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28 October 2021
Former Monroe Police Officer Indicted for Assaulting an Arrestee and Attempting to Cover it UpRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams announced that a federal grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, has returned an indictment charging Jared Desadier, 43, with assaulting an arrestee in Ouachita Parish. The two-count indictment charges Desadier with willfully depriving an individual of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 242, and with witness tampering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1512(b)(3).
The indictment alleges that on April 21, 2020, Desadier, while acting in his official capacity as an officer of the Monroe Police Department, used unjustified force against an arrestee by kicking him in the area of his face and head, and that the assault caused bodily injury and involved the use of a dangerous weapon (a shod foot). The indictment further alleges that Desadier attempted to cover up his misconduct by engaging in misleading conduct towards his supervisors. Specifically, the indictment alleges that after the arrestee complained in the presence of supervising officers that he had been assaulted, Desadier claimed that he had not touched or harmed the arrestee and blamed the arrestee’s injuries on a fall.
If convicted, Desadier faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment for the deprivation-of-rights offense and 20 years of imprisonment for the witness tampering offense.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian C. Flanagan and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson are prosecuting the case.
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Former Member of Boston Latin Kings Chapter Pleads Guilty to Racketeering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2021 to racketeering charges.
Robert Lara, a/k/a “King Rizz,” 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for Jan. 25, 2022.
The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.
Named for its origin on Devon Street in Boston, the Devon Street Kings, or D5K, Chapter of the Latin Kings, included approximately a dozen members. The Devon Street Kings, in turn, reported to the Massachusetts State Leadership of the Latin Kings, providing information, structure, funds and other resources to further the Latin Kings goals and directives in the state. Lara admitted to attending numerous meetings of the gang, contributing to its joint account known as the “fundo” and participating in a violent assault of another member at a hotel in the Boston area, which was imposed as punishment for violating the rules of the gang.
In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Lara is the 54th defendant to plead guilty in the case.
The RICO conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of Mendell’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Louisiana Police Officer Indicted for Assaulting an Arrestee and Attempting to Cover It UpRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana, returned an indictment charging Jared Desadier, 43, with assaulting an arrestee in Ouachita Parish. The two-count indictment charges Desadier with willfully depriving an individual of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure and with witness tampering.
The indictment alleges that, on April 21, 2020, Desadier, while acting in his official capacity as an officer of the Monroe Police Department, used unjustified force against an arrestee by kicking him in the area of his face and head, and that the assault caused bodily injury and involved the use of a dangerous weapon (a shod foot). The indictment further alleges that Desadier attempted to cover up his misconduct by engaging in misleading conduct towards his supervisors. Specifically, the indictment alleges that after the arrestee complained in the presence of supervising officers that he had been assaulted, Desadier claimed that he had not touched or harmed the arrestee and blamed the arrestee’s injuries on a fall.
If convicted, Desadier faces a maximum sentence of 10 years of imprisonment for the deprivation-of-rights offense and 20 years of imprisonment for the witness tampering offense.
Wednesday’s indictment was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams FBI New Orleans.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Flanagan of the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Civil Rights Division.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Former California Resident Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Crystal MethRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JASON WILLIAMS, 36, a citizen of Belize last residing in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking crystal methamphetamine to Connecticut.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force arrested an individual who possessed more than 400 grams of crystal methamphetamine. Investigators learned that the individual had received the meth from a tractor trailer driver who regularly transported kilogram quantities of meth and other drugs from California to locations in the eastern U.S. In October 2020, the individual traveled to California and was introduced to Williams, who was identified as a supplier of large quantities of meth and marijuana. Williams then traveled to Connecticut and, on October 27, 2020, he and Alejandro Castillo provided the individual with a crate containing approximately 2.2 kilograms (nearly five pounds) of meth. Williams told the individual to use the crate to ship them $60,000 in proceeds from the sale of the drugs.
On November 11, 2020, law enforcement seized an additional five pounds of crystal meth that Williams shipped from California to Connecticut.
Williams has been detained since his arrest on November 17, 2020. On July 28, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Williams faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.
Castillo, 42 and a citizen of Belize, has pleaded guilty, awaits sentencing and is detained.
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. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Former Bath Iron Works Employee Sentenced for Workers’ Compensation FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Scarborough man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for filing a false document in relation to a workers’ compensation claim, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby sentenced Michael Collins, 63, to three years of probation. In addition, Judge Hornby ordered Collins to pay $12,682.74 in restitution to Bath Iron Works (BIW). Collins pleaded guilty on June 21, 2021.
According to court records, Collins was employed as an electrician at BIW. He filed a claim under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act in approximately May 2018, claiming he suffered a work-related injury that left him totally disabled. BIW did not contest the claim and Collins began receiving benefit payments and medical treatment payments. In September 2018, the adjuster handling the claim became suspicious that Collins may have been working while continuing to claim he was totally disabled. The adjuster hired a private investigator, who conducted surveillance on numerous dates throughout the next several months. The surveillance revealed that Collins was working as a self-employed electrician.
On January 7, 2019, Collins falsely claimed on a required form that he did not have any earnings from employment or self-employment. His conduct caused BIW to suffer a loss of $12,682.74.
The U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Former Baltimore City Music Teacher Facing Federal Indictment for Sexual Exploitation and Coercion of a Minor, and Other Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Lewis Ismael Blandon, a/k/a “LordLewy”, age 35, of Edgewood, Maryland, for the charges of sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, distribution/receipt of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Blandon is a former Baltimore City Public Schools music teacher.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron and Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.
According to his 18-count indictment, beginning in December 2020, Blandon operated several different social media accounts and a variety of aliases on these platforms to meet and/or communicate with minor males. Blandon allegedly used these aliases and social media platforms to persuade, induce, entice and coerce three minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct and to send Blandon images and video of that conduct during the victims’ online communications with Blandon.
The indictment alleges that Blandon, using an alias of “JaggRock,” also used an online messaging account to send images of what Blandon represented was his penis to one of the minor victims on three separate occasions. Under the same username, Blandon also allegedly distributed and possessed other sexually explicit images and videos of minors, including a video depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler.
If convicted, Blandon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each of two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison for each of two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct; a maximum of 40 years in federal prison for four counts each of receipt of child pornography and distribution of child pornography; a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each of three counts of possession of child pornography; and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Blandon has been detained since he was arrested on related charges on October 13, 2021.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
The case was investigated by the FBI-led Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, created in 2010 to combat child prostitution, with members from10 state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Task Force coordinates with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Maryland State Police Child Recovery Unit to identify missing children being advertised online for prostitution.
MCETF partners with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders. Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members. For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the Maryland Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen E. McGuinn, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Florida Nurse Pleads Guilty to Tampering with Intensive Care Unit Patient’s MedicationRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Jerome W. Clampitt II (42, Saint Johns) has pleaded guilty to tampering with a consumer product, specifically, injectable fentanyl. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the
plea agreement , on January 30, 2020, Clampitt, a registered nurse, was working a night shift in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Jacksonville. A patient under Clampitt’s care was prescribed and receiving an intravenous dose of fentanyl, along with other medications for anesthesia. Two fellow employees saw Clampitt using a syringe to inject a substance into the device that dispensed fentanyl into the patient, when there was no medically valid reason for Clampitt to do so. Laboratory testing eventually determined that the patient’s dose of fentanyl had been diluted with saline.When interviewed by law enforcement officers, Clampitt eventually admitted that he had diverted drugs from patients at the hospital for personal use. During that interview, however, he denied diluting patient drugs with saline.
An audit of hospital records showed multiple discrepancies in Clampitt’s handling of controlled substances during the time he worked for the hospital. Investigators later learned that in 2019, a separate hospital had employed Clampitt and discovered discrepancies in its records that suggested he might have been diverting drugs for his own use. That hospital fired Clampitt after he refused to submit to a drug test.
As part of his guilty plea, Clampitt admitted that he knew that his activities resulted in one or more critically ill patients receiving diluted fentanyl, which lacked prescribed quantities of active medication necessary to control pain. Having been deprived of medically-necessary medication, such patients would endure pain and suffering and were exposed to increased risks of illness and death, stemming from, among other things, possible infection and respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal complications.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
Federal Indictment Returned Charging Ruston Man with Making Threats Against Member of CongressRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Chase Levi Thibodeaux, 38, of Ruston, Louisiana, with threatening a federal official and transmitting threats in interstate commerce.
The indictment alleges that on or about October 12, 2021, Thibodeaux threatened to murder a Member of Congress while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties, and to retaliate against her on account of her official duties.
It is further alleged in the indictment that Thibodeaux placed a telephone call to the Member of Congress stating that he would murder her, thereby knowingly transmitting a communication in interstate commerce with the intent to threaten to injure people with knowledge that they would view the communication as a threat.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Thibodeaux faces not more than 10 years in prison on the charge of threatening a federal official, not more than 5 years on the transmitting threats in interstate commerce charge, 2 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The United States Capitol Police and FBI are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg is prosecuting the case.
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Federal Employee Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Representation of Claims Against the GovernmentRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Megan Mariah Patrick, 36, of Terry, Mississippi, has pleaded guilty to a six-count federal indictment charging her with unauthorized representation of claims against the government and false statements to a federal agency, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca, Special Agent in Charge Dax Roberson with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge Rodregas Owens with the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General – Atlanta Field Division.
