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Tuesday 27 April 2021
Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug ChargeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston woman pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge.
According to court documents, on November 24, 2020, Erica Ratliff, 36, met her drug source of supply at the Family Dollar store on Bigley Avenue and purchased three ounces of methamphetamine. After Ratliff left the parking lot of the Family Dollar store, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle. The officers recovered the methamphetamine that Ratliff had just purchased as well as other controlled substances she had on her person. Ratliff admitted that she intended to distribute the methamphetamine.
Ratliff pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced on July 21, 2021. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is prosecuting the cases.
This case is part of a long-term investigation, dubbed the “Woo Boyz,” which resulted in federal charges against 15 individuals and was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police. The Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) provided critical support to the investigative agencies.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00033.
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Cape Coral Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Distributing FentanylRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge John L. Badalamenti today sentenced Montonio Moore, aka “Trigga Slim” (40, Cape Coral), to 10 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. Moore was sentenced to an enhanced term of imprisonment because of his prior serious drug offense convictions. He had pleaded guilty on January 27, 2021.
According to court documents, Moore sold more than $5,000 in fentanyl to the Drug Enforcement Administration during two undercover transactions in June 2020.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cape Coral Police Department, and the Fort Myers Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.
Cameroonian Citizen Extradited from Romania to Face Covid-19-Related Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
A citizen of Cameroon was extradited to the U.S. yesterday to face federal charges for his alleged involvement in a fraud scheme perpetrated against American consumers.
Desmond Fodje Bobga, 28, made his initial appearance in federal district court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today. He was extradited from Romania. Bobga is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, forging a seal of the U.S. Supreme Court, and aggravated identity theft.
According to the charges, from around June 2018 to around June 2020, Bobga knowingly conspired with others to offer puppies and other animals for sale on internet websites. He and others communicated by text message and email with potential victims to induce purchases. Following each purchase, Bobga and co-conspirators claimed that a transportation company would deliver the puppy or other animal and provided a false tracking number for the pet. Bobga and his co-conspirators, acting as the transportation company, then claimed the pet transport was delayed and that the victim needed to pay additional money for delivery of the pet.
Bobga and co-conspirators told some victims that they needed to pay more money for delivery because the pet had been exposed to the coronavirus. The perpetrators used false promises and bogus documents regarding shipping fees and coronavirus exposure to extract successive payments from victims. Among the fake documents were a “Refundable Crate and Vaccine Guarantee Document” that purported to have been issued by the “Supreme Court of the United States of America” and bore the seal of the Court, along with the signature of a Clerk of the Court. After Bobga and the co-conspirators received money directly and indirectly through wire communications from the victims, they never delivered the pets.
“The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting fraud schemes that take advantage of American consumers, including schemes that seek to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department's Civil Division. “We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania and to the FBI for their partnership on this matter, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of Romanian law enforcement.”
“From across the globe, Desmond Fodje Bobga and his co-conspirators callously exploited consumers who were seeking the companionship of a pet to alleviate the isolation and stress caused by the COVID pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Today he stands before the court in Pittsburgh to face justice.”
“Mr. Bobga created false websites to advertise puppies or other animals, communicated with customers in the U.S., obtained payment and then provided nothing in return,” said FBI Pittsburgh Acting Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples. “His extradition to Western Pennsylvania to face these accusations sends a message to others looking to exploit victims in the U.S. that the FBI will stop at nothing to find you and put a stop to these scams.”
The criminal charges detail the alleged dealings of Bobga and his co-conspirators with victims in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere. For example:
- One victim, of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, was seeking to purchase a mini-dachshund for her mother in mid-March of 2020. Victim 1 was induced to lose $9,100 due to false claims that the puppy was being shipped, needed insurance, and was exposed to COVID-19;
- Another victim, of Fruitland, Iowa, was seeking to purchase a mini-dachshund for herself in mid-March of 2020. False claims induced Victim 2 to lose $1,840; and
- A couple in Dallas, Texas, who were seeking to purchase a dog and lost $1,800, were induced to make successive payments based on claims about transportation issues and other matters.
The criminal charges include a reference to a website, lovelyhappypuppy.com, to which Bobga allegedly directed numerous victims to view puppies that he fraudulently claimed to sell:
The wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud charges provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Forging of seal provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two years in prison. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ira M. Karoll of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Wei Xiang of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance. Law enforcement authorities in Romania, including the Romanian National Police, Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the Cluj Brigade for Combating Organized Crime, provided significant cooperation.
If you believe you are a victim in this case and would like to opt-in to receive notifications or if you have any questions about your rights, please contact the Victim Witness Coordinator at 412-894-7400 or through our website (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/webform/contact-victim-witness-coordinator).
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
California Man Charged with Trafficking More Than Four Kilos of FentanylRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man was charged in federal court today with transporting more than four kilograms of fentanyl from Los Angeles, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, aboard a bus that stopped at a Kansas City, Missouri station.
Miguel Angel Duran, 28, was charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo.
Today’s federal criminal complaint alleges that Duran was in possession of fentanyl on Monday, April 26.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a Kansas City, Mo., police detective working as a drug canine handler was conducting sniffs of the luggage on a bus that originated in Los Angeles and stopped at a Kansas City bus station. The canine alerted to the odor of illegal drugs in a pink suitcase and a grey suitcase. Both suitcases had tags on them that did not have a name placed on them. The destination on the tags both indicated they were traveling to Philadelphia. Both tags appeared to be written by the same person.
As passengers lined up to begin reboarding the bus, officers noticed Duran and an unidentified woman (who has not been charged) leave the terminal and walk toward a nearby taxi. Officers contacted them and asked whether they had any additional baggage. Duran indicated the same pink and grey suitcases, which officers searched.
A detective discovered a total of six bundles in the two suitcases, and Duran was placed under arrest. Four of the bundles contained a total of 4,693.07 grams of fentanyl. Tests on two of the bundles, which weighed a total of 2,159.97 grams, were inconclusive. Officers found a baggie in Duran’s pocket that contained 1.88 grams of cocaine.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the DEA and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department in the Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics (MoWin) Task Force.
A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Butler, PA Man Indicted for Violating Federal Drug and Gun LawsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotic and firearm laws, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
The three-count Indictment named Darnell Wynn, age 41, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about February 15, 2021, Wynn possessed with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, 10 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, and tramadol, as well as a quantity of a mixture and substance containing detectable amounts of heroin and fentanyl. The Indictment further charged Wynn with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Finally, the Indictment charged Wynn with possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The law provides for a term of imprisonment of life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $8,000,0000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Butler City 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.
Augusta Resident Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Abusing Columbus Minors He Met OnlineRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ga. – An Augusta, Georgia, man was sentenced to serve 210 months in federal prison today, after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of two Columbus minors he befriended on the social media app Snapchat, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Todd Matthew Jones, 28, of Augusta, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clay Land to serve 210 months on each count concurrent to be followed by ten years of supervised release . In addition, Jones will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Jones previously pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Our office shares a relentless commitment with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to locate and apprehend all individuals who exploit and abuse children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Peter Leary. “Thanks to the efforts of the Columbus Police Department and FBI, this child predator will no longer be able to abuse young people he targets online.”
"The families of the minor victims and the victims themselves in this case could never find justice in any sentence Jones could have received," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is another example of how easy it is for young people to become victims by using social media apps. We hope that others can learn from this case and we will continue to pursue any predators who commit such heinous crimes."
According to court documents, Jones met a 13-year-old middle school male, “John Doe,” on the social media app Snapchat. Jones proceeded to send the victim sexually explicit photos of himself and encouraged John Doe to do the same, which he did. Following a series of additional Snapchat conversations, the defendant traveled to Columbus to meet John Doe and sexually abused him. John Doe’s mother discovered the relationship and Jones was taken into custody on December 1, 2018. During the investigation, agents found a second victim, a 16-year-old female minor, “Jane Doe,” who said she met the defendant on Snapchat. Jane Doe told investigators she engaged in sexual activities with the defendant on five occasions. The female victim was encouraged to, and did, send sexually explicit photos of herself to the defendant. Investigators found sexually explicit videos of Jane Doe on the defendant’s cell phone as well as child pornography.
The case was investigated by the Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals prosecuted the case for the Government.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Amherst Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Exotic African CatsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, NY – An Amherst, NY man pleaded guilty today to violating the Lacey Act and the U.S. Animal Welfare Act based on his trafficking of African wild cats in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, Christopher Casacci, 38, of Amherst, was doing business as “ExoticCubs.com,” through which he advertised, imported, and sold exotic African cats. Between February and June of 2018, Casacci imported and sold dozens of caracals (Caracal caracal) and servals (Leptailurus serval), for $7,500 to $10,000 each. According to filings, Casacci claimed that he was a big cat rescue organization in an attempt to avoid prohibitions against possessing and selling wild animals. Casacci also falsified transport documents to hide the true species of the cats, instead calling the animals domestic crossbreeds, such as bengal cats or savannah cats.
Caracals, also known as the “desert lynx,” are wild cats native to Africa, and typically grow to approximately 45 pounds. Servals, also wild cats native to Africa, grow to approximately 40 pounds. All of the animals were sold while still kittens, and despite their size and wild nature, Casacci marketed them “house pets.” Both species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and their commercial possession and sale is restricted under New York state law.
People and businesses dealing in animals are required to comply with humane care standards under the Animal Welfare Act. Casacci failed to do so and failed to secure the necessary license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Casacci was charged with violating the Animal Welfare Act for selling animals without a license showing minimum compliance with humane treatment standards.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. for the Western District of New York made the announcement.
Casacci was previously indicted for his actions in January of 2020. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ryan Noel, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Patrick Duggan of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.
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American Contractor Sentenced for Theft of Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in AfghanistanRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An American military contractor was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“This defendant exploited her position of trust as a security supervisor by facilitating the theft and movement of government equipment from a U.S. military base in Afghanistan into the hands of unknown and unvetted individuals,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The defendant, along with her co-conspirators, helped orchestrate and execute the scheme to circumvent the military base’s security protocols for their own financial gain. We will continue to hold accountable those who compromise the safety of the courageous women and men protecting us overseas.”
According to court documents, Varita V. Quincy, 35, of Snellville, Georgia, admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, she and others conspired to steal property from the Kandahar military installation, including generators, a truck, and other items worth over $150,000. Larry Green, one of Quincy’s co-conspirators, negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who in turn facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons in Kandahar.
Quincy further admitted that, to effectuate the theft of the generators and other property, she used her position as a security badging and escort pass supervisor to create, or cause to be made, false official documents. The false documents facilitated both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles onto the military installation and effectuated the removal of the stolen property from the installation. The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation. Leading up to today’s hearing, Quincy engaged in additional fraudulent conduct by submitting altered documents to the Court in aid of sentencing.
Quincy pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2020 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States, and one count of making false statements. As part of her sentencing today, Quincy also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $179,708.
Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements. Green was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2020 to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $179,708 in restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, 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 Nos. 2:20-cr-55 and 2:20-cr-46.
American Contractor Sentenced for Theft of Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in AfghanistanRead the Press Release
An American military contractor was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Varita V. Quincy, 35, of Snellville, Georgia pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States and one count of making false statements. According to court documents, Quincy admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, she and others conspired to and did steal property of value to the United States including generators, a truck, and other items worth over $150,000. Larry Green, one of her co-conspirators, negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who in turn facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons in Kandahar.
Quincy further admitted that, to effectuate the theft of the generators, she used her position as a security badging and escort pass supervisor to create or cause to be made false official documents. The false official documents facilitated both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles on to the military installation and effectuated the removal of the stolen property from the installation. The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation.
Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements, and was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2020, to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $179,708 in restitution.
Quincy also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $179,708. Further, Quincy’s sentence reflected her fraudulent post-trial conduct of submitting altered documents to the court on her behalf in advance of sentencing.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; and Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Monday 26 April 2021
“Project Python” Mexican national convicted of meth smugglingRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 47-year-old resident of Guanajuato, Mexico, has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
From August 2015 to March 2018, Jose Domingo Ibarra Martinez and other co-conspirators imported large quantities of meth through the ports of entry in Laredo to be distributed through the United States.
Ibarra admitted to smuggling over 150 vehicle batteries and other drug-laden items into the country during the course of the conspiracy. The investigation revealed the batteries originated from Michoacán, Mexico. Each was loaded with approximately 7.5 kilograms of meth.
During the plea. Ibarra admitted the organization as a whole imported more than 1,000 drug-laden items.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Ibarra faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the Organized Crime and Drug Task (OCDETF) operation known as Gelo Podre with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department and sheriff’s offices in Victoria and Williamson Counties. It is part of Project Python, a nationwide operation announced in March 2020. The operation targeted the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación and has resulted in more than 600 arrests, 350 indictments and significant seizures of money and drugs across the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Evans is prosecuting the case.
Wyoming Man Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rock Springs, Wyoming, man convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft was sentenced on April 15, 2021, by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge.
Gregory Harrison, age 49, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on the Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud charge. Harrison was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release on both of the Aggravated Identity Theft charges. The custody sentences will be served consecutively to each other for a total of just under 8 years. Harrison was also ordered to pay $100 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge. In addition, Harrison was ordered to pay $11,913.19 in restitution.
Harrison was indicted on January 22, 2020. The conviction stems from Harrison conspiring with others to fraudulently obtain cash, goods, and services through the use of aggravated identity theft and bank fraud. Harrison used identifying information pertaining to real individuals to create fraudulent checks. Harrison and his codefendants cashed fraudulent checks for cash, goods, and services in western South Dakota in 2018 and 2019.
This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
Harrison was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Whitehall Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Shane Smith, age 24, of Whitehall, New York, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing two short-barrel rifles, and to unlawfully possessing hundreds of rounds of ammunition as a felon.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
Smith was convicted in 2016 of unlawfully possessing a machine gun, a federal offense.
Smith was released from prison on April 11, 2018, and began serving a 3-year term of supervised release. On December 15, 2020, United States Probation Officers searched his Whitehall residence. In pleading guilty, Smith admitted that the search uncovered two rifles whose barrels were each less than 16 inches in length, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino is scheduled to sentence Smith on August 27, 2021. For the firearms conviction, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison; a fine of up to $10,000; and up to 3 years of supervised release. For the unlawful possession of ammunition conviction, Smith faces up to 10 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; and up to 3 years of supervised release. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the United States Probation Office, FBI, and ATF, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Belliss.
United States Reaches $950,000 Settlement Arising Out of the 2016 “Old Fire” in Stanislaus National ForestRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Mariposa County resident John “Jack” Welch has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a claim by the United States against him for damages resulting from a 2016 wildfire that burned nearly 100 acres of National Forest land, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today.
According to the settlement, federal investigators concluded that Welch ignited the fire, known as the “Old Fire,” on Sept. 13, 2016, while using an excessively worn chainsaw on his property in a high fire hazard area located off Old Yosemite Road in Mariposa County. It was a windy day and the fire spread quickly, burning approximately 100 acres, including 95 acres of land within the Stanislaus National Forest.
The USDA Forest Service spent nearly $1.3 million to extinguish the Old Fire, including the use of substantial air assets to prevent the fire’s spread to neighboring properties and the surrounding National Forest lands.
“Over the past several years, the people of the Eastern District have endured more than their fair share of wildfires.” said Acting U.S. Attorney Talbert. “This Office has been, and continues to be, focused on holding those individuals and corporations who negligently start these fires accountable. We will continue to pursue individuals and corporations, large and small, to recover the fire suppression costs and environmental damages caused by their negligent acts.”
“Our region is thankful that this settlement was reached between all parties to help restore damage to the landscape in Stanislaus National Forest,” said Regional Forester Randy Moore, USDA Forest Service Region 5. “Furthermore, these recovered costs help fund continued firefighting resources to help keep our forest communities safe.”
The settlement is not an admission of any negligence, wrongful conduct or liability.
