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Thursday 9 September 2021
Former Florida Department of Corrections Officer Sentenced for Civil Rights Conspiracy to Assault Youthful OffendersRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida — Former Florida Department of Corrections officer, Terrance Reynolds, 31, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham to 33 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. Reynolds was convicted following a 14-day trial for conspiring to assault youthful offender inmates at the South Florida Reception Center, a prison located in Doral, Florida. A second former officer previously pleaded guilty in this case and was sentenced in federal court.
Evidence presented at trial established that on March 27, 2017, Reynolds and former Sergeant Brendan Butler, 31, conspired to physically assault and intimidate youthful offender inmates for being disruptive and disrespectful earlier that morning. Reynolds and Butler then instructed three of the inmates to exit their housing unit and took them into a mop closet. Once inside the mop closet, they assaulted one of the inmates. Reynolds used a broom stick, causing the inmate bodily injury, while the other two inmates stood nearby. The following day, Reynolds and Butler assaulted one of the other inmates to punish him for being disrespectful. Inmates may be classified as youthful offenders by a court or the Department of Corrections and are generally twenty-four years old or younger. Butler previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the inmates’ civil rights.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Denise M. Stemen, Deputy Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, announced the sentence.
“The corrections officer sentenced yesterday violated not only the Constitution, but also the public’s trust,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez. “Seeking justice for victims whose civil rights are violated by those in positions of power has always been, and will continue to be, a top priority of this Office.”
“The actions of former corrections officer Terrance Reynolds are inexcusable and undercut the public’s trust in our institutions and officials,” said FBI-Miami Deputy Special Agent in Charge Stemen. “The FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force was assembled and designed to root out this type of reprehensible conduct. I commend the professionalism and hard work of the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General and their close cooperation with FBI for this investigation.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force and the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Senior and Brian Dobbins of the Southern District of Florida and Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Former Fairmount Heights Police Officer Facing Federal Civil Rights Indictment for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting a Woman After a Traffic StopRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging former Fairmount Heights Police officer, Martique Cabral Vanderpool, age 32, of Fairmount Heights, Maryland, for deprivation of civil rights under color of law, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he arrested after a traffic stop. The indictment was returned on September 8, 2021.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Malik Azziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to the single-count indictment, on September 6, 2019, Vanderpool arrested a 19-year-old female after a traffic stop. Vanderpool allegedly deprived the woman of the right to be free from unreasonable seizure by a person acting under color of law, which includes the right to be free from unwanted sexual assault by a police officer.
The indictment alleges that Vanderpool transported the victim to the Fairmount Heights police station, where he sexually assaulted her. The indictment also alleges that the civil rights violation included: kidnapping; the use, attempted use, and threatened use of a firearm; and aggravated sexual abuse and attempted aggravated sexual abuse of the victim.
If convicted, Vanderpool faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Vanderpool will have an initial appearance scheduled in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt at a later date.
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.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke commended the FBI and the Prince George’s Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner and Ms. Clarke thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dwight J. Draughon and Caitlin R. Cottingham and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/civil-rights and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Florida Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud Massachusetts-Based Uniform Supply CompanyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Florida man was sentenced yesterday in connection with a scheme to defraud his former employer, a Massachusetts-based uniform-supply company, by falsifying invoices.
Richard Ritz, 58, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 21 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Ritz was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,373,156 and forfeiture of $289,250. On June 3, 2021, Ritz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Between approximately 2000 and March 2019, Ritz and others defrauded the uniform-supply company by causing the company to pay fake invoices for products that were not actually delivered, and by diverting other products that they re-sold for their own benefit. Ritz’s co-conspirators also created a fake supply company, to which Ritz caused the uniform-supply company to pay more than $800,000 on fraudulent invoices.
Ritz is the first former employee of the uniform-supply company to be sentenced in connection with the conspiracy. Co-conspirator Keith Smedley pleaded guilty in June 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 12, 2021. Co-conspirator Brian Halpern pleaded guilty in August 2021 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Miron Bloom and Ian Stearns of Mendell’s Securities Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Five local men charged federally with crimes connected to 3 murdersRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged five Columbus men with crimes related to three murders. An alleged narcotics conspiracy in 2018 to rob a local marijuana dealer of drugs and cash in his residence allegedly resulted in the shooting death of another resident within that house. To cover up for this murder, it is alleged one defendant murdered a man and a woman with knowledge of the first murder.
The indictment was returned yesterday and unsealed today. Those charged include:
Name
AKA
Age
Crimes Charged
Larry J. Williams, Jr.
J Streets, J
40
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence (3 counts)
- Conspiracy to destroy evidence
- Murder of a witness (2 counts)
- Obstruction of justice
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
- Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin (2 counts)
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
- Distribution of cocaine
*Kyle Castle
*Currently a fugitive
29
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence
Jesse Climer
30
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Murder related to drug trafficking crime
- Robbery
- Murder related to crime of violence
Brian Muncy
23
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances
- Robbery
Durone Ellis
B, BB
34
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin
According to the 17-count second superseding indictment, Williams solicited others in the conspiracy to learn of potential drug traffickers to rob of their drugs and drug proceeds.
On June 27, 2018, defendants allegedly robbed at gunpoint a drug premises at 847 E.N. Broadway in Columbus. It is alleged the co-conspirators planned and carried out the robbery to steal one of the residents’ controlled substances and profit from the sale of the drugs.
The indictment further details that on June 27, 2018, Williams allegedly murdered Connor Reynolds, a 23-year-old from Grove City, and Castle and Climer were part of the armed robbery.
In August 2018, Williams then allegedly murdered Henry Watson, a 52-year-old from Columbus, to prevent him from providing information regarding Connor Reynolds’s murder to law enforcement.
On the same day, and immediately following the murder of Henry Watson, Williams allegedly murdered Tera Pennington, a 48-year-old from Columbus, to prevent her from serving as a witness to the previous crimes.
Williams allegedly instructed individuals to destroy a firearm and firearm barrel and to dispose of evidence from and clean the crime scene at 129 Stevens Ave. with bleach and other chemicals. Williams and Ellis are charged with conspiring to obstruct justice by concealing the bodies of Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. Williams also directed others to dismember and remove the bodies from 129 Stevens Ave. in Columbus.
Four additional defendants – Patrick Foster, Eric Linley, Phillip Trent and Charles Koon – were charged in February 2021 with their involvement with moving, dismembering, relocating and then burying the bodies of murder victims Henry Watson and Tera Pennington. Linley, Trent and Koon allegedly worked under the direction of Foster. Linley, Trent and Koon have pleaded guilty to being accessories after the murder and Foster’s case remains pending. Their cases were also unsealed today.
Finally, Williams is charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and to possessing with the intent to distribute, cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin.
The indictment details that Williams and others used 129 Stevens Ave. as a drug premises to sell and allow users to use narcotics. It is alleged that, on more than one occasion, users overdosed in the basement of the home and co-conspirators would provide Narcan to revive the users.
It was also part of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, that co-conspirators used apartments at 4594 Ava Point in Hilliard and 2849 Drew Heights Place #206 in Reynoldsburg to store large amounts of narcotics.
Four other defendants – Stephanie S. Bouphavong, Lashawn L. White, Jeffrey Mason Ford and Richard Rodgers – have been charged with and pleaded guilty to related narcotics crimes.
Williams could potentially face the death penalty in this case.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Vance Callender, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced the charges. The joint investigation includes assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Columbus Division of Fire and the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Prichard and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
If you have information on Kyle Castle’s whereabouts, please contact Homeland Security Investigations through the tip line at 1-866-DHS-2423.
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Felon Pleads Guilty to Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Kelvin Seymour, 36, has pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the guilty plea today.
According to information presented in court, on December 15, 2018, Memphis Police Officers responded to an aggravated assault on Jones Road. The victim informed law enforcement of the recent assault by Kelvin Seymour. Further, the victim stated that Seymour borrowed her car and refused to return it. Upon entering the car, the victim was forced to drive around for hours as Seymour became irate. He pulled an unknown black handgun from his waistband and made multiple threats to kill her, while striking her several times in her face.
Officers located Seymour in the passenger seat of the victim's car. The victim advised officers Seymour hid the gun under the center console, subsequently, where officers recovered a black Ruger .380 caliber pistol.
Seymour is a convicted felon, having previously been convicted of four felonies and several misdemeanor convictions. The defendant was on probation for a 2016 conviction of aggravated assault to a police officer when this crime occurred.
On September 7, 2021 the defendant pled guilty.
This case is set for sentencing on January 5, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris where he faces up to 10 years imprisonment, to be followed by no more than three years supervised release and a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Task Force. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our communities safer for everyone. In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy K. Cornejo is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
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Federal Inmate Sentenced for Conspiring with Brother in Tax Refund Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A federal prison inmate was sentenced today to an additional six years and three months in prison for conspiring with his brother to defraud the IRS as part of a fraudulent income tax refund scheme.
According to court documents, Jabari Laquan Marshall, who was serving a federal prison sentence for a prior mortgage fraud conviction, and his brother Jalen Tony Henry devised a scheme to defraud the IRS. As part of the scheme, Marshall provided Henry with false documents and directed Henry to file a false amended tax return for tax year 2014, claiming that over $5.5 million in federal income tax had been withheld on his behalf as a result of a fictitious intellectual property sale. Henry later submitted other fraudulent documents that supposedly documented the sale, and the IRS ultimately relied on these documents to issue a refund check for $1,439,039. Henry deposited the check into his bank account, and Marshall directed Henry to split the funds among their family members. Henry withdrew approximately $5,000 before his bank account was frozen. The IRS successfully recovered the remaining funds.
Marshall pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan ordered Marshall to pay restitution and sentenced him to three years of supervised release.
Co-defendant Henry pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of theft of government property. He was sentenced on August 26, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge C. Darren Lian for IRS-Criminal Investigation made the announcement.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Schmale prosecuted the case.
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Essex County Man Admits Role in Car Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man today admitted his role in a multi-state car theft and fraud ring, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Eric Morgan, 34, of Belleville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini in Newark federal court to an information charging him with three counts of wire fraud.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From November 2016 to March 2019, Morgan engaged in a scheme to sell stolen vehicles through internet-based marketplaces, such as Craigslist and OfferUp. For each fraudulent transaction, once a desirable vehicle was selected, the target vehicle was photographed, and a GPS tracker was attached to the vehicle in order to acquire a pattern-of-life of the original owner before the targeted vehicle was stolen. The target vehicle was then listed for sale on an internet-based marketplace. Potential purchasers of the target vehicles responded to listings and scheduled in-person meetings to purchase the vehicles. Shortly before the scheduled meeting times, the targeted vehicles were stolen with specially made car keys and fraudulently sold to unwittingly purchasers. On three occasions, Morgan, while posing as the lawful owner of a stolen vehicle, met the purchasers and sold them the stolen car while also providing them with a fraudulent motor vehicle registration and the specially made car key.
Morgan pleaded guilty to his participation in the sale of a 2010 Acura TSX through Craigslist on July 19, 2017, the sale of a 2015 Honda Accord through OfferUp on Nov. 23, 2018, and the sale of a 2016 Honda Accord through Craigslist on March 22, 2019.
The scheme to defraud involves more than 30 stolen vehicles, of which 29 were sold to unwitting buyers.
The wire fraud counts that Morgan pleaded guilty to each carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendall Randolph of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
Enrolled member of the Navajo Nation sentenced to seven years in federal prison for assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQERQUE, N.M. – Marty Manuelito, 46, of Albuquerque, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced in federal court on Aug. 13 to seven years in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.
