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20 August 2021
New Orleans Man Found in Possession of Machine Guns SentencedRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Thursday, August 19, 2021, that LLOYD WASHINGTON, age 26, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana was sentenced on August 19, 2021 to 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons after pleading guilty to a three-count Indictment. In Count 1, WASHINGTON was charged with Possession of Firearms and Ammunition by a Convicted Felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2). In Count 2, WASHINGTON was charged with Possession of Machine Guns in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(o) and 924(a)(2). In Count 3, WASHINGTON was charged with Possession of Non-Registered Firearms in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Sections 5841, 5861(d), and 5871.
United States District Court Judge Carl Barbier sentenced WASHINGTON to 120 months for each count of the Indictment. Counts 1, 2, and 3 will run concurrent with one another. Upon release, WASHINTON will be supervised by U.S. Probation for a period of three years. The Court did not impose a fine.
On July 20, 2020, New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) officers were dispatched to a call for service regarding an illegal discharge of a firearm in the 4100 block of Eagle Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. Residents who lived next door to WASHINGTON reported a bullet entering their residence. No residents were struck by the bullet. Responding officers observed the trajectory of the points of entry and exit and concluded that the bullet likely originated from WASHINGTON’s residence.
Upon arriving at WASHINGTON’s residence, officers observed WASHINGTON standing inside of the residence. WASHINGTON was detained while officers conducted their investigation.
While searching the exterior of WASHINGTON’s residence, officers discovered two firearms with loaded with magazines: a Ruger, model LCP, .380 caliber pistol, bearing serial number 371320740; and a Glock, model 22, .40 caliber pistol, bearing serial 00841MPD and equipped with a Glock switch converter. The firearms were located on the top of a slab of concrete. Officers also observed a black bag containing a third weapon, a Zastava, model PAP M92 PV, 7.62x39 caliber pistol, bearing serial number M92PV068277, loaded with two magazines taped together.
Officers elected to interview WASHINGTON. WASHINGTON admitted that he was in possession of a firearm and that the firearm accidentally discharged while in his possession. When asked about the three firearms located in the alley of his residence, WASHINGTON admitted that he owned and maintained possession of the firearms. When asked if he possessed additional firearms, WASHINGTON admitted that he was in possession of additional firearms inside of his residence.
NOPD obtained a search warrant for WASHINGTON’s residence. During the search of the residence, the following items, including firearms and ammunition, were located: (1) a .40 caliber magazine with 4 live rounds of ammunition; (2) a box of .38 special ammunition containing 9 live rounds; (3) a box of .380 caliber ammunition containing 7 live rounds; (4) one 7.62x39mm magazine with an unknown number of live rounds; (5) one clear plastic bag containing multiple caliber rounds of ammunition; (6) a red duffle bag containing a rifle scope and a pistol grip; (7) a Glock, model 17, 9mm caliber pistol, bearing serial number BHBZ225; (8) a Glock switch convertor; (9) a box with live 9mm rounds; (10) a 7.62x39mm circle drum loaded with an unknown number of live rounds; (11) a box with 13 live 9mm rounds; (12) a Plainfield Machine Co., Paratrooper, .30 caliber rifle, bearing serial number 43211; (13) an Izhmash, model IJ70-17A, .380 caliber pistol, bearing serial number BTK3233; (14) a Heritage Mfg. Inc. model Rough Rider, .22 caliber pistol, bearing serial number R36814; and (15) a Taurus, model PT24/7 G2, .40 caliber pistol, bearing serial number SIM30213.
WASHINGTON is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
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 was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Multiple Convicted Felon Sentenced as a Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Carlos D. Montejano, 37, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Montejano has multiple prior felony convictions. Chief United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Montejano to 90 months in the Bureau of Prisons. Montejano will serve a three-year term of supervised release following his release from the Bureau of Prisons. There is no parole in the federal system.
On October 17, 2019, Omaha Police Department officers on routine patrol saw a silver Chevrolet sedan with no license plates or temporary stickers at the intersection of South 29th Avenue and W Streets in Omaha. They pulled behind the vehicle in an attempt to stop it when its front seat passenger, later identified Montejano, bailed out of the vehicle wearing a backpack and ran northbound. An officer gave chase, yelling loud verbal commands, identifying himself as a police officer, and directing Montejano to stop. Montejano did not comply and after approximately one block of foot pursuit, he was taken into custody. During the pursuit, Montejano threw his backpack along with other property.
Law enforcement recovered various property that Montejano had abandoned during the foot pursuit in the backpack: a loaded Ruger LCP .380 handgun with five rounds in the magazine, a second loaded extended 10 round magazine, and a plastic baggie containing methamphetamine. Montejano was previously convicted for making terroristic threats and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony in 2003, possessing a controlled substance in 2018, and criminal impersonation in 2019.
This case was primarily investigation by the Omaha Police Department and was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Montgomery Banker Sentenced for Informing Customer of Grand Jury SubpoenaRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart announced that a Montgomery, Alabama banker was sentenced for disclosing the existence of a grand jury subpoena to one of his customers. On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Charles Gregory Hardy, Jr., 37, was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $10,000.00 for obstructing a criminal investigation as an officer of a financial institution.
According to court documents and statements made in open court, Hardy was an employee of Valley National Bank during the spring of 2020. In April of that year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent the bank a federal grand jury subpoena seeking records pertaining to the accounts of bank customer D’livro Beauchamp. Hardy learned about the subpoena and sent a text message to Beauchamp that read, “I got a subpoena for your financial records.” A few days later, Hardy went to Beauchamp’s office and, while there, sent a photo of a part of the grand jury subpoena from his personal telephone to Beauchamp.
Grand jury subpoenas are confidential documents and bank employees are, in most cases, prohibited by federal law from disclosing a subpoena’s existence to the customer whose records are being sought. By sending the subpoena to Beauchamp, Hardy informed the former physician of the existence of an otherwise confidential federal grand jury investigation.
Despite the disclosure of confidential information by Hardy, Beauchamp was eventually charged with conspiring to unlawfully distribute oxycodone on July 22, 2020. Beauchamp pleaded guilty to that charge in October of 2020. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2021 and he will be facing up to 20 years in prison.
“Safeguarding the integrity of our judicial system is critical when investigating crimes,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Stewart. “The disclosure of confidential grand jury information can derail an investigation by allowing a target to destroy evidence or threaten witnesses. My office considers this bank employee’s disclosure a serious crime and is dedicated to holding anyone unlawfully sharing confidential information accountable for their actions.”
"This investigation has shown the unfortunate reality that people in all professional positions can become involved in criminal activity,” stated DEA Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Towanda Thorne-James. “People who commit such crimes will be held accountable.”
The DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad investigated this case, with assistance from the Shelby County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross and Alice S. LaCour prosecuted the case.
Mississippi Man Sentenced for Interstate Bank Fraud and Identity Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Patrick Graves, 35, of Mississippi, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Graves to 42 months’ imprisonment for Bank Fraud, plus a consecutive 24 months for Identity Theft. There is no parole in the federal system. After Graves’s release from prison, he will begin a four-year term of supervised release. He will also be required to pay $92,050 in restitution.
On November 18, 2020, Graves was arrested in Omaha when he attempted to withdraw funds from an actual customer’s account using genuine account information but false identity documents. Further investigation revealed that Graves and others traveled from city to city conducting such transactions. During the approximately two months during which Graves participated in the scheme, he and confederates attempted transactions totaling $422,140 and obtained $91,950.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department, the Council Bluffs Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
Mission Man Charged with Larceny and Assaulting Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Larceny and Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Derrick One Star, a/k/a Derek One Star, age 34, was indicted on August 10, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on August 20, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to five years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on March 28, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, One Star unlawfully entered a law enforcement vehicle valued over $1,000. The Indictment further alleges that on that same day, One Star did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with law enforcement officers who were employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.
The charges are merely accusations and One Star is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
One Star was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Mexican Man Sentenced to 135 Months for Possessing with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Christian Gonzalez-Gardea, 26, of Las Cruces, Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for Possessing with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Gonzalez-Gardea received a sentence of 135 months’ imprisonment with a five-year term of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.
On January 29, 2020, deputies with the Seward County Sheriff’s Office conducted simultaneous traffic stops on a Ford F150 pickup truck and a tow truck hauling a Cadillac Escalade while both were traveling on I-80 in Seward County. The Escalade was found to be smuggling 27 pounds of methamphetamine. Deputies determined that the Escalade had broken down in Hebron, Nebraska, and was being towed to Omaha, Nebraska. The owner of the Escalade, Gonzalez-Gardea, was a passenger in the F150 pickup truck. The driver of the F150 pickup truck, Rex Kmiecik, and a passenger riding with the tow truck, Pedro Robles, were also arrested. Both had driven from Omaha to help get the Escalade towed to Omaha.
Kmiecik and Robles were also charged with Possessing with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Kmiecik has pleaded guilty with sentencing set for September 10, 2021. Robles is set for trial to begin on November 8, 2021. Both will be before Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr.
This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Seward County Sheriff’s Office, the DEA, and the Omaha Police Department.
