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7 October 2021
Red Lake Man Indicted for First Degree Murder, Assault with Intent to Murder in the Shooting Death of a Red Lake Tribal Police OfficerRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against a Red Lake man for fatally shooting a Red Lake tribal police officer, assaulting with intent to murder four other officers, and firearms violations, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, on July 27, 2021, officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department (“RLTPD”) responded to a call to conduct a welfare check on an armed man, David Brian Donnell, Jr., 28, at his residence in Redby, Minnesota. Five RLTPD officers responded to Donnell’s residence. Upon arrival, the officers found Donnell standing outside on the porch and attempted to have him walk towards the officers, but Donnell instead went inside the residence. Because Donnell had an active tribal warrant and was refusing to comply, the officers made the decision to breach the door. As soon as the door was breached, Donnell opened fire on the officers. Officer Ryan Bialke was immediately struck by gunfire through the front door and fell. Donnell continued shooting, firing several rounds from an Izhmash Saiga 7.62 caliber rifle at the four other officers on the scene. One RLTPD officer returned fire to allow the officers to escape into the woods. Donnell continued firing at the officers as they fled into the woods. Officer Bialke succumbed to his injuries and died on the scene. Donnell then fled the scene, taking the rifle with him. Shortly thereafter, officers arrested Donnell at a nearby residence.
Donnell is charged with one count of first-degree murder, four counts of assault with intent to commit murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of discharging, carrying, and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possessing firearms as an unlawful controlled substance user.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melinda A. Williams and Joseph S. Teirab are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rapid City Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on October 5, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Louis Andrew Rabbitt, Jr., age 40, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Rabbitt was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 16, 2019. He pled guilty on July 29, 2021.
Rabbitt was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in August 2001. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. On July 19, 2019, Rabbitt began a period of supervised release and initially registered at a residence in Rapid City. Rabbitt subsequently moved from his registered address, and failed to update his sex offender registration. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued and on April 1, 2021, Rabbitt was arrested in Mission, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Rabbitt was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Reality Television Star Brittish “Cierrah” Williams Indicted for Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Brittish “Cierrah” Williams had her initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Shirley P. Mensah. Williams was indicted on September 22, 2001 with five felony charges of misuse of a social security number, four charges of bank fraud, three charges of making false statements to the IRS, three charges of wire fraud, and three charges of aggravated identity theft.
According to the Indictment, during 2017, Williams used false social security numbers in order to obtain a number of loans, lines of credit, and other funds from banks and financial institutions. Further, during 2018 and 2019, Williams deposited checks, without the knowledge and authority of the actual checking account holders, into several bank accounts she controlled and then withdrew the funds before those deposited checks were returned to the issuing banks for insufficient funds. The Indictment also alleges that Williams deposited fraudulent checks into bank accounts which she controlled and then withdrew those funds in cash before the fraudulent nature of the checks was discovered. Additionally, Williams is charged with submitting false information, including the names and social security numbers of individuals, to the IRS during tax years 2017, 2018, and 2019 falsely claiming that those individuals were her dependents on those submitted tax returns.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Special Assistant United States Attorney Diane Klocke is handling the case for the Eastern District of Missouri.
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.
Public Official Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Peever, South Dakota, man convicted for his role in a bribery scheme was sentenced on October 4, 2021 by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Public official Daniel Thomas White, age 46, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documents, the Dakota Nations Development Corporation (“DNDC”) was an agency of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe, a tribal government that received federal assistance in excess of $10,000 during the one-year period between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2018. At that time, White served as the Director of the DNDC. White’s duties included, among other things, overseeing housing and construction projects of the DNDC.
DNDC established an entity called the SWO Elderly Village Limited Partnership. The purpose of the entity was to obtain tax credit financing to build an elderly village complex on tribal land. On April 22, 2016, SWO’s tribal council passed a resolution, committing nearly $3,000,000 to the project.
On October 27, 2017, DNDC contracted with Tatanka Contracting to do the earthwork associated with the elderly village project. The contract was for a guaranteed price of $1,070,740, although a change order increased the total of the contract to $1,129,679.
To secure the dirt work contract, owners of Tatanka bribed White and White accepted the agreed amount of $30,000 as the bribe or kickback. Specifically, in November 2017, White did corruptly solicit, demand, agree, and agree to accept a thing of value from a person or persons working for and on behalf of Tatanka Contracting, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with a transaction and series of transactions of the DNDC.
White pleaded guilty to his role in the bribery scheme on August 24, 2020. He was ordered to self-report to the U.S. Marshal’s Service or Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his term of imprisonment at a date to be determined.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
The case was brought pursuant to The Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the participating agencies include: Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspector Service; U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
For additional information about The Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
Prominent North Country Hunting Guide Sentenced for Selling Guided Waterfowl Hunts over BaitRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - William “Bill” Saiff III, age 57, of Henderson, New York, was sentenced today in federal court in Syracuse to 3 years of probation after previously pleading guilty to a felony violation of the Lacey Act for hiring guides to lead paying hunters on illegal waterfowl hunts over baited ponds. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Ryan Noel, Regional Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement; and Captain Jesse Paluch, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigations (BECI).
Saiff is a professional hunting guide and fishing charter captain whose website advertises that for eighteen years he “hosted the popular hunting and shooting sports program Cabin Country as seen on Public Television Stations across the country.” In pleading guilty previously, Saiff admitted that in 2018 he repeatedly baited ponds in Jefferson County and sent hunting guides and paying clients to hunt wild ducks over those ponds while they were baited. Saiff admitted that he violated the Lacey Act[1] by charging a total of more than $350 for hunts in which he knew the wild ducks killed by the hunters were taken over bait in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”). According to the plea agreement, Saiff charged each hunter $300 per day of hunting, and the four illegal guided hunts to which he admitted in the plea agreement involved a total of 17 hunters.
As part of his sentence, Saiff was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and to serve the first 120 days of his probation sentence on home confinement. While on probation, Saiff is prohibited from hunting, guiding, or operating a hunting or guiding business while he is on probation, though this prohibition does not extend to fishing charters. This sentence was pronounced by Senior United States District Judge Norman A. Mordue, who presides over the case.
In a separate proceeding before United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks, Saiff admitted that he was on federal probation in 2018 when he committed the offenses described above, having been convicted in federal court in Syracuse in 2017 for guiding illegal waterfowl hunts over bait in violation of the MBTA. Judge Dancks sentenced Saiff on the probation violation to an additional 90 days of home confinement (consecutive to the 120 days ordered by Judge Mordue), to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release, during which Saiff will be required to wear an ankle bracelet monitored by the Probation Department.
This case was investigated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigations (BECI), and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry.
[1] The Lacey Act makes it a crime “to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States . . . .” 16 U.S.C. § 3372(a)(1).
Prior Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Gun and AmmunitionRead 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 Marco Sweat, 40, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Watkins, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that on June 9, 2019, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Buffalo Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence on Langfield Drive in Buffalo. During the search, investigators seized three firearms and 125 rounds of ammunition. Sweat, having previously been convicted in Erie County Court of Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, and Attempted Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The plea is result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2021, before Judge Vilardo.
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Pittston Man Sentenced to Prison for Failing to Pay TaxesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that John T. Stuchkus, age 59, of Pittston, Pennsylvania was sentenced yesterday to 18 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani, for failing to pay federal income and payroll taxes.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Stuchkus is the owner and operator of The Chicken Coop, a restaurant located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Chicken Coop employed several people during tax years 2013 through 2017. Although Stuchkus deducted and collected F.I.C.A. and other taxes from his employee’s payroll checks, Stuchkus failed to pay the collected taxes to the United States as required by law. Stuchkus also paid employees cash “under the table” and failed to withhold federal employment and F.I.C.A. taxes. Stuchkus was ordered to pay $397,406.91 in restitution, representing the tax loss to the United States.
The case was investigated by the IRS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd K. Hinkley prosecuted the case.