Manuelito pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2020. According to the plea agreement, on Apr. 23, 2017, Manuelito and two accomplices assaulted John Doe at his residence on the Navajo Nation. Manuelito, along with Derwin Williams, 44, and Joelson Talk, 45, attacked the victim to retrieve a firearm. As a result of the attack, the victim suffered multiple lacerations to his forehead, mouth and wrist, a broken tooth, and fractures to his spine and nose. The victim also sustained a concussion and required immediate medical attention for his injuries.
Upon completion of his sentence, Manuelito will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Williams pleaded guilty on June 5, 2020, and was sentenced on Oct. 21, 2020, to three years in prison. Talk pleaded guilty on July 24, 2020, and on May 18 was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Navajo Nation Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Marshall prosecuted the case.
Effingham Man Sentenced to 58 Months in Prison for Manufacturing Counterfeit MoneyRead the Press Release
An Effingham man was sentenced yesterday to four years and ten months in prison and a $1,000 fine for manufacturing counterfeit money.
According to court documents, counterfeit bills manufactured by Jared Sapp, 29, were recovered in Madison, St. Clair, and Effingham counties, and as far away as Colorado. Sapp’s counterfeiting dates back to at least 2016. A number of businesses in Effingham, Illinois reported in 2017 and 2018 that they had been paid counterfeit money that was later traced back to Sapp. Sapp would also use counterfeit money to pay for used goods on websites or applications like “letgo.com” and “craigslist.com.” All told, law enforcement recovered at least 201 counterfeit bills manufactured by Sapp with a total face value of $4,715.00. The operation came to an end when Sapp was arrested in April 2020 with two printer/scanners and a pile of counterfeit $20s in the trunk of his car.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, the Effingham City Police Department, the Granite City Police Department, and the Caseyville Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.East Peoria Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – An East Peoria, Ill., man, Joshua Dunn, 29, of the 100 block of Callender Street, was sentenced to 42 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on September 8, 2021, for possessing a firearm as a felon.
U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade cited Dunn’s felony record and the fact that the firearm was stolen in imposing sentence. According to court documents, Dunn has two prior felony convictions for domestic battery and was on supervised release at the time of this offense.
At the sentencing hearing, the court heard evidence that Dunn had stolen the Glock 9mm firearm from his family’s residence and lied to law enforcement about its whereabouts. The East Peoria Police Department later found the firearm with Dunn at a local hotel.
Dunn pleaded guilty to the single-count indictment on April 30, 2021. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest on January 10, 2020.
The East Peoria Police Department investigated the case with assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Pekin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine G. Legge represented the government in the prosecution.
The case was brought as part of The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative. The Department’s renewed commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods establishes four fundamental principles to guide efforts to reduce violent crime: 1) build trust and legitimacy within communities; 2) invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs; 3) target enforcement and priorities to focus resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime; and, 4) measure results with the goal to reduce the level of violence in our communities and not to increase the number of arrests and prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves.
Doctor Admits Stealing more than $500,000 from Former EmployerRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A doctor today admitted defrauding his prior employer’s medical practice by stealing and forging the medical practice’s checks to pay personal expenses, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Walter Sytnik, 35, of Voorhees, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of mail fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Before attending medical school, Sytnik worked for a medical practice in southern New Jersey as a bookkeeper. While employed by the practice, Sytnik stole some of its checks and, from May 2013 through April 2018, used them to steal more than $500,000 from the practice. He opened and maintained credit card accounts at the same banks as used by the doctor at the medical practice, and forged the doctor’s signature on the stolen checks, which he sent through the U.S. Mail to pay his own credit card bills. When Sytnik ran out of checks, he reordered new ones so that he could continue the fraud.
The mail fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest. In his plea agreement, Sytnik agreed to make restitution for the full amount of the loss, which, after the recoupment of some of the stolen monies, is estimated at $416,000. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2022.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley S. Benavides in Philadelphia, with assistance from the Voorhees Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Louis Bordi, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diana Vondra Carrig of the U.S Attorney’s Office in Camden.
Detroit Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison on Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
A Detroit resident was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison after having been convicted by a federal jury in January 2020 on charges of sex trafficking using force and coercion, distribution of controlled substances, and maintaining a drug premises, announced Acting United States Attorney Saima Mohsin.
Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.
Sentenced was Richard Knider Jackson, 71, of Detroit. Jackson was convicted following a 5-day jury trial before United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy, III. The jury deliberated approximately 2 hours before returning their verdicts.
Jackson was also convicted of distribution of heroin and crack cocaine and maintaining a drug premises.
Evidence presented at the trial established that a woman called 911 in 2016 pleading for help. When Detroit Police responded, the officers quickly determined that the location was used for human trafficking. In the home, officers observed a house in complete disrepair, with signs of intravenous drug use throughout the home. Defendant had installed a security gate within the home at the top of the stairs.
“This defendant treated his victims like a commodity,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Mohsin. “He targeted vulnerable women and exploited them for his own profit and fueled their drug addictions by providing them with heroin and crack cocaine. We hope that today’s sentence offers these victims a sense of justice and closure and also raises awareness that sex traffickers are exploiting victims in our communities."
The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sara D. Woodward and Barbara Lanning.
Defendants Receive Sentences of 10+ Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Thomas Shane Benefield, 46, of Bossier City, Louisiana, and Antravion D. Johnson, 24, of Shreveport, Louisiana, have each been sentenced in unrelated cases by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr., announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
Thomas Shane Benefield was sentenced to 168 months (14 years) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Benefield, along with five other individuals, was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2020 and charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5, 2021 and admitted to the court that he committed the offense. In early 2020, law enforcement agents began an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Benefield and his co-conspirators. Agents learned that they were traveling to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine and bringing it back to sell in the Shreveport/Bossier City area. On June 12, 2020, Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on Benefield and he gave consent to search the truck he was driving. Deputies found two firearms, along with 30.2 grams of methamphetamine and a scale in the truck. Benefield admitted to helping his co-conspirators distribute methamphetamine and that he collected money from many different buyers in the local area for the narcotics they purchased. In addition, Benefield purchased some of the methamphetamine so he could personally sell it and make money for himself. Benefield has previous felony convictions for manufacturing methamphetamine (2002) and possession with intent to distribute Schedule I (2009).
The FBI, ATF, Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. 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.
Antravion D. Johnson, who has a lengthy criminal history, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. Johnson was charged by a federal grand jury for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and he pleaded guilty to the charge on May 5, 2021. The charge stems from an incident which occurred on February 12, 2021 when Shreveport Police Department officers executed a search warrant at an apartment on Peach Street in Shreveport. Johnson was inside the apartment when the warrant was executed. Officers found a loaded Glock pistol inside the residence and just outside of the apartment, officers found a loaded Micro Draco pistol inside a vehicle. Johnson admitted that he possessed the firearms knowing that as a convicted felon, he was prohibited from doing so. Johnson was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm (2016), felony theft (2015), and felon in possession of a firearm (2017).
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Moody prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is 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. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Dark Web Narcotics Traffickers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Illegal Drugs in Exchange for CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Gilberto Melgarejo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute illegal drugs over the “dark web.” Co-defendant Brooke Gray pleaded guilty to the same charge on August 10, 2021. Melgarejo and Gray participated in dozens of transactions on the dark web in which they sold an array of illegal drugs including methamphetamines, fentanyl, heroin, LSD and MDMA, and took payment in the form of cryptocurrency. Both defendants pleaded guilty before United States Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie. They were arrested on November 14, 2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Ray Donovan, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), announced the guilty pleas.
“With today’s guilty plea, the defendants have admitted to peddling potentially lethal narcotics on the dark web in a failed effort to hide their illegal and dangerous activity from law enforcement,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “As these defendants have learned, drug dealers who push their poison online cannot evade prosecution by hiding in the dark corners of the internet. This Office, together with its law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively prosecute narcotics traffickers who contribute to the opioid epidemic and harm our communities.”
“This investigation proves that there is no place to hide in the dark web when it comes to law enforcement’s efforts to save lives. Their selling point was anonymity, but law enforcement followed ‘THEQUEENSHIVE’ trail to the defendants’ base of operations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With overdoses on the rise, it is our goal to shut down as many drug trafficking organizations online and on the streets,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan.
The internet contains online marketplaces for narcotics and other contraband on the “dark web,” a part of the internet located beyond the reach of traditional internet browsers and accessible only through networks designed to conceal user identities. The “Wall Street Market” and “Empire Market” were global dark web marketplaces that required their users to trade in digital currencies, primarily Bitcoin.
Between March 2019 and September 2019, Melgarejo and Gray advertised and sold illegal narcotics on Wall Street Market and Empire Market, using the moniker “THEQUEENSHIVE.” Customers were directed to pay for illegal narcotics with cryptocurrency and contact Melgarejo and Gray through encrypted email and messaging services. Melgarejo and Gray claimed to sell “the highest quality product at the best price on the market…our packaging is covert as seal team six to ensure we avoid interception.” Beginning in March 2019, Melgarejo and Gray unknowingly made multiple sales of narcotics, including methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, LSD and MDMA to undercover DEA agents. Melgarejo and Gray used fake address labels and shipping materials designed to disguise the narcotics, then mailed the narcotics using United States Postal Service mailboxes located in multiple gas stations in the Albuquerque area in a futile effort to evade detection. The investigation further revealed that after receiving Bitcoin in exchange for the narcotics, Melgarejo and Gray converted the Bitcoin to cash and shared the proceeds. Melgarejo and Gray participated in over 90 transactions on Wall Street Market and Empire Market.
When they are sentenced, Melgarejo and Gray each face up to life in prison.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorney Francisco J. Navarro is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
GILBERTO MELGAREJO (also known as “THEQUEENSHIVE”)
Age: 27
Albuquerque, New MexicoBROOKE GRAY (also known as “THEQUEENSHIVE”)
Age: 23
Albuquerque, New MexicoE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-586 (MKB)
Convicted Felon with Violent Criminal History Sentenced to Prison in Project Safe Neighborhoods CaseRead the Press Release
ATHENS, Ga. – A convicted felon with a violent criminal history was sentenced to federal prison after admitting he was in illegal possession of a stolen firearm in a Project Safe Neighborhoods investigation.
Nitgel Williams, 27, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 68 months in prison to run consecutive to the state sentence he is currently serving by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal this morning. In addition, Judge Royal ordered that Williams serve three years of supervised release. Williams previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Violent criminals found in illegal possession of firearms will face federal prosecution,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Working with our law enforcement partners under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will do everything within our power to reduce violent crime in Athens and across the Middle District of Georgia by holding repeat, violent offenders accountable for continually disregarding the law.”
According to court documents, Williams was pulled over by an Athens-Clarke County Police Department Officer the night of February 12, 2020, for failing to maintain lane and driving 5-10 mph under the speed limit--both indicators that the driver was impaired. The officer observed Williams attempting to hide a cut straw, which is commonly used to ingest illegal narcotics, inside the vehicle. During a legal search of William’s vehicle, the officer located cocaine, heroin and a stolen .45 caliber pistol. Williams was previously convicted of aggravated assault in the Superior Court of Clarke County, Georgia. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.
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.
The case was investigated by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department Gang Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Colorado Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Unprovoked Stabbing of Black ManRead the Press Release
A Colorado man was sentenced to federal prison today for stabbing a Black man from Ontario, Oregon, while the man was sitting in a fast-food restaurant.
Nolan Levi Strauss, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made at the sentencing hearing, on the morning of Dec. 21, 2019, Strauss was at a Pilot Travel Center in Ontario, Oregon, when he saw a Black man walk into the adjoining Arby’s Restaurant. Strauss did not know the man and had never seen him before, but he decided he wanted to kill the man, because he was Black. The man was at the Arby’s to provide documentation for a pending job application. He sat in a booth by himself and waited to meet with the restaurant manager, when Strauss entered the building and approached the man from behind.
