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24 August 2021
Effingham County man sentenced to federal prison for aiming laser at commercial aircraftRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: An Effingham County resident has been sentenced to federal prison after admitting he aimed a powerful laser at commercial aircraft.
Roger Floyd Hendricks, 48, of Rincon, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to Aiming a Laser Pointer at an Aircraft, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Hendricks to serve three years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
“With the public’s assistance, the FBI did an outstanding job of identifying Roger Hendricks as the man responsible for aiming a powerful laser at inbound Savannah aircraft,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Laser strikes are potentially deadly not only for pilots blinded by the lasers, but also for air travelers and residents in the path of aircraft. Hendricks is being held accountable for his criminal actions.”
The investigation began in February 2020 when the Federal Aviation Administration asked the FBI in February for assistance in locating the source of three separate green laser strikes on aircraft inbound to the Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport. A victim pilot, who is a retired Marine Corps officer, helped pinpoint the origin of the strikes, and after Hendricks was identified and questioned by FBI agents, he later admitted responsibility and pled guilty May 3 in U.S. District Court.
“Hendricks needlessly threatened the safety of the passengers and crew of a commercial aircraft. It is important for the public to understand that pointing any laser, even a small one, at an aircraft can obscure the pilot’s view and jeopardize the safe operations of the aircraft,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully this sentencing will send a message that the FBI will not tolerate those engaging in this dangerous behavior and that they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Joshua S. Bearden.
East Haven Man Who Stole Social Security Benefits in SentencedRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOVON GAMBLE, 40, of East Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to three years of probation, the first three months of which Gamble must spend in home confinement, for stealing Social Security benefits.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Gamble’s mother lawfully received Social Security Administration (“SSA”) monthly benefit payments. Gamble’s mother died in June 2007. The SSA was never informed her death and Gamble continued to access the SSA funds that were deposited into his mother’s account. Between 2007 and 2017, the SSA deposited more than $88,000 into Gamble’s mother’s account.
Judge Shea ordered Gamble to pay $88,150.78 in restitution.
Gamble also must perform 75 hours of community service while on supervised release.
On May 10, 2021, Gamble pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds.
This matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brendan Keefe and Elena Coronado.
East Chicago Woman Charged Wire FraudRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Natasha Weeks, age 29, of East Chicago, Indiana, has been charged by way of an Indictment with wire fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
According to documents in this case, it is alleged that Ms. Weeks fraudulently obtained disaster-related benefits in the form of a Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan (SBI-EIDL) by falsely claiming to be an Illinois business owner of a hair salon allegedly located in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is alleged the business was called Weeks Hair Braiding/Weeks Hair Shop while no such business was found to have existed at the address identified on her application. The loan was applied for from an IP address in East Chicago, Indiana. It is alleged the application contained false statements and misrepresentations that the hair salon existed since 2017 and that Ms. Weeks owned the business since May 2020, employed 20 people and that her cost of goods sold was $150,000. On July 7, 2020, Ms. Weeks received a $10,000 SBA EIDL loan because of her application. Ms. Weeks is also charged with fraudulently seeking Arizona unemployment benefits despite never having lived or worked in that State.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment is merely an allegation, and that all persons are presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the Judge after a consideration of federal statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diane Berkowitz.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
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Duluth Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Duluth man pleaded guilty today to illegally possessing a firearm as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, Jesse William Peterson, 40, admitted to possessing a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver with an obliterated serial number. On October 25, 2020, officers with the Duluth Police Department attempted to arrest Peterson at a residence on an outstanding warrant. Peterson refused to exit the residence and comply with officers’ attempts to arrest him. After a two-hour stand-off, Peterson was taken into custody. Officers found the loaded .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver in the bathroom where Peterson was located during the stand-off. A subsequent analysis revealed Peterson’s DNA on the firearm. Directly adjacent to the firearm, officers found 13.76 grams of methamphetamine, 11.13 grams of cocaine, 38 doses of LSD, $5,826 in cash, and 11 live rounds of .38-caliber ammunition. Because Peterson has prior felony convictions in St. Louis County, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
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.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph S. Teirab is prosecuting the case.
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Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Detroit, Michigan man pleaded guilty yesterday to federal drug crimes.
According to court documents, Durran Merille Garland, 28, sold an ounce of cocaine to a confidential informant for $1,000 on March 13, 2018 in Huntington. Garland admitted to selling methamphetamine to the same confidential informant on two other occasions. During a search of Garland’s Huntington residence in April 2018, law enforcement officers recovered an M&P .40 Caliber Shield handgun.
Garland pleaded guilty to two counts of an indictment charging him with distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine. He faces a sentence of up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced on November 29, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Jeffrey is handling the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-00004.
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Dallas County Man Sentenced for East Texas Bank Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Wylie man has been sentenced to prison for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Noble Nwachukwu, 26, pleaded guilty on Oct. 23, 2019, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant. The district court additionally ordered that Nwachukwu forfeit $56,921.40.
“An act of fraud against a FDIC-insured banking institution is ultimately a fraud on the American taxpayer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “EDTX, along with its federal and local law enforcement partners, will do whatever it takes to keep our local financial institutions free from fraud and other criminal opportunism.”
According to information presented in court, in January 2019 law enforcement officers responded to a suspicious activity call and found Nwachukwu with $18,960 in cash in his vehicle. A consent search of Nwachukwu’s cellular phone revealed a fraudulent check cashing scheme where fraudulent checks were drawn on Key Bank HELOC (home equity line of credit) accounts belonging to unrelated victims. These checks were deposited into the account of Nwachukwu and another individual. A total of three checks were deposited. The bank froze the funds from one check totaling $29,900. A second check for $37,900 was also deposited, with $37,200 subsequently withdrawn in cash. A third check for $37,200 was deposited but the funds were frozen by the bank. Nwachukwu and his accomplice Chijioke Maduewesi were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 9, 2019. Maduewesi pleaded guilty on July 29, 2021 and is awaiting sentencing.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Wylie Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon.
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Charleston Rioter Who Livestreamed Looting and Firing Gun Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Orlando Shalrocko King, 32, of North Charleston, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful travel to incite destructive riots in downtown Charleston on May 30, 2020, as well as a possession of a firearm by a prohibited felon.
“Last summer’s riots were a dark day in Charleston’s history,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “Prison time is appropriate in this case and sends a message that this behavior will not be tolerated in South Carolina.”
Information presented to the court established that, during a large riot following the death of George Floyd, numerous suspects including King forced entry into the College Market store in downtown Charleston. The looters stole approximately $80,000 in store merchandise and shattered the store windows.
King filmed, narrated, and livestreamed the looting on his Facebook page. At one point of the video, King yelled, “We’re in the corner store! Stealing sh*t!” In another part of the video, King announced that he was searching the store for Angry Orchard. The video showed that, after stealing a 6-pack of Angry Orchard hard cider, King left the store and stated, “We just broke into the corner store and I got my Angry Orchard, ya’ll know I love my sh*t.”
Evidence presented to the court further showed that, just after midnight on April 25, 2020, North Charleston Police officers were attempting to locate a firearm that was discarded during a vehicle pursuit. While officers were canvassing the area of Read Street for the gun, they were advised of a disturbance that possibly involved a firearm. During the investigation of the disturbance, officers encountered King, whom they recognized from a Facebook live video he posted showing him firing a gun outside a driver’s side car window.
King continually frequented the area on several occasions, while the officers were attempting to locate the missing firearm. When officers contacted King, he became uncooperative and attempted to get away. Officers noticed an item in King’s jacket pocket that appeared to be the shape of a grip of a handgun. King was then placed in handcuffs, and a Sig Sauer 9mm caliber pistol with an extended magazine with 27 rounds of ammunition was recovered.
A National Crime Information Center (NCIC) inquiry revealed that the recovered gun was reported stolen. Further, it was discovered that the defendant was prohibited from possessing a gun due to a 2008-Armed Robbery conviction.
United States District Judge Richard M. Gergel sentenced King to 24 months imprisonment to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
King is the fourth of six defendants to be sentenced on federal charges stemming from participation of actions including arson, inciting riots, and other civil disorder in Columbia and Charleston on May 30 and 31, 2020.
The case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department, and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Numerous other local police departments and Solicitors’ Offices across the states have also assisted in the investigations of civil unrest in May 2020.
Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Limehouse and Nathan Williams prosecuted the case.
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Carroll County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Matthew Curtis, age 24, of Hampstead, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to the federal charge of possession of child pornography. In September 2017, Curtis was convicted of possession of child pornography in the Circuit Court of Carroll County, Maryland and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison and three years’ probation.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees, and Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins.