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Pittsburgh Man Charged in Death of U.S. Postal Service WorkerRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Eric M. Kortz, 53, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged today with the murder of a United States Postal Service mail carrier, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The criminal complaint was filed just minutes ago in federal court in Pittsburgh. Kortz is expected to make an initial appearance before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Eddy today at 5 p.m. at which time the government will request he be held without bond pending further criminal proceedings.
The complaint alleges that on October 7, 2021 United States Postal Inspectors and local law enforcement were informed that a shooting had occurred in Collier Township, located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Investigators arrived on scene and observed the victim of the shooting, Louis Vignone (“Vignone”). Vignone, who was a United States letter carrier, was in his marked United States Postal Services (USPS) vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. At the time of the shooting, Vignone was wearing his USPS uniform and working his shift as a letter carrier. Investigators located a firearm and seven spent shell casings in a yard near the USPS vehicle.
Shortly after the shooting, Kortz arrived at the Carnegie Borough Police Department, where he stated that he shot someone and wanted to turn himself in. Kortz subsequently was transported to the Allegheny County Police Department Headquarters.
At the Allegheny County Police Headquarters, U.S. Postal Inspector Erik J. Bohin and Allegheny County Police Detective Patrick Kinavey interviewed Kortz. Prior to the start of the interview, Kortz agreed to be interviewed and signed the USPIS agency-issued Miranda Warnings and Waiver Form.
The interview was audio and video recorded. During the interview, Kortz informed Investigators that he shot Vignone. Kortz claimed that he shot Vignone because Kortz believed that Vignone and Vignone’s family had poisoned Kortz and Kortz’s family with cyanide when Vignone and Kortz were previously neighbors.
Kortz informed Investigators that Kortz was aware of where Vignone worked. Kortz stated that he located Vignone on his mail route, drove his vehicle toward Vignone’s USPS vehicle, and stopped in front of the vehicle to stop Vignone. Kortz then stated that he “went to put some bullets in him”, referring to shooting Vignone. Kortz stated that he then dropped the firearm at the scene, got into his van, and drove to the Carnegie Borough Police Department.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of life imprisonment or death.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Collier Township Police Department.
A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pierre Woman Sentenced for Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, woman convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Emerald Plenty Chief, age 26, was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Plenty Chief was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 12, 2021. She pled guilty on July 15, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in Hughes County, South Dakota, on April 26, 2020. On that date, Plenty Chief was at a gathering at the West Bend State Recreation Area east of Pierre, along with her four-year-old son, the victim. Plenty Chief was consuming alcoholic beverages and was intoxicated. At some point, Plenty Chief decided to leave and departed the area with the victim in the back seat of her vehicle. A short time later, Plenty Chief was traveling northbound on West Bend Road when she approached a curve at a speed of approximately 77 mph, in an area where the posted speed limit is 55 mph. Plenty Chief failed to negotiate the curve and overcorrected, at which point the vehicle left the roadway and rolled. Plenty Chief was not wearing seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. The victim was not secured in a child seat and was likewise ejected from the vehicle. The victim died as a result of the injuries suffered in the wreck. An adult passenger was also injured in the wreck.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Plenty Chief was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Peever Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Interstate Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Peever, South Dakota, man convicted of Interstate Domestic Violence was sentenced on September 20, 2021 by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Brandon Lee Renville, age 30, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Renville was indicted for interstate domestic violence, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person by a federal grand jury on January 12, 2021. He pled guilty on June 21, 2021.
According to the Indictment, on or about November 6, 2020, Renville caused his spouse to travel in interstate commerce by force and coercion. In the course of and as a result of that conduct, he intentionally committed or attempted to commit a crime of violence, that is, an assault or attempted assault with a dangerous weapon.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe’s Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Renville was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Renville was also ordered to forfeit a firearm seized as a part of this case.
Parmelee Man Sentenced for Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting a Federal Officer was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Matthew M. Horned Eagle, Jr., age 31, was sentenced to time served through October 21, 2021, to equal 12 months in federal custody, three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Horned Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 12, 2021. He pled guilty on July 15, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on April 13, 2020, in Todd County, South Dakota. Horned Eagle forcibly assaulted a law enforcement officer, who was employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, by knocking a body camera off the law enforcement officer’s vest during a physical struggle and later spitting on another officer.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Horned Eagle was immediately released.
Parkersburg Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl OffenseRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg woman was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for using the United States Mail to facilitate fentanyl distribution. Audrey Mae Thompson, 40, previously admitted allowing Robert Lamar Bates-Porter to use her residence as a receiving address for shipments of drugs to be distributed in and around Parkersburg.
According to court documents and statements made in court, drug task force officers executed a search warrant at Thompson’s residence on Roselyn Avenue in Parkersburg on September 13, 2019, where they seized a kilogram of fentanyl and more than 50 grams of heroin. The search warrant was the culmination of a long-term investigation conducted by the Major Crimes Task Force in Washington County, Ohio and the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force. Along with the Roselyn Avenue search warrant, police executed warrants at several locations in Ohio where they recovered more than 200 grams of heroin, additional quantities of fentanyl and several firearms. Bates-Porter was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 400g or more of fentanyl and sentenced to 130 months in federal prison.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the excellent investigative work of the Major Crimes Task Force, the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Senior United States District Judge John. T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:21-cr-00050 and 2:20-cr-00080..
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Oklahoma City Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Violating the Clean Air Act by Tampering with the Emissions Control Systems on Heavy-Duty Diesel TrucksRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, JAMES LOVE, 52, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty to a single-count felony Information charging him with Tampering with a Monitoring Device and Method Required to be Maintained Under the Clean Air Act, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
"By causing the removal of pollution control devices, Love caused diesel trucks to spew pollutants into the air at a rate of up to 300 times caused by normal operating vehicles," said Acting U.S. Attorney Troester. "This conduct increased toxins in our environment linked to cancer and pulmonary, neurological, cardiovascular, and immune system damage. To engage in this conduct for financial gain will not be tolerated."
"Today, the defendant pled guilty to tampering with diesel truck monitoring systems required under the Clean Air Act" said Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Brooks of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Texas. "He knowingly directed others to reprogram the trucks’ Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) systems to prevent the detection of alterations to the emission controls, thereby exposing the public to significant levels of air pollution."
Public records reflect that, on September 20, 2021, Love was charged by Information with violating the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act was enacted by Congress to protect and enhance the quality of the Nation’s air resources to promote the public health and welfare and the productive capacity of its population. In enacting the Clean Air Act, Congress found that the increasing use of motor vehicles has resulted in mounting dangers to the public health and welfare. The Clean Air Act protects the Nation’s air quality by, among other things, reducing vehicle emissions that pollute the air with toxins such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide. The Clean Air Act limits the emission of air pollutants from various classes of motor vehicle engines, including heavy-duty diesel engines.
Public records further reflect that Love owned and operated Southwest Diesel Service, a heavy-duty diesel engine full-service garage located in Oklahoma City. Love admitted that between February 2015 and April 2019, he directed his employees to modify the emissions control systems on heavy-duty diesel trucks. Specifically, Love directed these employees to alter the emissions control components, including removing the diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and plating the exhaust gas recirculation systems (EGRs). He then instructed others to reprogram the vehicles’ on-board computers so that the emissions control systems’ sensors failed to detect the alterations. These modifications prevented the trucks from accurately recording the pollutants they discharged into the atmosphere. They also ensured that the trucks continued to travel on public roads despite operating illegally.
At sentencing, Love faces up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing hearing will occur in approximately 90 days.
The investigation was conducted by the Oklahoma Environmental Crimes Task Force to include the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality’s Criminal Investigation Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown.
Reference is made to the court filings for further information.
Office Manager Is Sentenced to Four Years for Embezzling More Than $1 Million from His Former EmployerRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Richard Allen Clark, 55, of Lenoir, N.C., was sentenced to 48 months in prison today for embezzling more than $1 million from his former employer, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell also ordered Clark to serve three years of supervised release, and to pay $980,000 as restitution to his victims and $194,750 to the IRS.
