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Wednesday 23 June 2021
Disbarred Columbus Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Mail FraudRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A former Columbus-based attorney has pleaded guilty to mail fraud after a U.S. Secret Service investigation revealed he had stolen a settlement fee from two clients in a personal injury case.
George W. Snipes, 68, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count mail fraud before U.S. District Clay Land. Snipes faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 19, 2021.
“Lawyers are bound by a sworn oath to act with utmost integrity for the good of their clients and the legal profession itself. Snipes not only violated his oath, he acted in a criminal manner by diverting funds intended for his injured clients for his own personal use,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Attorneys—and all business professionals—who lie and scheme their way to a profit while harming trusting citizens will be held accountable by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners.”
“The United States Secret Service along with its law enforcement partners remain committed to aggressively investigative those responsible for defrauding victims the way Snipes did. Not only did he violate the trust of his clients but the oath he swore to uphold as an attorney,” said Clint Bush, United States Secret Service, Resident Agent in Charge, Albany, Georgia, Resident Office.
According to court documents, Snipes was a licensed attorney in Georgia, representing clients in personal injury cases. Two clients, injured in an automobile accident in August 2017, retained Snipes to represent them on a contingency fee basis in connection with their injuries and wages lost as a result of the accident. In September 2017, without the clients’ authorization or knowledge, Snipes settled the case with an insurance company for $48,000, and the settlement checks were sent to Snipes per his request. Snipes used the money for his own personal benefit. Snipes now admits he willfully participated in a scheme to defraud and obtain money by materially false pretenses by placing in an authorized depository for mail a request for funds for the payment of the two clients’ medical expenses and lost wages, knowing that the expenses would not be paid to the intended recipients.
In addition, records obtained from Snipes’ Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (“IOLTA”) from the same general period show a pattern of illegal distributions to Snipes. Essentially, all attorneys are required to maintain IOLTA accounts that accumulate interest until such time as distributions are made to clients or otherwise authorized recipients. Attorneys are not permitted to withdraw funds from these accounts without consulting with and gaining permission from their clients. From at least January 2017 to January 2018, there were numerous unauthorized distributions from this IOLTA account, including personal distributions to Snipes, payments to a rental company he owned, distributions to Parent-Teacher Associations and storage facilities. During this same time period, withdrawals from the IOLTA account made to “cash” totaled $468,750. There were also numerous checks written to Snipes totaling $167,600.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Columbus Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melvin Hyde is prosecuting the case.
Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid a Foreign GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Mariam Taha Thompson, 62, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for delivering classified national defense information to aid a foreign government. As part of her March 26 guilty plea, Thompson admitted that she believed that the classified national defense information that she was passing to a Lebanese national would be provided to Lebanese Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“The defendant’s decision to aid a foreign terrorist organization was a betrayal that endangered the lives of the very American men and women on the battlefield who had served beside her for more than a decade,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “Let today’s sentence serve notice that there are serious consequences for anyone who betrays this country by compromising national defense information.”
“Thompson’s sentence reflects the seriousness of her violation of the trust of the American people, of the human sources she jeopardized and of the troops who worked at her side as friends and colleagues,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “That Thompson passed our nation’s sensitive secrets to someone whom she knew had ties to Lebanese Hezbollah made her betrayal all the more serious. Thompson’s sentence should stand as a clear warning to all clearance holders that violations of their oath to this country will not be taken lightly, especially when they put lives at risk.”
“This case should serve as a clear reminder to all of those entrusted with national defense information that unilaterally disclosing such information for personal gain, or that of others, is not selfless or heroic; it is criminal,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler, Jr. of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “By knowingly distributing classified information that would be passed onto a designated foreign terrorist organization, Mariam Thompson put our national defense in danger. The men and women of the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to defeat hostile intelligence activities targeting the United States and to hold those who assist our adversaries accountable.”
“Thompson was entrusted with highly sensitive information, and she chose to betray her country by providing classified defense information to a foreign terrorist organization,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s significant sentencing shows the dedicated work of the FBI, the U.S. Intelligence Community and our global partners to work swiftly and diligently to safeguard our national security information and hold accountable those who break our nation’s trust."
According to court documents, Thompson worked as a contract linguist at an overseas U.S. military facility where she was entrusted with a Top-Secret government security clearance. Thompson admitted that, beginning in 2017, she started communicating with her unindicted co-conspirator using a video-chat feature on a secure text and voice messaging application. Over time, Thompson developed a romantic interest in her co-conspirator. Thompson learned that the unindicted co-conspirator had a family member who was in the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior and that the unindicted co-conspirator claimed to have received a ring from Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Lebanese Hezbollah.
In December 2019, while Thompson was assigned to a Special Operations Task Force facility in Iraq, the United States launched a series of airstrikes in Iraq targeting Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed foreign terrorist organization. These airstrikes culminated in a Jan. 3, 2020, strike that resulted in the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani, as well as the founder of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Following Suleimani’s death, the unindicted co-conspirator began asking Thompson to provide “them” with information about the human assets who had helped the United States to target Suleimani. Thompson admitted that she understood “them” to be Lebanese Hezbollah, including an unnamed high-ranking military commander.
After receiving this request for information in early January 2020, Thompson began accessing dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the U.S. government. Thompson used several techniques to pass this information on to the unindicted co-conspirator, who told her that his contacts were pleased with the information and that the Lebanese Hezbollah military commander wanted to meet Thompson when she came to Lebanon.
When she was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 27, 2020, Thompson had used her access to classified national defense information to provide her co-conspirator with the identities of at least eight clandestine human assets; at least 10 U.S. targets; and multiple tactics, techniques and procedures. Thompson intended and had reason to believe that this classified national defense information would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of Lebanese Hezbollah.
Today’s sentencing was the result of the significant cooperation between law enforcement, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community in the successful resolution of this investigation led by the FBI Washington Field Office.
National Security Division Trial Attorneys Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cummings for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.
Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid a Foreign GovernmentRead the Press Release
Mariam Taha Thompson, 62, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for delivering classified national defense information to aid a foreign government. As part of her March 26 guilty plea, Thompson admitted that she believed that the classified national defense information that she was passing to a Lebanese national would be provided to Lebanese Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“Thompson’s sentence reflects the seriousness of her violation of the trust of the American people, of the human sources she jeopardized and of the troops who worked at her side as friends and colleagues,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “That Thompson passed our nation’s sensitive secrets to someone whom she knew had ties to Lebanese Hezbollah made her betrayal all the more serious. Thompson’s sentence should stand as a clear warning to all clearance holders that violations of their oath to this country will not be taken lightly, especially when they put lives at risk.”
“The defendant’s decision to aid a foreign terrorist organization was a betrayal that endangered the lives of the very American men and women on the battlefield who had served beside her for more than a decade,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “Let today’s sentence serve notice that there are serious consequences for anyone who betrays this country by compromising national defense information.”
“This case should serve as a clear reminder to all of those entrusted with national defense information that unilaterally disclosing such information for personal gain, or that of others, is not selfless or heroic; it is criminal,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler, Jr. of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “By knowingly distributing classified information that would be passed onto a designated foreign terrorist organization, Mariam Thompson put our national defense in danger. The men and women of the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to defeat hostile intelligence activities targeting the United States and to hold those who assist our adversaries accountable.”
“Thompson was entrusted with highly sensitive information, and she chose to betray her country by providing classified defense information to a foreign terrorist organization,” said Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s significant sentencing shows the dedicated work of the FBI, the U.S. Intelligence Community and our global partners to work swiftly and diligently to safeguard our national security information and hold accountable those who break our nation’s trust."
According to court documents, Thompson worked as a contract linguist at an overseas U.S. military facility where she was entrusted with a Top-Secret government security clearance. Thompson admitted that, beginning in 2017, she started communicating with her unindicted co-conspirator using a video-chat feature on a secure text and voice messaging application. Over time, Thompson developed a romantic interest in her co-conspirator. Thompson learned that the unindicted co-conspirator had a family member who was in the Lebanese Ministry of the Interior and that the unindicted co-conspirator claimed to have received a ring from Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Lebanese Hezbollah.
In December 2019, while Thompson was assigned to a Special Operations Task Force facility in Iraq, the United States launched a series of airstrikes in Iraq targeting Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed foreign terrorist organization. These airstrikes culminated in a Jan. 3, 2020, strike that resulted in the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani, as well as the founder of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Following Suleimani’s death, the unindicted co-conspirator began asking Thompson to provide “them” with information about the human assets who had helped the United States to target Suleimani. Thompson admitted that she understood “them” to be Lebanese Hezbollah, including an unnamed high-ranking military commander.
After receiving this request for information in early January 2020, Thompson began accessing dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the U.S. government. Thompson used several techniques to pass this information on to the unindicted co-conspirator, who told her that his contacts were pleased with the information and that the Lebanese Hezbollah military commander wanted to meet Thompson when she came to Lebanon.
When she was arrested by the FBI on Feb. 27, 2020, Thompson had used her access to classified national defense information to provide her co-conspirator with the identities of at least eight clandestine human assets; at least 10 U.S. targets; and multiple tactics, techniques and procedures. Thompson intended and had reason to believe that this classified national defense information would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of Lebanese Hezbollah.
Today’s sentencing was the result of the significant cooperation between law enforcement, the Department of Defense and the intelligence community in the successful resolution of this investigation led by the FBI Washington Field Office.
National Security Division Trial Attorneys Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cummings for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.
Davenport Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IOWA – A Davenport man, Lelen Lee Bonds, age 42, was sentenced on Monday, June 21, 2021, by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 270 months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Bonds was also on supervised release at the time he committed this offense and was sentenced to a period of 36 months in prison to run consecutive to the 270 month sentence. Following his imprisonment, Bonds was ordered to serve ten years of supervised release and immediately pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal made the announcement.
