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Monday 18 October 2021
Mississippi Meth Dealer Sentenced to Ten Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Moss Point, Mississippi man was sentenced last week to ten years in prison for possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine on December 11, 2019 in Grand Bay, Alabama.
According to court documents, Seabron Mack Millender, 38, arranged to sell five ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a gas station in Grand Bay. Police set up a perimeter around the gas station and, when Millender arrived, moved in to arrest him. Millender reversed his car in an attempt to flee but police vehicles boxed him in. Officers arrested Millender and seized $1,061 in cash from him. Inside Millender’s car, officers found a clear plastic bag containing 134.8 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine hydrochloride. During a post-Miranda interview with police, Millender admitted that he had obtained the meth two days earlier and had driven the drugs into Alabama from Mississippi with the intent to distribute them. At the time of his offense, Millender was on federal supervised release for a 2008 drug-conspiracy conviction in the Southern District of Mississippi.
United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer ordered Millender to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will undergo testing and treatment for substance abuse. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Moorer ordered Millender to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Mexican Native Sentenced for Toxic Marijuana Cultivation Operation in the Sierra National Forest in Madera CountyRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Luis Madrigal-Reyes, 37, a native and citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today to two years and five months in prison for conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Madrigal was also ordered to pay $48,000 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the extreme damage that the cultivation operation had on public land.
According to court documents, the cultivation operation consisted of 2,307 marijuana plants in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County. U.S. Forest Service agents saw Madrigal carrying fertilizers into the grow site and later apprehended him after they chased him down the side of a mountain. The cultivation operation caused significant damage to the area, which serves as habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, an endangered species and the California spotted owl, which is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Agents found deadly banned pesticides sprayed directly on the plants.
The cultivation site was located in the Chiquito Creek watershed, which drains into the Fresno River before flowing into the San Joaquin River. Approximately 8.55 million gallons of water had been diverted from a nearby natural stream to irrigate the marijuana plants.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) of the California Department of Justice, and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office. The environmental damage to the forest was analyzed and documented by Integral Ecology Research Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Madrigal’s co-defendant, Lester Eduardo Cardenas Flores, 24, also a native and citizen of Mexico, is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 15, 2021. He faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison, as well as a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Marijuana plant sprayed with deadly pesticide Marijuana plant sprayed with deadly pesticideMcKeesport Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Causing an Overdose Death, Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – An Allegheny County resident has been sentenced in federal court to 14 years of imprisonment on his conviction of drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Derrick Walker, age 31, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, on June 15, 2019, Walker sold several stamp bags of fentanyl to an individual. These stamp bags were labeled “Pray for Death.” The following day, the individual was found deceased, with several opened “Pray for Death” stamp bags next to him. The autopsy and toxicological testing confirmed that the victim died of a fentanyl overdose.
On June 24, 2019, the defendant was pulled over during a traffic stop and found in possession of additional stamp bags of fentanyl, and the cell phone that was used to arrange the transaction with the victim. The defendant’s house was subsequently searched, and investigators recovered additional stamp bags of fentanyl, including numerous stamp bags labeled “Pray for Death.” Investigators also recovered thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as body armor and drug packaging paraphernalia. The defendant’s cellular phone was searched, and it contained numerous narcotics-related communications, including ones in which the defendant advertised that he had “Pray for Death” stamp bags for sale. The cellular phone also contained the text message conversations between the defendant and the victim, in which the victim and the defendant arranged the June 15, 2019 drug transaction. When the defendant was arrested on August 26, 2019, he was found in possession of a firearm and additional ammunition.
When the defendant pleaded guilty on December 21, 2020, he accepted responsibility for causing the death of the victim.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Ambrose stated that the defendant’s offense conduct was extremely serious.
Assistant United States Attorney Doug Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Derrick Walker.
Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Al-Nusra FrontRead the Press Release
An Illinois man pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Nusra Front (ANF). As part of his plea agreement, the defendant agrees to the entry of an order of removal so he will be removed from the country after completing his sentence.
According to court documents, Dilshod Khusanov, 36, of Chicago, encouraged individuals to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad, or holy war in 2014 and 2015. For example, on Sept. 28, 2014, Khusanov urged co-conspirator Akmal Zakirov to engage in jihad: “I hope that the only [reason] that is preventing you from jihad is some mistakes and flaws that are occurring among” the other fighters. Khusanov explained that it would be better to help those fighters, rather than criticize them.
Later in 2014, two Brooklyn residents, Abdurasul Juraboev and Akhror Saidakhmetov, began planning to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS. A group of individuals in a domestic network based in New York and elsewhere, including Khusanov, worked together to raise and contribute money to help fund that trip to Syria. In February 2015, Abror Habibov, Zakirov, Azizjon Rakhmatov and Kasimov discussed providing money to support Saidakhmetov’s travel and expenses in Syria. Rakhmatov and Zakirov also agreed to solicit money from others to fund Saidakhmetov’s travel. Zakirov contacted Khusanov, then-based in Illinois, and asked him to contribute money for Saidakhmetov’s travel and to ask another individual to contribute money as well. Khusanov agreed and arranged for money to be deposited in Zakirov’s bank account before Saidakhmetov’s scheduled departure. Saidakhmetov was arrested in February 2015 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as he boarded a plane bound for Istanbul, Turkey, a transit point for foreign fighters bound for Syria.
Khusanov is the last charged defendant in this plot to be convicted. Juraboev, Saidakhmetov, Habibov, Zakirov and Rakhmatov previously pleaded guilty, and Kasimov was convicted at trial. Juraboev and Saidakhmetov each were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, and Rakhmatov was sentenced to 12 and a half years imprisonment. Habibov, Kasimov and Zakirov are awaiting sentencing.
“With today’s plea, Khusanov admits to providing financial support to individuals seeking to travel to Syria to join ISIS, a foreign terrorist organization that seeks to wage war on the United States and other countries,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This office will continue to work tirelessly with its local, national and international law enforcement partners to eliminate ISIS’s jihadist regime and threat of terrorist violence.”
“Money is the oxygen that feeds the flame of any organized terrorist activity,” said Commissioner Dermot Shea of the New York Police Department (NYPD). “This case makes it clear that whether you are a terrorist bomber, a planner, or simply the facilitator who raises the money to pay for their travel, you will be a target of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. They are the most experienced detectives and agents in the country in these cases.”
Khusanov pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and faces a maximum penalty of 11 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David K. Kessler, J. Matthew Haggans, and Jonathan E. Algor for the Eastern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
The FBI and NYPD are investigating the case.
Milwaukee Men Charged with Laundering Proceeds of Business Email Compromise Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that a ten-count indictment was unsealed in federal court charging both Rolando Greer (age: 50) and Corey Lee (age: 50) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with: one (1) count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) and six (6) counts of money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 & 1957. Greer is also charged with three (3) counts of making false statements to financial institutions, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014.
According to the indictment, beginning on or about May 2018, and continuing through at least July 2019, Greer and Lee conspired to launder, and did launder, proceeds of business email compromise (“BEC”) schemes. A BEC scheme is a form of cybercrime in which a fraudster uses false and misleading emails to fraudulently induce a victim to transfer funds to a bank account controlled by the fraudster and the fraudster’s accomplices.
The indictment alleges that Lee and Greer obtained funds stolen from at least four victims through BEC schemes. The indictment further alleges that Lee and Geer transferred those funds among various bank accounts that they controlled and used victim funds for their own personal purposes. Greer is also charged with using a false Social Security Number to open several bank accounts that were used as part of the money laundering scheme.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering or money laundering, Greer and Lee would each face a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison per count. If convicted of making a false statement to a financial institution, Greer would face a maximum sentence of thirty years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Proctor and Peter Smyczek.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Lubec Man Sentenced for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine—A Lubec man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Rubin Perry, 34, to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose images he possessed. Perry pleaded guilty on June 18, 2021. He had a 2013 Maine state conviction for possessing child pornography, which subjected him to a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
According to court records, in 2018, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit received information that a Twitter user was uploading and storing child pornography images and videos. Investigators determined that the Twitter account was associated with Perry’s address in Lubec. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the address and interviewed Perry while executing the warrant. He admitted that he had a problem with child pornography and he did not know how to stop. He also admitted to having child pornography on his cell phone, which was later found to contain multiple child pornography images.
In imposing sentence, Judge Woodcock stated, “When people like the defendant seek out these images, it encourages their production.”
Homeland Security Investigations, the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Bangor Police Department investigated the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
Longwood Man Sentenced to 60 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Images and Videos of Himself Sexually Abusing A ChildRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Mikel Wayne Nunnally (44, Longwood) to 60 years in federal prison for using a minor child to produce sexual abuse images and videos. The court also sentenced Nunnally to a lifetime of supervised release and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Nunnally had pleaded guilty on April 29, 2021.
