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2 November 2020
Two South Florida Police Officers Charged with Federal Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
Miami, Fl. – A recently unsealed criminal complaint charges Miami-Dade County Police Officers Roderick Michael Flowers, 30, and Keith Maurice Edwards Jr., 28, with conspiring to traffic cocaine. It also charges Manuel Carlos Hernandez, 23, in the cocaine trafficking conspiracy, and Hernandez, Durojaiye Obafemi Monsuru Lawal, 24, and Trevanti McLeod, 23, all from South Florida, with money laundering crimes.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Keith Weis, Special Agent in Charge for DEA Miami, made the announcement.
According to allegations in the criminal complaint affidavit, on September 16, 2020, Officers Flowers and Edwards provided protection for the transport of what they believed to be 10 kilograms of cocaine connected to a Mexican drug cartel from its pick-up point in Homestead, Florida to its drop-off point in Aventura, Florida. Officers Flowers and Edwards, each in his own car, escorted a third vehicle containing the purported cocaine: Flowers drove immediately in front of the loaded vehicle and Edwards drove immediately behind it on the Palmetto, 836, and I-95 highways. The affidavit alleges that the officers also escorted the purported cocaine and its handlers on foot, as they went into and out of buildings to pick up and drop off the load. In exchange for the protection service, Flowers and Edwards each made $5,000 in cash, according to the complaint. Unknown to Flowers and Edwards at the time, the cocaine was fake and the Mexican cartel dealers were actually law enforcement confidential sources and undercover agents.
In addition, the complaint affidavit describes Hernandez’s alleged money laundering operation, including transactions during which Hernandez and his associates, Lawal and McLeod, laundered $200,000 in purported drug proceeds. According to the complaint, prior to the protection job on September 16, Officer Flowers had been on Hernandez’s payroll and had improperly used his position as an officer to obtain information for Hernandez. The affidavit accuses Hernandez of investing in the load that Flowers and Edwards protected on September 16, believing that it was real cocaine connected to a Mexican cartel.
All defendants have made their initial appearances in federal magistrate judge court in Miami.
DEA Miami investigated this case, with assistance from FBI Miami, DEA Detroit, and Miami Dade Police Department, Internal Affairs. Assistant United States Attorneys Frederic “Fritz” Shadley and Eduardo Sanchez are prosecuting this case.
A criminal complaint is a charging instrument that contains allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 20-mj-3922.
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Two Men Indicted for Allegedly Operating Multimillion Dollar Sports Betting Pyramid Scheme in Las VegasRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Two Las Vegas residents made their initial court appearances in U.S. District Court on Friday for charges in connection with a multimillion dollar investment fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich of the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI.
A federal grand jury returned a 14 count indictment on Tuesday, charging John Frank Thomas III, 75, and Thomas Joseph Becker, 72, both of Las Vegas, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 13 counts of wire fraud. Thomas is also known as “John Frank,” “Johnathan West,” “John Frank Rodgers,” “John Marshall,” and “John Edwards.” Following their arrests on Friday, Thomas and Becker made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe, who scheduled a jury trial for January 4, 2021.
“Nevada has earned a worldwide reputation as the gold standard in gaming integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “Our office will continue working with our law enforcement partners and the gaming industry, including the FBI, to maintain Nevada’s reputation — which reflects the efforts of hardworking Nevadans across our state — by investigating and prosecuting violations of the law, and by helping enhance compliance programs.”
“The men and women of the FBI work hard every day to identify and apprehend those responsible for taking advantage of trusting citizens who were swindled out of their investments," said Special Agent in Charge Rouse.
According to allegations in the indictment, from September 2010 to August 2019, Thomas and Becker maintained — and advertised to investors as supposed investment funds — the following entities: Sports Psychometrics; Vegas Basketball Club; Vegas Football Club; Einstein Sports Advisory; Quantum Sports Advisory; Wellington Sports Club; and Welscorp, Inc. Thomas and Becker made false representations to investors that they would use their sports betting skills and strategy to make sports bets with the investors’ money:
- For example, Thomas and Becker told investors that their “‘special insights’ and ahead-of-the-curve strategies… can generate an Average-Profit-Per-Bet of +140% per $100 bet… and possibly as high as +180% or plus $180 per $100 bet. In essence, unlimited riches.”
- Similarly, they advertised a “perfect investment opportunity,” offering “quick access to funds – funds that can be withdrawn by wire or transfer in only one day” and “exceptionally high yield – we achieved a +10.75% ROI per betting day during 2014 Football Season.”
Thomas and Becker also allegedly misrepresented to investors that their accounts were multiplying in value due to successful sports betting, when in fact no such betting occurred. And when investors tried to cash out their investments, Thomas and Becker ignored their calls and emails, and made various excuses for why they could not distribute the money, ranging from purported medical reasons to issues with banks and sportsbooks. To the extent any investors were paid out, those payments came from money deposited by other investors, rather than successful sports bets.
Thomas and Becker induced more than 600 individuals to deposit money —from less than $10,000 to over $500,000 — into their purported investment funds, for a total of at least $29 million. The estimated loss amount to investors is alleged to be at least $9 million dollars. Thomas and Becker spent investors’ funds on personal expenses, including dining, housing, home improvement, and transportation.
The statutory penalty per count for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud is 20 years in prison, as well as a fine of either $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offense.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Simon F. Kung is prosecuting the case.
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Trucker guilty of hauling nearly $2 million in drug proceedsRead the Press Release
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 52-year-old man has entered a guilty plea to one count of money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Edgardo Serrano admitted he drove $1,758,465 in proceeds from the sale of illegal narcotics from Florida to the Rio Grande Valley. He is originally from New Boston, Michigan, but now resides in Miami, Florida.
The investigation revealed trucks would pick up cocaine from South Texas to be driven to Florida for illegal sale. Drivers like Serrano would then return to the Rio Grande Valley with the illegal drug proceeds for delivery into Mexico to drug cartel members.
Authorities discovered Serrano in Hidalgo County April 17 with drug money secreted in his semi-tractor-trailer.
As part of the plea today, Serrano agreed to forfeit the $1,758,465 as illegal money obtained from the sale of cocaine.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. accepted the plea and set sentencing for Feb. 9, 2021. At that time, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $500,000 fine. He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives jointly conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation titled La Familia Tradicion. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Betancourt is prosecuting the case.
OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. Its mission is to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States through prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task forces that leverage the authorities and expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement.
Thirteen Individuals Charged with Social Security Fraud in Operation Dead RingerRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the filing of federal charges against 13 individuals in Operation Dead Ringer. The individuals are charged in 12 separate cases, with cumulatively stealing more than one million dollars in benefits paid by the Social Security Administration on behalf of beneficiaries who were deceased. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment on each count.
Operation Dead Ringer, initiated in the Middle District of Florida, aggressively targets individuals who steal Social Security benefits inadvertently paid to deceased beneficiaries. To date, 35 individuals have been charged as part of the Operation.
According to the respective indictments:
Lauren McKay (28, Jacksonville) and Leah McKay (31, Jacksonville) are charged with theft of government funds. From July 2011 to June 2017, the McKays fraudulently collected approximately $96,055 of their mother’s Social Security benefits following her death on July 12, 2011.
Donna Sharpe Crowther (63, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From January 2009 to May 2019, Crowther fraudulently collected approximately $223,869 of her husband’s Social Security benefits following his death on December 15, 2008.
Robin Elmore (44, St. Augustine) is charged with theft of government funds. From April 2012 to June 2019, Elmore fraudulently collected approximately $63,492 of her sister’s Social Security benefits following her sister’s death on March 20, 2012.
Pamela LaTrail Toliver (62, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From July 2016 to June 2020, Toliver fraudulently collected approximately $52,224 of her mother’s Social Security benefits following the mother’s death on July 27, 2016.
Virginia Gay (48, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From February 2015 to September 2019, Gay fraudulently collected approximately $99,840 of her mother’s Social Security benefits following the mother’s death on May 29, 2013.
Margie Ann Norris-Bell (62, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From June 2015 to July 2019, Norris-Bell fraudulently collected approximately $66,185 of her sister’s Social Security benefits following the sister’s death on July 26, 2011.
Humeshia Latasha Butler (42, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From February 2015 to December 2017, Butler fraudulently collected approximately $35,774 of a close friend’s Social Security benefits following his death on November 12, 2013.
Robert Bruce Barnes (63, Jacksonville) is charged with theft of government funds. From June 2015 to April 2019, Barnes fraudulently collected approximately $86,581 of his wife’s Social Security benefits following her death on November 7, 2011.
Linda Becraft (65, Naples) is charged with theft of government funds. From May 2013 to April 2019, Becraft fraudulently collected approximately $152,374 in Social Security benefits following the death of a Social Security beneficiary in April 2013.
Ciera McClain (30, Alabama) is charged with theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. From October 2015 to January 2019, McClain fraudulently collected approximately $30,670 in Social Security benefits following the death of a Social Security beneficiary on August 29, 2015.
Jacqueline Eugene (46, Orlando) is charged with theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. From March 2014 to February 2019, Eugene fraudulently collected approximately $51,360 of her mother’s Social Security benefits following her mother’s death on February 17, 2014.
Keana Everett (35, Tampa) is charged with theft of government funds. From April 2012 to March 2019, Everett fraudulently collected approximately $63,382 of her mother’s Social Security benefits following her mother’s death on April 10, 2012.
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.
These cases are being investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from other federal and local law enforcement agencies. Special Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Huyler is coordinating the Operation. She, along with Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Frein, David Mesrobian, and Yolande Viacava, will be prosecuting the cases.
Third Indianapolis Man Sentenced for Bellevue Pharmacy RobberyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Billy Adell, III, 21, today to nine years in federal prison having previously pleaded guilty to a Hobbs Act robbery; that is, robbing a business involved in interstate commerce and brandishing a firearm during the robbery. There is no parole in the federal system.
On October 28, 2018, at approximately 9:33 am, Daewoo Robertson, Adell, and Otis Brown, III robbed the CVS Pharmacy, 1701 Galvin Road South, Bellevue, Nebraska at gunpoint. Robertson, Adell, and Brown are from Indianapolis and drove to Bellevue to commit the robbery. Adell was the driver. Robertson and Brown went into the store. Robertson was armed with a Glock .40 caliber handgun that he pointed at employees and a customer while he and Brown zip-tied them. Robertson and Brown fled the store in Adell’s waiting vehicle, with $60,196.50 in controlled substances. They were caught shortly thereafter when their car was stopped. Officers searched the car and found the gun, zip-ties, and a garbage bag with the stolen drugs. Once the drugs leave the store, they cannot be taken back and resold by CVS and have to be destroyed.
Robertson, 20, and Brown, 18, were previously sentenced by the late Senior United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp. Robertson received a sentence of nine years’ imprisonment and Brown received a sentence of eight years’ one month imprisonment. Robertson, Brown, and Adell were also each ordered to serve five years of supervised release following their release from federal prison and ordered to pay $61,154 in restitution.
The FBI Great Plains Violent Crime Task Force, comprised of FBI agents, Omaha Police Department Detectives, Nebraska State Patrol Investigators and Papillion Police Department Detectives, is responsible for the investigation of the robbery. The task force was assisted by the Bellevue Police Department.
St. Joseph Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Trafficking in Taney CountyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Missouri, man who led law enforcement officers in a pursuit in Taney County, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing approximately six pounds of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Andrew R. Trammell, 47, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
A Christian County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop Trammell, who was driving a Dodge Durango on Highway 65 near Highway EE, on June 6, 2019. Trammell refused to stop and led the deputy in a pursuit southbound on Highway 65 into Taney County. Trammell crashed the vehicle upon entering Branson, Mo., and fled on foot. He was apprehended by Branson police officers after a brief foot chase.
Officers searched the vehicle before towing it from the scene of the crash. Officers found a box on the floorboard between the front and back seats that contained approximately six pounds of methamphetamine and a large quantity of cash.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Beaver and Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Christian County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department; the Taney County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department; the Branson, Mo., Police Department; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
South Bay Resident Charged with Wire Fraud in Alleged Scheme to Convert Funds Intended for Foster ChildrenRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Annie Corbett has been charged in a criminal complaint with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud local county governments of funds entrusted to her for the benefit of foster children, announced U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson; FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair; Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Kareem Carter; and U.S. Department Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan.
According to the complaint, Corbett, 53, of Redwood City, Calif., owned and operated Corbett Group Homes, Inc. (CGH), a company with the stated mission to provide residential care for children and adolescents. According to the complaint, CGH received funds from local county governments, including Santa Clara County, for the benefit of foster children. The complaint explains that from 2011 through 2018, CGH operated three group homes and received funds from local county governments under a federal program entitled Title IV-E, Aid to Families with Dependent Children- Foster Care.
Under the program, the local county governments provided the funds to CGH that received the funds on behalf of minors residing in the group homes. The complaint alleges that Corbett used wire transfers to convert funds intended for foster children and to use the money for her personal enrichment, including credit card payments, personal expenses, and personal retail business payments. Corbett is charged with wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are mere allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted of the charge, Corbett faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Corbett is scheduled to make her initial federal court appearance on November 19, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chinhayi Cadet is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jessica Leung. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS-CI, and HHS-OIG with assistance from the office of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeffrey F. Rosen.
Sentence: Kansas Woman Ignored Overdoses, Kept Peddling Heroin Laced with FentanylRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas woman was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison after a hearing in which prosecutors said she sold heroin laced with fentanyl while ignoring overdoses among buyers in Leavenworth, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Amber L. Juarez, 37, Leavenworth, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Juarez sold heroin on three separate occasions to a confidential informant. The heroin from two of the three purchases was mixed with fentanyl.
The investigation revealed Juarez sold more than a kilogram of heroin over the course of approximately five months.
At a sentencing hearing Monday, prosecutors argued that Juarez knew buyers were overdosing but continued to sell heroin.
McAllister commended the Leavenworth Police Department, the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel for their work on the case.
San Fernando Valley Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Fentanyl that Resulted in Victim’s Fatal OverdoseRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 180 months in federal prison for selling fentanyl to a 22-year-old man who suffered a fatal overdose approximately 20 minutes after ingesting the drug.
James Dorion Rodriguez, 29, of Van Nuys, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in December 2019 to one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.
Less than one month after he had been convicted in a separate drug trafficking case, Rodriguez arranged to sell cocaine to the victim. Investigators believe that Rodriguez intended to sell cocaine to the victim, but accidentally gave him fentanyl in the March 18, 2018 transaction.
The victim then ingested the drug and drove away. Hours later, the victim was found dead in his car in a nearby parking lot in Sherman Oaks. Based on telephone records, the victim died within 20 minutes of snorting the fentanyl.
Court documents filed in this case detail how investigators used surveillance video, phone records and witness statements to determine that Rodriguez supplied the narcotics to the victim only hours before he was found dead.
Rodriguez continued to deal in fentanyl and other opioids after the victim’s death. In September 2018, investigators executed a search warrant of Rodriguez’s car and found approximately 7 grams of powder fentanyl, a digital scale, multiple notebooks documenting drug dealing, and plastic baggies. After his arrest by federal authorities later that month, Rodriguez confessed to dealing fentanyl and delivering drugs to the victim on the night of the victim’s death.
This investigation in this case was conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This was the first pursuant to a law enforcement partnership established to aggressively investigate opioid overdose deaths and prosecute the responsible drug dealers.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin R. Barron, Chief of the Santa Ana Branch Office.
Salinas Man Charged with Illegally Possessing A Firearm Silencer Located in His Storage LockerRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Rufino Costales Jr. made his initial appearance today after being charged in a criminal complaint alleging he possessed an unregistered firearm silencer, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman.
An affidavit filed by an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in connection with the criminal complaint alleges that Costales, 45, of Salinas, claimed to own firearms and to manufacture firearm silencers, also known as sound suppressors. The complaint further alleges Costales made a series of threats to the safety of law enforcement officers and other people. Costales threatened to use self-manufactured weapons, including an explosive device.
Law enforcement officers discovered the silencer in a storage unit rented to Costales. The silencer bore no manufacturer mark nor any serial number and was not registered as required by law.
Costales was arrested on October 30, 2020, and had his initial appearance in federal court in San Jose this morning. His next scheduled appearance is at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2020, for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi.
Costales is charged with possession of an unregistered firearm silencer, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d). If convicted of the offense charged in the complaint, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of $250,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The charges contained in the criminal complaint are mere allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick R. Delahunty is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Susan Kreider. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Russian Cybercriminal Sentenced to Prison for Role in $100 Million Botnet ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Russian national was sentenced Oct. 30 to eight years in prison for his role in operating a sophisticated scheme to steal and traffic sensitive personal and financial information in the online criminal underground that resulted in an estimated loss of over $100 million.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miller of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office made the announcement after the sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.
Aleksandr Brovko, 36, formerly of the Czech Republic, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. According to court documents, Brovko was an active member of several elite, online forums designed for Russian-speaking cybercriminals to gather and exchange their criminal tools and services.
“For over a decade, Brovko participated in a scheme to gain access to Americans’ personal and financial information, causing more than $100 million in intended loss,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This prosecution and the sentence imposed show the department’s commitment to work with our international and state counterparts to bring cybercriminals to justice no matter where they are located.”
“Aleksandr Brovko used his programming skills to facilitate the large-scale theft and use of stolen personal and financial information, resulting in over $100 million in intended loss,” said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Our office is committed to holding these criminals accountable and protecting our communities as cybercrime becomes an ever more prominent threat. I also want to thank our prosecutors and investigative partners for their terrific work on this complex case.”
“This investigation is a prime example of the Secret Service’s investigative mission; to protect the U.S. financial infrastructure by pursuing counterfeit and financial crimes investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miller of the Secret Service Washington Field Office. “The Secret Service in alliance with state and local law enforcement is dedicated to effectively identifying those victimizing our communities and bringing them to justice.”
As reflected in court documents, from 2007 through 2019, Brovko worked closely with other cybercriminals to monetize vast troves of data that had been stolen by “botnets,” or networks of infected computers. Brovko, in particular, wrote software scripts to parse botnet logs and performed extensive manual searches of the data in order to extract easily monetized information, such as personally identifiable information and online banking credentials. Brovko also verified the validity of stolen account credentials, and even assessed whether compromised financial accounts had enough funds to make it worthwhile to attempt to use the accounts to conduct fraudulent transactions.
According to court documents, Brovko possessed and trafficked over 200,000 unauthorized access devices during the course of the conspiracy. These access devices consisted of either personally identifying information or financial account details. Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the estimated intended loss in this case has been calculated as exceeding $100 million.Senior Trial Attorney Laura Fong of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Berrang, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen Dwyer prosecuted the case. In addition, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Cybercrime Intelligence Unit of the New York County District Attorney’s Office provided critical assistance. The Department of Justice also appreciates the significant cooperation and assistance provided by authorities in the Czech Republic.
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.
Ridgeland Woman Charged with Unemployment FraudRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Judith Ann Middleton, 70, of Ridgeland, Mississippi, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with multiple violations of federal law involving unemployment insurance benefits fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and U.S. Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Shawn Wolfe.
In May 2020, it was discovered that unemployment insurance benefits from the State of Washington had been deposited into Middleton’s account. Investigation into these benefits revealed that they were deposited under other individuals’ names. The unemployment insurance benefits were federally subsidized through the CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 13, 2020, President Trump declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency, and Congress enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) into law in response to the pandemic to aid those financially affected by the outbreak. This aid included $600 of federal unemployment compensation benefits in addition to those provided by the states.
“Those who blatantly steal taxpayer money by defrauding government programs during a national emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic will soon find themselves standing in a federal court to answer for their crimes. This type of fraud particularly hurts the unemployed, but also our government, our economy, and all Americans. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to root out this fraud and protect the public from further financial harm,” said U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst.
“The United States Secret Service is investigating the release of CARES Act relief payments and associated fraudulent schemes that seek to exploit these funds. We have observed a proliferation and diversification of criminal schemes, particularly an increase in targeting various economic relief programs, such as unemployment benefits, the Payment Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) payments. The Secret Service is collaborating closely with other federal, state, and local agencies, and our financial institution partners to detect, investigate, and bring justice to criminals committing financial fraud related to COVID-19,” said Shawn Wolfe, Resident Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Jackson Resident Office.
Middleton appeared for arraignment today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson. The case has been set for trial before Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III on December 7, 2020. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan M. McCalla is prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Raeford Woman Had Initial Appearance on Wire and Mail Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raeford woman self-surrendered on charges of wire and mail fraud.
According to court documents, Tracey Cathey McNeill, Age 50, devised a scheme and artifice to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management by obtaining disability, retirement, and life insurance payments issued by those agencies for the benefit of W.R., an individual in McNeill’s care at the time of the alleged scheme. The documents allege that between April 2015 and February 2017, McNeill received over $90,000 in benefits from the agencies.
McNeill is charged with wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, and mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. She faces a maximum penalty of 240 months in prison if convicted.
Robert J. Higdon, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General and U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General are investigating the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamika Moses is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No.5:20-cr-474-D.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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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.
Plea: Man from Sinaloa Had 2+ Pounds of Heroin in CarRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A man from Mexico pleaded guilty today to driving more than one kilogram of heroin to Kansas, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Orlando Alexis Gaxiola-Guevara, 24, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. He and another man were stopped on I-70 in Logan County, Kan. Gaxiola-Guevara presented an identification that said he was from a city in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. Officers found more than one kilogram of heroin hidden in the quarter panels of the car.
Sentencing is set for January 25, 2021. He could face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. McAllister commended the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McFarlane for their work on the case.