Mona Passmore, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, Charlotte Field Office (IRS-CI), and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, join Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and statements made in court, from 2013 to 2019, Clark was employed as an office manager for two family-owned businesses in Lenoir, and was responsible for, among other things, handling the companies’ bookkeeping and financial records, making payments to vendors and the IRS, and reconciling the companies’ bank accounts. Clark used his position and his access to the companies’ financial records and bank accounts to embezzle more than $1 million from his employers. Court records show that Clark stole money from a company bank account the owner had directed Clark to close. Instead of closing the account, Clark used it to steal from his employer, by instructing customers to make payments to that account.
Clark also admitted that he laundered the funds he embezzled from his employer by withdrawing customer funds from the company’s bank account through multiple fraudulent checks payable to himself, which he deposited into personal bank accounts. Clark then used the stolen funds to pay for his personal lifestyle, including to make payments for his home mortgage, to make auto loan payments for an F-150 truck and other vehicles, to install a home theater system, and to pay for travelling and shopping expenses, among other things.
Clark also filed a fraudulent U.S. income tax return for tax year 2018 by deliberately failing to claim the additional income he stole from his employers.
At today’s sentencing hearing, representatives of the victim company spoke in Court about the detrimental impact of Clark’s fraud on their company, and the personal and financial hardship they sustained as a result of the defendant’s criminal conduct.
On June 3, 2021, Clark pleaded guilty to mail fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement on his tax return. He will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer commended IRS-CI and USPIS for their investigation of the case and thanked the Caldwell County Sheriff’s office for their invaluable assistances.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Savage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
North Dakota Man Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Wahpeton, North Dakota, man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on October 4, 2021 by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Vincent Chasing Hawk, age 40, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Chasing Hawk was indicted for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon by a federal grand jury on November 10, 2020. He pled guilty on July 16, 2021.
The conviction stems from an incident on September 5, 2020, in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, when Chasing Hawk and the victim had been drinking. Chasing Hawk, unprovoked, stood up and started punching the victim. All totaled, Chasing Hawk punched the victim approximately 30 times. During the assault, the victim fell onto the floor. After the victim was on the floor, Chasing Hawk then stomped on the victim. During the assault, Chasing Hawk knocked a clothes iron off a table. After knocking the iron off the table, Chasing Hawk picked up the iron, and hit the victim at least four times with the iron.
This case was investigated by Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller prosecuted the case.
Chasing Hawk was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Nicholas County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Michael Walker, 41, of Craigsville, was sentenced today to six months in prison for possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an officer with the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department arrived at Walker’s residence in August 2019 in response to a domestic battery in progress call. Two witnesses informed the officer that Walker had gotten into an altercation and threw an object at his girlfriend that missed her and struck a juvenile. Walker then assaulted the juvenile by choking him with both hands and later striking the juvenile in the face. Walker, who had a prior conviction for domestic battery of a household member, was arrested at the scene for domestic battery of the juvenile. A search warrant was executed and a loaded firearm was located inside the residence where the altercation occurred.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Tessman handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00018.
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New York Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New York man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for heroin and fentanyl possession and distribution charges.
James De La Cruz, 30, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release. On May 7, 2021, De La Cruz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
In September and October 2019, De La Cruz spoke with a cooperating witness several times and met with the cooperating witness to arrange a large drug shipment from New York to the Boston area. On Oct. 21, 2019, De La Cruz and his co-defendant Juan Santos Roque drove from New York to Peabody, Mass. with approximately 10 kilograms of fentanyl and six kilograms of heroin in a hidden compartment in Santos Roque’s vehicle. After meeting with the cooperating witness, law enforcement agents arrested both men.
Santos Roque pleaded guilty in October 2020 and was sentenced on May 12, 2021 to 63 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Peabody Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen W. Hassink of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
New York Accountant Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United StatesRead the Press Release
A New York certified public accountant pleaded guilty today to conspiring with a small business owner to defraud the IRS.
According to court documents, John Savignano, of White Plains, conspired with co-defendant Rocco Manzione, who owned and operated several companies that sold concrete, to evade the assessment of individual income taxes. For the tax years 2012 through 2014, Manzione received income from his concrete companies but did not file individual returns with the IRS or pay the taxes due. In 2015, Manzione sought to borrow money in connection with the purchase of a condominium in Miami. As part of the loan application process, the financial institutions requested that Manzione supply three years of filed tax returns. Thereafter, Manzione contacted Savignano, who helped him prepare and file false individual tax returns with the IRS that substantially underreported Manzione’s true income. In total, the conspiracy caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $400,000.
Savignano is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2022, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The defendant also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Manzione previously pleaded guilty to tax evasion and employment tax fraud on Sept. 23.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis for the Eastern District of New York made the announcement.
IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Kathryn Carpenter of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents in Order to Defraud Insurance and Trucking CompaniesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 43, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on October 6, 2021 to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.
According to the guilty plea, THOMPSON, along with her co-defendants, Dewayne Coleman, Erica Lee Thompson (“Erica Lee”), Donisha Lee, Passenger A, and Donreion Lee, conspired to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged accident with Cornelius Garrison, occurring on September 6, 2017. Today’s guilty plea brings the total number of defendants convicted in “Operation Sideswipe” to twenty-eight (28).
THOMPSON falsely claimed that on September 6, 2017, on the I-10 near the Almonaster exit, she was a passenger in co-defendant Erica Lee’s 2015 RAV4 being driven by their former co-defendant, when he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Express. After the staged accident, the driver exited the RAV4 and told Erica Lee to get behind the wheel of the RAV4 to make it appear that Erica Lee was driving the vehicle at the time of the staged accident. The defendants contacted the NOPD and falsely claimed that Erica Lee was the driver at the time of the collision. Passenger A falsely claimed to the NOPD that she was THOMPSON.
Approximately one or two days after the staged accident, Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON went to an attorney’s office for the purpose of collecting money from the insurance and trucking company. Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON sought medical treatment from doctors and healthcare providers. THOMPSON was treated despite not being in the RAV4 at the time of the staged accident. THOMPSON retained counsel and made a claim for damages. The total settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000.
On March 26, 2019, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee each provided false testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. On April 9, 2019, THOMPSON provided false testimony in a deposition taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. In these depositions, THOMPSON, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee, lied about the September 6, 2017 accident including, but not limited to, who was driving the RAV4 and the extent of their injuries.
THOMPSON faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years of incarceration. Upon release from prison, THOMPSON also faces a term of supervised release up to (3) three years, and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for February 16, 2022 before United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera; Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long.
New Jersey-based trader admits to involvement in options trading schemeRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Mark Melnick has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud arising from a years-long scheme to manipulate the prices of short-term call options in large, publicly traded companies. Melnick is the second defendant to plead guilty for his participation in this scheme. In December 2020, Bart Ross also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud.
“Melnick and others involved in this scheme profited not because of their financial acumen, but simply by cheating,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R Erskine. “We will prosecute all forms of securities fraud, whether it involves defrauding investors, insider trading, pump-and-dump schemes, or the type of sophisticated market manipulation at issue here.”
“Fraudulently manipulating securities may seem like a harmless crime, but there are real victims and their lives changed because of it,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop greed driven traders like Melnick from profiting illegally.”
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court: Between approximately October 2017 and January 2020, Melnick, Ross, and at least three other individuals, conspired to execute a scheme in which they traded securities—primarily short-term call options—in large, publicly traded companies (often Fortune 500 companies) based on materially false rumors about those companies that they generated and disseminated. These materially false rumors were intended to drive up the price of the securities (both the underlying stock and options).
Call options are essentially a contract that gives the options’ holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy shares of the underlying stock at a set price per share—the option’s strike price—on or before a set future date (the option’s expiration date). Generally, the holder of a call option benefits when the price of the underlying stock increases. Short-term call options are ones that generally expire within a week.