According to Curtis’ guilty plea, from November 2019 through May 28, 2020, while on state probation for his conviction for possession of child pornography, Curtis downloaded, possessed and distributed child pornography. Specifically, Curtis used an internet-based messaging application to repeatedly share and distribute depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The investigation revealed that within messaging chatrooms, Curtis frequently posed as the mother of an infant or toddler and discussed the sexual abuse of his purported children. Curtis also distributed images documenting the sexual abuse of what he claimed were his children. In some instances, Curtis and other online users frequently discussed their sexual abuse of children and their desire to abuse Curtis’s purported children.
As stated in the plea agreement, on March 5, 2020, a cloud-based storage provider sent a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting that a user had uploaded 22 files of suspected child pornography. The IP address used to login to the cloud-based application was assigned to Curtis’s Hampstead residence and the email address was an address used by Curtis.
On May 28, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Curtis’s residence and seized electronic devices, including two cell phones. A forensic review of Curtis’s cell phones revealed a total of 429 images and 129 videos of child pornography. Some of the images and videos depicted prepubescent minors and sado-masochistic conduct.
As stated in his plea agreement, upon his release from prison, Curtis must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
Curtis and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the guilty plea, Curtis will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander has scheduled sentencing for October 22, 2021.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Riley, who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Caneadea Woman Sentenced for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead 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 Amanda L. Rickard, 41, of Caneadea, NY, who was convicted of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false and fraudulent tax return, was sentenced to serve 36 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. Rickard was also ordered to pay $58,819 in restitution to the IRS and $19,772 in restitution to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly, who handled the case, stated that between 2011 and 2018, the defendant prepared income tax returns for friends and acquaintances. During that time, Rickard reported materially false information on her clients’ individual income tax returns.
For example, in April 2018, the defendant prepared and filed a tax return for Client 1, which identified a child, Dependent 1, as Client 1’s nephew and dependent. However, Dependent 1 was not Client 1’s nephew, and Client 1 did not provide support for Dependent 1 during 2017. As a result of the false statement, Client 1 claimed an entitlement to a tax refund to which Client 1 was not entitled.
Between 2011 and 2018, Rickard prepared and filed 23 individual tax returns which identified dependents that the taxpayer was not entitled to claim. The defendant maintained a notebook identifying the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of a number of children—including Dependent 1—whose parents had not claimed them as dependents on their own tax returns. Rickard then used this information to prepare the materially false tax returns on her clients’ behalf. During that same time period, the defendant also prepared and submitted individual tax returns on behalf of taxpayers who had not authorized her to do so.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso, and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.
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California Restaurant Owners Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Forced LaborRead the Press Release
A California couple pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forced labor. According to court documents, Nery A. Martinez Vasquez, 53, and his wife Maura N. Martinez, 53, both of Shasta Lake, are naturalized United States citizens, originally from Guatemala. They owned and operated Latino’s, a restaurant, and Redding Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial Services, a cleaning company that serviced various businesses, including multiple car dealerships, in the Shasta Lake area.
In their plea agreement filed in federal court, the defendants admitted that if the matter proceeded to trial, the government would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they convinced a Guatemalan relative and her two minor daughters to come to the United States in August 2016 by falsely promising them a better life. The defendants arranged for the victims to enter the United States using temporary visitor visas and then compelled them to overstay their visas and work long hours at Latino’s restaurant and Redding Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial Services for minimal to no pay between September 2016 and February 2018. The defendants conspired with one another to manufacture an inflated debt that they told the victims they owed and instructed them that they could not leave until they repaid this fictious debt. The defendants also abused the legal system by threatening to call the authorities on the victims and have them arrested for overstaying their visas if they did not comply with their requests. Similarly, the defendants forbid the minor children from attending school because they claimed that immigration authorities were looking to arrest and deport non-citizen children. Instead of attending school, the children worked for the defendants’ businesses. The defendants housed the victims in a dilapidated, unheated trailer with no running water, and degraded and humiliated them in front of others. Finally, the defendants used force and threats of force to intimidate the victims, with Nery Martinez Vasquez even going as far as hitting the minor victims with a stick when angry.
“These defendants used the promise of America to lure the victim and her children to the United States in search of a better life, only to turn around and use that hope to exploit their dreams under cruel conditions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “There is no place for such cruel conduct in our society, and the Department of Justice remains committed to eradicating human trafficking.”
“These defendants exploited vulnerable victims, forcing them to work in their businesses, failing to pay wages, and depriving them of basic human rights,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues its commitment to protect and defend vulnerable members of our society from human trafficking.”
“This case highlights how the dream of coming to the United States to begin a new, promising life can become a nightmare,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The family worked in public view yet were imprisoned by fear and the lies they had been told by their exploiters. No human being — let alone a family — should be forced to work and live as these victims did. The FBI is committed to identifying and investigating human trafficking. We seek justice for victims, regardless of immigration status. We ask the public to report suspected human trafficking and encourage victims to come forward to escape the cycle of exploitation they may feel trapped within."
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Nov. 8. The defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. As part of the defendants’ plea, they have agreed to pay $300,000 in restitution to the victims.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine T. Lydon and Tanya B. Syed and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Avner Shapiro are prosecuting the case.
Butler, PA Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession ChargeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Charles Perkins, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack, before United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on August 6, 2020, the Pennsylvania State Police conducted a traffic stop on a silver Ford sedan due to non-functioning brake lights at South Duffy Road and New Castle Road in Butler, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement identified Charles Perkins as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. Mr. Perkins informed the trooper that the car belonged to his friend. While speaking with Mr. Perkins, the trooper observed, in plain view, marijuana on the front passenger seat and several stamp bags in a plastic bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat. Mr. Perkins admitted that the plastic bag behind the front passenger seat was his.
Subsequently, the trooper detained Mr. Perkins and conducted a search of the vehicle, discovering approximately 2.5 net grams of crack cocaine, approximately 5.2 net grams of fentanyl packaged within 300 stamp bags marked “Dr. Pepper,” $965.00, and drug use paraphernalia. A search incident to Mr. Perkins’ arrest resulted in the discovery of several additional stamp bags in his underwear. The Greensburg Regional Laboratory subsequently confirmed that the packaged narcotics tested positive for Schedule II controlled substances.
Law enforcement advised Mr. Perkins of his rights, which he waived. Mr. Perkins admitted to “having 30 bricks in his glove box” the last time that he was stopped by the Pennsylvania State Police. He also admitted to being on his way to Butler City to sell the seized substances.
Judge Conti scheduled sentencing for on December 16, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than three years supervised release, not more than 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the defendant was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Pennsylvania State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Bulls Gap Man Sentenced to 235 Months for Possession of a Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Greeneville, Tenn. – On August 23, 2021, Harold Vernon Smith, currently of Bulls Gap, Tennessee, was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. In March of 2021, Smith was convicted after a jury trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of U.S.C. §92(g)(1).
According to the trial testimony, on May 11, 2018, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation related to Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Personal Injury. Witnesses described the vehicle involved, and, a short time later, a Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw a car matching the description in a nearby area. After a pursuit, law enforcement located the car, which was abandoned. The investigation identified Smith as the suspect. On May 13, 2018, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office charged Smith with filing a false report related to the May 11, 2018, incident. On June 21, 2018, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Third Judicial Drug and Violent Crime Task Force arrested Smith in a wooded area on Sunrise Church Road, near Interstate 81 and Highway 11E/W, off Andrew Johnson Highway. At the time of his arrest, Smith was armed with a loaded revolver. A bag that he owned was located nearby and contained his personal items as well as a box of ammunition for the revolver.
Judge Greer determined that Smith was an Armed Career Criminal, subject to a mandatory minimum of 180 months, up to life imprisonment. Smith was sentenced to 235 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Trey Hamilton of the Eastern District of Tennessee; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.
The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Third Judicial Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This investigation was led by ATF Special Agent Bryan Williams.
Assistant United States Attorneys B. Todd Martin and Emily Swecker represented the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a comprehensive national strategy that creates local partnerships with law enforcement agencies to effectively enforce existing gun laws. It provides more options to prosecutors, allowing them to utilize local, state, and federal laws to ensure that criminals who commit gun crime face tough sentences. PSN gives each federal district the flexibility it needs to focus on individual challenges that a specific community faces.
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Buffalo Man Sentenced for Breaking into A Railroad CarRead 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 Ray Chrostowski, 26, of Buffalo, who was convicted of breaking into and larceny from interstate carrier facilities, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that between May and June of 2018, the defendant entered on railroad cars containing interstate shipments of freight in transit on nine separate occasions with co-defendants Paul Krieger and Nicholas Birdwell. Working together, they broke into railcars and removed the property therefrom. On one occasion they broke into a railcar carrying automobiles and removed the tires and rims off of two vehicles. As a result of this conduct, the total loss relating to these vehicles was over $4,718.16. A large quantity of Jefferson bourbon valued at $3,118.80 was also stolen.
Defendants Birdwell and Krieger were previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia and the CSX Police, under the direction of Chief Sean Douris.
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Brunswick men await sentencing after admitting to six armed robberiesRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, Ga: Two Brunswick men face substantial federal prison terms after admitting to the armed robberies of six Brunswick area businesses in August 2020.
Zaeveon Deveon Cooper, 21, and Marquese Bolden, 20, both of Brunswick, await sentencing in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Robbery, and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Their guilty pleas subject the two to a minimum of seven years and maximum of life in federal prison for the firearms charge, in addition to up to 20 years for the robbery charge, along with restitution and a period of supervised release after completion of their prison terms.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“These two men terrorized store employees and customers during their three-week robbery spree, halted thanks to excellent work from the FBI and police officers from Glynn County and Brunswick,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue violent criminals who threaten the safety of our communities.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Cooper and Bolden admitted carrying firearms during robberies of two fast-food restaurants and four convenience stores in Brunswick from Aug. 10 to Aug. 30, 2020. In each robbery, the men brandished guns and took money from the store employees and cash registers at gun point. After the two were identified and arrested, investigators recovered one 9mm pistol used in the robberies.
Bolden is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 4; sentencing for Cooper has not yet been set.
“These two men terrorized innocent businesses and were a threat to the community every day they were on our streets,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Once again, these arrests would not have been possible without a joint effort with our law enforcement partners. Those partnerships are invaluable when violent criminals spread fear throughout our communities.”
The FBI, Brunswick Police Department, and Glynn County Police Department investigated the case, which is being prosecuted for the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
Browning man admits aggravated sexual abuse crimesRead the Press Release
GREAT FALLS – A Browning man accused of sexually abusing two children on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Jonathan Cadotte, 60, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with aggravated sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Cadotte faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for Dec. 8. Cadotte was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that from about September 2019 to September 2020 in the Browning area on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Cadotte engaged in a sexual act by force against a victim, identified as Jane Doe 1, and that from 1993 to about 1998, also in the Browning area, Cadotte engaged in a sexual act with a victim, identified as Jane Doe 2, who had not yet reached 12 years of age.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah A. Paisley is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.
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Brooklyn Business Owner Charged with Bank Fraud, Identity Theft and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
A complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging David Motovich, principal of a lumber and construction materials business, with bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and witness tampering. Motovich was arrested this morning and will make his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann this afternoon.
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 Thomas Fattorusso, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced the arrest and charges.
“As alleged, the defendant used a seemingly legitimate, family-run business as a front for engaging in a $55 million check cashing scheme that deliberately flouted federal banking and anti-money laundering laws. Further, as law enforcement was closing in on his schemes, Motovich attempted to derail the government's investigation by tampering with witnesses,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. “Today's arrest demonstrates that this Office will take down and vigorously prosecute defendants like Motovich, who circumvent compliance with federal financial laws out of greed, just to line his own pockets and live a life of luxury.” Ms. Kasulis also expressed her appreciation to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for their assistance with the case.
“Federal banking laws exist to protect the industry from fraud and the general public from money laundering schemes that often further criminal activity. Motovich, as alleged, broke these laws in order to advance his own monetary interests,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll. “To make matters worse, he’s also accused of tampering with government witnesses. Rest assured this type of illegal behavior will be aggressively pursued by the FBI and our partners.”
“The multiple schemes Mr. Motovich allegedly devised has great impact on both his clients and the United States treasury,” stated IRS-CI Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso. “In our current environment, the services provided by federal and local governments are sorely needed. The allegations in this complaint require the financial expertise IRS-CI provides in order to unravel the complexities of such crimes.”
As alleged in the complaint, since at least 2012, Motovich has operated an illegal check cashing business from his office at his family-run lumber business located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. The customers of Motovich’s illegal check cashing business are primarily the owners and operators of construction companies who pay their employees in cash to avoid having to pay state and federal employment taxes, including taxes owed under the Federal Income Contributions Act. As part of the scheme, Motovich cashed millions of dollars of checks for his customers in exchange for a fee or a percentage of the face amount of the checks, ranging between four and 10 percent. Motovich’s customers paid a higher fee to Motovich than the fees charged by licensed check cashing businesses because the customers understood that Motovich would not file Currency Transaction Reports for cash transactions in amounts greater than $10,000 or Suspicious Activity Reports, as required by federal anti-money laundering statutes. Motovich supplied his check cashing customers with fraudulent documents that they could use to disguise the transactions as payments by the customers for materials and/or subcontracting work if the customers were audited by the New York State Workers Compensation Board or tax authorities.
In furtherance of his scheme, Motovich created shell companies for the sole purpose of facilitating his illegal check cashing business and instructed his customers to issue checks drawn against their business accounts and make the checks payable to one of the companies. Motovich then deposited the checks into bank accounts that he created at several financial institutions. To conceal his control and ownership of the funds in the accounts, and to avoid detection of his scheme, Motovich opened the accounts in the names of other individuals.
In total, between 2012 and 2019, Motovich deposited more than $55 million into the accounts that he had opened in the names of other individuals and used the funds to purchase real estate; pay personal and corporate credit card accounts; purchase luxury items, including millions of dollars of diamonds, watches, jewelry and clothing; make lease and purchase payments for Porsche and Lexus luxury vehicles; pay premiums on multi-million dollar life insurance policies for himself, his wife and others; make renovations to his penthouse apartment; and to fund other business ventures.
When Motovich became aware of the government’s investigation, he tampered with witnesses by encouraging them not to cooperate with the government, including encouraging them to fire their attorneys and retain attorneys that he had handpicked for them, and by paying at least one witness and that witness’s family members so that the witness would not cooperate with law enforcement.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Polemeni, Erik Paulsen and Kaitlin T. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from EDNY Special Agents George Dietz and Martin Sullivan.
The Defendant
DAVID MOTOVICH
Age: 46
New York, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-MJ-979
Billings man admits sex trafficking, drug and firearms crimesRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A Billings man accused in a sex and drug trafficking conspiracy and of brandishing a firearm during an assault over a botched drug deal admitted multiple crimes today, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Mario Juan Drake, 32, pleaded guilty to a second superseding information charging him with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and ecstasy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and use of a facility in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering. Drake faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release on the drug crime and a mandatory minimum seven years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release consecutive to any other sentence on the firearms crime.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date is pending before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. Drake was detained pending further proceedings.
In court documents, the government alleged that in 2019, Drake, co-defendant D’Javon King and others conspired to distribute illegal narcotics, including cocaine and ecstasy. Multiple witnesses and social media involved Drake, King and others in this conspiracy. On April 24, 2019, a struggle ensued between a buyer, identified as A.L., and two distributors, identified as A.R. and K.H., during an attempted distribution of ecstasy at a Billings motel. The buyer assaulted A.R. and left the scene. In response, Drake, King and others arranged a meeting with A.L. during which they assaulted A.L. while holding firearms. Drake brandished a firearm during the assault and later he, King and others informed A.R. and K.H. that they had retaliated against A.L. in response to the failed drug transaction. King pleaded guilty to charges in the case and is pending sentencing.
The government further alleged that in April and May 2019, two women, identified as Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 5, were both engaged in commercial sex with Drake and also were intimately involved with him. Drake used his cell phone to assist with commercial sex dates for Jane Does 3 and 5 by receiving and posting photos of the Does for advertisements, setting pricing for calls and communicating with sex date customers for both Does. Drake would accompany the Does to hotels and would use a timer during the calls. If the calls went past the time, Drake would enter the room.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Beaver Falls Man Admits to Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA– A former resident of Beaver County, PA, pleaded guilty in federal court to violations of the federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Brandon Quinn, 33, formerly of Beaver Falls, PA, pleaded guilty to a two-count Indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and with possessing 28 grams or more of cocaine base with the intent to distribute it, before United States District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Quinn’s criminal conduct was uncovered during a Title III wiretap investigation targeting a drug trafficking organization operated by Donald Epps. That investigation resulted in the indictment of Epps and 11 other alleged co-conspirators, all of whom are charged in the Western District of Pennsylvania with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine from November 2019 until June 2020. The government advised the Court that its evidence showed that Epps distributed kilogram quantities of cocaine to alleged codefendant Michael Turner who, in turn, redistributed 500 grams or more of that cocaine to Defendant Quinn. The government further advised the Court that in November 2020, agents searched a residence utilized by Quinn where they seized over 28 grams of cocaine base (in the form commonly known as “crack”). In connection with his plea, Quinn admitted he possessed the cocaine base for redistribution.
Judge Haines scheduled sentencing for Jan. 5, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and not more than forty years in prison, a fine of not more than $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Pending sentencing, the court remanded Mr. Quinn to the custody of the United States Marshal.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (Bureau of Narcotics Investigations) led the multi-agency investigation in this case, which also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. This Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force investigation was a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Baltimore Drug Trafficking Organization Leader and Supplier Sentenced to over 12 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine BaseRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Adam Martin, a/k/a “Fats”, age 38, of Baltimore, to 150 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of cocaine base.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from at least September 2018 to June 2019, Martin participated in a drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) operating near Edmonson Village in Baltimore, Maryland. The DTO sold cocaine and other narcotics on a daily basis in street-level quantities. During this period of time, the FBI and other law enforcement investigators intercepted phone communications of DTO members, conducted physical and electronic surveillance, purchased narcotics from DTO members, and executed multiple search warrants at locations used by the DTO to store and process narcotics.
From November 2018 to February 2019, FBI investigators intercepted phone calls from Martin and his co-conspirators where they discussed the distribution of narcotics at a DTO controlled drug shop. Surveillance conducted by FBI investigators also revealed that Martin controlled the cocaine base supply and other narcotics to the DTO’s street-level distributors.
As stated in his plea agreement, on April 10, 2019, the FBI executed a search warrant at a West Franklin Street residence where Martin stored narcotics. During the search of the residence, agents recovered four firearms, multiple vials of cocaine base packaged for sale, and other narcotics. On the same day, agents searched a Walbrook Avenue residence where Martin stored cocaine base. As a result of the second search and seizure, law enforcement recovered a loaded firearm and over 200 grams of cocaine base.
Martin agrees that he possessed the narcotics with the intent to distribute and that he possessed the firearms in relation to the drug conspiracy. Martin also agrees that over the course of the conspiracy, he distributed over 280 grams of cocaine base.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the FBI and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew DellaBetta who prosecuted the case.
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Arch Family Dentistry Office Managers Charged in Superseding IndictmentRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Justyn Arch, age 34, and Trystan Arch, age 31, both of Valparaiso, Indiana were both charged in a Superseding Indictment unsealed today. The Superseding Indictment contains 29 counts alleging various violations of federal law against these two individuals announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
According to documents in this case, Arch Complete Family Dentistry, with offices located in Chesterton, Crown Point, and briefly in Knox, Indiana, was an authorized Indiana Medicaid provider of dental procedures. In October 2017, Justyn Arch, Vice President of Arch Complete Family Dentistry, also managed the Crown Point office. Trystan Arch managed the Chesterton office.
The Superseding Indictment alleged that Justyn and Trystan Arch executed a scheme to defraud Indiana Medicaid by causing false and fictitious entries in patient files, and using the names and information related to these patients, to reflect that Arch dentists performed dental surgery when in fact no surgery had been performed. The claims totaled more than $350,000 in false and fictitious claims to Indiana Medicaid.
Additionally, the Superseding indictment alleges that Justyn Arch committed tax evasion and money laundering related to the funds obtained from this fraud and that Trystan Arch committed false tax filings, bankruptcy fraud and bankruptcy obstruction, related to the funds obtained from this fraud. Both are also charged with multiple instances of aggravated identity theft.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that a Superseding Indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons are presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the Judge after a consideration of federal statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Porter County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Northern Indiana Region 10 Office of the U.S. Trustee, Nancy J. Gargula. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Philip C. Benson.
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Anaheim Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy in Stanislaus and San Joaquin CountiesRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Jose Reyes-Pineda, 48, of Anaheim, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Reyes and co-defendants Genaro Serrato-Calles, 51, and Antonio Valencia-Hernandez, 65, both of Modesto, and Antonio Castellanos, 38, of Whittier, were charged with conspiring over a two-year period to distribute drugs in Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties. As part of the drug conspiracy, Reyes delivered over 11 pounds of methamphetamine to Valencia for distribution in Modesto.
Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Nov. 15, 2021. Castellanos, Serrato, and Valencia previously pleaded guilty. Castellanos is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 18, 2021, and Serrato and Valencia are both scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 8, 2021. Each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10 million. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force; the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force; the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency; and the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Escobar and Melanie Alsworth are prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
ATM Fraud Duo Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Conspiracy, Bank Fraud, and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Isaleb Anofils, 32, of Vero Beach, Florida, and Donyell Garland, 32, of Tallahassee, Florida, were each sentenced on Friday and last month, respectively, to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The sentences, following the defendants’ guilty pleas last October, were announced by Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“As our citizens become more reliant on web-based banking, it is paramount that our financial institutions are not defrauded and their customers’ personal identifiable information is secure,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “The volume of fraudulent ATM transactions and the sophistication employed here demonstrate the significant threat posed by this type of activity. Given the cooperative efforts of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, these criminals were arrested within weeks of the commencement of their crime spree, thereby safeguarding the personal identifying information and assets of countless other victims.”
Court documents reflect, that between January 1, 2018, and April 9, 2018, Anofils and Garland conspired to defraud multiple federally insured financial institutions. The defendants used a combination of a cell phone spoofing app and various Internet websites to obtain personally identifiable information of victims. Anofils and Garland then used that information to conduct 285 fraudulent ATM transactions at Tallahassee-area financial institutions. In total, Anofils and Garland stole or attempted to steal over $151,000 from 47 different banking customers.
“The collaborative and efficient effort between our agencies has again resulted in the arrest and conviction of those preying on innocent and hardworking citizens,” said Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil.
“This successful investigation and resulting prosecution stand as a testament to the high level of competence and excellence in law enforcement displayed by the men and women who serve at all levels of federal, state and local law enforcement in the North Florida district,” said Resident Agent in Charge Seth Reister, Tallahassee Resident U.S. Secret Service. “As criminals and their enterprises have evolved both in sophistication and technical proficiency, the district’s investigative agencies have met the challenge through agility and dedication to continued innovations in both deterrent and proactive technological solutions to cyber and other emerging technology crime trends.”
Both defendants’ 48-month prison sentences will be followed by 5 years supervised release. Both defendants were also ordered to pay restitution to the victims.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
23 August 2021
William D. Wood Jr. Enters Federal Guilty Plea in Chili’s Double Homicide CaseRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William D. Wood, Jr. pled guilty today to federal charges related to the September 2018 robbery and murders he committed at the Chili’s Grill and Bar in Dewitt, New York, announced Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Wood, age 35, of Syracuse, entered guilty pleas to three federal felonies: one count of robbery and two counts of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and murder. He admitted that in September 2018, he planned and carried out an armed robbery of the Chili’s in Dewitt, and that during the commission of the robbery he directly caused the deaths of two people by use of a firearm.
Wood further admitted that during the early morning hours of September 15, 2018, armed with a loaded handgun, he forced his way into the back door of Chili’s, where four employees remained to close the restaurant. Wood admitted that he held all four employees on the ground at gunpoint, and after obtaining the available cash from the restaurant’s safe, shot and killed Stephen Gudknecht and Kristopher Hicks. Wood admitted that his gun malfunctioned as he attempted to shoot another employee, allowing time for that employee and a fourth employee to hide and flee from Wood.
Wood’s sentencing is scheduled for December 29, 2021 before Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy in Binghamton, New York. He faces maximum sentences of 20 years on the robbery conviction, and life on each of the two firearms offenses. 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; however, by statute, the sentences imposed on each count of conviction in this case must run consecutively to one another.
Wood was previously sentenced in Onondaga County Court to life without parole following his plea of guilty to related state crimes, including two counts of Murder in the First Degree. Wood will serve his state sentence first, and if ever released by New York State, he would be surrendered to federal custody to serve any undischarged portion of his federal term of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the Town of Dewitt Police Department, and the New York State Police, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa M. Fletcher and Michael D. Gadarian.
Wesson Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Wesson man was sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jack Staton of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.
According to court documents, Gunner Nathaniel Speed, 25, was stopped by the Flowood Police Department on November 15, 2019, for a traffic violation. He was found to have over 150 pictures and videos portraying children having sex and simulated sex with adult males on his cell phone.
Speed was charged in a federal criminal indictment on June 10, 2020. He pled guilty on March 1, 2021, to possession of child pornography.
Speed was sentenced today to serve 84 months in federal prison, followed by 8 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $214,301.43 in restitution.
The case is part of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Flowood Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Union City Man Sentenced to 4 Years for a Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A resident of Erie County, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 4 years in jail and 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Matthew Swanson, 30, of Union City, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, in and around August 2020, Swanson possessed computer images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Swanson came to the attention of law enforcement after Kik reported that a Kik user was engaged in child exploitation activity. That user was ultimately determined to be Swanson, who confessed to the FBI that he had been downloading child sexual abuse material for years and had recently used Kik to obtain illegal material.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Swanson.
U.S. Minerals, Inc. admits Clean Air Act violation for exposing employees to arsenic at Anaconda plantRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – U.S. Minerals, Inc., a corporation accused of exposing employees to elevated levels of arsenic at its Anaconda facility, today admitted violating the Clean Air Act, said Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson.
In addition, U.S. Minerals has agreed to settle a related civil case regarding violations brought by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
U.S. Minerals pleaded guilty to one count of negligent endangerment, a misdemeanor, under the Clean Air Act as charged in a criminal information. The corporation faces a maximum penalty of five years of probation and a fine as determined through statute.
Under the terms of a plea agreement in the criminal case, the government and U.S. Minerals will jointly recommend to the Court that the company be placed on probation for five years and pay a $393,200 fine. The agreement recommends probationary conditions in which U.S. Minerals will implement a nationwide environmental health and safety plan that applies to all of U.S. Minerals’ facilities throughout the United States and a medical monitoring program for current and former employees who have been exposed to elevated levels of arsenic during their work at the Anaconda plant, which has ceased operations.
U.S. Minerals also has agreed to resolve a related civil case brought by OSHA, alleging 19 serious health and safety violations with a total penalty of $106,800. Under the terms of that agreement, U.S. Minerals will accept all citations as issued and pay the penalty as assessed.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing in the criminal case was set for Dec. 10 in Butte before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.
“Throughout Montana’s long history with mining, operators like U.S. Minerals have sacrificed worker safety for profit. These operators need to know that there are severe consequences to this kind of callous behavior. This is an important case because it not only holds the operator criminally responsible for poisoning its own workers, but it also prevents U.S. Minerals from doing this again anywhere in the country. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric E. Nelson, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of Labor, Office of Safety and Health Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for their diligent work on investigating this case and bringing these wrongdoers to justice,” Acting U.S. Attorney Johnson said.
“This case demonstrates that EPA and its federal law enforcement partners will hold companies accountable when they engage in conduct that places their employees in danger from exposure to airborne releases of hazardous air pollutants such as arsenic,” said Lance Ehrig, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Montana. “The criminal and civil penalties serve to provide deterrence, and the 5-year national compliance plan requires U.S. Minerals to implement an inspections, training and auditing program to ensure a safer working environment at all its facilities. Finally, and importantly, health monitoring will be assured for current and former employees at the U.S Minerals Anaconda facility that were exposed to airborne arsenic.”
“The employees of U.S. Minerals were finally given the justice they deserved through a joint effort between the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Justice, and our staff at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Working together, we were able to leverage our resources and hold U.S. Minerals accountable for overexposing employees to inorganic arsenic and violating multiple federal laws,” said Galen Blanton, Regional Administrator for OSHA’s Denver Region 8.
The government alleged in court documents that U.S. Minerals, which has multiple facilities throughout the United States, manufactured silicate abrasive, a substance sold to industrial and governmental customers. Raw materials used in the production process were obtained from a copper slag pile located within the Anaconda Superfund site. The government further alleged that from July 2015 until February 2019, U.S. Minerals negligently released into the air inorganic arsenic, a hazardous air pollutant, and exposed employees. Exposure to arsenic is known to cause lung and skin diseases, including an increased risk of skin cancer, and may also cause cardiovascular effects and other cancers.
The government further alleged that in July 2015, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) inspected the site, collected air samples from throughout the outdoor facility and conducted personal monitoring of employees on site. An analysis determined employees were exposed to levels of arsenic and lead, which exceeded both NIOSH and OSHA exposure limits, and that there were high levels of arsenic and lead in the ambient air.
In late 2015, OSHA inspected the facility and found numerous violations of health and safety standards. The violations included employees being exposed to inorganic arsenic at levels that ranged between 1.25 and 4.75 times the OSHA permissible exposure limits. As a result of the inspection, OSHA issued 19 serious violations with penalties totaling $106,800.
The government also alleged that in April 2018, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services learned of a U.S. Minerals employee diagnosed with arsenic poisoning at a local hospital. Over the next few days, the state learned of three additional U.S. Minerals employees who had high levels of arsenic in their urine. State officials conducted a site visit in June 2018, noted “apparent inhalation hazards” and shared their findings with U.S. Minerals. A second inspection in October 2018 found the previous violations had not been addressed and that employees were still exposed to hazards.
In addition, the government alleged that on Feb. 20, 2019, after the investigation discovered numerous employees with high levels of arsenic, the state issued an order for U.S. Minerals to cease and desist operations until it implemented controls and protected its workers. The state lifted the order and allowed U.S. Minerals to resume operating in March 2019 under certain conditions. One of those conditions required U.S. Minerals to provide the state with quarterly medical monitoring reports related to arsenic and lead testing results on employees. Documents provided by U.S. Minerals to the state showed there were still employees who periodically tested high for arsenic and lead.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric E. Nelson are prosecuting the criminal case, which was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, OSHA, NIOSH, and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor is litigating the OSHA matter.
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Three South Lake Tahoe Residents Charged with Drug Trafficking and Texas Man Charged with Trafficking FirearmsRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned three indictments on Aug. 19, charging four individuals with drug and gun crimes committed in and around South Lake Tahoe, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced
The indictment against Joshua Daniel Wilson, 34, of South Lake Tahoe, and Cody Lee Cramer, 39, of Lampasas, Texas, charges them together with one count of dealing firearms without a license. The indictment also Wilson with one count of distributing at least 500 grams of methamphetamine, four counts of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, and one count of dealing firearms without a license.
According to court documents, Wilson sold methamphetamine to an informant multiple times over the course of five months. During this course of dealing, Wilson also offered to sell the informant other drugs, including LSD and MDMA. During that same period, Wilson and Cramer sold the informant firearms, including an AR-15 style rifle, a shotgun, and several handguns. Some of the weapons had been manufactured without serial numbers. Such weapons are often referred to as “ghost guns,” and the lack of a serial number impairs the ability of law enforcement agencies to trace them.
The grand jury also returned a four-count indictment against Patricia Louise Ekizian, 69, of South Lake Tahoe, charging her with distribution of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Ekizian sold methamphetamine to an informant on multiple occasions over several months.
Finally, the grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Frank Ray Bacon, 53, of South Lake Tahoe, charging him with distribution of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Bacon sold methamphetamine to an informant on two occasions.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. During a coordinated law enforcement operation earlier this month, agents and officers executed arrest warrants in South Lake Tahoe, related to the illicit interstate drug and weapons trafficking that ultimately resulted in the three indictments. Assistant United States Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Wilson faces a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine for the count of distributing at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. If convicted of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, Wilson faces a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence , a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million. If convicted of the charge of dealing firearms without a license, Wilson and Cramer each face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
If convicted, Ekizian faces a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence, a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million.
If convicted, Bacon faces a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million for each count. Each count also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Any sentence 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 defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for Foreign Exchange Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Texas man pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of Texas to defrauding investors that he solicited via social media by falsely promising high rates of return and low or no-risk returns on foreign exchange investments.
According to court documents, Kelvin Ramirez, 25, of Houston, used social media platforms to falsely promote himself as a successful trader of foreign exchange investments or “forex” and attract investors. Through his Instagram accounts, Ramirez marketed “investment groups” and “private accounts” that purportedly traded in forex and were managed by Ramirez. For both types of investments, Ramirez solicited individuals by falsely promising high returns on investments, making false representations about the risk associated with the investments and falsely guaranteeing returns on investment. Through his scheme, Ramirez fraudulently obtained more than $650,000 from over 100 individuals, and then used investors’ funds for personal expenses.
Ramirez pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. In addition, he has agreed to pay full restitution to victims, including a monetary loss of at least $687,792.93. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Inspector General Jay N. Lerner of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office made the announcement.
The FDIC’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Laura Connelly of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.
Individuals who believe they may be a victim should visit https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/Kelvin-Ramirez for more information.
Six Southern California Companies Convicted of Scheming to Avoid Payment of $1.8 Billion in Duties on Imported Chinese AluminumRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal jury today found six corporate entities guilty of participating in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the United States via a wire-and-customs fraud scheme in which huge amounts of aluminum – disguised as “pallets” to avoid $1.8 billion in customs duties – were exported to the United States and were “sold” to fraudulently inflate a China-based company’s revenues and deceive investors worldwide.
The jury found the following two aluminum businesses and four warehousing companies – all of which were related to one another – guilty of one count of conspiracy, nine counts of wire fraud and seven counts of passing false and fraudulent papers through a customhouse:
- Perfectus Aluminium Inc., an Ontario-based business;
- Perfectus Aluminium Acquisitions LLC, a subsidiary of Perfectus Aluminium formed in 2014 to oversee several companies that received aluminum pallets shipped to the United States after duties were imposed on Chinese aluminum in 2011;
- Scuderia Development LLC, which owns a warehouse in Riverside;
- 1001 Doubleday LLC, which owns a warehouse in Ontario;
- Von Karman – Main Street LLC, which owns a warehouse in Irvine;
- 10681 Production Avenue LLC, which owns a warehouse in Fontana.
The two Perfectus companies also were found guilty of seven additional counts of international promotional money laundering.
According to evidence presented at the nine-day trial, China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd., Asia’s largest manufacturer of aluminum extrusions, Zhongtian Liu, the company’s former president and chairman, several individual defendants and the corporate defendants found guilty today lied to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to avoid paying the United States $1.8 billion in anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) that were imposed in 2011 on certain types of extruded aluminum imported into the United States from China.
The aluminum sold to United States-based companies controlled by Liu was simply aluminum extrusions that were spot-welded together to make them appear to be functional pallets. In fact, there were no customers for the 2.2 million pallets imported by the Liu-controlled companies between 2011 and 2014, and no pallets were ever sold.
The vast majority of the pallets were imported through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and then stockpiled at four large warehouses in Southern California, all of which were purchased at Liu’s direction.
Liu and his co-defendants orchestrated the bogus sales of aluminum to Liu-controlled companies in Southern California to falsely inflate China Zhongwang’s value. Liu was the majority owner of China Zhongwang, which has been listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since a 2009 initial public offering that raised $1.26 billion.
After the AD/CVD duties were put in place in 2011, the company’s annual reports falsely claimed that there was a robust demand for the aluminum pallets in the United States. Although the annual reports asserted that the aluminum pallets were being sold to independent third parties, and defendants used these reported “sales” to inflate China Zhongwang’s reported sales volume and purported volume of exports to the United States, in fact the aluminum was being stockpiled by Liu-controlled entities in more than 2 million square feet of warehouse space owned by the warehouse defendants in Southern California, as well as at Liu’s New Jersey facility.
Since there was no actual demand for the pallets, defendants Liu and China Zhongwang arranged for aluminum melting facilities to be built and acquired, which were to be used to reconfigure the aluminum imported as pallets into a form with commercial value.
The defendants facilitated their schemes by laundering hundreds of millions of dollars through shell companies to the U.S.-based aluminum companies controlled by Liu. The funds were then transferred to China Zhongwang and the other shell companies as payments for the aluminum.
United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner has scheduled a December 13 sentencing hearing in this case.
The remaining four defendants charged in the 2019 federal grand jury indictment in this case have yet to appear in court in the United States to face the criminal charges in this matter:
- Zhongtian Liu, 57, a billionaire Chinese citizen who is a former Tustin resident, and who is the former president and former chairman of the board of China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd.;
- China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd., a publicly traded aluminum company based in Liaoyang City that at the time of the indictment was the largest aluminum extrusion manufacturer in Asia and the second largest in the world;
- Zhaohua Chen, 62, a Chinese national who allegedly was a close friend of Liu and a key player in the scheme; and
- Xiang Chun Shao, a.k.a. “Johnson Shao,” 60, most recently of Irvine, who allegedly managed a collection of Southern California businesses that pretended to be independent third parties importing the Chinese aluminum.
In 2017, the United States Attorney’s Office filed civil forfeiture actions against the four Southern California warehouses used by Perfectus to store the pallets. In 2018, the government filed a fifth civil forfeiture complaint against “approximately 279,808 Aluminum Structures in the Shape of Pallets,” about half of which were seized in early 2017 at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the other half were seized from three other warehouses Perfectus was using to store the pallets. Those civil asset forfeiture cases have been stayed pending the completion of the criminal prosecution, in which the government is seeking the criminal forfeiture of the warehouses and seized aluminum.
Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Poonam G. Kumar and Roger A. Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section and Gregory D. Bernstein of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan S. Galatzan, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section, is handling the asset forfeiture-related portion of this case.
Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing Guns.Read the Press Release
A man from Sioux City, Iowa who admitted being a user of illegal drugs, and who was found in possession of guns, was sentenced to federal prison for firearms charges.
Jason Mota, age 27, from Sioux City, Iowa received the prison term after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a drug user.
Evidence at his detention, change of plea, and sentencing hearings revealed Mota was an unlawful user and trafficker of cocaine and marijuana, and illegally in possession of five guns. On May 3, 2020, Mota’s crime was discovered when officers responded to a shots fired call. Citizen witnesses described a male walking on the sidewalk firing handguns into the air. They were able to inform law enforcement of where the shooter went after he fired the weapons. When police approached Mota’s apartment, Mota walked out and confessed to being the shooter. Mota gave consent to search his home, and officers found guns, $2,000 in cash, packaging materials, a digital scale, pounds of marijuana and 100 grams of cocaine.
At his sentencing, Mota claimed he had been hording drugs to support his own personal use in a time of pandemic. The district court did not credit the claim and instead concluded he had possessed his guns in connection with his drug trafficking activity.
Mota was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Mota was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Mota is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4034.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Sioux Center Man Sentenced to over Four Years in Federal Prison for Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
An unlawful drug user who possessed more than a dozen guns was sentenced August 18, 2021 to more than four years in federal prison.
Derrick Jager, age 19, from Sioux Center, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 19, 2021 guilty plea to one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.
Evidence at Jager’s detention, change of plea, and sentencing hearings revealed that Jager, who was an unlawful user of marijuana and cocaine, stole a dozen guns from a local licensed firearms dealer in three separate burglaries. Jager illegally disposed of these guns while also trafficking illegal drugs.
Jager was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Jager was sentenced to 54 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to pay $4,400 in restitution. He must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Jager is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, Sioux Center, Iowa Police Department, Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-4070.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Scottsdale Man Sentenced to Eight Years for AssaultRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Lawrence Lorenzo Blackshire, 39, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. A jury previously convicted Blackshire of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner, Simple Assault, and Unlawful Imprisonment.
On September 11, 2018, on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Blackshire assaulted the victim. The assault resulted in the victim having a broken nose and various contusions on her head and body. Blackshire prevented the victim from leaving the residence for approximately twelve hours. Blackshire is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Sharon Sexton, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Kevin Pooley, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-19-1033-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2021- 053_Blackshire# # #
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.Richlands Man Sentenced to 57 Months for Possessing Sawed-off ShotgunRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Richlands, Va., man, who was previously convicted of several felonies making him ineligible to possess a firearm, was sentenced last week to 57 months in federal prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun.
According to court documents, Terry Mitchell, 42, and two women were pulled over in Bluefield, Virginia on July 23, 2020 at 3:30 a.m. The vehicle had several lights out. Mitchell was in the rear passenger seat. It was determined the driver had a suspended driver’s license and officers observed a controlled substance in the car.
All three occupants were asked to step out of the vehicle to be impounded. While conducting an inventory of the vehicle before it was towed, officers discovered a sawed-off, short barrel shotgun with a 12-gauge shotgun shell loaded in the chamber. The shotgun was hidden under a blanket on the floorboard of the vehicle. Officers also discovered a bag filled with numerous syringes, smoking devices, scales, empty baggies, and a small amount of methamphetamine.
Mitchell pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Bluefield Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Murphy is prosecuted the case.
Raytown Man Pleads Guilty to Meth, Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Raytown, Missouri, man who was beaten and shot during a robbery that resulted in police officers discovering illegal drugs at his residence, pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing methamphetamine and heroin to distribute.
Daniel A. Briscoe, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute.
Kansas City police officers were called to Briscoe’s residence at approximately 5:17 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2019, regarding a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Briscoe on a neighbor’s porch. He had three gunshot wounds to his legs and blood was coming from his head. Briscoe told officers he was in his bedroom with a female companion when he was robbed, pistol whipped, and shot by two men. He said the men took $52,000, his cell phone, and his 2009 Buick Cadillac. Before he was transported to the hospital, Briscoe gave his consent for officers to search his residence.
Officers followed blood droplets leading to a bedroom, where they found pools of blood. In the bedroom where the shooting occurred, detectives found a grocery sack that contained nine bags, which contained a total of 385.9 grams of pure methamphetamine. In the kitchen, detectives found two suspected drug ledgers and, in the freezer, four bags that contained a total of approximately 3.78 grams of heroin.
Under federal statutes, Briscoe is subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Presque Isle Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Crystal Greenlaw, 31, and her co-conspirators then distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Greenlaw made at least two trips to obtain methamphetamine and transport it back to Maine.
Greenlaw faces between 10 years and life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. She also faces between five years and a lifetime of supervised release. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Presque Isle Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Presque Isle man was sentenced in federal court today for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Joel Strother, a/k/a “Jody,” 42, to 27 years in prison and five years of supervised release. Strother pleaded guilty in January 2021.
According to court records, between approximately July 2018 and May 2019, Strother and other members of the conspiracy obtained methamphetamine in western and southern states from sources in Mexico. Strother personally made trips to Georgia, Arizona, California and Mexico and obtained methamphetamine. He also recruited and directed others to participate in similar trips. Once Strother and his co-conspirators transported the methamphetamine back to Maine, they distributed the drugs in Aroostook County and other parts of central and northern Maine. Strother also recruited and directed others to distribute the drugs.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated this case with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Portland Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— A Portland woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a fraud scheme whereby she and a co-conspirator would steal mail from residential mailboxes and use stolen personal identification information to defraud local banks.
Latanya Jenkins, 50, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud, mail theft, and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, beginning on an unknown date and continuing until at least July 7, 2020, Jenkins and an accomplice, Demontae Sanders, 48, also of Portland, conspired with one another to steal mail from residential mailboxes throughout the Portland Metropolitan Area. Jenkins and Sanders stole checks, credit cards, and other personal identity information that they used to impersonate victims and open accounts at several local credit unions and banks. The pair used the accounts to defraud these financial institutions.
To further their scheme, Jenkins and Sanders communicated with one another by text and used the internet at Jenkins’ residence to open several bank accounts using stolen information. Together, they collected hundreds of stolen financial documents including bank statements, checks, tax returns, U.S. Passports, and other government-issued identification documents. They also stole and cashed an Economic Impact Payment check issued by the U.S. Treasury.
On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an 18-count indictment charging Jenkins and Sanders with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and mail theft.
Jenkins faces a maximum sentence of 37 years in prison; a $1.5 million fine or twice her criminally derived gains, whichever is larger; and five years of supervised release. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence. She will be sentenced on December 14, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown.
As part of the plea agreement, Jenkins has agreed to pay restitution in full to her victims as identified by the government and ordered by the court.
Sanders pleaded guilty to the same charges on May 4, 2021. He will be sentenced on November 11, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service jointly investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Uram is prosecuting the case.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime.
According to court documents, Dan Bean, 42, of Toledo, admitted that in 2018, officers with the Huntington Police Department searched his residence on Artisan Avenue in Huntington and seized approximately 55 grams of cocaine and 20 grams of crack cocaine. Bean admitted to officers that he sold cocaine and crack cocaine in the Huntington area.
Bean pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine and faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on November 29, 2021.
Assistant United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the plea hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor is handling the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-000157.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOHNNY TRIPLETT, age 33 of New Orleans, pled guilty on August 19, 2021 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and 100 grams of heroin.
According to court documents, TRIPLETT and others conspired to transport cocaine hydrochloride and heroin between Texas and New Orleans.
TRIPLETT faces a minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years and a maximum term of 40 years of imprisonment. A fine of up to $5,000,000 may also be imposed or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person. TRIPLETT will be placed on supervised release after imprisonment for a period of not less than 4 years. Additionally, a mandatory $100 special assessment fee will be assessed. U.S. District Court Judge Fallon set sentencing for November 19, 2021.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Privitera and Jonathan L. Shih are in charge of the prosecution.
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New Britain Man Arrested in Manchester Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HILARY ANTHONY BROWNE, 31, of New Britain, pleaded guilty today to firearm possession and drug distribution offenses.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in late 2019, the Manchester Police Department, East Central Narcotics Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force conducted an investigation of Browne for selling cocaine. Browne was arrested in Manchester on December 20, 2019. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a small quantity of cocaine. After Browne informed an officer that he possessed a firearm, ballistic vest and a quantity of cocaine at his New Britain apartment, a consent search of the apartment revealed a loaded semi-automatic Pieper, Model 1908/Basculant, 6.35mm pistol; a bullet proof vest; and a pill bottle containing 4.7 grams of cocaine.
Browne’s criminal history includes state convictions for robbery in the first degree with the threat of a firearm, burglary and failure to appear.
Browne pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; felon in possession of body armor, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years; and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
This matter has been investigated by the Manchester Police Department, East Central Narcotics Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Keefe.
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.
Nevada Man Pleads Guilty for Tribal FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Nevada resident and former manager of the Warm Springs Construction Enterprise (WSCE) pleaded guilty today in federal court for his role in a fraud scheme targeting the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Thomas Valentino Adams pleaded guilty to theft of funds from a Tribal organization.
According to court documents, the Warm Springs Economic Development Corporation (WSEDC), also known as Warm Springs Ventures (WSV), is a Tribal organization owned and operated by the Warm Springs Tribes. WSV operates as the management organization for several Tribal business entities, including WSCE.
Adams and an accomplice; Roderick Ariwite, the former CEO of WSEDC, Adams’ manager at WSCE, and resident of the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho; created a construction company called Warbonnet Construction Services LLC. While drawing tribal salaries and travel reimbursements, Adams and Ariwite engaged in work projects for Warbonnet. In 2018, Adams and Ariwite used tribal funds to hire a subcontractor for a Warbonnet project and submitted vouchers for expenses they incurred they took on behalf of themselves and Warbonnet, which were reimbursed with tribal funds. In total, Adams and Ariwite’s scheme cost the Warm Springs Tribes more than $50,000.
On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Adams and Ariwite with conspiracy and theft of funds from a Tribal organization.
Adams faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on November 15, 2021 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.
Adams has agreed to pay $4,859 in restitution to the Warm Springs Tribes.
Ariwite is on pre-trial release pending a three-day jury trial scheduled to begin on September 14, 2021.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Warm Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Meredith Bateman and Seth Uram, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Military spouse pleads guilty to molesting child on two different military installationsRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 39-year-old civilian resident of Joint Base Lewis McChord pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to abusive sexual contact with a child under 12, and sexual abuse of a child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Shawn Matthew Wilcher faces up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on November 15, 2021.
According to the plea agreement and other records filed in the case, Wilcher is the spouse of an active-duty enlisted Army soldier. Between October 2015 and January 2018, Wilcher resided with his spouse on Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Between October 1, 2018 and May 21, 2019, Wilcher and his spouse resided on Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). Wilcher admits in his plea agreement that he sexually molested a young child left in his care during his residence at both military bases. The abuse came to light in May 2019, when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend who reported it to a school counselor. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and the FBI immediately investigated the case. Wilcher has been in custody since his arrest on May 25, 2019.
The charges in the District of Hawaii and the Western District of Washington are both resolved by this plea agreement. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the prosecutors will recommend a sentence of not more than 27 years in prison. Judge Settle is not bound by the plea agreement and is free to impose any sentence allowed by law up to life in prison. The defense and prosecution have both agreed that Wilcher will be on lifetime supervision following any prison term and will be required to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Army CID.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Grady Leupold and Matt Hampton for the Western District of Washington, and Morgan Early for the District of Hawaii.
Mexican National Who Attempted to Eat Memory Cards Containing Child Pornography Sentenced to 12 YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – David Sierra Orozco, 31, a Mexican national and recent resident of Georgia, was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for possessing child pornography. A federal jury found Orozco guilty of the charge on March 23, 2021, following a two-day trial.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, on July 25, 2017, members of the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office were observing traffic outside of Dunn city limits, when they spotted a Lexus whose registered owner had an expired license. They followed the Lexus, and after observing it twice drift across the center lane, conducted a traffic stop.
The driver identified himself as Orozco and presented a Mexican consular ID but no valid driver’s license. Officers noticed that Orozco appeared extremely nervous—he was sweating profusely despite the air conditioner on high and was shaking uncontrollably. They also noticed tool marks on the car’s instrument panel and that the cover was not flush with the dashboard. Recognizing this as signs of a possible hidden “trap” in the dashboard, officers called for a K-9 deputy. As the traffic stop proceeded, Orozco consented to a search, and the K-9 arrived and alerted to the car. Within a trap in the dashboard, officers found $111,252 in cash, wrapped in blocks within grocery bags.
While being processed into the Harnett County Jail on a charge of driving without a license, Orozco was searched. A folded up $100 bill was removed from his pocket, and as law enforcement unfolded it, several MicroSD memory cards fell out. Orozco lunged for the floor, picked up what appeared to be two memory cards, and put them in his mouth. Officers recovered one chewed half of a memory card from his mouth and three intact cards from the floor.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant based on possible narcotics trafficking. But upon opening the first MicroSD memory card, they spotted what appeared to be child sexual abuse material, commonly referred to as child pornography. After securing a second search warrant, a full forensic review uncovered over 261 videos and 2 images of child pornography on one MicroSD memory card, another 14 videos on a second memory card, and 5 child pornography thumbnails on the defendant’s smart phone. Most files depicted children under 12 years of age.
Along with the child pornography, the forensic examiner found files linking the devices to Orozco. Two of the memory cards and the cell phone contained photographs that Orozco had taken of himself. The other card contained a photo of a car that an officer confirmed was the same make, model, and color as the Lexus that Orozco had been driving. Forensics further showed that Orozco had taken and sent one of the photos of himself using the same mobile application that had been used to collect the child pornography.
“Those who exploit children over the internet cannot hide behind their computers and phones. As this prosecution demonstrates, we will work tirelessly with both our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that these offenders answer for their crimes,” stated G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
“Orozco thought he could hide his crimes by swallowing a memory card, but he will find it tougher to swallow the fact that he will now be held accountable for his predatory behavior,” said Special Agent in Charge Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in North Carolina and South Carolina. “Protecting our most vulnerable populations from exploitation is one of our most important and impactful missions.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Acker made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Harnett County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level. For more information about this important national project, Project Safe Childhood, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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. 5:19-cr-00095-D.
Man Pleads Guilty to Two Counts of Robbery in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
A man who engaged in a series of violent crimes in Tulsa pleaded guilty today in federal court to two counts of robbery in Indian Country, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
“Deshawn Patrick, armed with a pistol, committed two violent robberies and posed a serious danger to the public. Thanks to the Tulsa Police Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors, he has been held accountable for his violent criminal behavior. Chief U.S. District Judge John Heil will sentence Patrick on Nov. 30,” said Johnson.
In his plea agreement, Deshawn Patrick, 19, of Tulsa, admitted that he pointed a firearm and used force to take a minor victim’s phone, car keys and vehicle in Tulsa. When the victim arrived at an apartment complex on Sept. 6, 2020, Deshawn Patrick exited his vehicle pointing a firearm at the teenage victim and, along with a codefendant and two juvenile accomplices, demanded the driver and passenger exit the vehicle. He and his accomplices grabbed the victim’s phone and car keys. Patrick and an accomplice then drove away in the victim’s car.
Patrick further admitted to robbing a second victim on Oct. 18, 2020. Patrick and a juvenile accomplice approached the 74 year-old victim inside the victim’s garage. Patrick and his accomplice pointed semi-automatic pistols at the victim in order to gain entry into the house. Patrick struck the elderly victim in the head with a pistol, knocking him unconscious. Patrick then entered the victim’s home and took his keys and wallet. The two defendants fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. The victim sustained lacerations to his head during the incident.
Both robbery victims are Muscogee Nation citizens, and the crimes occurred within the Muscogee Nation Reservation.
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan H. Heatherman and Reagan V. Reininger are prosecuting the case.
Madera and Fresno Men Sentenced for Interstate Drug ShipmentsRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Patrick Maldonado, 45, of Madera, and Elias Zambrano Jr., 41, of Fresno, have been sentenced to eight years in prison and two years and three months in prison, respectively, for an interstate drug conspiracy involving shipments of marijuana to the Midwest, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Maldonado and Zambrano pleaded guilty earlier this year. According to court documents, in November 2018, Maldonado coordinated with Tan Minh Vo, 48, of San Jose, to send two shipments of marijuana to Halen Frazier, 34, of Kingsville, Missouri. The first shipment was seized from Frazier during a traffic stop after Tien Van Phan, 56, of Milpitas, delivered 92 pounds of marijuana to Frazier in two suitcases at a hotel in Kansas City.
Later, agents intercepted calls between Maldonado, Zambrano, and Frazier in which they discussed the shipment of 384 pounds of marijuana to Frazier in Kansas City. Maldonado and Zambrano had packed the load in a hidden compartment of a trailer of a truck driven by David McGowan, 61, of Kansas City. Arizona State Troopers discovered the marijuana and $1,629 in cash after a traffic stop.
Following the seizure of marijuana in Arizona, agents executed a search warrant at Maldonado’s and Zambrano’s residences. At Maldonado’s residence, agents found more than 3 kilograms of cocaine, 20 pounds of marijuana, a handgun, and $45,281 in cash. At Zambrano’s residence, agents found more marijuana, an electronic money counter, an unregistered pistol, and a so‑called “ghost gun.” U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd has ordered the forfeiture of the cash and firearms.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force consisting of agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tulare, Kings, and Fresno County Sheriff’s Offices, the Fresno Police Department, the Arizona Department of Health, and the Kansas City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Phan and Frazier, who also pleaded guilty, were previously sentenced to three and one half years and two years and three months in prison, respectively. Charges are pending against McGowan and Vo, who are scheduled for a status conference on Nov. 10, 2021. As to these defendants, the charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Illinois Jury Convicts Iowa Men of Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on August 19, 2021, against Michael James Grommet, 36, of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Buddy Hal Gunter, 45, of Waterloo, Iowa, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Sentencing for Grommet and Gunter has been scheduled on December 21, 2021, at the U.S. Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa.
During four days of trial, beginning on August 16, the government presented evidence establishing that in February 2019 Grommet and Gunter conspired with one another and others to distribute methamphetamine in both Iowa and Illinois. The case began when the Rock Island Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration seized approximately 100 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine from the defendants' coconspirators at Jumer's Casino in Rock Island, Illinois. Agents worked up the chain of distribution to identify the sources of the methamphetamine as Grommet and Gunter.
Grommet and Gunter remain in the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service. At sentencing, Grommet faces statutory penalties of ten years to life imprisonment. Gunter faces statutory penalties of fifteen years to life imprisonment.
“Cheap and readily accessible methamphetamine continues to be a major public health problem plaguing our community,” said Acting United States Attorney Doug Quivey. “The United States Attorney’s Office, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, will continue to target and prosecute high-level drug dealers responsible for bringing it into our area.”
The case investigation was conducted by the Rock Island Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyssa Raya and Jennifer Mathew represented the government at trial.
Honduran Man Sentenced for Illegal Use of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that EVER JIMINEZ-MENDOZA, age 33, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced on August 17, 2021 before United States District Court Judge Wendy Vitter, after previously pleading guilty to a one-count indictment for illegal use of a Social Security number in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
Judge Vitter sentenced JIMINEZ-MENDOZA to time served and was ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment of $100.
According to court documents, on or about October 20, 2017, JIMINEZ-MENDOZA, presented a false social security number when attending a pre-employment safety class at the Gulf Coast Safety Council in St. Rose, Louisiana. JIMINEZ-MENDOZA falsely represented that a social security number was assigned to him when in fact, the social security number has been assigned by the Commissioner of Social Security to another individual.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Grayson County Pastor Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography ViolationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Denison man has been sentenced to federal prison for sexual crimes against children in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
David Alan Pettigrew, 49, pleaded guilty on April 7, 2021 to sexual exploitation of children; conspiracy and attempt and was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
“David Pettigrew is a predator who used his position to exploit children for his own gratification,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Parents and kids in Grayson County trusted Pettigrew as an educator, pastor, and friend, all the while unaware of his criminal intent. Working with children is nothing short of a privilege, and EDTX is committed to ensuring that those who assume responsibility for children do not violate that position of trust.”
“The deviant behavior of any individual that occupies a position or role of public trust, especially one that betrays that trust, is unforgivable and repulsive. The actions and the emotional trauma Pettigrew caused to the innocent children he preyed upon is devastating and life-altering,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas. “Protecting those most vulnerable is a top priority for HSI and we will never relent in our pursuit of characters like Pettigrew who breach their positions of trust to exploit minors.”
According to information presented in court, Pettigrew came to the attention of law enforcement through referrals sent by two electronic service providers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which indicated that a user had uploaded files of suspected child pornography. Investigators traced the leads to Pettigrew’s home in Denison and the Denison Church of the Nazarene. Members of HSI and the Grayson County Sheriff's Office served search warrants at both locations on August 6, 2020, at which time Pettigrew was arrested for transporting child pornography.
As the investigation progressed, investigators discovered that Pettigrew and co-defendant Chad Michael Rider had set up hidden cameras in various locations in order to capture children in various stages of undress. On August 19, 2020, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Pettigrew with transportation of child pornography and both Pettigrew and Rider with conspiring to and attempting to sexually exploit children (a/k/a production of child pornography).
As part of his plea, Pettigrew admitted to conspiring with Rider to record minors, including while the minors were nude, at locations in Collin and Grayson counties. The videos were filmed using various hidden cameras, including cameras disguised as hooks, clocks, a picture frame, a smoke detector, an AC wall adapter, charging blocks, and a pen. Pettigrew further admitted that he secretly filmed a child in his home and that he and Rider filmed children undressing, bathing, and toweling off at the Denison Church of the Nazarene in Grayson County. The children were all approximately 11 to 14-years old at the time they were unknowingly recorded.
The case against Rider is ongoing and remains pending.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by 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.justice.gov/psc.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.
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Gloucester County Man Charged with Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man was charged with possessing images of child sexual abuse, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Joseph Cooper, 75, of Williamstown, New Jersey, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of possession of child pornography. Cooper is expected to appear by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case:
In October 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cooper’s residence. Computers in Cooper’s residence contained more than 50 videos and 200 images of child sexual abuse, including depictions of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The computers also contained logs documenting Cooper’s participation in internet chatrooms relating to sexual interest in children.
In a prior federal prosecution in New Jersey in 1999, Cooper was convicted of interstate transportation of child pornography via the internet. In 2011, Cooper was convicted in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County, of cruelty and neglect of a child. The charge of possession of child pornography depicting prepubescent children by a repeat offender carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina, with the investigation leading to today’s charge.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Georgia man sentenced for his role in a drug distribution operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Joel Jimenez, of Cartersville, Georgia, was sentenced today to 65 months of incarceration for his role in a drug distribution operation, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Jimenez, also known as “Carlos,” 41, pleaded guilty in November 2019 to one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute and Distribute Controlled Substances.” Jimenez admitted to working with others to distribute
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Flower prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Greater Harrison Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Three Rivers Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force; the West Virginia State Police; The Bartow County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office; the FBI in Rome, Georgia; and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigated.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Related cases here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/georgia-man-found-guilty-drug-distribution-resulting-death-0
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/georgia-man-sentenced-four-life-sentences-plus-10-years-drug-distribution-resulting