According to court documents, Bonds was involved in drug trafficking activities in the Quad Cities area beginning in September of 2019. A vehicle identified in the investigation was found to be owned by Bonds. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant and installed a GPS tracker for the vehicle and noted it made a trip to the area of South 10th Street in Burlington, Iowa—which is known to law enforcement as a high drug trafficking area. Once back in the Quad Cities, Bonds would distribute the methamphetamine. Further surveillance revealed more trips to the Burlington area as well as additional instances of suspected drug distribution. On October 3, 2019, search warrants were conducted on Bonds, his vehicle, and a residence he was associated with. During a search of the residence officers found over four ounces of ice methamphetamine.
On January 28, 2021, a jury found Bonds guilty of the charge that was brought against him. The Davenport Police Department (DPD) investigated the case and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa prosecuted this matter.
Dallas Men Sentenced for Hate Crimes After Targeting Gay Men on GrindrRead the Press Release
Three Texas men were sentenced yesterday for violent crimes against users of the gay dating app Grindr, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Michael Atkinson, 28, Pablo Ceniceros-Deleon, 21, and Daryl Henry, 24, were sentenced to federal prison terms for their involvement in a scheme to target gay men for violent crimes. Atkinson was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison, Ceniceros-Deleon was sentenced to 22 years in prison, and Henry was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“These defendants brutalized multiple victims, singling them out due to their sexual orientation. We cannot allow this sort of violence to fester unchecked,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting hate crimes. In the meantime, we urge dating app users to remain vigilant. Unfortunately, predators often lurk online.”
“These three men participated in and committed acts of violence against innocent victims because they believed the victims were gay men,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “This type of bias-motivated violence runs contrary to our values and violates our federal civil rights laws. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who target members of the LGBTQI community.”
“One of the FBI’s top priorities is to defend the civil rights of the communities we serve. We actively work with our law enforcement partners to investigate hate crimes and achieve justice for the victims impacted by these violent crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI Dallas Field Office. “The victims in this case were specifically targeted because of their sexual orientation. The FBI wants to reassure the public that we will pursue individuals who commit violent hate acts against any member of our community.”
According to documents filed in connection with this case, these three defendants admitted that they conspired to and then targeted as many as nine men in and around Dallas, Texas for violent crimes including kidnapping, carjacking, and hate crimes. Beginning on or around Dec. 6, 2017, members of this conspiracy used Grindr, a social media dating platform used primarily by gay men, to lure men to an apartment complex in Dallas. When the men arrived, the conspirators held the men at gunpoint and forced them to drive to local ATMs to withdraw cash from their accounts.
Atkinson and Henry admitted to joining this conspiracy to target gay men for violent crimes. On Dec. 11, 2017, the conspirators used Grindr to lure five men to a vacant apartment in Dallas where they held the men at gunpoint, kidnapped, carjacked, and assaulted them. As part of his plea agreement, Henry admitted that he used violence and threats of violence to hold the victims in the backroom and closet of the vacant apartment while other conspirators used the victims’ vehicles to drive to local ATMs to steal cash from the victims’ accounts. Atkinson and Ceniceros-Deleon admitted that they traveled in the carjacked vehicles to take cash from the victims’ accounts. While the victims were held at gunpoint, some were physically assaulted, at least one victim was sexually assaulted, and all of the victims were taunted with gay slurs.
In 2019, Atkinson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping and carjacking and one count of kidnapping.
Ceniceros-Deleon pleaded guilty in 2019 to one hate crime count, one count of carjacking, and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Henry pleaded guilty in 2019 to one hate crime count and one count of conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping and carjacking.
A final member of the conspiracy will be sentenced on Oct. 6, 2021. This final conspirator, Daniel Jenkins, pleaded guilty on June 3 to a hate crime violation; conspiracy to commit hate crimes, kidnapping and carjacking; and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Under the plea agreement, Jenkins faces a maximum sentence of 26 years in prison.
The FBI’s Dallas Field Office conducted the federal investigation; a separate criminal investigation is being conducted by the Dallas Police Department. Special Litigation Counsel Rose E. Gibson and Trial Attorney Kathryn Gilbert of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Dana, are prosecuting the case.
Coos Bay Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting a 3-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore.—A Coos Bay, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for producing sexually explicit images and videos of a 3-year-old child.
Keith James Atherton, 33, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison followed by a life term of supervised release.
According to court documents, on July 13, 2018, an undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) viewed child sexual abuse material streamed on a video chat website. Less than 24 hours later, Atherton was identified as the perpetrator, located, and taken into federal custody. Further investigation revealed that Atherton had produced several sexually explicit images and videos involving a 3-year-old child. Investigators seized more than 10 digital devices from Atherton, containing at least 35,000 images and 8,000 videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants, toddlers, and young children.
On July 18, 2018, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a three-count indictment charging Atherton with using or attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and possession and distribution of child pornography. On February 24, 2021, Atherton pleaded guilty to using or attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Coos Bay Police Department, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Sweet prosecuted the case with assistance from the Coos County District Attorney’s Office.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Columbus man sentenced for role in drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Milik I. Stanley, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to 87 months of incarceration for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Stanley, also known as “Taco,” age 24, pled guilty in February 2021 to one count of “Distribution Methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a Protected Location.” Stanley admitted to selling methamphetamine near Madison Elementary School on Wheeling Island in January 2020.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn M. Adkins and Clayton J. Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department, investigated. The U.S. Marshal Service, Columbus Police Department Gang Crimes Unit, the Martins Ferry Police Department, and the Bellaire Police Department also assisted.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Original case indictment here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/26-charged-drug-conspiracy-involving-heroin-fentanyl-crack-cocaine-and-meth-wheeling
Columbus Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Jackson County Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Columbus, Ohio man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from on or about October 2018 until November 2019, Lewis Von Burks, Jr., 51, was selling black tar heroin to several individuals from Jackson County, West Virginia, and elsewhere. These individuals were regularly travelling to Columbus in order to meet Burks and complete the transactions. Burks had knowledge at the time that several of the individuals were taking the heroin back to Jackson County, and that at least one of the individuals was re-selling the heroin in Jackson County. During the period of the conspiracy, at least 100 grams of black tar heroin were re-sold within Jackson County.
Burks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and faces up to 40 years in prison when sentenced on October 7, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00114.
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Columbia Career Offender Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison on Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that Anthony Earl Baxter, 37, of Columbia, was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, as well as possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
Evidence presented in court showed that on November 7, 2019, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched on a call for service related to a domestic assault with a firearm. The victim advised deputies that the suspect fled the scene, and deputies observed the suspect vehicle being driven by Baxter leaving the area. When the deputies tried to pull Baxter over, he pulled off the road and began a high speed car chase that reached over 90 MPH, with Baxter weaving in and out of traffic, driving into oncoming lanes of traffic, and jumping a center medium curb.
Baxter took marked patrol cars with lights and sirens activated on a car chase through business and residential areas of Columbia. The car chase ended with Baxter crashing his vehicle and then attempting to flee by foot with a backpack in hand onto a residential property. Deputies detained Baxter and discovered in the backpack: two 9mm handguns and ammunition, four digital scales, U.S. currency, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Federal law prohibits Baxter from possessing firearms and ammunition based on multiple prior felony convictions. Baxter’s prior convictions include for drug charges in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013; a weapons charge in 2004; and a criminal domestic violence charge in 2007. Due to his multiple controlled substance convictions, Baxter was considered a career offender within the meaning of the federal sentencing guidelines.
United States District Court Judge J. Michelle Childs sentenced Baxter to 151 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
The case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Carson Man Sentenced to 17 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Hattiesburg, Miss. – A Carson man was sentenced today to 210 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Brad Byerley, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to court documents, Charles John Barrett, 37, of Carson, sold methamphetamine to an individual in Hattiesburg on multiple occasions between January and November of 2020.
Barrett was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 20, 2020. He pled guilty on March 23, 2021 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case is the result of an extensive investigation, dubbed “Bulldog,” which began as an operation targeting illegal methamphetamine distribution in south Mississippi.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Keesha D. Middleton prosecuted the case.
Canadian Citizen Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Canadian man pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm as an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, on January 10, 2021, Dayne Adrian Sitladeen, 29, and his co-defendant were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol Trooper near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The defendants were traveling between 95-100 miles per hour in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with Texas license plates. When the Trooper approached the vehicle, Muzamil Aden Addow, the driver, provided an Ontario, Canada driver’s license with a false name.
According to court documents, after detecting the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and receiving suspicious and inconsistent statements from Sitladeen, the Trooper searched the vehicle. As a result of the search, law enforcement officers recovered a total of 67 firearms and numerous pistol magazines, including 15 high capacity pistol magazines, from four bags in the truck—one pistol magazine was partially loaded with live ammunition rounds. Law enforcement later discovered a provisional federal arrest warrant from the United States Marshals Service for Sitladeen, which was based on a 2019 Canadian arrest warrant for first degree homicide, fentanyl distribution, and possession of proceeds of crime.
“Whether it’s dozens of illegal guns in greater Minnesota or a straw purchasing ring operating in the Twin Cities, federal law enforcement is committed to reducing violent crime and stemming the flow of illegal firearms in our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minnesota State Patrol.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Bates.