Ross, who was formerly a registered broker with FINRA, and the co-conspirators generated the rumors. The conspirators would often refine a proposed rumor by exchanging drafts among themselves using the Trillian instant messaging application. Melnick was a day trader and T3 Live Senior Trading Strategist. Melnick often provided a “technical evaluation” on whether a particular false rumor would be successful. After a rumor was formulated and finalized, one of the co-conspirators, identified as Individual-1 in the criminal information, was responsible for disseminating the rumor via Trillian to multiple accounts, which would in turn result in the false rumor being disseminated over one or more market subscription services, including Trade The News, TradeXchange, and Benzinga, as well as various Twitter accounts.
Before Individual-1 disseminated the rumor, Melnick, Ross, and the other co-conspirators would acquire a position in the publicly traded company that was the subject of the materially false rumor. The co-conspirators typically purchased short-term call options before (sometimes just minutes or seconds before) Individual-1 disseminated the rumor. The conspirators often (but not always) purchased short-term call options because the price of such options is more sensitive than the price of the underlying stock. It was therefore possible for Melnick and the others to earn a greater percentage return by trading short-term call options rather than the underlying stock. Melnick and the conspirators profited from their scheme by selling the options (or other securities) after they increased in price. They would typically sell off their positions shortly after the rumor was disseminated (and after the price of the option or underlying stock had increased). Melnick also had an agreement with Individual-1 to share a portion of his profits from the scheme with Individual-1.
Melnick executed at least 102 trades based on the generation and dissemination of false rumors, including in March and April 2018, when Ross traded short-term call options in Disney and Ben Franklin Resources, respectively. Overall, Melnick earned approximately $374,000 in profits from the scheme.
Mark Melnick, 41, of Marlboro, New Jersey, is scheduled to be sentenced December 16, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Thomas J. Krepp are prosecuting the case.
The SEC is investigating potential civil violations of the U.S. securities laws relating to above-described scheme. In connection with its investigation, the SEC filed a separate civil enforcement action and consent judgment against Melnick in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Napoleon Grier Extradited from the Netherlands on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the extradition of NAPOLEON GRIER from the Netherlands on alleged wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges. GRIER was taken into custody by Dutch authorities in Amsterdam on August 13, 2019. After contested extradition proceedings, GRIER arrived in the United States yesterday. He will be presented today before United States Magistrate Katharine H. Parker. The case is assigned to United States District Judge Richard M. Berman.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Napoleon Grier was part of a criminal conspiracy that bilked victims out of more than $2 million in advance fees for promised project financing that was never delivered. Now, Grier is in U.S. custody and facing federal felony charges.”
FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “Advance-fee schemes are based on false pretenses that criminals use to ensnare victims and trap them in their fraudulent plot. When victims pay these fees, they assume their alleged investor will put up the money promised to fund their venture, but that never happens. While Grier’s victims expected a loan they never received, he and his co-conspirators likely didn’t anticipate the FBI would deliver on its promise to hold con artists accountable.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint and the Indictment[1]:
From at least in or about April 2012, up to and including at least in or about August 2012, GRIER and others devised and participated in a scheme that defrauded victims of at least $2.275 million (the “Advance Fee Scheme”). GRIER and his co-conspirators – operating out of offices near Wall Street in New York, New York – held themselves out to victims as experienced financiers and promised that they could obtain financing for victims’ intended projects. GRIER and his co-conspirators promised victims that after the victims wired initial deposits into escrow accounts controlled by the co-conspirators, the victims would later receive the full amount of their promised financing, often in a few months’ time. GRIER and his co-conspirators never provided any of the financing they promised to victims and they never returned any of the more than $2.275 million in advance fees they defrauded the victims into depositing into escrow accounts.
The Advance Fee Scheme included at least four sets of victims. GRIER and his co-conspirators defrauded (1) a New Jersey-based woman, who was promised $2.5 million in financing to purchase, remodel, and reopen a concert hall in New Jersey, of a $225,000 advance fee; (2) two Pennsylvania-based men, who were promised $20 million in financing to start a fuel additive company in Ecuador, of a $150,000 to advance fee; (3) a Canadian filmmaker and a California-based filmmaker, who were promised $3 million of financing to make a movie, of a more than $900,000 advance fee; and (4) two Illinois-based men, who were promised up to $10 million in financing for the purchase of a Canadian wind turbine company, of a $1 million advance fee.
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GRIER, 56, is charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud conspiracy, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. She also thanked the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice and Security for their assistance.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin V. Rodriguez is in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the texts of the Indictment and the Complaint, and the description of the Indictment and Complaint set forth below, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Mission Man Indicted for Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Sexual Abuse.
Buddy Robert Poor Bear, a/k/a Bud Poor Bear, age 55, was indicted on July 13, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on October 6, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on April 15, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Poor Bear knowingly engaged in a sexual act with the victim and that the victim was incapable of declining participation in the sexual act.
The charge is merely an accusation and Poor Bear is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Poor Bear was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Meth Trafficker Receives over 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – CiGi Potter, 37, of Pitt County North Carolina, was sentenced to 80 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, evidence presented in court and other documents, Potter supplied methamphetamine distributors in Duplin, Pitt, and Onslow Counties. This included a violent white supremacist organization operating in Onslow County. Two members of the white supremist group and a third person had ordered a pound of methamphetamine from Potter. On April 12, 2019, at her residence in Farmville, NC, Potter only provided them with 8 ounces. One of the individuals produced a firearm and discharged the firearm into the ground after demanding the remainder. Potter produced an additional ounce of methamphetamine and the three left. Farmville Police had set up a license check in the area unrelated to this incident. The three drove towards the license check. One of the passengers fled from the van and hid the methamphetamine and the firearm in the woods. The methamphetamine was later retrieved and provided to a high-ranking member in the group. Two of the individuals who initially arranged the deal have been sentenced in federal court. The person to whom they ultimately provided with the methamphetamine is scheduled for sentencing in January 2022.
Prior to the above incident, on April 8, 2019, law enforcement stopped Potter for a traffic violation in Pitt County. During a search her car, law enforcement found more than 30 grams of methamphetamine and a set of digital scales. Later, on October 7, 2019, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Administration conducted a controlled purchase of 4 ounces of methamphetamine in Lenoir County from Potter. ATF and DEA conducted a second controlled purchase of 3 ounces of methamphetamine from Potter on October 23, 2019. Potter was arrested on federal charges in November 2019.
During the investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that Potter was responsible for possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing more than 6 kilograms of methamphetamine from February 2018 until November 2019.
This is part of operation Fighting Jelly Fish which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Duplin, Craven, Lenoir, Pitt and Onslow County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Jacksonville, New Bern and Farmville Police Departments investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Severo prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:19-cr-00163-FL.
Marvin Man Sentenced to 30 years for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Marvin, South Dakota, man convicted of Production of Child Pornography was sentenced on October 4, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Adam Robert Lane age 35, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Lane was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 2, 2021. He pled guilty on July 12, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from incidents on or about between July 18, 2020, and October 23, 2020, when Lane intentionally used his cellular phone to take pictures and videos of a minor female who was 7 years old at the time.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Lane was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Dozens of Firearms from Kentucky to ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for trafficking dozens of guns from Kentucky to Chicago.
From 2016 to 2018, JOHN PHILLIPS schemed with others to purchase rifles and semi-automatic handguns from private sellers in Kentucky and re-sell them in the Chicago area. Many of the guns were sold to convicted felons whom Phillips knew could not legally purchase or possess firearms. Several of the guns trafficked by Phillips were later discovered by law enforcement at crime scenes in Chicago.
Phillips, 26, of Lyons, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of unlawfully dealing firearms in interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang imposed the 102-month prison sentence Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kristen De Tineo, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Valuable assistance was provided by the Louisville (Ky.) ATF Field Division, Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police, and Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
“The breadth and extent of defendant’s firearms trafficking operation is staggering,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth R. Pozolo and Kalia Coleman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “As a result of defendant and his co-conspirators illegally selling guns, violence ensued involving real victims and disrupting community safety.”
Two other defendants were charged and have pleaded guilty to federal firearm charges as part of this investigation. CHRISTOPHER HENDERSON, 26, of Louisville, Ky., was sentenced in 2019 to five and a half years in federal prison. JAIQAIL WRIGHT, 27, of Chicago, is set to be sentenced today by Judge Chang.
Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking is a centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s cross-jurisdictional strike force aimed at reducing gun violence. As part of the Chicago strike force, the U.S. Attorney’s Office collaborates with ATF, CPD, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Illinois and across the country to help stem the supply of illegally trafficked firearms and identify patterns, leads, and potential suspects in violent gun crimes. While this investigation began prior to the launch of the strike force, the initiative is designed to enhance efforts to investigate and prosecute similar cases.
Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact of a ChildRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced that Warren Lee Mackey, 67, of Niobrara, Nebraska, was found guilty today of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and sexual abuse of a child after a three-day jury trial in Omaha, Nebraska. Aggravated sexual abuse of a child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing is set for January 3, 2022 at 10 a.m. before Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon.
The charges in this case stem from a disclosure made by an 11-year-old child that the defendant touched her clitoris and her breast on or about August 4, 2019 while in the exterior boundaries of the Santee Sioux Nation Indian Reservation. Mackey reported during an interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was asleep and did not know whether he had done anything to the child, but claimed he was having a dream about cuddling an adult female.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Long Island MS-13 Gang Member Pleads Guilty to 2016 Murder in BrentwoodRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Ever Flores, a member of the Sailors Locos Salvatruchas Westside (Sailors) clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, a transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges relating to his participation in the murder of Dewann Stacks and a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana. The proceeding was held before United States Circuit Judge Joseph F. Bianco.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Stuart Cameron, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), announced the guilty plea.
“Today’s guilty plea makes clear that the defendant, an MS-13 gang member who admittedly hunted on residential streets in Long Island in order to kill, actively participated in the butchering and beating death of the victim until he was almost unrecognizable,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. “This Office and the Long Island Gang Task Force have vowed to end these horrific killings and dismantle the MS-13.”
“This case is a grim reminder of just how vicious MS-13 can be,” stated SCPD Acting Commissioner Cameron. “This victim was sought out like prey and killed in an act of savagery illustrating the danger this street gang poses. Today, there is one less murderer and drug dealer to plague the streets of Suffolk County, and I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and our law enforcement partners for their continued dedication to bringing individuals like Ever Flores to justice.”
According to prior court filings and Flores’s statements during the plea proceeding, on October 13, 2016, Flores and other MS-13 co-conspirators drove around the streets of Central Islip and Brentwood hunting for rival gang members to attack and kill. They located Stacks on American Boulevard, a residential street in Brentwood and, believing him to be a rival gang member, decided to kill him. Flores, wielding a machete, and two other MS-13 members, one armed with a machete and the other a baseball bat, attacked the victim, beating and hacking him to death. The victim sustained severe sharp and blunt force trauma to the face and head, leaving him nearly unrecognizable.
In addition, Flores also pleaded guilty to participating in a drug conspiracy, admitting that between April 2016 and October 2017, he and other members of the Sailors clique conspired to distribute cocaine and marijuana to raise money for the MS-13.
Today’s conviction is the latest in a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York targeting members of the MS-13, a violent, transnational criminal organization. The MS-13’s leadership is based in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, but the gang has thousands of members across the United States, comprised primarily of immigrants from Central America. With numerous branches, or “cliques,” the MS-13 is the most violent criminal organization on Long Island. Since 2003, hundreds of MS-13 members, including dozens of clique leaders, have been convicted on federal felony charges in the Eastern District of New York. A majority of those MS-13 members have been convicted on federal racketeering charges for participating in murders, attempted murders and assaults. Since 2010, this Office has obtained indictments charging MS-13 members with carrying out more than 60 murders in the Eastern District of New York and has convicted dozens of MS-13 leaders and members in connection with those murders. These prosecutions are the product of investigations led by the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers of the FBI, SCPD, Nassau County Police Department, Nassau County Sheriff’s Department, Suffolk County Probation Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Hempstead Police Department, the Rockville Centre Police Department and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys John J. Durham, Paul G. Scotti, Justina L. Geraci and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
EVER FLORES (also known as “Negro” and “Grone”)
Age: 29
Brentwood, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-403 (S-7)(JFB)
Long Island Doctor Convicted of Illegal Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Central Islip returned a guilty verdict this afternoon against Frank Parasmo, a medical doctor with an office in Deer Park, on 31 counts of unlawfully distributing oxycodone, a highly addictive prescription painkiller, and one count of unlawfully distributing hydrocodone without a legitimate medical purpose. The verdict followed four weeks of trial before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack. When sentenced, Dr. Parasmo faces up to 20 years in prison.
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 verdict.
“By prescribing painkillers in the absence of any recognized medical need, the defendant not only betrayed his oath as a physician to do no harm, he also endangered the lives of vulnerable patients and contributed to the spread of the opioid epidemic by peddling dangerous drugs,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “As today’s verdict demonstrates, this Office will continue to hold accountable medical professionals like the defendant who misuse their advanced education, specialized training and access to prescription painkillers to exploit drug dependency in our communities.”
“The egregious prescribing records detailed in court proceedings outlined clearly how the defendant disregarded his patients’ health, and instead, risked their lives while they suffered from substance abuse,” stated DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Donovan. “There is no excuse for a doctor, an individual who is given great trust and responsibility, to put their patient’s lives and the public’s health, in jeopardy. I commend the DEA Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York for their diligent work throughout this investigation.”
As proven at trial, between January 2014 and December 2015, Dr. Parasmo provided prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone pills to 18 of his patients without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the course of a professional medical practice. Parasmo issued prescriptions to patients who had just completed detox treatment in rehabilitation facilities, as well as patients who had just been discharged from the hospital following an overdose, In addition, Parasmo issued prescriptions to many patients he knew were taking illegal drugs or who he suspected were addicts. There is a significant risk of an overdose when oxycodone is taken with heroin and cocaine. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Parasmo prescribed over 1.5 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills making him one of the top prescribers of the painkiller in New York State during that time period.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Long Island District Office Tactical Diversion Squad comprising agents and officers of the DEA, Nassau County Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department, Port Washington Police Department, and Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Maffei and Charles P. Kelly are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
FRANK PARASMO
Age: 75
Great River, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 19-CR-1 (JMA)
Lockport Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ChargeRead 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 Brian Grant, 22, of Lockport, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Watkins, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that the Niagara County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at the defendant's residence on Elmwood Avenue in Lockport and on his vehicle. During the search, officers recovered cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and $215.00 in cash.
The plea is result of an investigation by the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2021, before Judge Sinatra.
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Lil’ Rob gets significant sentence in federal firearms and drug trafficking caseRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old Corpus Christi gang member with a lengthy criminal history has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of firearms and drug trafficking offenses, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
A federal jury convicted Robert Loya aka Lil’ Rob May 20 for possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a pistol and a stolen .50 caliber long-range rifle following a two-day trial and approximately 45 minutes of deliberation. He is a convicted felon and ranking member of the Texas “Mexikan” Mafia.
Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton handed Loya a total sentence of 360 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard that Loya had continued his drug trafficking activities, even after his arrest, by directing a female accomplice to smuggle narcotics into the facility where he was incarcerated.
Authorities obtained information through an unrelated investigation in Laredo that led to the execution of a search warrant at Loya’s residence Feb. 21, 2020. At that time, law enforcement seized two firearms, assorted ammunition and over seven kilograms of meth. The jury also heard that Loya was on federal supervised release for a previous firearms conviction at the time of the search. However, he had not provided his supervision officer with his actual address, falsely claiming to live with his parents next door.
After the search, Loya fled the area and remained a fugitive for almost three months before his arrest May 13, 2020, in Corpus Christi near his girlfriend’s home.
He has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Molly K. Smith and Brittany L. Jensen prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Leupp Man Sentenced to over 20 Years for Second Degree MurderRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Melvin James, 44, of Leupp, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 246 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. James previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.
On November 17, 2018, James was staying at a residence on the Navajo Nation. That night, James attacked his girlfriend, stabbing her multiple times. She died at the scene from her injuries. When the victim’s father tried to intervene during the attack, James stabbed and seriously injured him as well. James is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation Indian Tribe.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christina Reid-Moore and Jason Crowley, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 19-CR-08019-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021- 066_James# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Jury Convicts Leader of Large-Scale Fentanyl Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A federal jury returned verdicts of guilty late yesterday against Gerald Hunter, 55, of Los Angeles, for the offenses of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and two counts of money laundering. U.S. District Judge John A. Ross presided over the trial and will set a sentencing date. Hunter now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and up to life.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a long-term investigation of a fentanyl and cocaine distribution organization in St. Louis. Agents identified Hunter of Los Angeles as an out-of-state source of supply for the St. Louis organization. On April 27, 2017, DEA agents seized approximately 27 kilograms of fentanyl in Florissant, Mo. Hunter was in possession of the bags containing the fentanyl, and his fingerprint was recovered from packaging material. However, Hunter ran from investigators, and made good his escape.
The jury found that Hunter conspired to distribute fentanyl in St. Louis, but also that he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to distribute the drug in St. Louis. The evidence at trial established that the fentanyl was the equivalent of 270,000 usage units before being diluted, with a street value of $1 million. Hunter evaded arrest for three years before the U.S. Marshals Service arrested him. At the time of his arrest, Hunter was in possession of $220,000 in United States currency, 11 cellular phones and two identification cards with someone else’s name. Flight records established Hunter’s frequent pattern of travel to St. Louis from Los Angeles.
“At the time DEA seized Hunter’s 27 kilograms of fentanyl, it was the largest seizure in the region, indicating just how far-reaching his illicit business was,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colin Dickey, supervisor of DEA operations in Eastern Missouri. “We know these drugs could have caused irreparable damage. We also know this is the end of one drug trafficking organization that will no longer wreak havoc in our communities, and Hunter's guilty verdict is vindication of the tireless efforts of DEA and its local and federal partners."
This case was investigated by the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Granger, Stephen Casey and Jay Redd are handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jury Convicts Alabama Man of Soliciting Videos and Webcam Shows of Filipina Children Being Sexually AssaultedRead the Press Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal jury convicted a Morgan County man Tuesday for using Internet applications to seek images, videos, and live transmissions of the violent sexual abuse of Filipina children as young as five years old.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Benjamin Walter, 41, of Decatur, AL, used two web service provider accounts, including messenger and webcam applications, to get women in the Philippines to sexually abuse their own children and relatives. Walter’s requests to these women, which spanned approximately three years, included directions to arrange for the gang rape of young children and to sexually assault several young children in other harmful ways. Walter sent the money to the Philippines for these videos, images, and live transmissions via MoneyGram, Western Union, and other money remitters in $25 to $50 increments. In addition to the live webcam shows, Walter also sent and received emails to which the senders attached images and videos of young children engaged in sex acts with adult men. This investigation was part of a joint FBI and Homeland Security Investigations operation that targeted the buyers and sellers of these types of webcam shows in the Philippines.
“Today’s conviction sends a clear message that the protection of the most innocent and vulnerable victims, our children, from child exploitation is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. “The jury’s decision to hold the defendant accountable for his conduct and to reject his defenses demonstrates that those who commit these horrific crimes will be met with swift and certain justice. We are grateful for the work of the FBI Birmingham Division and FBI Huntsville Resident Agency for their investigation of this case, and for the assistance of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in prosecuting the case.”
The FBI and our partners will continue to work diligently to bring individuals like Walter to justice and protect our most valuable asset, our children,” Sharp said
Walter was convicted of four counts of producing and attempting to produce child pornography and one count each of receiving and distributing child pornography. Sentencing is set for January 5, 2022. Walter faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years of imprisonment and a maximum of 160 years of imprisonment.
FBI Birmingham Division and FBI Huntsville Resident Agency investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Charles Schmitz and Nadia Prinz of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leann R. White of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report suspicious activity or instances of child sexual exploitation, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
For more information on the FBI’s guidance on child exploitation and protecting your kids visit https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/protecting-your-kids.
Judge sentences St. Louis man to prison for robbing man of drugs and shooting himRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – On today’s date, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Dominick Anderson, 41, of St. Louis, Missouri, to 117 months in prison for robbing a man of methamphetamine and shooting him.
On July 14, 2021, Anderson pled guilty to robbery and brandishing a firearm during the robbery that took place on August 25, 2019 in St. Louis City. The day of the robbery, a woman contacted the victim to buy methamphetamine from him. The woman agreed to pick up the victim and take him to his residence in the 8200 block of Michigan Avenue to complete the purchase. The woman, accompanied by Anderson and another person, drove to the victim’s home. When they arrived, the woman stated she and Anderson did not have enough money to purchase the methamphetamine and would return with money.
The victim showed the methamphetamine to Anderson, at which time Anderson displayed a handgun. Anderson demanded the victim give him the methamphetamine. The victim refused to hand over the methamphetamine and told Anderson to leave the residence. Anderson shot the victim in the abdomen. Anderson then took the methamphetamine from the victim. Anderson and the other person returned to the woman’s vehicle and fled the area. The victim contacted 911 and was taken to a hospital for injuries.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski handled the case.
Joint Federal and State Law Enforcement Operation Makes Arrests for Drugs and Stolen Car OffensesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Juan Lopez Gallardo, 44, Jairo David Posadas, 22, Josedad Delacruz, 24, Serguin Castro-Carias, 20, all of Sevier County, Tennessee, and Nolvia Rosme Carillo-Rodriguez, 42, and Pablo Daniel Suarez, 32, both of Miami, Florida, were arrested on a complaint on September 30, 2021 by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI").
Lopez, Posadas, Delacruz, Castro-Carias, and Carillo-Rodriguez are charged with a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. If convicted of that charge, each defendant could face at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison.
Additionally, Lopez and Suarez are charged with two counts of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and the interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. If convicted of those charges, each defendant could face up to 10 years in prison.
An initial appearance for Lopez, Posadas, Delacruz, and Castro-Carias, was held on October 1, 2021 in United States District Court in Knoxville, before the Honorable Debra C. Poplin, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendants were ordered held in custody pending the setting of a trial date.
An initial appearance for Suarez was held on September 30, 2021 in United States District Court in Miami, before the Honorable Lauren Louis, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendant was released and will travel to the Eastern District of Tennessee for arraignment.
An initial appearance for Carillo-Rodriguez held on October 1, 2021 in United States District Court in Fort Lauderdale, before the Honorable Lurana Snow, United States Magistrate Judge. The defendant was ordered detained and will be transported to the Eastern District of Tennessee for arraignment.
Details of some of the factual allegations underlying the charges are outlined in a criminal complaint and supporting affidavit on file with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico made the announcement.
The participant law enforcement agencies in this investigation include the FBI Knoxville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Rocky Top Task Force, FBI Knoxville Smoky Mountains Economic Crimes Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes Unit, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Tennessee Department of Revenue - Special Investigations Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, FBI Miami, Miami Gardens Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Medley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will represent the United States in the prosecution of this case.
The ongoing investigation leading to the complaint was the product of a partnership between numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies cooperating under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Joint Federal and State Law Enforcement Operation Makes Arrest for Public Corruption OffensesRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On October 6, 2021, a Federal Grand Jury in Knoxville returned a multi-count Indictment against two individuals charging violations of federal offenses prohibiting public officials from taking cash payments in exchange for official acts.
Brandy M. Thornton, 44, and Roberta Lynne Webb Allen, 55, both of Sevier County, Tennessee, charged with two counts of taking cash payments in exchange for an official act. If convicted of those charges, they each could face up to 20 years in prison.
Allen appeared in court on October 7, 2021 before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. She was released pending trial, which has been set for December 14, 2021, before the Honorable Judge Crytzer in United States District Court, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Acting U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") Special Agent in Charge, Joseph E. Carrico, made the announcement.