Since 2012, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California has secured settlements in more than 30 different cases involving wildfire damage to federal lands, with total settlements valued at more than $300 million.
The investigation was conducted with the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey D. Wilson handled the case.
Union County Man Indicted for Tax Evasion and Failing to File Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man made his initial court appearance today on charges of tax evasion and failing to file tax returns, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig and Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division announced.
Jonathan Dean Michael, 52, of Springfield, New Jersey, was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 29, 2021, on one count of tax evasion, from 2014 through 2018, and five counts of failing to file tax returns during the same period. He appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre M. Espinosa. He will be arraigned before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez at a date to be determined.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Michael was employed as a mechanic by a port-operating company in New Jersey. From 2014 through 2018, Michael’s gross income from all sources was over $1.6 million, including over $1.4 million that was paid to him by the port-operating company. In February 2014, Michael submitted a Form W-4, “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate,” to his employer in which he falsely claimed to be completely exempt from federal income tax withholding. In November 2016, after the IRS instructed the port-operating company to begin withholding income taxes from Michael, Michael wrote the company and claimed that his false W-4 was correct. Despite earning gross income in each year in excess of the threshold that would require him to file individual income tax returns, Michael failed to file such tax returns with the IRS for the years 2014 through 2018.
The maximum penalty for the count of tax evasion is five years of imprisonment; the maximum penalty for failure to file tax returns is one year per count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig and Acting Assistant Attorney General Hubbert credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Feldman Nikic of the Cybercrime Unit in Newark and by Trial Attorney Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Tax Division in Washington, D.C.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Two Men Charged with Laundering Money from Multiple Internet Romance ScamsRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Kinston Osagie appeared today in United States District Court to face a federal indictment charging him and Roland Ighiwiyisi, also known as Roland Osagie, with conspiring to commit money laundering and charging him alone in four additional counts of laundering money from women duped in online romance scams, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge James E. Anderson, Jr.
Osagie, 53, based in Los Angeles, and Ighiwiyisi, 40, based in Nigeria, are alleged in the indictment to have conspired to launder proceeds obtained from victims of wire fraud. According to the indictment, Osagie opened at least 18 different U.S. bank accounts between January 2015 and August 2020 which received approximately $6 million in cash, check, and wire deposits. Of that amount, the indictment alleges $3 million dollars is traceable primarily to victims of romance fraud.
The indictment describes romance scams as online schemes that target susceptible individuals looking for romantic partners on dating and social websites such as Tinder and Match.com. Scam artists create profiles using intriguing names, photos, personas, and locations to draw their online victims into romantic relationships. Victims become convinced they are engaged in true romance – though the fake romantic partners offer myriad excuses why they cannot meet face to face – and eventually the victims are persuaded to send money or gifts to their fake partners, which is appropriated by the scam artists.
Osagie and Ighiwiyisi are both charged in one count of the indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering from March 2019 to April 2020, a time period in which Osagie transferred fraud victims’ money to accounts owned or controlled by Ighiwiyisi. Osagie is also charged in the indictment with four additional counts of specific acts of laundering money from romance scam victims. Of these four counts, three charge Osagie with laundering a total of $267,000 obtained from one woman who sent money to help a fake male persona named “Merry Mattias” she had met through Match.com. The fourth count charges Osagie with laundering $20,300 sent by another woman to a different fake persona she met through the online platform Words with Friends.
According to the indictment, Ighiwiyisi is owner and director of a company incorporated in Nigeria, banks at a Nigeria-incorporated bank, and is living or has resided in Nigeria. Osagie and Ighiwiyisi, according to the indictment, discussed their common mother who lived in Nigeria.
Kinston Osagie and Roland Ighiwiyisi, aka Roland Osagie, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). Kinston Osagie is charged additionally with four counts of money laundering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, as well as three years of supervised release once imprisonment ends. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Osagie was arraigned on the indictment’s charges today before United States Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in United District Court in San Francisco today. Osagie was released on a $100,000 bond. His next appearance is scheduled for July 23, 2021, at 11 a.m., before the Honorable Susan Illston, U.S. District Court Judge.
Mohit Gourisaria is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nalini Rae Viavant, Mimi Lam, and Marina Ponomarchuk. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
St. Francis Man Indicted on Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon.
Koty Arcoren, age 29, was indicted on April 13, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on March 7, 2021, in St. Francis, Arcoren assaulted an individual with a knife with intent to do bodily harm.
The charge is merely an accusation and Arcoren is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Arcoren was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
St. Francis Man Indicted for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender and Child AbuseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender and Child Abuse.
Jeremy Iron, a/k/a Jeremy Red Tomahawk, age 36, was indicted on March 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on September 9, 2020, and October 27, 2020, in Todd County, South Dakota, Iron unlawfully committed a domestic assault and, at the time of the domestic assault, Iron had at least two prior convictions for offenses that would have been, if subject to federal jurisdiction, an assault against a spouse, intimate partner, or a child of or in the care of Iron. The Indictment further alleges that at the same time and place, Iron did abuse, expose, torture, torment, and cruelly punish two different children who had not attained the age of eighteen.
The charges are merely accusations and Iron is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Iron was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
South Yarmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Heroin OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A South Yarmouth man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to fentanyl and heroin offenses.
Dustin Monick, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 100 grams or more of heroin and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2021. Monick was charged by criminal complaint in August 2020.
In December 2019, Monick was stopped by police in Yarmouth for multiple traffic violations. After speaking briefly with police, Monick fled the scene in his vehicle, but was stopped shortly thereafter. Police observed a backpack in Monick’s vehicle during the stop, which was later found along the road and contained over 600 grams of heroin and fentanyl. During his arrest, two keys were found on Monick’s person. One key opened a storage locker used by Monick and the other opened a safe, which contained over two kilos of fentanyl and $100,068 cash.
The charging statute provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, a least four years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. The government is also seeking forfeiture of the cash found in the storage locker. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini of Mendell’s Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
South Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Basil Bey, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, and six years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for conspiring to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, and distributing heroin and crack cocaine, including near a playground.
Bey’s sentence comes after a jury returned guilty verdicts in December 2017 against Bey and three of his co-conspirators, all from Philadelphia, who have already been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy: Reginald White, 34, was sentenced to 17.5 years, Tyrik Upchurch, 33, was sentenced to 18 years and seven months; and Amin Wadley, 29, was sentenced to 15.5 years. Six other defendants, also all from Philadelphia, previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced by Judge McHugh for their roles in the conspiracy: Sidney Cornish, 31; Dassan Cornish, 29; Jerome Lyles, 36; Rhasul Lucas, 32; Jihad Thorne, 24; and Quaadir Crawford, 32.
As presented at trial, from at least April 2015 through December 2016, Bey was the leader of a narcotics trafficking organization that sold heroin (including fentanyl-laced heroin) and crack cocaine nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to buyers in South Philadelphia. The group, which included White, Upchurch, Wadley, Sidney and Dassan Cornish, Lyles, Lucas, Thorne, and Crawford as members, sold and delivered narcotics in shifts in order to serve customers day and night. Bey, Upchurch, and Wadley also maintained residences around Philadelphia in order to store and package the narcotics for distribution. Due to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement in this case, approximately thirty-five controlled purchases of heroin and/or crack were made from this drug group—all captured on video. Law enforcement also lawfully obtained a wiretap that captured some of the group’s cell phone activity.
“Drug trafficking is an insidious activity that destroys and demoralizes neighborhoods,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Williams. “Basil Bey was an expert at it, a career criminal committed to living a life of crime, and now he will pay the price by spending decades in prison. This is the just punishment that awaits drug dealers facing federal charges.”
“The FBI is committed to keeping communities safe from predators like Basil Bey and the members of his drug trafficking organization,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Bey’s actions and that of his co-conspirators are particularly heinous given that they trafficked in dangerous narcotics made even more lethal as they were laced with fentanyl. Today’s sentence sends the message to drug organizations and gang members that if you traffick in illegal drugs, we, along with our law enforcement partners, will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Philadelphia Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Bologna and Kevin Jayne.
Shannon Kepler Found Guilty of Using a Firearm in the Commission of Second Degree Murder and of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
After six hours of deliberation, a federal jury found Shannon Kepler guilty of murdering 19-year-old Jeremey Lake and for firing at Lake’s younger brother on August 5, 2014. At the time of the murder, Kepler was a 24-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department.
Shannon Kepler, 60, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals moments after the verdict. He will be sentenced on Aug. 11, 2021.
“Today, Shannon Kepler was found guilty of using and discharging a firearm in the second degree murder of Jeremey Lake and for assaulting Lake’s brother with a firearm in Indian Country after his previous state conviction was dismissed as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision. I am thankful for today’s verdict, and the jury is to be commended for their service,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I’m extremely proud of the FBI and Tulsa Police Department as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Lenhardt and Sean Taylor for their tireless preparation and successful prosecution of Mr. Kepler in federal court.”
Jury selection occurred on Monday, April 19, before U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell, followed by opening statements and testimony starting April 20. In his opening, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Lenhardt set the scene. Shannon Kepler and his wife were having a difficult time with their adopted daughter, Lisa. The behavior continued, and the Keplers eventually dropped her off at a homeless shelter shortly after she turned 18. Kepler provided her with no clothing—other than what she was wearing, no money, no cell phone, and no credit cards.
Days after dropping her off, Kepler logged into Lisa’s Facebook page and saw she was suddenly “in a relationship” with Jeremey Lake. Kepler’s attorney stated that Kepler was “alarmed” with what he saw on Lake’s Facebook page, and, while still at work, Kepler requested a records clerk to run a search on Lake’s history. Kepler learned that Lake was the victim of child abuse at a very young age and was previously charged as a juvenile after pushing a social services worker. Those charges did not result in a conviction.
Kepler then copied down Lake’s last known address—202 North Maybelle Avenue—on the printed arrest and booking sheet involving Lake. Later, Kepler changed clothes, waited until dark, retrieved his .357 magnum revolver, and drove his wife’s dark SUV to the home where Lake was staying. Kepler testified that he knew the revolver would not leave shell casings at the scene. Kepler arrived at approximately 9 pm and saw his daughter and Lake walking together. He tried to talk to his daughter, but she rebuffed him and started walking toward the home. As Lake stood in the street, Kepler pulled his revolver and shot Jeremey Lake twice, quickly causing his death. Kepler then turned and fired at least three more rounds in the direction of the witnesses—Lake’s friend Josh Mills, Lake’s 13-year-old brother Michael Hamilton, and Kepler’s own daughter, Lisa. Hamilton was sitting on the home’s front porch at the time and was slightly injured during the shooting. Kepler then fled the scene, testifying that he knew his fellow Tulsa police officers would be hunting for him, his vehicle, and his weapon. He abandoned the SUV at a former Motel 6 just off the Broken Arrow Expressway and eventually turned himself in. Approximately 14 hours after the shooting, his former attorney brought the still-loaded murder weapon into the Tulsa Police Station in a zip lock bag.
When testifying, Kepler claimed that, although no gun was ever found at the scene, he shot Lake in self-defense after Lake “got the jump on him,” pulling a shiny, semi-automatic pistol from his pants pocket. While Kepler’s attorney argued that a gun found in the Tulsa Police Department several days later “could” have been taken from the scene, expert and forensic evidence proved that the two incidents were unrelated.
The prosecution proved that Kepler had not only heard about the unrelated gun, but that he had also been provided with police reports and photographs of it before ever testifying.
In his closing statement, Lenhardt reviewed the charges and critical evidence that supported a finding of guilty on each count. The prosecution asked the jury to conclude that although Kepler alleged that he went to 202 North Maybelle to confront his daughter, he actually went there to confront Lake. The evidence proved that once there, Kepler shot Lake twice, and then began shooting at the witnesses that were present.
Kepler appealed his October 2017 state manslaughter conviction on grounds that his case should have been tried in federal court based on the McGirt v. Oklahoma U.S. Supreme Court ruling since he was a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the shooting took place on the nation’s Reservation.
The FBI and Tulsa Police Department joined forces to lead the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross E. Lenhardt and Sean J. Taylor are prosecuting the case. Mr. Lenhardt is a prosecutor from the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Taylor is a prosecutor from the Eastern District of Texas. Both volunteered to assist prosecution efforts here in the Northern District of Oklahoma due to increased jurisdictional responsibilities regarding crimes involving Native American victims or defendants and that occur within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Cherokee Nation Reservations.
Riverside Man Arrested on Federal Charge of ‘Animal Crushing’ After Allegedly Slitting His Dog’s Throat and Posting Video on SnapchatRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – Authorities this morning arrested a Riverside man on a federal charge alleging that he slit the throat of his young dog, produced a short video of the dying puppy, and posted the video on his Snapchat account.
Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, was arrested without incident this morning by the FBI and the Riverside Police Department. Ramos-Corrales is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside.
Ramos-Corrales was named in a federal criminal complaint filed Friday that charges him with animal crushing, a federal crime of purposely subjecting certain types of animals to serious bodily injury not related to hunting or other lawful activity. The animal crushing statute carries a sentence of up to seven years in federal prison.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, the Riverside Police Department received a complaint on February 13 soon after Ramos-Corrales allegedly posted a video on Snapchat depicting the small brown dog with a large laceration on its neck. On the video, a person believed to be Ramos-Corrales makes a series of statements, including “I’m cold-hearted,” and then callously kicks the still-alive dog, which he had named Canelo, the complaint alleges.
Riverside Police officers went to Ramos-Corrales’ residence, where they found him with fresh blood stains on his clothes, as well as freshly cut wounds on his hand, according to the affidavit. Inside his house, officers found the severely injured dog lying on a bed and observed blood spatters in both the bedroom and bathroom.
During the investigation, the police officers located a roommate who said he locked himself in his bedroom after observing blood spatter and the dog wrapped in a rug while Ramos-Corrales was in his room yelling, the affidavit states.
Animal control officers responded to the residence on February 13 and removed the barely alive dog, according to the affidavit, which notes a veterinarian had to euthanize the animal after determining Canelo also had fractured bones in his head and chest.
During interviews with FBI agents in early March that are outlined in the affidavit, Ramos-Corrales said he purchased Canelo as a small puppy from a Craigslist posting several months earlier, and he claimed not to recall the details of what he had done to the dog.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI, which received substantial assistance from the Riverside Police Department. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office received the initial referral from the Riverside Police Department, and, after reviewing the matter and conferring with the United States Attorney’s Office, a decision was made that federal prosecutors would file the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Julius J. Nam of the Riverside Branch Office is prosecuting this case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Registered Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargeRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Charles Augrom, III, 35, of Bath, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography following a prior child pornography conviction before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime period of supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who is handling the case, stated that in July 2020, an undercover law enforcement officer was investigating individuals who use peer to peer file sharing applications to share child pornography over the internet. During the undercover session, the officer downloaded numerous pictures and videos of child pornography that traced back to an IP address belonging to the defendant. Some of the images and videos included children younger than 12 years old engaged in sexual conduct with adults, as well as depictions of violence. On December 10, 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Augrom’s William Street residence and seized electronic items that were later found to contain more than 600 images depicting child pornography. The defendant is a Level III register sex offender on the New York State Sex Offender Registry, following two prior New York State child pornography convictions.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Corning Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jul 21, 2021, before Judge Wolford.
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Puerto Rico resident admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jean Carlos Rivera Aponte, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has admitted to a drug charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Aponte, 30, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride.” Aponte admitted to having more than 61 grams of cocaine hydrochloride in March 2019 in Jefferson County.
Aponte faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Ranson Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
New Jersey Man Indicted for Tax Evasion and Not Filing Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, returned an indictment on April 1, 2021, charging a Springfield man with tax evasion and willful failure to file individual income tax returns.
According to the indictment, Jonathan Michael was a mechanic employed by a company engaged in managing the operations of a port in New Jersey. From 2014 through 2018, Michael allegedly earned over $1.6 million in income from all sources, including the port-operating company. In February 2014, as alleged in the indictment, Michael submitted an IRS Form W-4, “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate,” to the port-operating company that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income tax withholding. The indictment further alleges that Michael willfully did not file federal individual income tax returns for 2014 through 2018, despite having a legal obligation to do so.
Michael is charged with one count of tax evasion and five counts of willful failure to file tax returns. The defendant made his initial court appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the tax evasion and one year in prison for each failure to file count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig for the District of New Jersey made the announcement.
The IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Michael C. Vasiliadis of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew F. Nikic of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Monongalia County man admits to his role in a drug trafficking operationRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Andrew Benson, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Benson, 34, pled guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine Base.” Benson admitted to working with others to distribute the drugs from March 2018 to September 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.
Benson faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Related press release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/seventeen-people-charged-heroin-and-crack-cocaine-distribution-operation
Monmouth County Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Unlawfully Possessing MachinegunRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Monmouth County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawfully possessing a machinegun, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Davon Harley, 30, of Neptune City, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an indictment charging him with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a machinegun. Judge Sheridan imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed today and statements made in court:
In February 2020, a Neptune City Police officer confronted Harley, a previously convicted felon, who was arguing with others in the yard of an apartment complex. Harley fled through the apartment complex into neighboring properties and discarded a handgun that, upon inspection, had been altered to fire exclusively in fully automatic mode. The weapon had a magazine capable of holding 31 rounds of ammunition. Law enforcement officers, assisted by the Neptune Township and Asbury Park police departments, located Harley and the machinegun and magazine that Harley had discarded. The magazine contained 22 rounds of ammunition.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Sheridan sentenced Harley to three years of supervised release.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensured that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai; officers of the Neptune City Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Matthew Quagliato; officers of the Neptune Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police James M. Hunt, Jr.; officers of the Asbury Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police David Kelso; officers of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Shaun Golden; and detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Matthews of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
Mission Man Indicted on Carjacking, Robbery, and Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Carjacking, Robbery, Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, and Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Eurico Da Silva-Roubideaux, a/k/a Eurico Roubideaux, age 20, was indicted on March 9, 2021. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 23, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on February 7, 2021, in Todd County, South Dakota, Da Silva-Roubideaux assaulted an individual with a hammer with intent to do bodily harm and stole the individual’s vehicle. The Indictment further alleges that on February 8, 2021, Da Silva-Roubideaux did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with law enforcement officers who were employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and that such conduct involved the use of a vehicle operated by Da Silva-Roubideaux.
The charges are merely accusations and Da Silva-Roubideaux is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Da Silva-Roubideaux was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Member of Violent Robbery Crew Sentenced to More Than 18 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison for participating in a violent robbery crew that targeted cell phone stores in the Chicago area and downstate.
ANTONIO EDWARDS and two co-defendants engaged in a conspiracy to rob a series of cell phone stores in 2017. The crew conducted takeover-style robberies in which two or three robbers would enter a store and order employees to the back of the store at gunpoint. The robbers then loaded phones into bags and fled the store. Edwards personally participated in three of the heists – in Chicago, Waukegan, and Bradley – and he brandished a gun during the Waukegan and Bradley robberies.
Edwards, 26, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and robbery charges, and a jury convicted him after a trial on charges of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Elaine E. Bucklo on Friday imposed a prison sentence of 18 years and eight months.
The sentence 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. Valuable assistance was provided by police departments in Chicago, Waukegan, Bradley, Mount Prospect, North Aurora, Skokie, and Homewood. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron R. Bond and Kristen Totten.
Two other members of the robbery crew – ANDREW MCHANEY, 29, of Chicago, and JAMES BATES, 60, of Chicago – previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison terms of more than 14 years and more than eight years, respectively.
Married Couple Indicted for Underreporting over $1.1 Million in Taxable IncomeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A married couple made their initial appearances in federal court on Wednesday for their alleged roles — in connection with a sleep study fraud scheme — to evade payment of taxes on more than $1.1 million in income, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Christopher Chiou for the District of Nevada and Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for IRS Criminal Investigation.
According to court documents, Oganes Berberyan, 63, and Valentina Zemlyak, 63, both of Las Vegas, allegedly attempted to evade paying taxes owed to the IRS for tax years 2014 through 2016. From November 2014 to December 2015, co-defendant Armen Magzanyan (a/k/a “Arman Magzanyan” and “Arman Magz,” 43) operated GR8SLEEP.com, d/b/a Las Vegas Sleep Lab, which claimed to conduct monitored sleep studies. As part of a fraudulent scheme, Las Vegas Sleep Lab billed a health insurance company more than $5 million, claiming to have performed hundreds of sleep studies. But it did not actually provide any of those services.
The fraudulent scheme caused the health insurance company to pay more than $1.8 million to Las Vegas Sleep Lab. Berberyan, Zemlyak, and Magzanyan used the proceeds of their scheme to pay for various personal expenses, including private school tuition, luxury vehicles, and real property purchase and mortgage payments:
Berberyan and Zemlyak evaded paying federal income taxes owing and due on income from this scheme, as well as from other sources. They did so in part by having bank accounts in business names pay their personal expenses directly, including approximately $1.14 million in payments towards the purchase of real property and mortgage payments. In each of tax years 2014 through 2016, Berberyan and Zemylak had a joint taxable income greater than the amount they reported to the IRS.
Magzanyan has been charged with three counts of mail fraud, three counts of health care fraud, nine counts of monetary transactions in criminally deprived property, and two counts of attempted evasion of tax assessment.
Berberyan and Zemlyak made their initial appearances on April 21, each charged with three counts of attempted evasion of tax assessment. A jury trial has been scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on June 22, 2021. Magzanyan is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information as to Magzanyan's whereabouts is asked to please contact your local law enforcement office, the IRS Criminal Investigation by calling (702) 868-5093, or the FBI by calling 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324) or at TIPS.FBI.GOV.
If convicted: (a) Berberyan and Zemlyak each face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, $750,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, and up to three years of supervised release; and (b) Magzanyan faces a maximum sentence of 190 years in prison, a fine of $4.25 million or twice the gross gain or loss, and up to three years of supervised release.
An indictment is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
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Man from Mescalero sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for threating federal officials in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Thaddeus Ponce, 58, of Mescalero, New Mexico, an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, was sentenced in federal court on April 15 to 18 months in prison for influencing federal officials by threat.
Ponce pleaded guilty to this offense on Feb. 5, 2021. According to the plea agreement, Ponce admitted to calling the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) emergency dispatch multiple times from Aug. 10, 2019, to Oct. 7, 2019, in Otero County, New Mexico. Ponce threatened to kill federal dispatch operators and their families during numerous recorded calls. The BIA dispatch center is located on the Mescalero Reservation.
Upon his release from prison, Ponce will be subject to three years of supervised released.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.
Man Placed Skimmers on ATMs and Used the Stolen Info to Steal Cash from Victims' AccountsRead the Press Release
Erie, Pa. - An individual believed to have entered the United States illegally in March 2018 pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Janos Vaczi, 50, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from March 2018 to June 22, 2019, Vaczi and his co-conspirators installed ATM skimming equipment on numerous ATM machines throughout Northwest Pennsylvania. The skimming equipment unlawfully captured the bank account and personal identity information of numerous individuals. Vaczi and his cohorts then placed the unlawfully captured information on to other cards which they then used at various ATM machines to unlawfully obtain thousands of dollars in victim funds.
During the investigation, the FBI searched a storage locker that Vaczi had rented in the Pittsburgh area. Inside the storage locker the FBI discovered hundreds of cards that contained stolen bank account information which enabled Vaczi and his co-conspirators to use the cards at various ATM machines to steal funds from the victims’ bank accounts. Vaczi’s storage locker also contained $10,000, ATM skimming equipment and numerous fake passports and international driver’s licenses bearing Vaczi’s picture but with different names.
Shortly before the FBI apprehended Vaczi, he attempted to bury hundreds of cards containing stolen identity information near a grocery store in the Pittsburgh area. Agents noticed that the ground had been disturbed in the area where Vaczi had been standing and discovered the cards shortly thereafter.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for August 25, 2021. The law provides for a total sentence of 11 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Vaczi.
Madison Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Keefer Goodman, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on Friday, April 23, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 72 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. This prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release.
In the early morning of July 21, 2020, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash in Madison. EMS personnel believed the driver, Goodman, had overdosed. Officers found a loaded Ruger 9mm handgun on the front passenger seat. Goodman was revived after the administration of Narcan, and he admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana prior to the car accident and said he did heroin earlier that night. Officers searched Goodman’s car and found 269.3 grams of methamphetamine, 7.3 grams of cocaine, 35.6 grams of marijuana, a pouch of baggies, a scale, and two switchblade knives. They also found $1,820 in Goodman’s pocket. He was previously convicted of a felony and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. Goodman was on active state extended supervision for a drug conviction at the time of the accident.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Conley highlighted the dangerous combination of impaired driving with possessing a large quantity of drugs and a loaded gun.
The charge against Goodman was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson.
Lower Brule Man Indicted for Involuntary ManslaughterRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis Holmes announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Involuntary Manslaughter.
Eugene Skunk, age 42, was indicted on September 9, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on April 22, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to eight years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on July 26, 2020, in Lower Brule, Skunk killed another human being by operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner.
The charge is merely an accusation and Skunk is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Lower Brule. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Morley is prosecuting the case.
Skunk was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Lisbon Man Indicted for Production and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Dennis Bousquet, 31, of Lisbon, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
Bousquet was arrested on a criminal complaint on March 31, 2021. The complaint alleges that on March 30, 2021, Bousquet took sexually explicit images of a minor female and sent them to an undercover law enforcement officer through an online chat group.
Bousquet is being detained pending trial. A trial date has not yet been scheduled.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the New Hampshire State Police.
Lincoln Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearms after Domestic Violence ConvictionRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Lincoln man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing firearms after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, Acting United States Attorney Donald E. Clark announced.
According to court records, in May 2020, law enforcement officers were called to the home of Matthew Cole, 34, after a family fight complaint. While on scene, officers learned that Cole had recently possessed two firearms—a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and a shotgun. After obtaining a search warrant, officers found the shotgun in Cole’s bedroom. Officers found Cole about two miles away from his residence. He admitted that he had thrown a handgun while he was walking on the road and directed troopers to the gun on the ground. During a subsequent interview, Cole admitted that he was the handgun’s owner. He stated that he purchased the gun two or three years ago in Mattawamkeag. Cole was prohibited from possessing firearms following a 2018 conviction for Domestic Violence Assault in Penobscot County.
Cole faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Environmental CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Christopher Hall, 43, of Pikeville, Kentucky, pleaded guilty today to violating the Clean Water Act.
According to court documents, Hall managed the town of Matewan’s Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), a facility designed to collect and remove domestic sewage sludge from wastewater and then properly treat the wastewater. After the water is treated and tested, the water can be safely discharged into the Tug Fork River. The removed sludge is to be dried and then properly disposed in a landfill designated to receive dried sewage sludge. It is a requirement of the Clean Water Act that the sludge removal process and disposal must be reported every month to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to ensure proper operation of the treatment facility. As manager of the POTW, Hall was responsible for monitoring the sludge removal and accurately reporting its monthly removal to a landfill.
On August 20, 2018, Hall falsely reported in a sludge management report that five tons of sludge had been removed from the Matewan POTW, properly dried, and then disposed at a permitted landfill. In fact, no sludge had been removed from the facility. Hall admitted to submitting a total of ten false sludge management reports indicating that a total of 55 tons of sludge had been removed from the facility and disposed in the landfill from July 2017 to June 2018. Hall further admitted that he knew all ten reports were false and that no sludge was disposed of at a landfill when he submitted the false reports.
Hall pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a sludge management report and faces a maximum possible sentence of two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, one year of supervised release, and an order of restitution when he is sentenced on July 22, 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Criminal Investigations Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. EPA Attorney Perry McDaniel and Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00048.
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KC Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal FirearmsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man who distributed a video of himself holding a gun to the head of a blindfolded man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing firearms.
Sean A. Winston, 44, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to being a felon in possession of firearms.
By pleading guilty today, Winston admitted he was in possession of a Rossi .38-caliber revolver and a Springfield Armory .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun on April 10, 2018.
According to court documents, an individual contacted law enforcement on April 8, 2018, to report that Winston sent him a video, via text message, in which Winston was holding a handgun to the head of a blindfolded man. Police officers contacted family members, who said they also had received the video. The video showed an unidentified man, who was blindfolded and was sitting on a couch with his hands in the air in a surrendering posture. In the video, Winston said the blindfolded man should be dead. The blindfolded man replied with “I love you, Sean. I love you, Sean.” Winston appeared to be angry and agitated in the video.
Winston’s family members said the blindfolded man appeared to be one of Winston’s associates, who was later identified and located. The man acknowledged that he was in the video, but he did not want to cooperate with the prosecution.
On April 10, 2018, police officers arrested Winston and searched his residence, where they found both firearms.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Winston has prior federal felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Winston is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Moeder. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Judges sentences St. Louis County man for child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Harry Hamm to 68 months in prison today. The 79-year-old Chesterfield, Missouri resident pleaded guilty, in February, to two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of access with intent to view child pornography.
On April 19, 2019, officers from the St. Ann Police Department, obtained a search warrant to search Hamm’s premises and conducted the search on the same day. Police then contacted the St. Louis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A special agent obtained a federal search warrant to search the items seized by St. Ann Police from Hamm, his home and Hamm’s employer, including two iPhones, an Acer laptop computer, an iPad and a Toshiba laptop. The items were then searched by a forensic examiner.
A forensics examiner located on Hamm’s iPhones deleted web history showing the phones were used to search for and view child pornography. The examiner also found images of child pornography.
The examiner found deleted images of child pornography on Hamm’s Acer laptop, deleted web history showing searches for a viewing of child pornography on Hamm’s iPad and computer search terms consistent with child pornography on Hamm’s Toshiba laptop computer.
The special agent obtained, through Canada’s legal process, Hamm’s Shoebox account, which revealed images of child pornography. Hamm used his iPhone and the internet to access his Shoebox account between March 1, 2018 and April 18, 2019.
Altogether, Hamm possessed 57 images of child pornography. Some included prepubescent minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, sadistic or masochistic conduct or other acts of violence.
The FBI and St. Ann Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Rob Livergood is handling the case.
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Houston bounty hunter sentenced for running international sex trafficking conspiracyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 30-year-old Houston bounty hunter has been ordered to prison following his convictions of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit visa fraud and international money laundering, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Luis de Jesus Rodriguez aka Htown Hunter pleaded guilty July 8, 2020.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes sentenced Rodriguez to a total of 180 months in federal prison for leading an international sex trafficking ring. At the hearing, the court heard a statement from a victim and considered other victim letters detailing the emotional, physical and financial impact of Rodriguez’s sex trafficking scheme. He must also serve 10 years on supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender.
“This case sends a strong message to those who benefit from the exploitation of vulnerable women,” said Lowery. “To those criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking, whether international or domestic, we will combine forces with our local, state and foreign counterparts to find you, arrest you and bring you to justice.”
In 2016, Rodriguez and his international criminal network targeted, recruited and exploited young women in Colombia and the United States by making false promises of a better life. Rodriguez directed them to watch YouTube videos portraying him as a bounty hunter in order to assure the women he was affiliated with law enforcement and could be trusted.
However, once here, the women had to work at Michael’s aka Chicas Locas, a Houston strip club located at 6440 Southwest Freeway. Rodriguez and others forced the victims to sign debt bondage contracts with debts ranging from $13,200 to $25,000. They also had to make daily payments of approximately $250.
During the conspiracy, Rodriguez threatened victims and their families in Colombia, constantly monitored them, tracked their cellphones and ultimately forced them into engaging in commercial sex acts.
When a victim wanted to leave or was non-compliant, Rodriguez resorted to violent methods and claimed it was useless to try to get help due to his purported connections with law enforcement.
Rodriguez also engaged in widespread visa fraud to facilitate the international transportation of the victims. He created fictitious background and occupations to increase the likelihood that visa applications would be approved.
Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Houston Police Department and IRS-Criminal Investigation led the investigation as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) with the assistance of Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Department of Labor and its Wage and Hour Division along with police departments in Memorial Village and Los Angeles, California. The Attorney General’s Office of Colombia also provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eun Kate Suh and Sebastian Edwards are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Kate Hill from the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
HTRA law enforcement also includes members of the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security – OIG, Social Security Administration – OIG and Sheriff’s Offices in Harris and Montgomery counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties.
Established in 2004, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.
High-Ranking Grape Street Crip Gang Member Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Albert "GEE GEE" Green, 25, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison as a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Acting U.S. Attorney, Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., announced the verdict today.
According to the information presented in court, on May 30, 2019, at 5:20pm, detectives with the Multi-Agency Gang Unit were conducting surveillance in the area of East Shelby
Drive, Memphis, Tennessee, when they observed wanted suspect Albert Green aka "GEE GEE," a well-known high-ranking member of the Grape Street Crips Peda Roll Mafia Gang. Green, who was observed at a local gas station in a Silver Mercedes C320, attempted to drive away from the pump with the gas nozzle still attached to his vehicle in order to avoid arrest. Green was placed under arrest on the outstanding warrant.
A search of the vehicle revealed a Ruger 9mm caliber pistol loaded with one live round in the chamber and approximately seven live rounds in the magazine under the driver’s seat, and fifty-six (56) white pills identified as 2mg Alprazolam located in the glove compartment. The name on the prescription bottle had been deleted. Green also had $4,762.00 in cash in his left front pocket.
Green had a purple bandana tied to his jeans indicating his membership in the Grape Street Crips Gang. At the time of his arrest, Green was on state probation for sale of cocaine.
As a result of his prior felony convictions for the sale of cocaine, Green is prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On April 21, 2021, U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris sentenced Green to 97 months in federal prison to be followed by three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, the Shelby County Fugitive Apprehension Team and the Tennessee Department of Probation and Parole.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Harnett County Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – An Angier man pled guilty today to Production of Child Pornography.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Raul Ayala Jr., 72, was accused of sexual molesting a prepubescent minor. Upon the minor’s disclosure, Ayala was confronted and admitted to some of the conduct but claimed there were explanations for the behavior. Law enforcement was notified, and Fuquay-Varina Police Department began an investigation. Detectives interviewed Ayala and Ayala admitted to touching the child and performing oral sex on the child. He also admitted he had taken some nude photographs of the child, but insisted they were innocent photographs. In addition, Ayala admitted he had molested children in the 1970’s.
A search warrant was executed at Ayala’s residence in Angier and multiple digital devices were seized. In addition, in the attic law enforcement found a briefcase that contained adult pornography and child pornography. In the briefcase were Polaroid pictures of nude minor children, dating back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. On Ayala’s digital devices, law enforcement found lascivious images of the minor child who disclosed sexual abuse along with child pornography unrelated to the minor child.
Homeland Security Investigators sought to identify the minor males in the Polaroid photographs. Agents identified one of the males who affirmed he was one of the children in the Polaroids and he disclosed that Ayala had molested him, beginning when he was eight years old.
G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after the plea was entered by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. Fuquay-Varina Police Department, Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigation investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson and Charles Schmitz with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
Gulf Shores Man Sentenced to Five Years for Child Pornography OffenseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Zachary Wood, 22, of Gulf Shores, Alabama, was sentenced today in federal court on a charge of receipt of child pornography. Wood pled guilty to the charge in January of 2021.
According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency received a tip that eight files had been uploaded to Google Drive on February 1, 2018, some of which were reported to contain a visual depiction of children engaged in sex acts. Google provided specific information related to the IP address and email address associated with the account and the uploads. ALEA investigators issued a subpoena to CenturyLink to obtain the subscriber information associated with the IP address. On May 8, 2018, agents executed a search warrant at the address in Gulf Shores. Wood is a resident at that address. Wood was interviewed and admitted to transmitting the images. Agents analyzed four devices and found over 10,000 images of child pornography and child erotica.
The analysts also located numerous images involving human mutilation, including images of dismembered females posed for pictures and images of necrophilia with mutilated corpses. There were multiple series of files that focus on the mutilation of a single victim. There were multiple instances of naked females that are impaled and roasting on a spit. Wood also had authored a note on his phone where he expressed hatred and disdain for women, that he believes they should only be used as sexual objects for men, and that they should be killed once they reach age 60.
United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock imposed a sentence of 60 months imprisonment. The judge ordered that Wood be supervised by federal probation officers for the rest of his life, beginning upon his discharge from prison. Upon his release from prison, Wood will be required to undergo sex offender treatment and to register as a sex offender. Judge Beaverstock ordered that Mitchell pay $5100 in special assessments and $135,415 in restitution. Wood will be prohibited from have any contact with minors.
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 and for information about internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc
The case was investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Kacey Chappelear.
Grant County woman admits to meth chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Betty Arlene Chapman, of Cabins, West Virginia has admitted to her role in a methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution operation, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.
Chapman, 42, pled guilty today to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute at Least Five Grams of Methamphetamine - Aiding and Abetting.” Chapman admitted to working with others to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine in January 2020 in Grant County.
Chapman is facing at least five and up to 40 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $5,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The task force consists of the FBI, West Virginia State Police, Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Graduate Student Pleads Guilty to Child EnticementRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Zhijun Xia, age 30, of China, entered a plea of guilty on April 23, 2021 in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Coercion and Enticement of a Minor before United States Magistrate Judge Cheryl R. Zwart. Xia’s sentencing hearing was scheduled for July 23, 2021 at 1:30 pm in front of Chief United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment up to life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, both imprisonment and a fine, a special assessment of $5,000, and a term of supervised release of no less than 5 years up to a lifetime term of supervised release.
Between June 1, 2018 to February 28, 2020, Xia was a graduate student at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Xia is a Chinese national. Xia met Victim 1’s mother and Victim 1’s mother hired Xia to tutor Victim 1 in the Chinese language. Xia began tutoring Victim 1 in June of 2018. Xia met Victim 1 in person for the tutoring sessions and began communicating with Victim 1 over the social media application WeChat. Xia began inquiring over WeChat about Victim 1’s sexual history.
On July 10, 2018, Victim 1 attended a summer camp at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Xia messaged Victim 1 over the Internet using WeChat about his plan to visit her in Lincoln on July 11. During this conversation, Xia discussed various forms of birth control with Victim 1 in response to Victim 1 relaying her fears of becoming pregnant while in high school. Xia reserved a room at the Red Roof Inn and Suites in Lincoln for the night of July 11. Xia picked up Victim 1 from the University of Nebraska campus and took Victim 1 to the Red Roof Inn, where he subjected Victim 1 to sexual penetration. Xia was 27 years of age and Victim 1 was 15 years of age. It is a crime under Nebraska State law for someone over the age of 25 to subject someone between the ages of 12 and 16 to sexual penetration. Immediately following this incident, Xia continued to message Victim 1 on WeChat regarding the July 11 incident.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Omaha Police Department, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Police Department, and the Lincoln Police Department.
Former South Carolina Sheriff and Former Deputies Convicted of Conspiracy, Misuse of Funds, and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a former South Carolina sheriff and two of his former deputies of conspiracy and a range of other charges, such as deprivation of civil rights during an unlawful arrest, falsification of records, and various charges relating to their misuse of funds and personnel.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, former Sheriff of Chester County, South Carolina, George Alexander Underwood, 57, of Chester, former Chester County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Robert Andrew Sprouse, 46, of Ridgeway, and former Chester County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Johnny Ricardo Neal Jr., 41, of Lancaster, conspired to use their positions to enrich themselves by obtaining money to which they were not entitled, cover up their misconduct, and obstruct investigations into their misconduct. Evidence showed Underwood and Sprouse violated the rights of a Chester County resident, K.S., who was filming the Sheriff’s Office’s response to a crash scene on Nov. 20, 2018, by arresting him without probable cause. When the FBI began investigating these civil rights violations, Sprouse and Neal tried to cover up what happened by creating a false incident reports and Sprouse made false statements to the FBI.
Additionally, court documents and evidence presented at trial showed the three defendants directed on-duty Sheriff’s Office employees to provide manual labor or other services that personally benefited Underwood and Sprouse, including requiring them to help with extensive renovations of a barn on Underwood’s property in order to add a bar, a television viewing area, and other amenities. Underwood and Sprouse took family members on a trip to a conference in Reno, Nevada, and charged the cost to the Sheriff’s Office. Underwood and Neal also engaged in a scheme in which they skimmed money from payments owed to other Sheriff’s Office employees for off-duty work at public safety checkpoints.
Underwood, Sprouse, and Neal were removed from their positions with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office in approximately May 2019 after they were initially indicted by a federal grand jury.
Underwood was convicted of conspiracy, deprivation of rights, federal program theft, and wire fraud. Sprouse was convicted of conspiracy, falsification of records, false statements, and federal program theft. Neal was convicted of conspiracy, deprivation of rights, falsification of records, federal program theft, and wire fraud. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case. The Office of the Attorney General of South Carolina and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division aided the investigation.
Trial Attorneys William M. Miller and Rebecca M. Schuman of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina investigated and initially indicted the case.
Former School Athletic Trainer Going to Prison for 15 Years for Enticing A MinorRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Austin Pratt, 32, of Conesus, NY, who was convicted of enticement of a minor, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa M. Marangola, who handled the case, stated that between November 2018 and February 2019, the defendant, while working as a school athletic trainer, engaged in an ongoing relationship with a minor. Pratt used Instagram and Facebook to communicate with the minor, encouraging the victim to engage in a sexual relationship and to exchange sexually explicit photos with him.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Barry Chase; the Rochester Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; and the Livingston County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Gregory J. McCaffrey.
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Former Phone Company Employee Pleads Guilty for Role in Sim Swap Scam Conspiracy That Targeted at Least 19 Customers, Including New Orleans ResidentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that STEPHEN DANIEL DEFIORE, age 36, a resident of Brandon, Florida, pleaded guilty as charged before United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey after previously being charged in a one-count Bill of Information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343, for his role in a subscriber identification module (SIM) Swap scam that targeted at least nineteen people, including a New Orleans-area physician.
According to court documents, a SIM Swap scam is a cellular phone account takeover fraud that results in the routing of a victim’s incoming calls and text messages to a different phone. Once a perpetrator is able to swap the SIM card, it is likely he is able to obtain access to a victim’s various personal accounts, including email accounts, bank accounts, and cryptocurrency accounts, as well as any other accounts that use two-factor authentication.
From August 2017 until November 2018, DEFIORE worked as a sales representative for Phone Company A. In that capacity, DEFIORE had access to the accounts of Phone Company A’s customers, including the ability to switch the SIM card linked to a customer’s phone number to a different phone number. Between October 20, 2018, and November 9, 2018, DEFIORE accepted multiple bribes, typically in the amount of approximately $500 per day, to perform SIM swaps of Phone Company A customers identified by a co-conspirator. For each SIM swap, a co-conspirator sent DEFIORE a customer’s phone number, a four-digit PIN, and a SIM card number to which the phone number was to be swapped. In total, DEFIORE received approximately $2,325 in a series of twelve payments. Among the individuals whose accounts DEFIORE accessed was Victim A, a New Orleans resident, whose phone number was swapped on November 10, 2018, to a SIM card contained in an Apple iPhone 8 that was in the possession of Richard Li. Li was charged with his role in the offense in June 2020. Sentencing before Judge Zainey has been scheduled for July 27, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Corruption Unit, is in charge of the prosecution.
Former New York Giant on Home Confinement Under CARES Act Charged with Narcotics TraffickingRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Raymond P. Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Marty Raybon, the Acting Director of the New York Office of Customs & Border Protection (“CBP”) announced that Clyde Hall, a/k/a “Peter,” was arrested on April 24, 2021, in New York, New York. A criminal Complaint was subsequently filed in Manhattan federal court charging HALL with possessing with intent to distribute over five kilograms of suspected cocaine. HALL, a former professional football player with the New York Giants, was previously sentenced in 2010 to 20 years in prison following his conviction for various financial fraud crimes. HALL was serving his prison sentence and was recently released to home confinement by the Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES ACT”), which expanded the authority of the Director of the BOP to place federal prisoners on home confinement earlier than otherwise permissible. HALL was arrested on the instant narcotics charge while on home confinement and will be presented today before United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein.
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court[1]:
On April 24, 2021, HALL was found in possession of approximately seven kilograms of suspected cocaine, which he attempted to sell to a confidential source. In addition, HALL claimed that another five kilograms was on its way.
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HALL, 82, of New York, NY, is charged with narcotics distribution, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The statutory maximum penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA, HSI, NYPD, and CBP.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Ni Qian is in charge of the prosecution.
The charge contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Former Law Enforcement Officer Sentenced to over 18 Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Matthew Berry, 42, of Eads, Tennessee has been sentenced to 220 months in federal prison for child exploitation offenses. Acting United States Attorney, Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, on June 25, 2019, an undercover operative with the Michigan City (Indiana) Police Department who was investigating child exploitation found a computer that was making child sexual abuse material (CSAM) available over the internet. Based on the IP address, the officer determined the computer was in the Western District of Tennessee and alerted the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force.
A search warrant was executed at the Bells, Tennessee, residence of Matthew Berry, who was at the time, a Crockett County Sheriff’s Deputy. Berry admitted to investigators that he had been obtaining and viewing child sexual abuse material for "a long time." Forensic examination of Berry’s digital devices confirmed that Berry had been seeking out CSAM since at least 2002. The investigation also revealed that Berry surreptitiously took photographs of the buttocks of females (adults and minors) in public places and had a sexual relationship with a minor during his time as a law enforcement officer. Berry previously worked as an officer in Halls, Ripley, Maury City, and Brownsville.
The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Crockett County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan City (Indiana) Police Department investigated this case.
On April 23, 2021, Chief U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Berry to 220 months in federal prison to be followed by five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra L. Ireland prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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Department of Justice Announces Investigation of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced today that the Department of Justice has opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD). The investigation will assess all types of force used by LMPD officers, including use of force on individuals with behavioral health disabilities or individuals engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment. The investigation will assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory policing, and also whether it conducts unreasonable stops, searches, seizures, and arrests, both during patrol activities and in obtaining and executing search warrants for private homes. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of LMPD policies, training, and supervision, as well as LMPD’s systems of accountability, including misconduct complaint intake, investigation, review, disposition, and discipline.
“There are approximately 18,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in this country. In each one, dedicated officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect others,” said Attorney General Garland. “Promoting public trust between communities and law enforcement is essential to making both communities and policing safer. Our enforcement efforts, as well as our grant-making and other support, will contribute to achieving that end and to protecting the civil rights of everyone in our country.”
Department of Justice officials informed Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, LMPD Chief Erika Shields, County Attorney Mike O’Connell, and Louisville Metro Council President David James of the investigation. As part of this investigation, the Department of Justice will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with LMPD.
“The Constitution and federal law require law enforcement officers to treat all people fairly and equitably, regardless of race, disability, or participation in protected First Amendment activities,” said Pamela S. Karlan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “The investigation we are announcing today will examine whether these laws are being violated, while also analyzing the root causes of any violations we may find.”
The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The Act allows the Department of Justice to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation. The department will be assessing law enforcement practices under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as under the Safe Streets Act of 1968 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The investigation will be led by the department’s Civil Rights Division and conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division and in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Department of Justice via email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-844-920-1460. Individuals can also report civil rights violations regarding this or other matters using the Civil Rights Division’s reporting portal, available at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdky.
Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.