California Man Sentenced to 45 Months in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that OSCAR ZAVALA, also known as “Manuel Garcia Martinez,” “Oscar Rangel Zavala” and “Oscar Zavala Rangel,” 43, of California, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 45 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force began investigating an organization that was distributing heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine in an around Bridgeport. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, revealed that the organization had a connection to Mexican drug cartel traffickers, and that members of the organization were eager to receive a steady supply of narcotics from the west coast of the U.S. On December 20, 2019, after members of the organization arranged to purchase a kilogram of heroin from a supplier, Zavala met an individual in a parking lot in San Diego and provided him with 1.1 kilograms of fentanyl in exchange for $27,000.
Zavala was arrested on February 10, 2020. On that date, a search of a storage locker in San Diego that Zavala had access to revealed approximately six kilograms of cocaine.
Zavala has been detained since his arrest. On February 23, 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
This matter was investigated by the DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force with the assistance of the DEA San Diego Field Division. The DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford and Danbury Police Departments.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen L. Peck and Lauren C. Clark through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations through a prosecutor-led and intelligence-driven approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
CEO of South Florida Armored Transport Company Charged in Multimillion Dollar Dirty Gold Money Laundering ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Miami, Fl. – South Florida federal prosecutors have charged a Miami-Dade County business owner with facilitating a $140 million transnational illicit gold smuggling operation aimed at laundering cash with alleged ties to criminal activity.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit unsealed yesterday, Jesus Gabriel Rodriguez, Jr., 45, owned and operated Transvalue, a South Florida company that transported gold, cash, and other valuables by armored truck, both domestically and internationally. It is alleged that from about March 2015 to September 2016, Rodriguez used his industry experience and contacts to facilitate the importation of thousands of kilograms of illicitly-sourced gold being flown into the United States from Curacao. The sellers of the gold were co-conspirators based in the Caribbean. The buyers of the gold were co-conspirators based in South Florida and Latin America who earned volume-based commissions by procuring gold for NTR Metals (now, Elemetals LLC). NTR Metals was a U.S. precious metals refinery with policies in place to combat money laundering, including not buying gold from Curacao, a country with no gold mines that is commonly used as a waypoint for gold illegally mined in, and smuggled out of, South America. Rodriguez helped co-conspirators dodge NTR Metals’ anti-money laundering policy and get the gold past U.S. Customs by working to conceal the gold’s illegal origins and connections to Curacao, says the affidavit.
For example, it is alleged that Rodriguez coordinated transportation for the gold that routed it through different countries before reaching its final destination in Miami: from Curacao to the United States, to the Cayman Islands, and back to the United States. According to the charges, Rodriguez hired brokers to clear the gold through U.S. Customs at Miami International Airport (MIA), where customs documentation was introduced falsely identifying the gold as having originated in the Cayman Islands, not Curacao. Then, Rodriguez used his company’s armored trucks to transport the smuggled gold from MIA to NTR Metals’ precious metals refinery in Doral, it is alleged. To pay for the gold, “clean” money was wire-transferred to companies owned by co-conspirators.
The criminal complaint against Jesus Gabriel Rodriguez, Jr. charges him with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal district court on Thursday, June 24, at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra, who sits in Miami.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, and Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced the charges against Rodriguez.
FBI Miami, HSI Miami, and IRS-CI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from DEA-Miami and law enforcement partners in Curacao. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Walter M. Norkin and Andrea Goldbarg. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling the asset forfeiture aspects of this matter.
This prosecution was part of “Operation Arch Stanton,” which is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
Criminal complaints and affidavits contain mere allegations. Defendants are considered innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
A copy of this and related press release appear on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Court documents and information on the case appear on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-mj-03160.
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CEO of Limited Liability Company Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The chief executive officer of a private equity investment firm was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for defrauding an investor of $1.35 million dollars, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Karl James, 50, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez to an information that charged him with one count of wire fraud. Judge Rodriguez imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
James was the CEO of Gore Capital LLC, which he told others was a private equity investment firm. In February 2016, James and the victim agreed to each invest approximately $1.5 million into a company that specialized in extracting and converting cannabinoids from marijuana. They further agreed to form an LCC as a conduit for their joint investment. In April 2016, James incorporated the LLC in Delaware.
On April 20, 2016, James instructed the victim to wire his investment funds into a bank account. James falsely told the victim that the victim also had access to the account. On April 22, 2016, the victim wired $500,000 into the account. On July 12, 2016, James instructed the victim to wire the remaining $1 million of his investment, which the victim did. To induce the victim’s payment, James told the victim that he would deposit his own money into the account. In reality, James never wired or deposited any of his own funds.
James later spent $1.35 million of the victim’s funds on personal and entertainment expenses for himself.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Rodriguez sentenced James to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $1.35 million in restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feldman Nikic of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
Brownsville man sent to prison for possessing 600 images of Sugar Land minorRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 23-year-old south Texas man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Gene Surf Silva pleaded guilty March 24.
Today, U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera sentenced him to 121 months in federal prison. He will also serve 20 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Silva was further ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to five known victims and will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
In September 2018, authorities learned Silva was addicted to child pornography. The investigation revealed he had possibly acted on his impulses and victimized a child.
Law enforcement executed a warrant on his residence and obtained his computer. Forensic analysis revealed 600 images and 11 video files of a minor from Sugar Land in his possession as well as 800 additional images of child pornography.
Silvah has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations’ Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Task Force conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikki Piquette is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.
Boothbay Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Boothbay man pleaded guilty today in federal court to distributing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
According to court records, on October 8, 2019, Joseph Pinkham, 35, sent several text messages to an individual in Texas containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The individual in Texas reported the conduct to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators identified the sender as Pinkham and obtained a search warrant for his residence in Boothbay. In an interview with investigators, Pinkham acknowledged sending sexually explicit images of minors to the individual in Texas.
Pinkham faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas (Texas) Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.
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 the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.
Bloods Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Two Murders in Newport NewsRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A New York man pleaded guilty yesterday to the murders of two men in Newport News in June and July 2014.
According to court documents, Mark Anthony Skeete, a.k.a. Mark Brown, 33, was a member of the Nine Trey Gangsters, an offshoot of the California-based “Bloods” street gang. In June 2014, Skeete came to Virginia to assist in the prostitution of adult women in the Richmond area. On June 28, 2014, Skeete and others traveled to Newport News to assist in the prostitution of a female from New York. When a client was unable to pay, Skeete shot and killed him to maintain his position as part of the Nine Trey enterprise.
After the June 2014 murder, Skeete and others fled to North Carolina. Skeete and others then returned to Newport News and killed another man on July 16, 2014 during a drug transaction. Skeete also robbed the victim of money, drugs, and a cell phone. Shortly thereafter, Skeete returned to Richmond. On September 17, 2014, Skeete, a previously convicted felon, possessed a firearm in Richmond that was later forensically linked to the Newport News murders. Cartridge casings recovered from the June and July 2014 murder scenes revealed that the same Ruger .45 caliber firearm recovered on September 17, 2014 in Richmond was the weapon used in both of those murders.
Skeete is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1. He faces a maximum sentence of up to two life terms in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge David J. Novak accepted the plea.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Peninsula Safe Streets Task Force, a partnership that includes the FBI, Virginia State Police, Hampton Police Division, James City County Police Department, and Newport News Police Department. This task force investigates the most violent criminal enterprises operating on the Virginia Peninsula. Tips regarding gang activity and other violent crimes in the region can be reported to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard J. Zlotnick, Lisa McKeel, and Brian Samuels are prosecuting 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. 4:19-cr-62.
Batavia Man Found with Thousands of Images and Videos of Child Pornography Pleads GuiltyRead 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 Matthew Barber, 53, of Batavia, NY, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to possession of child pornography following prior federal and state convictions relating to sexual abuse involving a minor. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that on May 20, 2020, officers with the U.S. Probation Department and New York State Parole conducted a search at the defendant’s residence. Officers seized a cellular phone, which was found to contain images and videos of child pornography. A flash drive containing child pornography was also seized. Barber possessed over 1,000 images and 200 videos of child pornography on the two devices, some of which depicted prepubescent minors, violence, and the sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler.
In April 2007, the defendant was convicted on a federal charge of possessing child pornography, and a state charge of sexual abuse in the 1st degree.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski; the Batavia Police Department, under the direction of Chief Shawn Heubusch; and the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2021, before Judge Skretny.
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Armed Drug Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Willie J. Wofford, 45, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm and ammunition by an unlawful drug user. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $1,000,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas E. Gregory and Charles E. Moynihan, who are handling the case, stated that on February 20, 2018, Rochester Police Officers were in the area of York Street and saw the defendant engaging in behavior that lead them to believe he was selling drugs from his vehicle. When officers stopped Wofford and spoke with him, they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle and could see marijuana in plastics bags in the rear, passenger area. The defendant argued with officers over the legality of the stop and refused to get out of his vehicle. Wofford finally exited his vehicle and was arrested after officers attempted to break the windows in order to remove him. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered cocaine and marijuana packaged for sale, along with a loaded semiautomatic handgun, in the center console. Officers secured more marijuana from the rear, passenger area, which was also packaged for sale.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Wolford.
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Armed Career Criminal and Serial Armed Robber Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Four Armed Robberies of Liquor Stores in Baltimore and Anne Arundel CountiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Donte Lamont Dingle, a/k/a Kane, Donte Dingol, Donta Dingle, and Dante Dingle, age 47, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for four counts of interference with commerce by robbery; a conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; four counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, in connection with the robberies of four liquor stores. In each of the four liquor store robberies, Dingle brandished a gun and wore various costumes and disguises. A federal jury convicted Dingle on October 20, 2020, after a six-day trial.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Acting Special Agent in Charge Rachel Byrd of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department; and Chief Amal Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
“Criminals like Donte Dingle who use firearms to commit robberies jeopardize lives, undermine communities and must be held accountable. Dingle committed these robberies in broad daylight and threatened the store employees at gunpoint,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner. “Let this sentence send a strong message that these criminal actions cannot, and will not, be tolerated. If you commit a crime with a gun, you could face a lengthy federal prison sentence, and with no parole.”