Member of Jicarilla Apache Nation sentenced to nine years in prison for assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Quentin Veneno, Jr., 35, of Dulce, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, was sentenced on Aug. 18 to nine years and seven months in prison. On Sept. 22, 2020, following a two-day trial, a jury returned a guilty verdict on two counts of domestic assault by a habitual offender and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to court records, on Aug. 22, 2018, and again on Nov. 2, 2018, Veneno physically abused Jane Doe, whom he was dating at the time, at her residence in Dulce on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation. As a result of Veneno’s assaults, Jane Doe suffered nine broken ribs and a collapsed lung as well as extreme pain and bruising over her entire body. Veneno had assaulted Jane Doe previously and had two prior convictions of domestic violence in 2009 and 2013.
Upon his release from prison, Veneno will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Jicarilla Apache Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Cowen and Kyle T. Nayback prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced for Million Dollar Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Owings Mills, Maryland man was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft in connection with a fraudulent investment scheme worth approximately $1.26 million.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Manish Singh, 48, entered into an agreement in 2016 with a married couple to create a business that would design and sell high-end fabrics. The couple was to provide the capital for the business, and Singh was to contribute his expertise and contacts in the fabric industry.
Singh represented to the victim investors that their money was being used for numerous expenses related to the business, such as the manufacture of fabric in India. In reality, Singh was using the victims’ money almost entirely for personal expenses, mostly to view live pornography online. Based on Singh’s misrepresentations, the victims gave him approximately $1.26 million for the fraudulent joint business venture.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace L. Hill and Heidi B. Gesch prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-59.
Marion Man Sentenced for Burning Cross on Front Yard of African American Family in June 2020Read the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va.– A Marion man, who burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in June 2020 following a civil rights protest earlier in the day, was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison.
James Brown, 41, pleaded guilty in April to criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victim’s race.
“When Brown burned a cross in the victim’s front yard, he carried out a despicable act of intimidation, interfered with a federally protected housing right, and broke a serious federal law,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar stated today. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that such threatening acts of hatred will be swiftly investigated and prosecuted. We thank the FBI and state partners for their hard work on this important case.”
“We have zero tolerance in our communities for those individuals violating anyone's civil rights. Investigating allegations of civil rights violations continues to be a top priority for the FBI; and through our community liaison and law enforcement partnerships we will continue to investigate and mitigate the unwanted and unwarranted behavior of racially motivated individuals,” Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador said today. “FBI Richmond encourages anyone who may have knowledge or is a victim of a hate crime, to report it to law enforcement.”
According to court documents, Brown burned a cross on the front yard of an African American family in the early morning hours of June 14, 2020. One of the family members had organized a civil rights protest the day before in Marion, Virginia. Brown admitted to burning the cross to two witnesses and also was known to use racial epithets when referring to the African American family. At his guilty plea hearing, Brown admitted that he had burned the cross in order to threaten and intimidate the African American family.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion Police Department, and the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary T. Lee and Daniel Murphy are prosecuting the case.
Man from Albuquerque pleads guilty to federal firearm and attempted carjacking chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – James Hawley, 35, of Albuquerque, pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 in federal court to attempted carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hawley was indicted by federal grand jury on Aug. 28, 2019.
According to the plea agreement, on July 27, 2019, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Hawley attempted to carjack a victim at gunpoint. Hawley approached the victim while she was stopped at a red-light and pointed his firearm at her. The victim drove through the intersection to escape Hawley as he attempted to open the car door. Hawley was later found and disarmed by paramedics.
Hawley is currently in custody pending sentencing. He faces 15 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Albuquerque Resident Agency and the Albuquerque Police Department investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Trembley is prosecuting the case.
Man Who Distributed Videos of the Sexual Abuse of Toddler by Her Mother Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who distributed videos of a toddler being sexually abused by her mother on social media was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison.
Douglas John Buttikofer Jr., age 41, from Dubuque, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 2, 2021 guilty plea to accessing child pornography.
At the guilty plea, Buttikofer admitted that between February and March of 2020, he knowingly accessed with intent to view visual depictions of child pornography. The depictions involved at least one minor under the age of 12. Buttikofer committed the offense while on pre-trial release in the State of Illinois for the unlawful grooming of a minor. At sentencing, a witness testified that Buttikofer expressed an interest in traveling to the Philippines to engage in sex with children. The judge noted Buttikofer maintained a “persistent pursuit” of child pornography, making him a danger to the community.
Buttikofer was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Buttikofer was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and fined $100. He must also serve a five-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 Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Buttikofer is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Illinois State Police, the Dubuque County Sherriff’s Office, and the Dubuque Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-1012.
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Madison Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Brandon Rankin, 27, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 30 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Rankin pleaded guilty to this charge on May 18, 2021.
On February 2, 2021, a Madison police officer made a traffic stop on the vehicle that Rankin was driving. When the officer approached the vehicle, he observed that Rankin had a gun in his hand. Rankin immediately sped away at speeds reaching 80 miles per hour. Rankin’s vehicle went airborne over a speed bump and ultimately crashed into another car, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Rankin then fled the scene of the crash on foot and was taken into custody with the assistance of a police K9. Officers searched his car and found an unloaded 9mm handgun, 4.4 grams of crack cocaine, and a significant amount of cash. Rankin has a prior felony conviction for robbery.
At sentencing, Judge Conley found that Rankin possessed the gun in connection with a drug trafficking offense and that this was a very dangerous course of conduct. Judge Conley remarked that the events in this case could have resulted in the death or serious injury of either Rankin or the occupant of the vehicle that he hit.
The charge against Rankin was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
Lower Brule Woman Sentenced for Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, Opposing and Impeding a Federal Officer was sentenced on August 19, 2021, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno.
Kristy Andrews, age 28, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $50.
Andrews was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 11, 2020. She pled guilty on November 12, 2020.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on November 23, 2019, in Lower Brule. Andrews assaulted two federal law enforcement officers while they were engaged in the performance of their official duties.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Andrews was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Lockport Man Charged with Cocaine and Gun Charges After Two Search Warrants at His ResidenceRead 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 John Davis, Jr., 40, of Lockport, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and unlawful possession of firearms. The charges carry a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan E. Leydecker, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the DEA and the Niagara County Drug Task Force began investigating the defendant’s narcotics distribution activities in May 2021 after receiving information that Davis was selling cocaine from his Gabriel Drive residence to various customers in the Lockport area. On May 28, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at the residence and seized approximately 180 grams of crack cocaine and 255 grams of cocaine, approximately $8,031 in cash, narcotics packaging materials, a food sealer, and a scale with cocaine residue in the apartment. A .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun and .22 caliber rifle were also recovered. On August 5, 2021, investigators executed another search warrant at Davis’ residence and recovered approximately 12 grams of cocaine, a digital scale with suspected cocaine residue, packaging material, and more cash.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was held pending a detention hearing on August 25, 2021, at 1:00 p.m.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division, and the Niagara County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Lebanon Tax Attorney Pleads Guilty to Tax and Labor ViolationsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Lebanon, Missouri, attorney has pleaded guilty in federal court to tax and labor violations.
Meagan M. Howe, also known as Meagan M. Hasty, 35, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of failure to pay employment tax and one count of making a false representation related to an employee benefit plan.
Howe owns and operates Conquer the Divide, LLC. She is also the past owner and operator of Garner and Howe Law Firm; Missouri Law Firm, LLC; and Just Ask Howe Tax Advocacy Services, LLC.
Howe admitted that she withheld a total of $15,019 in federal taxes from her employees’ paychecks at Garner and Howe Law Firm and Missouri Law Firm, LLC in 2019, but failed to turn them over to the IRS. Howe further admitted that she failed to pay an additional $10,285 in employment taxes for the businesses in 2019.
Howe also admitted that she falsely prepared and submitted 2018 tax returns for herself and her husband. By filing separate returns that each claimed “Head of Household” status, she was able to fraudulently receive $3,775 earned income tax credits.
Howe also admitted that she failed to transmit $3,111 in contributions to an employee pension plan. Howe then falsely reported there was not a failure to transmit contributions to her employee pension plan.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Howe must pay restitution to the IRS, the Missouri Department of Revenue and individual victims.
Under federal statutes, Howe is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 Casey Clark. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Department of Labor – Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Laurens Man Sentenced to Prison for Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IOWA – A Laurens man, Colton Eugene Cope, age 25, was sentenced on August 19, 2021, by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 46 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a drug user on two occasions. Cope was ordered to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term as well as pay $200 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
According to court documents, Cope was federally charged with drug user in possession of a firearm after officers stopped a vehicle he was driving related to a shots fired call in Davenport. Cope was found in possession of numerous firearms, ammunition, and methamphetamine. Cope admitted to using methamphetamine and possessing the firearms and ammunition. Cope further admitted to allowing Davion Gary, a felon, to possess one of his firearms. Officers located shell casings at an apartment complex in Davenport. The shell casings at the scene were consistent with being fired from one of Cope’s guns.
When Cope was arrested, he was again found in possession of firearms, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia – which led to Cope being federally charged in the Northern District of Iowa for unlawful possession of a firearm as a drug user.