According to court documents, between 2018 and 2020, Nunnally produced several videos that depicted a minor child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In some of these videos, Nunnally can be seen as he sexually abused the child victim. Nunnally then distributed images and videos depicting this sexual abuse to others over the internet, including to an undercover law enforcement officer. Images from one of these videos showed Nunnally touching and digitally penetrating the child. Nunnally told the undercover officer that he had previously filmed the child victim in the bathroom and that he touched the child in a sexual manner whenever he could. Nunnally also stated that he sometimes gave the child victim pain pills mixed with sleeping pills to help facilitate his molestation of the child.
In December 2020, Nunnally was identified by law enforcement and interviewed by FBI agents. Nunnally admitted that he had used the child victim to produce the child sex abuse images and videos and had distributed these materials online. He also estimated that he had been filming his sexual abuse of the child victim for four or five years.
FBI agents conducted a forensic review of two of Nunnally’s electronic devices and located 79 videos and 12 images depicting the sexual abuse of children on these devices. These videos and images depicted children who ranged from infants to teenagers. Some of this material depicted the sadistic abuse, bondage, and torture of the child victims.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
Little Valley Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking Victim on SnapchatRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Dyllan Barber, 20, of Little Valley, N.Y., pleaded guilty to cyberstalking before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey T. Fiut, who is handling the case, stated that on November 30, 2019, the defendant initiated a conversation with Victim 1, a minor female, on Snapchat. Posing as a hacker by the name of “Kyle,” Barber sent a threatening message to Victim 1 telling her to take and send to him sexually explicit images of herself. If she did not, the defendant stated that he would publicly release nude images of Victim 1 that he claimed to have in his possession. At the same time he was posing as “Kyle” and communicating with Victim 1 on Snapchat, Barber also encouraged Victim 1 in a telephone conversation to take and send sexually explicit images to “Kyle” because the defendant purportedly feared that “Kyle” may also publicly disclose nude images of the defendant. as a result of these threats, Victim 1 took and sent sexually explicit images of herself to Barber through the Snapchat application.
The threatening conversation between the defendant and Victim 1 occurred over the course of approximately three hours, concluding early in the morning hours of December 1, 2019. Later that day, Barber, no longer posing as “Kyle,” communicated with Victim 1 via Snapchat. During this conversation, Victim 1 asked the defendant if he knew anything about “Kyle.” Barber falsely told Victim 1 that he did not know anything about “Kyle.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Timothy S. Whitcomb.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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Kingston Man Charged with Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on October 15, 2021, Ahmyr Younger, age 19, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, was charged by felony information with illegally possessing a firearm.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the information alleges that on June 30, 2021, in Luzerne County, Younger possessed a Jimenez Arms 9mm handgun, but was prohibited by law to possess firearms.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Newark, New Jersey Police Department, and the Kingston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting 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.”
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 10 years of 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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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- James Arnold Scott, 45, of Hansford, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting the distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine. Scott was also sentenced to four years of supervised release.
According to his own statements and court documents, the Drug Enforcement Administration utilized confidential sources to conduct several controlled buys of methamphetamine involving Scott from 2019-2020. With respect to the charged offense which involved a controlled buy, on January 17, 2020, Scott aided and abetted one of his drug sources of supply in the distribution of four ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $1,150. The drug transaction took place in Huntington. Scott further admitted that when law enforcement later executed a search warrant at his Hansford residence, they seized cash, marijuana, methamphetamine, four firearms, one of which was stolen, and a ballistic vest.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant United States Attorney Negar Kordestani handled the prosecution.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-00078.
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Jury Convicts Chicago Man of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted an Illinois man today for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Thomas Osadzinski, 22, of Chicago, designed a process using a computer script to make ISIS propaganda more conveniently disseminated online. The process would automatically copy and preserve ISIS media postings in an organized format, allowing social media users to continue to conveniently access and share the content.
In 2019, Osadzinski shared his script and instructions for how to use it with individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters and members of pro-ISIS media organizations. Unbeknownst to Osadzinski, the individuals were covert FBI employees and a person confidentially working with law enforcement.
Osadzinski was convicted of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization and faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois and Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
The Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Melody Wells for the Northern District of Illinois and Trial Attorney Alexandra Hughes of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
Judge Sentences Michigan Man to 7 Years in Prison for Hacking UPMC HR Databases and Stealing Employees’ Personal InformationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – Justin Sean Johnson was sentenced on Friday to the statutory maximum sentence of 60 months' incarceration for Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S., and the statutory maximum of 24 months for Aggravated Identity Theft, for a total of 84 months of incarceration, for hacking the human resources databases of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and stealing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of more than 65,000 UPMC employees, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Mark R, Hornak imposed the sentence on Johnson, aka TheDearthStar and Dearthy Star, age 30, formerly of Detroit, Michigan.
Johnson, known on the dark web as TheDearthStar and Dearthy Star, infiltrated and hacked into the UPMC human resource server databases in 2013 and 2014 and stole sensitive PII and W-2 information belonging to tens of thousands of UPMC employees. Johnson then sold the stolen information on dark web forums for use by conspirators, who promptly filed hundreds of false 1040 tax returns in 2014 using UPMC employee PII. These false 1040 filings claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars of false tax refunds, which they converted into Amazon.com gift cards, which were then used to purchase Amazon merchandise which was shipped to Venezuela.
Additionally, Johnson, from 2014 through 2017 stole and sold nearly 90,000 additional (non-UPMC) sets of PII to buyers on dark web forums, which could be used to commit identity theft and bank fraud.
The scheme resulted in approximately $1.7 million in false tax return refunds.
“Justin Johnson stole the names, Social Security numbers, addresses and salary information of tens of thousands of UPMC employees, then sold that personal information on the dark web so that other criminals could further exploit his victims,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kaufman. “Today’s sentence sends a deterrent message that hacking has serious consequences.”
“The actions of criminals like Justin Johnson can have long-lasting and devastating effects on the lives of innocent people,” said Yury Kruty, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “Johnson carried out his intricate scheme with no regard for his victims. Today’s sentencing will hopefully be a deterrent to other potential crooks who may be considering carrying out similar conduct.”
“The U.S. Secret Service today sends a message to Justin Sean Johnson and anyone who seeks to conceal their criminal activity in cyberspace and on the dark web that there is no hiding place we cannot find,” said U.S. Secret Service Pittsburgh Field Office Special Agent in Charge Timothy Burke. “Information compromise and identity theft victimize not only the individuals whose information is stolen, but also threaten our collective global security. I am immensely proud of the agents involved in bringing a just end to these crimes.”
“Investigating identity theft and protecting consumers victimized by these crimes is part of our mission. I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies involved to bring this individual to justice,” said Lesley Allison, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Pittsburgh Division.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Hornak noted the severity of Mr. Johnson’s crimes, likening his behavior to a “bulldozer” through people’s personal lives when he “indiscriminately” hacked their PII.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Agents from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Justin Johnson.
Jersey City Gang Member Charged with ShootingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – An alleged member of a Jersey City gang has been charged with the June 19, 2020, shooting of a Jersey City resident, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Shamar Bey, 29, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Bey is allegedly associated with a street gang known to operate around Salem Lafayette Apartments and the surrounding area from Bramhall Avenue to Forrest Street and between Ocean Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive in Jersey City. On June 19, 2020, Bey allegedly shot an associate of a rival gang with which Salem Lafayette was feuding.
The count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The count of discharging a firearm during an act of violence carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of 10 years in prison. Both counts carry a maximum fine of $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited investigators of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez; officers with the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate to strategize and prioritize the prosecution of violent offenders who endanger the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole Board, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sophie E. Reiter of the Cybercrime Unit and Sarah Sulkowski of the Violent Crime Unit.
The charge and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Jackson Man Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Lien Against a Federal AgentRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Jackson man pled guilty today to a charge of retaliating against a federal employee by filing a false lien, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Field Office.
According to court documents and his plea, Robert Earl Henderson, Jr., 49, knowingly filed an “affidavit of commercial lien” in the Circuit Clerk’s office of Hinds County on July 27, 2018. In this Lien, Mr. Henderson alleged facts of mistreatment by law enforcement officers, including an FBI Special Agent, then Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason, Officers 1-20, and his own attorney. He filed his lien against these parties claiming a debt owed to him from them of $500,000.
Henderson previously testified in a state prosecution against then Hinds County DA Robert Shuler Smith that he carried bribe money from state defendants to Smith on several occasions. That state prosecution relied in part on an FBI agent’s investigation. During the time of his testimony, Henderson had state charges of another bribery and possession of a firearm as a felon pending against him. The state’s charges are currently pending against him.
In retaliation for the state’s decision not to dismiss those charges, Henderson filed the lien against several people including the FBI agent.
Henderson is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Frederick Coleman, 32, of Huntington, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin.
According to court documents and statements made in court, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Huntington on February 13, 2020. Inside one of the bedrooms, officers recovered approximately 2.31 grams of heroin and approximately 20.99 grams of cocaine. Coleman admitted that he possessed the heroin and intended to distribute it.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Nick Miller handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-00171.
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Home Security Footage Leads to Ammunition and Drug Charges for Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, KEENO KJUAN GULLEY, 38, of Oklahoma City, was arraigned on federal charges of drug dealing and possessing ammunition after he had sustained a prior felony conviction, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing ammunition or firearms.
On August 17, 2021, public records reflect that Gulley was charged by criminal complaint. According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on July 12, 2021, home security camera footage depicts an individual alleged to be Mr. Gulley firing a handgun towards a vehicle traveling down the road. The individual ran away after firing multiple rounds toward the vehicle. Oklahoma City Police Officers located multiple spent 9mm cartridge casings at the scene of the shooting. Further investigation led officers, on July 14, 2021, to find a package of pills at a residence associated with Mr. Gulley. The pills tested positive for methamphetamine.
On September 22, 2021, an Indictment returned by a federal grand jury charged Gulley with possession of ammunition after a prior felony conviction and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The Indictment alleges that on or about July 12, 2021, Gulley knowingly possessed five rounds of 9mm caliber cartridges after he had been previously convicted of crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year. The Indictment further alleges that on or about July 14, 2021, Gulley knowingly possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Gulley has been ordered detained in federal custody since September 3, 2021.
This case is the result of investigations by the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and Danielle Connolly are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of "SHOTS FIRED," the Western District of Oklahoma’s implementation of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. "SHOTS FIRED" prioritizes the federal prosecution of gun crimes connected to shootings.
The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to public records for more information.
Hillsboro Man Pleads Guilty to Enticing a MinorRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Andrew B. Collins, 32, of the 200 block of Main Street, in Hillsboro, Illinois, pleaded guilty to the charge of enticement of a minor on Friday, October 15, 2021. Sentencing has been scheduled for February 14, 2022, in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield.
At the change-of-plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Schanzle-Haskins, Collins admitted that he enticed a 16-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
During the hearing, the government stated that online chats between Collins and the minor showed that Collins persuaded the minor to engage in intercourse by offering him toy gifts, promises of weekends together, nude massages, and the option to permanently live together in the future.
For the offense of enticement of a minor, the statutory penalty is not less than ten years and up to life in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and a term of supervised release of not less than five years and up to life.
Agencies participating in the investigation include the United States Secret Service, and the Southern Illinois University Police Department, which is a member of the Central and Southern Illinois Attorney General’s Financial and Cyber Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris is representing the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Hell's Angels Member Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minneapolis man was sentenced today to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distributing pound quantities of high-purity methamphetamine.
According to court documents, between April and July 2019, Justin Steven Schmitz, 39, a member of the Minneapolis Chapter of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, sold multiple pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to an undercover officer for approximately $6,000 per pound. After pleading guilty on August 14, 2020, to one count of methamphetamine distribution, Schmitz absconded from a treatment center and fled to California, where he remained a fugitive for nearly three months before being apprehended and brought back to Minnesota.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minneapolis Police Department, the St. Paul Police Department, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Rochester Police Department, the Olmstead County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha H. Bates and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen.
Hanover man accused of making pipe bombs, violating protective orderRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Thomas Joseph Miller, 34, of Hanover, New Mexico, appeared in federal court on Oct. 15 for a detention hearing, charged with illegally possessing destructive devices and ammunition. Miller will remain in custody pending trial.
According to a criminal complaint, on Sept. 28, Miller allegedly was found in possession of several “pipe bombs,” considered destructive devices, and various rounds of ammunition in multiple calibers. At the time, Miller was subject to an order of protection and could not legally possess a firearm or ammunition. Miller did not possess a license to manufacture explosives or destructive devices.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Miller faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Grant County Sheriff’s Department and the Doña Ana County Bomb Squad. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ry Ellison and Maria Armijo are prosecuting the case.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Attempted Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky. — A Columbus, Ga., man, Eric Duane Elmore, 48, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning, after pleading guilty to attempted online enticement.
According to Elmore’s guilty plea agreement, he admitted to corresponding with a 15-year-old victim, beginning in late 2018. When the conversations became sexual in nature, the victim told a school counselor about the messages, who then contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement then gained authorized control of the online account and continued the conversations with Elmore, which ultimately led to Elmore discussing travel to Kentucky to meet with the victim for sexual purposes.
Elmore pleaded guilty in June 2021.
Under federal law, Elmore must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Colonel Phillip Burnett, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police, announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth.
This case was prosecuted 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 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.
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Former Security Services Executives Plead Guilty to Rigging Bids for Department of Defense Security ContractsRead the Press Release
Two former employees of G4S Secure Solutions NV (G4S NV), pleaded guilty today to criminal antitrust charges stemming from their involvement in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices, and allocate customers for defense-related security services contracts. Both defendants are Belgian nationals residing in Belgium.
According to court documents, Bart Verbeeck, former Director of Sales, and Robby Van Mele, former Director of Operations, admitted that they, with their co-conspirators at competing firms, colluded to allocate security services contracts and to fix the prices at which the firms bid for contracts. The allocated contracts included those for guarding, mobile monitoring, and surveillance services with the United States, through the Department of Defense, and those with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Communications and Information Agency. As a result, the customers of the security services providers were deprived of a competitive bidding process and paid inflated, non-competitive prices for services.
Earlier this year, G4S NV pleaded guilty and was sentenced for its involvement in the conspiracy. The Department of Justice has also indicted several other members of the conspiracy. The department’s investigation remains ongoing.
“These individual guilty pleas, which follow the sentencing of G4S NV, demonstrate the division’s commitment to the vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Powers of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force partners will continue to investigate and prosecute both individual and corporate wrongdoers who seek to exploit the government procurement process.”
“Safeguarding the integrity of the defense procurement process is a vital aspect of our work at the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” said DCIS Deputy Director Paul K. Sternal. “Today’s pleas demonstrate our ability to work collaboratively to investigate and prosecute illegal conduct.”
“This result is an important step in enforcing the integrity of the government procurement process,” said Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. “We will continue to safeguard the interests of both the U.S. Army and the taxpayer.”
A criminal violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum fine of $1 million. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
In November 2019, the Department of Justice created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant, and program funding at the federal, state, and local levels. In Fall 2020, the Strike Force expanded its footprint with the launch of PCSF: Global, which is designed to deter, detect, investigate, and prosecute collusive schemes that target government spending outside of the United States.
To contact the PCSF, or to report information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging, or other anticompetitive conduct, go to https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.
Former Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Council Member Sentenced to Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. - A former member of the Tribal Council for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
Roderick Bell, 42, of Philadelphia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019, for defrauding the Choctaw Tribal government. According to court records, between April 2017 and October 2017, Bell forged hotel bills and receipts and submitted those documents to the Tribal government in claims for reimbursement for official business travel. Bell pled guilty on June 29, 2021 to wire fraud.
The sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves was 12 months and one day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and restitution to the Tribe in the amount of $11,094.15. Bell will surrender on December 6, 2021, to complete his sentence in the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons.
“As long as public corruption continues to be an issue in our State, I can promise you that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be here to root it out, prosecute it, and ensure that justice is done. I want to personally thank the agencies involved for working with us to catch those who violate our corruption laws,” said Acting U.S. Attorney LaMarca.
Acting U.S. Attorney LaMarca commended the work of the Special Agents with the FBI’s Jackson Division who investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Theodore Cooperstein and Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Payne.
Former Georgia Middle School Teacher Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – A former Oconee County, Georgia, middle school teacher was sentenced to federal prison today after he pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
Ira New, III, 56, of Watkinsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal after previously pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. In addition, New will have to register for life as a sex offender upon release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Ira New was entrusted with the care and safety of middle school students at a time when he was actively victimizing children by possessing pornography of kids in the same age group. Every time an image of child pornography is viewed, the demented business of sexually exploiting innocent children only grows stronger. New—and predators like him—will be held accountable for their crimes against children in the Middle District of Georgia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Protecting children is among the highest priorities for our office and our law enforcement partners.”
“The GBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims. No child should be subject to online exploitation. As we work with internet service providers and other law enforcement agency partners, we are ensuring that predators like this defendant are held accountable,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds.
According to court documents, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) received a cyber tip from Yahoo investigators in Aug. 2019 regarding approximately 27 images of children at nudist colonies. Yahoo determined that the account belonged to New, who was an eighth-grade teacher at the time, and the cyber tip was escalated to the GBI. GBI discovered New taught at Malcolm Bridge Middle School in Watkinsville and had recently self-reported to the school administration for displaying an image of a topless female to his class. Subsequently, New resigned from his teaching position at Oconee County Schools and consented to a Professional Standards Commission sanction of reprimand regarding his teaching certificate.
The GBI conducted a knock and talk at his home on Sept. 5, 2019. New consented to allow forensic agents to view his phone, and they found it contained child pornography. A supplemental forensic review revealed New’s phone contained approximately 94 images of child pornography, including images of 12 to 14-year-old girls. When asked when he started to take an interest in children, New responded that it had been in the “past couple of years.” New also stated that he never sent the photographs to anyone, but he emailed the photographs to himself.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the GBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker is prosecuting the case.
Former Fortune Bay Casino Sentenced to Prison for Embezzling More Than $300,000Read the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Louis County woman was sentenced today to eight months in prison followed by one year of supervised release and full restitution for embezzling more than $300,000 in Tribal funds.
“Ms. Boutto took advantage of the managerial position she had been trusted with and selfishly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “This brazen theft of Tribal funds deeply impacted the Tribe’s ability to provide services to its own members. Today’s sentence signals the seriousness of Ms. Boutto’s crimes.”
“Far too often crimes are committed against tribes in Indian Country and the punishment is a slap on the wrist,” said Bois Forte Tribal Chairwoman Cathy Chavers. “We applaud Judge Tostrud for realizing the seriousness of the crime committed. Boutto serving time in federal prison reinforces the fact that crimes like these won’t be tolerated.” Chavers went on to say, “we are relieved to put an end to this matter and are now able to breathe a bit easier seeing justice done. Now our community can begin the process of healing and ensuring this never happens again.”
According to court documents, in 2008, Jennifer Lynn Boutto, 33, began working as a reservationist at the Fortune Bay Resort Casino, which is owned and operated by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Boutto later received a promotion to Front Desk Supervisor, a position that allowed her to issue cash refunds without direct supervision. Between January 2013 and October 2019, Boutto used her position at Fortune Bay to steal money by issuing false cash refunds against the invoices of previous Fortune Bay customers. Boutto would then access the Fortune Bay vault and retrieve the falsely refunded amount. In total, Boutto executed the scheme 2,994 times and stole $315,739.87.
On March 9, 2021, Boutto pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft of Tribal funds.
Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced the defendant.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with significant assistance from the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan L. Sing.
Former Executive Sentenced to 75 Months in Prison for Embezzling more than $48 MillionRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former executive at a New Jersey publication company was sentenced today to 75 months in prison for embezzling tens of millions of dollars for his own benefit, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Nestor Charriez, 60, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to an information charging him with one count of devising and carrying out a scheme to commit wire fraud. Judge Kevin McNulty imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.
According to the charging document and statements made in court:
Charriez was a longtime senior employee of Victim-Company 1, a publication company based in New Jersey. Charriez’s financial responsibilities at Victim-Company 1 included overseeing and managing employee payroll. Charriez would submit Victim-Company 1’s payroll information to an outside payroll company, which would process Victim-Company 1’s payroll requests.
Beginning as early as 2002 through June 2019, Charriez defrauded Victim-Company 1 by embezzling millions of dollars through unauthorized “bonus” payments to himself. He submitted false payroll instructions to Victim-Company 1’s outside payroll provider, indicating that Charriez was entitled to massive bonuses – hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time – which Victim-Company-1 had not approved.
Charriez carried out this scheme on numerous occasions over nearly two decades. In total, Charriez stole more than $48 million from Victim-Company 1. Charriez spent the money he stole on personal expenses.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty also sentenced Charriez to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $43.4 million. The court previously entered a forfeiture order of $48 million.
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 today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Suchorsky, Carolyn Silane, and Jonathan Fayer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.
Former Department of Defense Employee Charged with Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury Brought to the United States to Face ChargeRead the Press Release
A former civilian employee of the Department of Defense arrived in the United States Friday from Germany to face a charge for assaulting a U.S. military member in the Republic of Korea last year.
According to court documents, Gerald Leon Ray III, 25, of Lathrop, California, intentionally struck an individual in the side of the head, causing the victim serious bodily injury. The alleged assault occurred on July 26, 2020, in the Republic of Korea, where Ray was employed by the Defense Commissary Agency, a component of the Department of Defense. The victim was an active-duty member in the U.S. Army.
On June 17, a grand jury in the Eastern District of California indicted Ray on one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The charge was brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which establishes U.S. jurisdiction over certain offenses committed abroad by, among others, civilian employees of the Armed Forces.
On Oct. 13, U.S. military authorities arrested Ray on a U.S. military installation in Germany. That same day, Ray had his initial appearance remotely before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremy Peterson. On Oct. 14, Judge Peterson ordered that Ray be removed from Germany to the United States pursuant to MEJA.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert of the Eastern District of California, Special Agent Andrew D. Franz of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations – Osan Air Base Korea and Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI are investigating this case, with valuable assistance by the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the arrest, initial detention and transport of Ray.
Trial Attorney John-Alex Romano of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heiko P. Coppola for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Bristol Resident Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Trafficking Cocaine through the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MARCOS MENDEZ, 31, of Kissimmee, Florida, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut through the U.S. Mail.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service developed evidence regarding a drug trafficking organization that was sending USPS parcels containing kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Connecticut and Massachusetts. Between July and December 2018, law enforcement intercepted and seized five suspect parcels that were being mailed to addresses in Bristol, Meriden and Burlington, Connecticut, and in Worcester, Massachusetts. All five of the suspect parcels contained multiple kilogram-sized bricks of cocaine. On several occasions, investigators conducted surveillance of the delivery of suspect parcels and the scheduled delivery of seized parcels. During surveillance, investigators observed Mendez, who formerly resided in Bristol, and other individuals picking up or attempting to pick up parcels that had been seized.
On January 9, 2019, investigators arrested Mendez and other members of this drug trafficking organization. A search of Mendez’s Bristol residence at the time of his arrest revealed more than a kilogram of cocaine, numerous bags of marijuana packaged for distribution, and $146,712 in cash.
On January 23, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Mendez and five others with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and related offenses.
On May 18. 2021, Mendez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Mendez, who is released on a $500,000 bond, is required to report to prion on January 3, 2022.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments. The DEA Puerto Rico Caribbean Corridor Strike Force and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Newark Division, San Juan (P.R.) Office, have assisted the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Fairhope Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Methamphetamine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Fairhope, Alabama, man was sentenced on October 15, 2021, to 10 years in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine ice.
According to court documents, Christopher Quentin Green, 43, distributed methamphetamine ice he obtained to others in Baldwin County, Alabama. Green was implicated by several co-conspirators in a drug distribution organization operating in central Baldwin County. During the investigation, Green was in possession of methamphetamine when a search warrant was executed at his residence in Fairhope. Green arrived in a vehicle after deputies arrived and attempted to discard a bag of methamphetamine as deputies approached the vehicle. Green admitted after being advised of his rights that he had received methamphetamine ice in the past from a co-conspirator, Grady Sikes, and that the methamphetamine ice in the vehicle came from a supplier in Pensacola.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose imposed the 10-year sentence, which will be followed by five years on supervised release following his imprisonment. As conditions of his supervision, Green will undergo testing and treatment for drug abuse, and he will be subject to a search of his person and premises upon reasonable suspicion. No fine was imposed but the judge ordered that Green pay $100 in special assessments.The case was investigated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, and the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
Extraditan a Estados Unidos desde Cabo Verde a empresario colombiano acusado de lavado de dineroRead the Press Release
Alex Nain Saab Moran (Saab), de 47 años y nacionalidad colombiana, hará su primera comparecencia hoy ante un tribunal federal en Miami, Florida, tras ser extraditado de la República de Cabo Verde. Saab ha sido acusado formalmente de haber blanqueado el lucro obtenido como resultado de violaciones de la Ley sobre Prácticas Corruptas en el Extranjero (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FCPA) en relación con un mecanismo de pago de sobornos que tenía como propósito sacar provecho del sistema cambiario controlado por el gobierno venezolano. Se espera que su primera comparecencia sea hoy a la 1:00 p.m. ante el juez John J. O’Sullivan del Tribunal de Distrito Federal para el Distrito Sur de Florida.
Concretamente, el 25 de julio de 2019, se acusó a Saab junto con Álvaro Pulido Vargas, alias Germán Enrique Rubio Salas, de 55 años, también de nacionalidad colombiana, mediante una imputación por ocho cargos, uno de ellos por conspiración para llevar a cabo lavado de dinero y otros siete cargos por lavado de dinero. La acusación sostiene que desde noviembre de 2011 o aproximadamente desde esa fecha y hasta al menos septiembre de 2015, Saab y Pulido conspiraron con otras personas para blanquear el lucro obtenido mediante un mecanismo ilegal de sobornos pagados desde cuentas bancarias en Venezuela hacia cuentas en Estados Unidos y a través de estas. Según la acusación, Saab y Pulido obtuvieron un contrato con el gobierno venezolano en noviembre de 2011 para la construcción de viviendas en sectores de bajos recursos. Los acusados y los demás partícipes en la conspiración luego aprovecharon el tipo de cambio que controla el gobierno de Venezuela, que permitía obtener dólares estadounidenses a una tasa conveniente, presentando documentos de importación falsos y fraudulentos para artículos y materiales que nunca se importaron a Venezuela y sobornando a funcionarios públicos venezolanos con el fin de que aprobaran esos documentos. La acusación sostiene que la actividad ilegal consistió en un mecanismo de soborno que vulneró lo establecido en la FCPA e involucró delitos de soborno contra Venezuela. También afirma que se llevaron a cabo en Miami reuniones para coordinar los pagos de sobornos y que Saab y Pulido transfirieron dinero relacionado con este mecanismo a cuentas bancarias en el Distrito Sur de Florida. Como resultado de este mecanismo, Saab y Pulido transfirieron aproximadamente USD 350 millones desde Venezuela, a través de Estados Unidos, a cuentas en el extranjero sobre las que tenían la titularidad o el control.