“Donte Dingle was a walking crime spree, endangering the lives of employees and customers at the businesses he robbed, leaving many with emotional and even physical scars,” said Rachel Byrd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “We hope today's sentence sends a clear message that the FBI, and our law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to bring these offenders to justice.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, between June 6, 2018 and July 12, 2018, Dingle committed four armed robberies of liquor stores located in Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties. During each of these robberies, Dingle entered the store and brandished a pistol at the victims, forcing them to empty the money from the cash registers into his bag and often threatening the victims with death or serious bodily injury. After getting the money from the registers, Dingle forced the victims into a room in the rear of the store, and then fled to a waiting getaway car. During the robbery on July 12, 2018, in Reisterstown, Maryland, witnesses testified that Dingle racked the slide of his gun loading a bullet into the chamber, pointed the gun at the store clerk, and threatened to shoot the clerk in the head if the clerk didn’t comply with Dingle’s orders. In total, Dingle stole approximately $10,000 from the four stores.
According to trial testimony, DNA matching Dingle’s was recovered from a fake mustache that the robber had left on the floor behind the counter at the June 6th robbery. Dingle’s DNA was also recovered from clothing, wigs, glasses, and other disguises that matched items worn by the robber, as well as from a silver .380-caliber pistol, that were seized by law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant at Dingle’s residence. Dingle’s fingerprint was also recovered from a bag of chips that Dingle stole but then left at the scene of the July 12th robbery.
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the FBI and the Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County Police Departments for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai N. Everett, who prosecuted the case.
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Ansonia Man Admits Illegal Distribution of OxycodoneRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that STEVEN BARNES, 70, of Ansonia, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, oxycodone.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2017 and November 2018, law enforcement made five controlled purchases of 30mg oxycodone pills from Salvatore Perry of Shelton. Perry sold between 30 and 60 pills each transaction. The investigation revealed that Perry had purchased the pills from Barnes and others. Barnes had a prescription for oxycodone, and he received a total of approximately $18,000 for selling the pills.
When he is sentenced, Barnes faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Barnes is released pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.
Perry previously pleaded guilty and, on January 22, 2020, was sentenced to 30 days of imprisonment and six months of home confinement.
This matter has been investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah P. Karwan.
Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart Urges Public to Protect Seniors from Internet Crimes, After South Carolinians over 60 Years Old Lost More Than $10 Million in 2020 to CybercriminalsRead the Press Release
Charleston, South Carolina --- Acting United States Attorney M. Rhett DeHart announced today that, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2020 Elder Fraud Report, 1,350 South Carolinians aged 60 or over fell victim to cyber scammers. The report states that these South Carolinians reported losses of nearly $10 million in 2020.
Across the nation, there was over $1 billion in losses by victims aged 60 or over, representing 28% of all losses reported to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The average dollar loss by those aged 60 or over nationwide was $9,175.
Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart urges the public to be vigilant of these crimes and to help older family members, so they do not become the next victim of elder fraud scams.
“Criminals often prey on those they believe are most susceptible to their schemes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “Unfortunately, this means our elder neighbors are highly targeted by exploitative cybercriminals. It is critical that all South Carolinians, particularly those over the age of 60, be vigilant of such crimes and that, when and where able, family members assist in protecting their elders to prevent them from falling victim to such crimes. Know that the investigative work of the FBI and the prosecutorial efforts of the elder fraud division in our office will not end until such predatory cybercrimes come to a halt.”
The release of the annual report from the FBI comes in coordination with the annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, in which the entire Department of Justice echoes voices around the world condemning elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
According to the annual report from the FBI, the most common scams against seniors in 2020 were extortion, non-payment/non-delivery, tech support fraud, and identity theft. Some of these crimes stemmed from the new use of digital purchasing of goods during the pandemic.
“Just as many seniors take extra precautions to protect themselves from physical crimes – be it through constant knowledge of what is going on outside their homes or by consistently keeping doors blocked, the same effort should be made to protect themselves from online scams,” said Acting U.S. Attorney DeHart. “Should one fall victim to these crimes or any other targeting seniors, they should immediately report it to the FBI and the Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11.”
Any victim of cybercrimes can contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
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The full 2020 Elder Fraud Report from the FBI can be found at: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2020_IC3ElderFraudReport.pdf.
Tuesday 22 June 2021
Woodbury County Man Pleads Guilty to Meth and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
A man who distributed methamphetamine while illegally possessing firearms pled guilty June 17, 2021, in federal court in Sioux City.
Melvin Cloud, Jr. 43, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Cloud, Jr. had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, specifically, Assault While Participating in a Felony, in the Iowa District Court for Woodbury County, in 2016 and Trafficking in Controlled Substance, First Degree, First Offense – Cocaine, in the Christian County Circuit Court for Kentucky, in 2007.
At the plea hearing, Cloud, Jr. admitted that on four separate occasions in 2020 in Sioux City, Iowa, he distributed a total of over 82 grams of methamphetamine to another individual. On February 25, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cloud Jr.’s residence and seized four guns, including a 12 gauge shotgun, .357 revolver, .45 caliber ACP, and .40 caliber pistol. As a drug user and felon, Cloud Jr. was prohibited from possessing guns.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Cloud, Jr. remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the drug distribution conviction, Cloud, Jr. faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and four years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment. On the gun conviction, Cloud, Jr. faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4018. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
United States Seizes Websites Used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union and Kata’ib HizballahRead the Press Release
Today, pursuant to court orders, the United States seized 33 websites used by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) and three websites operated by Kata’ib Hizballah (KH), in violation of U.S. sanctions.
On Oct. 22, 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated IRTVU as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for being owned or controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC). SDNs are prohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without an OFAC license. OFAC’s announcement explained that components of the government of Iran, to include IRTVU and others like it, disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations. Thirty-three of the websites seized today were operated by IRTVU. The 33 domains are owned by a United States company. IRTVU did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to utilizing the domain names.
Three additional websites seized today were operated by KH. On July 2, 2009, OFAC designated KH an SDN, and the Department of State designated KH a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The announcements described KH as an Iraqi terrorist organization that committed, directed, supported or posed a significant risk of committing acts of violence against Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. OFAC further explained that the IRGC provides lethal support to KH and other Iraqi Shia militia groups who target and kill Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces. The three domains operated by KH were owned by a United States company. KH did not obtain a license from OFAC prior to utilizing the domain names.
These website seizures were investigated by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement and the FBI. The National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the seizure.
Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Special Agent in Charge J.C. (Chris) Hacker, of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Ariel Joshua Leinwand, of the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement’s Atlanta Office, made the announcement.
The National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section is investigating this matter in coordination with the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Atlanta Field Office.
Union County Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for $1.6 Million Tax Evasion SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man who owned and operated contracting businesses in Essex County, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for filing false tax returns that failed to report all his personal and corporate income, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Olger Fallas, 50, of Union, the owner and operator of Olger Fallas Painting (OFP) and Olger Fallas Properties (OFPROP) previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with two counts of tax evasion. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Fallas admitted that between 2013 and 2017 he owned OFP and OFPROP. He admitted that he attempted to hide personal and corporate income from the IRS by using a check cashing business to cash customer payments, which he did not report to the IRS. Fallas also admitted that he deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer payments into bank accounts that were not associated with his companies. Fallas admitted that he evaded paying approximately $1.7 million in personal and corporate income taxes during the scheme.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Fallas to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $1.68 million in restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamel Semper, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.
UVM ER Doctor Agrees to Plead Guilty to State and Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and the Chittenden County State’s Attorney announced that pursuant to plea agreements filed in federal and state court, Eike Blohm, 39, of South Burlington, Vermont, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of Possession of Child Pornography in federal court, and one count of Lewd & Lascivious Conduct, one count of Voyeurism (Circumstances – First Offense), and 19 counts of Voyeurism (Place – First Offense) in state court. Blohm, who has been in federal custody since May 22, 2020, is scheduled to plead guilty in federal court before U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss on July 8, 2021, and on July 13, 2021, in Vermont State Superior Court, Chittenden Unit.
According to court records and proceedings, an employee at the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVM MC) discovered a camera hidden in a unisex employee bathroom in the Emergency Department. Investigators with the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations (CUSI) recovered the camera and discovered approximately 1,300 videos on the camera. Approximately 900 videos depicted hospital employees in at least two bathrooms at UVM MC. Thereafter, CUSI investigators obtained a warrant to search Blohm’s residence in South Burlington, Vermont, and seized numerous digital devices. A search of those devices revealed the presence of child pornography, some of which depicted children under the age of 12 years old.
The federal plea agreement requires Blohm to plead guilty to an Information charging him with one count of Possession of Child Pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). The parties agreed that Blohm should be sentenced within the range of 96-132 months imprisonment, or 8-11 years. The agreement also provides that approximately $39,785.32, the proceeds from the sale of Blohm’s former South Burlington residence that has been held by the Clerk of the Court in the Court’s Registry, will be used to pay restitution to the victims of his offense conduct. The government also agreed to dismiss the pending Indictment, which charges Blohm with Production of Child Pornography, at the time of sentencing.
The state plea agreement requires Blohm to plead guilty to one count of Lewd & Lascivious Conduct, in violation of 13 V.S.A. § 2601, one count of Voyeurism (Circumstances – First Offense), in violation of 13 V.S.A. § 2601(b)(2), and 19 counts of Voyeurism (Place – First Offense), in violation of 13 V.S.A. § 2605(b)(1). The parties agreed that Blohm would receive a sentence of 57-58 months imprisonment on the Lewd & Lascivious Conduct charge, 23-24 months imprisonment on the Voyeurism charges, for a total sentence of 80-82 months.
It is a condition of the federal plea agreement that Blohm plead guilty and is sentenced as provided in the state plea agreement. It is a condition of Blohm’s state plea agreement that Blohm plead guilty and is sentenced as provided in the federal plea agreement. If either the state or federal sentencing judges decline to impose the agreed-upon sentences, Blohm would be permitted to withdraw his guilty pleas in both courts. The parties further agreed that the state and federal sentences are to be served concurrently to each other.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt and Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George commended the investigative efforts of the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and forensic examiners with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity section. Acting U.S. Attorney Ophardt and SA George highlighted this case as an example of the strong partnership between the state and federal governments in the investigation and prosecution of offenders who exploit children.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara A. Masterson and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are handling the federal prosecution of Blohm. Deputy State’s Attorney Dana Disano is handling the state prosecution of Blohm. Lisa B. Shelkrot of Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP, represents Blohm in both cases.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ophardt noted that 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 Child Exploitation Obscenity Section, Criminal Division (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
Two Robeson County Drug Traffickers Sentenced to 8 Years and 12 ½ YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Two defendants were recently sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking in the area of Robeson County.
On June 9, 2021, Joel Armando Rodriguez of Maxton was sentenced to 150 months in prison for trafficking cocaine and crystal methamphetamine.
On November 12, 2020, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred (500) Grams or More of Cocaine.
According to court documents and other information presented to the court, Rodriguez, 48, regularly trafficked drugs from Texas to North Carolina. On October 7, 2019, members of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of Rodriguez, and he was found in possession of approximately one kilogram of cocaine.
The investigation also determined that Rodriguez had distributed a significant amount of crystal methamphetamine in Robeson County.
Today, Tushombi Take Wallace of Lumberton was sentenced to 96 months in prison and five years of supervised release for trafficking cocaine, cocaine base (crack), heroin, and crystal methamphetamine.
On December 16, 2020, Wallace pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, 280 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), and 500 Grams or More of Cocaine (Count One); and Distribution of 100 Grams or More of Heroin and 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine (Count Four).
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Wallace, 45, sold cocaine, cocaine base, heroin, and crystal methamphetamine to a confidential informant on several dates from December 19, 2017 until January 29, 2020.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Fayetteville Police Department, and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Lemmon prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-57-D-1 and 5:20-CR-169-D-1.
Two Ex-O.C. Sheriff’s Deputies Plead Guilty to Charges, Admit to Fraudulently Obtaining Military Leave Paid for by County TaxpayersRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – Twin brothers – both former Orange County sheriff’s deputies – pleaded guilty today to federal charges and admitted that they defrauded Orange County taxpayers by submitting approximately two dozen fraudulent military orders to obtain military leave from the Sheriff’s Department so they would not be docked vacation days.
Taylor Morgan, 26, and Tyler Morgan, 26, both of Long Beach, each pleaded guilty in separate hearings to a single-count information charging them with unlawful possession of an authentication feature of the United States, a misdemeanor offense.
United States Magistrate Judge Autumn D. Spaeth sentenced each defendant to one year of probation. Taylor Morgan further was sentenced to six months of home detention and ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution while Tyler Morgan was sentenced to eight months of home detention and was ordered to pay $32,400 in restitution.
According to their plea agreements, Tyler Morgan was employed as a correctional service assistant and deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) from August 2015 to January 2021. Taylor Morgan had the same job titles with OCSD from January 2017 to January 2020. Both men also were in reserve units for the United States Marine Corps in Camp Pendleton.
As part of their employment with OCSD, the defendants received 30 days of leave per year that could be used for vacations, military leave and other personal reasons. In addition to such leave, the defendants received an additional 30 days of leave per year when they had to fulfill their active duty obligations with their reserve units with the Marine Corps, including annual training.
From June 2017 to November 2019, Tyler Morgan submitted 24 fraudulent military orders to OCSD to obtain military leave from the department. From May 2017 to January 2020, Taylor Morgan submitted 25 fraudulent military orders to OCSD to obtain military leave from the department. In fact, neither had been ordered by the Marine Corps to fulfill active duty obligations with their reserve units.
Both defendants admitted that they defrauded the County of Orange to obtain wages paid for military leave by committing wire fraud using the fraudulent military orders. The defendants altered orders that appeared to be official notices requiring them to serve active duty at Camp Pendleton. The fraudulent orders appeared to have been authorized by a Marine Corps official and had the Department of Defense’s seal on them.
The defendants submitted the fraudulent orders to OCSD’s Professional Standard Division so they would receive military leave from the county on the dates listed on the orders and their vacation days would not be used. In most instances, the defendants were at inactive duty training (also known as drill), which OCSD did not compensate for military leave.
In at least one instance, Tyler Morgan did not inform OCSD that he was at drill or that the dates of his drill duties had changed, causing the County of Orange to incorrectly compensate him as if he had been on active duty. Tyler Morgan admitted to submitting a fraudulent military order that appeared to be from the Marine Corps requiring him to be on active duty for one week in late July 2019. In fact, he was on active duty for only part of that time period. Tyler Morgan did not inform OCSD that, during that week, he was also on drill, took a trip to Las Vegas, and spent one day at home playing the “Call of Duty” video game.
In total, Taylor Morgan received 48 days of military leave to which he was not entitled, resulting in a loss of $14,000 to the County of Orange. Tyler Morgan received 64 days of fraudulently obtained military leave, resulting in a loss of $32,400 to the County.
The FBI and the United States Department of Defense – Office of Inspector General investigated this matter. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Vibhav Mittal of the Santa Ana Branch Office prosecuted these cases.
Two California Men Charged with Conspiring and Attempting to Distribute Sixteen Kilograms of Fentanyl and Fourteen Kilograms of Cocaine in the Milwaukee AreaRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin
announced that on June 22, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Daniel
Rodriguez-Lara (age: 24) of San Bernardino, California, and Richard Chavez (age: 41) of Los
Angeles, California. The two-count indictment charges both men for conspiring to distribute and
attempting to possess with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in
violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846. If convicted, both men
will face a mandatory minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in federal prison, at least five
years of supervised release, and up to a $10 million fine.
According to court documents, on June 13, 2021, a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper
conducted a traffic stop of a semi-tractor that was towing a car carrier trailer in Seward County,
Kansas. The trailer was carrying several vehicles, including a 2013 Nissan Cube. Beneath the
floorboards of the Nissan Cube, the Trooper discovered electronically controlled compartments.
Inside the compartments, the Trooper found packages that contained a total of 16 kilograms of
fentanyl and 14 kilograms of cocaine. The packages were being transported to Milwaukee,
Wisconsin.
Court documents further reveal that law enforcement agents seized the actual fentanyl
and cocaine, placed replica kilogram-shaped packages in the compartments, and arranged the
transport and off-loading of the Nissan Cube to the delivery location in a parking lot in
Milwaukee. In the early morning of June 17, 2021, agents saw two subjects enter the Nissan
Cube and drive it away. When officers attempted to stop the Nissan Cube, the vehicle fled at a
high rate of speed and eventually crashed in Bayside, Wisconsin. Both occupants fled on foot.
Later that same morning, officers located and arrested both Rodriguez-Lara and Chavez.
“Opioid overdose deaths in Milwaukee County have continued to increase in 2021 and
have caused lasting damage to families and our communities,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney
Frohling. “What the overwhelming majority of these deaths have in common is fentanyl -- as
little as two milligrams of which can be lethal depending on the user’s size and past history.
Based on the collaborative work of federal, state, and local law enforcement, 16 fewer kilograms
of fentanyl and 14 fewer kilograms of cocaine will be available to potentially devastate families
in this district. Along with our law enforcement partners, the Department of Justice is committed
to holding those who traffic in these substances accountable for their actions.”
“As this case demonstrates, drug traffickers utilize a variety of concealment methods to
bring their deadly goods to our communities,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),
Milwaukee District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge John McGarry. “Due to the close
working relationship with our law enforcement partners, these drug traffickers were identified,
stopped in their tracks, and will face justice in federal court. This significant fentanyl seizure
surely saved lives.”
"The Milwaukee Police Department is a proud member of the North Central High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Through this partnership, HIDTA recovered and removed a
significant amount of very dangerous drugs from our community and the individuals arrested
were indicted on very serious criminal charges. MPD is committed to working with our
community, local, state and federal partners to continue to build sustainable neighborhoods free
of crime,” said Acting Chief Jeffrey Norman.
This case was investigated by the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Milwaukee Police Department, the
Kansas Highway Patrol, the Colorado State Patrol, the Wisconsin Department of Justice,
Division of Criminal Investigation, the West Allis Police Department, the Mequon Police
Department, the Bayside Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, the Brown Deer
Police Department, the River Hills Police Department, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s
Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mario F. Gonzales.
If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction, recovery is possible.
For information on support and resources, please call 2-1-1 or visit recoverywisconsin.com.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed
innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove them guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.
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For further information contact:
Public Information Officer
[email protected]
(414) 297-1700
Follow us on TwitterTurkish National Charged with Wire Fraud and Illegally Exporting Defense Articles to TurkeyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Turkish national was arrested today and charged in federal court in Boston in connection with fraudulently having various parts and machine components for the United States military made by a Turkish manufacturer in violation of arms regulations.
Arif Ugur, 52, formerly of Cambridge, Mass., was charged by criminal complaint with one count of wire fraud, one count of violating the Arms Export Control Act and one count of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act. Ugur was arrested today in Virginia and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
The criminal complaint alleges that in approximately May 2015, Ugur founded and was the sole managing partner of the Anatolia Group Limited Partnership (Anatolia), a domestic limited partnership registered in Massachusetts. Beginning in approximately July 2015, Ugur bid on and acquired numerous contracts to supply the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) with a variety of machine parts and hardware items intended for use by the United States military. Many of these contracts required that the parts be manufactured in the United States. In his initial bids and in subsequent email communications with DOD representatives, it is alleged that Ugur falsely claimed that Anatolia was manufacturing the parts in the United States. In fact, Anatolia and Ugur had no manufacturing facilities in the United States or elsewhere. Instead, Ugur allegedly contracted with a Turkish manufacturer to make the parts and then passed them off to DOD as if they had been manufactured by Anatolia in the United States.
It is further alleged that Ugur shared technical specifications and drawings of various DOD parts and components with employees of the Turkish manufacturer so that they could produce the parts for Anatolia. Ugur also allegedly provided employees of the Turkish manufacturer and other Turkish nationals with access to DOD’s online library of technical specifications and drawings. Many of the parts that Ugur contracted to provide, and did provide to DOD, were designated as defense articles under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the United States Munitions List (USML). Thus, an export license was required to export the parts and related technical data (drawings, specifications, etc.) from the United States to Turkey. The complaint alleges that Ugur knew of these restrictions, but nonetheless exported technical data controlled under the ITAR and USML to employees of the Turkish manufacturer without an export license.
The charge of violating the Arms Export Control Act provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million, or twice the gross gain or loss of the offense. The charge of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss of the offense. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Northeast Field Office; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigation in Boston; and William Higgins, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Timothy H. Kistner of Mendell’s National Security Unit are prosecuting the case.
Details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tulsa Man Found Guilty of Federal Firearms and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
A federal jury today found a Tulsa man guilty of eight felony drug and firearms crimes, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Corey Shamon McKinney, 44, was convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; possession of heroin with intent to distribute; possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; maintaining a drug-involved premises (2 counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes; and possession of an unregistered silencer. McKinney, an 8-time convicted felon in Tulsa County District Court, was previously convicted of drug, firearms, and robbery offenses.
“Corey McKinney is a felon with a history of drug dealing and firearm offenses. The jury has spoken, and McKinney was found guilty as charged,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The drug trafficking trade harms communities in northern Oklahoma and will not be tolerated. Today’s result is a direct reflection of the dedication of the Tulsa Police Department, ATF and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in investigating and prosecuting prohibited gun possessors who traffic in drugs. I applaud Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Morgan and Edward Snow whose work led to McKinney’s conviction.”
On Nov. 20, 2019, and on Jan. 9, 2020, the Tulsa Police Department’s Crime Gun Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed search warrants at McKinney’s residence. During those searches, officers found marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin for distribution. Also found was nearly $6,000 in cash, numerous ziploc-style baggies and a digital scale, all indicative of drug trafficking. Furthermore, law enforcement discovered a Sarsilmaz 9 mm Luger caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Sig Sauer .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle, 114 rounds of associated ammunition, and a silencer that was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan presided over the trial.
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Morgan and Edward Snow prosecuted the case.
Tulsa Man Charged with Sending Emails Threatening President BidenRead the Press Release
A Tulsa man has been arrested and charged for sending threatening emails to KOTV Channel 6 directed at President Joseph Biden, unnamed members of the Congress, and their families, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
John Jacobs Ahrens, 58, was charged in federal court Monday by Criminal Complaint with making threats against the President.
“John Ahrens allegedly sent a series of emails to Newson6 threatening to murder the President, members of Congress, and their families if he did not receive money,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Making online threats to murder public officials and their families has consequences. The arrest and filing of criminal charges is the first step in holding individuals accountable for their alleged actions.”
According to the affidavit, an executive producer from the station contacted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center to report the threatening emails dated between May and June 2021.
In his messages, Ahrens demanded money, and if it wasn’t sent, he allegedly wrote that he would kill the President, members of Congress, and their families.
On May 10, 2021, Ahrens sent a message stating, “Please go to my Facebook page and read what I sent to the men of the United States Congress. They have less than 48 hours to hand over my money or their children will start dying all over the country. I’m going to kill their children using the same law as the Government used to force our families on to the Trail of Tears.”
In a June 17 message, he wrote “You have until Monday morning 8:00 am sharp to hand a check over to the State of Oklahoma, the Muscogee Nation and my family in accordance with a signed agreement as set forth in the Treaty of 1866.”
Other messages included “America is going to get to see a sitting President get his head blown off right in front of them” and “…your families will start dying. After that is over, I’m going to come back here one more time and tell you to hand over my money.”
Ahrens was arrested at his Tulsa residence on June 18, 2021, by agents of the FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and task for officers with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Ahrens allegedly admitted to sending the emails to KOTV during questioning.
A Complaint is a temporary charge alleging violation of the law. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal Grand Jury within 30 days. Once a Grand Jury returns an Indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which time the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt.
The U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick is prosecuting the case.
Traffic Stop Leads to Drug Trafficking Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – Richard H. Adams, IV, 29, was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, a Class A felony.
According to court documents, in 2019, Adams was pulled over in Nebraska by a state trooper for speeding. A search of the vehicle yielded the discovery of what was later determined to be at least 2,200 grams of methamphetamine. Two loaded firearms belonging to Adams and $11,300 in U.S. currency were also found. Adams admitted he planned to transport the methamphetamine to Wichita, Kansas, for distribution.
“The arrest, prosecution, and resolution of this case demonstrates an effective collaboration between law enforcement and federal prosecutors. Their efforts prevented a dangerous, illicit substance from reaching our communities and caused the perpetrator to have to pay for his crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Dunston Slinkard.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Nebraska Highway Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matt Treaster and Katie Andrusak prosecuted the case.
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Texas Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Running Child Obscenity WebsiteRead the Press Release
A Texas man was sentenced today in the Western District of Texas to 40 years in prison for multiple obscenity crimes involving children.
Thomas Alan Arthur, 65, of Terlingua, was convicted by a federal jury on Jan. 21, 2021, of three counts of trafficking in obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child, five counts of trafficking in obscene text stories about the sexual abuse of children, and one count of engaging in the business of selling obscene matters involving the sexual abuse of children.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Arthur began operating the Mr. Double website in 1996 and began charging members for access to the site in 1998. The website was dedicated to publishing writings that detail the sexual abuse of children, including the rape, torture and murder of infants and toddlers. The evidence at trial showed that all submissions for publication were reviewed and approved by Arthur before he posted them on the site. Some of the author pages contained drawings depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence at trial showed that the website was Arthur’s sole source of income for more than 20 years. The site was taken offline in November 2019 when the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence near Terlingua, where Arthur administered the site. Pursuant to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Netherlands, additional evidence was obtained from the server in the Netherlands, where the site was hosted.
Additionally, according to court documents and statements made at the sentencing, Arthur sexually assaulted two females who came forward during the investigation of this case. Court documents and statements made in court showed that in approximately 1992, Arthur drugged an adult woman living with him, sexually assaulted her and video recorded it. In another instance, in the early 1980s, Arthur molested a girl when she was four or five years old, who was the daughter of a friend and business associate.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Arthur was sentenced to three years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison of the Middle District of Tennessee and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fidel Esparza of the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Brewster County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Special thanks are extended to the government of the Netherlands for its assistance.
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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Terlingua Man Sentenced to Prison for Running a Child Obscenity WebsiteRead the Press Release
MIDLAND – A federal judge today sentenced 65-year-old Thomas Alan Arthur to 40 years in federal prison for operating a website dedicated to publishing writings that detailed the sexual abuse of children.
On January 21, 2021, a jury convicted Arthur of three counts of trafficking in obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of a child, five counts of trafficking in obscene text stories about the sexual abuse of children and one count of engaging in the business of selling obscene matters involving the sexual abuse of children.
According to trial evidence, Arthur began operating the Mr. Double website in 1996, and began charging members for access to the site in 1998. The website was dedicated to publishing writings that detail the sexual abuse of children, including the rape, torture and murder of infants and toddlers. The evidence at trial showed that all submissions for publication were reviewed and approved by Arthur before he posted them on the site. Some of the author pages contained drawings depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Evidence at trial showed that the website was Arthur’s sole source of income for more than 20 years. The site was taken offline in November 2019 when the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence near Terlingua, where Arthur administered the site. Pursuant to our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the Netherlands, additional evidence was obtained from the server in the Netherlands where the site was hosted.
Additionally, according to court documents and statements made at the sentencing, Arthur sexually assaulted two females who came forward during the investigation of this case. Court documents and statements made in court showed that in approximately 1992, Arthur drugged an adult woman living with him, sexually assaulted her and video recorded it. In another instance, in the early 1980s, Arthur molested a girl when she was four or five years old, who was the daughter of a friend and business associate.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Coburn of the FBI’s El Paso Division made today’s announcement.
“The despicable, exploitative behavior of the defendant in this case is nothing short of shocking. The 40-year sentence imposed by the court reflects the extremely serious nature of the criminal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Hoff. “I am very grateful for the efforts of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors who worked so tirelessly to hold Arthur accountable for his crimes.” Hoff also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Tennessee for their assistance with this prosecution.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge David Counts ordered that Arthur pay a $50,000 fine and be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term. Judge Counts also granted the criminal forfeiture to the government of Arthur’s residential property, cash proceeds, the Mr. Double website and numerous electronics he used to carry out his scheme.
“This repugnant exploitation of innocent children has no place in society. The FBI will vigorously pursue anyone that profits on the publishing of visual and textual depictions of the sexual abuse and murder of children. Today’s sentencing shows that we will work tirelessly to prevent the exploitation of children to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge Coburn. “FBI is committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate these types of cases to ensure predators and their facilitators are found in our communities and face justice.”
The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety and Brewster County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Trial Attorney Austin M. Berry of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fidel Esparza prosecuted the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Stockton Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms TraffickingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Johnnie Earl Ross III, 20, of Stockton, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and possession of an unregistered machine gun, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Oct. 10, 2019, and Oct. 22, 2020, Ross and his co‑conspirators sold at least 13 firearms to an undercover agent or confidential source on behalf of the Everybody Killa (EBK) street gang in Stockton. Many of the firearms were obtained out of state in Reno, Nevada, and some were obtained by a straw purchaser from federally licensed firearms dealers in Reno. One of the firearms was a Glock handgun with a switch that converted it to a fully automatic firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.
Charges remain pending against co-defendant Vin Whealen Gaines Jr. He is in custody and scheduled for a status hearing on Aug. 24. The charges against Gaines are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ross is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Sept. 28. Ross faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is 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 effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Sixth Individual Admits Participation in Victoria's Secret Theft SchemeRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boston, announced that SHARNICE JACKSON, 20, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy offense related to a scheme to defraud Victoria’s Secret stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the court proceeding before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Jackson and others were involved in a scheme through which they stole thousands of dollars from L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret stores. As part of the scheme, the co-conspirators shoplifted merchandise from Victoria’s Secret stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts. They then returned the shoplifted Victoria’s Secret merchandise through a “No Original Receipt” return, which allowed them to obtain gift cards for Victoria’s Secret in the value of the stolen merchandise (the “Return Step”). The co-conspirators then redeemed the gift cards at Victoria’s Secret stores for merchandise that slightly exceeded the value of the gift card, so that the excess amount was charged to a debit card connected to a co-conspirator (the “Redeem Step”). They then returned the merchandise purchased in the Redeem Step, with the refund for the entire amount credited to the co-conspirator’s debit card (the “Refund Step”).
Between approximately October 2018 and October 2019, L Brands lost more than $100,000 as a result of this scheme.
Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for September 17, 2021.
Jackson is the sixth defendant involved in this scheme to plead guilty. SHAMONIQUE MACKEY, 22; DAIJAH FAGAN, 21; TAMIJAH HUNTER, 21; LEONNA JONES, 22; and IMANI AITCHESON, 21, all of Hartford, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and await sentencing. A seventh defendant charged in this conspiracy is awaiting trial.
This investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Connecticut State Police, Hartford Police Department and L Brands Loss Prevention. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarala V. Nagala and Tara E. Levens.
Serial Embezzler Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Stealing More Than $570,000 from Two EmployersRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Lisa Buza Hill, 41, of Belmont, N.C., appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer today and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making false statements for embezzling more than $570,000 from two companies that employed her, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Hill was previously convicted of stealing more than $800,000 from a third company where she was employed.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Charlotte, and Chief Johnny Jennings, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), are joining Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, in 2012, Hill, also known as Lisa Rollins-Hill, was convicted of federal wire fraud after she admitted to stealing more than $800,000 from her then-employer, a motorcycle company headquartered in Kings Mountain, N.C. At the time, Hill was ordered to serve a five-month probationary term, three years of supervised release and to pay $807,506.39 in restitution to the victim company.
In July 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed new charges against Hill, for embezzling funds from a Charlotte-based company where Hill worked as a Controller. According to court documents filed in this case, from September 2019 to February 2020, and while still paying restitution for the 2012 embezzlement scheme, Hill misused her access to her employer’s financial system, including her authority to issue company checks, and defrauded the company by fraudulently issuing herself approximately 15 company checks totaling over $22,000. During this time, Hill also made false statements to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s attempts to collect court-ordered restitution owed by Hill in connection with her 2012 conviction.
In June 2021, while Hill’s criminal charges for the fraudulent check scheme were still pending, a federal bill of information was also filed against Hill, charging her with embezzling more than $550,000 from her latest employer, a development company located in Rock Hill, S.C., identified in court documents as Company A. According to court documents, from May 2020 to January 2021, Hill was employed by Company A as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As the CFO, Hill had access to the company’s bank accounts, and her duties included the ability to make payments on behalf of the company. As court documents show, Hill misused her position and access to the company’s financial records to make unauthorized payments to herself, including to make transfers from Company A’s accounts to pay for Hill’s personal expenses. In total, Hill transferred more than $550,000 in authorized funds from Company A for her personal benefit. As Hill admitted in court today, Hill used the embezzled funds to make payments for a BMW vehicle, to pay for a trip to Disney World, to make mortgage payments and to settle misuse of funds allegations from previous employers.
Hill is in federal custody. A sentencing date has not been set.
The FBI and CMPD conducted the investigations into Hill. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is in charge of Hill’s prosecution.
San Joaquin County Skydiver Arrested for Running Unauthorized Tandem Instructor CoursesRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An indictment was unsealed following the arrest of an Acampo man Monday, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
On June 10, a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against Robert Allen Pooley, 46, of Acampo, charging him with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to tandem parachuting courses.
According to court documents, in 2010, Pooley obtained ratings as a “tandem examiner” with the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) and as a “tandem examiner” with Uninsured United Parachute Technologies LLC (UPT), a manufacturer of tandem parachute systems. He then began conducting training courses for candidates seeking to obtain their USPA Tandem Instructor rating and/or their certification to use UPT tandem parachute systems. He charged for these courses and conducted them at a skydiving business located in Acampo.
In August 2015, USPA and UPT suspended Pooley’s tandem examiner ratings and could no longer conduct the tandem instructor courses on his own. Nevertheless, he continued running USPA and UPT tandem instructor rating courses without authorization, and he concealed his suspensions from tandem instructor candidates. Pooley led students to believe they could obtain USPA and UPT tandem ratings through his courses, concealed the fact that he had been suspended, and helped students fill out USPA and UPT rating paperwork to further the impression that the students would legitimately get their tandem ratings through his courses.
As part of the scheme, Pooley used a digital image of the signature of another properly rated USPA and UPT tandem examiner to sign off on training that Pooley himself had conducted when the other tandem examiner was not even in the country. Pooley accepted numerous students in this manner in 2016 from around the world, including the Republic of Korea, Chile, New Zealand, and Mexico. Each student typically paid $1,000 to $1,600 total for these courses. On Aug. 6, 2016, one such student fell to his death in a tandem diving accident with a customer who also perished. After those deaths, numerous victims of Pooley’s scheme asked for their money back, but he did not repay them, and several students had to pay for entirely new tandem instructor courses at other locations.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher S. Hales and Katherine T. Lydon are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Pooley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud, and a mandatory two year sentence on each count of aggravated identity theft. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Passaic County Man Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison for Participating in Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and distributing a quantity of heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Carl Brown, 27, of Paterson, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and knowingly and intentionally distributing heroin. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Brown and his conspirators are members and associates of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement officers determined that from September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, Brown and his conspirators conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Brown to three years of supervised release.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Toby C. Taylor; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes; and the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, under the direction of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Belleville and Livingston police departments for their assistance with the case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori, of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.
Parkersburg man sentenced for drug distributionRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher S. McCallister of Parkersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to three years of probation for a drug distribution charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
McCallister, age 29, pled guilty in June 2020 to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances” in February 2019. McCallister admitted to distributing methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base in Wetzel County, as well as the Southern District of West Virginia, Ohio, and Georgia from 2016 to April 2018.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. A
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Owner and CEO of Government Contracting Firm Pleads Guilty to Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
A North Carolina woman pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Virginia to engaging in a bribery scheme with a former contracting officer for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), now known as the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
According to court documents, Rita M. Starliper, 60, of Greensboro, was the owner and CEO of a government contracting firm that previously provided professional staffing services to the BBG. Between late 2014 and late 2016, Starliper, a BBG contracting officer, and others associated with Starliper’s company agreed to and did hire and pay the contracting officer’s relative for a job involving minimal work and that resulted in payments to the relative of more than $68,000. In exchange, the BBG contracting officer took official actions that benefitted Starliper and her company, including the awarding of a professional staffing contract worth millions of dollars. The BBG contracting officer also took steps to steer the procurement process and provide preferential treatment to Starliper’s company.
Starliper pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services mail fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia, Special Agent in Charge Elisabeth Kaminsky of the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The Department of State Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and Senior Litigation Counsel Edward P. Sullivan and Trial Attorney Jordan Dickson of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Ohio man sentenced for selling cocaineRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Anthony L. Turner, of Toledo, Ohio, was sentenced today to 51 months of incarceration for drug charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Turner, 44, pled guilty in March 2021 to one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base.” Turner admitted to selling cocaine base, also known as “crack cocaine,” in September 2020 in Ohio County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.
Ninth Circuit ruling for United States retains abandoned railroad right of way for public accessRead the Press Release
BILLNGS – A ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in an ownership dispute of an abandoned railroad right of way near Noxon, Montana, held that the United States retained ownership under the National Trails System Improvement Act, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.
In an opinion issued on June 21, the Ninth Circuit ruled for the United States on a plaintiff’s appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in a case before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.
"This is an important decision for people who live in and visit Montana. The public has a growing interest in using these abandoned rights-of-way for recreation and access to Montana waterways and public lands. The court’s decision in this case strikes an appropriate balance between interests of the adjacent landowners and the public as intended by Congress when it passed the National Trail System Improvement Act in 1988,” Acting U.S. Attorney Johnson said.
At issue was whether the United States maintained its reversionary interest over real property granted 150 years ago to a railroad for use as a right of way, or whether that interest was later ceded to settlers who owned adjoining property. The Estate of Glowdena Finnigan sued the U.S. Forest Service in 2018 to quiet title to a former railroad right-of-way segment near Noxon, Montana. The dispute involved whether the current ownership of the abandoned right of way was controlled by the Abandoned Railroad Right of Way Act, enacted in 1922, which transferred title to the adjacent land owners, or by the Trails Act, enacted in 1988, under which the United States retained its interest in the land.
Here, the Estate sought to quiet title to a right-of-way that the Northern Pacific Railroad Company stopped using in about 1958, but that was never declared to be abandoned any time before the enactment of the Trails Act. The Estate claimed it acquired reversionary rights in the right-of-way simply by virtue of the physical abandonment of the railroad right-of-way in 1958, even though the abandonment was never confirmed by Congress or a judicial decree. The U.S. Forest Service objected that – in lieu of prior judicial confirmation – title to such lands remained with the United States under the Trails Act. Because the lands are entirely within the Kanisku National Forest, the agency maintained they should be retained for potential recreational use by the public.
In its opinion, the Ninth Circuit held that physical abandonment alone does not suffice. In order to acquire an abandoned railroad right of way, an adjoining landowner must establish both physical abandonment and confirmation of such abandonment by Congress or a judicial decree before the 1988 enactment of the Trails Act. Because abandonment of the railroad right of way across the Finnigan parcel was not judicially confirmed, ownership reverted to the United States under the Trails Act.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith argued the case.
9th Circuit Court PACER Case No. 19-35922.pdf (uscourts.gov)
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New York Man Sentenced to 18 Months for Threatening to Kill a United States SenatorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Carlo Di Padova, age 61, was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison for mailing a threatening communication and impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a federal official by threat.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Jodi Cohen, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his previously entered guilty plea, Di Padova admitted to sending a letter to a United States Senator that contained a white powdery substance and stated that Di Padova planned to have someone shoot the Senator in the head. The powder in the letter was harmless.
The 18-month term of imprisonment, imposed on June 16, 2021, will run consecutive to a 16-year-to-life sentence that Di Padova was serving in New York State custody at the time of his indictment.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision, Office of Special Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C. Powers.
New Orleans Men Pleads Guilty to Their Roles in A Federal Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on June 14, 2021, that ROMALIS HARRIS, age 36, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to a two-count Superseding Bill of Information. In Count 1, HARRIS is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(B), and 846. In Count 2, HARRIS is charged with use of communication facilities to further a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b).
According to court documents, HARRIS conspired with other members of a drug trafficking organization to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and cocaine base. Additionally, HARRIS used a communication facility, the telephone, to facilitate the distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.
United States District Court Judge Susie Morgan will sentence HARRIS on September 23, 2021. For Count 1, HARRIS faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years, with a possible maximum sentence of 40 years, a fine of up to $5,000,000.00, a period of supervised release of at least 4 years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. For Count 2, HARRIS faces a term of imprisonment of up to 4 years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to 1 year, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty for Violating Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, that MICHAEL LOUIS, a/k/a “Michael Lewis,” , age 61, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty to a two-count Superseding Bill of Information. In Count 1, LOUIS is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and 846. In Count 2, LOUIS is charged with use of communication facilities to further a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b).
According to court documents, LOUIS conspired with other members of a drug trafficking organization to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride. Additionally, LOUIS used a communication facility, the telephone, to facilitate the distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (look into in FB).
United States District Court Judge Susie Morgan will sentence LOUIS on September 30, 2021. For Count 1, LOUIS faces a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, a period of supervised release of at least 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. For Count 2, LOUIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 4 years, a fine up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to 1 year, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty for Violating Federal Controlled Substances ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced on Monday, June 14, 2021, that DEMARCO FORD, age 64, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty to a two-count Superseding Bill of Information. In Count 1, FORD is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine hydrochloride in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C), and 846. In Count 2, FORD is charged with use of communication facilities to further a drug trafficking crime in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 843(b).
According to court documents, FORD conspired with other members of a drug trafficking organization to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride. Additionally, FORD used a communication facility, the telephone, to facilitate the distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.
United States District Court Judge Susie Morgan will sentence FORD on September 28, 2021. For Count 1, FORD faces a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, a period of supervised release of at least 3 years, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. For Count 2, FORD faces a term of imprisonment of up to 4 years, a fine up to $250,000.00, a period of supervised release of up to 1 year, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Brittany Reed of the Violent Crime/Strike Force Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Nevada Resident Pleads Guilty to Being a Straw Firearms Purchaser of Firearms Confiscated at the Cyril E. King Airport, St. ThomasRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today that Michael Kelly, 30, a resident of Las Vegas, NV, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms in interstate and foreign commerce.
According to court documents, on April 16, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Romarm/Century Arms Draco caliber 7.62x39mm and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from a firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. In purchasing the firearms, Kelly completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including the ATF Form 4473 for this purchase on April 16, 2016. On the Form 4473, the defendant stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to his co-defendant, Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,200.00 for the purchase.
On April 25, 2016, Kelly purchased two firearms, a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W and a Glock Model 22 pistol 40 caliber S&W, from another firearms dealer in Las Vegas, NV. He completed the necessary forms provided by the ATF, including completing and signing the ATF Form 4473 for his purchase on April 25, 2016. In the form, Kelly stated that he was the actual buyer and was not purchasing the firearms for another person. After purchasing the firearms, Kelly provided the firearms to Naeem Smith, who paid the defendant $1,800.00 for the purchase.
On April 28, 2016, Naeem Smith traveled to St. Thomas, V.I. from Las Vegas, NV. At the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, V.I., Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers inspected Naeem Smith’s checked bag and discovered multiple firearms, including the firearms that defendant Michael Kelly, had purchased for Naeem Smith described previously.
Kelly faces up to five-years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.00. A sentencing date will be set by the Court.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Albino and is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. For more information on the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods, please see: https://www.justice.gov/psn.
Navy Mechanic Sentenced to 210 Years for Sexually Assaulting 7 Young Girls, Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RANDALL TILTON, 32, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 210 years of imprisonment for child pornography production offenses related to his sexual of abuse of seven young girls in three states over the course of several years.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 1, 2019, Tilton was arrested on state sexual assault charges after he admitted in an interview with Town of Groton Police that he had sexually assaulted several minor victims, and that he had recorded some of the sexual assaults. Subsequent examination of a laptop, tablet, cellphone and two flash drives seized from Tilton revealed that, beginning in approximately 2014, Tilton sexually assaulted seven girls who were between the ages of four months and eight years old. Tilton photographed and video recorded many of these sexual assaults. Some of the images depict a minor victim bound and restrained while Tilton sexually assaulted her. Tilton distributed some of the videos of these sexual assaults on the dark web through the Tor network.
Tilton’s electronic devices also included thousands of images and videos of the sexual abuse of other minors, including sadomasochistic images of minors in bondage, sexual assaults on infants, and sexual acts on the corpse of a minor.
When he was arrested, Tilton was employed as a forward auxiliary mechanic in the U.S. Navy and was residing in Groton. The investigation revealed that Tilton sexually assaulted children in Connecticut, New Hampshire and California.
"Tilton systematically and repeatedly preyed upon young children for his own sexual pleasure,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leonard C Boyle. “And since some of videos of his sexual abuse of one child will likely exist forever on the internet, he has ensured that she will continue to be victimized, every time those images are viewed by others, for the rest of her life. I commend the FBI, NCIS and Groton Town Police Department investigators for helping to ensure justice for these children and their families, and I thank the New London State’s Attorney’s Office for its close cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case. Their combined effort, and this severe sentence, will undoubtedly protect children from future harm.”
“Today’s sentence will ensure that Mr. Tilton will not be able to inflict physical and emotional pain on our society’s most vulnerable population, said David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “The horrific nature of these crimes serves as a constant reminder of why we as law enforcement and all residents of this country must do everything we can to protect our children at all times.”
“The Groton community is safer today now that a serial sexual predator who preyed on numerous children, the majority of whom are Navy dependents, has been brought to justice,” said NCIS Northeast Field Office Special Agent in Charge Michael Wiest. “We offer our heartfelt gratitude to the Groton Town Police Department and the FBI for their substantial efforts to bring resolution to these reprehensible crimes. NCIS remains committed to working closely with our local and federal law enforcement partners to protect children in the vibrant communities where Department of the Navy personnel live and work.”
“I must emphasize that this case is among the most disturbing and heinous series of acts that any law enforcement officer will ever encounter in their careers,” said Chief Louis J. Fusaro, Jr. of the Town of Groton Police Department. “It will stay with all of them and the victims for the rest of their lives. I could not be prouder of the work done by our detectives and investigators who dedicated hundreds of hours conducting interviews of victims, gathering and reviewing digital evidence, and ultimately obtaining a confession from Tilton that would lead to this conviction. Through the exceptional efforts of these officers and in partnerships with federal agents, the Connecticut Department of Correction and prosecutors from the New London State’s Attorney’s Office and the U. S. Attorney’s Office, this predator will never victimize another child. I also want to acknowledge the involvement of forensic interviewers from the New London County Child Advocacy Center who played a critical role in this case from the very beginning. The public should know that through these partnerships and the combined efforts of all involved, that it is a team effort to bring criminals like this to justice. We hope that the conviction of this predator will help the many victims impacted by his actions to begin the healing process.”
Tilton has been detained since his arrest. On December 7, 2020, he pleaded guilty to seven counts of production of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Town of Groton Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Amanda S. Oakes.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.