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28 July 2021
Jefferson County Felon Guilty of Federal Firearms Violation After Shooting DogRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A Port Arthur man has pleaded guilty to a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.
Lou Arrington Welch, 32, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn.
“The fact that Welch would shoot an innocent animal speaks not only to his depravity, but also to his dangerousness. As a felon with a cruel heart, he is exactly the kind of person that should not be permitted to possess a firearm,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Getting guns out of the hands of prohibited persons makes all of us—including man’s best friend—safer.”
According to court documents, on Dec. 29, 2020, Port Arthur Police responded to a call reporting gunshots and the shooting of a dog. When police arrived on scene, officers discovered the wounded dog and learned from the dog’s owner that Welch had previously threatened to shoot her dog. While officers were at the scene, Welch drove past, and officers unsuccessfully attempted to flag him down. Officers followed Welch in a marked unit and attempted to pull him over. However, Welch accelerated, and a chase ensued. Police eventually managed to stop and arrest Welch. Police recovered a pistol from the car, and Welch admitted to officers that he had shot the dog. Further investigation revealed Welch had previously been convicted of felony drug violations in Jefferson County. As such, Welch is prohibited from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. The dog ultimately survived its injuries.
Welch was indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 3, 2021. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Port Arthur Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Grove.
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Illegal Possession of Drugs and Guns Result in Time in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – Three men charged with drug trafficking and firearms charges in three separate cases have been sentenced to time in federal prison, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced.
Henry Cota, Jr., 38, of Ontario, California, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. to spend 135 months (11 years, 3 months) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release. Cota was charged in a superseding indictment in January 2020 and pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on March 17, 2021. The charges stemmed from an investigation into shipments of methamphetamine that were sent in March, April and July 2019 to individuals in the Shreveport area. During an investigation into these shipments, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service learned that Cota, along with another co-defendant, were shipping the packages containing methamphetamine from post offices in the California area to Shreveport for distribution.
The DEA and United States Postal Inspection Service conducted this investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Aaron Crawford prosecuted the case.
Percy Charles Johnson, 36, of Shreveport, Louisiana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to spend 33 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. On February 20, 2020, officers with the Shreveport Police Department responded to a welfare check at an apartment complex in Shreveport. Officers found Johnson sleeping on a hallway floor and he had a loaded pistol in his pocket. Johnson is a convicted felon and knew that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. His prior felony conviction was for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Caddo Parish in 2009.
In another case involving a convicted felon illegally possessing a firearm, United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote sentenced Steven Randell Johnson, 29, also of Shreveport, to spend 20 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. On May 3, 2020, while patrolling the Line Avenue area, an officer with the Shreveport Police Department heard gunfire nearby and went to investigate. The officer observed a vehicle being driven down the street with the driver’s side front door open. Another responding officer saw an adult male jump from the vehicle and run into a nearby residence. Law enforcement officers stopped the vehicle and ordered the driver, determined to be Johnson, to exit the vehicle and he complied. The officer observed a semi-automatic pistol on the front passenger floorboard and Johnson admitted to officers that the pistol, which was loaded with 19 live rounds and one in the chamber, belonged to him. He has prior felony convictions for second degree cruelty to a juvenile (2015) and simple burglary (2012), and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted both investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth D. Reeg and Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the cases.
These cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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Idaho Falls Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Kevin Ralph Nixon, 54, of Idaho Falls, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., today. Nixon was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on August 27, 2019. Sentencing is set for November 8, 2021, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
According to court records, Nixon was arrested after a vehicle, in which he was a passenger, was involved in a pursuit with Idaho State Police that ended in a collision in a commercial area near downtown Idaho Falls. The driver of the vehicle ran away. Nixon stayed at the vehicle and was contacted by police. Nixon was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and admitted he was involved in a drug trafficking transaction that was observed by law enforcement earlier in the day.
Nixon is facing a maximum term of twenty years in federal prison, a fine of $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police-District 6, and the Idaho Falls Police Department, which led to charges.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), Blythe H. McLane, funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 172 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 125 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. Collectively, the defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,408 months (approximately 617 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.3 months (4.4 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 58.69 months (4.8 years) in federal prison.
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Husband and Wife Plead Guilty to Selling Turtles in Violation of the Lacey ActRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that VINCENT FELIX RIVERE, age 48, and MEGAN LYNN SHOEMAKER, age 36, former residents of Springfield, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on July 27, 2021 to selling Louisiana Common box turtles in violation of the Lacey Act .
On July 13, 2017, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent arrived at the Office Depot parking lot in Covington, LA to arrange a previously negotiated undercover purchase of 29 Louisiana Common box turtles from RIVERE. RIVERE and SHOEMAKER were waiting at the location. The undercover USFWS agent greeted them, and RIVERE and SHOEMAKER began removing sacks containing Louisiana common box turtles from the trunk of his car. The undercover agent then paid RIVERE $680.00 in cash for the 29 Louisiana Common box turtles.
After the transaction, a traffic stop was performed. RIVERE was operating the vehicle and was in possession of the $680 he had received from undercover USFWS agent. An agent checked the serial numbers on the money that RIVERE possessed and it matched the serial numbers on the money that had been provided from the undercover USFWS agent.
If convicted, RIVERE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to five years, not more than three years on supervised release, a fine of $20,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.00. SHOEMAKER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to one year, not more than one year on supervised release, a fine of $10,000 and a mandatory special assessment of $25.00. Sentencing is scheduled for October 26, 2021 before the Honorable Wendy B. Vitter.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the United Postal Service in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Former Security Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Scheme Using the Stolen Identity Information of Coworkers and Job Applicants from His CompanyRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Ricardo Carter II, age 37, of Camp Springs, Maryland, pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, in connection with a check kiting and credit scheme using the stolen identity information of coworkers and job applicants to open fraudulent bank and credit accounts, causing more than $119,000 in losses to victim financial institutions.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner and Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the United States Secret Service - Baltimore Field Office.
According to his guilty plea agreement, from January 2015 to December 2017, Carter used stolen names, date of births, and social security numbers to open fraudulent bank accounts at financial institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He then used the fraudulently opened accounts to execute fraud schemes.
Specifically, once Carter opened a bank account using a stolen identity, he deposited nonsufficient funds checks into the account, then withdrew the value of the check in cash before the check cleared or transferred the funds into another account, using the money for his personal benefit. When Carter used a stolen identity to open a credit account, he used the credit card associated with the account for personal expenditures, causing a loss to the bank and adversely affecting the victim’s credit score. Carter used the stolen identities to open a large number of bank accounts at multiple financial institutions, executing the scheme in multiple jurisdictions, and timing the withdrawal of cash from the deposited checks before those checks could clear.
Carter admitted that in order to execute the check kiting and credit scheme, he used his position as a Security Supervisor at Company A to open accounts using the stolen identities of individuals who worked for or applied to work for Company A. By using his access to the personal identification information of those victims, Carter abused his position of trust with Company A.
On September 23, 2019, a federal grand jury in the District of Maryland returned an indictment against Carter, charging him with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. On July 2, 2020, Carter was released pending trial on conditions, including that he not violate any local, state, or federal laws. In October 2020, while on pre-trial release, Carter applied to rent an apartment in Largo, Maryland, which was not the residence approved by the U.S. Pre-Trial Services Office. In the application to the apartment management company (Victim 6), Carter falsely listed Company A as his employer and used the social security number of another individual, without that person’s knowledge or permission. Carter submitted a fraudulent letter and pay stubs to Victim 6, both purportedly from Company A, falsely verifying Carter’s employment at Company A, in order to obtain Victim 6’s approval of Carter’s rental application. After Carter did not pay his rent, on March 22, 2021, Victim 6 asked Company A to authenticate the letter. Company A confirmed that the document was fraudulent. In total, Carter failed to pay at least $11,854.30 in rent owed to Victim 6.
On April 5, 2021, after a U.S. Magistrate Judge found that Carter had violated his conditions of pre-trial release, Carter was directed to surrender to the U.S. Marshals Service by 3:00 p.m. Carter failed to report as directed and an arrest warrant was issued. Carter was subsequently apprehended in Florida on April 22, 2021.
Carter admitted that he fraudulently opened more than 100 bank and credit accounts using more than 10 stolen identities, resulting in a loss to the financial institutions of at least $119,733.94
As part of his plea agreement, Carter will forfeit at least $119,733.94, which are assets derived from or obtained as a result of Carter’s illegal activities, and will pay restitution in the full amount of the victims’ losses, which the parties stipulate is at least $131,588.24.
Carter faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for bank fraud and a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte has scheduled sentencing for November 30, 2021, at 11:00 a.m.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the Secret Service for its work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.
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Former Car Dealership Owner Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Joseph E. Stasney, a/k/a Buddy Stasney, 59, of Denver, N.C., appeared before U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell today and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, for executing a fraudulent auto loan scheme to obtain in excess of $250,000 from a financial institution, announced William T. Stetzer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte Office and Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which oversees Charlotte, join Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.
According to filed plea documents and today’s court hearing, Stasney was the owner of Buddy Stasney Buick GMC, Inc., (later named Buddy Stasney Automotive, Inc.), a used car dealership located in Lincolnton, N.C. Between February and December 2015, Stasney engaged in an auto loan scheme in which he fraudulently obtained money from a financial institution by submitting falsified loan applications on behalf of his victim-customers. As he admitted in court today, Stasney executed the loan scheme in a number of ways. After negotiating the sale of vehicles with prospective customers, Stasney fraudulently submitted loan applications on behalf of the customers that contained misrepresentations regarding the current status and terms of the transactions and loans, or submitted loan applications on behalf of customers who were not aware a loan application had been submitted in their name. In some instances, customers were falsely told their loan had not been processed when in fact it had. In other instances, Stasney defrauded customers who were refinancing loans by falsely telling them that the proceeds of their new loans had been used to pay off their existing loans, when, in fact, Stasney never paid off the customers’ prior auto loans and the victims remained obligated for those loans.
According to court documents, once the fraudulent loan proceeds were deposited into the car dealership’s bank account, Stasney diverted the funds and used a portion to pay for expenses unrelated to his business. Stasney admitted to defrauding the financial institution of more than $250,000, as a result of the fraudulent scheme.
Stasney was released on bond following his guilty plea. The maximum statutory penalty for the wire fraud charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer commended the FBI and USPIS for leading the investigation, and thanked the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caryn Finley and Graham Billings, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case.
Former Attorney and Therapist Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Images Using A Popular Online AppRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced John Robert Cooney (54, Orlando) to 12 years in federal prison for receiving images of children being sexually abused using an online social media application (app). The court also ordered Cooney to register as a sex offender and forfeit the electronic devices that he used to commit this offense.
Cooney had pleaded guilty on March 15, 2021.
According to court documents, on July 7, 2020, Cooney, a former attorney and therapist, received images depicting children as young as 1-2 years old being subjected to sadistic sexual abuse using a popular online messaging app. On August 21, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cooney’s home and seized several computers and electronic devices. A forensic review of Cooney’s devices revealed more than 1,800 images and 2,400 videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. In addition to receiving these images, Cooney was also trading and exchanging online cloud storage links to collections of child sexual abuse materials with other users on this mobile app.
This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Daniels.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Fentanyl Dealer Pleads Guilty to Distributing Narcotics Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Kimberly Fleer (27, Seffner) has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl to an individual, causing that individual’s death. Fleer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement, on November 2, 2019, in Seffner, Florida Fleer distributed narcotics to an individual who injected the narcotics and died. Family members later found the individual and immediately called 911. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded, found two syringes as well as three baggies containing fentanyl near the victim’s body, and also recovered the victim’s cell phone. Text messages on the phone and surveillance footage confirmed Fleer had distributed narcotics to the victim that day, shortly before he died.
On November 5, 2019, Fleer sent a text message to a third party in which she stated, “a dude od on my stuff today n im extremely worried n trynna cover my tracks,” demonstrating she was aware the victim had died because of the narcotics she sold him. Nevertheless, she continued to distribute fentanyl, including to an undercover detective the same day she sent that message, as well as again on November 8, 2019.
Later on November 8, 2019, HCSO detectives made contact with Fleer while she was attempting to distribute fentanyl to the passenger in her vehicle. Detectives interviewed the passenger, who admitted she was there to buy narcotics from Fleer. Detectives located four plastic ring bags containing a white powder in the passenger side front door and another bag in the driver’s side front door handle. The bags tested positive for fentanyl. Law enforcement also recovered Fleer’s phone, which contained text messages she exchanged with the victim to arrange selling him drugs on the day he died.
The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and determined the victim’s cause of death was intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl and other substances. The toxicology report revealed that the level of fentanyl in the victim’s blood was 0.053 mg/L, roughly ten times a fatal dose.
This case is part of the Middle District of Florida’s anti-opioid strategy to combat opioid trafficking and abuse. This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Diego F. Novaes.
Felon in Possession of Ammunition Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
According to court documents, Charles Allen Scott, 45, threatened a female witness at her residence by waving a firearm in the air and telling her, “I’m about to shoot you in the face” and “It’ll only take a couple of shots to kill you.” While in his vehicle at the residence, Scott pointed the firearm out of his sunroof and fired once. The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) responded to the scene afterward and was able to locate a .357 caliber shell casing in the middle of the road in front of the witness’ residence.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) sent the recovered shell casing for testing through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). A NIBIN lead notification then linked the shell casing recovered by SAPD to three other shootings in the San Antonio area.
Scott’s criminal history records revealed that he has multiple state felony convictions, including two for aggravated assault with deadly weapon of a non-family member with gun; one for unlawfully carrying a weapon; and two for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
On May 11, 2021, Scott pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition.
“The prosecution of this case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the reduction of violent crime and to stopping repeat offenders like Scott from endangering members of the community,” stated U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. “I am grateful for our partnership with state, local and federal law enforcement agencies as well as the use of NIBIN in our investigations.”
“The sentence in this case sends a clear message to other would-be offenders that ATF and the court take seriously the possession of ammunition by prohibited persons,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski, Houston Division.
ATF investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Calve prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence- based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Essex County Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Defraud Banks of $250,000 Using Credit Cards and Stolen ChecksRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Dashawn Duncan, 27, of South Orange, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in conspiring to defraud two banks of $250,000 using stolen credit cards and blank checks, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Duncan, and coconspirators Nasheed Jackson, 24, of Newark, and Alexander Varice, 22, of South Orange, previously pleaded guilty by video before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to Informations charging each of them with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge Wigenton imposed Duncan’s sentence today via video conference. Jackson was sentenced to 2 years on July 22, 2021, and Varice is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 7, 2021.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From August 2018 through January 2020, Varice, Jackson, and Duncan engaged in a scheme to use stolen credit cards or checks to fraudulently make purchases and withdraw money from two banks. The credit cards were stolen from facilities used by the U.S. Postal Service in Pine Brook and Warren, New Jersey, and never reached the intended cardholders. After obtaining the stolen cards, Varice, Jackson, and Duncan used them to make unauthorized purchases at various retail stores and to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) in New Jersey and elsewhere. The blank checks were also stolen from various New Jersey-based post office facilities, and never reached their intended recipients. Varice and Jackson altered the date, payee, and amount of the stolen checks prior to deposit into a third-party account so that they could manually enter the amounts that they wanted to fraudulently withdraw from a victim bank ATM.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentence Duncan to five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Coppotelli of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: Jackson: Henry Klingeman Esq., Newark
Varice: Charles Alvarez Esq., Bloomfield, New Jersey
Duncan: K. Anthony Thomas Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, NewarkEnrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe sentenced to two years in federal prison for assault in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - William Monte Hosetosavit, 27, of Mescalero, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was sentenced in federal court on July 27 to two years and seven months in prison for assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.
Hosetosavit pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, 2019. According to the plea agreement, on April 5, 2019, Hosetosavit assaulted Jane Doe in Otero County, New Mexico, on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Hosetosavit hit the victim in the face with his elbow causing prolonged disfigurement to her eye socket.
Upon completion of his sentence, Hosetosavit will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Mescalero Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan prosecuted the case.
Eleven People Arrested in Federal Drug and Firearms Case Involving Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine and Other DrugsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eleven people have been arrested following their indictments on federal charges stemming from an investigation into a drug trafficking network based in Southeast Washington that sold cocaine, crack cocaine, Fentanyl, PCP, and other drugs.
The indictments were made public this week and announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Robert Bornstein, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Most of the defendants were arrested by the FBI and MPD on Monday, July 19; all 11 remain in custody. A 12th individual was arrested on related charges. The arrests followed an extensive investigation into a ring that was primarily based in the areas of Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue SE, Mellon Street SE, and Malcolm X Avenue SE, in the Seventh Police District.
A total of 10 firearms have been seized during the investigation, along with PCP, crack, powder cocaine, heroin, pills, and over $2,500 in cash.
“This investigation is part of a broader effort to target violence, drug trafficking, and the possession of illegal firearms in the District of Columbia,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips. “This work is critically important to protecting those who live and work in our community. The arrests reflect the coordination taking place at the federal and local levels every day.”
“The FBI’s Washington Field Office is engaged and working on a daily basis in partnership with MPD and other law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Bornstein. “This joint partnership with MPD’s Violence Reduction Unit is producing significant results, as demonstrated by the arrests and indictment being announced today. The FBI is committed to continuing to work aggressively to seek justice for those affected by violent crime and prevent additional innocent citizens from becoming victims.”
“Through the focused coordination and intense collaboration of MPD’s Violence Reduction Unit and our law enforcement partners, we are determined to remove the District’s most violent offenders from our streets,” stated MPD Chief Contee. “As alleged in the indictment, these individuals are responsible for many of the drug transactions in our neighborhoods and this is one step closer to making our communities safer for all.”
Those named in the indictment include: Delonta Chappell, 34; Dezmond Cunningham, 27; Anthony Graves, 30; Nico Griffin, 31; Wesley Leake, 31; Leon Linsday, 36; Kevonte Randall, 24; Barry Tyson, 21, and Shawn Wooden, 39, all of Washington, D.C.; Deshawn Loggins, 20, of Temple Hills, Md., and Ricky Lyles, 41, of Accokeek, Md. The 12th individual, Corenzo Mobery, 39, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on related drug and firearms charges.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force in partnership with MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations (NSID) Violence Reduction Unit. This partnership targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Park Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Henek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The investigation had the sponsorship and support of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Eden Prairie Woman Charged with Illegally Straw Purchasing Multiple FirearmsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – An Eden Prairie woman was charged today with illegally straw purchasing 14 firearms, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to court documents, between March 23, 2021, and July 10, 2021, Tess Fair, 21, has purchased 14 separate firearms at guns stores in the Twin Cities area. Fair illegally purchased thirteen 9-millimeter semi-automatic handguns and one .22 caliber AR style pistol. Surveillance video footage from one of the gun stores shows Fair purchasing a gun at the direction of another individual who is a documented member of the Minneapolis street gang Young and Thuggin’ (YNT). Two of the guns she purchased have been recovered at crime scenes in the Twin Cities area where one or more victims were shot.
“Buying guns on behalf of someone else who is prohibited from possessing guns is a federal crime,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “The straw buying process sets up a dangerous pipeline that too often puts firearms in the hands of criminals. Federal law enforcement is committed to interrupting that process.”
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Minneapolis Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Paulsen is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eddington Man Sentenced for Possessing Firearms after Domestic Violence ConvictionRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine—An Eddington man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing firearms after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, Acting U.S. Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Amilio Christopher Samaroo, 56, to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Samaroo pleaded guilty on May 11, 2021.
According to court records, in April 2020, law enforcement officers were called to Samaroo’s home. He and his wife had been arguing earlier in the day. When the police arrived at the house, Samaroo refused to leave and engaged in a standoff. Officers obtained a warrant for Samaroo’s arrest and a search warrant for the home. During the search, officers found multiple weapons that Samaroo had placed throughout the house, including a loaded J.C. Higgins bolt-action 20-gauge shotgun. Officers later found a handgun in the ceiling of the home and two boxes of ammunition. Samaroo was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition after a 2003 Wisconsin conviction for domestic abuse.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
Dupree Woman Sentenced for AssaultRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Dupree, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assault by Striking, Beating, or Wounding was sentenced on July 27, 2021, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno.
Cache Patricia Hebb, age 25, was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.
Hebb was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 10, 2019. She pled guilty on July 27, 2021.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in Dupree on July 3, 2019, wherein Hebb used a hairbrush to discipline a child. Hebb used unreasonable force and caused bruising to the child.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Hebb was ordered to self-surrender to the U.S. Marshals Service on August 10, 2021.
District Man Charged with Sending Obscene Material to Minors and Attempting to Produce Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Glenn Matthews, 32, of Washington, D.C., has been detained pending trial following the filing of charges of attempted production of child pornography, attempted enticement, enticement of a minor, and sending obscene material to minors.
The charges, contained in a criminal complaint that was unsealed last week, were announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Robert Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Matthews was arrested on July 22, 2021, after he was charged in the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleges that, between July 2020 and November 2020, Matthews utilized the Instagram account SOUTHSIDEAREA to send ten different minors graphic images of himself and/or videos of himself masturbating. The complaint alleges that Matthews also tried to meet at least two of these children for sex, one of whom he suggested meeting at the Anacostia Metro Station. According to the complaint, Matthews also solicited explicit images of at least one purported minor and took a screenshot of an explicit image of another purported minor. The complaint alleges that he threatened to share the screenshot with others if the purported minor did not comply with his demands.
At a hearing on July 26, 2021, the Honorable Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey detained Matthews pending trial. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 20.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of FBI agents and local, state, and federal partners. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney April Nicole Russo, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson.
People with information about these or other child exploitation crimes are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
Denver Police Partner with Federal Law Enforcement to Crack Down on Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
DENVER - The Denver Police Department (DPD), U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Denver Field Division (ATF), the Denver District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced an enhanced partnership in the fight against gun-related crime in Denver. The goal is identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the offenders most involved with violent crime in our community. The enhanced approach focuses on violent felons who carry or use firearms and who are also the most likely contributors to violence in Denver.
“If you commit a gun crime in Denver, you should know that federal, state, and local law enforcement will be working together to catch you and send you to jail for a long time,” said Acting United States Attorney Matt Kirsch.
“Gun-related crime has devastating, lasting effects on our community and this strategy is a smart evolution in our approach to addressing the problem of convicted violent felons with guns,” said Chief of Denver Police Paul M. Pazen. “Today, we stand together as law enforcement partners to put convicted violent felons on notice – if you choose to illegally possess or use a firearm in Denver, we will do everything within our authority to ensure you face the greatest penalties.”
“Partnerships such as this are one of ATF’s most powerful tools to protect the public,” said ATF Denver Special Agent in Charge David Booth. “We look forward to utilizing this enhanced process to continue protecting the public and bringing violent offenders to justice.”
The enhanced approach pairs an ATF agent who specializes in illegal firearms investigations with a dedicated DPD investigator to:
- respond to investigations in-progress to assist officers on-scene with gathering evidence and creating reports
- review cases involving Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender (POWPO) for prosecution by either the Denver District Attorney’s Office or the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado
- prioritize cases for the consideration of filing the most serious available charges based on connections to shootings, whether the crime occurred in a crime hotspot, and the likelihood of future violent activity
This work builds on Denver’s previous efforts at tackling gun violence through prosecutions targeted at the most dangerous offenders.
The enhanced process will be supported by new training delivered to all DPD officers to ensure gun charges are thoroughly documented from the outset of investigations and to enable officers to draw on federal investigative and prosecutorial resources in appropriate cases. Procedures will also feature regular communication between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Denver District Attorney’s Office to determine the best outcomes in individual cases and ensure the most efficient and effective prosecutorial decisions.
A convicted violent felon possessing a firearm violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1), which carries penalties of up to ten years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Federal law also creates mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years of imprisonment for possessing, brandishing, or discharging a firearm during the commission of other violent or drug crimes.
Examples of previous similar successful federal prosecutions of violent felons in possession of a firearm or ammunition include:
- In United States v. Rhyan Littlejohn-Connor, 20-cr-00341-RBJ, the defendant fired 12 shots at two people outside an apartment building on September 27, 2020, striking one in the head. He was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). On June 14, 2021, the defendant was sentenced to 84 months of imprisonment in the federal Bureau of Prisons.
- In United States v. Herman Colbert, 19-cr-00321-RBJ, the defendant got into an altercation regarding a relationship dispute on July 2, 2019. During the fight, the defendant shot and killed the other person. The defendant was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) and was sentenced to 120 months of imprisonment on February 4, 2021.
- In United States v. Joshua Taron Jones, 20-cr-00150-PAB, the defendant shot at six individuals in an apartment complex during a dispute on May 6, 2020. Investigators discovered a sawed-off shotgun in the defendant’s residence, and he was charged with possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 5851(d). He was convicted and sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment on January 29, 2021.
- In United States v. Jarod Rajai Walker, 19-cr-00095-CMA, the defendant was involved in a shootout on February 20, 2019, where he shot and killed another person. The defendant was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). He was convicted and sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment on September 25, 2019.
- In United States v. Nickie Nathanial Rico and Armando Rogelio Durete, 19-cr-00145-PAB, both defendants were involved in a shootout on September 16, 2018, in downtown Denver at the corner of 15th and Market. An innocent bystander was hit and seriously wounded by the gunfire. Both defendants were charged with being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Durete was convicted after trial and Rico pled guilty to the charge. Rico was sentenced on February 7, 2020, to 97 months imprisonment. Durete was sentenced on February 28, 2020, to 120 months imprisonment.
In a related effort, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers, DPD and ATF Denver are partnering to post billboards in the five areas of Denver identified as violent crime hot spots, which are the vicinities of South Federal Boulevard & West Alameda Avenue, Colfax Avenue & Broadway, East Colfax Avenue & North Yosemite Street, East 47th Avenue & North Peoria Street, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & North Holly Street. The billboards will encourage community members to report gun crime and illegal activity to help address and prevent gun violence, and the billboards will also promote securely storing firearms to prevent theft or misuse. The billboards are part of Denver’s Collaborative Crime Prevention Initiative that combines evidence-based precision policing in the identified hot spots with supports for residents provided by Denver city agencies and community-based organizations.
Delaware County Man Sentenced to over 22 Years for Abusing Three-Year-Old Child and Recording the AbuseRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that David Carbonaro, 28, of Upper Darby, PA, was sentenced to twenty-two years and one month in prison, lifetime supervised release, and was ordered to pay $38,000 in restitution by United States District Court Judge Chad F. Kenney for numerous child exploitation offenses including abusing a three-year-old in order to produce pornography.
The defendant pleaded guilty in November 2019 to charges of production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, stemming from his horrendous sexual abuse of minor child in his care when she was just a toddler. Carbonaro conducted “photo shoots” of Minor #1, as she is referred to in court documents, in sexualized poses and directed his co-defendant Kayla Parker, to sexually abuse Minor #1 for his viewing pleasure. Law enforcement came upon the evidence of these deplorable crimes while investigating the defendant for distributing child pornography over the internet. The search warrant executed at Carbonaro’s residence in Delaware County yielded thousands of images of child pornography in his collection, including nine images depicting the sexual abuse of Minor #1.
“This is a truly horrifying case. Sexually exploiting and abusing a three-year-old child is simply too awful for most people to even think about,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Strong law enforcement collaboration between our Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General resulted in justice for this defendant and his victims. Anyone we find abusing children in this District we will held accountable for their crimes.”
“Children are among the most vulnerable members of our Commonwealth, and thanks to the strong communication and collaboration with our federal and state law enforcement partners, we were able to hold the defendant accountable for his abhorrent crimes,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “My Office will always stand up for survivors of sexual abuse.”
“Rescuing children from these predatory violators is a top priority for Homeland Security Investigations,” said Brian A. Michael, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia. “HSI Special Agents and our state and local partners will spare no resource and will exhaust every effort to hunt them down and bring them to justice. Working closely together with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office as HSI did in this case, we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who commit the particularly heinous crimes of producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh A. Davison.
Corpus Christi woman gets 30 years for sexual exploitation of a childRead the Press Release
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 55-year-old local woman has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Lowery.
Diana Martinez pleaded guilty March 2. At that time, she admitted to conspiring with Santos Gonzalez, 53, Robstown, to produce and send illicit photographs of a minor victim. In exchange, Gonzalez provided her money for groceries and medication.
Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton handed Martinez a sentence of 360 months. Following her incarceration, she will serve 10 years of supervised release, during which time she will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict her access to children and the internet. Martinez will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
Martinez came to the attention of law enforcement in May 2020. Authorities learned about the suspected abuse and discovered a tablet used to commit the crimes.The Facebook accounts of Gonzalez and Martinez revealed they had been communicating since at least January 2016 which continued through May 2020. Throughout the thousands of pages of interaction, Gonzalez wrote of wanting to have sexual intercourse with the minor victim. Martinez would then take nude photographs of the minor victim and send them to Gonzalez in exchange for money.
Martinez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.Judge Tipton previously sentenced Gonzalez to a total term of 420 months in federal prison.
Homeland Security Investigations, Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Popejoy and Dennis Robinson are 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.
Convicted Felon Charged with Illegal Firearms PossessionRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a Vestavia man for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
A two-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Demarcus Marshall, 27, of Vestavia, with two counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to the indictment, Marshall is prohibited from having a firearm because of prior felony convictions. Marshall is accused of unlawfully possessing a Taurus 9mm pistol on September 9, 2020 and a Taurus .40 caliber pistol and Springfield 9mm pistol on September 30, 2020.
Marshall faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
ATF investigated the case along with the Birmingham Police Department and Homewood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristy Peoples is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Connecticut Woman Admits to Engaging in Conspiracy to Defraud Former EmployersRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Connecticut woman today admitted to engaging in a conspiracy to divert over $546,000 in customer payments owed to her former employers for personal use, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Melissa Corso, 50, of Groton, Connecticut, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From February 2013 through September 2018, Corso conspired and agreed with a former co-worker, Joseph Spaccavento, to divert customer payments owed to their former employers, the Victim Company and the Predecessor Victim Company (collectively, the “Victim Companies”), for their own personal use and benefit. Corso instructed certain customers of the Victim Companies to submit their payments to a PayPal account, registered in Spaccavento’s name and associated with Corso’s work email address, over which Corso exercised control (the “Scheme Account”). In reality, the Scheme Account was not authorized by the Victim Companies to receive these payments.
Corso and Spaccavento caused withdrawals to be made from the Scheme Account and diverted the funds to the personal PayPal accounts of Corso, Spaccavento, and others. Corso and Spaccavento also caused transfers of funds to be made from the Scheme Account to various commercial retailers to pay for personal expenses. Purchases from these commercial retailers were shipped to the home and work addresses of Corso, Spaccavento, and others. By fraudulently diverting funds for their personal gain, Corso caused the Victim Companies losses of approximately $516,857 over the course of the conspiracy. In addition, Corso continued to divert the funds of the Victim Company after Spaccavento left the Victim Company in or about September 2018, causing additional losses to the Victim Company in the amount of approximately $29,735.
Corso was previously arrested on February 5, 2021 and charged by criminal complaint with two counts of wire fraud. Spaccavento previously pleaded guilty to a one-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud on May 3, 2021 and is currently awaiting sentencing.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud count is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross amount of gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for December 8, 2021.
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 guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Kozar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
Defense counsel: John Yauch, Esq., Newark, New Jersey
Clayton Man Sentenced for Federal Drug and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Clayton man was sentenced yesterday to 123 months in prison for Possessing with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base (“Crack”) and Cocaine, Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, and Felon in Possession of Firearms. On February 18, 2021, Gregory Tobaris Brantley pled guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Brantley, 39, maintained a dwelling for purposes of drug distribution in Johnston County. North Carolina Probation and Parole Officers, assisted by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a probation search of Brantley’s residence in Clayton on July 10, 2020. During the search, officers recovered: a loaded .357 revolver; a 12-gauge shotgun; several boxes of 12-gauge ammunition; eight 15mg morphine pills; 72.66 grams of cocaine; 26.92 grams of crack cocaine (which was prepackaged for sale); digital scales and other indicia of drug distribution; and $587 in U.S. currency.
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 Terrence W. Boyle. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, North Carolina Probation and Parole, and Johnston County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Fitzgerald 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-196-BO.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON – One of the 15 individuals charged as part of the long-term investigation dubbed the “Woo Boyz” pleaded guilty to a federal gun crime. Memphis Ross, 20, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant on July 26, 2020 at the Charleston home of Ross’ mother and located an IMI Uzi 9mm submachine gun. Ross admitted bringing the fully automatic firearm into his mother’s home and that the firearm was not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Officers also found three other firearms, ammunition and some marijuana during the search.
Ross faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 28, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is handling the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00032.
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Champaign Man Sentenced to 294 Months in Prison for Drug and Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
Urbana, Ill. – A Champaign, Ill. man, Quintez Turner, 41, has been sentenced to 294 months for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense, possessing heroin with intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Colin S. Bruce found Turner’s extensive criminal history appropriately led to him being classified as a career offender. The government presented evidence of Turner’s involvement in the distribution of narcotics within the Central District of Illinois and his history of violence.
Turner’s sentence follows a guilty plea to all charged offenses.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Champaign Street Crimes Task Force, and Champaign Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Ritzer represented the government in the prosecution.
Camp counselor sentenced to 14 years for child pornography chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – David Jonathan Weston, of Westminster, Maryland, was sentenced this week to 168 months of incarceration for a child pornography charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Weston, 42, pleaded guilty in March 2021 to one count of “Attempted Solicitation of Child Pornography.” Weston, who had served as a camp counselor at Camp Tohiglo in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania around the time of the crime, admitted to persuading a 15-year-old female to send inappropriate pictures and videos to his smart phone. From July 2020 to September 2020, Weston exchanged nearly 1,000 messages via Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram with the minor, who lives in Berkeley County.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly D. Crockett prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated with assistance from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.
California Man Sentenced to over Six Years in Prison for Credit Card-Skimming Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Verzh Movsisyan, 43, of Glendale, CA, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $599,000 in restitution by U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond for his involvement in a theft scheme using stolen debit card information.
The defendant pleaded guilty in June 2020 to charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Movsisyan and his six co-defendants were charged for their involvement in a scheme to steal money from victims’ bank accounts by making fraudulent ATM withdrawals and money order purchases in multiple states with stolen debit card numbers. The victims’ debit card numbers were obtained by members of the scheme through illegally installed devices on gas station pumps, known as ‘skimmers’, that captured the victims’ debit card numbers and Personal Identification Numbers when they used their debit cards at gas stations to purchase gas. The skimming devices were installed on pumps at gas stations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Movsisyan is the second defendant to be sentenced; one co-defendant was previously sentenced in March 2020 to over three years in prison, two co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in August and September 2021, and the three remaining co-defendants are scheduled for trial in September 2021.
“This fraud utilized nearly-undetectable technology to take advantage of victims as they went about the business of their daily lives,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Being victimized in this way is an alarming violation because there is nothing a victim can do to prevent or stop it. I want to thank the many agents and investigators who worked tirelessly to uncover this scheme and help our Office seek justice for victims.”
“Skimming is an insidious crime, with perpetrators taking advantage of people just going about their everyday business,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The victims of this scheme never imagined that filling up their gas tanks could empty out their bank accounts. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to identify, track down, and take down criminal groups siphoning off other people’s money and personal information.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Philadelphia Organized Crime Task Force, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Secret Service, the Newark, Delaware Police Department, the Borough of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Police Department, and the Bensalem, Pennsylvania Township Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K.T. Newton.
An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
California Man Pleads Guilty for Selling Methamphetamine in Northeastern OklahomaRead the Press Release
A man who was arrested after a Mannford police officer discovered methamphetamine, fentanyl, and firearms in his vehicle pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Eric Steven Bentley, 34, of Bakersfield, California, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and to possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Bentley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
In his plea agreement, Bentley stated that on Oct. 31, 2020, he and two codefendants, Derrick Deeds and Nicole Dileva, possessed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute the drug. He said the trio traveled from Bakersfield, California, to the Northern District of Oklahoma to sell the methamphetamine and had already distributed quantities of the methamphetamine in exchange for cash and firearms.
He further stated that the three defendants possessed a Hermann Weihrauch (Arminius) .38 Special caliber revolver, a Jimenez Arms, Inc. 9 mm Luger caliber semi-automatic pistol, and a 9 mm privately made firearm. Bentley, Deeds, and Dileva received the guns as payment for methamphetamine and used the firearms for protection while selling the drug.
The three were charged after an October 2020 traffic stop conducted by the Mannford Police Department. During a probable cause search of the vehicle, officers discovered three pounds of methamphetamine, pills later determined to be fentanyl, and the three firearms.
Deeds, 36, and Dileva, 34, both of Bakersfield, also pleaded guilty in July. The three defendants will be sentenced in November.
The Mannford Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Wright and Justin G. Bish are prosecuting the case.
California Man Arrested at the Peace Bridge with over One Half-Ton of Marijuana 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 Xiao Liu, 27, a resident of Canada, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to possessing with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a $5,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Antoine, who is handling the case, stated that on January 10, 2021, a Customs and Border Protection Officer encountered the defendant in the commercial truck processing lane at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry. Liu was driving a commercial truck bearing Ontario license plates and stated that he was hauling a shipment of wax. The officer asked the defendant to open the sleeper cab curtain, which he did, but only partially. Unable to see inside, the officer again asked Liu to open the curtain and back up a few feet so he could see into the sleeper cab. Liu complied and the officer observed black bags filling the sleeper cab from the floor to the ceiling. When questioned, the defendant stated that the bags belonged to a friend and he was taking them to Buffalo. Liu was referred to X-ray inspection for further processing.
A scan of the tractor trailer revealed a large anomaly in the bunk area of the tractor. An officer then physically inspected the tractor cab. Upon entering the cab, the officer immediately detected a smell consistent with marijuana, and observed hockey bags stacked from the floor to the ceiling in the bunk area of the tractor cab. The officer opened one bag and noticed multiple vacuum sealed bags of a green leafy substance, suspected to be marijuana. Liu was taken into custody at that time. CBO officers then offloaded a total of 30 hockey bags which included 1,139 vacuum sealed bags of suspected marijuana.
The plea is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy and Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 3, 2021, before Judge Vilardo.
# # # #
Buffalo Man Going to Prison for More Than 21 Years for His Role in A Gun Trafficking Conspiracy That Brought More Than 100 Illegal Guns to the Streets of BuffaloRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Titus Thompson, Jr., 38, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted following a federal jury trial of conspiracy to traffic firearms from Ohio to Buffalo, unlawful dealing in firearms, being a felon in possession of firearms, and maintaining a drug involved premises, was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
“During my tenure as U.S. Attorney, this Office, together with our partners in federal, state, and local law enforcement, has worked tirelessly to keep our community safe by consistently and aggressively targeting not only those who use guns to commit crimes but also those who flood our streets with these illegal guns,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Not only did this defendant illegally obtain guns, but he also served as an accomplice to all of those who used the illegal guns he provided to commit crimes. As such, he deserves every second of the lengthy sentence imposed by Chief Judge Wolford.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that during the course of the conspiracy, co-defendant Deonte Cooper, who also sold heroin, recruited heroin customers to make straw purchases of more than 100 firearms. The purchases were made at gun shows and gun stores in Ohio. The firearms were then transported to Buffalo, where they were sold to local drug dealers, including Titus Thompson.
On May 18, 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, and the Buffalo Police Department executed a search warrant at 89 Parkridge Avenue in Buffalo in the upper and lower apartments which were utilized by Titus Thompson. During the search, agents recovered a .40 caliber pistol and a 9mm pistol in the upper apartment as well as several firearms in the lower apartment. Thompson has two previous felony convictions and was legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
Deonte Cooper was also convicted at trial and sentenced to serve 60 months in prison.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
# # # #Bridgeport City Council Member Charged in Vote Theft ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment yesterday charging Bridgeport City Council member MICHAEL DEFILIPPO, 35, with multiple election crimes related to DeFilippo’s run for City Council in 2017 and 2018.
DeFilippo appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, and was released on a $250,000 bond.
As alleged in the indictment, DeFilippo has been a member of the Bridgeport City Council since 2018, representing the 133rd District, and owns several rental properties in Bridgeport that he leases to students at Sacred Heart University. Although Bridgeport’s City Council elections are held in odd-numbered years, because of repeated absentee ballot irregularities in the Democratic primary for the 133rd District, the September 2017 primary was re-run in November 2017, then re-run again in April 2018, and the general election took place in June 2018. In 2017 and 2018, in connection with the 133rd District’s primaries and general election for City Council, DeFilippo and others conspired to interfere with and obstruct Bridgeport citizens’ right to vote by falsifying his tenants’ voter registration applications and absentee ballots applications, then stealing tenants’ absentee ballots and forging their signatures in order to fraudulently vote for DeFilippo.
“The right to vote and have one’s vote counted in a fair and impartial election is the foundation of our democracy,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle. “It is alleged that this defendant violated that right to help himself win election to the Bridgeport City Council, including by stealing ballots and forging signatures. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our FBI partners will continue to vigorously enforce federal laws to safeguard our elections.”
“Combatting public corruption in all forms continues to be a priority of the FBI,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sundberg. “Our mission to protect and serve will always include ensuring our public officials are held to the same standards as every member of our communities.”
DeFilippo is charged with one count of conspiracy against rights, four counts of identity theft, and 11 counts of fraudulent registration. The conspiracy offense carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, and the identity theft and fraudulent registration offenses carry a maximum term of imprisonment of five years on each count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Boyle stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan N. Francis and David E. Novick.
Brackenridge Man Admits Taking $101,000 in Armed Robbery of Federal Credit UnionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of armed bank robbery, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Thomas George, 66, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on July 10, 2019, at approximately 2:00 PM, George entered the Allegheny-Ludlum Brackenridge Federal Credit Union, located at 1131 Brackenridge Avenue, Brackenridge, PA 15014, wearing a white “Guy Fawkes” style mask, black hooded sweatshirt, dark gray sweatpants, and gray gym shoes. He then approached the teller counter, pointed what appeared to be a pistol at the two tellers working behind the counter, and demanded the tellers open the gate that led to the area behind the counter. The tellers complied with George’s demand, opened the gate and George proceeded through the gate into the teller area where he then demanded the vault be opened. George continued to point what appeared to be pistol at the teller, who was using a walker, and forced the teller to open the vault. After the vault was opened, George took approximately $101,000.00 from the Credit Union.
The Court was further informed that an individual saw George leaving the Credit Union and run to a vehicle, which investigators identified, from surveillance footage and license plate readers, as a dark blue Ford Escape that was registered in George’s name, and drive away from the Credit Union.
Additionally, Credit Union employees also confirmed that George was a long-time customer of the Credit Union and had been at the Credit Union on the morning of the robbery, driving the dark blue Ford Escape, to make a $50.00 deposit.
After obtaining a federal search warrant, on July 16, 2019, investigators arrived at George’s residence, where they learned from several family members, including a teenage grandson, that George was in the basement with a pistol.
Investigators communicated with George via telephone and four hours and 30 minutes later, he surrendered to law enforcement. During their communications George expressed his remorse and stated that the cash was in the furnace of the basement. After George surrendered, investigators located a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun, that was fully loaded and had a round chambered, on the basement steps, as well as the bag, containing $90,195 of stolen money, in the furnace.
Following his arrest, George waived his rights and provided a full confession to investigators, admitting that he robbed the credit union but told investigators that he used a bb gun and did not want to hurt anyone.
Chief Judge Hornak has not yet scheduled sentencing. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than 25 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Mr. George remains on bond, with conditions imposed by the Court, pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brackenridge Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
Boise Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
BOISE – Jordan Michael Drake, 34, of Boise, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Drake to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Drake was convicted by a jury on April 8, 2021, following a three-day trial.
According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Drake communicated online with an undercover detective posing as a 15-year-old girl. During the communications, Drake attempted to persuade, induce, and entice the minor into engaging in sexual activity with him and requested the minor’s address so that he could meet the minor for sexual activity. Drake traveled to an address where he believed the minor resided, where law enforcement officers arrested him.
At sentencing, Judge Nye ordered Drake to forfeit the cellphone he used in the commission of the offense. As a result of the conviction, Drake will be required to register as a sex offender.
The investigation was part of “Operation Butterball,” a joint state and federal undercover operation conducted in Ada County in November 2019 to identify individuals predisposed to meet minors for sexual contact.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of Homeland Security Investigations, Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Idaho State Police, Meridian Police Department, United States Postal Inspection Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Rupert Police Department, Jerome County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office, which led to charges.
This case was investigated by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.
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10 Additional Defendants Federally Indicted for Roles in Heroin and Fentanyl Distribution SchemeRead the Press Release
WILMINGTON, Del. –David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that a Superseding Indictment was recently unsealed charging 14 individuals with conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl and other related offenses. Four of those individuals, Jamar Jackson, Denise Brown, Harley Douglas, and Nicole Jackson, had been previously charged. The Superseding Indictment also charges Jamar Jackson with conspiring to launder money internationally.
The newly indicted defendants are:
- Raymond Taite, 32, of Brooklyn, New York;
- Jerry Chambers, 24, of Chester, Pennsylvania;
- Desarie Gibbs, 52, of Newark, Delaware;
- Kalone Glasper, 22, of Chester, Pennsylvania;
- DeVeughin Holloway, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
- Cariymah Hopson, 20, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
- Braheem Naylor, 26, of Chester, Pennsylvania;
- Tahria Parks, 38, of Darby, Pennsylvania;
- Dashawna Turner, 25 of Chester, Pennsylvania; and
- Antoine Watson, 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In total, the investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 7.5 kilograms of heroin and/or fentanyl, 14.5 pounds of methamphetamine, 12 guns, and $180,000. The street value of these drugs is easily in excess of $1 million.
The primary investigating agencies in this case are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FBI. Instrumental assistance was also provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Delaware State Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Newport Police Department, the Elsmere Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, and the Chester Police Department. The investigation was supported by the Liberty Mid-Atlantic High Intensity Drug Area program (HIDTA), and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Other prosecutors’ offices who assisted in the investigation include the Delaware Department of Justice, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, as well as other U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 20-CR-00075 (Castro Valenzuela) and Case No. 20-CR-00084 (Jamar Jackson et. al.).
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
27 July 2021
Wilkes-Barre Man Sentenced to 235 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Michael Rinaldi, age 44, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 23, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 235 months’ imprisonment to be followed by six years of supervised release for drug trafficking offenses.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Rinaldi was convicted in August 2020 after a jury trial of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics between November 2017 and August 2018, and with a specific delivery of cocaine to a government informant. In imposing the sentence, the Court found that Rinaldi was responsible for 6 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of cocaine base, or “crack,” 15 grams of heroin, and 48 pounds of marijuana. This was Rinaldi’s ninth adult criminal conviction, and he was most recently released in October 2017 from a 19-year term of imprisonment imposed after a 1998 arrest for drug trafficking and firearms violations.
Two additional co-defendants, Duwayne Brown and Andrew Henry, have pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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Whitewood Man Sentenced on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Whitewood, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.
Travis Longfox, age 29, was sentenced on July 26, 2021, to 36 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction stems from Longfox, who is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms, being found in possession of a Kel-Tec .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol, which was found after Longfox came into contact with law enforcement in July 2019 in Rapid City.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Longfox was immediately remanded to the custody of the US Marshals Service.
West Hollywood Man Found Guilty of Drug Trafficking Charges, Including Giving Methamphetamine to Two Victims Who DiedRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A West Hollywood man was found guilty by a federal jury today of nine felonies, including that he provided fatal doses of methamphetamine to two men who died at his apartment after being injected with the drug.
Edward Buck, 66, was found guilty of two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death, four counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, and two counts of enticement to travel in interstate commerce for prostitution.
According to evidence presented at his nine-day trial, beginning no later than 2011 and continuing through September 2019, Buck engaged in a pattern of “party and play,” or soliciting men to consume narcotics that he provided and perform sexual activities at his apartment. In these party-and-play sessions, Buck distributed drugs, including methamphetamine, and, in some instances, injected victims with drugs intravenously in a practice known as “slamming.”
Buck solicited his victims in various ways, including using social media platforms, dating and escort websites, or via referrals from his prior victims, including individuals he hired to do other work for him, offering a finder’s fee for referrals.
Buck exerted power and control over his victims, typically targeting individuals who were destitute, homeless or struggling with drug addiction. He exploited the wealth and power balance between them by offering his victims money to use drugs and to let Buck inject them with narcotics.
Once the men were at his apartment, Buck prepared syringes containing methamphetamine, sometimes personally injecting the victims with or without their consent. Buck also injected victims with more narcotics than they expected and sometimes injected victims while they were unconscious.
If a victim was not interested in using drugs, or used less than Buck wanted him to use, Buck refused to pay the person or reduced the person’s pay. Ultimately, if a victim refused to use methamphetamine too many times, Buck would lose interest and would no longer hire the person to party and play.
On two occasions, Buck’s party-and-play fetish turned lethal. Gemmel Moore died on July 27, 2017, and Timothy Dean died on January 7, 2019. Both victims suffered fatal methamphetamine overdoses in Buck’s apartment.
These deaths failed to deter Buck from continuing to distribute methamphetamine, and he continued distributing the drug to additional victims, including a man who overdosed twice in Buck’s apartment but survived after receiving immediate medical treatment.
Buck also enticed individuals to travel to California from other states for the purpose of engaging in prostitution through party-and-play sessions. Buck purchased a plane ticket for Moore, who had moved to Texas, so Moore could travel to Los Angeles in July 2017 to party and play at Buck’s apartment. In September 2018, Buck similarly purchased a plane ticket for another victim to fly from Iowa to Los Angeles.
United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder will schedule a sentencing hearing at a later date, at which time Buck will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Buck is currently in federal custody in this case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Chelsea Norell of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Lindsay Bailey of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.
United States files motion claiming landlord is violating lawsuit consent decree by continuing to rent properties & harass female tenantsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The United States Attorney’s Office filed a motion today requesting a federal judge to find local landlord John Klosterman in civil contempt of court for failing to meet the requirements of a negotiated federal consent decree.
The United States sued Klosterman in 2018, alleging Klosterman sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2013 at the 55 residential properties he and his wife Susan Klosterman owned in Sedamsville.
Klosterman engaged in unwanted sexual touching, offered to reduce rent and overlook or excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex. He evicted or threatened to evict female tenants who objected to or refused sexual advances. Klosterman also entered the homes of female tenants without their consent and otherwise monitored their daily activities with cameras directed at their units.
In 2020, the Justice Department settled the lawsuit with Klosterman, who agreed to various terms in a consent decree. Today’s filing states Klosterman has violated these terms:
- Accurately represent and update the extent of their rental property holdings;
- Cease personally interacting with tenants or otherwise participating in rental management;
- Secure an independent property manager for any properties owned outside of a receivership created as a result of a lawsuit filed by the City of Cincinnati;
- Complete fair housing training and ensure compliance with a sexual harassment policy; and
- Pay monetary damages.
The United States argues Klosterman has failed to fully comply with the provisions of the federal court’s consent decree. For example, according to today’s motion, Klosterman continues to personally manage five rental properties, failed to secure an independent property manager, and has been accused of further improper conduct regarding female tenants.
In September and November 2020, Klosterman was charged criminally by the state of Ohio with Menacing by Stalking a female tenant victim.
“Klosterman’s repeated and ongoing refusal to comply with the consent decree justifies a finding of civil contempt in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel. “We seek to hold Klosterman accountable for his severe and pervasive sexual harassment.”
The court may remedy civil contempt by issuing fines or other relief intended to secure compliance with the federal court’s orders.
The United States’ motion asks the court to fine Klosterman $100 per day and $500 per incident until he meets various provisions of the consent decree. The United States is also asking the court to extend the duration of the decree by nine months, until July 2026.
The United States’ lawsuit was pursued jointly with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color religion, national origin, sex disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.justice.gov/crt.
Individuals can report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, emailing the Justice Department at [email protected], or submitting a report online.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced the motion filed in federal court today. Civil Chief Matthew J. Horwitz is representing the United States in this case.
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United States Sells Unique Wu-Tang Clan Album Forfeited by Convicted Hedge Fund Manager Martin ShkreliRead the Press Release
Proceeds from the Sale Will be Applied to Forfeiture Money Judgment Against Shkreli
United States Sells Unique Wu-Tang Clan Album Forfeited by Convicted Hedge Fund Manager Martin Shkreli
Earlier today, the United States sold the sole copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” (the “Album”) which had previously been ordered to be forfeited as a substitute asset in connection with the approximately $7.4 million forfeiture money judgment (Forfeiture Money Judgment) entered against Shkreli at his March 2018 sentencing. Proceeds from the sale of the Album will be applied to satisfy the outstanding balance owed on the Forfeiture Money Judgment. The contract of sale contains a confidentiality provision that protects information relating to the buyer and price.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sale of the Album.
“Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself. With today’s sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis. Ms. Kasulis acknowledged the significant efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service and, in particular, the work of the U.S. Marshals Service’s Office of General Counsel and the Complex Asset Unit of the agency’s Asset Forfeiture Division, as well as assistance provided by the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch.
Shkreli was the founder and managing member of hedge funds MSMB Capital Management LP and MSMB Healthcare Management LP and the former Chief Executive Officer of Retrophin Inc. (“Retrophin”), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Following a six-week trial in federal court in Brooklyn, Shkreli was convicted in August 2017 of two counts of securities fraud and one count of securities fraud conspiracy for orchestrating a series of schemes to defraud investors in the hedge funds and to manipulate the price and trading volume of Retrophin’s stock. United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto sentenced Shkreli to seven years’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years’ supervised release, and ordered him to pay the Forfeiture Money Judgment, approximately $388,000 in restitution and a $75,000 fine. Judge Matsumoto also ordered Shkreli to forfeit the Album and other substitute assets to satisfy the Forfeiture Judgment.
Shkreli’s conviction and sentence, including the imposition of the Forfeiture Money Judgment, were affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in July 2019. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of Shkreli’s request for further review of his conviction and sentence, the government seized the Album and other assets owed by Shkreli.
At the time Shkreli purchased the Album in 2015, it was marketed as “both a work of art and an audio artifact.” The Album includes a hand-carved nickel-silver box as well as a leather-bound manuscript containing lyrics and a certificate of authenticity. The Album is subject to various restrictions, including those relating to the duplication of its sound recordings. In September 2017, just weeks after his conviction but before the district court-imposed forfeiture, Shkreli attempted to sell the Album through an on-line auction.
Forfeiture matters related to Shkreli’s sentence were handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Laura D. Mantell and Claire S. Kedeshian of the newly formed Asset Recovery Section in the Office’s Criminal Division. Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis and Assistant United States Attorneys Alixandra E. Smith and G. Karthik Srinivasan (now an Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Texas) were in charge of the prosecution of Shkreli, and defended his conviction and sentence on appeal.
United States Attorney Raising Student Awareness of Sexual Harassment in HousingRead the Press Release
As students prepare to leave home for college, the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District Michigan wants to raise awareness among students that may be living on their own in off-campus housing for the first time about their rights and protections under the federal Fair Housing Act—in particular, the prohibition against sexual harassment in housing.
Sexual harassment in housing is sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. It includes demands for sex or sexual acts in order to buy, rent, or continue renting a home. It also includes other unwelcome sexual conduct that makes it hard to keep living in or feel comfortable in your home. If a landlord, rental manager, maintenance worker, or anyone else with control over housing engages in any of these types of behaviors with a tenant or prospective tenant, this may be unlawful sexual harassment:
• Commenting on tenant’s body or looks
• Sending sexually suggestive text messages to victim
• Lurking or spying on tenant
• Exposing self to tenant, showing tenant pornography, talking about sex with tenant
• Entering tenant’s home unannounced, without notice or legitimate reason for doing so
• Touching tenant without consent
• Conditioning certain housing benefits – for example, renting to, making repairs, excusing a
late rent payment – on receipt of sexual favors, including engaging in sexual acts, taking
pictures of tenant, etc.
• Threatening to evict tenant if they do not engage in sexual acts or favors
Beginning July 26, 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be sending correspondence to local universities enclosing information on the Fair Housing Act and materials about sexual harassment in housing that can be shared with students living in off-campus housing. Employees from the U.S. Attorney’s Office will also be posting flyers on local college campuses providing information for victims of sexual harassment to help to shine a spotlight on behavior that often goes unreported.
“Sexual harassment in housing is illegal and unacceptable,” stated Saima S. Mohsin, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Students, like all Americans, have the right to feel safe and secure in their homes, free from unwanted sexual harassment. Our office will work aggressively to punish anyone who uses their authority over someone’s housing to sexually harass them.”
Fighting illegal discrimination in housing is a top priority of the Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. In 2018, the Department of Justice began the Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative as an effort to combat sexual harassment in housing. The goal of the Initiative is to address sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Individuals who believe they have been a victim of housing discrimination can call the U. S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at 313.226.9151 or by sending an email to [email protected].
The Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office was established in 2010 with the mission of enhancing federal civil rights enforcement. For more information on the Office’s civil rights efforts, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/programs/civil-rights.
Two charged with transporting aliens resulting in deathRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexis Rebecca Lovato, 24, of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and Cristian Adan Mora-Hernandez, 22, of Mexico, made an initial appearance in federal court on July 26 facing charges of transporting illegal aliens resulting in death. The defendants will remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for July 29.
According to a criminal complaint, on July 22, the Otero County Sheriff’s Office and Tularosa Police Department responded to reports of a U-Haul Cargo truck transporting people in the cargo area. The Tularosa Police Chief located the U-Haul and made a traffic stop. During the stop, the Chief observed a passenger in the cab of the truck who appeared to be unresponsive and not breathing. That passenger was later pronounced deceased.
In addition to the passenger in the cab, seven more passengers were in the cargo area of the truck. The passengers were from Mexico and Ecuador and allegedly were in the United States illegally.
The complaint alleges that Lovato was driving the truck accompanied by Mora-Hernandez.
A complaint is only an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Lovato and Mora-Hernandez face up to life in prison.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case with assistance from the Otero County Sheriff’s Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Tularosa Police Department, New Mexico State Police, U.S. Border Patrol, 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the New Mexico Livestock Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Rizzo Cascio is prosecuting this case.
Two Suburban Chicago Physicians Indicted on Narcotics and Health Care Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Two suburban Chicago physicians have been indicted on federal criminal charges for allegedly prescribing opioids to individuals who lacked a legitimate medical need for the drugs.
STANLEY DAVID DEMOREST managed Demorest Consultants LLC, a medical practice in Melrose Park, Ill. NICHOLAS RECCHIA was employed there as a physician. From 2015 to 2020, Demorest and Recchia agreed to dispense hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl, and other controlled substances to various individuals who visited Demorest Consultants but received no meaningful physical examination or medical tests, and whom Demorest and Recchia knew had no legitimate medical need for the drugs, according to an indictment returned Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Demorest, who in 2015 voluntarily surrendered his DEA Registration Number and lost his ability to lawfully prescribe controlled substances, used Recchia’s name and DEA Registration Number to issue prescriptions for controlled substances to patients, the charges allege.
Demorest and Recchia also caused pharmacies to submit numerous claims to Medicare and Medicaid seeking payment for the improper prescriptions, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Demorest, 65, of Bloomingdale, Ill., and Recchia, 62, of River Grove, Ill., with conspiracy to dispense controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. The pair also face individual counts of health care fraud and unlawful dispensing of controlled substances. Arraignments in federal court in Chicago have not yet been scheduled.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert J. Bell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the DEA; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin G. Klamann and Valerie R. Raedy.
The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Opioid Task Force, which was formed in November 2019 for the purpose of combatting the growing number of unlawful distributions of controlled substances fueling the nation’s opioid crisis.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two Florida Men Sentenced for Running Grandparent Scam in Northern OhioRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan announced that two Tampa, Florida men were sentenced today by U.S. Judge Pamela A. Barker for operating a “Grandparent Scam” that targeted elderly victims in the Northern District of Ohio and elsewhere and caused victims a combined total loss of $383,932.
John Tyler Pla, 25, was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment, and Johnny Lee Palmer, 26, was sentenced to 33 months imprisonment. Both Pla and Palmer were also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $383,932 to their victims. Pla and Palmer both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
According to court records, from July 20, 2020, to August 28, 2020, Pla and Palmer orchestrated a “Grandparent Scam” that targeted elderly victims in Northern Ohio cities, including Brecksville, Parma, Gates Mills, Lorain, Mansfield, Fairview Park, Westlake and Mentor.
Other members of the scheme would call elderly victims pretending to be a relative or an attorney for that relative and claim that the family member had been arrested and, as a result, required money for bail. A member of the scheme would then arrange with the victim to collect the money through a purported “courier.” Instead, Pla or Palmer would travel to the victim’s residence and collect the money.
The investigation was conducted by the Cleveland Division of the FBI and the Westlake Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian McDonough.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available.
Trinitarios Gang Member Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Witness RetaliationRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CHRISTIAN NIEVES, a/k/a “Eric Rosario,” a/k/a “White Boy,” was sentenced today to three years in prison in connection with his retaliation against a witness who had testified at a previous federal murder trial by slashing the witness across the neck with a blade. NIEVES was convicted on April 23, 2021, following an approximately eight-day jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, who also imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Christian Nieves’s violent assault of a witness to federal crimes was a naked attempt to subvert the administration of justice, sow fear through the community, and prevent future witnesses from coming forward. Today’s sentence proves that justice will prevail, and sends a clear signal to other gang members that witness retaliation will not be tolerated.”
According to court documents, the evidence at trial, and statements made in court proceedings:
NIEVES was a member of the Trinitarios street and prison gang, a criminal enterprise with written rules, oath, and constitution. The gang has a strict prohibition on cooperation with law enforcement (“snitching”), and violations of the gang’s rules are punished by acts of violence. Among other governing principles, the Trinitarios mandate a “code of silence,” meaning that members are prohibited from cooperating with law enforcement and speaking about the gang in general.
The Trinitarios had an ongoing rivalry with another Dominican gang, Dominicans Don’t Play (“DDPs”). In 2018, a member of the DDPs, Stiven Siri-Reynoso, was convicted following a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon of charges including the murder of Jessica White, a Bronx mother who was inadvertently hit during a shooting on a playground as part of the rivalry between the DDPs and the Trinitarios. Significant evidence at that July 2018 trial focused on the DDP-Trinitario rivalry. The victim of NIEVES’s retaliation was among the witnesses who testified about the inner workings of the Trinitarios gang (the “Victim”). In the course of his testimony, the Victim testified about crimes that he had committed with NIEVES, including an incident in 2009 when the Victim took a gun from NIEVES after a Trinitarios-related shooting that had resulted in the death of Issi Dominguez. The Victim’s testimony violated the Trinitarios’ longtime prohibition against testifying against members of the gang.
Following his testimony, around 7:00 p.m. on the evening of February 5, 2019, the Victim was walking on Grand Concourse in the Bronx when he saw NIEVES and other Trinitarios gang members on the steps of a building near the sidewalk. As the Victim walked past, one of the group called out to him, and NIEVES and at least one other person began following the Victim. NIEVES caught up to the Victim, took out a razor blade, and slashed at the Victim’s face, cutting him down the jawline. During the attack, NIEVES told the Victim “this is happening to you because you are a snitch.” The Victim received prompt medical attention, including stitches to close the wound.
Ms. Strauss praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison Nichols and Jun Xiang are in charge of the prosecution.
Tacoma man pleads guilty to murder on wooded JBLM propertyRead the Press Release
Tacoma – A 52-year-old Tacoma man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to second degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Bobbie Anson Pease admits that in September 2018, he used a baseball bat and gun to murder a 34-year-old woman on federal land, part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed to recommend a 26-year prison term when Pease is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan on October 22, 2021.
According to the plea agreement, Pease was sharing a house with the victim, her daughter, co-defendant Jeremy Warren and others in August and September 2018. On September 4, 2018, the victim asked Pease and Warren for a ride to a Spanaway convenience store. The men had a pistol and an aluminum baseball bat in the car. After going to the store, Pease drove the victim and Warren to a wooded area nearby, claiming he wanted to do some target shooting. At the wooded area, which was an undeveloped plot of federal land outside the fenced boundaries of JBLM, the men confronted the victims about items they accused her of stealing – a drug pipe and pocket-knife. The men beat the victim with the bat causing significant head injuries and broken bones. Then Pease took the pistol and fired three shots into the victim’s head, killing her instantly. The men left the body in the wooded area and disposed of the bat and the gun at various locations in the Tacoma and Spanaway area. The gun was ultimately recovered from the Puyallup River. The two made calls to the police attempting to mislead them during the investigation by claiming the victim has left the convenience store with someone else and moved out of state. On September 13, 2018, the victim’s body was discovered by railroad workers. Pease and Warren were arrested in late October 2018 after they had relocated to Forks, Washington, to avoid authorities.
Pease has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1991 in Washington State including: Assault and attempting to elude (Pierce County 2013); Escape (Jefferson County 2003); robbery with a deadly weapon enhancement (Pierce County 2003); witness tampering (Thurston County 2003); theft and attempting to elude (Pierce County 1999); car theft (Thurston County 1999); burglary (Pierce County 1992) and possession of stolen property (Pierce County 1991). The convictions mean Pease could not legally possess a firearm.
The investigation is being led by the FBI with assistance from the Tacoma Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Grady Leupold.
Suburban Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Firearms and Explosives LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Whitehall, PA, pleaded guilty to charges of violating federal firearms and explosives laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Kurt Cofano, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on July 9 and July 10, 2020, Cofano was in possession of unregistered destructive devices. The court was also advised that from May 2020 through July 2020, Cofano knowingly and unlawfully and without registering and obtaining approval made destructive devices.
Specifically, the court was advised that on July 9, 2020, Cofano was driving his vehicle, observed a Mt. Lebanon police car, and waved the police car over to him. When police approached Cofano’s vehicle, they observed weapons in plain view. Cofano stated that he had M80 type devices in his vehicle, as well as firearms. Local police sought and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. They recovered, among other things, components for making destructive devices such as detonators, triggers, and fuses; short-barreled long guns; ammunition; and marijuana. Federal search warrants were sought and obtained for Cofano’s residence, wherein 14 improvised grenades and nine devices labeled “M101” as well as components for making destructive devices; and marijuana and drug paraphernalia were recovered.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 8, 2021. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not more than 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, a term of supervised release of not more than three years, or a combination thereof at each count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court ordered Cofano remain detained.
Assistant United States Attorneys Cindy K. Chung and Jonathan D. Lusty are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Kurt Cofano. The Mt. Lebanon Police Department, the Whitehall Police Department, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police provided substantial assistance with the investigation.
Southwest Virginia Man Sentenced to 108 Months for Role in Pandemic Unemployment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – A Pound, Virginia man, who conspired with others to fraudulently file more than $499,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits, was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison.
Gregory Marcus Tackett, 28, pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of obstructing justice.
“During a time of national hardship brought on by the pandemic, the defendant conspired with others to defraud the government of funds intended to help Virginians that were truly in need,” Acting United States Attorney Bubar said today. “Today’s significant prison sentence demonstrates that such serious federal crime will not be tolerated. I am grateful for the determined efforts of the Department of Labor, IRS-CI, Norton Police Department and Russell County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work on this case.”
“Gregory Tackett conspired with others to commit fraud against the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program by filing for and receiving benefits that he and others were not entitled to receive. The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Virginia Employment Commission, and our many law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of all unemployment assistance programs,” stated Syreeta Scott, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the Philadelphia Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
“Tackett discovered how costly stealing pandemic unemployment benefits truly is today. We will continue to work with our investigative partners to hold accountable those who rob programs aimed at helping individuals struggling through this global crisis,” said Darrell J. Waldon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office
According to court documents, Tackett admitted to conspiring with others, including his girlfriend, LeeLynn Danielle Chykta, to commit fraud against the United States in connection with a scheme involving the filing of fraudulent claims for pandemic unemployment benefits.
Tackett, Chytka, and others, conspired to collect personal identification information of more than 35 co-conspirators, including 15 inmates in the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections, and to file fraudulent claims of pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
Over the course of nine months, Tackett and Chytka filed fraudulent claims for at least 37 individuals, with a total actual loss to the United States of at least $499,000.
The Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Norton Police Department, and Russell County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Murphy prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form .
Smuggler and Previously Deported Migrants Indicted Following Boat Crash in Pompano BeachRead the Press Release
Miami, FL – A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment today charging two Bahamian nationals, a Jamaican national, and a United Kingdom national with felony offenses related to a maritime smuggling event.
According to the indictment and a previously filed criminal complaint affidavit, Jeremy Christoph Rolle, 26, of the Bahamas, operated a 26’ foot motorboat that carried himself and 16 migrants from Bimini, Bahamas to Florida on June 17, 2021. A Broward County Sherriff’s Office Deputy on marine patrol encountered Rolle piloting the vessel near the Hillsboro Inlet in Hillsboro Beach, Florida. Rolle led law enforcement on a pursuit through the Intracoastal Waterway that ended after Rolle crashed the vessel with several migrants still on board into a seawall in Pompano Beach, say the court documents.
The indictment charges Rolle in sixteen counts with encouraging or inducing migrants to enter the United States and placing in jeopardy the life of a migrant during that offense, for which he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison as to each count if convicted. Rolle is also charged in two counts with aiding or assisting inadmissible migrants convicted of an aggravated felony to enter the United States, for which he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as to each count if convicted. Andrew Devaunx, 54, of the Bahamas, and Marvin Morris Carridice, 42, of Jamaica, both passengers on the boat, are each charged in one count with illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed for aggravated felony convictions. If convicted, they each face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Payam Hassanzadeh Zargar, 27, of the United Kingdom, a passenger on the boat, is charged in one count with illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed, for which he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 2 years in prison if convicted.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
HSI Miami investigated this case, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Customs and Immigrations Enforcement, and the Broward County Sherriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Snider is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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Serial Swatter Sentenced to Sixty Months in Federal Custody in Connection with Death of Tennessee ManRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Shane Sonderman, 20, of Lauderdale County has been sentenced to sixty months in federal prison for participating in a group whose swatting call led to the death of a grandfather in Sumner County, Tennessee, last April. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr., announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, from at least July 2018 through May 2020, Sonderman conspired with others throughout the United States and other countries to extort the holders of unique Instagram and Twitter handles by "swatting" them—a harassment technique that involves deceiving emergency services dispatchers into sending police and emergency SWAT or response teams to the unwitting third party’s residential address when no actual emergency exists. Sonderman and his coconspirators did this to extort their targets into giving up control of their social media identifiers or "handles" so they could be sold to others. The group also sent harassing text messages and ordered unpaid-for food to be delivered to their targets’ homes.
On April 27, 2020, SWAT teams were called to the Sumner County, Tennessee, residence of Mark Herring, the holder of the Twitter handle @Tennessee. The caller alleged that he had shot a woman in the head there, and she was dead. First responders arrived and found Herring on his porch and with guns drawn, ordered him to approach with his hands in the air. Herring suffered a fatal heart attack before anyone on the scene knew the call was a hoax. Sonderman obtained personal information about Herring and his family and posted those details to a chat platform online where one of his coconspirators could go to obtain it and use the information to place a plausible call to emergency services.
Another victim, a resident of Oregon, was tormented when emergency services were sent to the Ohio residence of her parents and she subsequently received anonymous text messages on her phone that read "did your parent’s (sic) enjoy the firetrucks?" and "i (sic) plan on killing your parents next if you do not hand the username on instagram over to me." Desirable handles can be sold for thousands of dollars.
Many law enforcement agencies around the country participated in this investigation, including the FBI Field Offices in Memphis, Tennessee, and Akron, Ohio, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Sumner County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Ireland prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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SCI Fayette Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Obtain Pandemic Unemployment AssistanceRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA- A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has pled guilty on a charge of conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Amasa Camp, age 24, plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, before Judge Nora Barry Fischer on July 27, 2021.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Mr. Camp, an inmate at State Correctional Institution Fayette, conspired to commit mail fraud in order to obtain pandemic unemployment assistance benefits. Due to his incarceration, Mr. Camp was ineligible to receive pandemic unemployment benefits because he was unemployed for reasons unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not accept a job if one were offered. The desired benefit was to be mailed to an address in Philadelphia. However, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania flagged the defendant’s unemployment application as fraudulent, and no money was paid on the claim.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for Nov. 9, 2021. The law provides for a total sentence of no more than five 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court remanded Mr. Camp to state custody to continue serving his undischarged state sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Secret Service conducted the investigation that lead to the prosecution of Amasa Camp.
Rhode Island Woman Pleads Guilty to Phishing SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Rhode Island woman pleaded guilty today to sending phishing emails to candidates for political office and others.
Diana Lebeau, 21, of Cranston, R.I., pleaded guilty to one count of attempted unauthorized access to a protected computer. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal scheduled sentencing for Oct. 26, 2021. Lebeau was charged on May 27, 2021.
In or about January 2020, Lebeau sent phishing emails to approximately 22 members of the campaign staff of a candidate for political office. The emails, which purported to be from either the campaign’s managers or one of the campaign’s co-chairs, directed the recipients to put their account credentials into an attached spreadsheet, or to click a link that connected them to a Google Form that solicited the same credentials. Lebeau also sent several phishing emails to the candidate’s spouse and to others at the spouse’s workplace. The emails, which purported to be either from Microsoft’s “Security Team” or from an employee of the workplace’s technology helpdesk, requested that recipients provide account credentials or other information about their computers by adding it to attached spreadsheets or on a website that mimicked the appearance of the employer’s legitimate website.
In or about March 2020, Lebeau drafted and sent phishing emails targeting another candidate for political office. The emails, which purported to be from the candidate’s cable and internet provider, contained a false “login link” that the recipient could use to address an issue with his or her account by providing account credentials. Lebeau also impersonated this candidate in online chats with the cable and internet provider, in an attempt to reset and obtain the candidate’s account password.
Lebeau did not act with financial or political motive or to benefit any foreign government, instrumentality, or agent.
The charge of attempted access without authorization to a protected computer provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $100,000 and forfeiture. 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 and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of Mendell’s Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit, is prosecuting the case.