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Monday 2 November 2020
New Jersey Man Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A New Jersey man was sentenced to 78 months in prison today for conspiring to defraud the United States, filing false claims, and obstructing the internal revenue laws, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2015 and 2016, Kenneth Crawford Jr. and his co-conspirators promoted and sold a “mortgage recovery” tax fraud scheme in which they obtained fraudulent refunds from the IRS for their clients. Crawford promoted the scheme to individuals who were facing foreclosure or behind on their mortgage payments. He represented to them that they could extinguish their outstanding mortgage debts by filing tax forms with the IRS.
As part of the scheme, Crawford and his co-conspirators directed clients to file forms that fraudulently claimed that a substantial amount of taxes had already been withheld from them. These false claims caused the IRS to issue significant refunds to which the clients were not entitled. As a result of Crawford’s scheme, more than $2.5 million in fraudulent refunds were sought from the IRS, of which the IRS paid out more than $1.3 million. Crawford charged a fee of roughly 25 percent for each refund obtained.
When the IRS discovered the fraud and attempted to recover the previously issued refunds, Crawford provided clients with false documents to send to the IRS, directed clients to conceal from the IRS his role in filing the false returns, and advised clients to remove funds from bank accounts in their names in order to thwart IRS collection efforts.
On Dec. 17, 2019, a federal jury in Camden, New Jersey, convicted Crawford of conspiring to defraud the United States, filing false claims, and obstructing the internal revenue laws.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler ordered the defendant to serve three years of supervised release and to pay approximately $1,393,511 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Sean Green and Assistant Chief John Kane, who are prosecuting the case. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for its assistance and support during the investigation and prosecution of this case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.
Nassau County Fire and Rescue Employee Indicted on Three Counts of Receipt of Child Exploitation MaterialRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Robert Arthur Ginder (34, Callahan) with three counts of receiving child exploitation material and one count of accessing with the intent to view child exploitation material. If convicted on all counts, Ginder faces a minimum mandatory term of imprisonment of 15 years, and up to 80 years, in federal prison.
According to the
indictment , Ginder knowingly received child exploitation materials on February 6, 2020, December 4, 2019, and September 11, 2019. He also accessed with the intent to view child exploitation materials in June 2020.An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Monongalia County woman admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Candis Sanders, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Sanders, 38, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.” Sanders admitted to using a phone to distribute a controlled substance in March 2020 in Monongalia County.
Sanders faces up to four years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. 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.
These charges are the result of investigations supported by the 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Monongalia County man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Kyle Alexander Martin, of Morgantown, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Martin, 33, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.” Martin admitted to having heroin in November 2019 in Monongalia County.
Martin 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.
These charges are the result of investigations supported by the 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Mineral County man admits to cocaine chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Davaun Alonzo Ambush, of Keyser, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ambush, 25, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base.” Ambush admitted to having “crack” cocaine in January 2020 in Mineral County.
Ambush 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 West Virginia State Police and the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Michigan man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Dejuan Bernard Williams, of Detroit, Michigan, has admitted to a drug charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Williams, 27, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine.” Williams admitted to having more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in October 2019 in Marion County.
Williams faces at least ten years and up to life incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000,000. 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 Brandon S. Flower is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and White Hall Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Menominee Woman Indicted for Assault with Intent to Commit Murder on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 20, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against a woman who allegedly assaulted a man with intent to murder. The indictment named Michelle Pamonicutt (age: 35), of Keshena, which is on the Menominee Indian Reservation.
The indictment charged Pamonicutt with Assault with Intent to Murder in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 113(a)(1). The charge relates to an incident on October 27, 2019. If convicted, Pamonicutt faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, with assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Member of Navajo Nation sentenced to five years in prison for abusive sexual contact in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE N.M. – Garrith Bitsilly, 33, of Newcomb, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on Oct. 29 in federal court in Albuquerque to five years and three months in prison for abusive sexual contact in Indian Country.
Bitsilly pleaded guilty to this offense on June 1. In his plea agreement, he admitted committing this crime on the Navajo Reservation in San Juan County between Feb. 1, 2014, and Aug. 31, 2014. Bitsilly acknowledged that he caused sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 at a family member’s residence.
In addition to his prison sentence, Bitsilly will be subject to nine years of supervised release.
The Farmington office of the FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa C. Dimas is prosecuting the case.
Marshall County woman admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Phoebe E. Harmon, of Cameron, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Harmon, 41, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Harmon admitted to selling methamphetamine in April 2020 in Marshall County.
Harmon 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 Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.
Marion County man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Willie Edward Robinson, Jr., of Fairmont, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Robinson, 62, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Robinson, who is prohibited from having a firearm because of a previous conviction, admitted to having a 410 gauge shotgun and a 12 gauge shotgun in February 2019 in Marion County.
Robinson faces up to 10 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. 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 Sarah E. Wagner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fairmont Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Marine Corps Reserve Official Charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bribery for Facilitating over $1,900,000 in Defense ContractsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announces that ERIK MARTIN, aged 48, has been charged by a Bill of Information with Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 201(b)(2). If convicted, MARTIN faces up to five years imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
According to the Bill of Information, in 2019, MARTIN was a civilian employee of the United States Marines Corps Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) Distribution Management Office (DMO), located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Co-Conspirator A was a Senior National Account Manager at Company A, a bus brokerage company based in Atlanta, Georgia. MARTIN is charged with accepting bribes in exchange for directing transportation contracts to businesses associated with Co-Conspirator A.
The conspiracy resulted in at least $1.9 million in transportation contracts being corruptly awarded to companies associated with Co-Conspirator A. In exchange for steering contracts to Co-Conspirator A, MARTIN agreed to accept $250,000 in bribes.
U. S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the United States Secret Service for their investigation in this case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Myles Ranier.
U. S. Attorney Strasser stated that a Bill of Information is only an allegation, and that the defendant is presumed innocent until he pleads guilty or is found guilty by a jury or judge.
Marijuana, an AR-15 pistol and Ammunition Found in St. Thomas Car after Traffic Accident: Driver Surrenders Himself to Federal AuthoritiesRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI –United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that Kahlid Blyden surrendered himself to federal authorities Monday morning for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of an unauthorized firearm and ammunition.
According to the affidavit filed in the case, Blyden was involved in an automobile accident on August 21, 2020. A responding officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car driven by Blyden. Officers searched the car and found a backpack with a large plastic bag inside containing marijuana, an AR-15 pistol and a box of ammunition. Blyden attempted to flee while being placed under arrest, but was detained after a brief chase. He posted bond in Territorial Court and the case was transferred to the United States Attorneys’ Office on October 9, 2020. A court date is set for November 4, 2020, for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Ruth Miller.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by United States Attorney’s Office of the Virgin Islands.
A complaint is merely a charging document, and it is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Man Sentenced as an Armed Career Criminal After Felon in Possession ConvictionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Jackson Williams, 36, on October 30, 2020 to 211 months’ imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system. Williams will serve a five-year term of supervised release following his release from the Bureau of Prisons.
Officers were called to an Omaha residence on September 30, 2018 for a disturbance over a stolen vehicle. As part of their investigation, they received permission to search a nearby home. Two firearms were located. Williams was present and arrested for an outstanding parole violation. The next day, a detective with the Omaha Police Department interviewed Williams who admitted to handling one of the guns and putting it in a drawer where police located it. The second firearm was found in an adjoining room. Both firearms were reported as stolen.
On July 9, 2020, Williams proceeded to a bench trial and was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Williams has previous felony convictions for attempted burglary, possession of a controlled substance, two counts of assault on a police officer, terroristic threats and first degree false imprisonment. The assaults, terroristic threats, and false imprisonment convictions were found to be crimes of violence, thereby qualifying Williams for enhanced sentencing under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
This case was investigated primarily by the Omaha Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Louisiana Man Sentenced for Arson of Three African-American ChurchesRead the Press Release
Holden Matthews, 23, was sentenced today in the Western District of Louisiana to 300 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for intentionally setting fire to three African-American Baptist churches because of the religious character of those buildings. Matthews was also ordered to pay restitution of $590,246 to St. Mary Baptist Church, $970,213.30 to Greater Union Baptist Church, and $1,100,000 to Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.
Specifically, Matthews was sentenced on three counts of violating the Church Arson Prevention Act, 18 U.S.C. § 247(a)(1) — one count for each church — as well as one count of using fire to commit a federal felony, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(h). The fires, which Matthews set over a 10-day period in March and April of 2019, completely destroyed each of the church buildings.
Matthews pled guilty to these charges on Feb. 10, 2020. At his plea hearing, Matthews admitted that, between March 26 and April 4, 2019, he intentionally set fire to three Baptist churches with predominantly African-American congregations in the Opelousas, Louisiana area. First, on March 26, 2019, Matthews set fire to St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre, Louisiana. Next, on April 2, 2019, Matthews set fire to the Greater Union Baptist Church, in Opelousas, Louisiana. Then, on April 4, 2019, Matthews set fire to the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas, Louisiana. The fires Matthews set destroyed each of the church buildings. Matthews admitted to setting the fires because of the religious character of these buildings, in an effort to raise his profile as a “Black Metal” musician by copying similar crimes committed in Norway in the 1990s. Matthews further admitted that, after setting the third fire, he posted photographs and videos on Facebook that showed the first two churches burning. Matthews admitted that he had taken these photographs and videos in real time on his cell phone, as he watched those churches burn, and that he had posted them to Facebook in an effort to promote himself in the Black Metal community.