Acting United States Attorneys Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and Sean R. Berry of the Northern District of Iowa made the announcement.
These cases were investigated by the Davenport Police Department, Fort Dodge Police Department, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of the Project Safe Neighborhood, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Keene Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Joshua Schneider, 34, of Keene, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to distribution of fentanyl and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in May of 2020, Keene police received information that Schneider was distributing narcotics. During surveillance over three months, police observed numerous subjects enter Schneider’s apartment and leave a short time later. On July 9, 2020, a cooperating individual purchased fentanyl from Schneider.
On July 13, 2020, law enforcement officers observed Schneider and two others enter a van and drive to Lawrence, Massachusetts, for an apparent drug transaction. When the van returned to Schneider’s apartment in Keene, police executed search warrants and located approximately 250 grams of fentanyl in the rear of the van where Schneider was sitting. Forensic examination of Schneider’s cell phone revealed messages consistent with drug trafficking.
Schneider is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, 2021.
“Fentanyl traffickers seek to profit from the sale of a deadly substance that has ravaged communities throughout New Hampshire,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “In order to protect public health and safety, we work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute the drug dealers who distribute fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in the Granite State.”
“The devastation wreaked on families, businesses and communities by fentanyl dealers like Schneider cannot be overestimated. Today’s conviction was achieved only with the critical assistance of our dedicated local law enforcement partners in the Keene, New Hampshire Police Department and through the tireless work of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire,” said Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston. “HSI continues to strengthen our commitment to combatting the impacts of the deadly plague of fentanyl use and to pursuing those who seek to profit from the destruction these drugs bring into our communities.”
This matter was investigated by the Keene Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced to Prison for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Kansas City, Missouri man, Andre Emmanuel Sanders, age 53, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 100 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine and Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and 60 months in prison for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, to be served consecutively, for a total of 160 months in prison. Sanders was ordered to serve four years of supervised release to follow his prison term as well as pay $300 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
According to court documents, Sanders was involved in an investigation that began in January 2020 when Sanders fled a traffic stop at a high rate of speed and drove in the wrong lane of travel – nearly causing two crashes. After crashing his own vehicle, Sanders discarded a loaded firearm and ran from law enforcement. Once apprehended, prescription pills were found in his possession. Two weeks later, police observed Sanders illegally park a car in West Burlington and walk away. The officer observed a firearm wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle Sanders drove. The officer towed the vehicle and obtained a valid search warrant. Approximately 25.86 grams of methamphetamine and ammunition were located in the center console. As a convicted felon, Sanders knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Acting U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Burlington Police Department investigated the case.
KC Pharmacy Filled Forged PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri pharmacy is prohibited from continuing its past practice of filling prescriptions without verifying whether they were issued by a DEA-authorized practitioner under a consent decree approved yesterday in federal court.
Spalitto’s Pharmacy, L.C., a retail pharmacy at 3801 Independence Avenue operated by Peter A. Spalitto as the pharmacist in charge, is named in a consent decree and final judgment signed by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, August 20.
Under the terms of the consent decree, Spalitto’s is permanently prohibited from dispensing any controlled substance without verifying that the prescription contains a valid DEA registration number for the prescribing practitioner. In a related settlement, Spalitto’s agreed to pay $250,000 to the United States to resolve civil penalty liability related to the United States’ allegations.
The government alleged in a civil complaint that Spalitto’s Pharmacy violated the Controlled Substances Act by dispensing controlled substances without verifying whether they were issued by an authorized practitioner.
According to the complaint, Spalitto’s Pharmacy failed to implement or follow sufficient controls to guard against the diversion of controlled substances. Spalitto’s dispensed prescription drugs on more than 200 occasions since the beginning of 2016 in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and its implementing regulations.
The complaint says that Spalitto’s Pharmacy filled 125 prescriptions, primarily for oxycodone, for at least a dozen individuals that purported to be from the same physician. The pharmacy filled those prescriptions for several years, from July 2017 to January 2020, despite the existence of significant red flags.
The complaint cites another example in which an individual presented 122 forged prescriptions from January 2016 to June 2019. Spalitto’s Pharmacy filled those narcotic prescriptions despite the existence of significant red flags.
Spalitto’s acknowledged that the pharmacy dispensed controlled substances to individuals presenting prescriptions purporting to be written by a practitioner who was not authorized to prescribe controlled substances. During this time, the DEA made available a free prescriber registration validity application online, which Spalitto’s could have used to discover that the prescriptions were not signed by an authorized practitioner.
The settlement agreement stipulates that it is neither an admission of liability by Spalitto and Spalitto’s Pharmacy to the government’s allegations, nor a concession by the government that its claims are not well-founded.
This civil case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Simpson. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm Following Gun BattleRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally possessing the firearm he used when he was shot in a rolling gun battle.
Odell J. Jackson, 31, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner on Thursday, Aug. 19, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Jackson was shot on May 1, 2020, during a rolling gun battle in the area of Leeds Trafficway and Emmanuel Cleaver II Boulevard. Jackson was driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when he and a passenger drove into a church parking lot and engaged in a gunfight with the occupants of another vehicle, a red Dodge Charger. During the exchange of gunfire that followed, the Dodge Charger struck another vehicle while being chased by Jackson. Jackson was shot in the eye and his truck collided head-on with a light pole.
Jackson’s passenger called the police. When Kansas City police officers arrived at the scene of the accident, Jackson was lying in the bed of the pickup truck, covered in blood, with a towel covering the bullet wound to his head. Jackson was transported to a local hospital.
Officers later searched Jackson’s truck and found a Ruger .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an obliterated serial number.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Jackson has prior felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon.
Under federal statutes, Jackson is subject to a sentence of up to 10 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 Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Justice Department, EPA and Indiana Amend Agreement with the City of South Bend, Indiana to Treat Sewage and WastewaterRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) have agreed to amend a 2012 Clean Water Act consent decree with the City of South Bend, Indiana.
The amendment requires implementation of a revised long-term plan to reduce and treat sewage and wastewater discharges to meet Indiana’s water quality standard for E. coli. The revised plan will improve public health, better protect the St. Joseph River, a tributary of Lake Michigan, and lower the cost of compliance.
“This amendment provides South Bend time to revise its long-term plan to further reduce and treat sewage and wastewater discharges to meet Indiana’s water quality standard,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The revised plan and additional time should improve public health and better protect the St. Joseph River, while also lowering costs for ratepayers.”
“This settlement results in a significant reduction in pollutant discharges to the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan, and also reduces costs for South Bend’s rate payers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tina Nommay for the Northern District of Indiana. “We thank the federal, state and local authorities who partnered with us to achieve this excellent result.”
“Through the cooperative work of federal, state and local officials, this amended agreement will reduce harmful wastewater discharges to the St. Joseph River and significantly lower costs for the citizens of South Bend,” said Acting Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
“This revised Long-Term Control Plan results in a reduction of sewage and wastewater to the St. Joseph River which improves human health and the environment,” said IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott. “The revised plan is a great example of the success we can achieve when federal, state and local partners work together to ensure Indiana’s environment is safe for all Hoosiers.”
Prior to 2012, the City of South Bend discharged more than 2 billion gallons of untreated human and industrial sewage and stormwater a year, containing highly concentrated levels of E. coli bacteria through combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, into the St. Joseph River. The 2012 consent decree required South Bend to reduce discharges to 46.9 million gallons per year and reduce E. coli to 15,000 counts per 100 milliliters. While a significant improvement, the E. coli discharge concentrations under the original plan still would have exceeded Indiana’s E. coli water quality standard of 235 counts per 100 milliliters. Under the revised plan that will be fully implemented by 2038, South Bend will treat virtually all of its annual discharge volumes to concentrations below Indiana's water quality standard for E. coli and save hundreds of millions of dollars in compliance costs.
The revised plan includes the following:
- Expansion of South Bend’s current sewage treatment plant
- Construction of three retention treatment facilities
- Replacement or modification of various sewers
South Bend estimates that the revised plan will cost approximately $276 million in 2019 dollars, significantly less than the $700 million or more that South Bend estimates would be the cost to implement the remaining measures required under the 2012 consent decree. South Bend was able to develop the revised plan in large part because it installed more than 150 “smart” sensors at more than a hundred locations in its sewer system to allow it to better monitor and manage its flows. This “smart sewer system” enables South Bend to construct fewer and smaller-sized gray infrastructure measures and, at the same time, achieve a greater level of pollution control.
The proposed amended consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval after it is published in the Federal Register. To view the proposed amended consent decree or to submit a comment, visit the Department of Justice website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
Justice Department, EPA and Indiana Amend Agreement with the City of South Bend, Indiana to Treat Sewage and WastewaterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) have agreed to amend a 2012 Clean Water Act consent decree with the City of South Bend, Indiana.
The amendment requires implementation of a revised long-term plan to reduce and treat sewage and wastewater discharges to meet Indiana’s water quality standard for E. coli. The revised plan will improve public health, better protect the St. Joseph River, a tributary of Lake Michigan, and lower the cost of compliance.
“This amendment provides South Bend time to revise its long-term plan to further reduce and treat sewage and wastewater discharges to meet Indiana’s water quality standard,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The revised plan and additional time should improve public health and better protect the St. Joseph River, while also lowering costs for ratepayers.”
“This settlement results in a significant reduction in pollutant discharges to the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan, and also reduces costs for South Bend’s rate payers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Tina Nommay for the Northern District of Indiana. “We thank the federal, state and local authorities who partnered with us to achieve this excellent result.”
“Through the cooperative work of federal, state and local officials, this amended agreement will reduce harmful wastewater discharges to the St. Joseph River and significantly lower cost for lower costs for the citizens of South Bend,” said Acting Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
“This revised Long-Term Control Plan results in a reduction of sewage and wastewater to the St. Joseph River which improves human health and the environment,” said IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott. “The revised plan is a great example of the success we can achieve when federal, state and local partners work together to ensure Indiana’s environment is safe for all Hoosiers.”
Prior to 2012, the City of South Bend discharged more than 2 billion gallons of untreated human and industrial sewage and stormwater a year, containing highly concentrated levels of E. coli bacteria through combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, into the St. Joseph River. The 2012 consent decree required South Bend to reduce discharges to 46.9 million gallons per year and reduce E. coli to 15,000 counts per 100 milliliters. While a significant improvement, the E. coli discharge concentrations under the original plan still would have exceeded Indiana’s E. coli water quality standard of 235 counts per 100 milliliters. Under the revised plan that will be fully implemented by 2038, South Bend will treat virtually all of its annual discharge volumes to concentrations below Indiana's water quality standard for E. coli and save hundreds of millions of dollars in compliance costs.
The revised plan includes the following:
- Expansion of South Bend’s current sewage treatment plant
- Construction of three retention treatment facilities
- Replacement or modification of various sewers
South Bend estimates that the revised plan will cost approximately $276 million in 2019 dollars, significantly less than the $700 million or more that South Bend estimates would be the cost to implement the remaining measures required under the 2012 consent decree. South Bend was able to develop the revised plan in large part because it installed more than 150 “smart” sensors at more than a hundred locations in its sewer system to allow it to better monitor and manage its flows. This “smart sewer system” enables South Bend to construct fewer and smaller-sized gray infrastructure measures and, at the same time, achieve a greater level of pollution control.
The proposed amended consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval after it is published in the Federal Register. To view the proposed amended consent decree or to submit a comment, visit the Department of Justice website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Using Facebook to Attempt to Entice 14-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Michael Jonathan Paul (50, Jacksonville) to 10 years in federal prison for attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Paul was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
Paul had pleaded guilty on April 26, 2021.
According to the plea agreement, between May 28 and July 28, 2020, Paul used Facebook Messenger to engage in a series of online conversations with a person whom he believed to be a 14-year-old child. Unbeknownst to Paul, this “child” was an undercover detective from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. During these online conversations, Paul discussed his desire to engage in sexual activity with the “child” when they met in person and told the “child” the different ways that he had planned to sexually abuse her. Paul also told the “child” to delete her online conversations.
On August 21, 2020, Paul was arrested, and during an interview with law enforcement, admitted “talking to some little girl on the phone,” and stated, “I shouldn’t have … did it.”
This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
“Thanks to the outstanding work by HSI special agents and our partners with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office this online predator was stopped in his tracks while attempting to victimize a young child,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “After a successful prosecution and sentencing, this predator will now be held accountable for his crimes.”
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Iowa Woman Sentenced to 304 Months in Prison for Hate Crimes Involving Attempting to Kill Two Children Because of their Race and National OriginRead the Press Release
An Iowa woman was sentenced yesterday on two hate crimes charges for attempting to kill two minor victims because of their race and national origin.
Nicole Poole Franklin, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 304 months in federal prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently to each other and concurrent to the sentence imposed in the related state court case. Poole Franklin previously pleaded guilty in federal court on April 22, to two counts of hate crime acts.
According to court documents and statements made at the sentencing hearing, on the afternoon of Dec. 9, 2019, Poole Franklin was driving her Jeep Grand Cherokee on Creston Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa, where the first child-victim was walking along the sidewalk with another minor family member. Upon seeing the children and believing that the victim was of Middle Eastern or African descent, Poole Franklin drove her vehicle over the curb towards both children, striking one of them. Poole Franklin then drove away from the scene. The assault resulted in injury to the victim, including cuts, bruising, and swelling. Approximately 30 minutes later, Poole Franklin was driving her Jeep near Indian Hills Junior High School in Clive, Iowa, where the second child-victim was walking on the sidewalk. Poole Franklin, believing that the child was Mexican, drove her vehicle over the curb and struck the victim, causing serious injury, including a concussion, bruises, and cuts. Poole Franklin again drove away from the scene but was apprehended later that day.
“Nicole Poole Franklin attempted to kill two children because of the way they looked and where she believed they came from. This kind of egregious racial violence and hatred has absolutely no place in this country and will not be tolerated by the Justice Department,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division. “Children deserve to walk the streets of their neighborhood without fear of violence because of what they look like and where they come from and deserve to grow up in a world where they are not targeted simply because of who they are. The Justice Department will continue to protect the civil rights of all individuals and vigorously prosecute those who commit hate crimes in this country.”
“Nothing can be more devastating to the American dream of equal rights than the actions of Poole Franklin on a hate filled Dec. 9, 2019, as she callously attempted to run over and kill a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl - two minors who had done nothing wrong other than innocently walk on a street and happen to be of a different race and skin color from Poole Franklin,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal for the Southern District of Iowa. “Her actions temporarily shattered, but did not permanently defeat this dream because these two courageous victims, and their amazing families, continue to epitomize the hopes of what our society can be. Holding Poole Franklin accountable, not only for her intentional actions, but for the malicious beliefs behind them, is what our justice system should be, and a must to provide just punishment, afford adequate deterrence, and protect the public form further crimes by this defendant.”
“Nicole Poole Franklin committed a despicable crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel of the FBI Omaha Field Office. “She targeted and seriously injured two children because of the color of their skin. FBI Omaha will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate hate crimes and seek justice for the victims. We encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from Des Moines and Clive Police Departments. Acting U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and Trial Attorneys Katherine DeVar and Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
Informational: Federal Court arraignmentsRead the Press Release
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:
Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on Aug. 17 was:
Timothy Michael Koop, 61, of Box Elder, and Kelli Jo Lamere, 29, of Box Elder, on charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl. If convicted of the most serious crime, the defendants face a maximum 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release. Both defendants were released pending further proceedings. The FBI, the Tri-Agency Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-51.
Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on Aug. 17 was:
Zachary Jon Lindsay, 38, of Kalispell, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possession of unregistered firearm and possession of firearm with obliterated serial number. If convicted of the most serious crime, Lindsay faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Lindsay was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kalispell Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-36.
Appearing on Aug. 19 was:
Terry Joseph Jette, 56, of Anaconda, on charges of attempted coercion and enticement of a child. If convicted of the most serious crime, Jette faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release. Jette was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 21-21.
The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.
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Indian National Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Pradish Jehan Selvaraj, 35, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Attempted Enticement of a Minor. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Selvaraj to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Selvaraj will also be required to register as a sex offender and is subject to deportation to India by U.S. immigration authorities when he completes his sentence of imprisonment.
Between October 26, 2020 and November 4, 2020, Selvaraj responded to an online prostitution advertisement by texting the phone number listed in the ad. An undercover law enforcement officer purporting to be a 15-year-old female responded to Selvaraj’s texts. During the conversations, Selvaraj agreed to pay $80 to engage in oral sex with the 15-year-old and a 12-year-old female. He arranged to meet both minor females in Omaha, offering to pay the females in exchange for oral sex and agreeing to bring them McDonald’s breakfast. When Selvaraj arrived at the meet up location, he was in possession of condoms and a McDonald’s breakfast order. Selvaraj was detained by law enforcement. Selvaraj admitted to answering the prostitution ad and texting with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old female.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Idaho Falls Man Pleads Guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Matthew Gary Leander III, 39, of Idaho Falls, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Leander was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 27, 2019. Sentencing is set for November 9, 2021, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
According to court records, Idaho State Police officers attempted a traffic stop on the van Leander was driving after observing a suspected drug transaction. Leander failed to yield and led police on a chase through a residential neighborhood. The pursuit ended when Leander collided with a fence in a commercial area near downtown Idaho Falls. Leander then ran away on foot and was later apprehended. Police found a large amount of methamphetamine and other indicators of drug sales in the van Leander had been driving.
Leander faces a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of forty years in federal prison, a fine of $5 million, and at least four years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez recognized and commended the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police-District 6, and the Idaho Falls Police Department, which led to charges.
This case was handled by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 174 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 127 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. The defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,468 months (approximately 622 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.72 months (4.47 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 60.33 months (5.02 years) in federal prison.
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Hudson Man Admits to Cocaine Base, Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Micah Hines, a/k/a “Water,” age 42, pled guilty today to distributing more than 28 grams of cocaine base, and also admitted to distributing fentanyl, in January 2021.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; and New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen.
Hines has recently resided in Hudson, Cairo and Poughkeepsie, New York. In pleading guilty, he admitted to selling about 40 grams of cocaine base on January 7, 2021, and to selling about 52 grams of fentanyl, and about 28 grams of cocaine base, on January 13, 2021.
Hines faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, and a term of post-release supervision of at least 4 years, when United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino sentences him on December 21, 2021. 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.
This case was investigated by the New York State Police and the DEA’s Capital District Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes investigators from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Hudson Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
Hermosa Man Sentenced to More Than 11 Years on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Hermosa, South Dakota, man convicted on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on August 13, 2021, by Judge Karen E. Schreier, U.S. District Court.
Klaus Anderst, age 39, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge, and 10 years and three years of supervised release on the firearm charge, sentences to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Anderst was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury on June 11, 2020, and pleaded guilty on February 21, 2021. Anderst, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, was found to knowingly be in possession of multiple firearms, some of which were stolen, and a sawed-off shotgun after he came into contact with law enforcement in March 2020 in Rapid City. Anderst was also found in possession of methamphetamine and had been distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in and around Rapid City.
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
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Anderst was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Henderson Man Sentenced to Federal Prison on Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Henderson man was sentenced to 101 months in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a felon. On May 17, 2021, Kyree Leamon Williams pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Williams, 28, was being investigated by the Henderson Police Department and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) for distribution of heroin in Henderson. Law enforcement conducted controlled purchases of heroin laced with fentanyl from Williams on multiple occasions, leading to indictments in the Vance County Superior Court. When officers attempted to serve arrest warrants on Williams, he tried to elude police, leading them on a high-speed chase through Henderson before he stopped the car and ran on foot. After a short foot chase, Williams was apprehended. A subsequent search of his car and a residence yielded additional amounts of heroin, a stolen firearm with an extended magazine, and ammunition. Williams is a convicted felon, having prior convictions for Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Henderson Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the District Attorney’s Office for the 11th Prosecutorial District investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Dodson prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:21-CR-131-M.
Hancock County man sentenced to 25 years for child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Gavin Collins, of Newell, West Virginia, was sentenced to 300 months of incarceration this week for a child pornography charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Collins, 30, pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of “Production of Child Pornography by Person Having Custody or Control.” Collins admitted to producing child pornography with a minor in his custody from September 2018 to July 2020 in Hancock.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Danae DeMasi-Lemon prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Gulfport Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Possess Hydrocodone with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – A Gulfport man was sentenced to “time served” (72 days) in prison, and one-year of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca and Kurt Thielhorn, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Douglas Charles Barber, 74, conspired with co-defendant James David Santhuff, 53, of Gulfport, to sell 50 hydrocodone pills, to an individual in a Gulfport parking lot. The tablets were marked with the manufacturer’s legitimate pharmaceutical markings and ultimately were laboratory tested and determined to be actual hydrocodone tablets.
Barber and Santhuff were charged in a federal criminal indictment and they both pled guilty to conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Santhugg was previously sentenced to three years’ probation and a $3,500.00 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.
Group with Ties to Racially Motivated Violent Extremists Including two Former Marines Facing Additional Charge of Targeting Energy FacilitiesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, Paul James Kryscuk, 35, Liam Collins, 21, Jordan Duncan, 26, and Joseph Maurino, 22, were charged via a third superseding indictment obtained in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Collins and Duncan are former Marines assigned previously to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to damage the property of an energy facility in the United States.
According to the indictment, Collins, Kryscuk, Duncan, and Maurino researched, discussed, and reviewed at length a previous attack on the power grid by an unknown group. The group in that attack used assault-style rifles in an attempt to explode a power substation. Between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured firearms while Collins stole military gear, including magazines for assault-style rifles and had them delivered to the other defendants. During that time, Duncan gathered a library of information, some military-owned, regarding firearms, explosives, and nerve toxins and shared that information with Kryscuk and Collins.
The indictment also alleges that the defendants discussed using homemade Thermite, a combination of metal powder and metal oxide which burns at over 4000°F to burn through and destroy power transformers. In mid-2020, Collins asked others to each purchase 50 pounds of Tannerite, a binary explosive containing aluminum powder and oxidizers, and can be used to make Thermite. In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk’s possession, including intersections and/or places containing a transformer, substations, or other component of the power grid for the northwest United States. If destroyed, the damage caused could exceed $100,000.
The defendants have also been charged, in previous indictments, with conspiring to manufacture, transport, and sell hard to obtain firearms and firearm parts in a manner that would hide these purchases from the federal government.
The previous indictments allege that Collins and Kryscuk were members of and made multiple posts on the “Iron March” forum, a gathering point for young neo-Nazis to organize and recruit for extremist organizations, until the forum was closed in late 2017. Collins and Kryscuk met through the forum and expanded their group using an encrypted messaging application as an alternate means of communication outside of the forum. Collins and Kryscuk recruited additional members, including Duncan, Hermanson, and Maurino, and conducted training, including a live-fire training in the desert near Boise. From video footage recorded by the members during the training, Kryscuk, Duncan, and others produced a montage video of their training. In the video, the participants are seen firing short barrel rifles and other assault-type rifles, and the end of the propaganda video shows the four participants outfitted in AtomWaffen masks giving the “Heil Hitler” sign, beneath the image of a black sun, a Nazi symbol. The last frame bears the phrase, “Come home white man.” Prior to their arrests, Collins and Duncan had recently relocated from North Carolina and Texas, respectively, to Boise to be near Kryscuk.
If convicted of all counts against them, the defendants face up to 40 years imprisonment.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation field offices in Salt Lake City and Charlotte with assistance from field offices in Boston, New York, and Newark, the Boise Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case for the government with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys for the District of Idaho, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, the District of Rhode Island and attorneys from the National Security Division.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-167-M.
Grand Jury Indicts Williamsville Man on Multiple Charges of Production and Possession of Child Pornography and Enticement of A MinorRead 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 a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Michael Regan, 39, of Williamsville, NY, with production and possession of child pornography, and enticement of a minor. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, on December 2, 2020, the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force was contacted by the Buffalo Police Department, which believed that the defendant was engaged in a sexual conversation with a 13 year-old-girl (Victim) through social media. Regan, a former corrections officer who identified himself as “Jason,” and the Victim met over Snapchat in late July and continued to chat over the next several weeks on social media. The chats were often sexual in nature with the defendant requesting that the victim send him sexually explicit photographs and videos. As the conversations progressed, Regan made plans to meet the Victim for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. In August, Regan met the Minor Victim and engaged in sexual contact. At one point, the defendant claimed to be a Cheektowaga Police Officer. In addition, investigators uncovered sexually explicit photographs of an additional Victim, who was an infant, produced by Regan, on the defendant’s cell phone.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Grand Jury - August 2021Read the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan W. Sharp announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 11 unsealed Indictments charging 11 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Gilberto Aguilar-Beltran, age 44, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Aguilar-Beltran with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of Methamphetamine on or about February, 2021 and continuing to on or about July 15, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of Methamphetamine on or about July 15, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. There is also an allegation to forfeit United States currency seized on or about July 15, 2021.
* Jeremy M. Boyd, age 23, of Omaha, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Boyd with receipt of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct from on or about February 27, 2020 to on or about July 2, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 5 years and up to 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and $35,000 additional special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with possession of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on or about July 2, 2020. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment, and $17,000 additional special assessment.
* Talis Dale, age 22, of Macy, Nebraska, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor on or about May 3, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment.
* Achocho Enita, age 28, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Enita with attempted enticement of a minor on or about July 13, 2021 to on or about July 23, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is not less than 10 years’ and up to life imprisonment, $250,000 fine, life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct on or about July 23, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 30 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, life term of supervised release, a $100 special assessment,
* Matthew Foster, age 34, is charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges Foster with distribution of fentanyl analogue resulting in serious bodily injury on or about February 3, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine, a five-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with distribution of heroin and fentanyl analogue on or about July 15, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. Count III charges the defendant with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl analogue and Methamphetamine on or about February 10, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment.
* Jessica Giles, age 32, is charged in a four-count Indictment. Counts I trough III charge Giles with distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about January 7, 2021 to on or about February 10, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 40 years’ imprisonment, $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. Count IV charges the defendant with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on or about February 18, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment.
* Derrick Lloyd, age 28, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of fentanyl on or about July 20, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 40 years’ imprisonment, $5,000,000 fine, a four-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment
* Clemencia Marcos Juan, age 42, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges Juan with use of an identification document not lawfully issued on or about April 16, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with misuse of a Social Security number on or about April 16, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment.
* Salvador Mora Cisneros, age 40, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation on or about July 21, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Mario A. Quiroga, age 21, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I and II charge Mario with interference with interstate commerce by way of robbery on or about July 21, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, a three-year term of supervised release, $100 special assessment.
* Fernando Luis Villegas-Valdez, age 33, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation on or about May 5, 2021. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a one-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
Georgia Man Guilty of Operating High-Volume Drug “Market” sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, Additional Co-Defendants Sentenced this WeekRead the Press Release
ALBANY, Ga. – Multiple co-defendants involved in a high-volume drug trafficking operation located in a southwest Georgia city were sentenced to federal prison for their crimes this week.
On Thursday, August 19, James Malone, 51, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. The following co-defendants were sentenced to prison this week:
Laura Ann Dungee-Ali, 49, of Albany, as sentenced to serve 180 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release after she pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises;
William Raymond Cook, 46, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone;
Shannon Marie Mason, 39, of Leesburg, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 75 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release after she pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine;
Anthony Dewayne Pearson, 42, of Sylvester, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone; and,
Patricia Odom, 50, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Sherrod Winchester, 39, of Albany, is scheduled for sentencing the week of September 13, after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner is presiding over this case.
“In the light of day, these defendants operated a quick-serve market for some of the deadliest illegal drugs available. Malone and Winchester directed this operation with a shocking brazenness, causing grave harm to drug users and damaging a neighborhood,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Investigators with the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit, GBI, DEA and FBI successfully stopped a pit-stop of poison from continuing to destroy lives and a community.”
“DEA eradicated a methamphetamine distribution network that pushed poison throughout the Albany community. DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting these communities,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “Today is not only a victory for law enforcement, but also for the Albany community that was directly impacted by this organization. Everyone can sleep better at night now knowing that these defendants have been sentenced.”
“These defendants were so brazen they barely tried to hide their stop and shop operation that perpetuated crime throughout the community,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Through our strong partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, we were able close down their business and make sure they could cause no more harm to the citizens of the communities they plagued.”
“This investigation illustrates that drug trafficking at any level will not be tolerated in the state of Georgia. It is paramount that violators of drug laws be held accountable. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is fully committed to working with our local and federal partners in drug enforcement to address these types of crimes,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds.
“Here is another example of how we can utilize local, state and federal resources to address the challenges of drug dealing within our community. These persons continued to disregard the quality of life in their neighborhood by breaking laws meant to protect people from hurt, harm and danger. The victims of these crimes need comprehensive substance abuse treatment and a long-term recovery program. More people may look for a profitable return on drug dealing, but we want them to understand the consequences that come with it,” said Albany Police Chief Michael Persley.
According to court documents, in 2019, Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit (ADDU) detectives identified defendants Malone and Winchester as significant distributors of methamphetamine and heroin. As a result, GBI, DEA and FBI initiated a joint investigation into the distribution of controlled substances at 520 9th Avenue, Albany, Georgia. The location was an open-air drug market run by Malone and Winchester, dispensing diverted pharmaceutical medications, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and other controlled substances. On a daily basis, the location maintained a large volume of foot and vehicle traffic, approximately twenty cars or more, with the visits lasting no more than a few minutes. Customers would approach a covered shelter to acquire illegal drugs, in a manner similar to a drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant. Confidential sources were recorded making purchases of these illegal drugs from several of the co-defendants. Co-defendant Mason admitted to transporting large quantities of illegal substances at the behest of Winchester. Mason was taken into custody with more than a kilo of cocaine and more than a kilo of crystal methamphetamine in her vehicle. More than $40,000 in drug proceeds were seized from Malone’s residence. The drug house operated almost continuously from 2015 until late 2020 or early 2021.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA, GBI and the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah McEwen is prosecuting the case.
Fresno Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Being Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Simon Meza Jr., 38, of Fresno, was sentenced Friday, Aug. 20, 2021 by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to four years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition that was found in his loaded gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on Aug. 19, 2020, in Fresno, police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Meza. Meza did not yield, but instead, recklessly fled in his vehicle. Officers discontinued the pursuit, but later located Meza’s vehicle abandoned at a business on South Sarah Avenue. Officers located Meza hiding in a nearby park. Surveillance video from the business showed Meza discarding a bag containing a loaded firearm and a wallet with Meza’s California identification card inside. Meza has multiple prior convictions for illegal weapons and drug possession and is prohibited from possessing ammunition.
This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Schuh prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Fort Collins Bookkeeper Sentenced for Mail Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
Denver - Rose Horne, formerly of Fort Collins, Colorado, was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and $977,115.87 in restitution for mail fraud and money laundering.
According to court documents, Horne worked as a bookkeeper for a small, family-run plumbing business in Fort Collins for 27 years. From at least October 2005 through June 2011, Horne engaged in a scheme to embezzle over $1 million from her employer. As part of her scheme, Horne wrote approximately 170 unauthorized checks to herself from her employer’s payroll bank account. Horne, who did not have signature authority for the business bank accounts, forged signatures on some checks or presented checks to the authorized signatories under the guise that the checks were for business expenses. Additionally, Horne obtained a personal credit card from Chase Bank, knowing the business also had a Chase credit card account, so that checks made payable to Chase Bank to pay her personal credit card bills would not raise questions.
Horne attempted to conceal the theft by writing “void” on check stubs, falsely writing the name of an actual vendor on the check stubs, and by cutting and blacking out portions of her employer’s bank statements that included copies of the checks in question.
“Frauds like this one can be financially and emotionally devastating to small business owners,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch. “Ms. Horne ran but ultimately could not hide from the consequences of her crimes.”
Horne was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn after pleading guilty on May 5, 2021. She was indicted on March 11, 2014 and remained a fugitive until her arrest in California in June 2020.
“IRS-Criminal Investigation will use all its available resources to pursue those who defraud American taxpayers” said Andy Tsui, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Denver Field Office. “Horne abused the trust bestowed upon her by her employer, fled when her illegal activities were discovered, and is now being held accountable for her actions.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Pegeen D. Rhyne.
Case No. 14-cr-00093-REB
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Former San Francisco Senior Building Inspector and Former San Francisco Building Inspection Commission President Charged with Building-Permit FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal complaint filed today charges Bernard Curran and Rodrigo Santos with honest services wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.
According to the complaint, Curran, 60, of San Francisco, was employed at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) from 2005 until he resigned from his supervisory position as Senior Building Inspector while on administrative leave in May 2021. Santos, 63, also of San Francisco, is a co-founder of the San Francisco-based Santos & Urrutia Structural Engineers who was appointed to the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission in 2000 by Mayor Willie Brown and promoted in 2004 by Mayor Gavin Newsom to be the Commission’s President. In 2012, Mayor Ed Lee appointed Santos to the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees. Santos’s day-to-day work involved providing engineering services to construction project owners and contractors through his structural engineering company. His services included obtaining building permits for his clients from DBI.
Santos was earlier indicted on July 1, 2021, in a federal indictment, case number CR 21-0268 SI, alleging bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and obstruction of justice in a scheme to obtain and wrongfully divert money from clients into his own account. That criminal prosecution remains underway.
Today’s federal complaint describes that a major hurdle any San Francisco real property owner must clear to shepherd a construction or remodeling project from inception to completion is to obtain and comply with a permit from DBI. A critical step in that process is the on-site physical inspection by a DBI inspector, who inspects and determines if the work completed at the site complies with work authorized and mandated by the permit. If so, approval is issued by the inspector.
The complaint alleges that Santos requested his clients make charitable contributions attributable to Curran to a local non-profit athletic organization favored by Curran. These checks, in the amounts of $500 to $1,500, were written to the athletic organization on numerous occasions during the scheme. Curran is alleged in the complaint to have been aware of these donations and understood that the payments were in furtherance of the permit-approval scheme. In exchange for this stream of benefits flowing to Curran’s favored athletic organization, Curran repeatedly acted in his position as a DBI Senior Building Inspector to provide Santos’ clients with favorable official treatment. In one of several incidents outlined in the complaint, Curran inspected and issued a final approval of the work done under a DBI permit issued to a Santos client though work required to comply with the permit was never done. The complaint further alleges that most of the permits that Curran approved for Santos’ clients who donated were on properties outside of Curran’s DBI-assigned district and were the responsibility of other inspectors.
The initial federal court appearances for Santos and Curran have not yet been scheduled.
Santos and Curran are charged in the complaint with honest services wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346. They face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine equal to the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the crime. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in a criminal complaint merely allege that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Casey Boome is the Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal assistants Ralph Banchstubbs and Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Former San Francisco Senior Building Inspector and Former San Francisco Building Inspection Commission President Charged with Building-Permit FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal complaint filed today charges Bernard Curran and Rodrigo Santos with honest services wire fraud, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair.
According to the complaint, Curran, 60, of San Francisco, was employed at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) from 2005 until he resigned from his supervisory position as Senior Building Inspector while on administrative leave in May 2021. Santos, 63, also of San Francisco, is a co-founder of the San Francisco-based Santos & Urrutia Structural Engineers who was appointed to the San Francisco Building Inspection Commission in 2000 by Mayor Willie Brown and promoted in 2004 by Mayor Gavin Newsom to be the Commission’s President. In 2012, Mayor Ed Lee appointed Santos to the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees. Santos’s day-to-day work involved providing engineering services to construction project owners and contractors through his structural engineering company. His services included obtaining building permits for his clients from DBI.
Santos was earlier indicted on July 1, 2021, in a federal indictment, case number CR 21-0268 SI, alleging bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and obstruction of justice in a scheme to obtain and wrongfully divert money from clients into his own account. That criminal prosecution remains underway.
Today’s federal complaint describes that a major hurdle any San Francisco real property owner must clear to shepherd a construction or remodeling project from inception to completion is to obtain and comply with a permit from DBI. A critical step in that process is the on-site physical inspection by a DBI inspector, who inspects and determines if the work completed at the site complies with work authorized and mandated by the permit. If so, approval is issued by the inspector.
The complaint alleges that Santos requested his clients make charitable contributions attributable to Curran to a local non-profit athletic organization favored by Curran. These checks, in the amounts of $500 to $1,500, were written to the athletic organization on numerous occasions during the scheme. Curran is alleged in the complaint to have been aware of these donations and understood that the payments were in furtherance of the permit-approval scheme. In exchange for this stream of benefits flowing to Curran’s favored athletic organization, Curran repeatedly acted in his position as a DBI Senior Building Inspector to provide Santos’ clients with favorable official treatment. In one of several incidents outlined in the complaint, Curran inspected and issued a final approval of the work done under a DBI permit issued to a Santos client though work required to comply with the permit was never done. The complaint further alleges that most of the permits that Curran approved for Santos’ clients who donated were on properties outside of Curran’s DBI-assigned district and were the responsibility of other inspectors.
The initial federal court appearances for Santos and Curran have not yet been scheduled.
Santos and Curran are charged in the complaint with honest services wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346. They face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine equal to the greater of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the crime. However, any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in a criminal complaint merely allege that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Casey Boome is the Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal assistants Ralph Banchstubbs and Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Unemployment Benefits FraudRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Tallahassee, Florida, man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to use 17 victims’ identities (without their consent) to unlawfully submit fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits claims, totaling at least $385,000.
According to court documents and admissions made in court, Joseph Holmes Jr., 22, conspired with others to submit fraudulent unemployment insurance claims with the California Employment Development Department (EDD). During a traffic stop on September 18, 2020, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers discovered in the car and on Holmes and co-defendant Emelio Rochester: 17 EDD debit cards, all in different names; $89,710 in cash; five cellphones; three laptop computers; and a tablet. At least $385,000 in unemployment benefits was approved for unemployment claims associated with the EDD debit cards, and at least $192,234 was withdrawn using the cards.
Holmes pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess counterfeit and unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon scheduled sentencing for December 9, 2021. Holmes faces a total statutory maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Quentin Heiden of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Los Angeles Region made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the DOL-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Fang is prosecuting the case.
In May, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
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 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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Federal Jury Convicts Kanawha County Man of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A federal jury convicted a Kanawha County man on charges of distributing methamphetamine, distributing crack cocaine, and possessing with intent to distribute over 400 grams of methamphetamine and over 80 grams of crack cocaine. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the jury trial.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Michael Andrew King, Jr., 35, of Charleston, distributed methamphetamine to an individual in Montgomery, West Virginia on January 4, 2019. Three days later, King distributed crack cocaine to that same individual in Montgomery. On February 2, 2019, King was in Cleveland, Ohio and placed over 400 grams of methamphetamine and over 80 grams of crack cocaine in a female’s vehicle without her knowledge. King arranged for the female to follow him back to Charleston that same day. Law enforcement conducted surveillance of King as he followed the female’s vehicle, and after a traffic stop of both vehicles, seized King’s methamphetamine and crack cocaine that he had previously placed in the vehicle.
“I want to thank the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), as well as the other law enforcement agencies who worked on this case to protect the public and continue our efforts to shut down the flow of illegal drugs into the Southern District of West Virginia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston.
King faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced on November 18, 2021.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Ryan Blackwell handled the prosecution. The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) conducted the investigation with assistance from the Charleston Police Department, the South Charleston Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Parkersburg Police Department.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00023.
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Federal Indictment in Maryland Charges Four Men for a Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy in which the Drugs Were Sent Through the U.S. Mail to a Mail Carrier Who Accepted Bribes to Re-Route the PackagesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging four men with federal charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine sent through the U.S. mail to a mail carrier who allegedly accepted bribes to re-route the packages to drug conspirators. Charged in the indictment are:
Robert DuBois Miller III, age 30, of Bowie, Maryland; Isaiah David Hamilton, age 24, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Raynard Jordan Johnson, age 24, of Upper Marlboro; and
Walter Ellis Minor III, age 30, of Lanham, Maryland.The indictment was returned on June 23, 2021, and unsealed today upon the arrest of the defendants.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration - Washington Division; Postal Inspector in Charge Daniel A. Adame of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - Washington Division; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Malik Azziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to the eight-count indictment, between August 2019 and February 2020, Miller, Hamilton, and Johnson were part of a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The indictment alleges that between October 2019 and January 2020, Miller mailed packages containing methamphetamine from post offices in Los Angeles, California, to addresses in Bowie and Lanham, Maryland, that were on the routes assigned to Minor, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that Miller addressed the packages in the names of various individuals to addresses on postal routes assigned to Minor. Once the packages were mailed, Miller allegedly provided Minor the number of packages containing methamphetamine and the tracking numbers, so Minor would know how many packages he should expect to re-route. When the packages arrived in Maryland, Minor allegedly contacted Miller with a location where Miller or his associates could pick up the packages. These locations were not the addresses listed on the packages. As detailed in the indictment, if Minor was not able to obtain the package for delivery he would inform Miller, who would then dispatch an associate to wait at the location where the package was set to be delivered, in order to steal the package.
The indictment alleges that Miller paid Minor in exchange for Minor redirecting packages from the address listed on the package to members of the conspiracy. The indictment alleges that on March 9, 2019, October 30, 2019 and November 27, 2019, Miller provided payment to Minor in exchange for Minor diverting packages containing methamphetamine to Miller or other conspirators. For example, the indictment alleges that on October 29, 2019 and November 25, 2019, Miller sent a package containing methamphetamine to an address in Maryland on Minor’s postal route and Minor subsequently redirected the packages from the address listed on each package to a member of the conspiracy. Miller allegedly then paid Minor $240 and $300, respectively.
If convicted, Miller, Hamilton and Johnson each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison for their roles in the conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Miller and Minor each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Miller also faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for each of three counts charging him with giving bribes to a public official and Minor faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison for each of three counts of acceptance of bribes by a public official. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The defendants will all have an initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.
This case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the ATF, and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajeev R. Raghavan and Erin B. Pulice, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Chicago Tax PreparerRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Northern District of Illinois has permanently enjoined a Chicago, Illinois, tax return preparer from preparing returns for others and from owning or operating any tax return preparation business in the future.
The civil complaint filed in the case alleged that Lennette Roberts and her company, Real Counseling Solution Inc., which did business under the assumed name RR Tax and Accounting, prepared fraudulent federal income tax returns. According to the complaint, defendants prepared returns that made false and fraudulent claims including: (1) false itemized deductions; (2) fabricated losses for non-existent businesses; (3) false or inflated earned income tax credits; and (4) false head-of-household filing statuses (which results in a lower rate as compared to single filing status).
According to the court’s order, Lennette Roberts and her company consented to entry of the injunction, which permits the United States to conduct full post-judgment discovery to monitor compliance. The order requires that Roberts (1) send notice of the injunction to each person for whom she and her company prepared federal tax returns, other tax forms, or claims for refund after Jan. 1, 2018, and (2) post an electronic copy of the injunction on any business social media profile currently maintained or created over the next five years.
Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. (More information can also be found here.) The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer, has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers, and offers information on how to avoid “ghost” tax preparers, whose refusal to sign a return should be a red flag to taxpayers.
In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Fall Creek Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Illegal Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Roy Hopp, 41, Fall Creek, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 8 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Hopp pleaded guilty to this charge on June 1, 2021.
On November 12, 2020, Hopp was arrested driving a stolen car in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Police searched Hopp, finding a stolen .380 caliber pistol in his pocket. Hopp pleaded guilty to a state burglary charge related to the gun theft.
At sentencing, Judge Conley indicated that he imposed the long sentence on Hopp due to the severity of the offense and his persistent criminal history which included convictions for burglary, theft, drug offenses, and sexual assault. Judge Conley reflected that Hopp was a danger to the community and recommended that he receive mental health and substance abuse treatment.
The charge against Hopp was the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire Sheriff’s Office, Eau Claire Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
Enrolled member of San Felipe Pueblo sentenced to five years in federal prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Emery Garcia, 37, of San Felipe, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the San Felipe Pueblo, was sentenced on Aug. 19 in federal court to five years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country.
Garcia pleaded guilty on March 29. According to the plea agreement, on Oct. 8, 2020, Garcia assaulted both of his teenage kids, identified as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2, on the San Felipe Pueblo in Sandoval County, New Mexico. After having an argument via text message with John Doe 2, Garcia drove to their residence to cause bodily harm to the victim. Garcia attempted to gain access to the residence through one of the windows of the home and was pushed back by both John Doe 1 and John Doe 2. Garcia returned to the window with a with a board, specifically a piece of 2x4 lumber, and attacked both victims by striking them on the head.
Upon completion of his sentence, Garcia will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Albuquerque Field Office of the FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Nayback and Allison Jaros prosecuted the case.