The indictment, handed up by the federal grand jury on March 16, 2021, charges Megan Mariah Patrick, Rural Development Loan Specialist with the United States Department of Agriculture in Jackson, Mississippi, with three counts of unauthorized representation of claims against the United States, and three counts of false statements to a federal agency.
According to the Indictment, from August 2017 through March 2019, Patrick acted as an attorney, outside her official duties as Rural Development Loan Specialist, to represent claimants before the Social Security Administration seeking increased federal benefits. In each case where she entered her appearance as an attorney representing the claimant before the Social Security Administrative Law Judge, Patrick filed an official form with the Social Security Administration, stating that she was not disqualified or otherwise prohibited as a federal employee from representing the claimant. In fact, as Patrick knew, such statement was false, because, as an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she was prohibited by law and regulation from representing claimants against the United States in the Social Security Administration.
Patrick appeared for a change of plea hearing on October 27, 2021, before United States District Judge Kristi H. Johnson in Jackson. Patrick was released on conditions of bond pending sentencing.
Patrick will be sentenced on February 1, 2022, and faces maximum penalties of 5 years in prison for each count of unauthorized representation, as well as for each count of false statements, for a possible grand total of 30 years, and 3 years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Each count also can merit a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. The Byram Police Department assisted with the arrest.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Theodore Cooperstein and Kevin Payne.
Fall River Man Agrees to Plead Guilty to Child Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Fall River man entered a plea of guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 in federal court in Boston in connection with travelling to New Hampshire to attempt to have sex with a teenage girl.
Charles Eugene Schnitzlein III, 34, entered a plea of guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a person under 18 years of age. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani deferred acceptance of the plea until sentencing, which is scheduled for March 3, 2022. Schnitzlein was charged by criminal complaint on April 9, 2021.
It is alleged that Schnitzlein used a messaging application to communicate with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl and devised a plan to meet the purported teenager to have sex. On April 9, 2021, Schnitzlein drove from Fall River to a mall in Nashua, N.H., to meet with the undercover officer posing as a teenage girl. On his way to the meetup location, Schnitzlein stopped to purchase condoms, flowers, soda and candy. Officers arrested Schnitzlein when he arrived.
According to court documents, during an interview with law enforcement, Schnitzlein admitted that he traveled from Fall River to meet the purported 13-year-old girl and booked a hotel room in Nashua, N.H. to have sex with the purported teenager.
The charge of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Nashua (N.H.) Police Commissioner Matthew E. Plante made the announcement. Assistance was provided by Massachusetts State Police and the Arlington, Revere and Boston Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Duane of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Essex Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Crack Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Joel William Hammond, age 35, Essex of Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; Harford County State’s Attorney Albert Peisinger; Sheriff Jeff Gahler of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office; and the Harford County Narcotics Task Force comprised of members of the Harford County Sheriff's Office, Aberdeen Police Department, Bel Air Police Department, Havre de Grace Police Department; and the Harford County States Attorney’s Office.
According to his guilty plea, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force undertook an investigation into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing powder and crack cocaine in Harford County, Maryland. Over the course of the investigation, detectives intercepted numerous drug-related communications over social media and phone calls, which identified Hammond as a drug supply source.
On March 7, 2020, task force detectives followed one of the DTO members who met with Hammond at Hammond’s residence in Essex, returned to Harford County. Detectives then observed a member of the DTO meet with several known drug users. Detectives believe that the DTO member obtained two to three ounces of crack cocaine from Hammond, which were then sold to the DTO’s customers.
Hammond met with members and customers of the DTO on at least 10 occasions between March and April 2020. Specifically, on March 31 detectives intercepted a series of communications indicating that a member of the DTO planned to meet Hammond to obtain crack cocaine. Investigators learned that Hammond sold approximately one ounce of crack cocaine to the individual during the meeting.
On April 21, 2020, investigators learned that Hammond and a DTO member were to meet later that day. Detectives observed Hammond and the DTO member make contact at Hammond’s residence. Soon after, the DTO member drove back to Harford County. A traffic stop by the Harford County Sheriff’s office led to a search of the vehicle by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team and Harford Narcotics Task Force, after first obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle.
As a result of the search, law enforcement discovered two plastic bags, both containing a white substance, as well as $660 in cash. One of the bags contained 16 grams of a white rock like substance that was similar to powder cocaine that had been directly cut off a kilogram of pressed cocaine. The second bag contained an off-white rock-like substance that law enforcement determined to be 41 grams of crack cocaine. The combined weight of the two bags was 57.9 grams.
On April 22, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hammond’s residence and seized a small quantity of crack cocaine.
Hammond agrees it is reasonably foreseeable that the conspiracy involved at least 112 grams but less than 196 grams of crack cocaine.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the DEA, the Harford State’s Attorney’s Office, the Harford County Narcotics Task Force, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Romano who prosecuted the case.
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Duncannon Man Charged with Attempted Enticement of A Minor to Engage in Prostitution and Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Patrick Joel Taylor, age 34, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on an attempted enticement of a minor charge.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that on October 23, 2021, Taylor knowingly attempted to persuade, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activity.
The case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Dominican National Sentenced for Two Fentanyl ConspiraciesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Lawrence was sentenced yesterday in connection with two fentanyl distribution conspiracies.
Guillermo Aybar-Guerrero, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 52 months in prison.
Guillermo previously pleaded guilty to his role in two separate fentanyl conspiracies; for the purpose of sentencing, the two cases were consolidated. On June 9, 2021, Guillermo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. On July 15, 2021, Guillermo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Guillermo Aybar-Guerrero was indicted in August 2020 along with his brother, Luis Aybar-Guerrero, after investigators conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl from Guillermo on June 10 and 17, 2020. On June 25, 2020, investigators set up another controlled purchase, at which time Guillermo was arrested in possession of approximately 30 grams of suspected fentanyl. Guillermo retrieved the fentanyl for each of these transactions from Luis. A search of Luis’ residence resulted in the seizure of an additional 223 grams of acetyl fentanyl (a fentanyl analogue) as well as a scale, baggies and other drug distribution paraphernalia.
Luis Aybar-Guerrero pleaded guilty on July 15, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns.
In the second conspiracy, investigators conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl pills from Guillermo on April 24 and May 5, 2019. The transactions were coordinated by co-conspirator Francis Jimenez Minyetty. Minyetty pleaded guilty to his involvement in the conspiracy and was sentenced in May 2021 to eight years in prison.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Graber of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the cases.
Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national pleaded guilty today to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.
Melvin Baez Peguero, 46, a Dominican national residing in Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for March 4, 2022. Baez was arrested on June 29, 2021.
In 2010, Baez pleaded guilty to various federal drug trafficking offenses, and was sentenced to five years in prison. After completing his sentence, Baez was ordered removed from the United States.
In November 2020, law enforcement identified a parcel containing an industrial pill press shipped to an address in Allston. During a controlled delivery of that parcel Baez was observed taking the parcel back to his residence in Boston where his identity was confirmed. At the time, Baez had not obtained consent to re-apply for admission to the United States.
The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Baez will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathanial R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
District Man Indicted for Murder in Investigation of Woman Who Has Been Missing Since 2010Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Isaac Moye, 44, of Washington D.C., was indicted today on one count of second-degree murder, stemming from the October 2010 disappearance of Unique Harris, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from her home in October 2010 and whose body has never been found, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee, III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
The indictment was returned by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Moye, who is detained, is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 16, 2021.
Ms. Harris was reported missing on Oct. 10, 2010, disappearing from her apartment in the 2400 block of Hartford Street SE, with three children still inside. According to the indictment and related court documents, Moye was an acquaintance of the victim, and his GPS device placed him in her home overnight on the night she went missing, contrary to his assertions that he had never spent the night at the residence. Although he has vacillated between admitting and denying any sexual contact between them, according to the government’s evidence, the defendant’s semen was identified on furniture, which had been mutilated, arguably in an attempt to remove evidence of his presence in Ms. Harris’s apartment. Moye was arrested and charged with the murder on Dec. 19, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Moye faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Vinét Bryant.
County Councilman Sentenced to a year and a half in Federal Prison for False Statements While Trying to Buy a FirearmRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart, announced today that Kerry Trent Kinard, 50, of Bamberg, was sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison after pleading guilty to making false statements while trying to illegally acquire a firearm.
According to evidence presented in court, while on state bond on seven felony indictments, and while subject to a protective order imposed by a South Carolina Family Court judge, Kinard went into a federally licensed firearms dealer in Columbia and attempted to purchase a Taurus Model G3 9 mm pistol and ammunition.
In the process, Kinard made two false statements to the firearms dealer. First, in filling out a standard form, he was asked, “Are you under indictment … in any court for a felony, or any other crime for which the judge could imprison you for more than one year?” Kinard falsely answered, “No.” Second, he was asked, “Are you subject to a court order … restraining you from harassing, stalking, or threatening your child or an intimate partner or child of such partner?” Again, Kinard falsely answered, “No.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered GPS ankle monitor coordinates and surveillance of the attempted purchase.
Kinard knew his statements were false, having participated in hearings on both the state felony charges and the protective order, as well as having been suspended from service on the Bamberg County Council by virtue of the felony indictments.
Kinard had also failed to comply with conditions of bond set by the state court judge, and assurances were made in state court that Kinard would surrender firearms if he were released on bond.
The South Carolina Family Court also had made a finding that Kinard “represents a credible threat to the physical safety” of the petitioner in that case, and that he “used, attempted to use, or threatened to use physical force … that is reasonably expected to cause bodily injury.” That court also wrote in its order that Kinard was prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm under federal law.
On December 4, 2020, Kinard was charged via criminal complaint, and has remained in federal custody since that time. After his arrest, Kinard obstructed the federal investigation by providing ATF leads he knew were false. After a grand jury indicted Kinard on two counts related to false statements, Kinard pled guilty to one count of making a false written statement to a licensed firearms dealer.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Kinard to 18 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. This was the high-end of the recommended sentence and supervised release term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the ATF and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Assistant United States Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
The case was prosecuted as part of the as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Chinese National Sentenced to 14 Months in Federal Prison for Attempting to Bribe an Immigration Case WorkerRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Zhiyang Yang, age 61, formerly of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 14 months in federal prison, which is time served, for making illegal payments to an immigration official. The sentence was imposed on October 26, 2021.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jim Valenzuela of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR); and Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
According to his plea agreement, Yang entered into the United States on a tourist visa in May 2018 and never departed, contrary to the terms and duration of that visa. Later, Yang was identified by immigration authorities and ordered to report regularly to an ICE, Enforcement and Removal contractor. The contractor managed the supervision of certain individuals during the pendency of immigration proceedings.
On at least four occasions, Yang provided cash to a case manager (Public Official 1) in relation to immigration matters.
First, on September 27, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for a scheduled appointment as part of Yang’s monitoring agreement with ICE, pending Yang’s immigration proceedings. An interpreter was participating in the meeting by telephone while both Public Official 1 and Yang were physically present in a room. In the meeting with Public Official 1, Yang stated that he “wanted his freedom back.” Public Official 1 informed Yang that he was on the lowest form of monitoring, but Public Official 1 could potentially reduce the frequency of Yang’s required office visits. Public Official 1 also informed Yang that there was a process for the reduction of required meetings. Immediately after Public Official 1 ended the call with the interpreter, Yang looked over his shoulders before offering Public Official 1 several folded bills of cash. Public Official 1 refused the money twice and left the office to make copies of documents for Yang. Yang then concealed $100 under Public Official 1’s keyboard. Public Official 1 reported the conduct to the appropriate authorities.
On October 11, 2019, Yang met with Public Official 1 for an immigration monitoring meeting. At that time, Public Official 1 was acting in an undercover capacity at the direction of law enforcement. Upon entering Public Official 1’s office, Yang placed $200 in cash in Public Official 1’s pocket and asked for reduced monitoring. During their conversation, Public Official 1 stated that if he were to help Yang with less reporting, as Yang requested, Public Official 1 would need “more money”. Yang subsequently asked if $1,000 would suffice and said that he could provide it before the next scheduled appointment.
During an in-office meeting with Public Official 1 on October 25, 2019, Yang gave Public Official 1 $700 in cash, in exchange for Public Official 1 reducing the frequency of Yang’s in-office visits. Yang then inquired about obtaining additional immigration benefits, asking if he could obtain legal status earlier, as he wanted “as much freedom as possible.”
On December 20, 2019, Public Official 1 stated there could be another way to help Yang obtain a Green Card (officially known as a “Permanent Resident Card” which allows an immigrant to live and work permanently in the United States), but that it would be illegal. In response, Yang stated that he would very much appreciate that and would compensate those involved. Public Official 1 then estimated a price of $15,000 for Yang to obtain the Green Card. At the end of the conversation, Yang asked if he could pay upon the next visit. At the next office visit, Yang made a $5,000 down payment towards the illegal Green Card.
From December 2019 to August 28, 2020, Yang continued to speak with Public Official 1 and other immigration officials, who were also acting in an undercover capacity, to arrange installment payments in the effort to illegally obtain a Green Card. In several instances, the officials reiterated that this was illegal activity. Yang’s response was “not to worry.”
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised ICE OPR and HSI Baltimore for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Wright, who prosecuted the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Chicago Man Convicted of Financial Institution Fraud and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A federal jury returned guilty verdicts against Christopher Simmons, 40, of Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 2021, for three counts of financial institution fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Sentencing for Simmons has been scheduled for February 24, 2022, at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria, Illinois.
Over two days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Adreen Canterberry obtained a $49,900 loan from Citizens Equity First Credit Union for the purchase of a 2016 Audi from Simmons. The evidence showed that Simmons did not own the car and that the information provided about the car came from an eBay listing. After Simmons got the $49,900, he used a stolen social security number, false address, and false earnings statements to seek car loans and credit cards from CEFCU. CEFCU alerted the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department about the fraud and when Simmons went into one of the CEFCU offices to obtain a car loan, he was arrested.
Canterberry previously pleaded guilty to financial institution fraud and was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment, five years supervised release, $10,000 fine, and $49,900 in restitution.
Simmons remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. At sentencing, Simmons faces statutory penalties of up to 30 years imprisonment, a maximum $1,000,000 fine, and maximum supervised release terms of five years for each of the financial institution fraud counts. He also faces a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft count, as well as a maximum one-year term of supervised release and a maximum $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn Knauss and Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas F. McMeyer represented the government at trial.
Chenango County Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Sexually Exploiting Three ChildrenRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Patrick Kain, age 35, of Norwich, New York was sentenced today to thirty-five years’ imprisonment for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of committing a felony involving a minor by a registered sex offender. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Kain was convicted in Chenango County Court of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in 2014, and because of that conviction is required to register as a sex offender in New York State.
As a part of his previously entered guilty plea, Kain admitted that from roughly 2016 through 2019 he created sexually explicit images and videos of three different victims, each of whom were approximately five years old. These depictions generally involved Kain secretly recording the victims’ genitals. Included among this material is a video of Kain reaching his hand toward one of the victim’s genitals, putting his hand inside that victim’s underwear, and pulling it aside. In addition to the child pornography that Kain created, he also possessed approximately 90 videos and 10 images of child pornography not involving his own victims, both on his laptop and in an online storage account.
Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy also imposed a 20-year term of supervised release, which will start after Kain is released from prison, required Kain to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim whose image he possessed on one of his electronic devices, and ordered a $400 special assessment.
This case was being investigated by the FBI, the New York State Police, and the Chenango County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Charleston Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON – Memphis Ross, 20, of Charleston, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him. Ross is one of the 15 individuals charged as part of the long-term investigation dubbed the “Woo Boyz.”
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on July 26, 2020 at the Charleston home of Ross’ mother and located an IMI Uzi 9mm submachine gun. Ross admitted bringing the fully automatic firearm into his mother’s home and that the firearm was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Officers also found three other firearms, ammunition and some marijuana during the search.
United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman handled the prosecution.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00032.
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Chalmette Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Heroin and CocaineRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that KEVIN GRAY, age 49, a resident of Chalmette, Louisiana, pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B), and 846. GRAY is facing a sentence of up to forty (40) years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, at least four years of supervised release upon his release from prison, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court records, GRAY and four others, Joseph Brown, Lionel Cooley, Kendrick Demourelle, and Blake Monroe, conspired to sell illegal narcotics in New Orleans. Law enforcement officers seized more than 400 grams of heroin, more than 120 grams of cocaine, and a pill press inside GRAY’s home during a court authorized search.
U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter will sentence GRAY on February 1, 2022 at 1:30pm. GRAY, Brown, Cooley, Demourelle, and Monroe were charged in February 2020 with conspiring to distribute cocaine, crack, and heroin in the New Orleans area.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hammond Police Department, New Orleans Police Department, and Slidell Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Howard Sinkman is in charge of the prosecution.
Canton Man Found Guilty of Possession of Meth and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal jury found Bruno Nascimento Brito, 36, of Canton, Ohio, guilty of possessing nearly 500 grams of meth and firearms violations on Wednesday, October 27, 2021.
Following a two-day trial, a jury convicted Brito on two counts of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on October 8, 2020, law enforcement officers encountered Brito at a gas station in Canton via information that Brito utilizes the location to engage in illegal drug transactions. Officers searched Brito and discovered that he had in his possession a clear plastic bag containing approximately 110 grams of methamphetamine. Officers then transported Brito to the Canton Police Department, where he was searched a second time. This time, however, the bag of drugs was not found on Brito but rather hidden in the vehicle of the transporting officer.
Law enforcement officers then obtained and executed a search warrant at Brito’s residence in Canton and recovered a semiautomatic pistol with ammunition, roughly 378 grams of meth, digital scales, drug paraphernalia and approximately $8,600 in cash. Brito is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous convictions of burglary and aggravated drug trafficking in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas.
Brito is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2022 and faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, MEDWAY, Canton Police Department, and Stark County Metro Narcotics Unit.
California Woman Indicted on Fentanyl ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California woman was indicted today on a drug trafficking offense involving fentanyl.
Adelaida Yudit Garibay, 45, of Burbank, Calif., was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Garibay has been in custody since she was arrested in September 2021 and charged by criminal complaint.
According to charging documents, in September 2021, officers observed Garibay picking up fentanyl prior to meeting an undercover agent to whom she had arranged to sell two kilograms of fentanyl. Garibay was then allegedly observed getting into a ride-sharing vehicle. A search of the vehicle during a subsequent traffic stop resulted in the seizure of a bag that had allegedly been at Garibay’s feet and contained approximately two kilograms of fentanyl.
The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel R. Feldman of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
COVID-19 Task Force Nets Florida Duct Cleaning Company; Settles False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Improper Paycheck Protection Program LoanRead the Press Release
Sextant Marine Consulting LLC (Sextant), a Florida-based duct cleaning company, has agreed to pay $30,000 in damages and civil penalties to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by obtaining more than one Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2020. Sextant also repaid the duplicative PPP funds in full to its lender, relieving the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) of liability to the lender for the federal guaranty of approximately $170,000 on the improper loan.
Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses. Throughout 2020, PPP loan applicants were required to certify that they would not receive more than one PPP loan prior to Dec. 31, 2020. This settlement resolves allegations that Sextant applied for and received a second, duplicative PPP loan in 2020.
“PPP loans were intended to provide critical relief to small businesses so that they could retain employees and keep their doors open,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will ensure that those who improperly obtain federally guaranteed PPP loans are held accountable.”
“The Paycheck Protection Program is intended to provide a lifeline to the nation’s small businesses and its employees” said Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG). “OIG will aggressively investigate allegations of wrongdoing in SBA’s pandemic response programs. I want to thank the Department of Justice for its dedication to achieving this settlement.”
“The settlement in this matter demonstrates the excellent results achieved through the combined efforts of SBA and the Department of Justice to uncover and forcefully respond to Paycheck Protection Program fraud,” said General Counsel Peggy Delinois Hamilton of the SBA Office of the General Counsel. “SBA is strongly committed to identifying and aggressively pursuing instances of fraud perpetrated by those taking advantage of SBA COVID-19 assistance programs.”
Wednesday’s civil settlement includes the resolution of a claim brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by J. Bryan Quesenberry. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Mr. Quesenberry will receive $4,500. The matter remains under seal as to allegations against entities other than Sextant.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Jared S. Wiesner of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Weinkle of the Southern District of Florida.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Brothers indicted in firebombing of Shoreline, Washington coffee shopRead the Press Release
Seattle – Two brothers were arraigned on an indictment today in connection with the September 30, 2020, firebombing of a coffee shop on Aurora Avenue in Shoreline, Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Taylor Lemay Rice, 23 and Daniel Lemay Rice 21, pleaded “Not Guilty” and were released on personal appearance bonds. Trial is set before U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones on January 3, 2022.
The two men are charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device – in this case four Molotov cocktails. The destructive devices darkened the sides of the building, but did not extensively damage the structure. The men were identified as suspects in the early morning firebombing, after extensive work by law enforcement involving review of surveillance video and cell phone records. Both men have been interviewed by law enforcement and agreed to turn themselves in.
Information in the public record indicates the coffee shop shares the building with Bethany Community Church. The coffee shop was closed and was scheduled to reopen under new operators. The signs for the old ownership remained on the building. Speaking in court at the detention hearing, prosecutors indicated the firebombing may have been motivated by a dispute over one of the brother’s cars being towed from the area around the coffee stand a few months earlier.
Unlawful possession of a destructive device is punishable by up to ten years in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosive (ATF) and the King County Sheriff’s Office are all working on the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Wide-Ranging Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 to his role in a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy reaching from Boston to Brockton to Lawrence to Cape Cod.
Anthony Goncalves, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled for March 2, 2022. Anthony Goncalves remains in federal custody.
In the fall of 2018, an investigation into a violent Brockton drug crew headed by Djuna Goncalves, Anthony’s Goncalves’s brother, revealed that Djuna Goncalves allegedly worked with others, including his brothers Anthony and Cody Goncalves, to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana throughout southeastern Massachusetts from a base of operations at their family home in Brockton (Brockton base). The neighborhood surrounding the crew’s Brockton base has been the scene of numerous murders, shootings and other crimes of violence for several years.
During the investigation, intercepted conversations between Anthony and Djuna revealed that they conspired to distribute marijuana from the crew’s Brockton base, where in October 2018, an unidentified individual fired several shots at Djuna Goncalves. A subsequent search of the Brockton base resulted in the seizure of marijuana, packaging materials, scales, a kilo press, fentanyl and ammunition as well as documents in Anthony and Djuna’s names.
In all, 17 defendants, including Anthony, Djuna and Cody Goncalves, were indicted as part of a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy reaching from Boston to Brockton to Lawrence to Cape Cod. Of the 17 defendants named in the indictment, nine have been sentenced. Anthony Goncalves is the 16th defendant to plead guilty in the case. Cody Goncalves pleaded guilty on Sept. 12, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2, 2022. Djuna Goncalves pleaded guilty on Oct. 7, 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2022. Under the terms of Djuna Goncalves’s plea agreement, he will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison and the government will recommend a sentence of 308 months in prison.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, oxycodone and marijuana provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The charge of possession with intent to distribute marijuana provides for a sentence of at least five years in prison, at least two years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz; and Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea E. Porter of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.
The operation was conducted by a multi-agency task force through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. More information on the OCDETF program is available here: https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
The detailed contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendant are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Bergen County Investment Advisor Arrested for Stealing Millions from ClientsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A former broker and investment advisor from Bergen County, New Jersey, was arrested today for allegedly stealing more than $2.86 million from five clients in order to pay for personal expenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Kenneth A. Welsh, 41, of River Edge, New Jersey, was charged by complaint with four counts of wire fraud and one count of investment advisor fraud. Welsh was arrested today at his home and is scheduled to appear by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From July 2017 through March 2021, Welsh, while serving in his capacity as an investment advisor employed by a large brokerage firm, misappropriated at least $2.86 million from five clients. Welsh, who had been entrusted to manage client funds responsibly, instead perpetrated a scheme to defraud the five clients by diverting money from their brokerage accounts to accounts under his control. Welsh then used the unlawfully obtained money to fund his gambling and to purchase high-end, luxury items for himself.
Each of the wire fraud counts carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. The investment adviser fraud count carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the arrest.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bartonville Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Bartonville, Illinois, man, Collin Hale, 41, has been sentenced to 88 months in prison, 15 years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a Minor. As part of his plea of guilty entered on June 30, 2021, the defendant agreed to the forfeiture of a cell phone.
On February 18, 2020, Hale solicited an obscene visual depiction of a person he believed to be an eight-year-old minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Unbeknownst to Hale, he was engaging in conversations with an FBI agent. Following his arrest on February 24, 2020, Hale has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
In discussing the seriousness of the offense, U.S. District Judge James Shadid commented that even though there was no victim here, there was plenty of conversation about what had occurred prior to his arrest.
The statutory penalties for Soliciting an Obscene Visual Depiction of a Minor are up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, a $5,000 fine pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015, and supervised release for a period of up to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn Knauss and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul B. Morris represented the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Barbour County man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Theodore Edward Coontz, of Belington, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 70 months of incarceration for a methamphetamine charge, United States Attorney William J, Ihlenfeld, II announced.
Coontz, 48, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Coontz admitted to having methamphetamine in August 2020 in Barbour County.
Coontz also was ordered to forfeit two pistols, a revolver, a shotgun, a rifle, ammunition, and $1,538 in cash found during a traffic stop and a subsequent search of his home.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher L. Bauer prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Atlanta man arraigned on federal charges in connection with an international cyber-fraud schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Christian Akhatsegbe has been arraigned on federal charges of wire and computer fraud conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft related to a multi-million-dollar cyber-fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated through email phishing, credential harvesting, and invoice fraud. Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, who is believed to be residing in Nigeria, was also charged in the scheme.
“The scope of the defendants’ alleged fraudulent conduct is extraordinary,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “The indictment in this case results from the tireless work of federal law enforcement and the valuable cooperation of corporate investigators and agency victims. These federal charges also serve as a reminder to those perpetrating cyber and fraud schemes, whether it be from Atlanta or any corner of the globe.”
“This case is an example of our persistent determination to hold criminals accountable no matter how sophisticated their cyber fraud or their geographic location,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This indictment would not have been possible without the hard work and cooperation of our federal law enforcement and private sector partners. The FBI would like to remind businesses to remain diligently alert to potential email compromises and fraud schemes.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges, and other information presented in court: Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators allegedly engaged in a scheme that involved sending phishing emails to victim companies and organizations in the United States and Europe, stealing employee access credentials, and then harvesting the credentials on computer servers. Some of the phishing emails contained a link to a webpage that was designed to resemble a login page for Microsoft Office but actually captured email account credentials. Using the stolen credentials, Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators then allegedly sent emails to other employees at the victim companies and organizations. The emails contained fake invoices that requested payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars into bank accounts connected to the conspirators.
As an example of this scheme, the indictment alleges that in November 2019, an employee of a company in the United Kingdom received a phishing email, which resulted in their credentials being logged, stolen, and later stored on a computer server that was allegedly accessed and maintained by Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators. Using the access credentials stolen from the employee, the conspirators allegedly sent an email to another employee of the company, which appeared to originate from one of the company’s vendors. The email attached a fraudulent invoice in the amount of $434,383.45 with wiring instructions to a bank in Hong Kong. The victim company later paid the fraudulent invoice and wired the funds to Hong Kong.
In another instance, in December 2019, using credentials stolen from a Massachusetts victim company employee, Christian Akhatsegbe, Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, and their conspirators allegedly sent an email to another employee of the company, which appeared to originate from one of the company’s vendors. The email attached a fraudulent invoice in the amount of $498,000 and requested that the victim send payment to a bank in Hong Kong. The victim paid the invoice, together with a second invoice in the same amount, wiring a total of $996,000 to a bank account in Hong Kong.
Christian Akhatsegbe, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Emmanuel Aiye Akhatsegbe, 46, of Lagos, Nigeria, were indicted by a federal grand jury on October 26, 2021. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Valuable assistance has also been provided by Microsoft Corporation’s Digital Crimes Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz, Chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section, is prosecuting the case together with attorneys from the Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Albuquerque man pleads guilty to stalking local familyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Stephen Yochim, 48, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty in federal court on Oct. 18 to stalking. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
According to his plea agreement and other court records, Yochim allegedly sent a series of messages from multiple Google email (gmail) accounts to an Albuquerque couple. In highly graphic language, the messages, received between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, threatened physical violence against one of the recipients and expressed morbid joy at the prospect of cancer afflicting the other recipient. Included in the profane terms directed toward the family was the repeated use of an ethnic slur.
Yochim admitted that the messages served no legal or legitimate purpose and were intended to harass and intimidate the victims.
Yochim faces up to five years in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A Hurtado is prosecuting the case.
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27 October 2021
York Man Sentenced to over 18 Years’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on October 27, 2021, Brandon Orr, a/k/a “B Orr,” age 29, of York, was sentenced to 224 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for conspiring to distribute over a kilogram of heroin laced with fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine while on federal supervision for a prior 2015 drug conviction.
The sentence consisted of 200 months’ imprisonment for the drug trafficking offenses and a consecutive sentence of 24 months’ imprisonment for violating his federal supervision from a 34-month sentence for distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, heroin and marijuana.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the investigation began with an overdose death in the City of York on December 2, 2017. Investigators connected the death to heroin laced with fentanyl sold by Lamar Johnson. They further determined that Luis Minier and Orr were bringing kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine into York on a weekly basis from September 2017 until December 2017. A kilogram of heroin is the equivalent of approximately 40,000 individual doses of heroin. Police seized over 700 grams of heroin and a kilogram of cocaine during police searches in December 2017.
Coconspirators Luis Minier, a/k/a “Cito,” age 29, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment; Javiel Snellings, age 28, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and was sentenced to two years of probation; and, Lamar Johnson, age 33, of York, entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking and is awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Capitol Safe Streets Task Force, which included representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the York County Drug Task Force, and Springettsbury Township Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael A. Consiglio is prosecuting the case.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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York Man Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that William Barton, age 40, of York County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on October 26, 2021, to 180 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner after Barton entered a guilty plea to conspiring to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, following a roughly year-long investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives which focused on drug activity at a bar in York City, it was determined that Barton was part of a drug trafficking organization. Using an undercover federal agent, federal law enforcement purchased more than 500 grams of crack cocaine from Barton and his co-conspirators in 2019.
The following coconspirators pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing: Michael Adams, 44, Denzel Swan, 38, and Furman Dennis, 40, all of York County, Pennsylvania. Coconspirators Anthony Rankins, 40, and Dorral Basknight, 42, both of York County, are awaiting trial.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the York City Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the York County Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny Baer prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh several factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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West Monroe Man Found Guilty in Murder-for-Hire PlotRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a federal jury in Monroe, Louisiana, returned a guilty verdict yesterday afternoon convicting Steven Marcus Kelley, 48, of West Monroe, Louisiana, in connection with a murder-for-hire plot. United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the two-day trial.
On December 16, 2020, Kelley was indicted by a grand jury and charged with use of a facility of interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire. The charge stemmed from a letter that Kelley wrote while incarcerated at Ouachita Correctional Center (OCC) and awaiting trial for the rape and molestation of his then-12-year-old and 8-year-old stepdaughters. In the letter, Kelley tried to hire someone to kill his ex-wife, who is the mother of the victims in the sex crimes case. Kelley mailed the letter to an individual in Monroe.
Evidence introduced at the federal trial this week revealed that Kelley obtained the address to which he mailed the letter from another inmate at OCC. Believing the individual who lived at that address would carry out the murder, Kelley offered “$10k for the job” for the individual to put “2 in the chest, 2 in the head” and to “make sure it counts.” Kelley drew a map in both blue and black ink of the area where his ex-wife worked. In an effort to avoid the letter and crime being traced back to him, Kelley used another inmate’s name for the return address. Kelley caused the letter to be mailed from OCC via the United States Postal Service.
On the night of December 10, 2019, the individual who lived at the address to where Kelley mailed the letter received and read the contents of the letter. The letter provided a physical description of the victim, the vehicle she drove, where she worked and her normal schedule to arrive at work. The letter stated that it “HAS to look like a robbery.” Realizing that the letter was soliciting someone to commit a murder, the individual took the letter to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office the next morning.
Law enforcement officers were able to pull surveillance video from OCC. The video showed that, on December 5, 2019, Kelley was sitting on his bed writing a letter. Kelley can be seen in the video alternating between two different pens, which was consistent with the two ink colors used to draw the map. Later that same day, Kelley can be seen taking an envelope into the cell of the inmate who provided the address of the hopeful hitman. Kelley sat on the fellow inmate’s bed and addressed the letter. Moments later, the inmate whose name Kelley used on the return address of the letter entered the cell and engaged in a conversation with Kelley and the other inmate. Later that evening, Kelley can be seen giving the letter to another inmate who in turns gives it to a correctional officer for mailing.
On December 30, 2019, law enforcement officers obtained and executed a search warrant for the Pods at the OCC where Kelley was housed at the time of the incident. Deputies found in Kelley’s belongings a blue and black in pen. They found in the other inmate’s bunk the address of the individual to whom Kelley mailed the letter.
Kelley faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office assisted in and investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Cassidy and Leon H. Whitten prosecuted the case.
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Washington Parish Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Violating the Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – TREVION HARRIS, a/k/a “Trigga,” age 24, a resident of Bogalusa, Louisiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to 120 months imprisonment, 60 months of supervised release and payment of a $600 mandatory special assessment fee after pleading guilty to six counts of an twelve-count indictment charging him and two of his brothers with several narcotics offenses, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five hundred (500) grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. HARRIS also pled to three (3) counts of distribution of a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, one (1) count of distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, and one (1) count of distribution of a quantity of cocaine base (“crack”).
According to court documents, Special Agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms identified TREVION HARRIS as a methamphetamine trafficker in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Using a confidential source, beginning in November of 2018 through May 1, 2019, agents made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from TREVION, Jonzarrion and Demarquiez HARRIS in amounts ranging from two (2) grams to as many as eight (8) ounces.
For the conspiracy charge, TREVION HARRIS faced a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years up to a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five (5) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. The four counts of distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine and crack carry the same penalty of a maximum of twenty (20) years imprisonment, up to a $1,000,000 fine, and at least three (3) years supervised release. The distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine carries the following penalty of a mandatory minimum term of five (5) years imprisonment up to a maximum term of forty (40) years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years supervised release. HARRIS must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count of conviction.
This prosecution was part of an extensive investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Bogalusa Police Department of individuals suspected of trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and/or firearms in the Bogalusa area. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney André Jones.
Virginia Man Sentenced for Distributing Methamphetamine, Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Wytheville, Virginia man was sentenced earlier this month to 248 months in prison for distributing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm.
Following a three-day trial in September, a jury convicted Tracy Leonard Brown, 45, on four counts—one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of possessing firearms after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine while knowingly being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.
According to evidence presented at trial, Brown was arrested on July 3, 2019 after a high-speed pursuit through Carroll County where he used a scout to avoid law enforcement. Searches of Brown’s person and car uncovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine, two pistols, digital scales, baggies, and roughly $3,800 in cash. The evidence also showed that Brown had sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Wytheville just weeks before the high-speed pursuit.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division made the announcement.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police.
Assistant United State Attorneys Whit D. Pierce and Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Virginia Man Convicted of Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Virginia man today for producing, receiving, and possessing child pornography.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Zackary Ellis Sanders, 26, of McLean, engaged in sexual conversations over multiple mobile messaging platforms with at least six different minors. In these conversations, he directed five minors to engage in sexually explicit and self-harming conduct, record themselves doing so, and send the resulting videos to him. He also received videos of a sixth minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Additional forensic evidence recovered from multiple laptops and thumb drives found in Sanders’s bedroom established that he possessed different images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of other children, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of a toddler, and prepubescent children being sexually abused and subjected to sadistic acts. Sanders obtained these images from a Darkweb website, the sole purpose of which was to share and facilitate the viewing of such material.
Sanders was convicted of production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4, 2022 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Trial Attorney William G. Clayman of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth M. Schlessinger and Jay V. Prabhu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
United States Naval Intelligence Software Engineer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Justin Ryan Best, age 46, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.
According to his guilty plea, from 2013 to April 2021, Best operated an illegal steroid manufacturing business from his Laurel, Maryland residence and conspired with others to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute, home manufactured steroids throughout the United States.
In March 2021, investigators received information about a suspicious parcel that had been shipped from a Chinese sender to Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. The shipment was flagged because two shipments from the same China-based sender were previously seized and contained equipment to illegally press pharmaceutical pills. The parcel destined for Best also contained a similar cargo description that was previously used for other Chinese shipments containing pill press components. After the interception of the parcel destined for Best, investigators discovered pill press components concealed inside bubble wrap.
As stated in his plea agreement, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Best’s Laurel, Maryland residence. Officers located and seized 8,500 units of controlled substances used in manufacturing steroids, including two 2,000-milliliter jars of testosterone cypionate, 198 pills of oxandrolone, 114 pills of stanozolol, 61 pills of oxymetholone, nine 10-milliliter vials of testosterone enanthate, one 10-milliliter vial of testosterone phenylpropionate, syringes, and packaging and mailing materials.
In addition to precious metals, collectable coins, and $6,127 in cash, officers recovered approximately 167 firearms consisting of 120 handguns, 39 rifles, seven shotguns, and 25 silencers. Officers also seized hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as 277 firearm magazines and 18 sets of firearm accessories from Best’s garage. Best agreed that the seized firearms, silencers, ammunition, magazines and firearm accessories were purchased with proceeds of his manufacturing and distribution of controlled substances.
In an interview with law enforcement, Best stated that he had manufactured and distributed steroids for approximately 10 years and that he purchased the raw material from Chinese sellers using cash or Bitcoin. Best also stated that he mixed and manufactured vials of steroids at his residence, sold the products on an encrypted messaging application, and commonly shipped the steroids using the U.S. Mail to customers throughout the United States. Best also informed officers that he was employed full-time as a software engineer and contractor for the United States Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence, which paid him a salary of approximately $140,000 a year. Best estimated that his drug trafficking operation generated an additional $100,000 per year.
Best faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for February 18, 2022 at 2 p.m.
This case was prosecuted utilizing resources from the Dark Market and Digital Currency Crimes (DMDCC) Task Force. The DMDCC Task Force is a joint effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI – Baltimore, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department, targeting the use of dark net marketplaces and digital currencies to facilitate criminal activities. The past several years have witnessed a significant increase in the use of the internet (both the clear net and dark net) and digital currencies to facilitate, for example, the illegal sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms, computer technologies (including hacking tools), and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). In response to this rising threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, HSI, and their partners formed the DMDCC Task Force to facilitate stronger collaboration among law enforcement partners combatting these crimes.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the HSI, ATF, the Maryland State Police – Forensic Sciences Division and the Laurel Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Caitlin R. Cottingham, who are prosecuting the case.
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Two Philadelphia-area Ticket Brokers Charged with Conspiring with Former USGA Employee to Steal and Sell Thousands of U.S. Open Tickets Worth over $3.7 MillionRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Jeremi Michael Conaway, 46, of West Chester, PA, and James Bell, 69, of Glen Mills, PA, were both charged by separate Informations with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of wire fraud.
The Informations allege that Conaway and Bell each conspired with former United States Golf Association (“USGA”) employee Robert Fryer, who already pleaded guilty to similar charges, to operating a fraud scheme against the USGA whereby Fryer would steal U.S. Open tickets and provide them to Conaway and Bell in return for cash. The Informations further allege that Conaway and Bell sold these U.S. Open tickets through their companies for a profit. The filings also allege that the USGA had no knowledge that Fryer was stealing these tickets or providing them to the ticket brokers. In fact, the USGA had a strict 20 ticket cap on the number of tickets that it would sell to any one person, but Conaway and Bell were allegedly able to acquire thousands of tickets to U.S. Open tournaments by buying stolen tickets from Fryer, who delivered the stolen U.S. Open tickets to Conaway and Bell sometimes in person, and sometimes by sending them via Federal Express or UPS, either to the ticket brokers themselves or directly to their customers.
The Information filed against Conaway alleges that Conaway, who initially worked for another ticket broker, began purchasing from Fryer stolen U.S. Open tickets in 2013, when the U.S. Open was held at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Information alleges that in connection with the 2013 through 2015 U.S. Open tournaments, Conaway sold, through his then-employer, a total of 4,918 stolen U.S. Open tickets that he had obtained from Fryer, with a face value of $774,230. The Information further alleges that starting in 2015, Conaway began selling the stolen tickets through a new ticket broker company he owned and operated, Eagle Eye Ticketing Management, LLC (“Eagle Eye”). In connection with the 2015 through 2019 U.S. Open tournaments, Conaway purchased from Fryer and sold through Eagle Eye 10,586 stolen U.S. Open tournament tickets for $1,789,853, for which defendant Conaway paid Fryer $513,719, thus earning a profit of $1,276,134, which the Information seeks to have forfeited. The Information alleges that all told, whether through his employer or through his own company, Conaway obtained stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer that had a face value of $2,428,465, which should have been paid to the USGA for the tickets, thus causing to USGA to lose that amount of ticket revenue.
The Information filed against Bell alleges that Bell, who operated Sherry’s Theater Ticket Agency, Inc. (“Sherry’s”), began purchasing stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer in 2017, in advance of the U.S. Open that was held at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin, and continued purchasing stolen tickets through the 2019 U.S. Open. The Information alleges that Bell paid Fryer $324,652 for at least 7,000 stolen U.S. Open tournament tickets, which Bell sold for $922,886, thus yielding a profit of $598,234, which the Information seeks to have forfeited. The Information alleges that all told, Bell obtained stolen U.S. Open tickets from Fryer that had a face value of $1,282,000, which should have been paid to the USGA for the tickets, thus causing to USGA to lose that amount of ticket revenue.
“These defendants allegedly stole revenue from an American insititution and legitimate business that pays taxes, employs many, supports a non-profit organization, and brings excitement and income to our district with U.S. Open events at courses like the Merion Golf Club,” said Acting U. S. Attorney Williams. “Criminals that conduct ticket schemes like this prey on the excitement surrounding big events; fans should remember that any item with a low price that seems ‘too good to be true’ should be cause for caution and concern.”
Conaway and Bell each face a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison, a three-year period of supervised release, a $1,250,000 fine, and a $500 special assessment. In addition, Conaway and Bell each will be required to pay restitution to the USGA and forfeit the proceeds each obtained as a result of their fraud.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.
Two Defendants Convicted for Operating Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise and Money Laundering SchemeRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday against OLUWASEUN ADELEKAN, a/k/a “Sean Adelekan,” and TEMITOPE OMOTAYO for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska presided over the one-week trial.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a unanimous jury swiftly determined, Oluwaseun Adelekan and Temitope Omotayo were members of a years-long scheme to steal millions of dollars from businesses large and small across the globe and to launder their fraud proceeds domestically and internationally. The two will now pay for their criminal activity and the harm they exacted upon their victims. ”
As reflected in the Superseding Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial:
Beginning no later than in or about July 2016, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO agreed with others to impersonate trusted advisers and business partners of victim individuals and businesses, and to trick those victims into wiring millions of dollars into “business” bank accounts controlled by ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators.
After the victims wired funds intended for their advisers and business partners to ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators, ADELEKAN and OMOTAYO caused those funds to be transferred quickly into different bank accounts in various locations throughout the world, including China and Nigeria. ADELAKAN and OMOTAYO also created fraudulent invoices and contracts, using their victims’ identities, to be submitted to banks in support of the large volume of funds that were fraudulently transmitted via wire transfers.
Through these false and deceptive representations over the course of the scheme, ADELEKAN, OMOTAYO, and their co-conspirators caused losses to victims in excess of $6 million.
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ADELEKAN, 39, of the United States and Nigeria, and OMOTAYO, 39, of Nigeria, were each convicted of (1) one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; (2) one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison; and (3) one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison. The statutory maximum sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by Judge Preska. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2022.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca T. Dell, Daniel H. Wolf, and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.
Thirteen Defendants Plead Guilty in $126 Million Compounding Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Thirteen defendants, including three compounding pharmacy owners, three physicians, two pharmacists, and three patient recruiters, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Texas to a years-long, multi-state scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and TRICARE.
According to court documents, the defendants submitted false and fraudulent claims to the OWCP and TRICARE for prescriptions for compounded and other drugs prescribed to injured federal workers and members of the armed forces. The defendants also paid kickbacks to patient recruiters and to physicians to induce them to prescribe these drugs. The defendants chose the particular compounds and other drugs based not on the patients’ medical needs but in light of the amount of reimbursement for the drugs. The drugs were then mailed to patients, even though the patients often never requested, wanted, or needed them.
“The health care fraud and kickback scheme executed by these defendants manipulated federal health care programs for personal gain without regard for patient need or medical necessity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “I applaud our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their hard work on this investigation and prosecution. The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable those whose unlawful conduct targets federal health care programs.”
“Last week’s guilty pleas are a testament to the dedication and determination of the investigative and legal teams,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG), Southern Area Field Office. “The Postal Service spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on health care related costs and these monies are critical to those who legitimately need medical services. As in this case, our criminal investigators will diligently pursue any individual or organization intent on defrauding the Postal Service with an eye on both federal prosecution and returning lost monies to the affected program.”
“These defendants put illegal profits above patients’ safety,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Steve Grell of the DOL Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Dallas Region. “Last week’s pleas highlight our commitment to working with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s benefit programs.”
“As the investigative arm of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is committed to protecting the integrity of the TRICARE program,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Mentavlos of the DCIS Southwest Field Office. “The results of this case are a testament to the resolve of DCIS, our law enforcement partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold individuals that attempt to defraud the TRICARE program accountable.”
The defendants were charged in a June 2018 indictment and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, health care fraud, and/or kickback charges. All 13 defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in February 2022 and face a statutory maximum sentence of between five and 20 years. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The USPS-OIG, DOL-OIG, and DCIS investigated the case with assistance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General.
Trial Attorneys Catherine Wagner, Patrick Queenan, and Jay McCormack of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorneys Scott Armstrong, Sarah Edwards, John Scanlon, and Michael McCarthy of the Fraud Section previously prosecuted the case.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Two Armed Robberies at Area 7-Eleven StoresRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Giovanni Gort (32, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each armed robbery count and a minimum mandatory penalty of 7 years’ imprisonment for the firearm offense, to be served consecutive to the armed robbery counts. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, in the early morning of February 10, 2021, Gort entered a 7-Eleven convenience store on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. Gort pulled out a gun, pointed it at the store clerk, and said “give me everything you got. I be back to see you. If you say something, I’m going to come back and shoot you.” The clerk took $435 from her cash register and gave it to Gort, who then fled the scene. The clerk immediately reported the incident to law enforcement and stated she had never been so scared in her life.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Gort entered a 7-Eleven convenience store located on Memorial Highway in Tampa and said, “give me all your money, bro,” before ordering the two store clerks behind the counter at gunpoint. The clerks gave Gort approximately $100 in a plastic bag. While they were collecting the money, the clerks saw Gort rack the slide of the gun. Keeping the employees at gunpoint while he backed out of the store, Gort then fled the scene.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Shauna Hale and Craig Gestring.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Two Detroit Police Officers Indicted for Bribery and Bribery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
DETROIT - A federal indictment was unsealed today charging two Detroit police officers—one of whom was a lieutenant who had been in command of the Detroit Police Department’s Integrity Unit—with bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, in connection with the corruption of towing permits in Detroit, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Charged were Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, 56, of Rochester Hills, and Officer Daniel S. Vickers, 54, of Livonia.
According to the indictment, while serving as the supervisor in command of the police department’s Integrity Unit, which was responsible for investigating reports of law violations and professional misconduct by police officers and other city employees, Kennedy conspired with Vickers to commit bribery by accepting money and other items of value in exchange for Kennedy using and promising to use his influence as a supervisor to persuade other officers to make tow referrals to a towing company in violation of the city’s ordinance and Detroit Police Department policy. The Integrity Unit is part of the department’s Internal Affairs Division. Under the city’s towing rotation, qualifying private towing companies are called by the police to tow cars that are seized by the police or reported stolen. Kennedy and Vickers were aware that by making towing referrals directly to a towing company which was not on the city’s towing rotation, they were violating the city’s rules and an ordinance which prohibit a towing company from receiving towing referrals if they are not on police department’s towing rotation.
It was also part of the conspiracy that Kennedy and Vickers conspired to solicit and accept thousands of dollars in cash, cars, car parts, car repairs, and new carpeting for Vickers’ home, in exchange for providing the towing company that Kennedy was investigating with information about the status of the Integrity Unit’s case.
As part of the conspiracy, between October 2018, and March 2021, Kennedy accepted over $14,000 in cash, cars, and car repairs as a bribe from the owner of the towing company and from an undercover federal agent. Between February 2018 and June 2018, Vickers accepted $3,400 in bribe payments from the towing company. Kennedy is charged in three separate bribery counts, in addition to the bribery conspiracy count. Vickers is also charged with three bribery counts besides the conspiracy charge.
The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. The bribery conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
This is the second case charged as part of the government’s investigation known as “Operation Northern Hook.” Northern Hook is an investigation of corruption within the government and the Police Department of the City of Detroit relating to the towing industry and other matters.
Acting United States Attorney Mohsin said, “The vast majority of police officers are outstanding public servants and the criminal actions of these defendants should not undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement. Police officers who compromise the integrity of the Police Department by prioritizing personal gain over policing excellence will not be tolerated, and this type of betrayal of the police department and the citizens of Detroit will be thwarted at every turn. Today’s indictment is a step in that direction. We thank the Detroit Police Department’s Chief, James White, for his assistance in this investigation.”
“Police officers take an oath to protect and serve their community. Kennedy and Vickers allegedly used their official positions to benefit themselves personally. Their actions are not in keeping with the integrity and professionalism exhibited by the Detroit Police Department every day,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “The FBI appreciates the partnership and cooperation of Police Chief James White as we continue to address public corruption in the City of Detroit.”
Chief White stated, “I am profoundly disappointed with the crimes allegedly committed by members of the Detroit Police Department. We continue to work with our Federal partners to ensure corruption and misconduct are rooted out of every area of Government operations including the Police Department. We hold ourselves to a high standard and these actions fall far short of those standards. It is also important to emphasize that the actions of a few do not represent the vast majority of the fine women and men of the Detroit Police Department who faithfully serve the citizens of Detroit on a daily basis.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dawn N. Ison and Eaton P. Brown.
An indictment is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Superseding Indictment Charges 10 Western PA Defendants with Violating Drug and Gun LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A federal grand jury returned a six-count Superseding Indictment charging ten defendants from Westmoreland, Allegheny, and Lawrence Counties in Pennsylvania with violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The Superseding Indictment charges the following individuals with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms grams or more of cocaine, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until in and around June 2020: • Donald Epps, 66, of New Kensington, PA; • Michael Glenn, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA; • Michael Turner, 49, of Wampum, PA; • Gary Wilkinson, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA; • Dion Williams, 45, of Pittsburgh, PA; • Ivan Upsher, 59, of Pittsburgh, PA; • Gerald Bogan Jr., 41, of Pittsburgh, PA; • Michael Jones, 70, of Monessen, PA; and
• Jeremiah Irving, 32, of New Castle, PA.Count Two charges Michael Glenn and Timothy Harris, 58, of Pittsburgh, PA, with conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as “crack”, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, from in and around November 2019, and continuing thereafter until February 2020. Donald Epps, Michael Glenn and Dion Williams are each charged with unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition as convicted felons in Counts Three, Four, and Five. Federal law prohibits felons from possessing firearms or ammunition. The sixth and final count charges Defendant Irving with possessing a quantity of cocaine base with the intent to distribute it on or about November 23, 2020.
The defendants charged in Count One of the Superseding Indictment face a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years to a maximum of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, or both. The defendants charged in Count Two of the Superseding Indictment face a maximum total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. As to the firearms offenses charged in Count Three, Four, and Five of the Superseding Indictment, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both (Defendants Glenn and Epps could face enhanced penalties set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 924(e), which includes not 15 years to life imprisonment). As to defendant Irving charged in Count Six, the law provides for a term of imprisonment up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendants.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Bureau of Narcotics Investigations) led the multiagency investigation that also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
A superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Store Owner and Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Paying Bribes to City of Taylor OfficialsRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Dominick’s Market owner and real estate developer, Hadir Altoon, 49, of Farmington Hills, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bribery with Richard Sollars, Mayor of the City of Taylor, Jeffrey Baum, City of Taylor Community Development Manager, and Shady Awad, real estate developer, Acting United States Attorney Saima S. Mohsin announced.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Timothy Waters, Special Agent In Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
During his guilty plea hearing, Altoon admitted to paying bribes to Mayor Sollars by giving Sollars tens of thousands of dollars in cash, scratch-off lottery tickets, and other items of value, and facilitating the payment of bribes to Sollars by Shady Awad, in connection with the City of Taylor’s Right of First Refusal (“ROFR”) Program. The ROFR Program is designed to allow Taylor to acquire tax-foreclosed properties from Wayne County for redevelopment. According to court records, between 2017 and 2019, Altoon paid and/or facilitated the payment of over $80,000 in cash to Sollars and over $4,000 in cash payments and other items of value to Baum in exchange for Sollars’s and Baum’s assistance in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties under the City’s ROFR program. Altoon also conspired with Sollars to steal money from Sollars’s campaign fund by preparing false and inflated invoices for catering services that were never rendered, were prepared in amounts higher than the actual amount for the catering services provided, and/or were for catering services for which Altoon had already been paid by the City of Taylor.
In furtherance of the fraudulent scheme, Altoon issued the false invoices to Sollars’s campaign fund and completed blank campaign fund checks, bearing Baum’s signature as treasurer of the campaign fund, in the amounts of the false invoices. Altoon cashed the campaign checks based on the false invoices at his store, Dominick’s Market, and gave Sollars cash and/or scratch-off lottery tickets in same amounts of the checks, totaling over $35,000. Altoon also engaged in this same fraudulent conduct by accepting checks made payable to Dominick’s Market, purportedly for catering services to Sollars’s campaign, from donors to Sollars’s campaign. Altoon cashed the donors’ checks, totaling over $12,000 and gave Sollars cash and/or scratch-off lottery tickets in the total amounts of the checks. Altoon also facilitated Sollars’s bribery activities with co-conspirator Shady Awad by accepting credit card information from Awad and charging over $19,000 to Awad’s credit cards, which Altoon converted to cash and gave to Sollars. Altoon also converted blank money orders, totaling $3,000, into cash for Sollars and gave Baum $5,000 in cash for a Sollars campaign golf event. It was also part of the conspiracy that Altoon gave Baum gift cards and over $4,000 in cash. In exchange for the cash and other items of value Altoon provided to Sollars and Baum, another developer transferred two properties and Awad transferred nine properties, that were originally transferred to that other developer and Awad, respectively under the City’s ROFR program, to Altoon.
The bribery conspiracy count to which Altoon pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of 5 years of imprisonment. Under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, it is likely that Altoon will face a guideline sentencing range of between 27 and 33 months of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of up to $250,000.
Acting United States Attorney Mohsin said, “We will continue to unearth public corruption wherever we find it in this district. Those who persist in helping public officials deny the citizens of this district the honest services they deserve will be held accountable.”
“The corrupt activities uncovered in this case were facilitated by men whose desire for favorable treatment outweighed notions of integrity and fair play,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters of the FBI’s Detroit Division. “Those who seek to influence public officials through bribery will be aggressively pursued and prosecuted.”
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
South Bend, Indiana Man Sentenced to 25 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Armand White, 34 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after pleading guilty to brandishing a firearm during a robbery, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
White was sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in November of 2019, White and another individual robbed a tobacco store at gunpoint. They ordered the store clerk to lay on ground or be shot, while they stole cigarettes and money from the cash register. At the time of the commission of the offense, White was on supervised release for a prior federal conviction for bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Mishawaka and South Bend Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Schultz.
This case was being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Sixteen Individuals Charged with Racketeering Conspiracy and/or Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Fifteen members and associates of the Sin City Deciples have been charged in a Superseding Indictment with a racketeering conspiracy as well as a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. A sixteenth individual has been charged in a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
According to the Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is a motorcycle organization in which its members and associates allegedly engage in acts of violence, extortion, trafficking in stolen property, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
The fifteen defendants charged with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances are: Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black,” 51, of Gary, Indiana; Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan,” 44, of Gary, Indiana; Kenneth Christopher McGhee a/k/a “Sonny” and “Angel,” 72, of Merrillville, Indiana; Michael Castro Rivera a/k/a “Puerto Rican Mike,” 64, of Gary, Indiana; Douglas Sherman Blowers a/k/a “Profit,” 41, of Lake Station, Indiana; Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo,” 42, of Hobart, Indiana; Roger Lee Ervin Burton a/k/a “Bo,” 52, of East Chicago, Indiana; James Ulrich Richardson a/k/a “Little Rick,” 52, of Crown Point, Indiana; Richard White a/k/a “Ignorant Bastard,” 54, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Brandon Romand Parks a/k/a “Baywatch,” 43, of Chicago, Illinois; Herman Troy Jefferson a/k/a “G-Rilla,” 49, of Jacksonville, Arkansas; David Lagrant Guy a/k/a “Fly Guy,” 51, of Merrillville, Indiana; Jessie Donald Willis a/k/a “Chip,” 57, of Portage, Indiana; Marvie D. Gardner a/k/a “Widowmaker,” 51, of Louisville, Kentucky; and Bernard Smith, a/k/a “Flirt” and “Preacher,” 59, of Gary, Indiana. Daniel Richard Spanley a/k/a “Tattoo” is also charged with distribution of cocaine and possessing a firearm as a felon.
The Superseding Indictment also charges Gregory Patrick Weldon a/k/a “Sugar Bear,” 53, of Hobart, Indiana, in the conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in addition to charging him with distribution of cocaine.
The initial Indictment alleged that Ronnie Ervin Major a/k/a “Black” and Antoine Jermell Gates a/k/a “Twan” engaged in murder for hire and used a firearm during and in relation to murder in connection with the December 19, 2010 murder of Jocelyn Blair. Major and Gates remain charged with these crimes in the Superseding Indictment.
This Superseding Indictment was announced by Clifford D. Johnson, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, and Kristen de Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
These charges are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The agencies involved in the Sin City Deciples investigation are: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, Western District of Kentucky, and Western District of Pennsylvania also provided assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick, Michael J. Toth, and Thomas R. Mahoney.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A superseding indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the judge after consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Santa Fe woman sentenced to eight months in prison for assault of Nambe Pueblo teenRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Brittany Huizar, 20, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was sentenced in federal court today to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. A grand jury indicted Huizar on Nov. 4, 2020, and Huizar pleaded guilty on March 31.
In her plea, Huizar admitted that during the evening of Dec. 31, 2019, she was hanging out with a group of younger boys and girls, including the victim, an enrolled member of Nambe Pueblo who was 13-years old at the time. At about midnight, the group drove to an Española park, located on the Santa Clara Pueblo in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. At the park, a group of the girls, including Huizar, jumped the victim, identified in court records as Jane Doe. Huizar admitted to hitting and kicking Jane Doe.
After the first attack, Jane Doe was ordered to get into the trunk before the group proceeded toward Chimayo, where they again assaulted Jane Doe, and Huizar admitted to slamming the victim’s head against the side of the car. Jane Doe again was ordered to get into the trunk and the group drove to La Mesilla, New Mexico, where the victim escaped. Jane Doe was treated by emergency medical personnel for a left knee sprain and numerous contusions, scrapes and bruises to her head, chest and body.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the New Mexico State Police and the Española Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Nayback prosecuted the case.
San Jose Residents Plead Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy in Craigslist Automobile Resale Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO –Ramil Heydarov and Orkhan Aliyev pleaded guilty today to conspiracy charges related to a scheme to defraud purchasers of vehicles on the Craigslist website by rolling back the odometers on vehicles before reselling them, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The guilty pleas were accepted by the Honorable Susan Illston, Senior U.S. District Judge, and, along with the October 12, 2021, guilty plea of Seymur Khalilov, establishes that all three defendants charged in the case have now pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy charges.
According to the defendants’ plea agreements, from at least October 2017 through December 2020, Khalilov, 32; Heydarov, 31; and Aliyev, 32, all of San Jose, conspired to purchase high-mileage vehicles, roll back the odometers, and falsify documentation to make the vehicles appear newer. Specifically, the co-conspirators altered the odometers of numerous vehicles and altered registrations and titles, among other items, to fraudulently decrease the mileage readings of the vehicles and, thus, increase their sales value. The co-conspirators then posted advertisements of the vehicles on Craigslist to advertise the vehicles to victims who were not aware of the fraudulent alterations. Additionally, the defendants admitted using doctored driver’s licenses containing their photograph but the names of prior vehicle owners to facilitate the sale of these vehicles. The co-conspirators each acknowledged that the goal of the conspiracy was to sell vehicles to victims for an increased price based on the fraudulent odometer readings. According to the plea agreements, the co-conspirators sold at least 78 vehicles with rolled back odometer readings, resulting in a total loss to the victims of greater than $550,000.
All three defendants were charged in a single criminal complaint filed on May 3, 2021, and each was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. As a result of today’s proceedings, all three defendants now have pleaded guilty to the charge. In addition, the defendants each have agreed as part of their plea agreements to pay restitution to the victims of the conspiracy in amounts reflecting the defendant’s respective role in the conspiracy. Khalilov has agreed to pay restitution in an amount between $360,000 and $534,072 that will be set by the court. Heydarov agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $379,235 and Aliyev agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $196,578.
Judge Illston scheduled the defendants’ sentencing for February 4, 2022. In addition to restitution, the conspiracy charge carries a maximum statutory prison term of up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The court also may order a term of supervised release to follow the prison term. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leif Dautch and Ankur Shingal are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk and Soana Katoa. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the California Department of Motor Vehicles Investigations Division in Vallejo, the San Ramon Police Department, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigations.
Rockford Man Found Guilty of Robbery and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
ROCKFORD — A man has been convicted of federal robbery and firearm charges in connection with a series of violent retail store robberies in Rockford.
After a seven-day trial in U.S. District Court in Rockford, the jury on Tuesday convicted RICKEY CLAYBRON, 35, of Rockford, on one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Claybron faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced next year.
The conviction was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The investigation was conducted by the FBI-led Rockford Area Violent Crime Task Force, which includes law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, Rockford Police Department, Loves Park Police Department and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica S. Maveus and Kaitlin Klamann.
According to evidence presented at trial, Claybron and his co-conspirators conducted four violent robberies in the fall of 2015:
- Oct. 28, 2015: H&A Tobacco, 1623 Broadway in Rockford. Claybron entered the store, pointed his gun at a clerk, and ordered the clerk and a customer to get on the ground. Cash and multiple cartons of cigarettes were stolen from the store, along with the clerk’s personal belongings.
- Nov. 2, 2015: Advance Auto, 3019 Auburn St. in Rockford. During the robbery, a store employee was ordered at gunpoint to lay on the ground while another employee was ordered to open the cash registers. One employee was struck in the side of the face with a gun and later shot at when he ran from the store. The robbers stole cash from the store and from one of the employees.
- Nov. 5, 2015: Zake Convenience, 824 7th St. in Rockford. In this attempted robbery, Claybron entered the store first, pointing a gun directly at store clerks and then reaching behind a partition waving his gun. When Claybron was unable to gain access to the cash register, he and the other robbers fled the store.
- Nov. 13, 2015: Shell Express, 3003 11th St. in Rockford. Claybron pointed a sawed-off shotgun at customers while a co-conspirator, DEANDRE R. HAYWOOD of Rockford, pointed a gun at store employees and grabbed cigarettes and cash from the registers. Haywood then shot one of the employees in the back while Claybron struck an employee in the head with his shotgun.
Haywood and a third co-conspirator, DARNELL LEAVY of Rockford, pleaded guilty prior to trial. Haywood was sentenced to 26 and a half years in federal prison, while Leavy was sentenced to eleven and a half years.