“These churches trace their origins to the post-Civil War Reconstruction period and, for generations, were a place for predominantly African American Christians to gather, pray, worship, and celebrate their faith,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The churches survived for nearly 150 years but did not survive this defendant’s warped act of hatred. I extend my sympathy to the victims of this defendant’s arson spree, the congregants of Saint Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. The Justice Department will continue vigorously to protect their right to worship and live in peace. The Justice Department stands against these acts of hate and the sentence handed down today reflects that. We will continue to protect the civil right of Americans to freedom of worship without fear of persecution.”
“The members of St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church are the ones who have suffered the most from these heinous crimes and have lost not only physical buildings, but sentimental items that cannot be replaced,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook of the Western District of Louisiana. “The sentence handed down today will not bring their churches back but should send a clear message that there is a high price to pay for this type of destruction and violence and these type of crimes will not be tolerated by this office.”
“ATF, working alongside our law enforcement partners, was able to bring our expertise and resources to investigate the arsons that threatened the well-being of St. Landry Parish,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New Orleans Field Division Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn. “That collaborative effort led to a successful investigation and today’s sentencing of Holden Matthews, and allows the residents of St. Landry Parish to continue to worship without fear of an arsonist in their midst.”
“A cornerstone of our constitution is the Freedom of Religion and the right to practice your faith freely and without intimidation,” said FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran. “Matthews’s acts of threatening and intimidating an entire community by setting fire to three historically African American churches were unspeakable. We hope that today’s sentencing brings a level of comfort and satisfaction that justice has prevailed for the parishioners of St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church as well as for all of the citizens of St. Landry Parish affected by these heinous acts.”
This case was investigated by the ATF’s National Response Team; the Lafayette Satellite Office of the ATF’s New Orleans Field Division; the Lafayette Resident Agency of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office; the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal; the Louisiana State Police; the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Unit; the St. Landry Parish Fire Department; and the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, and Trial Attorney Risa Berkower, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Levittown Man Who Led Middletown Township Police on High-Speed Chase Sentenced to 16 Years for Firearms and Narcotics OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Dennis D. Davis, 34, of Levittown, PA, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg for firearms and narcotics offenses, stemming from an arrest after a dangerous and dramatic car chase in July 2017.
The defendant was convicted after trial in March 2020 of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. While driving in Bucks County in July 2017, Davis refused to pull over for Middletown Township Police, and a pursuit ensued. Davis continued to flee at high speed and caused a crash at a busy intersection near the border of Middletown and Bristol Townships. The defendant then fled on foot.
As he ran from police officers, Davis discarded a purse containing a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and crack cocaine. Police officers eventually caught Davis and took him into custody. The officers recovered the purse and its contents, and also found over $1,000 in cash in the defendant’s car. The government presented evidence at trial that included the physical evidence recovered at the scene, fingerprints from the gun, civilian eyewitnesses, and several law enforcement witnesses who participated in the chase and the defendant’s arrest.
“In choosing to flee from police and cause a car crash at a busy intersection, Davis showed complete disregard for the safety of innocent people,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “He also showed complete disregard for the law by illegally possessing a firearm and dangerous drugs. The streets of Bucks County are safer now that Davis will be behind bars for many years.”
“In possession of a loaded revolver and large quantity of crack cocaine, Dennis Davis decided to evade a lawful traffic stop,” said Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “He ran because he wasn’t supposed to have that gun, wasn’t meant to be dealing drugs again, and didn’t want to go back to prison. Clearly, it didn’t work. We’re just fortunate no one was badly injured or killed as he recklessly fled that day. Getting guns, drugs, and dangerous criminals like Davis off the street is a priority for the FBI and our local law enforcement partners.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Middletown Township and Bristol Township police departments, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Rinaldi and former Assistant United States Attorney Melanie Babb Wilmoth.
Leader of Atlantic City Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 135 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – The leader of an Atlantic City drug-trafficking organization was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Khalif Toombs, 31, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
Toombs guilty plea was charged as part of a federal drug investigation that culminated in the arrest of 22 individuals. Thirteen other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy – Wilbert Toombs, Quadir Stanley, Dean Johnson, Khalif Davis, Joseph Aversa, Thomas Randall, Mayda Hernandez, Sarah Taliaferro, James Blackwell, Philip Surace, Nasir Brown, Karon Carey, and David Ramirez – previously pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the conspiracy. Eight other defendants have been indicted for their roles in the conspiracy and their cases remain pending.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Toombs and other members of the drug conspiracy trafficked heroin from Paterson, New Jersey, into Atlantic City, New Jersey. Toombs admitted in court to conspiring with others to traffic between three and 10 kilograms of heroin during the period of the investigation and to being a manager and supervisor of the drug trafficking conspiracy, which operated throughout Atlantic County. An investigation led by the FBI used physical and video surveillance, confidential informants, consensual recordings, and two court-authorized wiretaps to uncover the operation. The investigation tracked multiple stamps of heroin being distributed by Toombs and others, including, “AK-47,” “Apple,” “Fortnite,” “Rolex,” “Frank Lucas,” “Bentley,” “Pandora,” and “9 ½.” Between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 21, 2019, these stamps have accounted for 48 deaths and 84 non-fatal overdoses in New Jersey.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Toombs to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s Safe Streets South Jersey Violent Incident and Gang Task Force, Atlantic City Resident Agency, and FBI, Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr.; officers of the Atlantic City Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Sarkos; the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Damon Tyner; the Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Eric Scheffler; and the Pleasantville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sean Riggin, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the N.J. State Police for their assistance.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha K. Nye of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
For the eight defendants whose charges remain pending, the charges and allegations are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Kent, Washington man charged with sex trafficking of a juvenileRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 26-year-old Kent, Washington man was charged in U.S. District Court in Seattle with sex trafficking of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. AL-PENYO BROOKS, was transferred to federal custody in coordination with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which had originally filed state charges in the case. BROOKS was identified as a suspect in May 2020, when Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies and Seattle Police Department officers worked urgently to recover a 17-year-old girl who had run away from her Pierce County, Washington home. BROOKS made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday.
According to the complaint, the girl has developmental delays, and unbeknownst to her guardian, had set up a Facebook account. Using Facebook Messenger, BROOKS communicated with the girl about her interest in music and writing songs. BROOKS’ communication led the girl to believe he could promote her in the music business. Even after the girl told BROOKS she was seventeen, BROOKS made arrangements to pick her up near her home and told her how to evade her guardian. He picked her up and had an associate change her hair and clothing. He provided her with drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted her while she was impaired. BROOKS then instructed the girl to walk the “track” on Aurora Avenue North, telling her to perform sex acts for money. The girl was ultimately taken to an apartment in north Seattle were police located her when she signed in to Facebook on the IP address listed for the apartment.
Sex trafficking of a juvenile is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and a maximum of life imprisonment, as well as a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life.
The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Seattle Police Department. The King County Prosecutors Office is working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham.
Justice Department Again to Monitor Compliance with the Federal Voting Rights Laws on Election DayRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced its plans for voting rights monitoring in jurisdictions around the country for the Nov. 3, 2020 general election. The Justice Department historically has monitored in jurisdictions in the field on election day, and is again doing so this year. The department will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center.
“Federal law entrusts the Civil Rights Division with protecting the right to vote for all Americans,” said Eric S. Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Our federal laws protect the right of all American citizens to vote without suffering discrimination, intimidation, and harassment. The work of the Civil Rights Division around each federal general election is a continuation of its historical mission to ensure that all of our citizens can freely exercise this most fundamental American right.”
The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the division has regularly monitored in a variety of elections around the country throughout every year to protect the rights of all voters, and not just in federal general elections.
On Nov. 3, the Civil Rights Division plans to send personnel to 44 jurisdictions in 18 states to monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws:
- Coconino County, Arizona;
- Maricopa County, Arizona;
- Navajo County, Arizona;
- Los Angeles County, California;
- Orange County, California;
- Broward County, Florida;
- Duval County, Florida;
- Hillsborough County, Florida;
- Miami-Dade County, Florida;
- Orange County, Florida;
- Palm Beach County, Florida;
- Fulton County, Georgia;
- Gwinnett County, Georgia;
- City of Chicago, Illinois;
- Cook County, Illinois;
- Montgomery County, Maryland;
- City of Boston, Massachusetts;
- City of Lowell, Massachusetts;
- City of Malden, Massachusetts;
- City of Quincy, Massachusetts;
- City of Springfield, Massachusetts;
- City of Detroit, Michigan;
- City of Eastpointe, Michigan;
- City of Flint, Michigan;
- City of Hamtramck, Michigan;
- City of Highland Park, Michigan;
- City of Jackson, Michigan;
- Shelby Township, Michigan;
- City of Minneapolis, Minnesota;
- Bergen County, New Jersey;
- Middlesex County, New Jersey;
- Bernalillo County, New Mexico;
- Mecklenburg County, North Carolina;
- Wake County, North Carolina;
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
- Allegheny County, Pennsylvania;
- Lehigh County, Pennsylvania;
- Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania;
- Richland County, South Carolina;
- Harris County, Texas;
- Waller County, Texas;
- Fairfax County, Virginia;
- Prince William County, Virginia; and
- City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As in past years, monitors will focus on compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and the other federal voting rights laws enforced by the division. Monitors will include civil rights personnel from the Civil Rights Division and civil rights and civil personnel from U.S. Attorney’s Offices. Civil Rights Division personnel will also maintain contact with state and local election officials.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. The division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion.
On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available all day to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.
Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website, at https://www.ada.gov/.
Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.
Last week, the Justice Department announced its overall plans for the general election to protect the right to vote and secure the integrity of the voting process through the work of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
More information about the federal civil rights laws is available on the Civil Rights Division’s website at https://www.justice.gov/crt.
Judge sentences St. Peters man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Rico Willis to 60 months in prison today. The 23-year-old St. Peters, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Officers from the St. Peters Police Department answered a ‘shots fired’ call at a home on Spencer Trail on October 31, 2018. A woman, identified as Willis’ girlfriend, was shot in the leg. Willis witnessed the shooting. After the shooting, Willis ran from the scene with a firearm. Willis thought the shooters was pursuing him. As Willis approached a cul-de-sac, he turned and fired at the car following him.
The bullet struck the street in front of the car. Willis dropped the gun in a nearby park, but officers recovered it. Surveillance video captured Willis firing the gun. He admitted firing the gun in the direction of the car. Police recovered a spent bullet from the street. The shooting of Willis’ girlfriend remains under investigation.
The St. Peters Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa handled the case.
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Judge sentences Randolph County man for being a felon in possession of a firearmRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Shon Diegan to 60 months in prison today. The 47-year-old Moberly, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On September 28, 2019, a Chariton County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a complaint of an armed man trespassing on private property in Salisbury, Missouri. The deputy arrived and found Diegan sitting inside a cattle corral with a rifle by his side. When the deputy entered the corral, Diegan placed the rifle in his lap. The deputy ordered Diegan to put down the rifle and Diegan refused. Diegan told the deputy he was going to shoot himself. The deputy tried to disarm Diegan, but the two began to struggle. Diegan pulled on the rifle sending the muzzle into the dirt where the weapon discharged.
Diegan surrendered after an officer from the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived to help. Officers took Diegan into custody and seized the rifle in his possession. Investigators learned the firearm was recently stolen.
“I am grateful the brave and well-trained officers came home safely,” said U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen.
The Chariton County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey Ogden handled the case.
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Indiana receives more than $5,600,000 from Justice DepartmentRead the Press Release
Indianapolis – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that agencies in the Southern District of Indiana were awarded more than $5.6 million in Department of Justice grants to fight and prevent violent crime. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, are part of more than $458 million in funding to support state, local and tribal law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.
“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all Americans.”
“Recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI suggests a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third straight year,” said Minkler. “But even with this encouraging news, we find cities like Indianapolis experiencing an unacceptable increase in homicides. These funds will help in the fight against violent crime and improve assistance to victims, community engagement, prevention, and reentry efforts.”
Of the more than $458 million awarded nationwide, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance made 1,094 grants totaling more than $369 million to support a broad range of initiatives, including efforts in enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation.
OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded more than $10 million across 24 jurisdictions to intervene in and suppress youth gang activity as well as $1 million to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research to continue operating the National Gang Center. OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded $7.8 million to fund research and evaluation on the prevention and reduction of violent crime. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics provided more than $69 million to strengthen the quality and accessibility of records within the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The following organizations in Indiana received funding:
- County of Vanderburgh $587,726
Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Violent Crime by Improving Justice System Performance
- City of Indianapolis $250,000
Operation Legend
- Indiana Criminal Justice Institute/Indiana Supreme Court, Office of Technology $1,425,879
NICS Act Record Improvement Program
- Indiana Criminal Justice Institute/Indiana State Police $3,000,000
National Criminal History Improvement Program
- Indiana Criminal Justice Institute $364,038
Project Safe Neighborhoods
For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Hartford Man Sentenced to Prison for Distributing Fentanyl, Possessing GunsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRIAN EVANS, 21, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 30 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for fentanyl distribution and firearm possession offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2019, after a spate of gun violence in Hartford, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, DEA, Hartford Police Department and other law enforcement agencies initiated an investigation targeting gang-related drug distribution and associated violence in north Hartford. On August 7, 2019, investigators made a controlled purchase of fentanyl from Evans.
Evans was arrested on September 13, 2019. On that date, investigators searched his residence and seized a loaded semiautomatic pistol, a loaded handgun with no serial number, and $1,025 in cash.
In May 2014, Evans was convicted in state court of first degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first degree robbery. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
On June 10, 2020, Evans pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of fentanyl, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Evans, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prison on January 6, 2021.
The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Gloucester County Man Admits Sexual Exploitation of Children and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County, New Jersey, man pleaded guilty today to producing and distributing images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Andrew Nicholas, 24, of Williamstown, New Jersey, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of sexually exploiting children and one count of distributing child pornography.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On Feb. 26, 2019, an undercover officer entered a public Kik Messenger group and began communicating with Nicholas, who sent the officer images of child sexual abuse involving a prepubescent minor. Nicholas admitted to producing those images of child sexual abuse and sending them to the officer through Kik Messenger.
The count of sexually exploiting children carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 50 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The distribution of child pornography count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum possible penalty of 40 years in prison and fine of $250,000 per count. Sentencing is scheduled for March 9, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll, and the Washington, D.C., FBI Field Office, under the direction of Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. This case was initiated by the FBI, Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and worked in partnership with the FBI, Philadelphia Field Office, and local assisting agencies.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha Nye of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Trenton.
Former Police Officer Turned Meth Distributor Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, FL – U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger has sentenced Jason Kelly Register (42, Woodbine, GA) to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The court also ordered Register to forfeit a .380 caliber pistol and 7 rounds of ammunition. Register had pleaded guilty on October 23, 2019.
According to court documents, in mid-August 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), began investigating Brian Russell Schell, Brian Paul Davis, and Leslie Ericka Lewis for distributing methamphetamine in Nassau and Duval counties. Throughout the course of the investigation, an officer, acting in an undercover capacity, made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Schell, Davis, and Lewis. Agents learned that Davis’s source of supply was Register and, on October 2, 2018, the agents conducted two controlled phone calls to Register placing an order for 3 ounces of methamphetamine. Register indicated that he was on his way, but that he only had two ounces. NCSO deputies stopped Register for a traffic violation, and he had a firearm in his waistband. A K-9 was deployed around the vehicle, gave a positive alert to the presence of illegal drugs, and a subsequent search revealed a marijuana grinder, scales, marijuana, fentanyl patches, hypodermic needles, and approximately 70 grams of methamphetamine. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, Register was accountable for distributing approximately 250 grams of methamphetamine.
Schell, Davis, and Lewis previously pleaded guilty and were sentenced for their roles in this case. Schell was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, Davis was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison, and Lewis was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Beatriz Gonzalez.
Former Jersey City Board of Education President and Acting Executive Director of Jersey City Employment and Training Program and Associate Charged with Embezzlement, Money Laundering and FraudRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – The former president of the Jersey City Board of Education (JCBOED) and former Acting Executive Director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) and an Ocean County, New Jersey, attorney were indicted today for embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud in connection with multiple criminal schemes, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
The former president of the Jersey City Board of Education (JCBOED) and former Acting Executive Director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program (JCETP) and an Ocean County, New Jersey, attorney were indicted today for embezzlement, money laundering, financial fraud in connection with multiple criminal schemes, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Sudhan M. Thomas, 45, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was charged in a 26-count indictment with embezzling funds from JCETP, an organization receiving federal funds (Count 1), and wire fraud (Counts 2 to 6) and money laundering (Counts 7 to 9) in connection with the JCETP theft. In connection with other schemes, Thomas was charged with wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2016 JCBOED campaign (Count 10); wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2019 JCBOED campaign (Counts 11 and 12); bank fraud for stealing checks issued by and to another JCBOED candidate’s campaign in 2018 (Counts 13 and 14); and mail and wire fraud for schemes to defraud two separate Florida companies (Counts 15 to 26). Thomas was charged by criminal complaint in January 2020 with embezzling funds from JCETP and was released on a $75,000 unsecured bond.
Paul H. Appel, 78, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, also is charged as Thomas’ accomplice in Counts 1, 7 to 10, and 15 to 26 of the indictment.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Thomas served as JCETP’s acting executive director from January 2019 until his resignation in July 2019. JCETP is a nonprofit organization that operates to assist Jersey City residents to prepare for and enter the workforce. JCETP received substantial amounts of funding from federal grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Using his access to JCETP funds and control of JCETP’s bank accounts, from March 2019 through July 2019, Thomas embezzled more than $45,000 from JCETP. Thomas caused checks to be drawn from JCETP accounts that were made payable to others, but ultimately received by Thomas or used to pay his debts and expenses. For example, Thomas caused certain checks to be issued to Appel, who is an attorney, and Appel then redirected the funds to Thomas, including by issuing checks made payable to Next Glocal, an entity for which Thomas was a director, which were then deposited into a bank account for Next Glocal that Thomas controlled. Thomas also embezzled JCETP funds by issuing JCETP checks made out to cash that Thomas either cashed himself or used to obtain bank checks that Thomas made payable to Next Glocal, which were deposited into a bank account for Thomas’ personal use.
Thomas ran for and was elected to a seat on the JCBOED in 2016, ultimately serving as vice president and then president of the JCBOED. Appel served as treasurer for Thomas’s 2016 campaign. From September 2016 to November 2016, Thomas and Appel collected campaign contributions and deposited them into a bank account opened for the 2016 campaign that they both controlled. Under the guise of collecting repayments for loans to the campaign or reimbursement for other purported campaign-related expenses, Thomas and Appel embezzled more than $8,000 from Thomas’s 2016 campaign for their own personal use.
Thomas ran for re-election to the JCBOED in 2019. From June 2018 to August 2019, Thomas collected campaign contributions and deposited them into two bank accounts opened for the 2019 campaign. Under the guise of collecting repayments for loans to the campaign, Thomas embezzled approximately $6,000 from the 2019 campaign by causing checks to be issued from the campaign bank accounts made payable to Thomas, and then cashed those checks or deposited them into a bank account for Thomas’s personal use.
In November 2018, Thomas informally advised a candidate in the 2018 JCBOED election. He falsely represented to that candidate’s campaign that he required $100 checks to pay eight separate individuals who worked on the candidate’s campaign. When the campaign provided Thomas with the requested checks, Thomas fraudulently endorsed the checks and deposited them into a bank account for his personal use. In addition, Thomas obtained a $1,000 contribution check made payable to the candidate’s 2018 campaign committee; Thomas fraudulently endorsed that check and deposited it into a bank account for his personal use.
In 2016, Thomas and Appel entered into an agreement with a Florida-based technology company to purportedly expand the company’s business through a debit card program. Between May 2016 and October 2016, Thomas and Appel made false representations regarding work they were allegedly undertaking pursuant to the agreement and induced the technology company to wire them a total of $48,500. Thomas and Appel ultimately diverted the company’s funds to their own bank accounts and used them to pay personal expenses (including payments to Thomas’ landlord, tuition for Thomas’s relative, and payments for Appel’s credit and debit card expenses) without providing any meaningful services or generating any business as required under the agreement, or spending any substantial parts of the funds provided by the technology company towards fulfilment of the agreement.
In 2016, Thomas and Appel entered into another agreement with a Florida-based housing company in connection with the purported sale of modular homes to veterans and the homeless. Between October 2016 and April 2017, Thomas and Appel made false representations regarding work they would undertake pursuant to the agreement in order to collect monthly $2,000 payments from the housing company. The housing company made five $2,000 payments to Thomas and Appel between November 2016 and March 2017. Thomas and Appel misappropriated the funds without providing any meaningful services or generating any business as required under the agreement, or spending any substantial part of the funds towards fulfilment of the agreement.
The charges in the indictment carry the following maximum penalties:
Offenses Charged
Maximum Term of Imprisonment
Maximum Fine
Theft from a federally-funded organization
10 years
$250,000
Wire fraud
20 years
$250,000
Mail fraud
20 years
$250,000
Bank fraud
30 years
$1 million
Money laundering
20 years
$500,
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr., and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael C. Mikulka with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tazneen Shahabuddin of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Florida Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Falsify Clinical Trial DataRead the Press Release
A Florida resident pleaded guilty to conspiring to falsify clinical trial data regarding an asthma medication, the Department of Justice announced today.
Lisett Raventos, 46, of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida today to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Raventos was the site director, the director of clinical operations, and a study coordinator at a medical clinic named Unlimited Medical Research (Unlimited Medical) in Miami, Florida. In pleading guilty, Raventos admitted that from approximately 2013 to 2016, she participated in a scheme to defraud an unnamed pharmaceutical company by fabricating the data and participation of subjects in a clinical trial at Unlimited Medical. The clinical trial was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of an asthma medication in children between the ages of four and eleven. Raventos admitted that she falsified medical records to make it appear as though pediatric subjects made scheduled visits to Unlimited Medical, took study drugs as required, and received checks as payment.
“Clinical trials help ensure that new drugs are safe and effective for the public, and this defendant undermined that process,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to work hand-in-hand with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate and prosecute fraudsters who put personal profit before public health.”
“Fraud in the conduct of clinical trials is simply unacceptable, especially where the drug under investigation was meant to serve children and other vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida. “I thank our partners at the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office, for their work in investigating this scheme.”
“Reliable clinical trial data is a foundation for FDA drug approval. Falsifying that data leaves consumers at risk of taking drugs that are neither safe nor effective,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Miami Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who endanger the public health when they engage in conduct that might subvert the FDA approval process.”
Raventos pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom. Raventos is the first defendant to plead guilty in connection with the scheme. Three other defendants were charged along with Raventos, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. When sentenced, Raventos faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Assistant Director Clint L. Narver and Trial Attorneys Joshua Rothman, Jocelyn Hines, and Kara M. Traster of the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office, investigated the case, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida has provided critical assistance.
Federal Jury Finds Orlando Man Guilty of Distributing, Receiving, and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that a federal jury has found Ryan Rusty Rodriguez (45, Orlando) guilty of two counts of receiving child pornography, two counts of distributing child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 27, 2021.
Rodriguez had been indicted on June 13, 2018, and a superseding indictment was returned on November 15, 2018.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, during an undercover online investigation, FBI agents discovered that Rodriguez was using peer-to-peer networks to download and distribute child pornography. When agents executed a search warrant at Rodriguez’s home, he attempted to hide a hard drive as the agents were knocking on his door. Rodriguez also used his training in computers and specialized software to attempt to erase the evidence of his offenses. The FBI’s Computer Analysis Response Team uncovered evidence of thousands of files of child pornography stored on Rodriguez’s devices.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Gardella, Shawn Napier, and Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Environment and Natural Resources Division Recognizes Employees for Outstanding Service at Annual Awards CeremonyRead the Press Release
The Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) held its annual awards ceremony to highlight the past year’s achievements.
The ceremony, which was conducted virtually via a video celebration, recognized the outstanding work of many of the division’s attorneys and staff in the realm of civil and criminal environmental enforcement, defense of agency rulemakings, support of priority infrastructure projects, and other areas.
The 2020 Muskie-Chafee Award was presented posthumously to Karen M. Wardzinski, former Chief of ENRD’s Law and Policy Section. Karen was an exceptional legal mind, and great friend and colleague to all of those at ENRD until her recent passing. The 2020 Tom C. Clark II Award – which recognizes outstanding performance as trial counsel and mentoring – was presented to Michael C. Augustini, Senior Attorney in ENRD’s Environmental Defense Section. ENRD also recognized 58 other employees, contractors, and partners who made superior contributions to the division’s mission over the past year, including the Pandemic Network Team, led by IT Director Richard W. Tayman, which quickly stood up a near fail-proof infrastructure upon which ENRD’s workforce operated during the coronavirus pandemic.
The division highlighted the recent lodging of the settlement in the Daimler-Mercedes civil enforcement case, in which German automaker Daimler AG and its American subsidiary agreed to pay $875 million in civil penalties and approximately $70 million in other penalties for alleged emissions cheating. Furthermore, ENRD recognized teams of lawyers who counseled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other client agencies to prepare the Waters of the United States (WOTUS), Affordable Clean Energy (ACE), new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, and other exceptionally complex and significant rules for legal challenges.
During the virtual ceremony, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jonathan D. Brightbill praised the staff’s commitment in the face of unprecedented challenges over the past year stating, “You worked tirelessly to adapt to the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. You continued to execute our mission to uphold this Nation’s environmental laws, and their reforms, protect its wildlife and natural resources, and defend the public fisc. At the same time, many of you managed to care for high-risk family members, learn new ways of remote litigation, and run virtual learning academies for your kids at home. I am proud to say you did so without compromising the quality of our work in the slightest.”
The division’s virtual award ceremony is available on-line at: https://youtu.be/lyeRjDiJ2A8.
A video presentation of the 2020 Muskie-Chafee Award and honoring the career and life of service of Karen M. Wardzinski is available on-line at: https://youtu.be/SDtvME_SnSA.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $458 Million to Fight Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced that it has awarded more than $458 million in grant funding to support state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts to fight and prevent violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.
“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all Americans.”
“Violence has become a tragic reality in too many of America’s communities,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Working with officials across the Trump Administration and with thousands of state, local and tribal crime-fighters across the country, the Department of Justice is leading the response to this urgent challenge. OJP is pleased to make these resources available to support innovative, tested and diverse solutions to violent crime.”
The funding announced today continues the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime and improving public safety. In the two years before President Trump took office, America had experienced a precipitous rise in crime, particularly in serious violent crime. The President elevated community safety to the top of his domestic agenda and crime rates have fallen steadily since. Recent data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2019 show a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third year in a row. However, a number of cities are experiencing conspicuous countertrends. Today’s grants will bolster crime-fighting efforts in those communities and in jurisdictions throughout the United States.
OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance made 1,094 grants totaling more than $369 million to support a broad range of initiatives that support local, state and tribal governments in their efforts to prevent and reduce violent crime. OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded more than $10 million across 24 jurisdictions to intervene in and suppress youth gang activity as well as $1 million to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research to continue operating the National Gang Center. OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded $7.3 million to fund research and evaluation on the prevention and reduction of violent crime. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics provided more than $69 million to strengthen the quality and accessibility of records within the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. A list of the awards is available here.
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at https://www.ojp.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $458 Million to Fight Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Weisman today announced more than $1.8 million in Department of Justice grants to fight and prevent violent crime in Rhode Island. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, are part of more than $458 million in funding to support state, local and tribal law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.
“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all Americans.”
The funding announced today continues the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime and improving public safety. In the two years before President Trump took office, America had experienced a precipitous rise in crime, particularly in serious violent crime. The President elevated community safety to the top of his domestic agenda and crime rates have fallen steadily since. Recent data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2019 show a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third year in a row. However, a number of cities are experiencing conspicuous countertrends. Today’s grants will bolster crime-fighting efforts in those communities and in jurisdictions throughout the United States.
“Violence has become a tragic reality in too many of America’s communities,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Working with officials across the Trump Administration and with thousands of state, local and tribal crime-fighters across the country, the Department of Justice is leading the response to this urgent challenge. OJP is pleased to make these resources available to support innovative, tested and diverse solutions to violent crime.”
Of the more than $458 million awarded nationwide, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance made 1,094 grants totaling more than $369 million to support a broad range of initiatives, including efforts in enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation.
OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded more than $10 million across 24 jurisdictions to intervene in and suppress youth gang activity as well as $1 million to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research to continue operating the National Gang Center. OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded $7.8 million to fund research and evaluation on the prevention and reduction of violent crime. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics provided more than $69 million to strengthen the quality and accessibility of records within the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The following organizations received funding:
- Rhode Island Public Safety Grant Administration: $719,626 – National Criminal History Improvement Program
- Rhode Island Department of Corrections: $655,628 – Bureau of Justice Assistance Reinvestment Initiative
- Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General: $340,000 - Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combatting Violent Crime
- Rhode Island Department of Public Safety: $84,842 – Project Safe Neighborhoods
For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
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DNA Found on Firearm Results in Federal Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
A man who was a felon and drug user and hid a firearm outside his former girlfriend’s home in Waterloo was sentenced today to four years in federal prison.
Michael Deshone Holmes, age 31, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 2, 2020 guilty plea to being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm.
At the guilty plea, Holmes admitted he was convicted in 2009 of the felony offenses of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and using a firearm during and in relation to a felony drug offense in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Holmes also admitted that on June 1, 2019, he was an unlawful user of marijuana and cocaine. On that same day, Holmes went to his former girlfriend’s home in Waterloo and hid a firearm outside before he went inside to meet with her. After he got into a dispute with her, Holmes fled the scene on foot. Waterloo police officers found the gun, which had previously been reported stolen, and recovered Holmes DNA on the handgun.
Holmes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Holmes was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is also 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 ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/dl?inline.
Holmes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and was investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-02005.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Cincinnati police officer pleads guilty to failing to claim off-duty detail cash earnings on her tax returnsRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A Cincinnati police officer pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to submitting false tax returns by failing to report cash income she earned from off-duty work details.
Quianna Campbell, 40, of Cincinnati, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in February 2020. Today, she pleaded guilty to three counts of the indictment of filing false tax returns.
Campbell has been employed with the Cincinnati Police Department for 11 years.
According to her plea, she worked off-duty at various businesses, including nightclubs, throughout her employment at CPD.
According to police records, Campbell earned more than $81,000 total working off-duty details in 2015, 2016 and 2017. She underreported her income for those years by at least $60,000 when filing her taxes.
Campbell will pay nearly $24,000 in restitution to the IRS as part of her plea.
“As a police officer, the defendant was responsible for enforcing the law,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “By filing false tax returns for her personal financial gain, she violated the law.”
Willfully filing a false tax return carries a potential maximum penalty of up to three years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker is representing the United States in this case.
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Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Illegally Export Maritime Raiding Craft and Engines to ChinaRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Ge Songtao (50, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit false export information through the federal government’s Automated Export System and to fraudulently export to China maritime raiding craft and engines, and attempting to fraudulently export that equipment in violation of U.S. law. Ge Songtao faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the
plea agreement , Ge Songtao was the chairman of Shanghai Breeze Technology Co. Ltd., a company headquartered in Shanghai, China. Beginning in 2018, he was interested in identifying a source of supply of U.S.-manufactured combat rubber raiding craft equipped with engines that can operate using gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel. These vessels and multi-fuel engines are used by the U.S. military and can be operated after being launched from a submerged submarine or dropped into the ocean by an aircraft. No comparable engine is manufactured in China.One of Ge Songtao’s U.S.-based employees, co-defendant Yang Yang, attempted to order seven of the raiding craft equipped with these engines from a U.S. manufacturer. When the U.S. manufacturer suggested that Yang Yang purchase cheaper gasoline-fueled engines, she insisted that she wanted to purchase the military-model multi-fuel engines. To induce the manufacturer to sell this equipment, Yang falsely represented that her customer was an entity called United Vision Limited in Hong Kong, rather than Shanghai Breeze Technology Co. in Shanghai. One of Yang’s Chinese co-workers had told her that American manufacturers would be more likely to sell to an entity in Hong Kong rather than one in mainland China. By misrepresenting what company was buying the equipment, and where it was located, Yang caused the entry of false information in the Department of Commerce’s Automated Export System in violation of federal law.
To facilitate the purchase of the raiding craft and engines, Ge Songtao arranged for the wire transfers to a separate company in Hong Kong, Belt Consulting Company Limited, which in turn wired over $110,000 to the U.S. manufacturer. He also coordinated plans to send an employee to Hong Kong to receive the raiding craft and engines and transship them to mainland China.
On September 15, 2020, Yang Yang pleaded guilty to the same two charges to which Ge Songtao has pleaded guilty. On August 13, 2020, co-defendant Zheng Yan pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit false export information and to fraudulently export the raiding craft and engines in violation of U.S. law. The trial of remaining co-defendant Fan Yang, is scheduled to begin on February 1, 2021.
“As FBI Director Christopher Wray has stated previously, we will not tolerate it when China violates our criminal laws and international norms, much less enable it,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “FBI Jacksonville and our partners throughout the U.S. government will continue working to hold China accountable and protect our nation’s innovation, ideas, and way of life.”
“Ge Songtao’s attempts to illegally acquire sensitive U.S. technology for illicit purposes threatened the operational readiness and safety of our nation’s military,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas Cannizzo of the NCIS Southeast Field Office. “NCIS and our law enforcement partners remain committed to preserving Department of the Navy warfighter superiority by protecting our nation’s critical technologies and infrastructure from theft or compromise at home and abroad.”
“A top priority of the Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, is ensuring that the United States military always maintains its qualitative edge on the battlefield by preventing circumvention of U.S. export controls and export filing requirements,” said Acting Agent in Charge Alan Berkowitz. “In working with our law enforcement partners we disrupted Chinese illicit procurement of U.S. military combat raiding craft and protected our strategic commodities from falling into the wrong hands.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce – Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican and Heather Schmidt, Senior Trial Attorney, Counterintelligence and Export Section, U.S. Department of Justice.
Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Gregory Eugene Woods, 43, of Charleston, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Woods is one of 14 defendants charged as a result of a long-term investigation known as “Second Wave,” which dismantled a poly-drug network operating in Kanawha and Fayette Counties.
“Woods returned to drug dealing even while still on federal supervised release from a prior drug conviction,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Great job by law enforcement in the “Second Wave” investigation that netted Woods and 13 others.”
On April 21, 2020, the Charleston Police Department stopped Woods’ vehicle for a traffic violation. A drug dog alerted to the vehicle, and police seized approximately two ounces of cocaine hidden in a coffee cup. Woods was on his way to deliver the cocaine to an individual in Montgomery, West Virginia who was under investigation by the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Woods was on federal supervised release at the time of the traffic stop. In 2016, he was convicted of using a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Woods faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on February 1, 2021.
The Central West Virginia Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation.
The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the keystone of the Attorney General’s strategy to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics throughout the United States using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. OCDETF agents and prosecutors nationwide handle complex investigations and prosecutions of the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States. OCDETF facilitates joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00153.
Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews and USAttyStuart
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Buffalo Man Charged with Spending His Deceased Father's Social Security BenefitsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Abdulkawi Al Shuaibi, 47, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with theft of government property. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A.C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, the defendant’s father received retirement benefits under the Social Security Act. These benefits should have ceased when Al Shuaibi’s father died in August 2013. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) continued to pay these benefits until February 2019, with the defendant spending the money. The resulting loss to the SSA was approximately $76,393.50.
The defendant made an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer and was released on conditions.
The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John F. Grasso.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Armed Robber Arrested in TennesseeRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Shawn O’Neil Smith (22, Zephyrhills) with robbery. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the
complaint , on October 10, 2020, Smith, armed with a handgun, robbed the Shell gas station located at 4330 Lithia Pinecrest Road in Valrico. Smith threatened an employee with the handgun and also discharged the firearm during the robbery.The joint efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office led to Smith’s identification and his apprehension in Tennessee. Smith appeared in federal court in Nashville, Tennessee on October 29, 2020, and was ordered detained pending his removal to Tampa.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by ATF and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jim Preston.
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 and enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. For more information on Project Guardian visit www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
Albuquerque man arraigned on gun charge under Operation LegendRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Christopher Leyba, 34, of Albuquerque, was arraigned in federal court in on Oct. 28 on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Leyba will remain in custody pending trial.
According to a criminal complaint, on Sept. 7, Leyba allegedly drove a stolen vehicle to a motel in Albuquerque and exited the vehicle with a holstered gun on his hip. Law enforcement officers searched Leyba’s vehicle on Sept. 8 and found two handguns. As a previously convicted felon, Leyba cannot legally possess as firearm or ammunition.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Leyba faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Albuquerque Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eva M. Fontanez is prosecuting the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Operation Legend, a coordinated federal and local law enforcement initiative to fight gun and dangerous crime.
Akron man charged with illegal possession of a machine gunRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland has returned a two-count indictment charging Dazhan McCallister, age 20, of Akron with illegal possession of a machinegun and receipt or possession of an unregistered firearm.
According to court documents, on or about July 28, 2020, Akron police responded to complaints of a large group of people blocking traffic in a nearby park. Law enforcement officers approached the group and noticed the defendant carrying a firearm. The defendant was allegedly in possession of a Glock, Model 17, 9mm caliber pistol with an installed conversion device designed to allow the weapon to fire automatically, more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The firearm was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.
In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Akron Police Department and the ATF. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Joyce.
Activity in the United States Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced RONALD ARTHUR BLAIN, 52, of Cheyenne to 120 months’ imprisonment followed by lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography.
In late 2018 and early 2019, agents with the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received several Cybertips indicating Blain was using an internet application to access child pornography. ICAC agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation executed search warrants for several of Blain’s internet accounts. Agents discovered Blain was accessing child pornography while he was on parole with the State of Wyoming for Sexual Abuse of a Minor in First, Second, and Third Degrees.
“HSI special agents won’t ever relent when it comes to protecting children and prosecuting sex offenders like Ronald Arthur Blain,” said Steven Cagen, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Denver. “Today’s sentencing is the result of hard work by our local, state, and federal partners to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes by using every available resource to pursue the guilty and protect the innocent.”
Blain was arrested on June 9, 2020, and entered his plea of guilty to one count of possession of child pornography August 11, 2020. Blain has been and will continue to be required to register as a sex offender.
“This case is an example of our ongoing efforts to protect the innocence of children,” said United States Attorney Mark A. Klaassen. “The prosecution of repeat offenders is a priority because of the risk they pose to vulnerable victims and the life-long impacts of abuse. We simply have to do everything we can to identify and stop this criminal behavior.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation an abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney Announces Nearly $2.4 Million in Grants to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon today announced more than $2.3 million in Department of Justice grants to fight and prevent violent crime in the thirty-two counties that make up the Northern District of New York. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, are part of more than $458 million in funding to support state, local and tribal law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime in jurisdictions across the United States.
“One of the fundamental missions of government is to protect its citizens and safeguard the rule of law,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice will continue to meet this critical responsibility by doing everything within its power to help our state, local and tribal law enforcement and criminal justice partners fight crime and deliver justice on behalf of all Americans.”
The funding announced today continues the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime and improving public safety. In the two years before President Trump took office, America had experienced a precipitous rise in crime, particularly in serious violent crime. The President elevated community safety to the top of his domestic agenda and crime rates have fallen steadily since. Recent data from the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2019 show a drop in crime and serious victimization for the third year in a row. However, a number of cities are experiencing conspicuous countertrends. These grants will bolster crime-fighting efforts in those communities and in jurisdictions throughout the United States.
“Violence has become a tragic reality in too many of America’s communities,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “Working with officials across the Trump Administration and with thousands of state, local and tribal crime-fighters across the country, the Department of Justice is leading the response to this urgent challenge. OJP is pleased to make these resources available to support innovative, tested and diverse solutions to violent crime.”
“We cannot rest until all members of our community can live free from the fear of violent crime,” said Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon. “These grants will support research and evaluation on policing and efforts to improve the criminal history program. I am grateful for this important work in the Northern District of New York. “
Of the more than $458 million awarded nationwide, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance made 1,094 grants totaling more than $369 million to support a broad range of initiatives, including efforts in enforcement, prosecution, adjudication, detention and rehabilitation.
OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded more than $10 million across 24 jurisdictions to intervene in and suppress youth gang activity as well as $1 million to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research to continue operating the National Gang Center. OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded $7.8 million to fund research and evaluation on the prevention and reduction of violent crime. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics provided more than $69 million to strengthen the quality and accessibility of records within the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
The following local organizations received funding:
The John Finn Institute for Public Safety received $619,648 under the Research and Evaluation on Policing, FY 2020. According to their project abstract, the purpose of the project is to conduct research to illuminate the forms of investigative activities and evidence that contribute to investigative and prosecutorial outcomes, including an experimental evaluation of a systematic effort to better exploit video and audio technology for investigative and prosecutorial purposes among cases involving firearms. The goals are to deepen the current understanding of whether and how specific forms of investigative activities contribute to (or detract from) case clearances and prosecutions. Researchers will also conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of systematically supplementing the efforts of sworn criminal investigators with those of crime analysts in tapping specific available investigative resources. They will partner with the Syracuse Police Department.
The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services received $1,700,000 under the National Criminal History Improvement Program, FY 2020. Through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), the Bureau of Justice Statistics provides direct awards and technical assistance to states and localities to improve the quality, timeliness, and immediate accessibility of criminal history records and related information. Complete records require that data from all components of the criminal justice system be integrated and linked, including law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and corrections. NCHIP assists states to establish the integrated infrastructure that meets the needs of all components.
For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Saturday 31 October 2020
Lewiston Man Sentenced to over Six Years on Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Portland for possession of a firearm by a felon, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
U.S. District Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Gage Henry, 21, to 78 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Henry pleaded guilty to the charge on January 28, 2020.
On June 20, 2019, law enforcement officers, possessing a state arrest warrant for Henry, located him in a Lewiston motel room in possession of a loaded .45 caliber pistol. Investigators later recovered his DNA from the surface of the pistol. At the time he possessed the pistol, he was on Maine state probation for a prior violent crime.
Records from the Androscoggin County Superior Court reflect that on October 23, 2017, Henry was convicted of Aggravated Assault, a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, and was therefore prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
When pronouncing sentence, Judge Singal stated, “I’m mostly concerned with violence here,” and, “What we’ve had here is an escalation of violence … that could lead to severe consequences for society.”
The Lewiston and Auburn Police Departments, the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Friday 30 October 2020
Working with Law Enforcement Agencies Across South Dakota, U.S. Attorney’s Office Increases Firearms-Related Prosecutions by 60 percent in Past YearRead the Press Release
Federal, State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Officials discussing violent crime during “Operation Fall Clean Up” in Rapid City, SD, on September 21, 2019.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons announced that federal prosecutors in the District of South Dakota, working cooperatively with law enforcement agencies across the State, charged 139 defendants with firearms-related charges during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges imposed on the criminal justice system and law enforcement officers everywhere by COVID-19. This was a 60 percent increase over FY 2019. Nationally, the Department of Justice charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during FY 2020.
“Working with our state, local, tribal, and federal partners across South Dakota to enforce federal gun laws is a critical part of our united strategy to combat violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep every person in every community safe from gun crime.”
“Reducing violent gun crime is a main pillar of ATF’s mission to ensure our communities are safe,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Terry Henderson, of the St. Paul Field Division. “This significant increase in prosecutions is a testament to the hard work of the United States Attorney’s Office and all levels of law enforcement throughout South Dakota. ATF is proud to work alongside each and every one of our partners in the pursuit of justice.”
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm or ammunition if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, an illegal alien, or an unlawful user of a controlled substance. In addition, it is illegal to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase – firearms or ammunition if the buyer is a prohibited person or is illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of someone else, an illegal transaction known as a straw purchase. Lying in response to one of the questions asked on ATF Form 4473, a document that one is required to complete in order to legally purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. Most of these federal offenses are punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.
Recent firearms-related prosecutions in the District of South Dakota include the following cases:
Southern Division:
- United States v. Mogoliolo. On October 20, 2020, Joseph Mogoliolo, age 50, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after his conviction for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Mogoliolo was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 3, 2020. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2020. The conviction stemmed from an incident on October 24, 2019, when police were dispatched to suspicious activity near a vehicle in downtown Sioux Falls. Police saw Mogoliolo near the vehicle and a drug pipe in plain view inside the vehicle. Police searched the vehicle and found methamphetamine, other drug paraphernalia, and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Mogoliolo, who had previously been convicted of a felony crime, was prohibited under federal law from possessing any firearms. This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case. Mogoliolo was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
- United States v. Hackett. On October 6, 2020, Johnathan David Hackett, age 39, of Sioux Falls was indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession of a Stolen Firearm. The indictment alleges that on or about May 23, 2020, Hackett, a convicted felon, possessed, sold, and disposed of a stolen firearm, knowing that it had been stolen. Hackett appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on October 14, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He was remanded to state custody pending trial. The charges are merely accusations and Hackett is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson is prosecuting the case.
- United States v. Shropshire. On October 6, 2020, Allen Vincent Shropshire, age 59, of Sioux Falls, SD was indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The indictment alleges that on or about September 20, 2020, Shropshire, a convicted felon, possessed a firearm. Shropshire appeared before Judge Duffy on October 14, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. The charge is merely an accusation and Hackett is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson is prosecuting the case.
- United States v. Patton. On October 6, 2020, Gregory Dawon Patton a/k/a Gregory Duwan Patton, age 18, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, was indicted by a federal grand jury for Theft from a Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer. The indictment alleges that on or about June 1, 2020, Patton stole and unlawfully took and carried away fifteen firearms, including shotguns and pistols, from Palace City Pawn, a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Mitchell, SD. Patton made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew P. Rodovich of the Northern District of Indiana on October 26, 2020. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service with an order for transport to the District of South Dakota. His arraignment in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls has not yet been scheduled. The charges are merely accusations and Patton is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Mitchell Police Department, Sioux Falls Police Department, and LaPorte County (Indiana) Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson is prosecuting the case.
Northern Division:- United States v. Doll. On October 26, 2020, Scott Alex Doll, age 49, of Dickinson, North Dakota, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann to 16 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after being convicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Doll was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 11, 2020. He pleaded guilty on July 27, 2020. The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in Mobridge, South Dakota, on April 25, 2019, wherein Doll and another male exited their vehicle and walked up to a Mobridge police officer who was sitting in his patrol car. The officer observed Doll to have an empty pistol holder on his hip. Doll told the officers the firearm was in the driver's side door of the vehicle. The officer observed Doll had many keychains on his belt, including a red and white floating bobber key chain. The officer asked Doll if he could see the bobber, and inside was a baggie of methamphetamine. Doll admitted to being a methamphetamine user, and using drugs three hours prior to the stop, and is a drug user and is thus prohibited from using firearms. This case was investigated by the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case. Following sentencing, Doll was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
- United States v. Claymore. On October 19, 2020, Brady James Claymore, age 33, of McLaughlin, SD was sentenced by Judge Kornmann to 50 months in federal prison, and three years of supervised release, following his convictions for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Claymore was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 14, 2020. He pleaded guilty on September 15, 2020. The conviction stemmed from a conspiracy beginning in 2010 and continuing through 2019, wherein Claymore conspired with others to distribute between 40 and 60 kilograms of marijuana in McLaughlin, South Dakota. On September 24, 2019, in McLaughlin, Claymore’s vehicle was stopped by law enforcement and a search of his vehicle uncovered approximately 830 grams of marijuana, two digital scales, and a short-barreled shotgun. Claymore knowingly possessed the shotgun, and at the time he possessed it, he was knowingly a user of and addicted to marijuana. This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Mobridge Police Department, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. Following sentencing, Claymore was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
- United States v. Two Hearts. On October 8, 2020, Darrell Two Hearts, age 41, of Aberdeen, SD was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm as a result of a federal jury trial in Aberdeen. On April 25, 2020, Two Hearts was arrested in Aberdeen. Officers had been searching for Two Hearts to arrest him on outstanding warrants. When they found him, Two Hearts had a loaded handgun in his backpack, along with syringes, a pot pipe, and a marijuana grinder. He also had a small amount of methamphetamine in his pants pocket. He had previously been convicted of felony crimes that prohibited him from possessing any firearms. At trial, a jury unanimously found that he illegally possessed a 9mm handgun. A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has been set for December 14, 2020. Two Hearts was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. This case was investigated by the Aberdeen Police Department, the Brown County Sheriff's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
Central Division:
- United States v. Larvie. On September 30, 2020, David D. Larvie, Jr., age 38, of Mission, SD was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition as the result of a federal jury trial in Pierre. On November 13, 2019, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Tribal police got a call that a shot had been fired from a van driven by David Larvie in South Antelope Community, near Mission. Officers located and stopped the vehicle, which was driven by Larvie. Larvie denied having a firearm, indicating he could not possess firearms as he is on federal felony supervised release. He was searched and a stash of forty-three .22 caliber bullets was found in his back pocket, and a loaded .22 caliber firearm was found on the rear floorboard, though within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat. Larvie’s prior felony convictions include third degree burglary and failure to appear in 2003 and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in 2008. Larvie will be sentenced on December 14, 2020. The case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
- United States v. Hill. On October 5, 2020, Shilo Hill, age 25, of Eagle Butte, SD, was sentenced to 84 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm in Ziebach County on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. On April 18, 2019, Tribal police got a call that a gun was fired near a residence west of Dupree, South Dakota. Officers responded and stopped a vehicle in which Hill was a passenger. Officers seized a Colt brand .357 Magnum caliber revolver, which Hill knowingly possessed. The revolver was loaded with ammunition and was stored next to the defendant in the passenger side door. The firearm was actually stolen. He also possessed some drug paraphernalia and a small amount of methamphetamine in the vehicle when stopped. Hill has prior felony convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon in 2016 and possession of a stolen firearm in 2014. The case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
- United States v. Neck. On October 14, 2020, Jean Xarles Neck, a/k/a John Neck, age 20, of Parmalee, SD, was indicted by a federal grand jury for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon, Child Abuse, and Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on October 21, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Restitution may also be ordered. The Indictment alleges that on June 6, 2020, Neck assaulted several individuals, including a child, by discharging a firearm multiple times at a home where the individuals were occupants, with the intent to do bodily harm. The charges are merely accusations and Neck is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Elmore is prosecuting the case. Neck was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for December 29, 2020.
Western Division:- United States v. Bocanegra. On October 19, 2020, Lawrence Bocanegra, age 40, of Rapid City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken to 40 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his conviction for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The charge relates to Bocanegra, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, unlawfully possessing a semi-automatic pistol in September 2019 during a traffic stop at Rapid City. The investigation was conducted by the Rapid City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson prosecuted the case. Bocanegra was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
- United States v. Larive and Englert. Between March 16, 2020, and March 21, 2020, Shannon Larive, age 26, of Rapid City, and Karmen Englert, age 36, of Rapid City, were involved in the armed robberies of multiple casinos in Rapid City. During each robbery, Larive brandished a firearm to obtain money from an employee of the casino. Englert assisted as the getaway driver. During one robbery, Larive discharged a .22 caliber pistol. Larive and Englert were arrested following a pursuit involving law enforcement. After the vehicle came to a stop, Larive fled and discarded the .22 caliber pistol used during one of the robberies, which was later recovered by law enforcement. Officers searched the vehicle and numerous .22 caliber rounds of ammunition were recovered. Larive and Englert were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 23, 2020. Larive recently signed a plea agreement to enter a plea of guilty to interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. Englert recently signed a plea agreement to enter a plea of guilty to interference with commerce by robbery. The change of plea hearing for both defendants is scheduled for November 14, 2020, in United States District Court. This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is prosecuting the case.
- United States v. Standing Bear. On April 24, 2020, Dana Standing Bear, age 42, of Rapid City, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine with an intent to distribute it. On February 27, 2019, officers with the Rapid City Police Department located a vehicle stuck in the snow. Standing Bear was the driver and only occupant. The officers discovered that Standing Bear had an active warrant for his arrest and they could also smell burnt marijuana coming from inside his vehicle. Officers arrested Standing Bear and a search of his vehicle was conducted. During the search, officers located two loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistols, more than 100 grams of methamphetamine, jeweler bags, and a digital scale. Standing Bear has a prior felony drug conviction. This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson prosecuted the case.
- United States v. Byker and Hirschfeld. On June 8, 2020, Devin Byker, age 25, of Piedmont, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for carjacking and using and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and Craig Hirschfeld, age 25, of Box Elder, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for using and brandishing a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. On June 29, 2019, Byker and Hirschfeld requested another individual give them a ride from one location in Rapid City to another. After they arrived at the location, Byker and Hirschfeld pinned the individual up against his vehicle, brandished stolen firearms, pointed the firearms at him, held him at gun point, and took his wallet and phone. After obtaining the personal items, they continued to brandish firearms, forced the individual to remove his clothing, and then stole his vehicle and fled. Law enforcement later located Byker in another stolen vehicle along with the stolen firearm he used in the carjacking. The case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson
- United States v. Conroy. On January 23, 2020, Corbin Conroy, age 43, of Rapid City, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for committing an armed robbery at a casino in Rapid City. On March 17, 2019, Conroy entered the Jokers Casino armed with a semi-automatic pistol. Conroy brandished and pointed the pistol at a casino employee, demanded the cash from the register, and took approximately $1,750.00. Conroy then fled the casino. Conroy is a prior felon who had only recently been released from federal prison for committing an earlier armed robbery of the Jokers Casino. This case was investigated by the Rapid City Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson prosecuted the case.
All of these cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
These cases are also 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 ensures 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.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
- United States v. Mogoliolo. On October 20, 2020, Joseph Mogoliolo, age 50, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after his conviction for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Mogoliolo was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 3, 2020. He pleaded guilty on July 30, 2020. The conviction stemmed from an incident on October 24, 2019, when police were dispatched to suspicious activity near a vehicle in downtown Sioux Falls. Police saw Mogoliolo near the vehicle and a drug pipe in plain view inside the vehicle. Police searched the vehicle and found methamphetamine, other drug paraphernalia, and a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun. Mogoliolo, who had previously been convicted of a felony crime, was prohibited under federal law from possessing any firearms. This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case. Mogoliolo was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Worcester Man Sentenced for Fentanyl and Heroin Conspiracy and Distribution OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for distributing fentanyl and heroin.
Albeiro Gomez, 55, of Worcester, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Hillman to 38 months in prison, four years of supervised release and ordered to pay forfeiture. In November 2019, Gomez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl, one count of distributing heroin and fentanyl, one count of distributing heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl and one count of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute.
In December 2018, Gomez was charged with co-defendant Erotides Mendez, 50, a Dominican national previously residing in New York City. Mendez previously pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and heroin and was sentenced to five years in prison.
From September to December 2018, investigators intercepted communications to and from the defendants’ phones which evidenced their drug trafficking activities. Gomez was a livery driver in Worcester who used his livery vehicle to procure and distribute drugs, meet with customers and to collect cash derived from drug sales. Mendez was involved in the acquisition of heroin and fentanyl in New York and the transportation of these drugs for sale in and around Worcester.
In connection with this investigation, Freiber Betancourth, of Worcester, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison and three years of supervised release. Betancourth distributed heroin and fentanyl from the parking lot of his employer. In addition, Jonathan Francisco Bobadilla Rosa, a Dominican national previously residing in Worcester, pleaded guilty to drug possession charges, false representation of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced in May 2020 to 28 months in prison.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Abely and John Mulcahy of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.
West Tennessee Psychiatrist Sentenced for Unlawfully Distributing OpioidsRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A West Tennessee psychiatrist was sentenced today to 48 months followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully distributing opioids.
Richard Farmer, 83, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker. Farmer was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 21, 2020, of three counts of distribution of controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
The defendant was charged in an April 2019 indictment as part of the first Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force Takedown, and his conviction was the first guilty trial verdict for the ARPO Strike Force.
"The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that physicians who abuse their power to promote and prolong drug addiction for their own benefit are punished accordingly," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
"Opioid misuse and abuse is an insidious epidemic, created in large part by the over-prescribing and diversion of potent opioids," said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee. "This sentence demonstrates our ability and resolve to aggressively prosecute and hold accountable any medical personnel who misuse their positions of trust to exploit the very people coming to them for help."
"Doctors who prey on those who suffer from the disease of addiction are no better than street corner drug dealers," said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Louisville Division. "DEA remains committed to rooting out and locking up all healthcare practitioners who exploit the weak and put greed above patient care."
According to the evidence presented at trial, Farmer prescribed opioids to three sisters with whom he had ongoing sexual contact during the time he was prescribing. The evidence showed that between July 2016 and January 2019, Farmer prescribed over 1,200 pills, even though the three sisters showed clear signs of addiction. The evidence further showed that he kept almost no patient files on these women. Farmer also provided opioid prescriptions for the women’s friends, without keeping patient files for them or requiring medical examinations.
The DEA, along with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department, investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Jillian Willis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Damon Griffin of the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the ARPO Strike Force. Since its inception in October 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has charged more than 70 defendants who are collectively responsible for distributing more than 50 million pills. The ARPO Strike Force is part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force Program, led by the Fraud Section. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for approximately $19 billion. In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-Office of Inspector General, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
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West Tennessee Psychiatrist Sentenced for Unlawfully Distributing OpioidsRead the Press Release
A west Tennessee psychiatrist was sentenced today to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawfully distributing opioids.
Richard Farmer, 83, of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker. Farmer was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 21, 2020, of three counts of distribution of controlled substances outside the scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
The defendant was charged in an April 2019 indictment as part of the first Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force Takedown, and his conviction was the first guilty trial verdict for the ARPO Strike Force.
“The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that physicians who abuse their power to promote and prolong drug addiction for their own benefit are punished accordingly,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“Opioid misuse and abuse is an insidious epidemic, created in large part by the over-prescribing and diversion of potent opioids,” said U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant of the Western District of Tennessee. “This sentence demonstrates our ability and resolve to aggressively prosecute and hold accountable any medical personnel who misuse their positions of trust to exploit the very people coming to them for help.”
“Doctors who prey on those who suffer from the disease of addiction are no better than street corner drug dealers,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Louisville Division. “DEA remains committed to rooting out and locking up all healthcare practitioners who exploit the weak and put greed above patient care.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Farmer prescribed opioids to three sisters with whom he had ongoing sexual contact during the time he was prescribing. The evidence showed that between July 2016 and January 2019, Farmer prescribed over 1,200 pills, even though the three sisters showed clear signs of addiction. The evidence further showed that he kept almost no patient files on these women. Farmer also provided opioid prescriptions for the women’s friends, without keeping patient files for them or requiring medical examinations.
The DEA, along with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department, investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Jillian Willis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Damon Griffin of the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the ARPO Strike Force. Since its inception in October 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has charged more than 70 defendants who are collectively responsible for distributing more than 50 million pills. The ARPO Strike Force is part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force Program, led by the Fraud Section. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for approximately $19 billion. In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-Office of Inspector General, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Waterville Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Waterville woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Bangor to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
According to court records, from December 2014 through October 2019, Beth Bing, 49, made unauthorized use of her employer’s corporate credit cards, and used fraudulent interstate communications via telephone and email in furtherance of the scheme.
Bing faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine. She will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The FBI and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Vista Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 30, 2020
SAN DIEGO – Jeffrey John Lenhof was sentenced in federal court today to 7 years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography.
Lenhof first came to the attention of law enforcement when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agents discovered that files of child pornography had been made available from Lenhof’s residence, from as early as March 2017, via a peer-to-peer file sharing program that is easily accessible on the internet.
A federal search warrant was executed at Lenhof’s residence on April 30, 2019. Agents found that three computers, as well as an iPhone and an SD card seized from Lenhof’s residence, contained child pornography, or had been used to download or view child pornography.
Lenhof was charged with federal child pornography offenses, and pleaded guilty in December 2019 to having received child pornography. During the course of the investigation, Agents also discovered on
devices seized from Lenhof’s residence multiple videos which appeared to have been taken with hidden cameras, both in Lenhof’s residence and in other locations. One of those videos showed an adult man setting up a camera in a small bathroom. After the man exited the bathroom, what appeared to be a young teenaged girl entered the bathroom, undressed, and showered. After the girl exited the bathroom, the man could be seen returning to the bathroom to retrieve the camera.
Witnesses later confirmed that the video was taken in approximately 2009 in Lenhof’s home, that Lenhof is the man seen in the video setting up and retrieving the camera, that the girl in the video was 13 or 14 years old at the time the video was taken, and that the girl did not know she was being recorded. Agents seized a hidden camera from the residence at the time of the April 30, 2019, search warrant. After discovering this video, HSI agents executed a second search warrant at Lenhof’s residence on May 14, 2019, at which time agents seized three additional hidden cameras.
At the sentencing hearing, the U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey Miller noted that child pornography offenses represent "one of the most serious and egregious forms of crimes" and that Lenhof’s non-consensual videorecording of women, including of the girl in his home, "speak to a pattern of conduct that became very troubling."
"Sexual crimes against children are heinous and tragic, and we will protect vulnerable victims whenever possible," said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. "We are focused on disrupting and dismantling these vile networks of predators who exploit children and share images online. Today is one more productive step in that direction." Brewer commended the excellent work of prosecutor Janet Cabral and HSI agents on this case.
"Today’s sentencing highlights the hard work of our agents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to take a child predator offline, and should serve as a warning to others who perpetuate the exploitation of children," said Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "Every one of the images and movies Lenhof produced and possessed was created at the expense of an innocent child, and sending criminals like Lenhof to jail will continue to be a top priority for HSI."
Following his release from federal prison, Lenhof will be on federal supervised release for a period of 10 years. During that time, Lenhof will be required to comply with special conditions, including conditions prohibiting him from having contact with minors and accessing the internet.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Violent Crime and Human Trafficking (VCHT) Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Formed in 2019, by U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer, the VCHT is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving violent crimes, firearms and gang cases; sex trafficking and child exploitation; civil rights, and labor trafficking. The VCHT Section oversees the Southern District of California Coordinators for Project Safe Childhood, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and Human Trafficking.
DEFENDANT Criminal Case No. 19cr2128-JM
Jeffrey John Lenhof Age: 41 Vista, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGE
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2), Receipt of Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison
INVESTIGATING AGENCY
Homeland Security Investigations
United States Attorney's Office Continues to Protect the Right to Vote During ElectionRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Charles McLoughlin will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA McLoughlin has served as the District Election Officer (DEO) for over a decade in the Northern District of Oklahoma, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Free, fair, secure, and accessible elections are the foundation of our democracy. Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have their vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “My office will uphold its responsibility to protect this sacred right of every citizen in the Northern District of Oklahoma so that all citizens are guaranteed a voice within their communities and nationally,” U.S. Attorney Shores said.
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, U.S. Attorney Shores stated that AUSA/DEO McLoughlin will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (918) 382-2713.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The Oklahoma FBI field office can be reached at (405) 290-7770.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester Announces the Justice Department’s Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – United States Attorney Brian Kuester announced today the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. Assistant United States Attorney Nalani Ching will serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Kuester said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities. AUSA Ching will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at 918-684-5100.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The FBI field office serving the Eastern District of Oklahoma can be reached by the public at 918-687-7500.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Please note in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Kuester said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
U.S. Marshals Operation Results in Recovery of 27 Missing Children in VirginiaRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the completion of a five-day law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Find Our Children,” throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia that resulted in the recovery of 27 previously missing children. The operation also confirmed the location of six additional children previously reported as missing but subsequently discovered by the U.S. Marshals Service as being in the custody of their legal guardian.
Led by deputy U.S. Marshals from the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and special agents, police officers and detectives from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, more than 60 law enforcement investigators formed the primary team in Operation Find Our Children. They were joined by more than 50 employees from the Virginia Department of Social Services and a team of medical professionals and experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The U.S. Marshals Service is leading the way in a nationwide effort to rescue and recover missing and exploited children, and aid in the prevention of human trafficking. Since 2005, the U.S. Marshals Service has recovered more than 2,000 missing children. Over the past five years, the agency has recovered missing children in 75 percent of the cases it has received. Of those recovered, 72 percent were recovered within seven days.
“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable children in our society and ‘Operation Find Our Children’ does just that,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “While this Virginia operation is the most recent recovery of endangered and missing children led by the U.S. Marshals Service this year, we have also recovered more than 440 kids in Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and other states. Because of this initiative, the recovered children are now out of harm’s way.”
“I can think of no more critical or satisfying mission for a law enforcement officer, than rescuing an endangered child,” said Nick E. Proffitt, U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This operation brought together a formidable team that was, and is, determined to come to the aid of our youth and bring to justice those among us that choose to prey on these vulnerable children. I am proud of the Deputy Marshals in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and their partners for the work they accomplished this week – and the results speak for themselves; these 27 children are safe once again. I am deeply humbled and highly honored that our team in Eastern Virginia is a continuing part of this critical Marshals Service mission. We want the missing children across this great nation to know the U.S. Marshals Service will never stop looking for you, we will find you.”
“The U.S. Marshals Service has a legendary history of finding fugitives and bringing them to justice,” said Thomas L. Foster, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia. “Because of this specialized skill set, finding missing children is a natural extension of the Marshal’s mission. Although many of the 27 recoveries occurred in Virginia’s larger population centers, seven occurred in the Western District of Virginia to include Roanoke and Abingdon. This operation brought missing and exploited children to a place of safety and those who made the decision to prey upon them to justice.”
“What a tremendous testament to the power of cooperation and the mission of federal, state, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia. “There is no greater mission than that of protecting and rescuing the most vulnerable. A huge debt of gratitude to the U.S. Marshal’s Service for their leadership of this operation and to all of the brave women and men of law enforcement who are responsible for saving these children.”
“There is no greater mission for law enforcement than rescuing an endangered child,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar of the Western District of Virginia. “I applaud the U.S. Marshals in the Western and Eastern Districts of Virginia for their leadership and willingness to leverage their expertise and partner with sister agencies to bring missing children home. We stand ready to investigate and prosecute any leads that come from this important operation.”
“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was pleased to support the U.S. Marshals Service and the many support organizations that helped find and rescue these children,” said John F. Clark, President and CEO of NCMEC. “Missing children are extremely vulnerable to being trafficked for sex and are at risk of further emotional and physical harm. Because of this operation, 27 children have been found and are now safe.”
“Virginia Department of Social Services prioritizes and supports the safety and well-being of the children and families in Virginia, and prioritizes work with partners in achieving these goals, including this collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service and through partnership with the local departments of social services, (LDSS) including those that directly supported the operation,” said Director of the Division of Family Services, Kristin Zagar.
Significant assistance for Operation Find Our Children was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, along with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, Metro Transit Police Department, Virginia State Police, Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Chesterfield County Police Department, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, Hampton Police Department, Henrico County Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Richmond City Police Department, Roanoke City Police Department, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Virginia Department of Corrections.