Drug Cartel Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Narcotics Trafficking in East TexasRead the Press Release
TEXARKANA, Texas – A Dallas man has been sentenced to prison for an international drug trafficking operation in the Eastern District of Texas pursuant to Operation Dirty Bird, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Jose Armando Rosales-Bernal, 27, pleaded guilty on Sep. 1, 2020, to conspiring to distribute controlled substances was sentenced to 360 months in prison today by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III. Rosales-Bernal agreed to forfeit $4 million in drug proceeds, $234,971 in U.S. currency, his home, three firearms, luxury jewelry, and three vehicles, including a cherry red Dodge Charger Hellcat.
“Today’s lengthy, 30-year prison sentence reflects exactly how East Texas feels about drug trafficking and enforcement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Not only will drug dealers lose their freedom for long periods of time, but they will also lose their money and other ill-gotten gains. We are grateful for the strong relationships with our many law enforcement partners that led to a just outcome in this important case.”
“This sentence is not only appropriate, but also a major win for HSI and our partners who focus so many of our public safety efforts on removing drug traffickers from North Texas communities and beyond,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “The dismantlement of this defendant’s transnational drug operation and seizure of his assets will strike a significant blow in the fight to stop the illegal importation and distribution of dangerous drugs throughout the United States.”
According to information presented in court, Rosales-Bernal, Rodolfo Javier Falcon, Eleazar Martinez Reyes, Gerardo Carbrera Ramirez, Julio Villarreal, Armando Moreno Jr., Claudia Claribel Gardea, Jose Geraldo Ornelas-Pineda, David Martinez, and others conspired to distribute more than 150 kilograms of cocaine, along with methamphetamine and heroin, from the Jalisco Nueva Generacion drug cartel in Mexico. The group distributed drugs in Dallas, East Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and Michigan. On one occasion, Falcon, Gardea, and Ornelas-Pineda—and two young children—were stopped in Tennessee carrying nine kilograms of cocaine from Rosales-Bernal to North Carolina. The organization was also responsible for shipping drug proceeds, in the form of bulk cash, back to Mexico. Law enforcement intercepted one bulk cash shipment of approximately $350,000. Rosales-Bernal and Falcon both occupied leadership roles in the drug trafficking organization. During the conspiracy, Rosales-Bernal, Falcon, Martinez, and others possessed and carried firearms to safeguard their drugs and cash. Rosales-Bernal and others spent their drug proceeds on lavish lifestyle items, including the Dodge Charger Hellcat, flashy watches, exotic weapons, a jewel encrusted rooster necklace, and numerous pairs of luxury shoes and boots.
Operation Dirty Bird is a long-term drug trafficking and money laundering investigation that has led to the seizure of more than $500,000 in U.S. Currency, almost 40 kilograms of cocaine, more than a quarter kilogram of methamphetamine, nine firearms, several vehicles, two houses in Dallas, and an array of fine jewelry.
Rosales-Bernal, Villarreal, Moreno, Falcon, Ramirez, Gardea, Ornelas-Pineda, Dalia Janet Campos Rosales, Reyes, and Martinez were previously charged and arrested as a result of this investigation. Falcon, Ramirez, Gardea, Reyes, Ornelas-Pineda, Moreno, and Villarreal have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced collectively to more than 800 months in prison. Campos Rosales has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Martinez has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. This case is pending in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas. If convicted, Martinez face a minimum of 15 years and as much as life in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Mount Pleasant office of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Criminal Investigation Division and the Dallas office of Homeland Security Investigations. In addition, the following agencies have played critical roles in this investigation: the Mesquite, Texas, Police Department SWAT team; the Texas National Guard; the Texas Department of Public Safety, Highway Patrol Division and Aircraft Division; the George West, Texas, Police Department; the 23rd Judicial Drug Task Force in Dickson, Tennessee; and the Mount Pleasant, Texas, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.
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Des Moines Woman Sentenced to Prison for Making a False Statement During the Purchase of a FirearmRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IOWA – On Thursday, August 19, 2021, a federal judge sentenced Jennifer Elizabeth Shorter, age 23, of Des Moines, to 33 months in prison for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Shorter previously pleaded guilty to the charge.
At sentencing, United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner found Shorter had illegally purchased eleven firearms by lying on the purchasing forms. For ten of the firearms, Shorter claimed she was the actual buyer, when she actually purchased the firearms for others. Two of those firearms were recovered in the hands of prohibited individuals, a felon and a juvenile. Eight of the firearms remain unrecovered.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Davante Harrison (“YGG Tay”) Convicted for Drug Conspiracy and Related Gun and Drug Charges After a Five-Day Federal TrialRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal jury today convicted Davante Harrison, a/k/a “YGG Tay,” age 26, of Baltimore for federal charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute heroin, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The guilty verdict was returned at the end of a five-day federal trial.
The conviction 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; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Amal Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
According to the evidence presented at his five-day trial, in October and November 2019, Harrison was part of a drug conspiracy that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in Baltimore and Baltimore County. Law enforcement officers investigating the conspiracy surveilled Harrison, who is believed to be the leader of the group “Young Go Getters,” and observed him traveling from Baltimore to locations in Rosedale and Golden Ring Park in Baltimore County, where he made short stops to conduct narcotics transactions. Afterward, Harrison traveled to a casino in Delaware with the drug proceeds.
“With this conviction, our federal, state and local law enforcement team here in Maryland held accountable an armed narcotics dealer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner. “There is no question that in general the drug trade fuels overdoses and gun violence, and as we saw in this trial, drug dealers often possess deadly narcotics and firearms. We would like to thank the FBI and the Baltimore and Anne Arundel County police departments for their partnership and terrific investigative work on this case. At the end of the day, we are focused on making the community safer for Maryland residents, and this conviction is another step in that direction.”
According to testimony and court documents, on November 25, 2019, FBI investigators executed search warrants at locations associated with the conspiracy, including a search of Harrison. From Harrison, investigators recovered $9,277 in cash and a .40 caliber handgun loaded with an extended magazine containing 17 rounds, including one in the chamber. The $9,277 were proceeds of Harrison’s drug trafficking activity. At a stash location associated with the conspiracy, law enforcement recovered a 9mm pistol, loaded with 16 rounds, including one in the chamber; a .25 caliber pistol loaded with five rounds; a container with 386 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin; several clear plastic bags containing a total of 40 grams of cocaine; a clear plastic bag containing 50 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl; a clear plastic bag containing 27 grams of crack cocaine; a plastic bag containing 71 grams of a fentanyl mixture; and drug paraphernalia.
As a result of a previous felony conviction, Harrison knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Harrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in federal prison for the drug conspiracy; a maximum of 20 in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin; a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person; and a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, and a maximum of life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm will schedule the sentencing at a later date.
Co-defendant Christopher Jerry, age 30, of Baltimore, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (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.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI, the Baltimore Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Goo and Charles Austin, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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D..C. Man Indicted on Charges in Scheme to Steal More Than $17 Million in COVID-19 Relief FundsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia man has been indicted on federal charges alleging that he perpetrated a scheme to steal more than $17 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds.
The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Acting Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office. The indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the indictment, Elias Eldabbagh, 30, devised a scheme to use tax returns stolen from a Washington, D.C. consulting firm and stolen identities to fraudulently obtain more than $17 million in PPP and EIDL funds in the name of his company, Alias Systems, LLC. The indictment alleges that Eldabbagh attempted to steal a total of $17 million and successfully stole more than $2.3 million from PPP and EIDL programs.
Eldabbagh was arrested today and appeared this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was released on home confinement pending a hearing set for Aug. 30.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted in or around March 2020 and designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of billions in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
An Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) is a Small Business Administration administered loan designed to provide assistance to small businesses that suffer substantial economic injury as a result of a declared disaster. An EIDL helps businesses meet necessary financial obligations that could have been met had the disaster not occurred. It provided relief from economic injury that the disaster caused and permitted businesses to maintain a reasonable working capital position during the period that the disaster affected.
As alleged in the indictment, Eldabbagh carried out a scheme from at least July 2020 to July 2021 in which he filed at least 13 fraudulent PPP loan applications and an EIDL application in the name of Alias Systems, LLC, using stolen identities and stolen tax returns that were fraudulently doctored to appear to be tax returns of Alias Systems, LLC. Based on these applications, Eldabbagh fraudulently obtained more than $2.3 million PPP and EIDL funds, which were then transmitted through numerous financial institutions and used to purchase a 2020 Tesla. The indictment further alleged that Eldabbagh attempted to transfer or obtain funds that had been lawfully seized by Special Agents of IRS Criminal Investigation.
Eldabbagh is charged with five counts of wire fraud, 14 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, 14 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of destruction or removal of property to prevent seizure. If convicted, Eldabbagh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, ten years in prison for each count of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count, to run consecutive to any sentence for wire fraud, and five years in prison for the count of destruction or removal of property to prevent seizure. The indictment includes a notification of the United States’ intent to seek the forfeiture of 20 bank accounts and a 2020 Tesla purchased with the proceeds of the fraud. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
On May 17, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of fraud related to COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Washington Field Office of IRS Criminal investigation. Assistance was provided by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Goemaat of the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, is prosecuting the case, supported by Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade.