence of up to forty (40) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least four years of supervised release upon his release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court records, GRAY and four others, Joseph Brown, Lionel Cooley, Kendrick Demourelle, and Blake Monroe, conspired to sell illegal narcotics in New Orleans. Law enforcement officers seized more than 400 grams of heroin, more than 120 grams of cocaine, and a pill press inside GRAY’s home during a court authorized search.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter will sentence GRAY on February 1, 2022 at 1:30pm. GRAY, Brown, Cooley, Demourelle, and Monroe were charged in February 2020 with conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack, and heroin in the New Orleans area.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hammond Police Department, New Orleans Police Department, and Slidell Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
Canton Man Found Guilty of Possession of Meth and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal jury found Bruno Nascimento Brito, 36, of Canton, Ohio, guilty of possessing nearly 500 grams of meth and firearms violations on Wednesday, October 27, 2021.
Following a two-day trial, a jury convicted Brito on two counts of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on October 8, 2020, law enforcement officers encountered Brito at a gas station in Canton via information that Brito utilizes the location to engage in illegal drug transactions. Officers searched Brito and discovered that he had in his possession a clear plastic bag containing approximately 110 grams of methamphetamine. Officers then transported Brito to the Canton Police Department, where he was searched a second time. This time, however, the bag of drugs was not found on Brito but rather hidden in the vehicle of the transporting officer.
Law enforcement officers then obtained and executed a search warrant at Brito’s residence in Canton and recovered a semiautomatic pistol with ammunition, roughly 378 grams of meth, digital scales, drug paraphernalia and approximately $8,600 in cash. Brito is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions of burglary and aggravated drug trafficking in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.
Brito is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2022 and faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, MEDWAY, Canton Police Department, and Stark County Metro Narcotics Unit.
California Woman Indicted on Fentanyl ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California woman was indicted today on a drug trafficking offense involving fentanyl.
Adelaida Yudit Garibay, 45, of Burbank, Calif., was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Garibay has been in custody since she was arrested in September 2021 and charged by criminal complaint.
According to charging documents, in September 2021, officers observed Garibay picking up fentanyl prior to meeting an undercover agent to whom she had arranged to sell two kilograms of fentanyl. Garibay was then allegedly observed getting into a ride-sharing vehicle. A search of the vehicle during a subsequent traffic stop resulted in the seizure of a bag that had allegedly been at Garibay’s feet and contained approximately two kilograms of fentanyl.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.
COVID-19 Task Force Nets Florida Duct Cleaning Company; Settles False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
Sextant Marine Consulting LLC (Sextant), a Florida-based duct cleaning company, has agreed to pay $30,000 in damages and civil penalties to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining more than one Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2020. Sextant also repaid the duplicative PPP funds in full to its lender, relieving the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) of liability to the lender for the federal guaranty of approximately $170,000 on the improper loan.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses. Throughout 2020, PPP loan applicants were required to certify that they would not receive more than one PPP loan prior to Dec. 31, 2020. This settlement resolves allegations that Sextant applied for and received a second, duplicative PPP loan in 2020.
“PPP loans were intended to provide critical relief to small businesses so that they could retain employees and keep their doors open,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will ensure that those who improperly obtain federally guaranteed PPP loans are held accountable.”
“The Paycheck Protection Program is intended to provide a lifeline to the nation’s small businesses and its employees” said Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG). “OIG will aggressively investigate allegations of wrongdoing in SBA’s pandemic response programs. I want to thank the Department of Justice for its dedication to achieving this settlement.”
“The settlement in this matter demonstrates the excellent results achieved through the combined efforts of SBA and the Department of Justice to uncover and forcefully respond to Paycheck Protection Program fraud,” said General Counsel Peggy Delinois Hamilton of the SBA Office of the General Counsel. “SBA is strongly committed to identifying and aggressively pursuing instances of fraud perpetrated by those taking advantage of SBA COVID-19 assistance programs.”
Wednesday’s civil settlement includes the resolution of a claim brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by J. Bryan Quesenberry. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Mr. Quesenberry will receive $4,500. The matter remains under seal as to allegations against entities other than Sextant.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Jared S. Wiesner of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Weinkle of the Southern District of Florida.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Brothers indicted in firebombing of Shoreline, Washington coffee shopRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two brothers were arraigned on an indictment today in connection with the September 30, 2020, firebombing of a coffee shop on Aurora Avenue in Shoreline, Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Taylor Lemay Rice, 23 and Daniel Lemay Rice 21, pleaded “Not Guilty” and were released on personal appearance bonds. Trial is set before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones on January 3, 2022.
The two men are charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device – in this case four Molotov cocktails. The destructive devices darkened the sides of the building, but did not extensively damage the structure. The men were identified as suspects in the early morning firebombing, after extensive work by law enforcement involving review of surveillance video and cell phone records. Both men have been interviewed by law enforcement and agreed to turn themselves in.
Information in the public record indicates the coffee shop shares the building with Bethany Community Church. The coffee shop was closed and was scheduled to reopen under new operators. The signs for the old ownership remained on the building. Speaking in court at the detention hearing, prosecutors indicated the firebombing may have been motivated by a dispute over one of the brother’s cars being towed from the area around the coffee stand a few months earlier.
Unlawful possession of a destructive device is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosive (ATF) and the King County Sheriff’s Office are all working on the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Wide-Ranging Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 to his role in a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy reaching from Boston to Brockton to Lawrence to Cape Cod.
Anthony Goncalves, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled for March 2, 2022. Anthony Goncalves remains in federal custody.
In the fall of 2018, an investigation into a violent Brockton drug crew headed by Djuna Goncalves, Anthony’s Goncalves’s brother, revealed that Djuna Goncalves allegedly worked with others, including his brothers Anthony and Cody Goncalves, to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana throughout southeastern Massachusetts from a base of operations at their family home in Brockton (Brockton base). The neighborhood surrounding the crew’s Brockton base has been the scene of numerous murders, shootings and other crimes of violence for several years.
During the investigation, intercepted conversations between Anthony and Djuna revealed that they conspired to distribute marijuana from the crew’s Brockton base, where in October 2018, an unidentified individual fired several shots at Djuna Goncalves. A subsequent search of the Brockton base resulted in the seizure of marijuana, packaging materials, scales, a kilo press, fentanyl and ammunition as well as documents in Anthony and Djuna’s names.
In all, 17 defendants, including Anthony, Djuna and Cody Goncalves, were indicted as part of a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy reaching from Boston to Brockton to Lawrence to Cape Cod. Of the 17 defendants named in the indictment, nine have been sentenced. Anthony Goncalves is the 16th defendant to plead guilty in the case. Cody Goncalves pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2, 2022. Djuna Goncalves pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2022. Under the terms of Djuna Goncalves’s plea agreement, he will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison and the government will recommend a sentence of 308 months in prison.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana provides for a sentence of at least five years in prison, at least two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on 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; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; and Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea E. Porter of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
The detailed contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bergen County Investment Advisor Arrested for Stealing Millions from ClientsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former broker and investment advisor from Bergen County, New Jersey, was arrested today for allegedly stealing more than $2.86 million from five clients in order to pay for personal expenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Kenneth A. Welsh, 41, of River Edge, New Jersey, was charged by complaint with four counts of wire fraud and one count of investment advisor fraud. Welsh was arrested today at his home and is scheduled to appear by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From July 2017 through March 2021, Welsh, while serving in his capacity as an investment advisor employed by a large brokerage firm, misappropriated at least $2.86 million from five clients. Welsh, who had been entrusted to manage client funds responsibly, instead perpetrated a scheme to defraud the five clients by diverting money from their brokerage accounts to accounts under his control. Welsh then used the unlawfully obtained money to fund his gambling and to purchase high-end, luxury items for himself.
Each of the wire fraud counts carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. The investment adviser fraud count carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bartonville Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Bartonville, Illinois, man, Collin Hale, 41, has been sentenced to 88 months in prison, 15 years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a Minor. As part of his plea of guilty entered on June 30, 2021, the defendant agreed to the forfeiture of a cell phone.
On February 18, 2020, Hale solicited an obscene visual depiction of a person he believed to be an eight-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Unbeknownst to Hale, he was engaging in conversations with an FBI agent. Following his arrest on February 24, 2020, Hale has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
In discussing the seriousness of the offense, U.S. District Judge James Shadid commented that even though there was no victim here, there was plenty of conversation about what had occurred prior to his arrest.
The statutory penalties for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a Minor are up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, a $5,000 fine pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, and supervised release for a period of up to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn Knauss and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul B. Morris represented the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Barbour County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Theodore Edward Coontz, of Belington, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 70 months of incarceration for a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William J, Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Coontz, 48, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Coontz admitted to having methamphetamine in August 2020 in Barbour County.
Coontz also was ordered to forfeit two pistols, a revolver, a shotgun, a rifle, ammunition, and $1,538 in cash found during a traffic stop and a subsequent search of his home.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Atlanta man arraigned on federal charges in connection with an international cyber-fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Christian Akhatsegbe has been arraigned on federal charges of wire and computer fraud conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft related to a multi-million-dollar cyber-fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated through email phishing, credential harvesting, and invoice fraud. Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, who is believed to be residing in Nigeria, was also charged in the scheme.