Suddenly, unprovoked and without warning, Strauss stabbed the man twice in the neck, cutting his jugular vein and causing blood to rush out of the man’s neck. The man struggled to wrest the knife from Strauss, certain that he would die if he was stabbed again. A maintenance worker approached Strauss and directed him to drop the knife several times. Finally, the stabbing victim broke free from Strauss’s grip and ran to the other side of the restaurant where he collapsed on the floor, his clothes soaked with blood. While employees tried to provide first aid to the victim and his life-threatening injuries, the maintenance worker used a belt to secure Strauss’s hands behind his back and waited for police to arrive.
While they waited, the worker asked Strauss why he stabbed the man. Strauss replied, “Because he was Black, and I don’t like Black people.” Strauss was arrested at the scene. In two interviews with the police later that day, Strauss explained his beliefs about Black people, describing them as manipulative, lacking morality, and “not good people.” As Strauss told police, the color of the victim’s skin was Strauss’s “only problem with him.”
“This defendant is being held accountable for his brutal and racially-motivated attack against a Black man carried out because of the color of his skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racially motivated attacks have no place in our society, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that prohibit bias motivated violence.”
“We hope the lengthy sentence imposed today will bring some measure of peace and closure for the man viciously attacked by Nolan Strauss,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug for the District of Oregon. “The sentence should also send a clear message to anyone contemplating similar acts of violence: hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated.”
“All Oregonians should be able to live and work without fear that their skin color will mark them for violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey of the FBI Oregon Field Office. “Beyond the physical and emotional damage done to a victim, such violence can infect an entire community with divisiveness and despair. This is not the kind of place that any of us want to raise our families, and we stand with the entire community in saying this is not acceptable and we will not allow it.”
As a result of Strauss’s attack, the stabbing victim suffered two large lacerations to his neck. He was evaluated in Ontario and subsequently life-flighted to a hospital in Boise, Idaho, for emergency surgery.
On Sept. 17, 2020, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a one-count indictment charging Strauss with a hate crime involving an attempt to kill. On June 17, 2021, he pleaded guilty to the charge.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Ontario Police Department, Oregon State Police and the Malheur County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin W. Bruce for the District of Oregon.
Colorado Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison for Unprovoked Stabbing of Black ManRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.— A Colorado man was sentenced to federal prison today for stabbing a Black man from Ontario, Oregon, while the man was sitting in a fast-food restaurant.
Nolan Levi Strauss, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.
“This defendant is being held accountable for his brutal and racially-motivated attack against a Black man carried out because of the color of his skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Racially motivated attacks have no place in our society, and the Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws that prohibit bias motivated violence.”
“We hope the lengthy sentence imposed today will bring some measure of peace and closure for the man viciously attacked by Nolan Strauss,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug for the District of Oregon. “The sentence should also send a clear message to anyone contemplating similar acts of violence: hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated.”
“All Oregonians should be able to live and work without fear that their skin color will mark them for violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Kieran L. Ramsey of the FBI Oregon Field Office. “Beyond the physical and emotional damage done to a victim, such violence can infect an entire community with divisiveness and despair. This is not the kind of place that any of us want to raise our families, and we stand with the entire community in saying this is not acceptable and we will not allow it.”
According to court documents and statements made at the sentencing hearing, on the morning of Dec. 21, 2019, Strauss was at a Pilot Travel Center in Ontario, Oregon, when he saw a Black man walk into the adjoining Arby’s Restaurant. Strauss did not know the man and had never seen him before, but he decided he wanted to kill the man, because he was Black. The man was at the Arby’s to provide documentation for a pending job application. He sat in a booth by himself and waited to meet with the restaurant manager, when Strauss entered the building and approached the man from behind.
Suddenly, unprovoked and without warning, Strauss stabbed the man twice in the neck, cutting his jugular vein and causing blood to rush out of the man’s neck. The man struggled to wrest the knife from Strauss, certain that he would die if he was stabbed again. A maintenance worker approached Strauss and directed him to drop the knife several times. Finally, the stabbing victim broke free from Strauss’s grip and ran to the other side of the restaurant where he collapsed on the floor, his clothes soaked with blood. While employees tried to provide first aid to the victim and his life-threatening injuries, the maintenance worker used a belt to secure Strauss’s hands behind his back and waited for police to arrive.
While they waited, the worker asked Strauss why he stabbed the man. Strauss replied, “Because he was Black, and I don’t like Black people.” Strauss was arrested at the scene. In two interviews with the police later that day, Strauss explained his beliefs about Black people, describing them as manipulative, lacking morality, and “not good people.” As Strauss told police, the color of the victim’s skin was Strauss’s “only problem with him.”
As a result of Strauss’s attack, the stabbing victim suffered two large lacerations to his neck. He was evaluated in Ontario and subsequently life-flighted to a hospital in Boise, Idaho, for emergency surgery.
On Sept. 17, 2020, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a one-count indictment charging Strauss with a hate crime involving an attempt to kill. On June 17, 2021, he pleaded guilty to the charge.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Ontario Police Department, Oregon State Police and the Malheur County District Attorney’s Office. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cameron A. Bell for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin W. Bruce for the District of Oregon.
Clarksburg man sentenced for drug chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jo-El Rene Torres, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 37 months of incarceration for a drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Torres, 36, pleaded guilty in March 2021 to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin and Fentanyl.” Torres admitted to having heroin and fentanyl in May 2020 in Upshur County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mountain Lakes Drug Task Force, the West Virginia State Police, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, and the Buckhannon Police Department investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
City Employee, Firefighter Sentenced for Child Pornography, Ordered to Pay $79,000 in Restitution to VictimsRead the Press Release
A volunteer firefighter who stored child pornography on his fire department tablet was sentenced today to more than 12 ½ years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.
Justin David Musgraves, 39, pleaded guilty in May to possession of pornography involving a prepubescent minor. He was sentenced today to 151 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who also ordered him to pay $57,000 in restitution to eight victims identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as known victims of child sexual abuse imagery, $17,000 to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act’s reserve fund, and $5,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act’s victim services fund ($79,000 total).
According to plea papers, Mr. Musgraves, Lubbock’s Deputy Director of Emergency Management and a Shallowater Fire Department volunteer, admitted he possessed sexually explicit images of children as young as two years old.
Per court documents, the investigation began after Mr. Musgraves brought his SFD tablet to University Medical Center for a navigation software install. Concerned by the files they spotted, EMS employees immediately reached out to law enforcement.
Officers conducted a forensic examination of the tablet and found more than 5,000 photos and 1,500 videos of child pornography stored on the hard drive. Mr. Musgraves later admitted that he used the tablet to access child pornography while on the clock at the City of Lubbock Operations Center.
At his sentencing hearing, prosecutors noted that Mr. Musgraves meticulously sorted the files into folders and sub folders, mostly organized by victim. One folder was titled “TO UPLOAD.” It remains unclear how the defendant obtained his collection or where, if anywhere, he intended to upload his files.
The Texas Rangers and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the complete cooperation of the City of Lubbock and the Shallowater Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam prosecuted the case.
Chinese National Sentenced for Illegal Exports to Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chinese national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegally procuring and exporting more than $100,000 worth of U.S. origin goods to Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU), a Chinese military university that is heavily involved in military research and works closely with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the advancement of its military capabilities.
Shuren Qin, 44, a Chinese national residing in Wellesley, who gained admittance into the United States through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program in 2014, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper to two years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Qin was also ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 and will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence.
On April 28, 2021, Qin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully export items from the United States to NWPU without first obtaining the required export licenses; one count of visa fraud; two counts of making false statements to law enforcement agents regarding his customers and the types of parts he caused to be exported from the United States to the People’s Republic of China (PRC); four counts of money laundering; and two counts of smuggling hydrophones from the U.S. to the PRC.
Qin established LinkOcean Technologies, LTD., which he used to import goods and technology with underwater and marine applications into the PRC from the United States, Canada and Europe. NWPU has been involved in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles and missile proliferation projects. Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has designated NWPU on its Entity List for national security reasons. Between approximately July 2015 and December 2016, Qin caused at least 60 hydrophones (devices used to detect and monitor sound underwater) to be exported from the United States to NWPU without obtaining the required export licenses from the DOC. Qin and his company, LinkOcean, did so by concealing from the U.S. manufacturer of the hydrophones that NWPU was the true end-user and by causing false end-user information to be filed with the U.S. government. In addition, on four occasions in connection with the export of hydrophones to NWPU, Qin transferred more than $100,000 from Chinese bank accounts to bank accounts located in the United States with the intent to promote and facilitate his unlawful export scheme.
Additionally, in July 2016, Qin engaged in visa fraud in connection with his application to remove conditions on his U.S. Permanent Resident Status by falsely certifying that he had not committed any crime for which he was not arrested since becoming a conditional permanent resident when, in fact, he had caused the illegal export of hydrophones from the United States to NWPU in December 2015.
Qin also made false statements to federal agents on two occasions regarding LinkOcean’s customers and its export activities. Specifically, during a November 2017 interview with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, Qin falsely stated that he only exported instruments that attach to a buoy. However, Qin had exported and caused the export of remotely-operated side scan sonar systems, unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles, robotic boats and hydrophones. The items that Qin concealed from CBP during this interview have military applications and several of these items were delivered to military end-users in China. For instance, Qin exported a U.S.-manufactured remotely-operated side scan sonar system to a PLA Troop in November 2015. On or about July 21, 2018, Qin lied to investigators during an interview when he stated that he did not have any customers on the DOC’s Entity List. In fact, Qin had at least two such customers – NWPU and the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT). NUDT is involved in national defense research for the PLA and responsible for modernizing the PRC’s armed forces. Since 2015, it has been designated on DOC’s Entity List.
Prior to entering his guilty plea in this case, Qin moved to suppress evidence seized from his laptop and iPhone and statements he made to CBP officers during a secondary inspection upon his return to the United States from the PRC at Logan Airport in November 2017. After eight days of evidentiary hearings, Judge Casper found that the “Chinese Navy” was one of Qin’s customers according to LinkOcean’s website. At the time of the search, agents testified that they were “concerned that Qin was involved [in] working on behalf of the Chinese Navy to procure items from the United States, export them to China so that they could be used or incorporated in systems the Chinese Navy or research institutes were developing to be used in electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare.” Judge Casper further found that by the end of the summer of 2017, investigators had learned that Qin was interested in procuring both AUVs and sonobuoys, which raised concerns for the agents as they learned that Ultra Electronics was at that same time developing “an AUV that worked in conjunction with [a] sonobuoy … strictly for military use by the U.S. Navy.” Qin also lied when questioned about the types of parts he exported, concealing his “interest in procuring side scan sonar systems, AUVs and sonobuoys.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Mendell; Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigation, Boston Field Office; Patrick Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; William Higgins, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, Boston Field Office; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Michael Wiest, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney B. Stephanie Siegmann, Chief of Mendell’s National Security Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Casey, also of National Security Unit, prosecuted the case.
Chicago Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Two Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chicago man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with bank robberies in Massachusetts and Illinois.
Eugene Davis, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On April 28, 2021, Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery.
In July 2019, Davis was indicted for a Massachusetts bank robbery and in March 2021 he was charged in the Northern District of Illinois with an unrelated bank robbery. The Illinois case was transferred to Massachusetts for plea and sentencing purposes.
On June 3, 2019, Davis robbed a branch of the East Boston Savings Bank in South Boston. Davis walked into the bank, pulled out a suitcase and handed a handwritten demand note to the teller. The note said that there was a bomb in the bag, that everyone was going to die and to put all the money into Davis’s hand. The teller took $6,055 cash out of the teller drawer and gave it to Davis who placed it in his shirt and walked out of the bank. Davis was apprehended later that day and ultimately confessed to committing the bank robbery.
On May 22, 2019, Davis robbed a branch of Chase Bank in Chicago. Davis entered the bank, pulled out a suitcase and handed the teller a demand note stating that he had a bomb, demanded money and threatened that if dye packs were included, they would all die. The teller provided approximately $3,460 in cash to Davis who then left the bank with the money.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Chicago Field Division; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Buffalo Man Arrested, Charged with Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Angel Coira-Burgos, 44, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that on June 1, 2021, Amherst Police officers, while on routine patrol on Flint Road, conducted a check of a license plate and learned that the registered owner had two outstanding warrants for drug charges in Lancaster, NY. Officers conducted a traffic stop and confirmed that the driver was the registered owner with the two warrants and took her into custody. During the traffic stop, a passenger identified himself as Angel Coira-Burgos, and advised officers that he was previously arrested on firearms charges in Buffalo. The driver asked officers if Coira-Burgos could retrieve her cell phone from a nearby motel room. Escorted to the motel room by an officer, the defendant attempted to slam the door shut as he entered the room but was prevented from doing so by the officer. In plain view, the officer observed a large quantity of white powder and drug paraphernalia on the table in the motel room. Coira-Burgos was detained. During the execution of a search warrant in the room, investigators recovered approximately 15 grams of suspected heroin, six Clonazepam pills, scales, wax paper bags, latex bands and containers. In addition, a loaded firearm was also recovered. Quantities of cocaine and cocaine mixed with fentanyl were also found in the room.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Scott Chamberlin and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Brunswick Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Unlawfully Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Brunswick man was sentenced yesterday in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
Chief U.S. District Judge John D. Levy sentenced James Prescott III, 28, to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Prescott pleaded guilty on April 27, 2021.
According to court records, on September 22, 2020, the Brunswick Police Department received a call from an individual who reported that his vehicle had been burglarized and his firearm was taken from it. This individual described a male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and a blue hospital mask, whom he saw in the parking lot approximately 15 feet away from his vehicle.
A short time later, officers with the Topsham Police Department encountered a male matching the description provided by the burglary victim. During the contact, officers identified the male as Prescott and recovered the stolen firearm from him. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law because in 2015 he had been convicted of Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, a crime that was punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Brunswick and Topsham police departments investigated this case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative.
PSN is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders and other stakeholders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. PSN is coordinated by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the 94 federal judicial districts throughout the 50 states and U.S. territories. PSN is customized to account for local violent crime problems and resources. Across all districts, PSN follows four key design elements of successful violent crime reduction initiatives: community engagement, prevention and intervention, focused and strategic enforcement, and accountability.
Branford Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Sex Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL HOLM, 42, of Branford, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to one count of possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from approximately September 1, 2014 to March 8, 2021, Holm knowingly possessed child pornography, including on his iPhone and in his online Dropbox account. He also used various other websites and mobile applications, such as ChatStep, Kik, Discord, Skype, and others, to distribute child pornography to others, sometimes in exchange for other child pornography in return. A review of Holm’s iPhone and online accounts revealed that, during this time period, he possessed at least 142 unique image files and 118 unique video files of child pornography, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
Holm engaged in some of this conduct while he was on federal supervised release for a prior child pornography offense. In August 2011, Holm was sentenced to three months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.
Because of his prior conviction, Holm is a registered sex offender on the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.
Holm was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on May 24, 2021. He has been detained since his arrest.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for December 2, 2021, at which time Holm faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The penalties in this matter are enhanced based on Holm’s prior federal conviction for possession of child pornography.
This matter is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Bellingham, Washington woman convicted of ‘shunt’ attack on BNSF RailroadRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 28-year-old Bellingham, Washington woman was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle of violence against a railroad carrier, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ellen Brennan Reiche, was one of two people arrested on the BNSF Railway tracks near Bellingham, near midnight on November 28, 2020. Reiche was convicted of placing a ‘shunt’ – a device that interferes with train signals – on the tracks. The jury deliberated about three hours following the two-day trial. Reiche faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on December 17, 2021.
According to records in the case and testimony at trial, on the night of November 28, 2020, Reiche and co-defendant Samantha Frances Brooks, 24, were observed on video surveillance walking on the tracks near a crossing in Bellingham. Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene. The defendants were detained for trespassing, and a shunt was found on the tracks near where the deputies had first encountered them. Reiche was carrying a paper bag containing wire, a drill with a brush head, a magnetic adhesive and gloves. The wire was similar to the wire used in the shunting incidents. The shunt that was placed on the tracks could have interfered with the railroad crossing guard at Cliffside Drive in Bellingham. A train carrying crude oil, among other cargo, was scheduled to come through that area soon after this incident.
In her closing argument, Assistant United States Attorney Sok Jiang told the jury, Reiche “disrupted the signal system designed to stop trains from crashing into each other or crashing into cars…. A car driving through the intersection (near the shunt) would not have warning that a train was coming.”
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force worked with BNSF police to investigate the placement of 41 shunts on the BNSF tracks since January 19, 2020. The shunt is comprised of wire that is stretched between the rails and often fastened with magnets, disrupting the systems that indicate a train is on the tracks. On ten occasions, shunts were placed in areas that disrupt the crossing guards where the tracks cross streets, so vehicles could have tried to cross the tracks unaware of the oncoming train. On the night of October 11, 2020, multiple shunts were placed in three different locations in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. The shunts triggered an automatic braking system on a train that was transporting hazardous and combustible material. The emergency braking then caused a portion of the train to decouple from the engine. Decoupling has the potential to cause a derailment—in this case—of tanker cars of flammable gas in a residential area.
Co-defendant Brooks pleaded guilty July 9, 2021, to interference with a railroad signaling system. Brooks faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Martinez on October 8, 2021. Chief Judge Martinez will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes agents from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in connection with the BNSF Railway Police. Critical investigative assistance is being provided by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Philip Kopczynski and Sok Tea Jiang.
Bangladeshi Husband and Wife Sentenced for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISISRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Shahidul Gaffar, 40, and Nabila Khan, 35, both residents of Pennsylvania, were sentenced to 18 months and two years in prison, respectively, by United States District Court Judge Joshua D. Wolson for conspiracy to provide material support and resources to ISIS, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Judge Wolson also sentenced both defendants to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in 2015, Gaffar and Khan, a married couple originally from Bangladesh, provided and attempted to provide financial support to two of Khan’s brothers who traveled to Syria to join ISIS fighters. Gaffar and Khan discussed the brothers’ travel plans in detail with each other, as well as with the brothers and other family members, as early as September 2014. In January 2015, Khan asked her sister living in Bangladesh to sell some of Khan’s gold and provide the money to their oldest brother, J.K., in order to assist him in travelling to Syria. Khan then flew to Bangladesh to wish J.K. farewell before his departure in February 2015. Gaffar, who remained in Pennsylvania, sent supportive messages to Khan’s mother, stating: “Be [p]roud mother for the noble cause and for the sake of Allah!!!”
Further, Khan’s second brother, I.K., had come to the United States on a student visa and resided with Khan and Gaffar in Pennsylvania from June 2014 until February 2015, when he returned to Bangladesh. Over the next few months, Khan, who was still in Bangladesh, observed I.K. watching terrorist propaganda videos featuring Anwar al-Awlaki, a designated global terrorist who is now deceased. Around the same time, Gaffar began sending international money transfers to I.K. in Bangladesh. These funds had multiple purposes, but one was to support I.K.’s travel to Syria to join ISIS. In June 2015, Gaffar sent a message to Khan, stating: “Let [I.K.] know that I will manage and send 3000 dollars if Allah wills. Let's help him, my love, for the good cause who knows that might be enough to get forgiveness from Allah and accept[ance] [in]to heaven.” In July 2015, Gaffar continued to communicate with Kahn regarding the conspiracy, saying in part: “I feel bad for mom and dad, at the same time, I feel very proud. [W]hat a lucky mom and dad.”
In early July 2015, I.K. traveled to Syria to join ISIS. The next day, Gaffar and Khan discussed via electronic messages how Khan had tried to give I.K. more money right before he left, and days later, Kahn exchanged multiple electronic messages with a family member discussing I.K.’s arrival in Syria and reunion there with J.K. Gaffar sent reassuring messages to Khan, stating that it was “cool” that she had been able to observe I.K.’s radical Islamist “changes” from “beginning to end.”
According to court documents, in May 2016, Khan received an electronic message that I.K. had been wounded in the fighting in Syria, and in August 2016, Khan’s mother sent a message to Kahn with photographs of I.K.’s wounds sustained while in Syria. In September 2016, I.K. changed his online social media account profile picture to an image depicting himself, his brother and another male sitting in front of the black ISIS flag with firearms on a table in front of them, overtly identifying himself and his brother as members of ISIS. I.K. was ultimately killed in the fighting in Syria in March 2019.
“This case draws into sharp focus the first priority of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office: protecting our Nation from all security threats,” said Acting United States Attorney Williams. “The defendants encouraged and financially supported the efforts of Nabila Kahn’s brothers to join the murderous terrorist group ISIS, which is a direct threat to the United States. The public can rest assured that our Office is working tirelessly every day to protect all Americans from the threat of terrorism.”
“Money and manpower are the lifeblood of terror groups like ISIS,” said Bradley S. Benavides, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Gaffar and Khan, while enjoying all the rights and privileges of living in America, conspired to support violent extremists who consider our country their sworn enemy. Know that FBI Philadelphia’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is working diligently around the clock to detect and disrupt anyone whose beliefs have crossed the line into terrorist activity.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Wolfe and Robert Livermore.
Atlanta Man Arrested During Capture of Macon Fugitive Pleads Guilty to Possessing an Unregistered Sawed-off RifleRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – An Atlanta resident who was found in possession of an unregistered sawed-off rifle and a loaded revolver as officers arrested a wanted individual pleaded guilty in federal court.
Johnny Paul Grilliot, 46, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III. Grilliot faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a maximum $10,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for December 7.
“This encounter had the potential to become violent as the defendant was in possession of loaded weapons—including a sawed-off rifle—as officers worked to take a wanted person into custody safely,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I want to commend the U.S. Marshals Service, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and ATF for their work on this case and their work every day to reduce violence in Middle Georgia.”
“ATF’s involvement in securing this plea is a prime example of the successful use of federal laws to confront, engage and eliminate the possession of illegal firearms. Individuals must understand that there are serious repercussions for the possession of illegal firearms, especially with sawed-off barrels and an unregistered silencer,” said John Schmidt, ATF Atlanta Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure criminals are brought to justice.”
According to court documents, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office learned that a wanted individual, Tyrone Briscoe, was in an SUV in the vicinity of Riverside Drive in Macon. Deputy U.S. Marshals and Bibb County deputies responded, located the vehicle at a restaurant on Riverside Drive, and found Grilliot and Briscoe inside the SUV. As officers approached the vehicle, Grilliot exited the SUV and appeared to pull something from his shorts. Grilliot was detained, and officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver in his shorts. Inside the vehicle, officers found a .22 caliber rifle with an inserted magazine and a homemade silencer affixed to a sawed-off barrel. Grilliot subsequently admitted the firearms belonged to him, he knew the rifle’s barrel had been shortened and he had fired the sawed-off rifle recently to confirm it still worked.
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.
The case was investigated by ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the Government.
All 19 defendants charged in T&A Crips case convicted of federal crimesRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final of 19 defendants to be convicted in a Columbus gang-related racketeering conspiracy pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for his part in furthering the violence of the local Crips gang. The racketeering conspiracy first charged in 2018 includes five murders, at least 26 attempted murders, and other violent and drug-trafficking crimes.
Shawn Nelms, 28, admitted in federal court on Sept. 8 to participating in the 2013 murder of William Moore. Nelms and others spotted Moore, a rival Poindexter Thug Life Bloods gang member, walking on Mount Vernon Ave. and agreed to kill the man for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their positions within T&A. According to his plea, in 2011, Nelms shot another man in the chest, and the gunshot victim survived. During a robbery in 2011, one of several rounds shot by Nelms went into a nearby house and struck a young girl, who also survived. Nelms’s plea includes a recommended sentence of 34 to 40 years in prison.
Nelms was scheduled to stand trial beginning next week and pleaded guilty at a pretrial conference yesterday evening.
The United States Attorney’s Office charged 19 total defendants in 2018 as part of the local gang T&A Crips. The gang derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly resided.
The criminal organization included various subgroups, including, Atcheson Crip Gangsters (ACG), Catch A Body (CAB), Kwamie Gang (KMG), Waun Gang, Family Over Everything (FOE), Go Gang, On The Family (OTF), Toe Tag and Go Crazy.
T&A identifies with the national Crips gang, adopting the traditional colors, symbols, culture, codes and enemies of the Crips gang. Its local rival Blood gangs include, but are not limited to, the Easthaven Bloods, Poindexter Thug Life (PTL) and the Milo Bloods.
T&A members marked the gang’s territory with graffiti and themselves with common tattoos. Members also produced songs to boast of the gang’s existence, communicate their violent methods and threaten non-members and rival gang members. These songs were posted on various social networking sites used by the T&A members.
T&A controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.
Specifically, co-conspirators in this case have been convicted of five murders:
the murder of Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the area of 431 Ellison Street;
the murder of William Moore on March 15, 2013;
the murder of Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue;
the murder of Quincy Story on January 24, 2015; and
the murder of seven-year-old Deonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.
Additionally, from June 14, 2010 until March 15, 2017, there were at least 26 separate incidences in which T&A gang members attempted to murder more individuals by shooting at them.
Co-conspirators also threatened and/or intimidated witnesses, using violence or the threat of violence to deter them from providing information to law enforcement and to enforce a “no snitching” code.
Defendants distributed cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana. They also used “trap houses” in other individuals’ names to store and sell narcotics.
T&A members used the drug proceeds to purchase firearms to use in gang wars in Columbus. They often traveled to Huntington, West Virginia, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Chillicothe, Ohio, (among other locations) to sell and purchase drugs and guns.
Seven defendants have been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison to date. They include:
Name
Also Known As
Sentence
Charles Carson
30 years in prison
Jonathan Dantzler
Jesus
30 years in prison
Eric Henderson, Sr.
Easy
15 years in prison
Michael Henderson
Bang
10 years and 9 months in prison
Steve Henderson, Jr.
Big Go, Tana
20 years in prison
Shawn Nelms
Mook
34-40 years recommended
Marcus Walton
Ox, Wax
10 years in prison
Michael Watson
Sossa
30 years in prison
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Dan Leeper, Acing Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; and United States Marshal Pete Tobin announced the plea entered into before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin W. Kelley and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
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Alexandria Couple Indicted for Harboring AliensRead the Press Release
COVINGTON, Ky. - An Alexandria, Ky., couple was indicted on Thursday, on four counts of harboring aliens and one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens.
A federal grand jury sitting in Covington returned the indictment charging Yun Zheng, a.k.a. Wendy, 50, and Yan Qui Wu, a.k.a. Jason, 48, with four counts of concealing, harboring, or shielding a person for commercial and private financial gain, and one count of conspiracy to conceal, harbor, or shield persons for commercial and private financial gain.
The indictment alleges that, beginning in November 2014 and continuing through November 2017, Zheng and Wu illegally harbored four individuals for their commercial and private financial gain.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jerry Templet, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations; and Lucas T. Cooper, Chief of the Alexandria Police Department, jointly announced the indictment.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security- HIS and the Alexandria, Kentucky Police Department. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Winslow and David Marye.
A date for Zheng and Wu to appear in court has not yet been scheduled. For each of the five counts, they face up to ten years in prison, up to $250,000 fine, and restitution. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the Court, after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
Any indictment is an accusation only. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Wednesday 8 September 2021
Waco Man Sentenced for Possessing over Nine Gallons of Liquid Methamphetamine BaseRead the Press Release
WACO – A Waco man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for attempting to manufacture methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on September 30, 2020, Joshua David Villalobos, 41, was observed draining liquid methamphetamine from a trailer that was parked in an alleyway behind Proctor Avenue in Waco. Over nine gallons of liquid methamphetamine base were recovered from the trailer – enough to produce an estimated 80 pounds of methamphetamine powder.
On May 18, 2021, Villalobos pleaded guilty to attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. Villalobos has remained in federal custody since his arrest on October 6, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas and Waco Police Chief Sheryl D. Victorian made the announcement.
The Waco Police Department Drug Enforcement Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Smith-Burris prosecuted the case.
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Violent gang members, cartel conduit sentenced to federal prison for roles in major drug-trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A member of a violent Chicago street gang, two Ghost Face Gangsters and a conduit for Mexican drug cartels have been sentenced to decades in federal prison for their roles in a major drug trafficking conspiracy that funneled large amounts of methamphetamine and other drugs into coastal and south Georgia.
Leroy Bozarth, a/k/a “Jack Turtlehead,” 38, of Springfield, Ill., was sentenced to 235 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Bozarth to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Making our communities safer means removing the violent criminals who endanger our neighborhoods, especially those affiliated with street gangs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “As an enforcer for such a gang, Leroy Bozarth used violence, fear and intimidation as tools of his drug trade. Our streets will be safer with him and his co-conspirators behind bars.”
Bozarth was one of 35 defendants indicted as part of Operation Stranded Bandit, as described in the indictment unsealed in December 2020 in USA v. Baker et al. Other key figures sentenced in U.S. District Court include:
- Dustin Lax, a/k/a “Wing Nut,” a/k/a “Tyrone White,” 45, of Garden City, Ga., sentenced to 188 months in federal prison and ordered to serve three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and To Distribute a Quantity of Methamphetamine. Lax, a captain in the violent, white supremacist Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang, has 34 prior felony convictions and currently faces state charges related to a murder during a home invasion, and an aggravated assault case in which he is accused of dragging a woman from a car so his partner could shoot her in the back.
- Victor Lopez-Blanco, a/k/a “Victoriano,” 51, of Jonesboro, Ga., sentenced to 292 months in prison and ordered to serve five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. Lopez-Blanco, a resident of Mexico and illegal alien who first entered the United States in 2003, served as a conduit for methamphetamine shipped from violent Mexican cartels through the Atlanta area and into Savannah.
- Heather Sloan, a/k/a “Penny,” a/k/a “Honey,” 35, of East Dublin, Ga., sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to serve five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. Sloan, an affiliate of the Ghost Face Gangsters, facilitated meth distribution throughout middle and coastal Georgia.
The investigation and indictments grew from other major gang-related drug trafficking prosecutions in Operation Vanilla Gorilla and Operation Who’s Laughing Now. The investigations and prosecutions, under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, targeted widespread, gang-related drug trafficking organizations in the Southern District and beyond.
An occasional resident of Port Wentworth, Ga., Bozarth is a previously convicted felon with decades-long criminal history that started when he sold crack cocaine as a pre-teen. As a member and “muscle” for the Almighty Simon City Royals – a violent Chicago street gang – Bozarth was part of a conspiracy that transported illegal drugs into the Southern District from Mexico and Atlanta, aided by multiple criminal street gangs including the Ghost Face Gangsters, La Raza/SUR 13, Bloods, Vice Lords, Gangster Disciples, and Aryan Brotherhood.
The conspirators operated inside and outside Georgia’s prison system, using drones and other means to smuggle cell phones into prisons so that incarcerated conspirators could continue to coordinate the trafficking operations from Mexico to Georgia.
Of the 35 defendants charged in Operation Stranded Bandit, at least 24 have entered guilty pleas with many of them sentenced, while seven are awaiting trail and are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with those crucial law enforcement contributions of other federal, state and local agencies to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal gang activity,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“This notorious drug trafficking organization distributed poison (methamphetamine) to the coastal and south Georgia community while causing fear through means of violence and intimidation,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Field Division. “Through law enforcement partnerships, these defendants will spend well-deserved time in prison.”
“Illegal drugs and criminal street gangs have no place in Georgia. These defendants have been threatening the safety of communities for years,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). “We will continue to work diligently along with our local and federal partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.”
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case is being investigated by agencies including the ATF, DEA, GBI, and the Savannah-Chatham Counter Narcotics Team, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly Jr. and Jennifer J. Kirkland.
Ukrainian Cyber Criminal Extradited for Decrypting the Credentials of Thousands of Computers Across the World and Selling Them on A Dark Web WebsiteRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the extradition of Glib Oleksandr Ivanov-Tolpintsev (28, Chernivtsi, Ukraine) in connection with charges of conspiracy, trafficking in unauthorized access devices, and trafficking in computer passwords. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Ivanov-Tolpintsev that the United States intends to forfeit $82,648, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
Ivanov-Tolpintsev was taken into custody by Polish authorities in Korczowa, Poland, on October 3, 2020, and extradited to the United States pursuant to the extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Poland. Ivanov-Tolpintsev was presented on September 7, 2021, before United States Magistrate Julie S. Sneed, and ordered detained pending trial.
According to the
indictment , Ivanov-Tolpintsev controlled a “botnet,” which is a network of computers infected with malware and controlled as a group without the owners’ knowledge. He used the botnet to conduct brute-force attacks designed to decrypt numerous computer login credentials simultaneously. During the course of the conspiracy, Ivanov-Tolpintsev stated that his botnet was capable of decrypting the login credentials of at least 2,000 computers every week. Ivanov-Tolpintsev then sold these login credentials on a dark web website that specialized in the purchase and sale of access to compromised computers. Once sold on this website, credentials were used to facilitate a wide range of illegal activity, including tax fraud and ransomware attacks.An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The investigation was led by the Tampa Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations - Tampa Division. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit in Washington, D.C. This investigation also benefited from foreign law enforcement cooperation by the Polish National Police, the Polish Prosecutor’s Office, and the Polish Ministry of Justice. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Update on Ongoing Strategies to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – Protecting our communities from violent crime is a top priority for the Department of Justice. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a renewed comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy, which is built around four principles:
- Build trust and earn legitimacy in our communities;
- Invest in community-based prevention and intervention programs;
- Target enforcement efforts and priorities by identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime;
- Measuring the results of these efforts through a decrease in violent crime – not merely by arrests and convictions.
The core of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts continues to be Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 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.
“Violent crime is a problem in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and throughout the nation,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler. “For many years our office has worked together with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime and we continuously update and revise our PSN strategy to improve our results. I am pleased to update the public on our efforts and remain committed to making sure all citizens can live safely in our community.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has in place a multi-faceted program to reduce violent crime within the district. Gun violence, driven mostly by drug trafficking or by neighborhood rivalries and gangs, is identified as the main problem in many of the larger more populated counties within the district.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office endeavors to disrupt violent crime by pursuing appropriate prison sentences and seeking forfeitures of crime-derived assets to deter dangerous individuals from continuing to disrupt our communities. Through enforcement actions, prosecutions, and community partnerships, the U.S. Attorney’s Office works to lower violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.
Enforcement Strategy
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has long partnered with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to collaboratively address violent crime in the district. These efforts include regular meetings with these agencies to exchange information about areas of mutual concern, including deconflicting pending investigations, as well as identifying violent offenders, local crime trends, and notable criminal events.
Criminal Division supervisors regularly meet with with District Attorneys from Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, state prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office, and supervisors from area Pennsylvania State Police barracks to strengthen ongoing partnerships to combat violent crime, including violence that is often associated with drug trafficking. The Criminal Division supervisors have also discussed with these state and local officials, strategies to combat violent crimes against children, including sex trafficking, child pornography offenses, and internet enticement crimes.
Violent crime and firearm investigations are supported by use of ATF’s National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is a national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. This proven investigative and intelligence tool allows law enforcement to link firearms from multiple crime scenes and to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. Federal, state, and local law enforcement in the Middle District of Pennsylvania have used NIBIN to help solve violent crimes and prosecute gun offenders.
Prosecution Activity
The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains active in the fight against violent crime through various enforcement actions, prosecutions, and sentencings, as demonstrated by the recent examples below:
Firearms Prosecutions
- On April 2, 2021, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the York County District Attorney’s Office, and the York City Police Department announced a joint initiative (Operation Scarecrow) that targets individuals who illegally purchase and possess firearms in York County. Operation Scarecrow’s focus is on individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction who use third parties (“straw parties”) to purchase firearms on their behalf. The Operation that began on January 20, 2021, has thus far resulted in 26 firearms being recovered in relation to straw purchasing violations.
To date, seven individuals have been federally indicted with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm:
- Donte Christian, of Baltimore, MD, indicted on February 3, 2021;
- Jahzaire Jahzaire Gilliam, of York, indicted March 24, 2021;
- Hannah Lapham, of York, indicted March 24, 2021;
- Nijee Baskins, of York, indicted on March 31, 2021;
- Olivia Marie Johnson, of York, indicted on July 28, 2021;
- Alicia Lauren Butler-Sanchez, of Philadelphia, indicted on July 28, 2021;
- Deontrae Marquis Jackson, of Philadelphia, indicted on July 28, 2021.
- Bruce Redmond, of Dallas, was sentenced on September 1, 2021, to 46 months’ imprisonment for illegal possession of 58 firearms, 6,664 rounds of ammunition and methamphetamine trafficking.
- Akee Ly, of Lemoyne, was sentenced on August 25, 2021, to 262 months’ imprisonment for previously being convicted of a felony and using a third party to purchase multiple firearms on his behalf.
- Sierra Benninger, age 26, of Mountaintop, was sentenced on June 29, 2021, to time served of 8 ½ months for providing false statements to purchase a Taurus 9mm handgun, which she was prohibited from possessing as a person who used and was addicted to a controlled substance.
- Walter Valdivia, Jr., of Matamoras, was sentenced on June 21, 2021, to 33 months’ imprisonment for possession of a shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18 inches.
Drug Prosecutions
- Omar Tollinchi-Torres, of Harrisburg, was charged on September 1, 2021, for attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and possessing a Glock model 23 .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol during and in relation to the attempted drug trafficking offense.
- On August 27, 2021, Tysheen Gott, of Wilkes-Barre, was found guilty following a jury trial of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, cocaine, crack, and tramadol. Gott was one of eleven defendants indicted. All other co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
- Michael Rinaldi, of Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced to 235 months’ imprisonment following a jury trial conviction in August 2021, of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 6 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of cocaine base, 15 grams of heroin, and 48 pounds of marijuana. Two additional co-defendants, Duwayne Brown and Andrew Henry, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
- On July 27, 2021, Modest Moreno, of Wilkes-Barre, was indicted for allegedly distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. The indictment also alleged that Modesto, a person prohibited from possessing a firearm, possessed a Ruger handgun.
- The head of a drug trafficking organization, Charles Gibson, Jr., of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment on June 23, 2021, for conspiring to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl. Members of the drug trafficking organization possessed firearms and engaged in acts of violence. Gibson was charged in June 2017 with 14 other individuals, who all pled guilty and received sentences ranging from 84 months’ imprisonment to probation.
- James R. Bell, of Newark, New Jersey was sentenced on June 21, 2021, to 240 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and heroin which resulted in the death of a 22-year-old Monroe County man.
- Two Philadelphia men, Naim Taylor and Antwan Dozier, were indicted on June 10, 2021, for conspiring to distribute heroin to a network of drug sellers and users.
Robbery Prosecutions
- On March 5, 2021, Jimmy Carter, of Erie, was sentenced to 216 months’ imprisonment for robbing a Unimart convenience store and during the course of this robbery, Carter fired a handgun at the proprietor of the store.
- Gerard Gaffney of Mount Ranier, Maryland, was sentenced on April 26, 2021, to 84 months’ imprisonment for his role as the driver in an armed robbery of a Rite Aid pharmacy. A stolen firearm was recovered from codefendant, David Marable, who was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment on July 21, 2020.
Community Partnerships
- Court Assisted Re-Entry (CARE) Program. The U.S. Attorney’s Office actively participates in the CARE Program-- a four-phase program designed to aid the rehabilitation and re-integration of federal inmates recently released into the community under federal supervised release and who face a moderate to high-risk of recidivism.
The Middle District of Pennsylvania CARE Program operates in the Harrisburg, Scranton and Williamsport Courts, and has existed since 2009 as one of the first federal court reentry programs in the country. The early efforts to support court-assisted reentry helped inspire the changes that took place in courts and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country.
The CARE Program relies upon support from groundbreaking partnerships between public institutions and agencies as well as volunteer private entities and individuals to provide financial, educational, and health benefits to recently releases inmates. The U.S. Probation Office, the Federal Public Defenders and the U.S. Attorney’s Office participate in the program. The CARE Program offers an alternative program of supervision and a blend of treatment and support to effectively address offender behavior and rehabilitation. Most CARE participants have served multi-year prison sentences and face barriers to reintegration to the community.
- Group Violence Initiative (GVI). In 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office joined community and law enforcement partners in York as part of the York Group Violence Initiative (GVI). GVI is designed to reduce street group–involved homicide and gun violence. GVI was pioneered by the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College. As the National Network’s website notes, GVI has repeatedly demonstrated that violence can be dramatically reduced when a partnership of community members, law enforcement, and social service providers directly engages with the small and active number of people involved in street groups and clearly communicates a credible moral message against violence, prior notice about the consequences of further violence, and a genuine offer of help for those who want it. A central method of communication is the call-in, a face-to-face meeting between group members and the strategy’s partners. The aim of the GVI strategy is to reduce peer dynamics in the group that promote violence by creating collective accountability, to foster internal social pressure that deters violence, to establish clear community standards against violence, to offer group members an “honorable exit” from committing acts of violence, and to provide a supported path for those who want to change. The focus at the beginning of 2020 was developing the Community Moral Voice of the GVI strategy. Though interrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic, individuals are still being identified who will be “credible messengers” working in the neighborhoods on a daily basis to bring the “we want you safe, alive, and out of prison” message to group members. A partnership was formed working with WellSpan Health System to develop a Hospital Based Violence Intervention program to actively engage gun violence victims and their families. Most often these victims are also part of the groups that are involved in most of the violence in the city. The Hospital based strategy engages them at a vulnerable point where they are more receptive to engage the help that is offered. Also, as part of the effort to reduce the initial shootings, the York City Police Department developed a strong relationship with the York City 2020 Annual Report School Police to be proactive in addressing youth before they become involved in “street” activity. Statistically, there was a 34% reduction in group member involved incidents over 2019 and a 50% reduction year to date in criminal homicide incidents by firearm.
- Neighborhood Social Events. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has increased involvement in neighborhood social events conducive to law enforcement participation, including community walks and National Night Out. Although the pandemic has temporarily slowed our efforts in this area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will resume our hard work as the pandemic subsides.
- Project Safe Childhood. In May 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the York County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation presented a Project Safe Childhood presentation of Keeping Children Safe & Secure Online to York County Southwestern School District parents and teachers. A variety of topics were covered including: Social Media/Apps, Gaming, Cyberbullying, Sexting, Sextortion, Internet Predators, and Being Safe & Secure Online.
Our office has since been invited to present the Keeping Children Safe & Secure Online presentation as a “featured session” at the PA State Superintendents' Association (PASA) annual conference with the PA School Boards' Association (PSBA) on October 6, 2021.
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U.S. Army Reservist Sentenced to 46 Months for Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme Involving Theft of Millions of Dollars from Elderly Victims and BusinessesRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JOSEPH IORHEMBA ASAN JR. was sentenced to 46 months in connection with a scheme to commit romance fraud scams and business email compromises against dozens of victims across the United States, defraud banks, and launder millions of dollars in fraud proceeds to co-conspirators based in Nigeria. ASAN was arrested on October 31, 2019, and pled guilty on December 23, 2020, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. Today’s sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Among the many victims of the internet scams facilitated by Joseph Asan Jr. were elderly women and men who were callously fooled into believing they were engaging online with potential romantic interests. This former serviceman and his co-defendant even laundered money stolen from a U.S. Marine Corps veteran’s organization in one of the conspiracy’s email spoofing schemes. Asan’s crimes have indeed led to his own reversal of his fortune, as this former defender of this country now becomes a federal prisoner.”
According to allegations in documents filed in Manhattan federal court:
From at least in or about February 2018 through at least in or about October 2019, ASAN and his co-defendant CHARLES IFEANYI OGOZY were members of the U.S. Army Reserves who participated in a scheme to commit fraud against dozens of victims across the United States, defraud banks, and launder millions of dollars in fraud proceeds in bank accounts that they controlled. The funds laundered by ASAN and OGOZY were obtained primarily through: (a) romance scams, in which members of the scheme deluded unsuspecting older women and men into believing they were in a romantic relationship with a fake identity assumed by members of the scheme, and used false pretenses to cause the victims to transfer money to bank accounts under the control of members of the scheme, including ASAN and OGOZY; and (b) business email compromises, in which members of the scheme gained unauthorized access to or spoofed email accounts and impersonated employees of a company or third parties engaged in business with the company in order to fraudulently induce the victims to transfer money to bank accounts under the control of members of the scheme, including ASAN and OGOZY. Notably, one of the victims of the defendants’ business email compromise scheme included a U.S. Marine Corps veteran’s organization.
In order to launder proceeds from those fraud schemes, ASAN and OGOZY opened several bank accounts in the names of fake businesses called Uxbridge Capital LLC, Renegade Logistics LLC, and Eldadoc Consulting LLC. In total, ASAN opened at least 10 business bank accounts at eight different banks in the names of these fake businesses, and he used those accounts to receive and transfer to co-conspirators overseas over $1.8 million in fraud proceeds from at least 69 identified victims. In connection with the opening of the business bank accounts, ASAN made multiple false statements to banks about the purported business of his companies, including misrepresentations that the companies were involved in shipping, real estate, and public relations. In addition, a significant portion of the laundered funds was deposited and withdrawn in cash that was not able to be traced by law enforcement.
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ASAN, 24, of Daytona Beach, Florida, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. In addition, ASAN was ordered to forfeit $184,723, and to pay restitution of $1,792,015 to victims.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. Ms. Strauss also thanked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance in the investigation.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Sagar K. Ravi is in charge of the prosecution.
Tyler County man admits to tax violationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Roger Lee Stevens, of Middlebourne, West Virginia, is facing tax fraud charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Stevens, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of “Corrupt Endeavor to Obstruct or Impede the Due Administration of the Internal Revenue Laws.” Stevens admitted to failing to pay income taxes from 2005 to 2009. The IRS issued a notice to Stevens, and later to Stevens’ bank, that his assets would be levied to pay the debt owed to the IRS. As the IRS began directing the bank to turn over funds in Stevens’ account, Stevens began removing funds from the account to impede the IRS from collecting the debt.
Stevens also agreed to pay $86,207 to the IRS in restitution.
Stevens faces up to three years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danae DeMasi-Lemon is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The IRS investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Two Texas men charged in stealing over a million dollars in a romance scamRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On September 7, 2021, Rotimi Oladimeji and Olumide Akinrinmade appeared before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on a romance scam. The men were arrested in Texas on August 9th after the return of a federal indictment charging mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The grand jury returned the sealed indictment on July 28th.
According to the indictment, in October 2019, a resident of the Eastern District of Missouri began communicating on an internet dating site with Oladimeji, who was purporting to be G.J. As part of the fraud, Oladimeji bolstered his impersonation of G.J. with a LinkedIn profile in the name of G.J., the picture of a different individual, and a completely fictitious background. Shortly after beginning the online romance, Oladimeji, in the guise of G.J., purported to need help with an urgent business issue while he was traveling in the United Arab Emirates.
Through the G.J. identity, Oladimeji directed the victim to electronically transfer funds from the Eastern District of Missouri to banks in Saudi Arabia and to send money by Federal Express to Akinrinmade’s residence in Texas. The money was subsequently deposited into financial accounts opened by Oladimeji, Akinrinmade, and others. As a result, between October 23, 2019 and April 26, 2020, the victim electronically transmitted and sent through Federal Express, $1,200,000 to, and on behalf of, Oladimeji and Akinrinmade.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
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Two South Louisiana Men Sentenced for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that two men from south Louisiana were sentenced today by United States District Judge Michael J. Juneau for illegal possession of firearms.
Eric Etienne, 33, of New Iberia, Louisiana, was sentenced to 65 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm. In May 2021, Etienne went to trial on the charge and was found guilty by a federal jury in Lafayette. Evidence at the trial revealed that on December 18, 2018, officers with the New Iberia Police Department discovered a video on Instagram showing Etienne possessing what appeared to be an AR-15 rifle, two AK-47’s, and a Glock handgun. Law enforcement officers were familiar with Etienne, who is a convicted felon, and were able to determine the location in New Iberia where the video had been taken. Later that day, officers responded to the scene where the video was taken. Upon arrival, Etienne was found standing near a silver sedan which was seen in the video and wearing the same clothes he was wearing in the video. Officers found the AR-15 and Glock handgun in plain view in the sedan. A search of a nearby residence recovered one of the AK-47’s. Etienne’s prior felony conviction was for attempted manslaughter in 2006.
The ATF and New Iberia Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Ayo and Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.
Patrick Joiner, 54, of Erath, Louisiana, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. On October 18, 2018, a state search warrant was executed at Joiner’s residence by Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies. During the search, law enforcement officers seized methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, cash, and a loaded firearm. Joiner was charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. As an individual having been previously convicted of felony crimes, Joiner was prohibited from possessing a firearm. His criminal history is lengthy, having been convicted of 6 felony crimes dating back to 1989.
The ATF and Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Nickel prosecuted 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. PSN is 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. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Deputy U.S. Marshal with Hammer During Portland ProtestRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Texas man pleaded guilty today for assaulting a Deputy U.S. Marshal with a construction hammer during a July 2020 protest in Downtown Portland.
Jacob Michael Gaines, 24, pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
“We are very fortunate Mr. Gaines did not severely injure or kill the Deputy U.S. Marshal who confronted him outside the federal courthouse last summer. Assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon is a very serious crime and will be handled by our office accordingly,” said Scott Erik Asphaug, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
“Anyone who assaults or tries to hurt a U.S. Marshals Service employee should expect to be charged. Mr. Gaines could have killed the deputy he struck with a construction hammer, and we’re grateful to the US Attorney’s Office for seeing this case through to its conclusion,” said Peter Cajigal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon.
“We’re pleased to see resolution following the violent acts committed at the Hatfield Courthouse last summer and hope this verdict can help set the stage for peaceful protest conduct in the future,” said Gabriel Russell, Assistant Director for Field Operations, Eastern Zone, Federal Protective Service.
According to court documents, at approximately 1:00am on July 11, 2020, Gaines was observed using a hammer to break through a barricaded entrance at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse. At the time, federal law enforcement personnel were staged inside the courthouse to protect the facility and respond to incidents. After Gaines drove a hole through the plywood barrier, Deputy U.S. Marshals exited the door to prevent him from trespassing into the closed building.
As the marshals were exiting the barricaded door, Gaines struck a Deputy U.S. Marshal three times with the hammer. The deputy deflected the blows to prevent serious injury, but in process was struck in the left shoulder, lower neck, and upper back. While being struck, the deputy managed to hold onto Gaines while other officers handcuffed him and placed him under arrest.
On July 12, 2020, Gaines was charged by criminal complaint with one count of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. Later, on July 16, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Gaines on the same charge. Gaines has been held in custody since his arrest the night of the incident.
Gaines faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years’ supervised release. He will be sentenced on December 13, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Karin J. Immergut.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Stratford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Car Theft OffenseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDWIN CORDERO, 20, of Stratford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to a federal car theft offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI, Connecticut State Police and local police have been investigating multiple car theft rings in Connecticut, and violent crimes that are being committed using stolen vehicles.
The investigation revealed that Cordero, Christopher Mulkern and others have stolen numerous motor vehicles, and used the stolen vehicles to travel throughout Connecticut and to neighboring states to steal other vehicles and the valuables inside, including credit cards, cellular telephones, and firearms. Cordero and Mulkern typically frequented upper middleclass neighborhoods to go “car-checking” or “jigging,” which involves an attempt to open the door of a motor vehicle and, if successful, steal the vehicle and/or valuables inside.
On December 1, 2020, Cordero and Mulkern stole a Porsche Panamera from a residence in Westport, Connecticut. Shortly after midnight on December 2, law enforcement in Westerly, Rhode Island, identified the stolen Porsche and attempted to stop the car. The Porsche drove recklessly, at speeds of at least 86 mph, between Rhode Island and Connecticut, and evaded police who, for safety reasons, were forced to terminate pursuit.
At approximately 4 a.m. on December 2, Cordero, Mulkern and others used the stolen Porsche to steal a Dodge Challenger from a residence in Milford, Connecticut. In the evening of December 2, Stratford Police spotted and attempted to stop the Porsche, which was being driven by Mulkern and in which Cordero was a passenger. During the pursuit, Mulkern rammed a car stopped at a red light at an intersection, drove up on the sidewalk and through the red light, and then struck a second vehicle, causing the second vehicle to flip onto its roof. Mulkern drove the damaged Porsche onto I-95 into Bridgeport, where he and Cordero were apprehended as they attempted to enter another stolen Audi A4 that was parked on Gregory Street. A search of the stolen Audi revealed approximately 13 key fobs for other vehicles, and a search of the Porsche revealed five cellphones. In addition, Cordero possessed a key fob for the stolen Dodge Challenger, which was subsequently located parked on Main Street in Bridgeport, and Mulkern possessed two stolen credit cards.
Cordero pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a stolen vehicle, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for December 3, 2021.
Mulkern pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 30, 2021, and awaits sentencing.
Cordero and Mulkern, who are both detained, have also agreed to pay restitution to at least seven owners of vehicles they stole and/or damaged.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Connecticut State Police and the Stratford, Milford, Stonington, Westport, Bridgeport, New Haven, Meriden, and Westerly (R.I.) Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty to Making Threats Against U.S. RepresentativeRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul man pleaded guilty today to one count of interstate communication of a threat against a U.S. Representative, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, on January 11, 2021, Jason Robert Burham Karimi, 32, left a voicemail on the office telephone of a U.S. Representative located in California. The voicemail contained graphic threats of violence directed at the U.S. Representative. The U.S. Capitol Police reviewed the voicemail and traced the telephone number to Karimi. On January 12, 2021, agents arranged to meet with Karimi near his St. Paul residence. Karimi told agents that he works as a lobbyist for the marijuana industry and the voicemail was meant to cause “political pain” to the U.S. Representative’s political career. Karimi admitted that he knew the voicemail he left would be perceived as a threat.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp.
Springfield Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, woman was sentenced in federal court today for her role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine.
Cassidy R. Clayton, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 31, 2019, Clayton pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy from Nov. 22, 2016, to Sept. 26, 2018. Clayton also pleaded guilty to participating in a money-laundering conspiracy.
Clayton admitted she received methamphetamine directly from co-defendant Cheyenne W. Conn, 45, of Everton, Mo. Conn transported approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine per week by vehicle from California to the Springfield area. He then distributed the methamphetamine to other dealers in the conspiracy, including Clayton, who in turn distributed methamphetamine to other dealers.
Clayton admitted that she received methamphetamine on 10 occasions. On three of those occasions, she received a quarter pound, and the other times, she received less than four ounces. Clayton was arrested when she arrived at the location where law enforcement officers were executing a search warrant on Sept. 22, 2017. Inside Clayton’s purse, officers found .25 grams of methamphetamine inside a plastic bag, a glass methamphetamine pipe, three syringes loaded with an off-white liquid, and a loaded Kahr .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
Clayton is the fourth defendant to be sentenced in this case. Jeremy A. Ingram, 42, Laurie B. Holmes, 39, and Lonnie J. Tinker, 36, all of Springfield, were sentenced on Aug. 5, 2021. Ingram was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Holmes was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole. Tinker was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
Conn is among nine defendants who have pleaded guilty in this case and await sentencing: Larry E Stapp, 42, Tresha R. Ahart, 31, and Megan L McNary, 27, all of Springfield; Ginger L. Huerta, also known as Ginger L. Gray, 41, of Halfway, Mo.; Lloyd R. Bradley, 44, of Fordland, Mo.; Shelby R. Maupin, 32, of Ozark, Mo.; and Summerlee M. Barnett, also known as Summerlee M. Lacount, 35, of Salem, Mo.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Sarff. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Dade County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department, and the Oldham County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department.
Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Seven-Time Convicted Felon Who Trafficked Fentanyl and Caused Death Sentenced to Life ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew today sentenced Christopher A. Defilippis (43, Brandon) to life imprisonment for distributing fentanyl resulting in death and possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
A federal jury had found Defilippis guilty on June 7, 2021.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between March and April 2020, Defilippis distributed heroin and fentanyl in Hillsborough County. On April 17, 2020, Defilippis distributed fentanyl, which caused a fatal overdose. Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office began surveillance on Defilippis and, on April 18, 2020, observed him distributing narcotics throughout Hillsborough County. Law enforcement officers arrested Defilippis, and found him to be in possession of fentanyl, cocaine, and packaging consistent with distribution.
The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined that the use of the fentanyl had caused the victim’s death. Lab analysis also determined that the fentanyl mixtures obtained near the victim were all very similar to the narcotics seized from Defilippis.
This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
Santa Barbara Man Indicted in San Diego for Killing his Children in MexicoRead the Press Release
Director of Media Relations Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726 or [email protected]
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 8, 2021
SAN DIEGO – Matthew Taylor Coleman of Santa Barbara was indicted by a federal grand jury today for taking his two young children to Rosarito, Mexico and killing them.
Coleman, 40, allegedly killed the 2-year-old boy and 10-month-old girl on August 9, 2021. The indictment filed today charges Coleman with two counts of foreign first-degree murder of United States nationals. By law, the charges are eligible for the death penalty. The Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later date.
“There are no words to describe the profound grief that envelops an entire community when a child is murdered,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “The Department of Justice is determined to achieve justice for these victims and their loved ones.”
“The murder of a child is difficult to understand under any circumstances,” said Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “I’m proud of the quick investigative efforts by FBI Agents, the Santa Barbara Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our Mexican counterparts which led to the arrest of Mr. Coleman as he entered the United States, and I look forward to delivering justice for the young victims and their family.”
Coleman previously was charged with the same crimes in a federal complaint filed in Los Angeles. Prosecutors intend to dismiss that complaint. Coleman is expected to make his initial court appearance on the indictment tomorrow in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. He will appear in United States District Court in San Diego, where the case will be prosecuted, at a date to be determined.
An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint outlined the investigation that started when Coleman’s wife contacted the Santa Barbara Police to report that her husband had left the couple’s residence in a Sprinter van, and she did not know where they had gone.
The next day, Coleman’s wife filed a missing persons report. Using a computer application, Coleman’s wife was able to determine that Coleman’s phone had been in Rosarito on Sunday afternoon, the affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, the same phone-locating service was used on Monday and showed that Coleman’s phone was near the San Ysidro Port of Entry at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the affidavit. The FBI dispatched colleagues in San Diego to contact Coleman, who entered the United States in the Sprinter van without the children. When the children were not found, FBI agents contacted law enforcement officials in Rosarito and learned that Mexican authorities that morning had recovered the bodies of two children matching the description of Coleman’s children.
After further investigation, FBI agents took Coleman into custody at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
The FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Santa Barbara Police Department are investigating this matter. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office provided substantial assistance throughout the investigation.
The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Government of Mexico, to include the Fiscalía General del Estado de Baja California, and the Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Municipal de Rosarito, for their extraordinary efforts, support, and cooperation during the investigation.
After reviewing the case, the United States determined that the most appropriate venue was in the Southern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Ko of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Butler, Joanna Curtis, and Billy Joe McLain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case.
DEFENDANT CASE NUMBER 21CR2627
Matthew Taylor Coleman Age: 40 Santa Barbara, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1119 – Foreign First-Degree Murder of U.S. Nationals
Maximum Penalty – Death or life and a fine of up to $250,000
AGENCIES
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
United States Customs and Border Protection
Santa Barbara Police Department
*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
San Quentin Prison Guard and Two Others Charged in Scheme to Smuggle Contraband into Death RowRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - Keith Christopher and Isaiah Wells appeared in federal court today to face the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud using interstate wires, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. A third co-defendant, Tanisa Smith-Symes, will appear tomorrow in federal court in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was arrested today.
According to the complaint, Christopher, 37, of Pittsburg, California, Smith-Symes, 45, of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wells, 32, of Tracy, California, conspired to smuggle cell phones into San Quentin State Prison’s East Block, where condemned inmates are housed. Cell phones create safety and security risks for prison employees and other inmates, and state law deems them contraband and prohibits their possession by inmates. Christopher is a Corrections Officer at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County. The complaint alleges that Smith-Symes worked with a Death Row inmate with whom she had a relationship to obtain the contraband phones and ship them to Wells, who then provided the phones to Christopher, who in turn smuggled them into the prison. Using this scheme, the complaint alleges that the conspirators successfully smuggled at least 25 phones into the prison and that the inmate working with Smith-Symes sold the phones inside the prison for up to $900 each. Smith-Symes sent bribery payments to Christopher through Wells and others whom Christopher had appointed to receive the money. The complaint further alleges that Christopher charged $500 as payment for each phone he smuggled into the prison.
The complaint filed against Christopher, Smith-Symes, and Wells charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud using interstate wires in violation of 18 USC §§ 1343, 1346, and 1349. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence following conviction, however, is imposed by a court only after the court’s consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 USC § 3553.
Christopher and Wells appeared today on the charges before United States Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim, who sits in San Francisco. They were released on bond and are scheduled to next appear in federal court on September 17, 2021.
Charges contained in a criminal complaint are mere allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Internal Affairs.
San Pablo Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Coercion of A 3-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – Adalberto Borja Guardado pleaded guilty yesterday in Oakland federal court to enticement and coercion of a minor, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.
In his plea agreement, Guardado, 67, of San Pablo, admitted that on September 9, 2019, a three-year-old girl visited his residence with her mother, who provided home health care to Guardado’s elderly mother. Guardado agreed to watch the girl while the girl’s mother provided the home care in another part of the residence. Guardado admitted in his plea agreement that within minutes of watching the girl, he pulled down the girl’s pants and molested her. He further admitted that he used his cell phone to record his molestation.
Guardado was charged by criminal information in federal court on June 10, 2021, with enticement and coercion of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). The penalty for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b) is a maximum imprisonment term of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum imprisonment term of ten years, and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence imposed by a court will occur only after the court’s consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Guardado’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 11, 2022, in United States District Court in Oakland before the Honorable Jeffrey S. White, United States District Judge. Guardado remains in custody while awaiting his sentencing.
Jonathan U. Lee is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Leeya Kekona, Kay Konopaske, and Kathleen Turner. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the San Pablo Police Department.
SWGA Pair Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking a Runaway TeenRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – Two defendants guilty of trafficking a runaway Middle Georgia teen, forcing the victim to engage in sexual acts for food and shelter, have been sentenced to federal prison for their crimes.
Demetrius Hunter aka Red, 39, of Albany, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 240 months in federal prison to be followed by 25 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of children and co-defendant Tamara Taylor aka Coco, 30, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison to be followed by 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to use of facilities in interstate and foreign commerce to transmit information about a minor. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Hunter and Taylor’s shocking manipulation of this runaway child—forcing her to perform sex acts in exchange for food and shelter—is pure evil. Our office will pursue justice for those who sexually traffic and abuse children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our law enforcement community stands strongly united in doing everything in our power to protect children from sexual predators and seeking justice for those who choose to harm children.”
“Instead of trying to help a young child in need of assistance, these two adults instead took advantage of her desperate situation and traumatized her further,” said Phil Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentencing in some way helps this innocent victim in her recovery from the serious emotional scars they left her with.”
On October 5, 2016, Taylor came across the victim, a 15-year-old female, at the Bridgeview hotel in Macon, Georgia. The day prior, the victim had run away from a group foster home and was at the hotel looking for her sister. The victim did not find her sister and had been abandoned by her ride. The victim informed Taylor of her age and that she had run away from a group home. Taylor invited the victim to her room where Taylor introduced the victim to Hunter, who knew her age and that she had run away. Hunter told the victim that they were traveling the world and invited her to stay with them but told her that she would have to make money. The victim did not understand at that time how she would be expected to make money.
After staying one night at the Bridgeview, Hunter and Taylor took the victim to another hotel in Warner Robins, Georgia. The victim’s profile was placed on Backpage, a website commonly used for online advertisements for commercial sex acts. Records from Backpage verify that the victim’s profile had been posted by Taylor on Backpage. The advertisements included photographs of the victim in underwear and included a cell phone number to call that was provided by Hunter and Taylor. Hunter explained the victim would have to do “tricks” to get money and forced the victim to perform sex acts on him. The victim remained with Hunter and Taylor until October 18, 2016, when they were encountered by law enforcement, and the victim was returned to her group foster home. As a result of the advertisements posted on Backpage, the victim had to engage in two to five commercial sex acts. During her time with Hunter and Taylor, the victim relied on them for her shelter and food. She stated in her interview with law enforcement that when having to engage in one commercial sex act, she told herself “you gotta do this, you gotta get the money, that’s how you eat.”
The case was investigated by the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Ellis and Beth Howard prosecuted the case.
Placing an Incendiary Device on Another’s Property Leads to Federal Prison for Iowa ManRead the Press Release
A man who placed an incendiary device on the property of another was sentenced September 7, 2021, to more than three years in federal prison.
Aaron Hinke, age 46, from Bellevue, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 22, 2021 guilty plea to possession of a national firearms act destructive device not registered to possessor.
Information disclosed at a prior hearing showed that, on September 6, 2020, Hinke placed an incendiary device on the property of a homeowner in La Motte, Iowa. The incendiary device consisted of a cigarette, firework, and a long firework fuse that was taped to a small gasoline container that contained a gasoline/oil mixture. The incendiary device was later found by the homeowner’s five-year-old child.
Hinke was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hinke was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hinke is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-CR-01006.
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Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping and Robbing United States Postal WorkersRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that James Chandler, 55, of Philadelphia, PA entered a plea of guilty before United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick to two counts of robbery of a postal employee and one count of kidnapping.
In February 2021, the defendant was charged by Indictment in connection with two incidents that occurred on January 11 and February 4, 2021, during which Chandler robbed postal workers using a replica handgun, forcing them into their postal trucks and stealing packages from inside. During the incident in February, Chandler also forced the postal worker to drive him for several blocks in her postal truck before he fled on foot.
“Targeting and violently assaulting employees of the United States Postal Service is a serious federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Mail carriers provide an essential service to nearly every citizen and business, oftentimes going above and beyond to execute their duties in challenging circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chandler terrorized two postal workers using a replica handgun, and he will now face the serious consequences of his crimes.”
“Yesterday, James Chandler pled guilty to terrorizing several Postal Carriers who were just doing their jobs, delivering mail in neighborhoods of West Philadelphia,” said Damon Wood, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Philadelphia Division of the Postal Inspection Service. “Postal employees are essential workers and have worked hard, sometimes under trying circumstances, to keep the mail flowing over the last 18 months of the pandemic. When Mr. Chandler interrupted those efforts last winter he didn’t count on investigators from the Postal Inspection Service working and the Philadelphia Police Department working tirelessly to identify and arrest him. Protecting U.S. Postal Service employees and customers is a responsibility we prioritize above most else. Because of the quick and diligent work of the Inspectors from the Inspection Service and officers from the Philadelphia Police Department, Mr. Chandler didn’t get a chance to terrorize anyone else.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Philadelphia Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Oshana.
Parkersburg Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Financial InstitutionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man pleaded guilty today to defrauding a financial institution by making false statements on a loan application.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jonathan Smith, 35, applied for and received a loan of $505,000 from the Wood County Federal Credit Union in June 2016. To influence the action of the credit union, Smith made false statements on the loan application such as mispresenting his monthly gross income and falsely stating that he was the owner of M&J Towing. Smith also misrepresented that he was using the $505,000 to purchase a 1963 Corvette that he valued at $1.2 million, when in fact, Smith had already purchased the corvette for $35,000 and the actual fair market value of the automobile was less than $50,000.
Smith faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on December 8, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Secret Service.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Arthur is handling the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00173.
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Orange Park Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Offering Child Sexual Abuse Photos for Sale on the InternetRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Antony Eugene Woody (33, Orange Park) to 15 years in federal prison for advertising images depicting the sexual abuse and torture of children for sale using the internet. Woody was also ordered to serve a six-year term of supervised release, to register as a sex offender, and to pay a fine of $995. Woody has been in custody since his arrest on March 22, 2019.
Woody had pleaded guilty on May 14, 2021.
According to court documents, in February 2019, the FBI discovered that an online user named “imsoofreakyy” was using a particular social media application to offer child sex abuse images for sale on the internet. Meanwhile, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the same user (“imsoofreakyy”) was using a particular email address to advertise images of children being sexually assaulted. CCSO detectives were able to identify this individual as Antony Eugene Woody who resided in Orange Park.
On March 22, 2019, CCSO officers and FBI agents executed a search warrant at Woody’s residence and later made contact with Woody at a local supermarket. During an interview, Woody admitted that he downloaded child sex abuse images from the internet, labeled these images with titles, prices, and his online contact information, and then re-posted them for sale using a social media app. Woody also admitted that online customers responded to his advertisements, that he received money for these sales using the Venmo app, and that he had defrauded some of these customers by taking their money but refusing to send them the contraband images that they had purchased. Woody received at least $995 in profits from these sales.
A search of Woody’s cellphone revealed 33 videos and 40 images depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Two of these images bore advertising language that was created and placed on them by Woody.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Westbrook (Maine) Police Department, the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston and Jacksonville, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.