A pedido de Estados Unidos, el 12 de junio de 2020, Saab fue detenido en la República de Cabo Verde, una nación conformada por varias islas al oeste de África continental. A continuación, Estados Unidos presentó un pedido de extradición formal, que Saab objetó. El 16 de marzo, la Corte Suprema de Cabo Verde aprobó la extradición de Saab. Tras un litigio relativo a la detención y extradición de Saab que involucró a sus abogados y a la Fiscalía General de Cabo Verde, el 30 de agosto la Corte Constitucional de Cabo Verde desestimó la apelación, y el 31 de octubre denegó el último pedido de reconsideración que presentó Saab y certificó la finalización del proceso relativo a la extradición de Saab a Estados Unidos. La Ministra de Justicia de Cabo Verde ordenó que fuera entregado en cumplimiento de lo establecido en las órdenes judiciales, lo cual permitió que Saab llegara a Estados Unidos el 16 de octubre.
El anuncio fue realizado por el fiscal general adjunto Kenneth A. Polite Jr. de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia, el fiscal federal interino Juan Antonio González para el Distrito Sur de Florida y la agente especial interina a cargo La Verne J. Hibbert de la Oficina Local en Miami de la Agencia Antinarcóticos de EE. UU. (DEA).
El fiscal general adjunto Polite y el fiscal federal interino González reconocieron y agradecieron al Gobierno de la República de Cabo Verde por su colaboración para la extradición de Saab a Estados Unidos. La Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia brindó asistencia sustancial para que se concretaran la detención y la extradición de Saab, al igual que INTERPOL Washington.
El caso fue investigado por DEA Miami con la colaboración de la Oficina Local en Miami del FBI y la Oficina en Miami de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional. La División de Operaciones Internacionales del FBI transportó a Saab desde Cabo Verde hasta Estados Unidos.
La acción penal la impulsan el fiscal de primera instancia Alexander Kramer de la Sección de Fraude de la División Penal y el fiscal auxiliar federal Kurt K. Lunkenheimer del Distrito Sur de Florida.
Una acusación formal es solo una acusación y todos los acusados se presumen inocentes hasta tanto se demuestre su culpabilidad sin lugar a duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
Para ver el texto original, ir a: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/colombian-businessman-charged-money-laundering-extradited-united-states-cabo-verde
Elizabeth, PA Woman Sentenced to Prison for Laundering the Proceeds Generated by her Heroin-Dealing ParamourRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 12 months and one day of incarceration on her conviction of conspiracy to commit laundering of monetary instruments, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Donnetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Holly Parrish, age 32, of Elizabeth Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Parrish conspired to launder the proceeds generated by her paramour’s drug trafficking organization. Specifically, the Court was informed that Darryl Arnold, Parrish’s paramour, was responsible for distributing massive quantities of heroin throughout Washington County. Parrish assisted in laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash proceeds from Arnold’s heroin distribution and utilized the training she received as a bank employee to structure cash deposits in such a way as to evade regulatory detection. Additionally, Parrish and Arnold used the drug trafficking proceeds to live a lifestyle otherwise beyond their means, spending nearly $100,000 on shoe retailers, Gucci retailers, luxury hotels, and other items.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Ambrose stated that she found the nature and circumstances of the offense to be very serious.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ross Lenhardt and Doug Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Canonsburg and Monessen Police Departments for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Parrish.
Dubuque Woman Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl that Caused OverdoseRead the Press Release
A woman who distributed fentanyl to a man who overdosed pled guilty on October 14, 2021, in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Emily Ann Nelson, age 29, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of fentanyl.
Evidence at a prior hearing showed that Nelson distributed a substance that was supposedly heroin to another person in July 2020. That person used the substance, which turned out to be fentanyl, and overdosed, nearly dying. First responders were able to revive the other individual using the opioid antidote, Narcan. At the plea hearing, Nelson admitted she distributed the fentanyl to the person who overdosed. The day after the overdose incident, a confidential informant working with the Dubuque Drug Task Force contacted Nelson to purchase heroin. Nelson stole the money she was supposed to use to get the drugs. About two weeks later, the confidential informant again contacted Nelson to obtain heroin. This time, Nelson obtained the drugs as agreed, but used a portion of the drugs before she could be arrested by officers.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Nelson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Nelson faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21‑CR‑01009‑CJW‑MAR.
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District Man Sentenced to 40-Year Prison Term for Killing Man in the Parking Lot of Recreation CenterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Herman Cook, 50, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison on first-degree murder while armed and other charges for an early evening shooting in Northwest Washington in August 2016, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Cook was found guilty by a jury in February 2020 of murder and related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet J. McKenna.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 8, 2016, shortly after 7 p.m., Cook was standing in the parking lot behind the Emery Recreation Center in the 5700 block of Georgia Avenue NW. The homicide victim, Donald Johnson, Jr., drove into the parking lot to meet a friend. Cook and Mr. Johnson had been close friends decades earlier but became estranged at some point in the early 1990s. As captured on video surveillance, after Mr. Johnson got out of his car to talk to the friend, Cook walked up to him slowly and, without any provocation, shot him multiple times at point blank range. Mr. Johnson was struck four times, including twice in the back and once in the neck. Cook then calmly walked away in the direction of Cook’s home on 13th Street NW. Mr. Johnson, 45, was pronounced dead later that evening.
Cook fled the area on foot. Evidence indicated that he fled to Baltimore that night. He was arrested on Feb. 21, 2017, in Baltimore and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Baltimore Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels; Special Agent Nelson Rhone of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Unit; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Spence and Melissa Jackson, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Woman in Burst of Gunfire in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Nequan Carthens, 21, of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to opening fire last year with a handgun on a Southeast Washington street and killing a woman who was walking in the area, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Carthens pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a 10-year prison term. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2022.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 20, 2020, at approximately 9:55 p.m., Carthens exited from the rear passenger door of a blue-colored, four door sedan as it turned into an alley alongside the 1900 block of 16th Street SE. He was holding a handgun and shot into the 1900 block of 16th Street approximately nine times in the direction of a group of individuals who were congregating across the street. He then ran back into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene.
An innocent bystander, Lagoria Brinkley, 36, was walking southbound on 16th Street towards U Street SE and was struck in the head by one of the fired bullets. Medical personnel arrived at the scene and were unable to revive her. Carthens was arrested on March 26, 2020 and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Allen, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Al-Nusra FrontRead the Press Release
Dilshod Khusanov pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Al-Nusra Front (ANF). The proceeding was held before United States District Court Judge William F. Kuntz, II. When sentenced, Khusanov faces 11 years’ imprisonment pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement with the government. As part of his plea agreement, the defendant agrees to the entry of an order of removal so he will be removed from the country after completing his sentence.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Mark J. Lesko, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; 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 guilty plea.
“With today’s plea, Khusanov admits to providing financial support to individuals seeking to travel to Syria to join a violent foreign terrorist organization that seeks to wage war on the United States and other countries,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This Office will continue to work tirelessly with its local, national and international law enforcement partners to eliminate the threat of terrorist violence posed by ISIS and ANF.”
"Khusanov’s guilty plea is the final step toward wrapping up this years-long case in which the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force worked tirelessly—as they always do—to keep the citizens of our city and our country safe from potential terrorist acts,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll. “Khusanov now awaits his fate for his willingness to provide support to ISIS and the Al-Nusra Front. This is not the end, however, of the FBI’s continued efforts—along with those of our partners—to diminish the threats posed by terrorists and would-be terrorists worldwide.”
“Money is the oxygen that feeds the flame of any organized terrorist activity. This case makes it clear that whether you are a terrorist bomber, a planner, or simply the facilitator who raises the money to pay for their travel, you will be a target of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force. They are the most experienced detectives and agents in the country in these cases,” stated NYPD Commissioner Shea.
As set forth in court filings, Khusanov encouraged individuals to travel to Syria to wage violent jihad, or holy war in 2014 and 2015. For example, on September 28, 2014, Khusanov urged co-conspirator Akmal Zakirov to engage in jihad: “I hope that the only [reason] that is preventing you from jihad is some mistakes and flaws that are occurring among” the other fighters. Khusanov explained that it would be better to help those fighters, rather than criticize them.
Later in 2014, two Brooklyn residents, Abdurasul Juraboev and Akhror Saidakhmetov, began planning to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS. A group of individuals in a domestic network based in New York and elsewhere, including Khusanov, worked together to raise and contribute money to help fund that trip to Syria. In February 2015, Abror Habibov, Zakirov, Azizjon Rakhmatov, and Dilkhayot Kasimov discussed providing money to support Saidakhmetov’s travel and expenses in Syria. Rakhmatov and Zakirov also agreed to solicit money from others to fund Saidakhmetov’s travel. Zakirov contacted Khusanov, then-based in Illinois, and asked him to contribute money for Saidakhmetov’s travel and to ask another individual to contribute money as well. Khusanov agreed and arranged for money to be deposited in Zakirov’s bank account before Saidakhmetov’s scheduled departure. Saidakhmetov was arrested in February 2015 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as he boarded a plane bound for Istanbul, Turkey, a transit point for foreign fighters bound for Syria.
Khusanov is the last charged defendant in this plot to be convicted. Juraboev, Saidakhmetov, Habibov, Zakirov and Rakhmatov previously pleaded guilty, and Kasimov was convicted at trial. Juraboev and Saidakhmetov each were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, and Rakhmatov was sentenced to 12 ½ year’s imprisonment. Habibov, Kasimov and Zakirov are awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security & Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David K. Kessler, J. Matthew Haggans, and Jonathan E. Algor are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
The Defendant:
DILSHOD KHUSANOV
Age: 36
Chicago, IllinoisE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-475 (WFK)
Davenport Man Sentenced to 71 Months’ Imprisonment for Possessing a Firearm as a FelonRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A Davenport, Iowa, man, Demaine Marquelle Glenn, 30, of the 300 block of South Elmwood Avenue, has been sentenced to 71 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon.
At Glenn’s sentencing hearing, the government stated that in September 2018, Rock Island police responded to a shots fired call in the area of 21st Street and 3rd Avenue after someone in Glenn’s car fired several shots at another occupied vehicle. The responding officers spotted Glenn’s car, which matched witness descriptions, and attempted to stop it. Glenn, who was later determined to be the driver, fled and led police on a high-speed chase from Rock Island into Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, before continuing back into Moline, Illinois, where the vehicle crashed and Glenn was arrested. A firearm possessed by Glenn was recovered from the scene, and several fired shell casings of the same caliber were recovered both from Glenn’s car and from the scene of the shooting. At the time of the offense, Glenn was also on parole for a prior Iowa burglary offense.
In imposing sentence, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Shadid commented that Glenn’s prior Iowa burglary was a violent home invasion-type burglary and that his high-speed flight from police put innocent members of the public at risk.
Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney John K. Mehochko represented the government in the prosecution. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Rock Island, Moline, Davenport, and Bettendorf Police Departments investigated the case.
Danville Sex Offender Sentenced to Two Years for Failure to RegisterRead the Press Release
URBANA, Ill. –David W. Morlan, 66, most recently of Danville, Illinois, was sentenced today to two years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for failure to register as a sex offender.
In imposing sentence, Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm noted as an aggravating factor Morlan’s two prior failure-to-register convictions.
Morlan was arrested on January 8, 2021, and charged by criminal complaint. According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, Danville Police responded to an emergency call at the 900 block of Kimber St, in Danville and arrested Morlan on outstanding state warrants. According to court documents, Morlan had been living in the Danville area since October 2019 and had not registered as a sex offender during that time. Morlan’s 2006 conviction for aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim under thirteen years from Vermilion County, Illinois, requires that he register as a sex offender for his lifetime.
Following his arrest, U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long held a detention hearing on January 13, 2021, and ordered that Morlan be detained. Morlan has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
The statutory penalties for Morlan’s failure-to-register offense are a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson, The charge is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Danville Police Department.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
DOJ and CEO of defunct medical testing laboratory settle False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute civil caseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A False Claims Act/Anti-Kickback Statute civil matter was resolved today with an agreed $1.1 million payment by the former Chief Executive Officer of a now defunct medical testing lab, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas W. Brown. Jae Lee, 50, of Bellevue, Washington, served as the CEO of Northwest Physicians Laboratory (NWPL) from January 1, 2013, until July 30, 2015. Lee has agreed to pay $500,000 within 30 days of the settlement agreement, with additional payments annually until full payment is made.
“Resolving this civil case, as well as Mr. Lee’s guilty plea in the criminal case last year, are major milestones in this health care fraud investigation,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “The Anti-Kickback statute is aimed at protecting the public by keeping fraud from inflating our health care costs. When, as in this case, a whistleblower brings fraud to our attention the U.S. Attorney’s Office will vigorously pursue an investigation.”
The settlement with Jae Lee is the third such settlement involving the kick-back scheme and NWPL. In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a $12 million settlement with Sterling Healthcare Opco, LLC d/b/a/Cordant Health Solutions (Cordant) of Tacoma and Denver. In December 2018,Vancouver, Washington, testing lab MTL agreed to pay $1,777,738 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying illegal kickbacks to obtain referrals for government healthcare insurance programs.
According to those settlements, and the one signed today with Jae Lee, between January 2013 and July 2015, both MTL and Sterling/Cordant made payments to NWPL in exchange for referrals of Medicare and TRICARE program business, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Paying remuneration to medical providers or provider-owned laboratories in exchange for referrals encourages providers to order medically unnecessary services. The False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute function, in part, to discourage such behavior. NWPL was physician-owned, and for that reason could not test urine samples for patients covered by government health programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE. In order to conceal the payment of the kickbacks, MTL, Sterling/Cordant and NWPL described the fees as being for marketing services; however, no marketing services were performed.
“The payment or acceptance of kickbacks run counter to the goals of Federal health care programs,” stated Steven Ryan, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “Providers are trusted to select patient services based on medical necessity and their sound judgement, not their greed. Stamping out kickbacks in these programs remains a top priority for our agency and partners.”
“The announced settlement concludes a multi-year civil investigation that clearly demonstrates the government’s commitment to hold accountable those whose actions tainted the integrity of federal healthcare programs, including the Department of Defense's TRICARE program,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Western Field Office. “As exemplified in this case, DCIS will continually work with its law enforcement partners to defend against questionable business practices in order to protect taxpayer dollars and the health care interests of our military members and their families, as well as the American public.”
The whistleblower in this case will receive 15% of the funds as is common under the qui tam statute.
The criminal case concerning the kickback scheme remains ongoing. Richard Reid, 52, of Astoria, Oregon, Kevin Puls, 56, of Bellevue, are scheduled for trial in January 2022. Former NWPL CEO Jae Lee and MTL Vice-President Steve Verschoor have pleaded guilty and are scheduled for sentencing in March 2022. NWPL as a corporate entity was sentenced in May 2021, and ordered to pay $8,114,417 in restitution joint and several with the other defendants.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).
The civil case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kayla Stahman.
DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day set for October 23, 2021Read the Press Release
BILLINGS – Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson will join the Drug Enforcement Administration in support of the 21st National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 23. The biannual event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at sites across Montana. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in homes are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses from these drugs.
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
“The DEA’s Take Back Day is a great opportunity to clear out unneeded and expired prescriptions. Prescription drugs can end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic of opioid deaths and overdoses. I encourage Montanans to help protect their families, friends and community by participating in the DEA Take Back event to safely dispose of unused prescription medications,” Acting U.S. Attorney Johnson said.
“We now face a national epidemic reaching every corner of America. Prescription medications often end up in the wrong hands, fueling an epidemic that kills more Americans than car accidents,” said DEA Montana Resident Agent in Charge Stacy Zinn-Brittain. “The power to make a difference starts at home, beginning with returning the unused, unwanted or expired medications that each American keeps in their homes.”
More than 40 sheriff’s offices, police departments and federal agencies across Montana are participating in Take Back Day. Information about collection sites and more information about event is available here: https://takebackday.dea.gov/
During the last Take Back Day held on April 24, 2021, 4,425 law enforcement participants at 5,060 collection sites brought in a total weight of 839,543 pounds, or 420 tons, of drugs. This brings the total weight collected to 14.52 million pounds, or more than 7,262 tons, of prescription drugs collected in the history of the program. Collection results may include materials other than prescription drugs.
During the April 24, 2021 event, Montanans turned in 1,380 pounds of prescription drugs at 20 collection sites.
In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 23, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors. For more information on collection sites, visit: https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the Oct. 23 Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.
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DEA and Partners hold National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 23rdRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Acting United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., joins the Drug Enforcement Administration in announcing that on October 23rd, DEA will hold its 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The biannual event will be held at thousands of collection sites around the country. The event is an effort to rid homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. The service is free and anonymous.
With robust public participation, the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Initiative continues to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they are vulnerable to misuse, theft or abuse by family members and visitors, including children and teens.
Last October, DEA’s Take Back Day brought in a record-high amount of expired, unused prescription medications, with the public turning in close to 500 tons of unwanted drugs. Over the 19-year span of Take Back Day, DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. With studies indicating most abused prescription drugs come from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets, clearing out unused medicine is essential.
"With more Americans dying from drug overdoses than ever before, DEA’s Drug Take-Back Day is one way that folks can help make their communities safer, simply by disposing of their unneeded or expired medications," said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott, who heads the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division. "We’re providing a safe and convenient way to help keep potentially harmful medications out of the wrong hands."
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States continue to be alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Most prescription drug abusers say they get their drugs free from friends and family, including from the home medicine cabinet. Take Back Day is a unique opportunity for Americans to protect their homes and medicine cabinets from theft and abuse.
Helping people dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one-way DEA is working to reduce addiction and stem overdose deaths.
Learn more about the event at www.deatakeback.com or by calling 800-882-9539.
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DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge and Virgin Islands U.S. Attorney Announce a National Prescription Drug Take-Back EventRead the Press Release
ST. THOMAS, USVI – Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting/Special Agent in Charge, John F. Kanig and U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day event, scheduled for October 23rd, 2021 in St. Croix and St. Thomas. This initiative addresses a serious public safety and public health issue which impacts communities throughout the United States. Now in its eleventh year, the National Take Back Day events continue to remove ever-higher amounts of opioids and other medicines from the nation’s homes, where they could be stolen and abused by family members and visitors, including children and teens. The DEA’s Take Back events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths while providing an effective way to dispose of prescription drugs without harm to the environment.
“Too often, unused prescription drugs end up in the wrong hands,” said U.S. Attorney Shappert. “We are facing a national epidemic of drug abuse, some of which is fueled by outdated and unused prescription medications. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back is an excellent opportunity for us to eliminate prescription drugs that have outlived their usefulness.”
According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
Helping people to dispose of potentially harmful prescription drugs is just one way DEA is working to reduce the addiction and overdose deaths plaguing this country due to opioid medications.
Persons wishing to dispose of unused prescription drugs on St. Croix can take those prescriptions to the Gallows Bay and Kingshill Post Offices between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021.
For disposal of unused prescriptions on St. Thomas, persons may take them to the Sugar Estate Post Office, also on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
For more information on National Take-Back Day, please contact 1-800-882-9539, 571-362-4700 or visit https://takebackday.dea.gov. You can also click on the Partnership Toolbox option where
you can find and download materials to promote the event. In addition to DEA’s National Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 23, prescription drugs can be disposed of any day throughout the year at any of the 11,000 authorized collectors. For more information on collection sites, visit:
https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1Convicted Felon Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a HandgunRead the Press Release
A convicted felon who unlawfully possessed a handgun was sentenced today to six years in federal prison.
Mitchell Berry, age 29, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 22, 2021 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Evidence at sentencing showed that Berry was in a car stopped by Waterloo police officers on December 31, 2019. Officers found a handgun in the car. Berry’s DNA was found on the trigger and the magazine of the gun.
Berry has six prior adult criminal convictions. Two of the convictions involved firearms. In 2012, he was convicted of carrying weapons, specifically a .22 caliber handgun. In 2015, he was convicted of conspiracy to intimidate with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm as a felon.
Berry was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Berry was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Berry is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-2032.
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Community and Law Enforcement Leaders to Convene for 6th Annual Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Community EventRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Community members and law enforcement officials from throughout the tri-county area will convene this week for the sixth-annual Building Bridges of Understanding in Our Community event on October 21, 2021 at 6:30pm PDT.
This two-hour virtual event is open to the public and hosted by the Muslim Educational Trust (MET) in Tigard, Oregon. To register, please visit https://conta.cc/3jwOKem.
This year’s theme is “What is Public Safety? Joining together to build bridges, share perspectives, and create solutions.” Criminal justice and community leaders will share perspectives in two moderated panel discussions: “What is public safety and what does it mean to you?” and “A year after George Floyd’s murder: Where are we now?” Each panel discussion will include a question-and-answer period.
Participating organizations include: MET, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, City of Portland’s Office of Violence Prevention, Multnomah County Department of Community Justice, Portland Police Bureau, Department of Safety Standards and Training, Oregon Department of Justice, Lake Oswego Police Department, and Beaverton Police Department.
For six consecutive years, leaders from public safety and civil society organizations have come together to build and strengthen trust in one another and to cultivate trust with the communities they serve. The annual event has been held at MET since its inception in the fall of 2016.
To view a video of last year’s event, please visit https://youtu.be/ae3Zj6TNDIY.
The Building Bridges event series is sponsored by the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Administration, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, City of Lake Oswego, Lake Oswego Respond to Racism, Concerned Citizens of West Linn, Latino Network, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, IRCO, Muslim Community Center of Portland, Tigard Police Department, Portland Office of Civic Life, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Police Bureau, New Portland Foundation, Portland’s New Portland Policy Commission, Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center of Corvallis, Multnomah County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Offices, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
For media inquiries or to book interviews with steering committee members, please contact Stephen Mayer of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office by emailing [email protected] or calling (971) 708-8219.
Media outlets are also welcome to contact the following steering committee members directly:
- Wajdi Said; Muslim Educational Trust; [email protected]
- J.W. Matt Hennessee; Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church; [email protected]
- Jack Hanna; New Portlanders Foundation; [email protected]
- Linda Castillo; Commissioner for Hispanic Affairs and DEI Manager at IRCO; [email protected]
- Erin Hubert; Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office; [email protected]
- Kevin Barton; Washington County DA; [email protected]
Colombian Businessman Charged with Money Laundering Extradited to the United States from Cabo VerdeRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – Alex Nain Saab Moran (Saab), 49, a Colombian citizen, will make his initial appearance in federal court in Miami, Florida, today after being extradited from the Republic of Cabo Verde. Saab is charged in an indictment with laundering the proceeds of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to take advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate. He is expected to make his initial court appearance today at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Specifically, on July 25, 2019, Saab was charged along with Alvaro Pulido Vargas, aka German Enrique Rubio Salas, 55, also a Colombian citizen, in an eight-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and seven counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that beginning in or around November 2011 and continuing until at least September 2015, Saab and Pulido conspired with others to launder the proceeds of an illegal bribery scheme from bank accounts located in Venezuela to and through bank accounts located in the United States. According to the indictment, Saab and Pulido obtained a contract with the Venezuelan government in November 2011 to build low-income housing units. The defendants and their co-conspirators then took advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate, under which U.S. dollars could be obtained at a favorable rate, by submitting false and fraudulent import documents for goods and materials that were never imported into Venezuela and bribing Venezuelan government officials to approve those documents. The indictment alleges that the unlawful activity was a bribery scheme that violated the FCPA and involved bribery offenses against Venezuela. It also alleges that meetings in furtherance of the bribe payments occurred in Miami and that Saab and Pulido wired money related to the scheme to bank accounts in the Southern District of Florida. As a result of the scheme, Saab and Pulido transferred approximately $350 million out of Venezuela, through the United States, to overseas accounts they owned or controlled.
On June 12, 2020, Saab was detained in the Republic of Cabo Verde, an archipelago nation west of continental Africa, at the request of the United States. The United States thereafter submitted a formal extradition request, which Saab opposed. On March 16, the Cabo Verdean Supreme Court approved the extradition of Saab. After further litigation concerning Saab’s detention and extradition between Saab’s lawyers and the Cabo Verdean Attorney General’s Office, on Aug. 30, the Constitutional Court of Cabo Verde dismissed his appeal; and on Oct. 13, it denied the last reconsideration request by Saab and certified the completion of the proceedings concerning the extradition of Saab to the United States. The Minister of Justice of Cabo Verde then ordered his surrender, consistent with the court orders, resulting in Saab’s arrival in the United States on Oct. 16.
Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne J. Hibbert of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of FBI Miami made the announcement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez and Assistant Attorney General Polite commended and thanked the Government of the Republic of Cabo Verde for their assistance in the extradition of Saab to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Saab’s arrest and extradition, as did INTERPOL Washington.
This case was investigated by DEA Miami with assistance from the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami Field Office. FBI’s International Operations Division transported Saab from Cabo Verde to the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt K. Lunkenheimer of the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by 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 highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Colombian Businessman Charged with Money Laundering Extradited to the United States from Cabo VerdeRead the Press Release
Alex Nain Saab Moran (Saab), 49, a Colombian citizen, will make his initial appearance in federal court in Miami, Florida, today after being extradited from the Republic of Cabo Verde. Saab is charged in an indictment with laundering the proceeds of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a scheme to pay bribes to take advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate. He is expected to make his initial court appearance today at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Specifically, on July 25, 2019, Saab was charged along with Alvaro Pulido Vargas, aka German Enrique Rubio Salas, 55, also a Colombian citizen, in an eight-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and seven counts of money laundering. The indictment alleges that beginning in or around November 2011 and continuing until at least September 2015, Saab and Pulido conspired with others to launder the proceeds of an illegal bribery scheme from bank accounts located in Venezuela to and through bank accounts located in the United States. According to the indictment, Saab and Pulido obtained a contract with the Venezuelan government in November 2011 to build low-income housing units. The defendants and their co-conspirators then took advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate, under which U.S. dollars could be obtained at a favorable rate, by submitting false and fraudulent import documents for goods and materials that were never imported into Venezuela and bribing Venezuelan government officials to approve those documents. The indictment alleges that the unlawful activity was a bribery scheme that violated the FCPA and involved bribery offenses against Venezuela. It also alleges that meetings in furtherance of the bribe payments occurred in Miami and that Saab and Pulido wired money related to the scheme to bank accounts in the Southern District of Florida. As a result of the scheme, Saab and Pulido transferred approximately $350 million out of Venezuela, through the United States, to overseas accounts they owned or controlled.
On June 12, 2020, Saab was detained in the Republic of Cabo Verde, an archipelago nation west of continental Africa, at the request of the United States. The United States thereafter submitted a formal extradition request, which Saab opposed. On March 16, the Cabo Verdean Supreme Court approved the extradition of Saab. After further litigation concerning Saab’s detention and extradition between Saab’s lawyers and the Cabo Verdean Attorney General’s Office, on Aug. 30, the Constitutional Court of Cabo Verde dismissed his appeal; and on Oct. 13, it denied the last reconsideration request by Saab and certified the completion of the proceedings concerning the extradition of Saab to the United States. The Minister of Justice of Cabo Verde then ordered his surrender, consistent with the court orders, resulting in Saab’s arrival in the United States on Oct. 16.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida, and Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne J. Hibbert of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
Assistant Attorney General Polite and Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commended and thanked the Government of the Republic of Cabo Verde for their assistance in the extradition of Saab to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Saab’s arrest and extradition, as did INTERPOL Washington.
This case was investigated by DEA Miami with assistance from the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Homeland Security Investigation’s Miami Field Office. FBI’s International Operations Division transported Saab from Cabo Verde to the United States.
Trial Attorney Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt K. Lunkenheimer of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
En Español
Chicago Man Convicted of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal jury today convicted a Chicago man of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
The jury convicted THOMAS OSADZINSKI, 22, after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The charge of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman did not immediately set a sentencing date.
The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Mark Lesko, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the U.S. Department of Justice; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
The case was investigated by the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Melody Wells of the Northern District of Illinois, and Alexandra Hughes, Trial Attorney of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that ISIS and its supporters disseminated the terror group’s propaganda materials on social media to recruit fighters and inspire violence against the United States and other countries. Many social media platforms remove ISIS media content due to the violent nature of the materials. Osadzinski, a U.S. citizen, designed a process using a computer script to make ISIS propaganda more conveniently disseminated online. The process would automatically copy and preserve ISIS media postings in an organized format, allowing social media users to continue to conveniently access and share the content.
Osadzinski in 2019 shared his script – and instructions for how to use it – with individuals whom he believed to be ISIS supporters and members of pro-ISIS media organizations. Unbeknownst to Osadzinski, the individuals were actually covert FBI employees and a person confidentially working with law enforcement.
Charleston Felon Involved in Drive-by Shooting Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A man involved in a drive-by shooting on Charleston’s West Side in February 2020 pleaded guilty today to a federal firearm charge. Ronald Edward Tinsley, 49, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, on or about February 25, 2020, Tinsley was driving a vehicle on the west end of Charleston when officers with the Charleston Police Department attempted to stop him for a traffic violation. In response, Tinsley fled at a high rate of speed for several blocks until he crashed into a building in the 1200 block of 6th Street. As Tinsley exited the vehicle, he kicked a Makarov 9x18mm semi-automatic pistol underneath the vehicle. This firearm had previously been stolen, and Tinsley knew or had reason to know that it was stolen at the time he possessed it. Tinsley also admitted that he had been the driver of a vehicle during a drive-by shooting on the West Side of Charleston the night before and that the firearm he possession was used in the shooting by a passenger in the vehicle. Through the use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), law enforcement officers were able to confirm that spent shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting matched the Makarov pistol that Tinsley possessed.
Tinsley has a long criminal history to include prior federal convictions related to controlled substance distribution, as well as prior convictions for burglary and malicious assault in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
“In partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement, we are utilizing every asset at our disposal to remove violent repeat offenders from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson. “ATF’s NIBIN technology is an important tool in law enforcement’s toolbox and this case demonstrates the value of the ballistics evidence it provides in violent crime investigations. I commend the outstanding investigative work done by the ATF and the Charleston Police Department.”
“ATF’s NIBIN technology linked a violent felon to a drive-by shooting in Charleston,” stated Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of ATF’s Louisville Field Division. “This technology, being used by law enforcement in West Virginia and across the United States, provides critical links between violent street crimes and assists in obtaining serious federal charges. Working with law enforcement partners like the Charleston Police Department, ATF Task Forces protect the public and make West Virginia communities much safer.”
Tinsley faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on January 13, 2022.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00133.
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Car Buyer Convicted of Mail Fraud Going to PrisonRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael E. Levesque, 52, of Saco, Maine, who was convicted of mail fraud, was sentenced to serve six months in prison and ordered to pay $152,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who handled the case, stated that the defendant worked independently as a “fee buyer.” As a fee buyer, Levesque purchased vehicles from auctions for automobile dealerships for a fee. In 2016, the owner of an automobile dealership in the Western District of New York met the defendant at an automobile auction and, over the next two years, Levesque acted as a fee buyer for the dealership, purchasing approximately 20 to 30 vehicles in exchange for a fee.
Between February and March 2, 2018, the defendant devised a scheme to defraud the dealership owner out of money and property. Levesque falsely represented to the owner that he was looking for a new business partner to fund vehicles which the defendant would purchase and re-sell to individuals or dealerships for a profit. As part of the scheme, Levesque told the owner that although the purchased vehicles would be titled to the owner, the owner would never actually possess the vehicles. In exchange for the owner providing the funding to purchase the vehicles, the defendant and the owner would split equally the profits from each vehicle sold. Based on false representations and promises, the owner agreed.
For example, Levesque falsely represented that he had a buyer for a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe that was owned by a dealership in South Parish, Maine, which would result in a $4,000 profit. The defendant instructed the owner to send a $44,500 check to the South Parish, Maine dealership purportedly to fund the deal. However, the payment to the South Parish, Maine dealership was actually to satisfy a pre-existing debt which Levesque owed, not to purchase the Tahoe. In addition, the owner also sent a $44,500 check to a dealership in Lisbon, Maine, and a $41,000 check to a dealership in Sanford, Maine, purportedly to purchase vehicles. These payments did not fund the purchases of vehicles, rather, the payments were to satisfy pre-existing debts which Levesque owed to the automobile dealerships. The defendant also defrauded a dealership located in Lisbon, Maine out of $22,000.
In total, Levesque fraudulently obtained $152,000 during the course of his scheme.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
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Cabell County Man Sentenced to Prison for EscapeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Jeremy Midkiff, 39, of Huntington, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for escape from a halfway house.
According to his own statements and court documents, Midkiff admitted that in October 2020, he left Dismas Charities, Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility located in St. Albans, West Virginia, without permission and did not return while he was still serving an undischarged term of federal imprisonment. He had been on escape status for approximately eight months before he was apprehended by local law enforcement in connection with unrelated charges in June 2021. Midkiff has underlying federal convictions for felon in possession of a firearm and distribution of fentanyl.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Negar M. Kordestani handled the prosecution.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00083.
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Burnsville Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Methamphetamine out of Hotel RoomsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Burnsville man pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2020, law enforcement determined that Eric Michael Dungy, 50, was selling methamphetamine out of hotel rooms in the Twin Cities metro area. On September 30, 2020, law enforcement encountered Dungy in the Element Hotel parking lot in Bloomington. Agents arrested Dungy and found heroin and $16,621 in cash on his person. Agents conducted a search of Dungy’s vehicle and recovered 364 grams of methamphetamine, three methamphetamine pipes, needles, gallon Ziploc bags with methamphetamine residue on them, an electronic money counter, and a Kel-Tec 9mm handgun. On October 3, 2020, law enforcement searched Dungy’s unoccupied hotel room and found 5.5 pounds of methamphetamine and other personal effects belonging to Dungy.
After obtaining release on bail from the Hennepin County Jail in November 2020, Dungy was again investigated for methamphetamine distribution and by December 14, 2020, he agreed to sell three pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer for $15,000. On the same day, law enforcement searched two adjacent rooms he rented at the Country Inn & Suites in Bloomington, and recovered approximately 6.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 13.5 grams of heroin, three digital scales, multiple small Ziplock bags, eleven phones, and $12,286 in cash.
Dungy pleaded guilty today to two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright. A sentencing date has not been set.
This case is the result of investigations conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, and the St. Paul Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter Jr. is prosecuting the case.
Buffalo Man Pleads Guilty to Selling FentanylRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Shamir Suddith, 33, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to distribution of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah E. Lenihan, who is handling the case, stated that in September 2018, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) developed information that the defendant was a fentanyl drug dealer. Based on this information, HSI conducted two controlled purchases of fentanyl from Suddith on September 12 and October 3, 2018.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 22, 2022, before Judge Vilardo.
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