“The scope of the defendants’ alleged fraudulent conduct is extraordinary,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “The indictment in this case results from the tireless work of federal law enforcement and the valuable cooperation of corporate investigators and agency victims. These federal charges also serve as a reminder to those perpetrating cyber and fraud schemes, whether it be from Atlanta or any corner of the globe.”
“This case is an example of our persistent determination to hold criminals accountable no matter how sophisticated their cyber fraud or their geographic location,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This indictment would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of our federal law enforcement and private sector partners. The FBI would like to remind businesses to remain diligently alert to potential email compromises and fraud schemes.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges, and other information presented in court: Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators allegedly engaged in a scheme that involved sending phishing emails to victim companies and organizations in the United States and Europe, stealing employee access credentials, and then harvesting the credentials on computer servers. Some of the phishing emails contained a link to a webpage that was designed to resemble a login page for Microsoft Office but actually captured email account credentials. Using the stolen credentials, Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators then allegedly sent emails to other employees at the victim companies and organizations. The emails contained fake invoices that requested payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars into bank accounts connected to the conspirators.
As an example of this scheme, the indictment alleges that in November 2019, an employee of a company in the United Kingdom received a phishing email, which resulted in their credentials being logged, stolen, and later stored on a computer server that was allegedly accessed and maintained by Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators. Using the access credentials stolen from the employee, the conspirators allegedly sent an email to another employee of the company, which appeared to originate from one of the company’s vendors. The email attached a fraudulent invoice in the amount of $434,383.45 with wiring instructions to a bank in Hong Kong. The victim company later paid the fraudulent invoice and wired the funds to Hong Kong.
In another instance, in December 2019, using credentials stolen from a Massachusetts victim company employee, Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators allegedly sent an email to another employee of the company, which appeared to originate from one of the company’s vendors. The email attached a fraudulent invoice in the amount of $498,000 and requested that the victim send payment to a bank in Hong Kong. The victim paid the invoice, together with a second invoice in the same amount, wiring a total of $996,000 to a bank account in Hong Kong.
Christian Akhatsegbe, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, 46, of Lagos, Nigeria, were indicted by a federal grand jury on October 26, 2021. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Valuable assistance has also been provided by Microsoft Corporation’s Digital Crimes Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, is prosecuting the case together with attorneys from the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Albuquerque man pleads guilty to stalking local familyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Stephen Yochim, 48, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty in federal court on Oct. 18 to stalking. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
According to his plea agreement and other court records, Yochim allegedly sent a series of messages from multiple Google email (gmail) accounts to an Albuquerque couple. In highly graphic language, the messages, received between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, threatened physical violence against one of the recipients and expressed morbid joy at the prospect of cancer afflicting the other recipient. Included in the profane terms directed toward the family was the repeated use of an ethnic slur.
Yochim admitted that the messages served no legal or legitimate purpose and were intended to harass and intimidate the victims.
Yochim faces up to five years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A Hurtado is prosecuting the case.
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Wednesday 27 October 2021
York Man Sentenced to over 18 Years’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on October 27, 2021, Brandon Orr, a/k/a “B Orr,” age 29, of York, was sentenced to 224 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for conspiring to distribute over a kilogram of heroin laced with fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine while on federal supervision for a prior 2015 drug conviction.
The sentence consisted of 200 months’ imprisonment for the drug trafficking offenses and a consecutive sentence of 24 months’ imprisonment for violating his federal supervision from a 34-month sentence for distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, heroin and marijuana.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the investigation began with an overdose death in the City of York on December 2, 2017. Investigators connected the death to heroin laced with fentanyl sold by Lamar Johnson. They further determined that Luis Minier and Orr were bringing kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine into York on a weekly basis from September 2017 until December 2017. A kilogram of heroin is the equivalent of approximately 40,000 individual doses of heroin. Police seized over 700 grams of heroin and a kilogram of cocaine during police searches in December 2017.
Coconspirators Luis Minier, a/k/a “Cito,” age 29, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment; Javiel Snellings, age 28, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and was sentenced to two years of probation; and, Lamar Johnson, age 33, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and is awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Capitol Safe Streets Task Force, which included representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the York County Drug Task Force, and Springettsbury Township Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is prosecuting the case.
These cases are 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.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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York Man Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that William Barton, age 40, of York County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 26, 2021, to 180 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner after Barton entered a guilty plea to conspiring to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, following a roughly year-long investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives which focused on drug activity at a bar in York City, it was determined that Barton was part of a drug trafficking organization. Using an undercover federal agent, federal law enforcement purchased more than 500 grams of crack cocaine from Barton and his co-conspirators in 2019.
The following coconspirators pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing: Michael Adams, 44, Denzel Swan, 38, and Furman Dennis, 40, all of York County, Pennsylvania. Coconspirators Anthony Rankins, 40, and Dorral Basknight, 42, both of York County, are awaiting trial.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the York City Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the York County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny Baer prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh several factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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West Monroe Man Found Guilty in Murder-for-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a federal jury in Monroe, Louisiana, returned a guilty verdict yesterday afternoon convicting Steven Marcus Kelley, 48, of West Monroe, Louisiana, in connection with a murder-for-hire plot. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the two-day trial.
On December 16, 2020, Kelley was indicted by a grand jury and charged with use of a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire. The charge stemmed from a letter that Kelley wrote while incarcerated at Ouachita Correctional Center (OCC) and awaiting trial for the rape and molestation of his then-12-year-old and 8-year-old stepdaughters. In the letter, Kelley tried to hire someone to kill his ex-wife, who is the mother of the victims in the sex crimes case. Kelley mailed the letter to an individual in Monroe.
Evidence introduced at the federal trial this week revealed that Kelley obtained the address to which he mailed the letter from another inmate at OCC. Believing the individual who lived at that address would carry out the murder, Kelley offered “$10k for the job” for the individual to put “2 in the chest, 2 in the head” and to “make sure it counts.” Kelley drew a map in both blue and black ink of the area where his ex-wife worked. In an effort to avoid the letter and crime being traced back to him, Kelley used another inmate’s name for the return address. Kelley caused the letter to be mailed from OCC via the United States Postal Service.
On the night of December 10, 2019, the individual who lived at the address to where Kelley mailed the letter received and read the contents of the letter. The letter provided a physical description of the victim, the vehicle she drove, where she worked and her normal schedule to arrive at work. The letter stated that it “HAS to look like a robbery.” Realizing that the letter was soliciting someone to commit a murder, the individual took the letter to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office the next morning.
Law enforcement officers were able to pull surveillance video from OCC. The video showed that, on December 5, 2019, Kelley was sitting on his bed writing a letter. Kelley can be seen in the video alternating between two different pens, which was consistent with the two ink colors used to draw the map. Later that same day, Kelley can be seen taking an envelope into the cell of the inmate who provided the address of the hopeful hitman. Kelley sat on the fellow inmate’s bed and addressed the letter. Moments later, the inmate whose name Kelley used on the return address of the letter entered the cell and engaged in a conversation with Kelley and the other inmate. Later that evening, Kelley can be seen giving the letter to another inmate who in turns gives it to a correctional officer for mailing.
On December 30, 2019, law enforcement officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the Pods at the OCC where Kelley was housed at the time of the incident. Deputies found in Kelley’s belongings a blue and black in pen. They found in the other inmate’s bunk the address of the individual to whom Kelley mailed the letter.
Kelley faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted in and investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Cassidy and Leon H. Whitten prosecuted the case.
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Washington Parish Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TREVION HARRIS, a/k/a “Trigga,” age 24, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 120 months imprisonment, 60 months of supervised release and payment of a $600 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty to six counts of an twelve-count indictment charging him and two of his brothers with several narcotics offenses, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. HARRIS also pled to three (3) counts of distribution of a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, one (1) count of distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and one (1) count of distribution of a quantity of cocaine base (“crack”).
According to court documents, Special Agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms identified TREVION HARRIS as a methamphetamine trafficker in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Using a confidential source, beginning in November of 2018 through May 1, 2019, agents made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from TREVION, Jonzarrion and Demarquiez HARRIS in amounts ranging from two (2) grams to as many as eight (8) ounces.
For the conspiracy charge, TREVION HARRIS faced a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years up to a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five (5) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. The four counts of distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine and crack carry the same penalty of a maximum of twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three (3) years supervised release. The distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine carries the following penalty of a mandatory minimum term of five (5) years imprisonment up to a maximum term of forty (40) years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years supervised release. HARRIS must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count of conviction.
This prosecution was part of an extensive investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Bogalusa Police Department of individuals suspected of trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and/or firearms in the Bogalusa area. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones.
Virginia Man Sentenced for Distributing Methamphetamine, Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Wytheville, Virginia man was sentenced earlier this month to 248 months in prison for distributing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm.
Following a three-day trial in September, a jury convicted Tracy Leonard Brown, 45, on four counts—one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of possessing firearms after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine while knowingly being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.
According to evidence presented at trial, Brown was arrested on July 3, 2019 after a high-speed pursuit through Carroll County where he used a scout to avoid law enforcement. Searches of Brown’s person and car uncovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine, two pistols, digital scales, baggies, and roughly $3,800 in cash. The evidence also showed that Brown had sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Wytheville just weeks before the high-speed pursuit.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division made the announcement.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police.
Assistant United State Attorneys Whit D. Pierce and Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Virginia Man Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Virginia man today for producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 26, of McLean, engaged in sexual conversations over multiple mobile messaging platforms with at least six different minors. In these conversations, he directed five minors to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler, and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders obtained these images from a Darkweb website, the sole purpose of which was to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.
Sanders was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth M. Schlessinger and Jay V. Prabhu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
United States Naval Intelligence Software Engineer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Justin Ryan Best, age 46, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.
According to his guilty plea, from 2013 to April 2021, Best operated an illegal steroid manufacturing business from his Laurel, Maryland residence and conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, home manufactured steroids throughout the United States.
In March 2021, investigators received information about a suspicious parcel that had been shipped from a Chinese sender to Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. The shipment was flagged because two shipments from the same China-based sender were previously seized and contained equipment to illegally press pharmaceutical pills. The parcel destined for Best also contained a similar cargo description that was previously used for other Chinese shipments containing pill press components. After the interception of the parcel destined for Best, investigators discovered pill press components concealed inside bubble wrap.
As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. Officers located and seized 8,500 units of controlled substances used in manufacturing steroids, including two 2,000-milliliter jars of testosterone cypionate, 198 pills of oxandrolone, 114 pills of stanozolol, 61 pills of oxymetholone, nine 10-milliliter vials of testosterone enanthate, one 10-milliliter vial of testosterone phenylpropionate, syringes, and packaging and mailing materials.
In addition to precious metals, collectable coins, and $6,127 in cash, officers recovered approximately 167 firearms consisting of 120 handguns, 39 rifles, seven shotguns, and 25 silencers. Officers also seized hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as 277 firearm magazines and 18 sets of firearm accessories from Best’s garage. Best agreed that the seized firearms, silencers, ammunition, magazines and firearm accessories were purchased with proceeds of his manufacturing and distribution of controlled substances.
In an interview with law enforcement, Best stated that he had manufactured and distributed steroids for approximately 10 years and that he purchased the raw material from Chinese sellers using cash or Bitcoin. Best also stated that he mixed and manufactured vials of steroids at his residence, sold the products on an encrypted messaging application, and commonly shipped the steroids using the U.S. Mail to customers throughout the United States. Best also informed officers that he was employed full-time as a software engineer and contractor for the United States Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence, which paid him a salary of approximately $140,000 a year. Best estimated that his drug trafficking operation generated an additional $100,000 per year.
Best faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.
This case was prosecuted utilizing resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes (DMDCC) Task Force. The DMDCC Task Force is a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI – Baltimore, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department, targeting the use of dark net marketplaces and digital currencies to facilitate criminal activities. The past several years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the internet (both the clear net and dark net) and digital currencies to facilitate, for example, the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms, computer technologies (including hacking tools), and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). In response to this rising threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and their partners formed the DMDCC Task Force to facilitate stronger collaboration among law enforcement partners combatting these crimes.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, ATF, the Maryland State Police – Forensic Sciences Division and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who are prosecuting the case.
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Two Philadelphia-area Ticket Brokers Charged with Conspiring with Former USGA Employee to Steal and Sell Thousands of U.S. Open Tickets Worth over $3.7 MillionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Jeremi Michael Conaway, 46, of West Chester, PA, and James Bell, 69, of Glen Mills, PA, were both charged by separate Informations with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of wire fraud.
The Informations allege that Conaway and Bell each conspired with former United States Golf Association (“USGA”) employee Robert Fryer, who already pleaded guilty to similar charges, to operating a fraud scheme against the USGA whereby Fryer would steal U.S. Open tickets and provide them to Conaway and Bell in return for cash. The Informations further allege that Conaway and Bell sold these U.S. Open tickets through their companies for a profit. The filings also allege that the USGA had no knowledge that Fryer was stealing these tickets or providing them to the ticket brokers. In fact, the USGA had a strict 20 ticket cap on the number of tickets that it would sell to any one person, but Conaway and Bell were allegedly able to acquire thousands of tickets to U.S. Open tournaments by buying stolen tickets from Fryer, who delivered the stolen U.S. Open tickets to Conaway and Bell sometimes in person, and sometimes by sending them via Federal Express or UPS, either to the ticket brokers themselves or directly to their customers.
The Information filed against Conaway alleges that Conaway, who initially worked for another ticket broker, began purchasing from Fryer stolen U.S. Open tickets in 2013, when the U.S. Open was held at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Information alleges that in connection with the 2013 through 2015 U.S. Open tournaments, Conaway sold, through his then-employer, a total of 4,918 stolen U.S. Open tickets that he had obtained from Fryer, with a face value of $774,230. The Information further alleges that starting in 2015, Conaway began selling the stolen tickets through a new ticket broker company he owned and operated, Eagle Eye Ticketing Management, LLC (“Eagle Eye”). In connection with the 2015 through 2019 U.S. Open tournaments, Conaway purchased from Fryer and sold through Eagle Eye 10,586 stolen U.S. Open tournament tickets for $1,789,853, for which defendant Conaway paid Fryer $513,719, thus earning a profit of $1,276,134, which the Information seeks to have forfeited. The Information alleges that all told, whether through his employer or through his own company, Conaway obtained stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer that had a face value of $2,428,465, which should have been paid to the USGA for the tickets, thus causing to USGA to lose that amount of ticket revenue.
The Information filed against Bell alleges that Bell, who operated Sherry’s Theater Ticket Agency, Inc. (“Sherry’s”), began purchasing stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer in 2017, in advance of the U.S. Open that was held at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin, and continued purchasing stolen tickets through the 2019 U.S. Open. The Information alleges that Bell paid Fryer $324,652 for at least 7,000 stolen U.S. Open tournament tickets, which Bell sold for $922,886, thus yielding a profit of $598,234, which the Information seeks to have forfeited. The Information alleges that all told, Bell obtained stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer that had a face value of $1,282,000, which should have been paid to the USGA for the tickets, thus causing to USGA to lose that amount of ticket revenue.
“These defendants allegedly stole revenue from an American insititution and legitimate business that pays taxes, employs many, supports a non-profit organization, and brings excitement and income to our district with U.S. Open events at courses like the Merion Golf Club,” said Acting U. S. Attorney Williams. “Criminals that conduct ticket schemes like this prey on the excitement surrounding big events; fans should remember that any item with a low price that seems ‘too good to be true’ should be cause for caution and concern.”
Conaway and Bell each face a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison, a three-year period of supervised release, a $1,250,000 fine, and a $500 special assessment. In addition, Conaway and Bell each will be required to pay restitution to the USGA and forfeit the proceeds each obtained as a result of their fraud.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.
Two Defendants Convicted for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday against OLUWASEUN ADELEKAN, a/k/a “Sean Adelekan,” and TEMITOPE OMOTAYO for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska presided over the one-week trial.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a unanimous jury swiftly determined, Oluwaseun Adelekan and Temitope Omotayo were members of a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from businesses large and small across the globe and to launder their fraud proceeds domestically and internationally. The two will now pay for their criminal activity and the harm they exacted upon their victims. ”
As reflected in the Superseding Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
Beginning no later than in or about July 2016, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO agreed with others to impersonate trusted advisers and business partners of victim individuals and businesses, and to trick those victims into wiring millions of dollars into “business” bank accounts controlled by ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators.
After the victims wired funds intended for their advisers and business partners to ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO caused those funds to be transferred quickly into different bank accounts in various locations throughout the world, including China and Nigeria. ADELAKAN and OMOTAYO also created fraudulent invoices and contracts, using their victims’ identities, to be submitted to banks in support of the large volume of funds that were fraudulently transmitted via wire transfers.
Through these false and deceptive representations over the course of the scheme, ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators caused losses to victims in excess of $6 million.
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ADELEKAN, 39, of the United States and Nigeria, and OMOTAYO, 39, of Nigeria, were each convicted of (1) one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; (2) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and (3) one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison. The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by Judge Preska. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2022.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca T. Dell, Daniel H. Wolf, and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.
Thirteen Defendants Plead Guilty in $126 Million Compounding Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Thirteen defendants, including three compounding pharmacy owners, three physicians, two pharmacists, and three patient recruiters, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to a years-long, multi-state scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and TRICARE.
According to court documents, the defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces. The defendants also paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and to physicians to induce them to prescribe these drugs. The defendants chose the particular compounds and other drugs based not on the patients’ medical needs but in light of the amount of reimbursement for the drugs. The drugs were then mailed to patients, even though the patients often never requested, wanted, or needed them.
“The health care fraud and kickback scheme executed by these defendants manipulated federal health care programs for personal gain without regard for patient need or medical necessity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I applaud our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their hard work on this investigation and prosecution. The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those whose unlawful conduct targets federal health care programs.”
“Last week’s guilty pleas are a testament to the dedication and determination of the investigative and legal teams,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Southern Area Field Office. “The Postal Service spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on health care related costs and these monies are critical to those who legitimately need medical services. As in this case, our criminal investigators will diligently pursue any individual or organization intent on defrauding the Postal Service with an eye on both federal prosecution and returning lost monies to the affected program.”
“These defendants put illegal profits above patients’ safety,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Steve Grell of the DOL Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Dallas Region. “Last week’s pleas highlight our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s benefit programs.”
“As the investigative arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of the TRICARE program,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “The results of this case are a testament to the resolve of DCIS, our law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold individuals that attempt to defraud the TRICARE program accountable.”
The defendants were charged in a June 2018 indictment and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, health care fraud, and/or kickback charges. All 13 defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in February 2022 and face a statutory maximum sentence of between five and 20 years. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The USPS-OIG, DOL-OIG, and DCIS investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
Trial Attorneys Catherine Wagner, Patrick Queenan, and Jay McCormack of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorneys Scott Armstrong, Sarah Edwards, John Scanlon, and Michael McCarthy of the Fraud Section previously prosecuted the case.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Two Armed Robberies at Area 7-Eleven StoresRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Giovanni Gort (32, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each armed robbery count and a minimum mandatory penalty of 7 years’ imprisonment for the firearm offense, to be served consecutive to the armed robbery counts. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, in the early morning of February 10, 2021, Gort entered a 7-Eleven convenience store on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. Gort pulled out a gun, pointed it at the store clerk, and said “give me everything you got. I be back to see you. If you say something, I’m going to come back and shoot you.” The clerk took $435 from her cash register and gave it to Gort, who then fled the scene. The clerk immediately reported the incident to law enforcement and stated she had never been so scared in her life.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Gort entered a 7-Eleven convenience store located on Memorial Highway in Tampa and said, “give me all your money, bro,” before ordering the two store clerks behind the counter at gunpoint. The clerks gave Gort approximately $100 in a plastic bag. While they were collecting the money, the clerks saw Gort rack the slide of the gun. Keeping the employees at gunpoint while he backed out of the store, Gort then fled the scene.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shauna Hale and Craig Gestring.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Two Detroit Police Officers Indicted for Bribery and Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A federal indictment was unsealed today charging two Detroit police officers—one of whom was a lieutenant who had been in command of the Detroit Police Department’s Integrity Unit—with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, in connection with the corruption of towing permits in Detroit, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Charged were Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, 56, of Rochester Hills, and Officer Daniel S. Vickers, 54, of Livonia.
According to the indictment, while serving as the supervisor in command of the police department’s Integrity Unit, which was responsible for investigating reports of law violations and professional misconduct by police officers and other city employees, Kennedy conspired with Vickers to commit bribery by accepting money and other items of value in exchange for Kennedy using and promising to use his influence as a supervisor to persuade other officers to make tow referrals to a towing company in violation of the city’s ordinance and Detroit Police Department policy. The Integrity Unit is part of the department’s Internal Affairs Division. Under the city’s towing rotation, qualifying private towing companies are called by the police to tow cars that are seized by the police or reported stolen. Kennedy and Vickers were aware that by making towing referrals directly to a towing company which was not on the city’s towing rotation, they were violating the city’s rules and an ordinance which prohibit a towing company from receiving towing referrals if they are not on police department’s towing rotation.
It was also part of the conspiracy that Kennedy and Vickers conspired to solicit and accept thousands of dollars in cash, cars, car parts, car repairs, and new carpeting for Vickers’ home, in exchange for providing the towing company that Kennedy was investigating with information about the status of the Integrity Unit’s case.
As part of the conspiracy, between October 2018, and March 2021, Kennedy accepted over $14,000 in cash, cars, and car repairs as a bribe from the owner of the towing company and from an undercover federal agent. Between February 2018 and June 2018, Vickers accepted $3,400 in bribe payments from the towing company. Kennedy is charged in three separate bribery counts, in addition to the bribery conspiracy count. Vickers is also charged with three bribery counts besides the conspiracy charge.
The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The bribery conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
This is the second case charged as part of the government’s investigation known as “Operation Northern Hook.” Northern Hook is an investigation of corruption within the government and the Police Department of the City of Detroit relating to the towing industry and other matters.
Acting United States Attorney Mohsin said, “The vast majority of police officers are outstanding public servants and the criminal actions of these defendants should not undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement. Police officers who compromise the integrity of the Police Department by prioritizing personal gain over policing excellence will not be tolerated, and this type of betrayal of the police department and the citizens of Detroit will be thwarted at every turn. Today’s indictment is a step in that direction. We thank the Detroit Police Department’s Chief, James White, for his assistance in this investigation.”
“Police officers take an oath to protect and serve their community. Kennedy and Vickers allegedly used their official positions to benefit themselves personally. Their actions are not in keeping with the integrity and professionalism exhibited by the Detroit Police Department every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “The FBI appreciates the partnership and cooperation of Police Chief James White as we continue to address public corruption in the City of Detroit.”
Chief White stated, “I am profoundly disappointed with the crimes allegedly committed by members of the Detroit Police Department. We continue to work with our Federal partners to ensure corruption and misconduct are rooted out of every area of Government operations including the Police Department. We hold ourselves to a high standard and these actions fall far short of those standards. It is also important to emphasize that the actions of a few do not represent the vast majority of the fine women and men of the Detroit Police Department who faithfully serve the citizens of Detroit on a daily basis.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dawn N. Ison and Eaton P. Brown.
An indictment is only a charging document 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.
Superseding Indictment Charges 10 Western PA Defendants with Violating Drug and Gun LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A federal grand jury returned a six-count Superseding Indictment charging ten defendants from Westmoreland, Allegheny, and Lawrence Counties in Pennsylvania with violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The Superseding Indictment charges the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms grams or more of cocaine, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until in and around June 2020:
• Donald Epps, 66, of New Kensington, PA;
• Michael Glenn, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Michael Turner, 49, of Wampum, PA;
• Gary Wilkinson, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Dion Williams, 45, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Ivan Upsher, 59, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Gerald Bogan Jr., 41, of Pittsburgh, PA;
• Michael Jones, 70, of Monessen, PA; and
• Jeremiah Irving, 32, of New Castle, PA.Count Two charges Michael Glenn and Timothy Harris, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA, with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as “crack”, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until February 2020. Donald Epps, Michael Glenn and Dion Williams are each charged with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition as convicted felons in Counts Three, Four, and Five. Federal law prohibits felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. The sixth and final count charges Defendant Irving with possessing a quantity of cocaine base with the intent to distribute it on or about November 23, 2020.
The defendants charged in Count One of the Superseding Indictment face a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. The defendants charged in Count Two of the Superseding Indictment face a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. As to the firearms offenses charged in Count Three, Four, and Five of the Superseding Indictment, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both (Defendants Glenn and Epps could face enhanced penalties set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 924(e), which includes not 15 years to life imprisonment). As to defendant Irving charged in Count Six, the law provides for a term of imprisonment up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Bureau of Narcotics Investigations) led the multiagency investigation that also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Store Owner and Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Paying Bribes to City of Taylor OfficialsRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Dominick’s Market owner and real estate developer, Hadir Altoon, 49, of Farmington Hills, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bribery with Richard Sollars, Mayor of the City of Taylor, Jeffrey Baum, City of Taylor Community Development Manager, and Shady Awad, real estate developer, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Timothy Waters, Special Agent In Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
During his guilty plea hearing, Altoon admitted to paying bribes to Mayor Sollars by giving Sollars tens of thousands of dollars in cash, scratch-off lottery tickets, and other items of value, and facilitating the payment of bribes to Sollars by Shady Awad, in connection with the City of Taylor’s Right of First Refusal (“ROFR”) Program. The ROFR Program is designed to allow Taylor to acquire tax-foreclosed properties from Wayne County for redevelopment. According to court records, between 2017 and 2019, Altoon paid and/or facilitated the payment of over $80,000 in cash to Sollars and over $4,000 in cash payments and other items of value to Baum in exchange for Sollars’s and Baum’s assistance in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties under the City’s ROFR program. Altoon also conspired with Sollars to steal money from Sollars’s campaign fund by preparing false and inflated invoices for catering services that were never rendered, were prepared in amounts higher than the actual amount for the catering services provided, and/or were for catering services for which Altoon had already been paid by the City of Taylor.
In furtherance of the fraudulent scheme, Altoon issued the false invoices to Sollars’s campaign fund and completed blank campaign fund checks, bearing Baum’s signature as treasurer of the campaign fund, in the amounts of the false invoices. Altoon cashed the campaign checks based on the false invoices at his store, Dominick’s Market, and gave Sollars cash and/or scratch-off lottery tickets in same amounts of the checks, totaling over $35,000. Altoon also engaged in this same fraudulent conduct by accepting checks made payable to Dominick’s Market, purportedly for catering services to Sollars’s campaign, from donors to Sollars’s campaign. Altoon cashed the donors’ checks, totaling over $12,000 and gave Sollars cash and/or scratch-off lottery tickets in the total amounts of the checks. Altoon also facilitated Sollars’s bribery activities with co-conspirator Shady Awad by accepting credit card information from Awad and charging over $19,000 to Awad’s credit cards, which Altoon converted to cash and gave to Sollars. Altoon also converted blank money orders, totaling $3,000, into cash for Sollars and gave Baum $5,000 in cash for a Sollars campaign golf event. It was also part of the conspiracy that Altoon gave Baum gift cards and over $4,000 in cash. In exchange for the cash and other items of value Altoon provided to Sollars and Baum, another developer transferred two properties and Awad transferred nine properties, that were originally transferred to that other developer and Awad, respectively under the City’s ROFR program, to Altoon.
The bribery conspiracy count to which Altoon pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of 5 years of imprisonment. Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, it is likely that Altoon will face a guideline sentencing range of between 27 and 33 months of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Mohsin said, “We will continue to unearth public corruption wherever we find it in this district. Those who persist in helping public officials deny the citizens of this district the honest services they deserve will be held accountable.”
“The corrupt activities uncovered in this case were facilitated by men whose desire for favorable treatment outweighed notions of integrity and fair play,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “Those who seek to influence public officials through bribery will be aggressively pursued and prosecuted.”
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
South Bend, Indiana Man Sentenced to 25 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Armand White, 34 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to brandishing a firearm during a robbery, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
White was sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in November of 2019, White and another individual robbed a tobacco store at gunpoint. They ordered the store clerk to lay on ground or be shot, while they stole cigarettes and money from the cash register. At the time of the commission of the offense, White was on supervised release for a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Mishawaka and South Bend Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Schultz.
This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Sixteen Individuals Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy and/or Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Fifteen members and associates of the Sin City Deciples have been charged in a Superseding Indictment with a racketeering conspiracy as well as a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A sixteenth individual has been charged in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
According to the Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is a motorcycle organization in which its members and associates allegedly engage in acts of violence, extortion, trafficking in stolen property, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
The fifteen defendants charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances are: Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black,” 51, of Gary, Indiana; Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan,” 44, of Gary, Indiana; Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny” and “Angel,” 72, of Merrillville, Indiana; Michael Castro Rivera a/k/a “Puerto Rican Mike,” 64, of Gary, Indiana; Douglas Sherman Blowers a/k/a “Profit,” 41, of Lake Station, Indiana; Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo,” 42, of Hobart, Indiana; Roger Lee Ervin Burton a/k/a “Bo,” 52, of East Chicago, Indiana; James Ulrich Richardson a/k/a “Little Rick,” 52, of Crown Point, Indiana; Richard White a/k/a “Ignorant Bastard,” 54, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Brandon Romand Parks a/k/a “Baywatch,” 43, of Chicago, Illinois; Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” 49, of Jacksonville, Arkansas; David Lagrant Guy a/k/a “Fly Guy,” 51, of Merrillville, Indiana; Jessie Donald Willis a/k/a “Chip,” 57, of Portage, Indiana; Marvie D. Gardner a/k/a “Widowmaker,” 51, of Louisville, Kentucky; and Bernard Smith, a/k/a “Flirt” and “Preacher,” 59, of Gary, Indiana. Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo” is also charged with distribution of cocaine and possessing a firearm as a felon.
The Superseding Indictment also charges Gregory Patrick Weldon a/k/a “Sugar Bear,” 53, of Hobart, Indiana, in the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in addition to charging him with distribution of cocaine.
The initial Indictment alleged that Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black” and Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan” engaged in murder for hire and used a firearm during and in relation to murder in connection with the December 19, 2010 murder of Jocelyn Blair. Major and Gates remain charged with these crimes in the Superseding Indictment.
This Superseding Indictment was announced by Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
These charges are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The agencies involved in the Sin City Deciples investigation are: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, Western District of Kentucky, and Western District of Pennsylvania also provided assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and Thomas R. Mahoney.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A superseding indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Santa Fe woman sentenced to eight months in prison for assault of Nambe Pueblo teenRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Brittany Huizar, 20, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was sentenced in federal court today to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. A grand jury indicted Huizar on Nov. 4, 2020, and Huizar pleaded guilty on March 31.
In her plea, Huizar admitted that during the evening of Dec. 31, 2019, she was hanging out with a group of younger boys and girls, including the victim, an enrolled member of Nambe Pueblo who was 13-years old at the time. At about midnight, the group drove to an Española park, located on the Santa Clara Pueblo in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. At the park, a group of the girls, including Huizar, jumped the victim, identified in court records as Jane Doe. Huizar admitted to hitting and kicking Jane Doe.
After the first attack, Jane Doe was ordered to get into the trunk before the group proceeded toward Chimayo, where they again assaulted Jane Doe, and Huizar admitted to slamming the victim’s head against the side of the car. Jane Doe again was ordered to get into the trunk and the group drove to La Mesilla, New Mexico, where the victim escaped. Jane Doe was treated by emergency medical personnel for a left knee sprain and numerous contusions, scrapes and bruises to her head, chest and body.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico State Police and the Española Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Nayback prosecuted the case.
San Jose Residents Plead Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy in Craigslist Automobile Resale Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO –Ramil Heydarov and Orkhan Aliyev pleaded guilty today to conspiracy charges related to a scheme to defraud purchasers of vehicles on the Craigslist website by rolling back the odometers on vehicles before reselling them, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The guilty pleas were accepted by the Honorable Susan Illston, Senior U.S. District Judge, and, along with the October 12, 2021, guilty plea of Seymur Khalilov, establishes that all three defendants charged in the case have now pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy charges.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, from at least October 2017 through December 2020, Khalilov, 32; Heydarov, 31; and Aliyev, 32, all of San Jose, conspired to purchase high-mileage vehicles, roll back the odometers, and falsify documentation to make the vehicles appear newer. Specifically, the co-conspirators altered the odometers of numerous vehicles and altered registrations and titles, among other items, to fraudulently decrease the mileage readings of the vehicles and, thus, increase their sales value. The co-conspirators then posted advertisements of the vehicles on Craigslist to advertise the vehicles to victims who were not aware of the fraudulent alterations. Additionally, the defendants admitted using doctored driver’s licenses containing their photograph but the names of prior vehicle owners to facilitate the sale of these vehicles. The co-conspirators each acknowledged that the goal of the conspiracy was to sell vehicles to victims for an increased price based on the fraudulent odometer readings. According to the plea agreements, the co-conspirators sold at least 78 vehicles with rolled back odometer readings, resulting in a total loss to the victims of greater than $550,000.
All three defendants were charged in a single criminal complaint filed on May 3, 2021, and each was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. As a result of today’s proceedings, all three defendants now have pleaded guilty to the charge. In addition, the defendants each have agreed as part of their plea agreements to pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracy in amounts reflecting the defendant’s respective role in the conspiracy. Khalilov has agreed to pay restitution in an amount between $360,000 and $534,072 that will be set by the court. Heydarov agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $379,235 and Aliyev agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $196,578.
Judge Illston scheduled the defendants’ sentencing for February 4, 2022. In addition to restitution, the conspiracy charge carries a maximum statutory prison term of up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The court also may order a term of supervised release to follow the prison term. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leif Dautch and Ankur Shingal are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk and Soana Katoa. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the California Department of Motor Vehicles Investigations Division in Vallejo, the San Ramon Police Department, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigations.
Rockford Man Found Guilty of Robbery and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man has been convicted of federal robbery and firearm charges in connection with a series of violent retail store robberies in Rockford.
After a seven-day trial in U.S. District Court in Rockford, the jury on Tuesday convicted RICKEY CLAYBRON, 35, of Rockford, on one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Claybron faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced next year.
The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Crime Task Force, which includes law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, Rockford Police Department, Loves Park Police Department and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus and Kaitlin Klamann.
According to evidence presented at trial, Claybron and his co-conspirators conducted four violent robberies in the fall of 2015:
- Oct. 28, 2015: H&A Tobacco, 1623 Broadway in Rockford. Claybron entered the store, pointed his gun at a clerk, and ordered the clerk and a customer to get on the ground. Cash and multiple cartons of cigarettes were stolen from the store, along with the clerk’s personal belongings.
- Nov. 2, 2015: Advance Auto, 3019 Auburn St. in Rockford. During the robbery, a store employee was ordered at gunpoint to lay on the ground while another employee was ordered to open the cash registers. One employee was struck in the side of the face with a gun and later shot at when he ran from the store. The robbers stole cash from the store and from one of the employees.
- Nov. 5, 2015: Zake Convenience, 824 7th St. in Rockford. In this attempted robbery, Claybron entered the store first, pointing a gun directly at store clerks and then reaching behind a partition waving his gun. When Claybron was unable to gain access to the cash register, he and the other robbers fled the store.
- Nov. 13, 2015: Shell Express, 3003 11th St. in Rockford. Claybron pointed a sawed-off shotgun at customers while a co-conspirator, DEANDRE R. HAYWOOD of Rockford, pointed a gun at store employees and grabbed cigarettes and cash from the registers. Haywood then shot one of the employees in the back while Claybron struck an employee in the head with his shotgun.
Haywood and a third co-conspirator, DARNELL LEAVY of Rockford, pleaded guilty prior to trial. Haywood was sentenced to 26 and a half years in federal prison, while Leavy was sentenced to eleven and a half years.
Repeat Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Attempted Sex Abuse in VietnamRead the Press Release
A U.S. citizen residing outside the United States was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for attempting to molest an 11-year-old boy in Vietnam.
Joseph Ricky Park, 67, aka Joseph Demasi, pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a child. According to court documents, around January 2015, while living in Vietnam, Park invited three Vietnamese boys to his apartment under the guise of offering English language instruction. At his apartment, while the boys played video games, Park placed his hand on a victim’s genitals and then proceeded to “pinch” and stroke the victim’s genitals through the victim’s clothing. Park then placed his hand inside the victim’s pants and attempted to continue stroking the victim’s genitals, but the victim pushed Park’s hand away.
Park was prosecuted in this case following a 2013 amendment to a federal criminal statute that prohibits U.S. citizens residing abroad from committing sex offenses against minors. Park, who resided outside the United States without returning from March 2003 until his arrest in this case in January 2016, challenged the constitutionality of this provision. In September 2019, in the first appellate opinion to consider the issue, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the application of this statute to the facts of this case.
According to court documents, Park has multiple prior convictions for offenses against minors. In 1987, he was convicted in Connecticut of two counts of injury or risk of injury to children, and one count of sexual assault in the second degree, for which he received concurrent sentences of ten years’ imprisonment, and served five years in prison, then was released, violated probation, and was re-imprisoned. In 2003, he was convicted of attempted corruption of a minor in Cuba and served more than two years in prison. According to court documents, the defendant repeatedly acknowledged having a sexual attraction to boys nearing or going through puberty.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by agents in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Guam, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Deputy Chief Alexandra R. Gelber and Trial Attorney Lauren S. Kupersmith of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case. Attorney Sonja Ralston of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section handled the appeal.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Randolph County woman admits to methamphetamine chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Patricia Ann Mahoney, of Elkins, West Virginia, has admitted to a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Mahoney, 52, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Distribution of at Least Five Grams of Methamphetamine.” Mahoney admitted to selling at least five grams of methamphetamine in February 2020 in Randolph County.
Mahoney faces at least five years and up to 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $5 million. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Queens Man Charged with Murdering Woman in Life Insurance SchemeRead the Press Release
A superseding indictment was filed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Cory Martin with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire. Martin was previously charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of identification relating to an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain life insurance policies in the name of Brandy Odom, a 26-year-old woman, murder her, and then claim benefits under the life insurance policies.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.
“The defendant allegedly brutally murdered a young woman, dismembered her body and scattered her body parts in a Brooklyn park in order to profit from life insurance policies that he fraudulently obtained in her name,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “He will now be held to account for his alleged heinous acts. We hope that today’s charges bring some measure of solace to the victim’s family.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the Brooklyn South Homicide Squad of the New York City Police Department and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their outstanding investigative work on this case and for their assistance during the prosecution.
“It's unthinkable that a person could view another human being as a get rich quick scheme. We allege Mr. Martin murdered, then dismembered a young woman so he could cash in on fraudulent life insurance policies. Ms. Odom didn't deserve the sheer indignity of dying that way, no one does. Mr. Martin facing justice won't bring Ms. Odom back, but it will keep him from plotting another despicable attempt at profiting off someone's life,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
“With dogged tenacity and meticulous investigative work, our NYPD detectives and law enforcement partners never wavered in their mission to seek justice for this crime victim. Now, more than three years after the malicious fraud and brutal killing alleged in today's indictment, New Yorkers can find our collective answer in these court papers from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.
As alleged in the indictment and other court documents, in March 2017, a year prior to Odom’s murder, Martin and a co-conspirator fraudulently obtained two life insurance policies in the victim’s name. They arranged for premium payments to the life insurance companies to be made by Western Union money order and by using a debit card in Odom’s name.
In April 2018, Martin allegedly strangled Odom, and, over the course of several days, dismembered her corpse. On April 6, 2018, Martin had searched Home Depot’s website for an online listing for a “Dewalt 12-Amp Corded Reciprocating Saw,” described as featuring a “powerful 12 Amp motor designed for heavy-duty applications.” Later that evening, Martin searched YouTube using the search term “how to insert blade for reciprocating saw” and “using reciprocating saw,” which he subsequently deleted from his cell phone.
In the early morning of April 8 and April 9, 2018, Martin disposed of Odom’s body parts in Canarsie Park with the assistance of his co-conspirator. On April 10, 2018, Martin conducted dozens of Internet searches for news articles, including “Search area expands after dismembered body found in Canarsie Park in Brooklyn.” Martin also accessed a Twitter post titled “Person walking dog discovers remains of woman in Brooklyn park.” The following day, Martin searched YouTube using the search term “exclusive interview of mother of girl found in park.” After Odom’s murder, at Martin’s direction, several unsuccessful attempts to claim benefits under Odom’s life insurance policies were made by his co-conspirator.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Martin faces a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment, or possibly, the death penalty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar and Emily Dean are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
CORY MARTIN
Age: 34
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-549 (AMD)
Prosser, Washington Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Other Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Spokane – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that David Barnes Nay, age 42, of Prosser, Washington, was sentenced on October 20, 2021, after having pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute eight controlled substances (fentanyl, oxycodone, methadone, hydromorphone, methylphenidate, amphetamine mixture, carisoprodol and alprazolam) and six counts of distributing fentanyl and oxycodone. Senior United States District Judge Edward F. Shea sentenced Nay to a 78-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 5-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.
According to court documents, Dr. Janet Sue Arnold owned and operated Desert Wind Family Practice in Richland, Washington. Dr. Arnold pre-signed hundreds of blank prescription forms which enabled Nay, an addict and drug dealer, and other members of the conspiracy to distribute large quantities of opioid medications and other controlled substances.
United States Attorney Waldref said, “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington and our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners are working tirelessly to combat the opioid epidemic in our community. The sentence imposed sends a stern warning to those who may seek to illegally distribute fentanyl and other prescription medications that they will face significant consequences. I commend the diligent work of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, agents who investigated this case.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. This case was prosecuted by George J.C. Jacobs, III and Dominique Juliet Park, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.
Phoenix Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. –Andrew Walsh, 43, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 30 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Walsh previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
On August 28, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Walsh’s residence. At that time, Walsh was in possession of 496.9 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine intended for distribution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Pooley, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-20-00584-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-076_Walsh# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Perry County Man Sentenced to 270 Months for Federal Charges of Kidnapping and Armed Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky— A Perry County man, Thomas Hamblin, 65, was sentenced to 270 months in federal prison on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, after previously being convicted of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a kidnapping.
According to evidence presented at trial, Hamblin was working with others, including Bobby Sizemore, Robert Keith Caudill, and Doyle Back, to obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine, and to sell that cocaine to others in the Perry County area. Evidence further revealed that, after an attempted drug deal, Hamblin coordinated with others, including Luke Holbrook and Michael Rayburn, to kidnap and assault two victims in Tazewell, Tennessee. Specifically, Hamblin recruited Luke Holbrook into the plot and provided him with a firearm and ammunition. Holbrook, assisted by Rayburn and another individual, then held two victims at gun point, tied them up with duct tape, assaulted them with a baseball bat, and interrogated them, in an attempt to retaliate against them and recover Hamblin’s money or drugs. Portions of this kidnapping and assault were recorded on a cell phone that was recovered from the scene. That same cell phone revealed that Hamblin was contacted in the middle of the assault and kidnapping.
Hamblin was convicted of the charges in June 2021.
Hamblin’s co-defendants have been sentenced to the following:
- Bobby Sizemore, 64, of Cornettsville, Ky., was sentenced to 30 months and two years of supervised release.
- Michael Rayburn, 39, of London, Ky., was sentenced to 135 months and three years of supervised release.
- Luke Holbrook, 51, of Seco, Ky., was sentenced to 163 months of three years of supervised release.
- Robert Caudill, 41, of Cornettsville, Ky., was sentenced to 78 months and five years of supervised release.
- Doyle Back, 41, of London, Ky., was released based on time served (approximately 449 days) and received three years of supervised release.
Under federal law, Hamblin and his co-defendants must serve 85 percent of their prison sentence. Upon Hamblin’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for four years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Vic Brown Executive Director of AHIDTA; Minor Allen, Chief of the Hazard Police Department; Nancy Hale, President/CEO of Operation UNITE; Jeremy Meyers, Chief of the Tazewell Police Department; Bob Brooks, Sheriff of the Claiborne County Tennessee Sherriff’s Department, and Commissioner Phillip “PJ” Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, the Hazard Police Department, Operation UNITE, the Tazwell Tennessee Police Department, the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department, and the Kentucky State Police. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew Trimble.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, Acting U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement.