The participant law enforcement agencies in this investigation include the FBI Knoxville High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Rocky Top Task Force, FBI Knoxville Smoky Mountains Economic Crimes Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes Unit, Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department, Gatlinburg Police Department, Tennessee Department of Revenue - Special Investigations Unit, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Humphreys County Sheriff's Office, FBI Miami, Miami Gardens Police Department, Hialeah Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Medley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will represent the United States in the prosecution of this case.
The ongoing investigation leading to the indictment was the product of a partnership between numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies cooperating under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until his or her guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Janesville Woman Sentenced to 3 Years for Role in Sex TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Tonyiel Partee, 29, Janesville, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 36 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Partee pleaded guilty to this charge on July 8, 2021.
In September 2017, the mother of a minor female contacted the Janesville Police Department to report that she found Facebook messages on her daughter’s account that indicated her daughter was buying drugs from an adult man. The investigation revealed that not only was the adult man selling drugs to the minor, but he was also posting her on websites for commercial sex.
As the investigation continued, Partee was identified as a woman who also was engaged in commercial sex for the man. Over time, investigators were able to establish that Partee helped the trafficker recruit women, and that she knew the women she recruited were drug addicts and would be subject to violence and coercion by the trafficker.
While Judge Conley recognized that Partee had been “groomed” by the trafficker, and was a victim herself, he stated that the Court “could not ignore the role [Partee] played in victimizing others,” in imposing her sentence.
The charge against Partee was the result of an investigation conducted by the Janesville Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger prosecuted this case.
Indictment Returned After Investigation Involving Seizure of 16.4 Kilograms of Methamphetamine, 3.14 Kilograms of Pills Containing Fentanyl, $400,000 in CashRead the Press Release
HONOLULU – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Courtney Gene Jeter, 61, Janet Pauline Nelson, 62, and David Abraham Monalim, 46, with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute (1) 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; (2) 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of N-phenyl-N-[1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide, commonly known as fentanyl; (3) 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin; and (4) 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. Jeter and Nelson were previously arrested pursuant to criminal complaints containing related charges, on September 30, 2021, and October 1, 2021, respectively. Jeter was ordered detained earlier today, and Nelson’s detention hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
The indictment also charges Jeter with four counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and one count of money laundering. Nelson is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, and Monalim is also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine.
Judith A. Philips, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, said that according to information presented in court, on the date of Jeter’s arrest, law enforcement seized approximately 16.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.14 kilograms of suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, over two kilograms of cocaine, over 400 rounds of ammunition, two loaded handguns, and over $400,000 in cash.
If convicted, (1) each defendant faces a minimum of ten years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000, on the conspiracy charge; (2) Jeter faces the same penalties on the four counts of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a mandatory five years’ imprisonment that must run consecutive to any other sentence imposed on possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, up to ten years in prison for possession of the ammunition, and up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction for money laundering; (3) Nelson faces the same potential penalties as the conspiracy charge on her other charge; and (4) Monalim faces a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $5,000,000 on his other charge.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and assisted by the Honolulu Police Department.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Margaret Nammar and Craig Nolan.
Indiana Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing A Hot Springs PharmacyRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – An Anderson, Indiana man was sentenced yesterday to 108 months on each count (to run concurrently) in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Robberies Involving Controlled Substances (Aiding and Abetting) and one count of Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Schedule II Controlled Substances. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, on or about June 7, 2018, Jerome Scott King, 22, along with two (2) other unidentified males, entered the CVS Pharmacy in Hot Springs, Arkansas, brandished a weapon, and forced employees to give them several Schedule II controlled substances. The amount of controlled substance taken were valued at $22,421.87. In September of 2019, King was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison, out of the Western District of Missouri, Central Division, for a similar pharmacy robbery. Yesterday’s sentencing was ordered to run consecutive to that 168-month sentence.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The Hot Springs Police Department and the FBI Little Rock investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as 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.
Illinois Women Charged in Yellowstone Case Involving a Grizzly Receives Four Days in Federal Custody and FinesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that SAMANTHA R DEHRING, age 25 of Carol Stream, Illinois, pleaded guilty to willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards. The other count, feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife, was dismissed. Dehring appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming on October 6, 2021, for her change of plea and sentencing hearing. She was sentenced to four days in custody, one-year unsupervised probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, a $1,000 community service payment to Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund, a $30 court processing fee and a $10 assessment. Dehring also received a one-year ban from Yellowstone National Park.
According to the violation notices, Dehring was at Roaring Mountain in Yellowstone National Park on May 10, 2021, when visitors noticed a sow grizzly and her three cubs. While other visitors slowly backed off and got into their vehicles, Dehring remained. She continued to take pictures as the sow bluff charged her.
“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are, indeed, wild. The park is not a zoo where animals can be viewed within the safety of a fenced enclosure. They roam freely in their natural habitat and when threatened will react accordingly,” said Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray. “Approaching a sow grizzly with cubs is absolutely foolish. Here, pure luck is why Dehring is a criminal defendant and not a mauled tourist.”
According to Yellowstone National Park regulations, when an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals - bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity. Read more about safety in the park, including how to behave around wildlife.
This case was investigated by Yellowstone National Park Rangers and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Hambrick. For questions relating to Yellowstone National Park, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 307-344-2015 or [email protected].Hudson County Man Arrested for Scheme to Defraud InvestorsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man will make his initial appearance today on charges that he defrauded victims by promising to invest their money in a ticket purchase and resale business, when in fact he diverted their investments for his own personal use and benefit and to pay back prior investors, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Michael J. Clarke, 62, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is charged by superseding indictment with two counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled to appear this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From October 2015 to October 2016, Clarke, who was a licensed municipal securities trader, represented to his victims that he separately operated a ticket brokering business that purchased tickets to entertainment and sporting events and then resold those tickets for a profit. Clarke also represented that he had access to permanent seat licenses for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships that could be purchased and resold for a profit. The victims relied on his misrepresentations and invested money with Clarke, believing that they would receive a share of the profits from the sales of those tickets or U.S. Open seat licenses. Instead of using the victims’ money as promised, Clarke used their investments for his personal expenditures or to pay back prior investors in his ticket brokering business. In total, Clarke obtained approximately $617,400 from the victims over the course of the fraudulent scheme.
The counts of wire fraud are punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Kozar of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Hot Springs Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Federal Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A Hot Springs man was sentenced today to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Methamphetamine. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.
According to court documents, in the summer of 2019, Detectives with the 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration launched an investigation into Paul Scaife, 41, for drug trafficking in the Western District of Arkansas. In July of 2019, detectives conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Scaife.
Acting U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.
The 18th East Judicial District Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Little Rock, and the 18th East Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Achorn and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case.
Hortonville Man Indicted for Possession and Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on October 5, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Jeffrey J. Wagner (age: 48) of Hortonville, Wisconsin.
According to the indictment, in March of 2021, Wagner knowingly received and possessed sexually explicit videos of prepubescent children. Wagner faces one count of receipt of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A), and one count of possession of child pornography, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(b). He faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years of imprisonment in federal prison on the receipt of child pornography count and a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on the possession of child pornography count.
“The protection of our nation’s children is a top priority of the Department of Justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Frohling. “Individuals involved in the receipt or distribution of child pornography will be prosecuted aggressively and will face real time in federal prison.”
Outagamie County Sheriff Clint Kriewaldt stated, “The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office is committed to aggressively investigating all crimes against children and removing these child predators from our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Highmore Woman Sentenced on Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Highmore, South Dakota, woman convicted of Sale or Transfer of Firearms to a Prohibited Person was sentenced on October 5, 2021, by Chief Judge Robert A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Elissa Schultz, age 41, was sentenced to 18 months of probation and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Schultz was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, Sale or Transfer of Firearms to a Prohibited Person, and False Statements During Purchase of a Firearm by a federal grand jury on October 14, 2020. She pled guilty on June 21, 2021.
The conviction stems from an incident on January 24, 2020, in Pierre, when Schultz transferred a firearm to her significant other, Stacey Hansen, knowing he had been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Hansen has pled guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and will be sentenced on October 25, 2021.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was investigated by Hyde County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Schultz was immediately released to begin her probation following the sentencing hearing.
Georgia Man Charged with Drug Trafficking in McLean CountyRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. –Tidas Thompson, also known as Titus Thomas, 44, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was indicted on September 21, 2021, for charges related to drug trafficking and firearms.
The indictment alleges that Thompson knowingly possessed with the intent to distribute 28 grams or more of a cocaine-based mixture or substance, possessed a firearm during drug trafficking, and possessed a firearm as a felon.
Thompson was arrested after a traffic stop on I-55 South in McLean County, Illinois, on August 15, 2021, and is currently in the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
If convicted, Thompson faces a minimum statutory penalty of five years and maximum penalty of 40 years’ imprisonment on the drug trafficking charge, a minimum penalty of five years and maximum penalty of life imprisonment on the possession of a firearm during drug trafficking charge, and a maximum 10-year term of imprisonment on the possession of a firearm as a felon charge. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
Agencies participating in the investigation include the Illinois State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook is representing the government in the prosecution.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
General Contracting Company Sentenced for Causing Death of Employee who Fell Off Roof During Residential Roof InstallationRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A general contracting company based in Newark was sentenced today to five years’ probation for violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, leading to the death of an employee, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Trustworthy LLC, d/b/a “Trustworthy Roofing and Siding,” (Trustworthy) via its owner, Derico Ferreira, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court to an information charging it with one count of willfully violating OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees engaged in the construction of a residential home, which caused the death of an employee.
According to court documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Oct. 15, 2016, Ferreira and four employees began installation of a new roof on a two-story residential home located in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Trustworthy did not use or provide to its employees any personal fall protection equipment, such as safety harnesses, lanyards, tie-off ropes, guard rails, safety nets, or other feasible means of fall protection, while they were working on the roof.
During the installation of an ice and water shield, one of Trustworthy’s employees (Employee 1), fell off the left corner of the roof. Employee 1 was not wearing any fall protection gear at the time. Ferreira had the required equipment in his truck, and could have also installed a guard rail system around the perimeter of the roof from a ladder, prior to the start of roofing work, but failed to do so. Trustworthy LLC was previously cited by OSHA during an inspection in 2014 for failing to provide fall protection to its employees.
In addition to the five years of probation, Trustworthy will pay restitution of $305,275 to the estate of Employee 1. The plea agreement also includes specified conditions that Trustworthy must follow, including providing training procedures to all its employees and a requirement to follow enhanced safety provisions for future construction jobs. The company must also notify OSHA of each new construction job it undertakes and permit entry to OSHA employees at all of its worksites.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone; Daniel Hennefeld, Counsel for OSHA Office of the Solicitor, Region 2, and OSHA Compliance Officers with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason P. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Government Fraud Unit in Newark.
Fulton Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking OffensesRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Tyler Hull, age 38, of Fulton, New York, pled guilty today to conspiring to unlawfully distribute and possess with the intent to distribute eutylone, a Schedule I controlled substance.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Matthew Scarpino, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
As part of his guilty plea, Hull admitted that from November of 2020 through December 22, 2020, he participated in a conspiracy to distribute eutylone to others throughout Oswego County. Eutylone is a synthetic cathinone and has pharmacological effects on the central nervous system similar to other schedule I or II substances such as methylone, pentylone, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA.
Hull faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, and a term of post-release supervision of at least 3 years and up to life when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy on March 9, 2022. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Oswego County Drug Task Force, comprised of Special Agents of HSI, members of the City of Oswego Police Department, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, Investigators from the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office, the SUNY Oswego Police Department and Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adrian LaRochelle.
Fresno Felon Indicted for Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Kevron Marques Byrd, 21, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Byrd, who was on supervision following a prison sentence for a 2019 conviction for a firearms offense, was stopped by officers on July 7, 2021. Officers found a backpack that Byrd had dropped inside an apartment that contained a ghost gun, a privately made firearm with no serial number, equipped with a high capacity magazine and 32 rounds of ammunition.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Jean Berger is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Byrd faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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.
Four Men Charged in Drug Trafficking Conspiracy, Including Two Charged with Possession of Machine Gun and Conspiracy to Commit RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging four men with taking part in a drug trafficking conspiracy, including two who were charged with conspiring to rob pharmacies and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The indictment was announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
All four defendants were arrested yesterday. They include Juwuan Champion, 22, of Bowie, Md., also known as “Big Money;” Fitzgerald Hunt, 24, of Washington, D.C., also known as “GMoney;” Joshua Johnson, 18, of Capitol Heights, Md., also known as “Lil Josh,” and Keyshawn Lavender, 20, of Washington, D.C., also known as “Key.” They made their initial appearances this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and all remain detained pending further proceedings.
The indictment follows an investigation by ATF and MPD into a crew operating from approximately January 2021 through October 2021 in the Potomac Gardens area of Southeast Washington. As described in the indictment, members of the crew are alleged to traffic in Oxycodone, Alprazolam, and other illegal narcotics. Champion and Hunt are accused of conspiring to rob pharmacies and the driver of a truck delivering narcotics to a pharmacy, and of unlawful possession of a machine gun. Champion and Hunt also are alleged to have possessed a “converter switch” device designed and intended to convert a semiautomatic Glock-style handgun into a machine gun capable of fully automatic fire, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.
“Drug trafficking and the prevalence of guns on our streets continue to plaque our community at alarming and unacceptable rates,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Working together with our law enforcement partners, we will aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals who are terrorizing and making our neighborhoods unsafe with their armed drug trafficking activities, such as those alleged in this indictment.”
“This investigation is focused on armed robberies, possession of machine guns, illegal possession of firearms, distribution of narcotics and other acts of violence within our community. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of ATF and our valued law enforcement partners; we are making every effort to collaborate and work collectively to take violent criminals off our streets,” said Special Agent in Charge Patterson. “We will continue to do as such until people feel safe to live and enjoy life. We will not tolerate violent crime, especially gun violence on our streets.”
The ongoing investigation has focused on violent crimes, including a series of pharmacy robbery-related incidents in the District of Columbia and Maryland, culminating in the March 30, 2021 robbery of a pharmaceutical delivery van driver outside a pharmacy in Waldorf, Md.
ATF and other law enforcement partners yesterday executed search warrants for four residences in the District of Columbia, two residences in Maryland, and one vehicle. Agents recovered three firearms, including one with an obliterated serial number, ammunition, multiple bags of apparent marijuana, and cash currency totaling approximately $75,000.
Champion and Hunt are charged with a number of offenses related to these crimes, including conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery. All told, Champion was indicted on 12 felony counts, including conspiracy, narcotics, and weapons offenses. Hunt was indicted on 11 similar charges. Lavender faces three felony counts, and Johnson, one. The indictment also includes a forfeiture count seeking all proceeds from the crimes.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Critical support was provided by the Charles County, Md. Sheriff’s Office, and additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and Anne Arundel County, Md. Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Candice Wong of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Jacobs.
Four Charged with Making False Statement to Purchase Firearms at Licensed Youngstown Area DealerRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging four individuals with making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and possession of firearms by a person with prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
Named in the indictment are Miechelle Barnes, 28, Dawon Maddox, 39, both of Youngstown, Ohio, Richard May, 19, and Davontae McCall, 19, both of Pittsburgh.
The indictment alleges that on or about February 18, 2021, Barnes intentionally deceived a licensed firearms dealer by representing that she was purchasing several firearms for herself when in fact, she was purchasing the firearms for another individual.
In addition, the indictment alleges that on or about April 23, 2021, Maddox illegally possessed three semiautomatic pistols. Maddox is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2002 conviction for misdemeanor domestic violence.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the Defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the Defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the Defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by ATF. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasmine Makridis.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt