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14 July 2021
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Re-Entry of a Deported Alien Previously Convicted of a FelonyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that FELIPE MARTINEZ-RIVERA, age 50, was sentenced for reentry of a deported alien previously convicted of a felony, in violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1326(a) and (b)(1).
According to court documents, FELIPE MARTINEZ-RIVERA reentered the United States after he was previously deported on November 9, 1998. Furthermore, on or about May 18, 2010, the defendant was convicted of illegal possession of less than one gram of cocaine in Harris County Texas – a felony under Texas law.
U.S. District Court Judge Sarah S, Vance sentenced MARTINEZ-RIVERA to 14 months of imprisonment, 1 year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Irene Gonzalez is in charge of the prosecution.
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Many, Louisiana Man Convicted of Kidnapping and Interstate Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – A federal jury returned a guilty verdict today against Dillon James Merritt, 54, of Many, Louisiana, charging him with kidnapping, interstate domestic violence and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced. United States District Judge Donald E. Walter presided over the trial.
Evidence introduced at trial this week revealed that on December 12, 2017, Merritt kidnapped a woman in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and took her across state lines to Texas and held her against her will from December 12, 2017 through December 16, 2017. Testimony at trial showed that Merritt and the woman (victim) briefly dated in the fall of 2017, but after Merritt punched the victim in the stomach following an argument, the victim severed the relationship with Merritt. Following the breakup, he continually called the victim and harassed her.
During the evening hours of December 12, 2017, Merritt found the victim walking back home from visiting with a friend near the Walmart parking lot in Natchitoches and struck her in the head and put her in a truck and left. The victim was bound and gagged and hidden under clothing in the vehicle and for the next several days, was taken by Merritt to various locations in Louisiana and remote locations in Texas near Toledo Bend. Merritt repeatedly raped the victim, doused her with lighter fluid and tried to set her on fire, and severely beat her with his fists, elbows, feet and with a Maglite flashlight over this four-day period causing serious bodily injury to the victim. In addition to the brutal beatings, aggravated sexual assault, and sexual abuse on the victim committed by Merritt, he possessed with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
“The severe brutality and sexual abuse inflicted by this defendant on the victim was pure evil,” stated Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. “No one deserves to be treated in this manner and justice has prevailed today.”
Merritt faces up to life in prison for the kidnapping charge, life for the interstate domestic violence charges, a maximum of 40 years for the drug charge, and up to a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for November 11, 2021 at 11:00.
The FBI and Sabine County Sheriff’s Office in Hemphill, Texas conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cadesby B. Cooper prosecuted the case.
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Manager of Water System in Red River Parish Pleads Guilty to Fraud ChargeRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Donald Messick, 50, of Coushatta, Louisiana, appeared before Chief United States District Judge S. Maurice Hicks, Jr. today and pleaded guilty to fraud. A Bill of Information was filed April 23, 2021 in United States District Court charging Messick with one count of wire fraud.
The charge stems from a scheme devised by Messick to defraud the Fairview Union Water System (FUWS), an entity responsible for the management and upkeep of a rural water system in Red River Parish, Louisiana. During the scheme, Messick used FUWS monies to purchase items for his own personal use, including fuel, vehicle parts, tools, and other equipment. In some cases, he would use FUWS funds to purchase items that he would then give to relatives. In another instance, Messick had an electronic funds transfer sent from FUWS’s bank account to another individual located in Florida for her own personal use and did so without authorization from FUWS. Messick also fraudulently enrolled a relative in the group health insurance of FUWS, when that individual was not an employee and not authorized to be on the insurance plan. As a result, FUWS paid the premiums for this individual and the insurer paid out $19,705 in claims made on behalf of the unauthorized individual.
In total, from February 1, 2018 to March 1, 2019, Messick defrauded the FUWS out of approximately $58,459.73 in monies and property.
Messick faces a penalty of not more than 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Sentencing has been set for November 18, 2021.
The FBI and USDA-OIG conducted the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg is prosecuting the case.
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Man Sentenced for His Role in COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A Wisconsin man was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for fraudulently seeking over $600,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Stephen Smith, 42, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty on April 12. According to court documents, Smith admitted that he fraudulently sought, on behalf of three different companies, over $600,000 in PPP loans through applications to an insured financial institution. According to his plea agreement, Smith caused fraudulent loan applications to be submitted that made numerous false and misleading statements about the companies’ respective payroll expenses. Smith then directed his co-conspirators to send him portions of the PPP funds within days of receiving them and used the proceeds for personal expenses.
In addition to the prison sentence, Smith was ordered to pay $397,500 in restitution.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin; Special Agent in Charge Sharon Johnson of the SBA’s Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG) Central Region; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Hughes of the FBI’s Milwaukee Field Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge Fran L. Mace of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – OIG (FDIC-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Kathy Enstrom of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chicago Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI, SBA-OIG, FDIC-OIG and IRS-CI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Laura Connelly and Leslie S. Garthwaite of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Ingraham of the Eastern District of Wisconsin are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the department’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the PPP. In the months since the PPP began, Fraud Section attorneys have prosecuted more than 100 defendants in more than 70 criminal cases. The Fraud Section has also seized more than $65 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/ppp-fraud.
In May, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to DistributeRead the Press Release
A man who was a fugitive and fled with his girlfriend when Tulsa police officers tried to arrest him pleaded guilty to drug charges today, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Jose Pizana Ruiz, 45, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In his plea agreement, Ruiz admitted to possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of the drug.
His codefendant Brittany Paige Coffee previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
On Sept. 17, 2020, Tulsa Police Officers approached Coffee’s vehicle and attempted to arrest fugitive Ruiz, a passenger in the car. In response, Coffee drove out of the parking lot at a high rate of speed, almost running over officers. The vehicle was eventually involved in a collision near 1500 W. Highway 412. Ruiz and Coffee ran from the crash scene but were not apprehended at the time. Officers discovered three firearms in the wrecked vehicle.
Ruiz and Coffee were eventually located at a Tulsa residence in and around a different vehicle parked in the driveway. Officers arrested Coffee in the vehicle. Ruiz was arrested after a brief foot pursuit. Officers found a purse in the vehicle containing Coffee’s Oklahoma identification card as well as a black case containing 585 grams of methamphetamine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick prosecuted the case.
Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with a Dangerous WeaponRead the Press Release
A man pleaded guilty today in federal court for assaulting a woman with a piece of door trim that had a nail protruding from it, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Robert Joseph Marder, 31, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country. As part of the plea agreement, Marder will serve between 70 and 87 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell will determine the final sentence at a hearing scheduled for Nov. 5, 2021.
On May 29, 2020, Marder showed up at a former girlfriend’s home and became aggressive. The woman, accompanied by children, attempted to leave the apartment. The defendant followed her to her car, so she ran back to the apartment and locked the doors. Marder kicked in the door causing the door trim to break. He then exited the apartment but came back through a window and continued the argument. While the victim was holding a three-month old child, Marder picked up a piece of trim with a nail sticking out of it and struck the victim multiple times on her forehead, shoulder and back of the head.
During the assault, the apartment’s security officers heard screaming. After arriving at the apartment, they witnessed Marder striking the victim with the trim. Security detained Marder and called police. The victim was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Marder is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and the crime occurred within the Muscogee Nation reservation.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and Benjamin D. Hargrove are prosecuting the case.
Man Found Guilty of Unlawful Possession of a MachinegunRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announces that on July 12, 2021, a federal jury convicted Gilberto Joel Hernández Marín of unlawful possession of a machinegun. He faces a sentence of up to 10 years of imprisonment.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on February 16, 2019, Gilberto Joel Hernández Marín, age 25 of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico unlawfully possessed a 7.62 x 39 caliber Zastava Serbia AK-47 type pistol that had been modified so that it was capable of firing as a machine gun. On that date, Hernández Marín was detained and ticketed by Trujillo Alto municipal officers because his vehicle had illegally tinted windows. During the traffic stop, the officers found that Hernández Marín was in possession of the machinegun, which was loaded with 31 rounds of 7.62 x 39 caliber ammunition. The officers contacted agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), who investigated the case and presented it to the United States Attorney’s Office for Prosecution.
United States Attorney Muldrow indicated that, “The United States Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners will remain vigilant and aggressive in the investigation and prosecution of individuals in possession of illegal firearms. These types of violations are among the highest of priorities for the Department of Justice, and we will work tirelessly to remove illegal weapons from the streets.”
“I would like to thank the municipal officers of Trujillo Alto who working with ATF and the USAO, were able to successfully prosecute this individual. Working together, we can further increase public safety and send the message to the public that possession of illegal guns will not be tolerated in Puerto Rico,” said Robert Cekada, Special Agent in Charge of ATF, Miami Field Division.
The case was investigated by ATF. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Vance Eaton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Pedro R. Casablanca of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Gang Section.
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Mahnomen County Man Sentenced to 138 Months in Prison for Distribution of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mahnomen County man was sentenced today to 138 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine.
According to court documents, in December 2019, Augustus Quintrell Light, 40, was engaged in the distribution of controlled substances. On December 7, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Bemidji, Minnesota, where Light was located. Law enforcement recovered more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine, a digital scale, and three rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. That same day, law enforcement searched Light’s primary residence in Naytahwaush, Minnesota. Within a locked safe inside the residence, officers found small quantities of controlled substances, $4,800 in cash, and three rounds of .45 caliber ammunition.
In March 2019, Light was pulled over in Bemidji for having an expired registration. After officers smelled marijuana from inside Light’s vehicle, they ordered him to step out. Light refused to comply and instead rolled up his windows, locked his doors, and drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed. Light led officers on a high-speed chase through Bemidji before he was stopped and arrested.
Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk for the District of Minnesota made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced the defendant.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Mahnomen County Attorney’s Office, the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office, the Paul Bunyan Task Force, the Bemidji Police Department, and the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander D. Chiquoine and Ruth Shnider prosecuted the case.
Madison Felon Sentenced to 30 Months for Possessing FirearmRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Xavier Arthur, 24, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to 30 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Arthur pleaded guilty to this charge on April 1, 2021.
On May 25, 2020, a Sun Prairie police officer stopped Arthur when the car he was driving nearly hit a bicyclist. Arthur was arrested for operating while under the influence. Police found a loaded 9mm handgun in his pocket and a loaded extended magazine in the center console of the car. Arthur said that he had the gun for protection.
In 2019 Arthur was convicted of felony bail jumping and misdemeanor domestic battery. In the battery case, charges of robbery with force, false imprisonment, and intimidation of a victim while threatening force were dismissed but read-in for sentencing purposes. There, Arthur had a handgun on him, hit the victim in the mouth, and threatened to shoot her in the head.
Arthur also has a pending charge out of Illinois for possession of a 9mm firearm with a defaced serial number. The government noted that this was now Arthur’s third firearm case.
At sentencing, Judge Conley remarked that this was very serious offense, that Arthur nearly ran over a bicyclist while driving drunk, and that having a gun while intoxicated was a “horrible combination.” The judge also noted that the prior domestic case involved him brandishing a gun, and that Arthur was on probation for that offense when arrested in this federal case. Arthur was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
The charge against Arthur was the result of an investigation conducted by the Sun Prairie Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
Local Entrepreneur Faces Federal Charges for Covid-Relief FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—An indictment was unsealed in federal court today charging a Portland entrepreneur with fraudulently applying for and converting to his personal use loans intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peter Peacock Blood, 57, has been charged with two counts of loan fraud.
According to court documents, Blood is the sole owner and principal officer of two Oregon corporations, Cycle Power Partners, LLC, and Cycle Holdings, LLC. According to tax returns filed in 2019 and 2020, Cycle Power Partners had two or fewer employees and paid less than $6,900 in quarterly wages and other compensation. No quarterly tax returns were filed for Cycle Holdings during this time period.
In April 2020, Blood is alleged to have knowingly made false statements on two separate Paycheck Protection Program loan applications. In these applications, Blood claimed his companies had 10 employees and an average monthly payroll in excess of $116,000. The first application resulted in a loan of more than $332,000; the second yielded a loan of more than $290,000.
If convicted, Blood faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, 5 years’ supervised release, and fines of up to $2 million.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Paycheck Protection Program is an economic relief program authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and administered by the Small Business Administration. The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans and small businesses suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 http://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.
Lehighton Man Sentenced to 18 Months’ Imprisonment for Internet Threats Against the Jewish CommunityRead the Press Release
SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on July 13, 2021, Corbin Kauffman, age 32, of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani to 18 months’ imprisonment for interstate transmission of threats to injure the person of another.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Kauffman pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information and admitted that he posted a threatening image on a social media website on March 13, 2019. Kauffman posted a digitally-created image of his own arm and hand aiming an AR-15 rifle at a congregation of praying Jewish men, gathered in a synagogue. The threatening image came in the wake of the October 27, 2018 mass-shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where 11 died and several more were wounded. On the same day he posted his own threatening image, Kauffman also shared a video of the Tree of Life shooting, as well as another post in support of the shooter. That same day, Kauffman also posted multiple references to “hate crimes” and a photograph of vandalism he committed by defacing a display case at the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center in Ocean City, Maryland, with white supremacist and anti-Semitic stickers.
Kauffman used various aliases online to post hundreds of anti-Semitic, anti-black, and anti-Muslim messages, images, and videos. Several of these posts, like the one charged in the information, included threats to various religious and racial groups. Other posts expressed a desire to commit genocide and “hate crimes,” and called for or depicted images of the killing of Jewish people, black people, and Muslim people. Kauffman also posted videos combining footage of a mass shooting at a Christchurch, New Zealand mosque with various audio tracks to celebrate the shooting, including video game sound effects and music.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Mariani found that Kauffman had made several threats, and that he intentionally selected the targets of his threats based on their race, religion, or ethnicity.
“While the disturbing and violent images and messages Kauffman posted online were abhorrent, that does not mean they were all criminal. Even abhorrent speech is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brandler. “But when the speech crosses the line into threats, particularly threats directed at vulnerable communities, we will not tolerate that behavior. Vulnerable communities are entitled to feel safe in living their lives and exercising their own rights. Under federal law, when you target a person or a group because of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation, that is a hate crime. And we take hate crimes very seriously in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni.
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Leader of Cross-Country Methamphetamine Conspiracy ConvictedRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake man was convicted today on methamphetamine and money laundering charges after a three-day bench trial.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Xavier Howell, 35, led the Virginia side of a multi-state, multi-kilogram methamphetamine conspiracy. He and his co-conspirators imported over 10 kilograms of high-purity methamphetamine, sourced from a California-based Grape Street Crips gang member, through the mail with the assistance of a corrupt U.S. Postal Service supervisor. The group also smuggled fentanyl into Hampton Roads on a commercial air flight.
“With the assistance of a corrupt federal employee and others, the defendant flooded South Hampton Roads with methamphetamine as part of a cross-country conspiracy supplied by a California-based gang,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Through the hard work and dedication of the trial team, this defendant and others have been brought to justice for threatening the safety of our communities.”
Howell faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life when he is sentenced on November 12. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Daniel A. Adame, U.S Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division; and Col. K.L. Wright, Chief of Chesapeake Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. announced the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Bosse and Amanda Turner are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-11.
KC Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today on child pornography charges after he solicited young victims to engage in sex acts while live streaming over the internet.
Robert P. Salapuddin, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Salapuddin to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration.
On Sept. 10, 2020, Salapuddin pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography over the internet and one count of possessing child pornography. Salapuddin admitted that he received a pornographic video of a minor victim on Jan. 3, 2016. He also admitted that he possessed images of child pornography on both his laptop and desktop computers on Jan. 11, 2017.
The investigation began when law enforcement received an anonymous tip that Salapuddin was soliciting young girls to perform sex acts for him via a live streaming app. When officers contacted Salapuddin at his residence on Jan. 11, 2017, they determined that he received and possessed a collection of child pornography. He admitted to using various internet apps to receive and possess videos and images of teenage girls as young as 13 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Investigators found more than 35 videos of child pornography on Salapuddin’s computers, many of which appeared to be recordings from web cams or chat programs. They also discovered more than 250 images (some duplicates) of possible child pornography. Investigators found thousands of messages on Salapuddin’s iPhones, including message strings that mentioned the user was under the age of 18. More than 1,000 photos of teenage girls and cell phone screen shots were organized into folders with girls' names and/or the term "nudes." The photos often depicted the subject in a series of photos, both clothed, then naked.
For example, investigators discovered a video of a live stream chat between a minor female as she bathed and someone who sounded like Salapuddin on Jan. 11, 2017. They discussed makeup and the girl being just 16 years old. As the girl gets out of the tub, the male off camera voice is heard to say: “Now Rob gets to dress you.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Botched Robbery at Grandview Auto DealerRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the botched robbery of a Grandview, Mo., auto dealership that ended when he shot an employee while fleeing, after a shootout with the owner, who was also armed.
Lyndale E. Watson, also known as “Red, “Blood,” and “Stoni Blud,” 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to one count of attempted robbery and one count of carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
According to today’s plea agreement, Watson wore a scarf over his face when he walked into Pride Auto Sales, a car lot at 12800 S. US 78 Highway in Grandview, on Feb. 19, 2015. Watson asked an employee, identified in court documents as “M.M.,” about a car for sale. After the owner came to the front of the business, Watson pulled out a firearm, pointed the gun at the owner, and said, “Don’t move.”
The owner, already armed with a firearm, ran back to his office as Watson shot at him. The two engaged in a firefight. As Watson ran out of the business, he shot M.M. in the back as M.M. was trying to escape himself. M.M. was wounded but survived the shooting.
On Feb. 27, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Wallace’s residence and found a Hi-Point 9mm rifle, a plastic bag that contained 98 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and a .380-caliber Winchester round that matched the shell casings recovered from the auto dealership.
Watson said he carried out the attempted robbery at the behest of a friend formerly employed at Pride Auto Sales, who claimed to be owed money by the owner of the car lot.
Under federal statutes, Watson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Grandview, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Transaction between Global Industrial and Agricultural Equipment Component ManufacturersRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Danfoss A/S (Danfoss) and Eaton Corporation Plc (Eaton) to divest assets from both Danfoss’s and Eaton’s orbital motor and hydraulic steering unit manufacturing businesses in order to proceed with their proposed asset purchase agreement. Without these divestitures, the transaction would substantially lessen competition in the design, manufacture, and sale of orbital motors and hydraulic steering units used in agricultural, industrial and construction equipment in the United States.
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the Antitrust Division filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the competitive harm alleged in the lawsuit.
“Orbital motors and hydraulic steering units are essential components in equipment used in the agricultural, industrial and construction industries,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard A. Powers of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The transaction, as originally proposed, would have led to higher prices and lower quality for original equipment manufacturers in these industries that are vital to the American economy. The remedy preserves competition in the manufacture and sale of these products for the benefit of equipment manufacturers and consumers.”
According to the complaint, Danfoss and Eaton are the two largest suppliers of orbital motors used for mobile off-road equipment in the United States. Orbital motors are used to propel and power the working attachments in equipment like skid steer loaders, harvesters and street sweepers. The complaint also alleges that Danfoss and Eaton are the two largest suppliers of hydraulic steering units that help turn a vehicle’s wheels using hydraulic fluid. According to the complaint, absent a divestiture, the proposed transaction between Danfoss and Eaton would lead to higher prices, decreased quality of delivery and service, and diminished innovation.
Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the parties must divest three Danfoss orbital motor and hydraulic steering unit facilities located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Parchim, Germany; and Wroclaw, Poland, and two orbital motor production lines and one hydraulic steering unit production line from Eaton facilities located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to Interpump Group S.p.A. (Interpump) or an alternate acquirer approved by the United States. Interpump is a global, established provider of cylinders, pumps and valves with operations in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia.
The department expressed thanks to its enforcement partners in the European Commission for their close and constructive collaboration on this matter, which enabled a thorough investigation and resulted in remedies that will preserve competition in the United States and Europe.
Danfoss A/S, a global corporation headquartered in Nordborg, Denmark, manufactures components and engineering technologies, among other products, for hydraulics for off-road machinery through its Power Solutions division. Danfoss’s Power Solutions division had sales of approximately €6.3 billion in 2019.
Eaton Corporation Plc, a global corporation headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, manufactures hydraulic motors, power units, valves and steering units through its subsidiary’s Power & Motion Controls Division. Eaton’s Power & Motion Controls Division had sales of approximately $2.2 billion in 2019.
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with a competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement during a 60-day comment period to Jay Owen, Acting Chief, Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 8700, Washington, D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Judge sentences St. Louis man for armed robbery, attempted robbery, and discharging a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted pleas of guilty from Isaac Gonzalez for crimes involving robbery, attempted robbery, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of that attempted robbery today. Immediately after the guilty pleas, Gonzalez, a 24-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident, was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 13 years and 4 months.
On May 21, 2019, Gonzalez entered the Cash America Pawn shop located in the 10500 block of Page Avenue in St. Louis County. He was armed with a handgun and had his face partially covered with a bandana. He announced a robbery and ordered an employee to the back of the store. Gonzalez then ordered the employee to remove cash from the safe. Gonzalez stole the cash and left the store.
On June 4, 2019, Gonzalez again entered the Cash American Pawn shop wearing clothing that was similar to the clothing he had worn in the first robbery. Gonzales was armed with a handgun. Gonzalez went toward the rear of the store where the safe was located. An employee saw what was happening and closed the door which separated the main area of the store from the back office. Gonzalez began banging on the door and yelling at the employee to open the door. When the employee refused, Gonzalez fired his weapon at the office door. A bullet travelled through the door and into the office. No one was hurt. Gonzalez retrieved the spent cartridge casing and left the store.
St. Louis County Police had been looking for Gonzalez in connection with an unrelated incident. On June 5, 2019, officers received information that Gonzalez was staying at a motel in St. Louis County. Police went to the motel and located Gonzalez in a room with a female acquaintance. The officers seized clothing and a pistol from the room that appeared to be the clothing worn by Gonzales and the gun used by Gonzales during the May and June robbery and attempted robbery incidents of the Cash American Pawn shop.
The St. Louis County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is handling this matter.
Joint Law Enforcement Operation Results in Arrests and Federal Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Federal indictments in the District of Nevada have been unsealed, charging six defendants with nearly 100 criminal charges in connection with an alleged drug trafficking ring and money laundering conspiracy.
These charges are the result of a global joint investigation, “Operation Money Maker,” comprised of nine law enforcement agencies that worked closely together to target a crime organization.
According to allegations set forth in the indictments:
- Barak Amar (51, of Las Vegas) conspired with others to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance. He is indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
- Arshak Arayan (41, of Los Angeles, California) conspired with others to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. He is indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and six counts of distribution of a controlled substance.
- Ofir Frieden (38, of San Jose, California) conspired with others to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. He is indicted on 45 counts of money laundering, eight counts of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and ten counts of distribution of a controlled substance.
- Djekem Kedoshim (31, of Seattle, Washington) is a business owner who wrote a business check in the amount of illegal drug proceeds to co-conspirators. He is indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and four counts of money laundering.
- Moshe Malka (36, of Las Vegas) conspired with others to deposit illegal cash proceeds into his bank account and wrote checks to co-conspirators for the cash received. He is indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and ten counts of money laundering.
- Shine True (39, of Phoenix, Arizona) conspired with others to deposit illegal cash proceeds into her bank account and wrote checks to co-conspirators for the cash received. She is indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and eight counts of money laundering.
“Our office appreciates the opportunity to partner with the FBI and law enforcement agencies across the world to combat the flow of cocaine into our communities and stop the laundering of illegal drug proceeds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada. “The hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners made it possible to disrupt this crime operation.”
“This is a brilliant example of the power of the international partnerships the FBI enjoys to combat the most dangerous organizations in the world,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI. “This operation should be a wakeup call to other criminals that regardless of where they think they can hide; the FBI and its partners will find them and bring them to justice.”
An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, the statutory maximum penalties for each count faced by each defendant are:
Defendant
Charges
Stat. Max. Penalties
Barak Amar
Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance
40 yrs. imprisonment (5 yrs. mandatory minimum), $5 million fine, and at least 4 yrs. supervised release
Distribution of Controlled Substance
20 yrs. imprisonment, $1 million fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Arshak Arayan
Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance
40 yrs. imprisonment (5 yrs. mandatory minimum), $5 million fine, and at least 4 yrs. supervised release
Distribution of a Controlled Substance
20 yrs. imprisonment, $1 million fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Ofir Frieden
Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance
40 yrs. imprisonment (5 yrs. mandatory minimum), $5 million fine, and at least 4 yrs. supervised release
Distribution of a Controlled Substance
20 yrs. imprisonment, $1 million fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Djekem Kedoshim
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Moshe Malka
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Shine True
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
Money Laundering
20 yrs. imprisonment, $250,000 fine, and 3 yrs. supervised release
This case was investigated by the FBI with significant assistance by the Australian Federal Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Colombian National Police, the Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Organization, the Israeli National Police, the SRI – Romanian Intelligence Service, and the UK National Crime Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States, using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 64 Years in Federal Prison for Soliciting the Production and Posting of Child Sex Abuse Images and Videos on Motherhood Blog WebsitesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Colum Patrick Moran, Jr. (43, Jacksonville) to 64 years in federal prison for attempting to entice minors to produce images and videos depicting child sexual abuse and for possessing materials depicting the sexual exploitation of children on his electronic devices. Moran was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
A federal jury had found Moran guilty on March 10, 2021.
According to court documents, as well as evidence and testimony during the three-day trial, between 2015 and late 2018, Moran, using the name “Emily lover,” posted comments to numerous internet motherhood blog websites. These websites are designed and intended to offer and share helpful information about motherhood, childcare, useful commercial products, and other topics related to family life. During this period, Moran repeatedly posted sexually explicit comments that targeted mothers and their young children by name on these blogs. Further, Moran intentionally posted graphic comments on these blogs requesting that the mothers produce and post images and videos of their children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On March 6, 2019, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Moran’s apartment in Jacksonville. During this search, law enforcement seized several smart phones and computers containing more than 1,000 images and videos depicting very young children, including infants and toddlers, being sexually abused. One of the smart phones had been used by Moran to access numerous motherhood blog websites and contained images of sexually explicit postings made by Moran with the usernames “Emily lover” and “Anonymous.” Agents also seized a plastic storage bin that contained a collection of children’s underwear, as well as several firearms, ammunition, and a bulletproof vest with Velcro law enforcement identification patches.
“This case demonstrates the lengths that predators will go to target innocent children online, and reveals the havoc placed on their families,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “While the FBI, in general, does not comment on specific websites or apps, we want parents to be aware of the risks and vulnerabilities posed by websites and apps that offer interactive communication capabilities to include video live-streaming and image sharing functionalities. While some predators target children directly for this content, this subject went a step further and also targeted parents, leaving many of them absolutely terrified. The FBI encourages online users to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
This case was the result of a nationwide investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Jacksonville and Los Angeles, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
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.
Illinois Felon Convicted in Iowa After Possessing a Gun and Drugs Inside a Cedar Rapids Wal-MartRead the Press Release
A convicted felon, who possessed drugs he intended to distribute and a gun inside a Wal-Mart, was convicted by a jury on July 13, 2021, after a two-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Sylvester Cunningham, age 41, from Blue Island, Illinois, was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possessing crack and powder cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The verdict was returned following about six hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that at about 11:00 A.M. on August 7, 2020, Cunningham, who was in a wheelchair, entered the vestibule of a Wal-Mart store in Cedar Rapids. Cunningham moved from his wheelchair into a Wal-Mart electric shopping cart. A short time later, while helping Cunningham look for a lost cellphone, a Wal-Mart employee lifted the cushion of Cunningham’s wheelchair and saw a .357 caliber revolver.
The employee alerted an off-duty Cedar Rapids Police Department officer who was providing security for the store. The officer retrieved the gun. After finding out that Cunningham was on federal supervised release for a prior gun charge, police officers arrested him. While searching him as part of the arrest, officers located thirteen individual baggies of crack and powder cocaine concealed in Cunningham’s clothing.
Prior to August 7, 2020, Cunningham had received two felony convictions. First, in 2004, Cunningham was convicted of felony operating while intoxicated in Illinois. Second, in 2012, Cunningham was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the federal district court for the Northern District of Iowa. In the 2012 case, Cunningham was found in possession of a rifle after he crashed the car he was driving in Cedar County, Iowa.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Cunningham was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the verdict was returned and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Cunningham faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $1,500,000 fine, and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and Special Assistant United States Attorney Devra Hake and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force. The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marion Police Department, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-104.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Husband and Wife Convenience Store Owners Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Restitution for Fraud Involving SNAP ProgramRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Maria Morales Howard has sentenced Russell Leroy Dotson, Jr. (63, Jacksonville) and his wife, Maria Luisa Dotson (66, Jacksonville), to 18 months in federal prison each for conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The court also ordered the couple to pay $257,919.10 in restitution and entered an order of forfeiture for the same amount against each of them.
Russell Dotson had pleaded guilty on July 26, 2019, and Maria Dotson had pleaded guilty on August 7, 2019.
According to court documents, the Dotsons owned and operated Asmarina Food Mart, which had two locations in Jacksonville. When the Dotsons opened their stores, they applied for and received approval from the Food and Nutrition Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to participate in SNAP, a program that supplements the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency. (Until 2008, SNAP was known as the Food Stamp Program.)
Once the Dotsons received this approval, they trained their employees on ways to conduct fraudulent transactions with SNAP recipients using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, a type of debit card. Specifically, the Dotsons instructed their employees to ring up fraudulent transactions to make it appear that SNAP recipients had purchased eligible food products from the store using their EBT cards, when the recipients actually purchased nothing at all or actually purchased items not eligible under the SNAP program. The employees then gave the SNAP recipients cash representing approximately one-half of the purported value of the fraudulent transaction, while the Dotsons kept the remainder of the money. Over approximately 27 months, Russell and Maria Dotson defrauded the United States out of $257,979.10.
“This type of corruption involving fraud against the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has managed to defraud American taxpayers and take money out of the hands of people who desperately need that assistance,” said Special Agent in Charge Glen M. Kessler of the U.S. Secret Service. “The U.S. Secret Service and our partners are always willing to take prompt and coordinated actions to hold these criminals responsible for placing personal greed above the good of the public.”
“The owners of Asmarina Food Mart created an illegal benefits exchange system that denied healthy foods to needy children and their families. Any retailer who chooses to defraud taxpayers through such schemes will continue to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted by USDA-OIG and its law enforcement partners,” stated Jason Williams, Special Agent in Charge, USDA-OIG.
This prosecution was part of a long-term investigation into SNAP fraud occurring at both Asmarina Food Mart locations in Jacksonville. To date, 12 other individuals, including employees of Asmarina Food Mart and SNAP recipients, have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced for their roles in this scheme (Shelly Rowe Sullivan, Teighlor Michelle Wicker, Tracy Lynn Hammock, Shannon Marie Whaley, Denise Diane Taylor, Ormetre Patterson, Cierra Elizabeth White, Laura Lockwood, Shanelle Bryant, Felicia Meadows, Theresa Marie Paschall, and Latosha Ransome Monroe) and collectively have been ordered to pay a total of $249,829.67 in restitution to the United States.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the United States Secret Service - Jacksonville Field Office, and the United States Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Anyone who is aware of or suspects fraud involving SNAP benefits should visit https://www.usda.gov/oig/hotline or call 800-424-9121.
Fourth Oregon Bull Trout Poacher Sentenced in Federal Court After Coordinated Law Enforcement OperationRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Tyler Glenn Chance Warren, 31, of Pendleton, Oregon, was sentenced to three years’ federal probation, a $1,000 fine, 40 hours of community service, and a three-year fishing ban after illegally taking bull trout from the Metolius River in the Deschutes National Forest.
Warren is the fourth Oregon resident convicted in federal court for illegally taking bull trout from area waters since Operation No Bull, a coordinated anti-poaching law enforcement operation, launched in 2017. Since its inception, the operation has resulted in criminal charges, civil penalties, or citations for more than 30 bull trout poachers in federal, state, and Tribal courts.
According to court documents, on December 3, 2017, Warren and co-defendant Thomas R. Campbell, 30, of Culver, Oregon, illegally took several bull trout from the Metolius River and the Eyerly Property, a portion of protected land adjacent to the Metolius near its confluence with Lake Billy Chinook. The Eyerly Property is held in trust by the U.S. for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and only accessible to tribal members.
On December 4, 2017, Campbell posted a photo on Instagram of himself holding a juvenile bull trout. Another Instagram post showed Warren holding a bull trout on the Metolius. Investigators later found more photos on Campbell’s phone including several that Campbell and Warren had texted to each other on December 3. One of the photos depicted Warren holding a bull trout over a cast iron pan containing steaming fish meat. Another depicted Warren holding a dead bull trout with a beer can wedged in its mouth. Warren transported the fish to his residence in Redmond where he texted Campbell two additional photos of Ziploc bags filled with bull trout fillets. Investigators believe Warren took at least four bull trout from the Metolius on December 3, but the exact number is unknown.
On September 9, 2019, Warren, Campbell, and a third co-defendant, Joshua Alan Hanslovan, 29, of Albany, Oregon, were charged by criminal information with violating the Lacey Act. All three men later waived indictment and pleaded guilty. On November 23, 2020, Campbell was sentenced to five years’ federal probation, a $6,000 fine, and 300 hours of community service ordered to be served on habitat restoration and conservation projects. On June 16, 2021, Hanslovan was sentenced to three years’ federal probation, a three-year angling ban, and 125 hours of community service. On December 7, 2021, a fourth poacher, Tyrone T. Wacker, 42, of Culver, Oregon was sentenced in a separate criminal case to five years’ probation, a three-year angling and hunting ban, a $1,000 fine, and 90 hours of community service.
The fines issued as part of federal sentences in these cases were ordered to be paid to the Lacey Act Reward Account, a fund used to provide monetary awards to those who provide information about wildlife crimes and to pay costs incurred caring for fish, wildlife or plants held as evidence in ongoing investigations.
Bull trout are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and are vulnerable to overfishing. Poaching represents a lethal threat to their recovery. Today, bull trout inhabit less than half of their historic range. Central Oregon’s Metolius River is an important spawning ground for the fish and helps to populate other waters. Bull trout are revered by anglers and are an important Tribal resource.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement; Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division; Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Branch of Natural Resources; and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations. It was prosecuted by Will McLaren and Pam Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for protecting America’s wildlife from poaching, illegal commercialization, and other kinds of wildlife crime. If you have information related to a wildlife crime, please call 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477) or email [email protected].
Former USPS Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stealing MailRead the Press Release
Leonard C Boyle, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHAEL McGUIRK, 37, of Windham, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford to three months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for theft of mail by a postal employee.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2019 and May 2020, while he was employed as a sales associate at the U.S. Post Office in Columbia, McGuirk stole numerous pieces of mail, including packages and greeting cards that contained gift cards or other items of value. Surveillance camera footage depicted McGuirk in the Columbia Post Office rifling through the mail, concealing mail in his clothing, opening packages and envelopes, and taking cash from the reserve cash register.
The investigation further revealed that McGuirk attempted to sell some of the items he stole from the mail on eBay.
Judge Bryant ordered McGuirk to pay $5,774.70 in restitution.
McGuirk resigned from the USPS in May 2020. He pleaded guilty to the offense on March 30, 2021.
McGuirk, who is released on bond, is required to report to prison on September 14, 2021.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara E. Levens.
Individuals who believe they are a victim of mail theft are encouraged to file a complaint by calling 888-USPS-OIG, or by visiting https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/file-online-complaint.
Former Treasurer of Perry County Agricultural Society Indicted for FraudRead the Press Release
PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. – The former treasurer of the Perry County Agricultural Society (“PCAS”) is under federal indictment for defrauding the PCAS out of more than $100,000. Billy E. Harris, 47, is charged with 10 counts of mail fraud. Harris served as the treasurer of the PCAS from 2011-2018 and currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
The PCAS operates all the festivals at the Perry County Fairgrounds in Pinckneyville, including the
Perry County Fair. According to the indictment, from June 5, 2012, through October 3, 2018, Harris used the PCAS bank account to pay his personal expenses and purchase items for his personal use.
The indictment lists many of the personal items Harris allegedly purchased using PCAS funds, including a WiFi router, Apple AirPods, a Himalyan salt lamp air purifier, Darth Vader and
Yoda personalized pet tags, a pair of Star Wars men’s sleep pants, a floating pool fountain, a CPAP tube cleaning brush, and “beard lube.” Many of the items were allegedly purchased through Amazon.
Harris is also charged with writing checks on the PCAS account payable to himself and his spouse and forging a PCAS board member’s signature on the checks.Harris is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on July 19, 2021, before U.S. Magistrate
Judge Reona Daly of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The St. Louis Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Pinckneyville Police Department are investigating the case, with assistance from the Perry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Verseman is prosecuting the case.
Former Chicago Public Schools Principal Charged in Scheme to Fraudulently Obtain Overtime PayRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Chicago Public Schools principal on fraud charges for allegedly scheming to fraudulently obtain overtime pay.
A ten-count indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that SARAH JACKSON ABEDELAL carried out the fraud scheme from 2012 to 2019 while serving as Principal of Brennemann Elementary School on the North Side of Chicago. Abedelal told certain school employees that she would authorize overtime pay for hours the employees would not be required to work, and she directed them to then deliver the proceeds of the unearned overtime to Abedelal or another individual, the indictment states. Abedelal told the employees who received the overtime that the money would be used to pay legitimate school expenses incurred by Brennemann Elementary, when, in fact, Abedelal intended to convert the money to her own personal use, the indictment states. The charges allege that Abedelal fraudulently obtained at least $200,000 in CPS money through the scheme.
Abedelal, 57, of Chicago, is charged with ten counts of wire fraud. She was arrested this morning and is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court today at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather K. McShain.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Will Fletcher, Inspector General of the Chicago Board of Education, Office of Inspector General. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Terry M. Kinney and Patrick Mott.
According to the indictment, Abedelal directed the school employees to withdraw the unearned overtime money in cash on the day the paychecks were deposited into their bank accounts. Abedelal would then meet with the employees individually in her office or classrooms to collect the cash from them, the indictment states. To conceal and prevent detection of the scheme, Abedelal used the fraudulently obtained money to purchase money orders at a currency exchange and then pay her personal expenses, including the mortgage on her home, the indictment states.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Final Defendant Sentenced in Eleven-Defendant Battle Creek Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —United States Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that on July 12, 2021, Ricardo Mercado-Lozano, also known as Heriberto Diaz-Lozano and Eddie Diaz, a citizen of Mexico and resident of Greenwood, Indiana, was sentenced to 292 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney for his role as a regional supplier in an eleven-defendant, multistate drug trafficking conspiracy. Mercado-Lozano was the final defendant sentenced.
The drug-trafficking conspiracy was led in Michigan by co-defendant Andrew Bravo of Battle Creek. Bravo’s drug-trafficking organization distributed kilograms of cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, and quantities of heroin, fentanyl, ecstasy, and kilograms of marijuana, in and around Battle Creek and Kalamazoo between May 2017 and December 2019. Bravo pleaded guilty to the drug-trafficking conspiracy on June 4, 2020 and was sentenced to 264 months in prison on October 5, 2020 by Judge Maloney.
Mercado-Lozano, a self-admitted associate of the Sinaloa cartel, was a regional supplier of kilograms of cocaine and quantities of crystal methamphetamine to Bravo, who further distributed the controlled substances to other individuals in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. In addition to supplying Bravo in Battle Creek, Mercado also supplied drug traffickers around Louisville, Kentucky. On December 17, 2018, investigators stopped a vehicle carrying approximately seven pounds of methamphetamine after leaving Mercado-Lozano’s residence in Kentucky. In 2015, Mercado-Lozano was deported to Mexico following a five-year prison sentence on a felony kidnapping conviction out of Riverside County, California.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Birge stated, “These convictions and sentences are the result of a long-term, multi-agency investigation into the drug trafficking of Andrew Bravo and his co-conspirators, who distributed cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana, among other controlled substances, into the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo communities for years. The U.S Attorney’s Office is committed to bringing traffickers of dangerous drugs to justice no matter how long it takes. Our local communities are now safer with these individuals off the streets.”
"HSI special agents specialize in conducting long-term multi-national investigations against some of the most sophisticated criminals on the planet,” said Homeland Security Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender. “This is now the twelfth individual convicted for participating in a now defunct conspiracy to smuggle drugs from Mexico, through California, to western Michigan.” (A twelfth defendant pled guilty to related charges in California and awaits sentencing there.)
HSI and the Battle Creek Police Department (BCPD) began the investigation into Bravo’s drug-trafficking organization in mid-2017, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Michigan State Police (MSP), Emmett Township Police Department, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, St. Joseph Police Department, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, and Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office.
“Some of the best work we ever get to do in complex investigations like this one is the work we do jointly with our state and federal partners,” said Jim A. Blocker, Chief of Police, City of Battle Creek Police Department. “Our community is safer, we are better, and jointly we are all grateful on behalf of the many families wrongly impacted by these criminal enterprises."
“Through collaboration with our federal, state and local enforcement partners, we are making major progress in thwarting the drug cartels in their operations in western Michigan,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin. “We will continue to work to ensure that criminals who peddle in these poisons and wreak havoc in our communities will face consequences for their criminal activities.”
In December 2019, during the arrests of the defendants and execution of associated search warrants in this case, federal and state investigators seized quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, over a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, over 50 pounds of processed marijuana, over 300 marijuana plants, other controlled substances, three handguns, and over $50,000 in drug proceeds. The eleven defendants, their crimes of convictions, and sentence information are as follows:
Defendant
City
Conviction(s)
Sentence
Andrew Rolando Bravo
Battle Creek
- Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine and 100 kilograms or more or 100 plants of Marijuana)
264 months
in prison
Ricardo Mercado-Lozano
also known as
Heriberto Diaz-Lozano and
Eddie Diaz
Greenwood, Indiana
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 500 grams or more of Cocaine)
292 months
in prison
Mark Anthony Mosley
Battle Creek
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine)
200 months
in prison
Christopher Michael Dreams
Battle Creek
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine)
168 months
in prison
Rodney C. Compton, Jr.
Kalamazoo
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine)
100 months
in prison
Erineo Wallace
Lansing
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and MDMA or Ecstasy
60 months
in prison
Troy Edward Bush
Kalamazoo
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (including 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine)
120 months
in prison
Stacey Parcell Gibson
Battle Creek
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
84 months
In prison
Wayne Henry Hawley
Battle Creek
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine
120 months
in prison
Cory Karl Cadieux
Hudsonville
- Conspiracy to Manufacture, Distribute, and Possess with Intent to Distribute 50 kilograms or more of Marijuana
37 months
in prison
Jeremiah E. Smith
Kalamazoo
- Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility to Cause or Facilitate the Commission of Felonies under the Controlled Substances Act
Time served and 1-year supervised release
This prosecution, dubbed Operation After Hours, was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel T. McGraw and Vito S. Solitro.
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Federal Indictment Accuses Chicago Man of Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Chicago man who allegedly used and attempted to use several minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct and surreptitiously recorded it has been indicted on federal child pornography charges.
MICHAEL PORTER, 55, is charged with seven counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of electronic devices containing child pornography, according to an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Arraignment is set for July 22, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert.
According to the charges, Porter produced the child pornography after using, persuading, inducing, and enticing several minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He also possessed four hard drives, a cell phone, and a laptop computer that contained pornographic images of a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age, the indictment states.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Totten.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Each production count is punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years. Each receipt count is punishable by a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years. The possession count carries a maximum sentence of ten years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation by Michael Porter, you are encouraged to contact the FBI Chicago Field Office by calling 1-312-421-6700.
Fort Washakie Child Predator Sentenced to 175 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray announced today that AVERY FITZGERALD BROWN, 27, of Fort Washakie, Wyoming was sentenced to 175 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Scott W. Skavdahl. In a change of plea hearing held on April 28, 2021, Brown pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact of a minor. According to court records, the abuse occurred on the Wind River Indian Reservation, beginning in March of 2006 and lasting until October 2020, when one of the victims disclosed in a letter to a physician with the Indian Health Service multiple instances of sexual assault by Brown.
“This case demonstrates the incredible work performed by dedicated federal agents and community members who stood up for the victims and worked tirelessly to bring this abhorrent individual to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray. “It takes courage for any victim – especially child victims – to come forward and disclose sexual abuse. We should all be thankful that a young girl bravely spoke up and helped stop this defendant from hurting any other children.”
“The FBI and our local, state, tribal and federal partners work tirelessly to investigate and bring to justice individuals engaged in the exploitation and sexual abuse of minors. With this sentence, a dangerous child predator has been removed from the community with a clear message that sexual abuse of our vulnerable youth will not be tolerated,” said Denver FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. “We are grateful to the dedication of our partners at the Wind River Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for their efforts in this case and our shared commitment to protecting children.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent Adrianne N. Jahnke. Assistant United States Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case.
Executive of International Factoring Company Indicted for $30 Million FraudRead the Press Release
An indictment was returned in federal court in Brooklyn yesterday charging Pushpesh Kumar Baid, also known as “PK Jain,” with wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft relating to a scheme to defraud investors in an international factoring company (the “Company”) of more than $30 million. Baid, the former Business Head of the Company, was previously arrested in January 2021 on a criminal complaint and will be arraigned on the indictment at a later date.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Thomas Fattorusso, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announced the indictment.
“As alleged, Baid and his co-conspirators actively misled investors about the nature, operation and investment strategy of an international factoring company, which caused more than $30 million in losses,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “This Office will vigorously prosecute defendants like Baid who commit fraud as part of a scheme to enrich themselves at their investors’ expense.”
“As alleged, Baid and his co-conspirators used lies and material misrepresentations to defraud an investment firm responsible for managing funds on behalf of dozens of investors. When the scheme ultimately failed, the investment firm faced losses in excess of $30 million. As today’s action should demonstrate, we are committed to bringing to justice those whose greed leads them to commit criminal financial fraud,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.
“Regardless of how sophisticated the scheme or what it is called, simply put, Baid stole millions of dollars from his clients who put their trust in him,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Fattorusso. “Criminal investigators of the IRS operate worldwide specializing in tracing the money to uncover elaborate criminal enterprises.”
Factoring involves the sale of an invoice to a third-party for a discount. In a factoring transaction, the seller of an invoice obtains immediate funding from a buyer, and the buyer of an invoice makes a profit when the invoice is paid in full. The Company purported to be in the business of buying invoices.
As set forth in court filings, Baid was the Business Head of the Company, which purported to be involved in factoring. The Company represented itself as an international factoring business run by an executive team experienced in factoring invoices in particular industries and geographic regions. Between approximately April 2017 and October 2019, Baid and others at the Company conspired to defraud an investment firm (the “Investment Firm”), which made investments on behalf of approximately 50 investors. Specifically, Baid and his co-conspirators induced the Investment Firm to invest millions of dollars in the Company through a series of material misrepresentations about the individuals who purportedly operated the Company; the nature of the Company’s business; the relationship between the Company and the entities with which it was purportedly factoring invoices; and the ways in which investor funds would be used. In July 2019, the Investment Firm stopped receiving payments on invoices that it had factored through the Company, and ultimately suffered more than $30 million in losses related to those invoices. In April 2020, the Investment Firm filed for bankruptcy.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David Gopstein and Alixandra Smith are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
PUSHPESH KUMAR BAID (also known as “PK Jain”)
Age: 40
Miami, FloridaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-367 (MKB)
East Baltimore Monument Street Drug Trafficking Organization Member and Associate Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced George Drummond, age 51, of Baltimore, to four years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in the Monument Street area of East Baltimore, and for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. On July 13, 2021, Judge Hollander sentenced co-defendant Ricardo Simon, age 41, also of Baltimore, to 42 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release for the conspiracy.
The sentences were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“The Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is a critical part of our strategy to make Baltimore safer by identifying and focusing on those groups responsible for the most violent crime in our city,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner. “The Monument Street area is one of the first areas the Strike Force has targeted and we anticipate that Strike Force cases will make these neighborhoods safer for the law-abiding citizens that live there.”
According to their guilty pleas, in July of 2018, Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) Strike Force Group 1 began an investigation of the Monument Street corridor in East Baltimore, which is known to support a high volume of street-level drug distribution and acts of violence associated with the drug trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement identified multiple street-level drug trafficking “shops,” with the two most prominent located in the 400 block of North Montford Avenue at Jefferson Street (“the Montford DTO”) and in the 2400 block of East Monument Street at Port Street (the “Out the Mud,” or “OTM DTO”).
As detailed in their plea agreements, investigators identified Tony Solomon as a source of supply in the conspiracy and Drummond as Solomon’s associate. Simon was identified as a drug distributor for the OTM DTO. Drummond was responsible for packaging controlled dangerous substances as well as maintaining a stash location of controlled dangerous substances for members of the conspiracy, to include cocaine.
Specifically, Drummond admitted that he maintained a stash house at his residence in the 3200 block of Brighton Street in Baltimore, which he and his co-conspirators used for storing, cutting, and packaging drugs, as well as to meet with customers and conduct drug transactions. According to his plea agreement, on behalf of Solomon, Drummond delivered cocaine every two weeks from July 2018 to January 2019, to a co-conspirator to “cook” the powder cocaine into crack cocaine. On January 23, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Drummond’s residence and recovered: a firearm; 147 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin; one large and one small kilo press containing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl; cutting agents and bags of gelatin capsules. Throughout the course of his involvement, it was reasonably foreseeable to Drummond, and within the scope of the conspiracy that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute at least 3.5 kilograms but less than 5 kilograms of cocaine, as well as quantities of fentanyl and heroin, during the course of and in furtherance of the conspiracy.
According to Simon’s plea agreement, Simon engaged in multiple phone calls and other electronic communications with other members of the conspiracy during which they discussed the distribution of controlled substances, to including cocaine. Throughout the course of his involvement, it was reasonably foreseeable to Simon, and within the scope of the conspiracy that he or other members of the conspiracy would distribute at least 200 grams of cocaine, during the course of and in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Of the 25 defendants indicted in this case, 22—including Simon and Drummond—have pleaded guilty or been found guilty at trial. On March 4, 2021, Judge Hollander sentenced Tony Solomon, age 55, of Baltimore, to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The remaining defendants have trial dates in November 2021.
This prosecution was brought as a part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Co-located Strike Forces Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations against a continuum of priority targets and their affiliate illicit financial networks. These prosecutor-led co-located Strike Forces capitalize on the synergy created through the long-term relationships that can be forged by agents, analysts, and prosecutors who remain together over time, and they epitomize the model that has proven most effective in combating organized crime. The specific mission of the Baltimore OCDETF Strike Force is to reduce violent, drug-related, and gang crime in the Baltimore area and surrounding region.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaRai Everett and James T. Wallner, who are prosecuting the case.
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Dunbar Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – David Wayne Watson, 37, of Dunbar, pleaded guilty today to a federal gun crime. A federal grand jury indicted Watson in August 2020.
According to statements made in court, officers with the Charleston Police Department responded to a call for shots fired near the Go-Mart in North Charleston in November 2019. Watson was outside an apartment building nearby. Officers made contact with him, and Watson agreed to let the officers inside the building to check the welfare of the residents. While walking up the stairs, an officer observed a firearm in Watson’s pocket. Watson admitted that he was prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of his prior felony convictions for aggravated robbery and fleeing from police causing injury.
Watson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on October 19, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White is handling the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00141.
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Duluth Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Duluth man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection to a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.
According to his guilty plea, from April 2020 through August 2020, Jared John Fiege, 34, devised and executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $250,000 in COVID-19 relief through Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. As part of the scheme, Fiege submitted fraudulent applications for UI benefits and EIDL assistance by using stolen names, birth dates, and social security numbers of at least 20 individuals. In applying for EIDL assistance and advances, Fiege also invented fictional business entities, which he linked to the identities of real persons without their knowledge or consent. Fiege possessed multiple cell phones and registered numerous email addresses which he used to impersonate others. Fiege also impersonated others by using fraudulent passports as a means of identity verification. Fiege established false bank accounts and requested bank cards to be issued by mail to other people’s addresses, which he would then steal from their mailboxes along with other mail allowing him to withdraw significant amounts of cash from those accounts.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Duluth Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Middlecamp.
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.
Dominican National Sentenced for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Dorchester was sentenced today for distributing fentanyl.
Snolbert Ramirez-Sandoval, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. On March 3, 2021, Sandoval pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl and two counts of employment or use of persons under 18 years of age in drug operations.
Sandoval sold fentanyl on July 26, 2018, by directing the buyer to go to an apartment in Roslindale. The sole occupants were two young boys (one between 10-and-14-years-old and the other between 2-and-6-years-old). The older boy led the buyer to the room in which Ramirez-Sandoval had left the fentanyl. The buyer made payment for the substance and left. On Aug. 2, 2018, the buyer returned to the Roslindale apartment to purchase additional fentanyl from Ramirez-Sandoval who told the buyer by phone that he was not yet there, but the kids were upstairs and instructed the buyer to ring the buzzer. The buyer was greeted by the same two children. Approximately 20 minutes later, Ramirez-Sandoval and another individual arrived at the apartment and sold the buyer the fentanyl.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Estes of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Disruptive Flight Passenger Charged in Miami Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida. – A 27-year-old California man who caused a disturbance last week during a passenger flight from Los Angeles to Miami made his first appearance in federal court today on a charge of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, passenger Anthony Kevin Trujillo’s conduct became increasingly disturbing during the flight on July 7. After announcing that he heard a gas leak, Trujillo accused a fellow passenger of storing bomb parts in her socks. Trujillo then accused a flight attendant of carrying improvised explosive device components in his bag and tried to wrestle the bag away from him, says the affidavit. Two air marshals who were on the flight approached Trujillo and the attendant. After ensuring that there were no explosive device components in the flight attendant’s bag, the air marshals attempted to calm the agitated Trujillo. Despite this, Trujillo got up from his seat and charged down the passenger aisle, towards the front of the airplane, it is alleged. The air marshals stopped Trujillo and, after some resistance from him, eventually secured Trujillo in an area away from other passengers. Air marshals and a flight attendant guarded Trujillo for the rest of the flight. For about the last hour of the flight, pursuant to the captain’s instructions, all passengers had to keep their hands raised above their heads. Law enforcement boarded the plane once it landed at Miami International Airport.
Trujillo is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on Friday, July 16, at 10:00 a.m., in Miami federal magistrate court. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami, announced the charge.
FBI Miami investigated this case, with assistance from the Transportation Security Administration (Federal Air Marshals) and Miami Dade Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arielle Klepach is prosecuting the case.
Criminal complaints contain mere allegations and defendants are innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law.
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 on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-mj-03385.
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Detroit Man Sentenced to 84 Months of ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
HAMMOND-Altonio Dequan Benson, 30, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jon E. DeGuilio to 84 months of imprisonment and ordered to pay $422,552.99 in restitution following his guilty plea to robbery affecting interstate commerce, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
According to documents filed in the case, on January 25, 2019, Altonio Dequan Benson, Darren Bell, and an unidentified third individual robbed Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Hobart, Indiana. With employees and customers watching, Benson and the third individual smashed the jewelry store’s display cases, after which Benson, Bell, and the third individual took over $1,000,000 worth of jewelry and fled. Bell and Benson were arrested while attempting to flee on foot, and approximately $580,000 of the jewelry was recovered. The third unidentified individual fled in a vehicle. Benson has seven prior felony convictions, including convictions for fleeing law enforcement, felon in possession of a firearm, and attempted delivery of a controlled substance, and he was on felony probation at the time he committed the robbery. On December 15, 2020, codefendant Darren Bell was sentenced to 39 months in prison and was ordered to pay $422,552.99 in restitution for his role in the offense.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Response Investigative Team and the Hobart Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Padilla.
Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years Imprisonment for Driving While Intoxicated on Fort Sam HoustonRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A federal judge sentenced 52-year-old Tremont Druval Williams to 10 years of imprisonment for driving while intoxicated (DWI) on Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston (JBSA – Ft. Sam).
According to court records, on August 2, 2018, Williams attempted to enter JBSA – Ft. Sam through the outbound lanes of the I-35 Access Control Point on George C. Beach Avenue. Williams then reversed his vehicle out of the outbound lanes and made a U-turn. A Senior Airman patrol officer noticed Williams struggling to stay in his lane and saw Williams cross the painted lane divider. When the patrol officer approached Williams, he noticed Williams was slumped forward in his seat, had slurred incoherent speech and did not know where he was. After failing field sobriety tasks, Williams was arrested.
Williams had six prior convictions for DWI in his criminal history. He also has a pending DWI charge in Bexar County. In addition to the DWIs, Williams had two convictions of assault family violence as well as multiple convictions for possession of cocaine.
On February 4, 2020, Defendant pleaded guilty to one count of driving while intoxicated.
The FBI and the Air Force Security Forces investigated this case. AUSA Sarah Wannarka prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Clairton Man Charged with Federal Drug and Gun Law ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Meiko Shawn DeVaughn, age 27, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on June 10, 2021, DeVaughn unlawfully possessed a quantity of heroin, intending to redistribute it, and a firearm and ammunition, which he unlawfully possessed after sustaining a prior conviction for a felony offense. Federal law prohibits a convicted felon from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of imprisonment of not more than twenty years, a fine of not more than $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Clairton Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Chalmette Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMIE MARIE KILLIAN (“KILLIAN”), age 41, of Chalmette, Louisiana, pled guilty today to theft of government funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 641.
Beginning in or about August 2013, and continuing until in or about June 2020, in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere, the defendant, JAMIE MARIE KILLIAN, did knowingly embezzle, steal, purloin, and convert to her use, money belonging to the United States and a department and agency thereof, namely, money of the Social Security Administration, to which she knew she was not entitled, when she utilized approximately $99,940.00 in Social Security Administration funds.
KILLIAN faces a maximum penalty of ten (10) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for October 27, 2021, before United States District Judge Lance M. Africk.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Central Ohio man pleads guilty to five armed robberies at Dayton dollar storeRead the Press Release
DAYTON – David Joseph Carter II, 21, of Powell, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to robbing a local Dollar General store five times while armed.
According to his plea, Carter robbed the Dollar General store on Salem Avenue in Dayton on Feb. 3, 8, 13, 28 and March 7, 2021. Shortly after he stole $471 from the store on March 7, the Dayton Police Department’s Violent Offenders Unit conducted a search warrant at an apartment where Carter was residing and discovered the clothing and shoes he wore during the most recent robbery.
Carter admitted to brandishing a firearm and stealing cash from the store on each of the five occasions.
The defendant pleaded guilty to interfering with commerce by threats or violence and to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
Carter faces a minimum of seven years and up to a lifetime in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Dayton Police Chief Richard S. Biehl announced the plea entered into today before U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.
This case is being prosecuted as 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.
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California Man Convicted for Large-Scale Fentanyl Analogue Pill Mill OperationRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A California man was convicted today of conspiracy and manufacturing, distributing, and possessing with intent to manufacture and distribute a fentanyl analogue, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Andrew Tablack, 29, of Beverly Hills, California, was convicted of one count of manufacturing, distributing, and possessing with intent to manufacture and distribute pills containing cyclopropyl fentanyl, an analogue of fentanyl intended for human consumption, in violation of the federal drug laws, and one count of conspiracy to do the same. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning the guilty verdict following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
From at least March 2017 through December 2017, Tablack ran a massive pill making operation that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl analogue pills throughout the United States, including New Jersey. These pills contained a powerful synthetic opioid with significant abuse potential. Tablack manufactured these illegal pills in clandestine labs in and near Los Angeles and sold them anonymously on the dark web, the Internet’s black market, using the moniker “XanaxKing2.” Tablack shipped approximately 400,000 of his illegal pills per month and made millions of dollars from his illegal operation in digital currency that is commonly used in the black market due to its relative anonymity.
Each count of the indictment is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6, 2021.
This case was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), Newark Division, under the direction of under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Rodney M. Hopkins; and special agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modafferi, Northeast Area Field Office, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty verdict.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tazneen Shahabuddin of the Special Prosecutions Division, José R. Almonte, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, and Sarah Devlin, Chief of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Unit.
Brockton Man Sentenced for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced today for his role in distributing fentanyl throughout southeastern Massachusetts.
Eric Marques, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. On March 25, 2021, Marques pleaded guilty to one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more fentanyl.
In 2019 and 2020, law enforcement conducted an investigation into fentanyl traffickers operating in southeastern Massachusetts. A cooperating witness and undercover police officer purchased a total of 180 grams of fentanyl and 260 pressed fentanyl pills from Marques. Marques was arrested on March 16, 2020. A search of residences tied to Marques in Brockton and Bridgewater resulted in the seizure of $10,700 in cash, bags of fentanyl, a digital scale and other drug packaging materials.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief Emanuel Gomes; East Bridgewater Police Chief Paul O’Brien; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Pohl of Mendell’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Atlantic County Men Charged in Heroin ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – Two Atlantic County men have been charged with conspiring to distribute heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Ricardo Clavijo, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and Christopher Gonzalez, 37, of Pleasantville, New Jersey, were each charged by complaint on July 13, 2021, with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over one kilogram of heroin. Both defendants appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ann Marie Donio and were detained without bail.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On July 12, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and officers from other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant at an Egg Harbor Township residence. They encountered Clavijo at the front door and Gonzalez in the basement. In the basement of the residence, law enforcement officers discovered five kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl, eight kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl or cocaine, two kilogram-sized packages of suspected heroin, tens of thousands of pre-packaged individual doses of suspected heroin, additional narcotics packaging materials and paraphernalia, and an electronic money counter. Agents also found a .45 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine for the handgun, and a 9mm 50-round drum magazine.
The conspiracy count is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison and a fine of $10 million, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the DEA’s Newark Division and the DEA Atlantic County HIDTA Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to the charges. She also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner, and the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael A. Steinman, for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Johns of the Criminal Division in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Armed Career Criminal Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of A Firearm/AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. has sentenced Johnny Lee Smith (43, Pensacola) to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. He had pleaded guilty on March 26, 2021.
According to the facts presented in court, on August 29, 2020, deputies from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Smith’s car. During the stop, the deputies saw a loaded .22 caliber revolver on the front passenger seat next to Smith. A records check showed that Smith had 15 prior state felony convictions, including numerous convictions for selling cocaine. Because of these felony convictions, Smith is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law. Following his arrest, the deputies also recovered an additional .22 caliber bullet from Smith’s pocket.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William S. Hamilton and Charles Helm.
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.
Aquilino Torres Convicted of Kidnapping and StalkingRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that AQUILINO TORRES was convicted of kidnapping, kidnapping of a minor, and stalking for the October 2020 kidnapping and stalking of an adult female victim (“Victim-1”) and the kidnapping of Victim-1’s 7-year-old son (“Minor Victim-1”). TORRES was convicted following a one-week jury trial before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “Aquilino Torres threatened to kill a 7-year-old child in carrying out a brutal kidnapping of the child and his mother. Torres then held his victims captive and physically abused both mother and child. Thanks to the FBI and NYPD, Torres was apprehended, prosecuted, and now stands convicted of these horrific crimes.”
As reflected in the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:
On or about October 5, 2020, TORRES texted and called Victim-1 hundreds of times, including a text threatening to “kick [Minor Victim-1’s] teeth out.” Later that night, TORRES took Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 to a motel in the Bronx, where he hit Minor Victim-1 in the face and assaulted Victim-1, breaking her jaw. While TORRES assaulted Victim-1, he told Victim-1, in sum and substance, that he would hang Victim-1 and that Minor Victim-1 would be found dead in the river. For the next five days, TORRES held Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 against their will at an apartment in Washington Heights, without medical treatment for Victim-1’s broken jaw. On or about October 10, 2020, Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 escaped from the apartment and were admitted to a hospital shortly thereafter. In response to their escape, between on or about October 10, 2020, and on or about October 13, 2020, TORRES once again sent Victim-1 hundreds of threatening text messages and called Victim-1 hundreds of times. For example, TORRES texted Victim-1, in sum and substance, that, if he made the decision to go looking for her, “there won’t be turning back.” TORRES followed through on those threats and attempted to track down Victim-1 and Minor Victim-1 after they escaped.
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TORRES, 27, was found guilty of (i) one count of kidnapping, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1) and (b), which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, (ii) one count of kidnapping of a minor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1), (b), and (g), which carries a maximum sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years, and (iii) one count of stalking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2261A(2)(A) and (B), 2261(b)(3), and 2265A, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI-NYPD Violent Crimes Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Robles, Sarah L. Kushner, and Andrew S. Dember, and paralegal specialist Ariella Fetman, are in charge of the prosecution.
Acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, Announces Latest Results of Operation False Haven: Convicted Narcotics Trafficker Arrested for Naturalization FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Moore County man arrested on charges of naturalization fraud had an initial appearance today before United States Magistrate Judge L. Patrick Auld in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A federal grand jury had returned an indictment charging Jose De Jesus Munoz, age 34, a naturalized citizen of the U.S., born in Mexico, residing in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, with naturalization fraud.
According to the indictment, Munoz knowingly failed to disclose during his naturalization proceedings in 2012 that he had committed the crime of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 5 kilograms of cocaine from in or about 2011 to December 18, 2014, in the Western District of North Carolina. Munoz was naturalized as a United States citizen in Wilmington, North Carolina, on September 17, 2012.
On May 20, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Munoz was sentenced to 70 months of imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and ordered to forfeit his interest in 14 bank accounts, multiple residential properties, as well as 10 pistols, five rifles, and three shotguns as instruments and proceeds of the conspiracy.
Munoz is charged in a four-count indictment with naturalization fraud. If convicted, he faces up to a maximum imprisonment term of 25 years per count, a $250,000 fine per count, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. A conviction for naturalization fraud also carries an automatic revocation of U.S. citizenship.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. Agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, assigned to the Document Benefit Fraud Task Force, investigated the case as part of Operation False Haven, an ongoing initiative designed to identify and prosecute egregious felons who fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.
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 Nos. 7:21-CR-35-FL (E.D.N.C.) and 3:15-CR-20-RJC (M.D.N.C.).
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
12+ Years Prison Sentence for Middle Georgia Man Guilty in International Child Exploitation CaseRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – A Fortson, Georgia man was sentenced to serve 151 months in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor as a result of an international child exploitation investigation.
Brandon Bywater, 27, of Fortson, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 151 months in federal prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land after previously pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. In addition, Bywater will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Kids need to know that hidden predators lurk on social media. In this case, the child victim did not know she was interacting with an adult male who collected child pornography of prepubescent children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Our office will not hesitate to pursue federal charges against child predators. The success of this case demonstrates the excellent interagency work between those investigators here at home and abroad who are committed to protecting children.”
“It’s unfortunate that there are predators like Bywater lurking in the shadows online waiting for their next victim. We all have to make sure we are monitoring our children’s online activities to protect them from danger,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “Fortunately, he will not be able to post or share these disturbing images and is being held accountable for his crimes against innocent children.”
According to court documents, on June 26, 2018, a Kik social media app user “drawingkid500” uploaded child pornography. This was detected by Kik and forwarded to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. The case was referred to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after the RCMP geo-located the IP address of the Kik user to the United States. HSI’s investigation led to a search warrant of Bywater’s residence. Bywater admitted to being Kik user “drawingkid500” and that he sent, received and downloaded images of child pornography, including images of toddlers and infants. Agents discovered 27 images of child exploitation on Bywater’s phone, with 14 involving child pornography of prepubescent children. During a forensic examination of a device seized from the defendant, it was discovered that Bywater had texted with a 13-year-old 7th grader more than 400 times. In these texts, Bywater initially pretended to be a high school sophomore named “Jack” and enticed the victim to send nude photos of herself. In addition to receiving nude photos of the victim, Bywater sent nude photos of himself to the girl.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
13 July 2021
Weare Man Sentenced to 36 Months for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Stacey Colburn, 45, of Weare, was sentenced on Monday to 36 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, during an ongoing investigation, investigators identified a specific yahoo.com email address associated with the receipt of child pornography. The I.P. address for the user of the email address was subscribed to by Colburn at his residence in Weare. On January 25, 2019, Colburn met with investigators at the Weare Police Department. He admitted the email address was his and that he was the only individual who accessed the account.
After obtaining a search warrant for Colburn’s home and cellphone, investigators seized his laptop and external hard drive, which contained thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
Colburn previously pleaded guilty on February 24, 2021. In addition to his prison sentence, Colburn was ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution.
“Those who possess child pornography are perpetuating the sexual exploitation of the minors depicted in the images,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “In order to protect innocent children from exploitation, we work closely with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and prosecute the criminals who produce, distribute or possess child pornography.”
“With today’s sentence, Stacey Colburn has been held accountable for possessing thousands of images, and more than a hundred videos, that have robbed innocent children of their childhood,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Sadly, this case is one of many that illustrates the FBI’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners to identify other predators like him and prevent them from victimizing more children.”
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Weare Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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United States Postal Worker Arrested for Stealing Postal Money OrdersRead the Press Release
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging United States Postal Service (USPS) worker Jaleesa Wallace with stealing blank postal money orders and unemployment benefits cards. Wallace was arrested this morning and her initial appearance is scheduled for this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho. On July 9, 2021, Willie Cook, an alleged co-conspirator, was arrested for stealing USPS money orders in connection with the scheme. Cook was released on a $25,000 bond.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew Modafferi, Special Agent-in-Charge, USPS, Office of the Inspector General (USPS-OIG), and Dermot F. Shea, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the charges.
“As alleged, the defendant, a trusted public servant, pilfered thousands of postal money orders from the Postal Service and had in her possession Department of Labor unemployment benefit cards, giving her and her co-conspirator access to more than $3 million in cash,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “This Office will vigorously prosecute government employees who exploit their positions for personal gain and abuse the public trust.” Ms. Kasulis expressed her gratitude to the investigators of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the USPS-OIG and NYPD for their outstanding work on the case.
“The Special Agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General help to maintain the integrity of the Postal Service and its personnel. When a Postal Service employee breaks the trust of the American public and participates in schemes to defraud the government, our Agents will work tirelessly to help bring those responsible to justice. We’d like to thank the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, New York Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s office for our strong relationships and their dedication to supporting our mission,” stated USPS-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Modafferi.
As set forth in court filings, in February 2021, 10,000 blank postal money orders were reported missing from the Utica Avenue Post Office in Brooklyn. The postal money orders can be deposited with a financial institution for up to $1,000 each. On July 9, 2021, agents executed search warrants and recovered over 3,000 of the stolen postal money orders from Wallace’s residence and approximately 300 from Cook’s residence. At least $1.4 million worth of the stolen postal money orders had been cashed. Agents also recovered prepaid Department of Labor unemployment benefit cards and over $42,000 in cash from both apartments. Additionally, Wallace was in possession of approximately 42 pieces of mail from the Department of Labor that were not in her name. Cook posted photos of stolen postal money orders on the social media app Telegram with the caption “let’s eat,” referring to getting paid for the postal money orders. Cook is not a USPS employee.
The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The investigation is ongoing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Alessi is in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Assistant United States Attorneys Garen Marshall and Dylan Stern.
The Defendants:
JALEESA WALLACE
Age: 30
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-MJ-808
WILLIE COOK
Age: 34
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-MJ-802
U.S. Attorney Files and Simultaneously Settles Lawsuit Against Jujamcyn Theaters LLC to Improve Accessibility at Five of Broadway’s Most Historic TheatersRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the filing and settlement of a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC, the owners and operators of five of Broadway’s most historic theaters, the AL HIRSCHFELD, the AUGUST WILSON, the EUGENE O’NEILL, the ST. JAMES, and the WALTER KERR, involving violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (the “ADA”). The settlement, in the form of a consent decree, was entered yesterday by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres.
U.S. Attorney Strauss said: “As New York City begins to reopen and welcome the world once again, we are pleased that Jujamcyn Theaters has worked collaboratively with the Office to improve accessibility at its historic venues, so that all patrons are able to enjoy Broadway. As a result of this suit and settlement, coupled with similar lawsuits filed by the Office against the Shubert Theaters in 2003, and the Nederlander Theaters in 2014, all three of the major Broadway theater organizations have committed to making their venues significantly more accessible to people with disabilities.”
According to the Complaint and Consent Decree filed in Manhattan federal court:
In the course of an investigation and negotiation over several years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office identified numerous ADA violations at each of the five theaters operated by JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC, all of which were opened in the 1920s. The ADA generally requires that, for facilities constructed prior to the effective date of the ADA in 1993, barriers to accessibility be removed where it is readily achievable to do so. Throughout the Government’s investigation and the negotiation of the Consent Decree, JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC agreed to remove hundreds of barriers to accessibility.
Under the Consent Decree, JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC agrees to continue its efforts to improve accessibility at its theaters, as the schedules of shows at the theaters permit. Specifically, JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC has agreed to do the following:
- provide a total of 44 wheelchair accessible seating locations, and direct its ticket vendors to accord priority to persons with disabilities in selling those seating locations;
- provide a total of 54 aisle transfer seating locations for persons who are able to transfer from a wheelchair into a seat, and direct its ticket vendors to accord priority to persons with disabilities in selling those seating locations; and
- eliminate approximately 200 individual barriers to accessibility in theater restrooms, concession counters, waiting areas, and box offices.
In addition, JUJAMCYN THEATERS LLC will pay a $40,000 civil penalty to the United States.
Since President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has played a significant role in bringing numerous New York City institutions into compliance with the ADA and its regulations. The Office’s enforcement efforts include, among many others, Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Shubert Theaters, the Nederlander Theaters, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the Apollo Theater, the Puck Building, the Rainbow Room, and The Vessel at Hudson Yards.
To file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation within the Southern District of New York is not accessible to persons with disabilities, use the Civil Rights Complaint Form available on the United States Attorney’s Office’s website, www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys. Complaints should be sent to: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
86 Chambers Street, 3rd Floor
New York, New York, 10007
Attention: Chief, Civil Rights Unit
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Kennedy is charge of the case.
- provide a total of 44 wheelchair accessible seating locations, and direct its ticket vendors to accord priority to persons with disabilities in selling those seating locations;
U.S. Air Force Servicemember Sentenced for Distributing Drugs and Trafficking FirearmsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force assigned to Nellis Air Force Base was sentenced today to 32 months in prison for selling a large quantity of methamphetamine and for trafficking firearms (including an AK-47 rifle) without a Federal Firearms License.
In April 2021, Michael Reimers, 41, of Las Vegas, had pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson sentenced Reimers to three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, from about July 11, 2019 to about September 4, 2019, Reimers — who is not a licensed firearms dealer — sold an AK-47, a .26 caliber handgun, and a 12 gauge shotgun to various buyers. In addition, he sold large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine to the same buyers.
Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel Neill for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement.
This case was investigated by the DEA, along with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaheen Torgoley prosecuted the case.
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Two Remaining Defendants of $1.3 Billion Investment Fraud (Ponzi) Scheme – One of the Largest Ever Charged in South Florida – Plead Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – On July 12, 2021, Los Angeles County, California natives, Dane Roseman, 38, and Ivan Acevedo, 44, pled guilty to participating in a massive investment fraud scheme, in which more than 7,000 victims suffered financial losses, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Co-defendant Robert Shapiro, the former owner, president, and CEO of Woodbridge Group of Companies LLC (“Woodbridge”) was previously sentenced to the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for his leadership role in the fraud scheme and his separate income tax fraud.
According to the indictment, superseding information, and court documents, Shapiro spearheaded and concealed an enormous Ponzi scheme through his business, Woodbridge. Woodbridge employed approximately 130 people and had offices located throughout the United States, including in Boca Raton, Florida; Sherman Oaks, California; Colorado; Tennessee; and Connecticut. The scheme ran from at least July 2012 to December 2017, when Woodbridge filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and defaulted on its obligations to investors.
Throughout the conspiracy, Woodbridge’s main business model was to solicit money from investors and, in exchange, issue investors promissory notes reflecting purported loans to Woodbridge that paid high monthly interest rates. Woodbridge falsely claimed that these investments were tied to real property owned by third parties and that the third parties would be making the interest payments to Woodbridge and its investors; it was portrayed as an investment in a hard-money lending business.
Roseman started working for Woodbridge as a sales agent in or around August 2012. Between 2015 and 2017 he served as the sales manager of Woodbridge. Acevedo started working for Woodbridge as a sales agent in or around 2009, and in 2013 to December 2014 he served as the sales manager of Woodbridge. As sales managers, these defendants sold Woodbridge securities and trained and supervised Woodbridge internal sales agents who sold Woodbridge securities. Using high-pressure sales tactics, Shapiro, Roseman, Acevedo, and others marketed and promoted these investments as low-risk, safe, simple, and conservative. And at minimum, investors were made to believe that Woodbridge’s real estate dealings would generate the funds used to pay the return on their investments.
The Woodbridge sales operation controlled by Shapiro, managed by Acevedo then Roseman, functioned as a “phone room” and featured high-pressure sales tactics, deception, and manipulation. Woodbridge promoted investments through telephone and in-person conversations, e-mails and website displays. The scheme also involved misrepresentations to financial planners who helped Woodbridge to sell investments to potential investors.
Despite Woodbridge’s claims that these investments would be backed by properties owned by third parties, in fact, to the extent that the properties existed, they were secretly owned by Shapiro. Unbeknownst to investors, Shapiro created and controlled a network of more than 270 limited liability companies, which he used to acquire and sell the properties pitched to investors.
Shapiro, Roseman, and Acevedo falsely claimed that Woodbridge was profitable and advertised high rates of return to investors. However, Shapiro’s real estate portfolio failed to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy the loan obligations and interest payments owed to investors. To make up for the cash deficiency, Shapiro resorted to making Ponzi payments, i.e., hundreds of millions of dollars invested by new investors were used to pay “returns” to older, existing Woodbridge investors. In some instances, Shapiro made these fraudulent “interest” payments even when the advertised investment properties were never acquired.
As its sole owner and chief operator, Shapiro compartmentalized Woodbridge operations to restrict access to information concerning Woodbridge’s finances. Neither Roseman nor Acevedo had access to or knowledge of Woodbridge’s finances and were unaware that Shapiro was using new investor money to pay prior investors. Thus, neither Roseman nor Acevedo had direct knowledge that Shapiro was operating a Ponzi scheme by using new Woodbridge investor money to pay prior investors.
In total, Shapiro and his co-conspirators convinced more than approximately 9,000 investors to invest more than $1.29 billion to Woodbridge. According to the Superseding Information and Superseding Indictment, at least 2,600 of these investor victims invested their retirement savings, totaling approximately $400 million. Of that, Shapiro misappropriated approximately $25 million to $95 million in investor money for himself and for the benefit of his immediate family members. Roseman received approximately $2.5 million in Woodbridge money and Acevedo received approximately $1.1 million. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed parallel civil enforcement actions against Woodbridge, Shapiro, his wife, and Acevedo and Roseman related to the fraud.
Roseman is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, at 1:00 p.m. and Acevedo is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, at 1:30 p.m., by U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga, who sits in Miami.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Tyler R. Hatcher, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), made the announcement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, IRS-CI and OFR in this matter. He thanked the SEC Miami Regional Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling the asset forfeiture component of the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 19-cr-20178.
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