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Pediatric Associates, Samir Mullick, MD, Sc and Dr. Samir Mullick Agree to Pay over $700,000 to Resolve False Claims Act AllegationsRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard. G. Frohling announced on October 27, 2021 that Samir Mullick, MD, SC, which does business as Pediatric Associates, and its owner Dr. Samir Mullick, agreed to pay $706,599 to resolve allegations that Pediatric Associates submitted false claims to Medicaid for unnecessary treatment and visits.
According to court records, Pediatric Associates operates three pediatric clinics in the Milwaukee area. The United States alleged that Pediatric Associates, under the direction of Dr. Mullick, submitted claims to Medicaid that relied on falsified diagnosis codes to justify unnecessary and otherwise non-reimbursable office visits. The United States further alleged that Pediatric Associates submitted claims for medically unnecessary testing and treatment, with disparate and more aggressive testing protocols for patients with Medicaid coverage as opposed to privately-insured patients.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office prioritizes efforts to stop healthcare fraud and is committed to working with our federal, state, and local partners to protect health care program beneficiaries and the American taxpayers,” said Acting United States Frohling. “This settlement demonstrates our continuing efforts to combat violations of the False Claims Act.”
“Medical providers must ensure that the services they provide and bill for are medically necessary,” said Mario Pinto, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General – Chicago Region. “The OIG will continue to identify and investigate allegations of potential fraudulent billing to the Medicaid program in order to protect the health and safety of patients and vital taxpayer dollars.”
The government’s investigation resulted from a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Accordingly, the whistleblower will receive a share of the settlement amount. As part of the settlement, the government and the whistleblower will ask the district court to dismiss the whistleblower’s qui tam complaint.
Assistant United States Attorney Maura Flaherty represented the government in this matter. The investigation was assisted by HHS-OIG and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control & Elder Abuse Unit. The settlement agreement states allegations only; the defendants do not admit liability for the allegations.
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Ocean County Man Charged with Receipt, Distribution, and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – An Ocean County, New Jersey, man was arrested today on charges that he distributed, received, and possessed images and videos of child sexual abuse downloaded from the internet, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Jared Faircloth, 24, of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. Faircloth appeared this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2020 to July 2021, Faircloth received and distributed material containing images of child sexual abuse via the BitTorrent Network, a publicly available online peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing network of linked computers. Users must download P2P software, which is widely available for free on the internet. The software allows the user to place files into a designated “shared” folder on his or her hard drive, from which other BitTorrent users can then download those files directly to the “shared” folders of their own computers. Users can then search, select, and directly download, those files.
Law enforcement used investigative software to access the BitTorrent Network and downloaded video files containing images of child sexual abuse from a device or devices assigned to IP addresses linked to Faircloth. On July 22, 2021, law enforcement searched Faircloth’s residence and found a device belonging to Faircloth that contained more than 2,800 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, as well as BitTorrent software. Of those approximately 2,800 files, law enforcement identified at least 30 files that law enforcement had previously downloaded from IP addresses linked to Faircloth.
The charge of knowingly receiving and distributing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a statutory maximum fine equal to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greatest. The charge of knowingly possessing child pornography carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, and a statutory maximum fine equal to $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrest. She also thanked the Department of the Air Force, Office of Special Investigations, for its assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Super Pitts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Benjamin West Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Trenton
Oakland Oral Surgeon Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Child Sex CrimesRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Cassidy Migan Lavorini-Doyle was sentenced today in federal court to 192 months (16 years) in prison for his convictions of attempted sex trafficking of a child, attempted production of child pornography, traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and the receipt of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer.
Lavorini-Doyle, 38, a Yale-educated oral surgeon and Oakland resident, entered into a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the above charges on May 26, 2021. In the plea agreement, Lavorini-Doyle admitted to numerous acts that involved sexual abuse or intended sexual abuse of children. Lavorini-Doyle admitted in his plea agreement that in 2018 he met an adult prostitute online and asked her to arrange “sex dates” with female children. He eventually met with the prostitute in person in Berkeley to further the plans. Lavorini-Doyle arranged the timing, location, and payment for sex with minor girls when he communicated with the adult prostitute. Lavorini-Doyle admitted that he had sex dates with each of two girls, and he believed they were minors. During these encounters, he recorded the sex acts without the girls’ permission. He saved the videos with file names that included “14 yo” and “12YO”, referencing his understanding of their ages. Subsequently, one of the two females was identified and determined to have been 18 years old at the time of the sex date, despite her youthful appearance.
Lavorini-Doyle also admitted in his plea agreement that in the evening hours of December 6, 2019, he approached a woman and her two minor daughters, aged 10 and 11, in a Walnut Creek parking lot. The woman worked as a janitor for an office building and had brought her two daughters to work that night. When she went outside to a dumpster in the parking lot, Lavorini-Doyle spotted the mother and approached them. He offered the mother $30,000 to buy her two daughters for the night. He admits that he intended to engage in sex acts with the children. As outlined in a sentencing memo filed by the government, the mother yelled “no” and called 911.
Lavorini-Doyle further described in his plea agreement that the next day, December 7, 2019, he traveled from San Francisco to Cambodia. He admitted his purpose for traveling to Asia was to engage in commercial sex with minors. He withdrew $10,000 in cash from his bank account before the trip so that he could pay for the sex acts when abroad. He also purchased zip ties and duct tape at Home Depot and a digital camera and SD card at Target. His cell phone reflects that, when in Cambodia, he made plans to engage in commercial sex acts with a minor. He admits that he sent a text message with words to the effect of: “Is super skinny 9yo avAO.”On December 11, 2019, law enforcement searched Lavorini-Doyle’s home in Oakland and seized several of his electronic devices. Lavorini-Doyle returned to the United States from Cambodia on December 12, 2019. When he landed at San Francisco International Airport, law enforcement officials seized several of his electronic devices. In his seized devices, Lavorini-Doyle possessed over 100 videos of child pornography, which he had downloaded from the internet. Sexual conduct depicted in the videos involved minors who had not attained the age of 12, violent sexual conduct, and sexual abuse of infants or toddlers.
In addition to the 192 month prison term, U.S. District Judge Breyer sentenced Lavorini-Doyle, who was in custody at the sentencing hearing, to a lifelong term of supervised release upon his release from prison. A restitution hearing will be held in 90 days.
Kevin Rubino and Noah Stern are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys prosecuting the case with the assistance of Ralph Branchstubbs. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Walnut Creek Police Department, and the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force.
Lavorini-Doyle is next scheduled to appear in custody in Contra Costa County Superior Court, where he faces related child sex trafficking state criminal charges being prosecuted by the Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney.
This federal case was brought in U.S. District Court as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.Nocona Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexual Exploitation of Missing BoyRead the Press Release
A Nocona man named a person of interest in the 2015 disappearance of a local 18-year-old was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for preying on the boy when he was a minor, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.
In July, just hours after the court declared a mistrial due to juror injury, Ricky Dale Howard, 59, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child. He was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.
“The vast majority of sexually exploited children were victimized by an adult they know and trust – and the young man in this case was no different. While we may never know what happened to him in the moments before his disappearance, we know he spent many months enduring the unthinkable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “We continue to pray that one day, he will be found. In the meantime, we hope today’s sentence brings a measure of solace to the family and friends who loved him. We are proud to put this sexual predator behind bars.”
“Mr. Howard exploited his position of trust with the victim’s family and will now be held accountable for his actions,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “We will continue to use our combined law enforcement resources to seek justice for victims, their families and other vulnerable members of our community.”
According to evidence presented in court before the mistrial was declared, law enforcement obtained several of Mr. Howard’s computers during an investigation into the disappearance of a high school senior who was reported missing on April 1, 2015, just two weeks after his 18th birthday.
On the computers, investigators found sexually explicit images that appeared to show Mr. Howard sexually abusing the missing boy. In pleading guilty, Mr. Howard admitted that he enticed the minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating a visual depiction.
At trial, the boy’s mother testified she and her children had been close with the Howard family since the boys were children. Tami Diehl said her son began performing odd jobs for Mr. Howard during middle school.
Law enforcement officers testified that following the boy’s disappearance, Mr. Howard told police the last time he’d seen the victim was the weekend before he went missing, when the pair attempted to repair his broken-down truck. Several days into the missing person investigation, an officer observed a burn pit with several incinerated computers on Mr. Howard’s property.
Two years after the disappearance, Ms. Diehl discovered a small handheld tape recorder hidden in the back of a bathroom cabinet. The tape recorder contained audio of Mr. Howard asking himself polygraph questions pertaining to his sexual interest in young boys.
Shortly thereafter, investigators re-examined the missing persons case. Recalling the incinerated computers, officers asked Mr. Howard’s ex-wife and later his daughter for the computers, which were examined by analysts at the FBI’s North Texas Regional Computer Forensic Lab. Ms. Diehl, one of Mr. Howard’s sons, and Mr. Howard’s ex-wife all identified the missing victim in redacted versions of photographs extracted from the computers.
“My family is broken, I know we will never have a gathering where there isn't a sense of wrongness and of a huge, important part being missing,” Ms. Diehl testified at Mr. Howard’s sentencing hearing. “It has now been almost seven years since [my son] disappeared. Years of searching, waiting, and praying for answers to get to this day – and still to not truly have the answer our hearts require. But I am so thankful to the investigators and prosecutors for not giving up and at least making sure that Ricky Howard can hurt no one else.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Wichita Falls Resident Agency, the Montague County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nocona Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Montague County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandie Wade and Nancy Larson prosecuted the case.
New York City Man Charged in Connection with Three-Day Crime Spree, Including Subway Shooting and Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced that DAMON BAILEY was arrested yesterday at Union Square subway station, one day after allegedly shooting a fellow train rider during rush hour at that station. Today BAILEY was charged in a criminal Complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the subway shooting and an attempted deli robbery, with robbing two banks in Manhattan at gunpoint on October 25, 2021 and October 26, 2021, and with brandishing a firearm in connection with those bank robberies. BAILEY was presented today in Manhattan federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, during a brazen multiday armed robbery spree, Damon Bailey shot a fellow passenger on a crowded subway. We commend the extraordinary work of our law enforcement partners who swiftly connected the many dots and safely apprehended the suspect.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “As we allege today, Mr. Bailey engaged in a gun and violent crime spree spanning several days. In so doing, he terrorized several of our neighbors and deprived them of their right to feel safe as they live their lives. The swift action taken today by the FBI/NYPD Joint Violent Crimes Task Force should serve as a reminder to all that we will not tolerate this type of behavior in our city.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “As alleged, this individual, a day after committing a shooting in a subway, walked away from a Manhattan bank with a satchel of cash and three firearms – but thanks to NYPD officers, this crime spree came to an abrupt end. The NYPD, along with our federal partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, will continue to work to ensure that this person is brought to justice for the series of violent crimes he is charged with.”
As alleged in the Complaint filed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
Over the course of three days, BAILEY committed two gunpoint robberies in Manhattan and attempted to commit two others. On October 24, 2021, BAILEY flashed a firearm in his waistband and demanded money from a customer in a deli near Grand Central Station. On October 25, BAILEY robbed a bank at gunpoint in lower Manhattan and, approximately ten minutes later, attempted to rob a victim on the subway and then shot the victim as the train pulled into Union Square station at rush hour. On October 26, BAILEY robbed a second bank at gunpoint, in Chelsea. In each of the robberies, BAILEY carried a light gray backpack and wore sneakers with a distinctive green toe box and white trim.
After the second robbery, BAILEY again got on the subway, but this time he was apprehended and arrested when he arrived at Union Square station. Based on the proximity of the second bank to the NQR subway line, NYPD officers proceeded to a southbound platform at Union Square subway station and held an incoming train to conduct a search of the train cars for a person matching the description of the robber. An officer found BAILEY in one of the train cars, wearing a light gray backpack and sneakers with a green toe box and white trim. Upon his arrest, three firearms—two semiautomatic pistols and one revolver—were found inside his backpack.
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BAILEY, 38, is charged with two counts of bank robbery, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of being a felon in possession of firearms, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and two counts of knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which firearm was brandished, which carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years in prison consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, up to life 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, coordinated investigative work of the FBI and NYPD.
This case is being handle by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Jane Y. Chong is 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 herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
New Mexico woman arraigned on false information and hoaxes chargeRead the Press Release
MISSOULA--The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that during an arraignment on Oct. 14, Dora Sandra Gomez, also known as Bella Gomez, 64, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her false information and hoaxes.
If convicted of the most serious crime, Gomez faces a maximum five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Gomez was released pending further proceedings.
A trial date has been set for Dec. 20 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.
The indictment alleges that on May 8, in Dillon, in Beaverhead County, Gomez placed an anonymous phone call to a banquet organized by the Montana Trappers Association and stated that a remotely operated explosive device was located inside the building where the banquet was taking place and people could get hurt, or words to that effect.
The FBI is not aware of any ongoing threats regarding this matter. The FBI investigated the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
PACER case reference. 21-31.
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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Navajo woman sentenced to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter regarding the death of her childRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Tonya Mae Dale, 29, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court on Oct. 25 to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country. Dale pleaded guilty on March 24.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, Dale committed the offense in San Juan County on or about June 26, 2019, and continuing to June 28, 2019. Dale admitted to driving at night while intoxicated with her children in the vehicle, and her intoxication contributed to her vehicle becoming stuck on June 26. The next day, Dale decided to leave her vehicle and began walking. At some point, she decided to leave her children, a baby and a young child, and seek help on her own. When she returned with assistance to the location she had left her children, only the baby was still there. The other child had wandered away. Despite a multiagency search of the area for the young boy, he was found deceased the following day.
Upon her release from prison, Dale will be subject to two years of supervised release.
The FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall prosecuted the case.
Navajo man sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusive sexual contact of a minor in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lyle Woody Begay, 35, of Navajo, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on Oct. 25 in federal court to 15 years in prison for abusive sexual contact of a minor in Indian Country.
Begay pleaded guilty to the offense on Oct. 9, 2020. In his plea agreement, Begay admitted that for more than a seven-year period he engaged in intentional and unlawful sexual contact with a female minor under the age of twelve with the intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, arouse or gratify sexual desire. Begay committed the crime at the victim’s home in McKinley County, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation.
Upon his release from prison, Begay will be subject to ten years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Novaline D. Wilson and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case.
Mt. Sterling Man Pleads Guilty to Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Mt. Sterling, Ky., man, Larry A. Crump, 37, has pled guilty, before U.S. District Judge Dannv C. Reeves, to Hobbs Act Robbery, bank robbery, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to his guilty plea agreement, Crump admitted to robbing the Cash N Check in Mt. Sterling, on November 16, 2020, and the Peoples Bank of Mt. Sterling, on November 20, 2020, at gunpoint. Crump also admitted to using a stolen firearm in the commission of the bank robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The amount of money taken from Cash N Check was approximately $900 and the amount of money stolen from the Peoples’ Bank was approximately $37,000. Law Enforcement agents recovered approximately $20,000 from the residence of one of Crump’s relatives. Crump was on parole at the time of the commission of the offenses.
Crump was indicted in March 2021.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Norman Arflack, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Chief Terry Landrum, Chief of Police, Mt. Sterling Police Department; and Jessica Stewart, Bath County Sheriff, announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Mt. Sterling Police Department, and the Bath County Sheriff’s Office. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West.
Crump is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2022. Crump faces a minimum of seven years in prison, and a maximum of life imprisonment. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, Acting U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.
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Mexican National Sentenced to 105 Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry into the U.S.Read the Press Release
ALPINE – A Mexican national was sentenced yesterday to over eight years in prison for illegally entering the United States.
On July 19, 2021, Graciano Moral-Carrillo, aka Franciso Mora-Carillo, 52, of Mexico was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of illegal reentry into the United States.
On March 1, 2021, Moral was arrested by Presidio Border Patrol Agents for being an undocumented citizen present in the U.S. Evidence presented at trial disclosed Moral was previously deported from the U.S. on seven other occasions. Further, Moral had numerous other convictions, including three convictions for driving while intoxicated in the Odessa/Midland area; one conviction for resisting arrest; one conviction for assaulting a public servant; three convictions for illegal reentry; and one conviction of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
In addition to the sentence of 105 months in prison, the defendant also received a sentence of 18 months in prison for violating conditions of supervised release on an underlying case. The two sentences will run consecutively.
Moral has remained in federal custody since his arrest on March 1.
“We will continue to be vigilant in protecting our West Texas communities from those who violate federal laws,” said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff.
“The men and women of Homeland Security Investigations work tirelessly to identify, arrest and prosecute individuals who violate our nation’s immigration laws with a focus on those who represent a public safety threat to our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special in Charge Taekuk Cho. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to pursue convicted criminals and other dangerous fugitives.”
HSI with the assistance from the Presidio Border Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance L. Kennedy prosecuted the case.
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Mercer County Man Pleads to Child Sexual Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Greenville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of Distribution and Possession of Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Alex Rogan-Laird, age 26, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on March 14, 2020, Rogan-Laird distributed videos and still images over the “LiveMe” interactive software application depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent minors to an agent of the FBI working in an undercover capacity in Salt Lake City, Utah. The FBI further found Rogan-Laird in possession of thousands of sexually exploitive videos and images depicting children on July 15, 2020, at the time a federal search warrant was executed at his residence. Rogan-Laird admitted to viewing and distributing child pornography using “LiveMe” and similar software applications.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for February 16, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years nor more than 30 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court released Rogan-Laird on bond.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Rogan-Laird.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexu ally exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
McLean Man Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal jury convicted a McLean man today for producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from at least 2017 to 2020, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 26, engaged in sexual conversations over multiple mobile messaging platforms with at least six different minors. In these conversations, he directed five minors to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom pursuant to a court-authorized search established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders obtained these images from a Darkweb website, the sole purpose of which was to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.
Sanders was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kenneth Polite, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III accepted the verdict.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Clayman and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth M. Schlessinger and Jay V. Prabhu are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-143.