Oregon Military Department Employee Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Government Contracting FraudRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.— a former civilian program manager for the Oregon National Guard’s Oregon Sustainment Maintenance Site (OSMS) was sentenced to federal prison today for making false statements in representing the operational status of military equipment used to maintain the U.S. Army’s war-ready posture and billing for $6 million in repairs that were never done, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.
Dominic Caputo, 49, was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said “This criminal investigation and prosecution demonstrates why misrepresenting the availability of essential equipment to the Department of Defense is a serious offense and will be punished accordingly”.
"Mr. Caputo's scheme to defraud the Department of Defense (DoD) violated the trust afforded to him by the Oregon National Guard, threatened the integrity of the DoD acquisition process, and wasted taxpayer money," said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Western Field Office. "This investigation is yet another example of our agents and law enforcement partners working together to uncover corruption and protect taxpayers' dollars entrusted to the DoD."
“Americans rightly expect that those supporting our armed forces do so with pride and integrity, not indifference and dishonesty,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “We thank all of our law enforcement and military partners for working together to bring a resolution in this case and ensure the future safety of our troops in the field,”
According to court documents, from approximately 2009 through 2014, Caputo served as the Program Manager of the Power Division of the Oregon National Guard’s OSMS at Camp Withycombe, an Oregon Military Department installation in Clackamas County. OSMS supports readiness and training of the U.S. Military by refurbishing out-of-service electronic equipment owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. In the event of an emergency or declaration of war, OSMS deploys refurbished equipment to other military bases or installations. During the time alleged in the Indictment and until 2015, OSMS was the only maintenance site in the United States capable of repairing and rebuilding certain models of electric generators and other small engines and parts in support of the federal military supply system.
In Fiscal Year 2014, Caputo billed the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) more than $675,000 for the repair and rebuilding of John Deere Diesel Engines despite the work having not been performed. More than 60 of the engines had already been repaired and billed to CECOM in prior fiscal years. For those engines, Caputo directed Power Division employees to remove and replace original serial numbers and identifying engine plates from the engines to conceal the duplicate billing.
In June 2014, Caputo willingly and knowingly prepared a work order and run test data indicating that the falsified repair work on an engine had been performed. Caputo submitted this false information to CECOM. Caputo’s employment with OSMS was terminated in November 2014 when his fraud was revealed. Despite the magnitude of the monetary losses, there was no evidence that Caputo engaged in the fraudulent conduct for his own financial enrichment. The fraud perpetuated an inefficient operation, and covered for defendant’s own ineffective management.
In September 2018 a federal grand jury in Portland returned a 5-count indictment charging Caputo with multiple instances of making false statements in representing the operational status of military equipment used to maintain a war-ready posture. On January 9, 2020, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false and fraudulent writing.
During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut ordered Caputo to pay $2.6 million in restitution, the amount of overbillings for labor that was never performed by the Oregon National Guard employees at OSMS.
This case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command, and the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Ryan Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Marvin Keaton, 39, of Columbus, Ohio, pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine.
“Another Ohio poison peddler dealing meth in Huntington,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Keaton is the latest in a long line of Ohio drug dealers that have been convicted by my office. Out of state drug dealers are not welcome in West Virginia.”
Keaton admitted that on February 25, 2020, he met a person on the 1900 block of 12th Avenue in Huntington and sold them 10.159 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $200. On March 3, 2020, Keaton sold the same person 20.837 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $400.
Keaton faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine when sentenced on February 1, 2021.
The Huntington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Greg McVey is handling the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-00112.
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O.C.-Based Health Care Organization Agrees to Pay over $31.5 Million to Settle Claims It Overbilled Medicaid for Prescription MedicationRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Memorial Health Services, a Fountain Valley-based non-profit health care organization, has agreed to pay more than $31.5 million to resolve allegations that it overbilled Medicaid for prescription medication purchased and reimbursed under a federal drug pricing program, the Justice Department announced today.
The settlement agreement is the result of a voluntary disclosure made in October 2019 by Memorial Health, which under the name MemorialCare Health System operates Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children's and Women's Hospital, and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center.
After an internal audit, Memorial Health determined that its hospitals and pharmacies overbilled the United States and California, which jointly fund Medicaid – known in California as Medi-Cal – a program that helps lower-income people with their medical costs.
According to the settlement agreement, from December 2016 to October 2019, Memorial Health improperly charged higher “usual and customary” costs, rather than lower “actual acquisition costs,” as required under the 340B Drug Pricing Program. This federal program requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient medication to eligible health care organizations at significantly reduced prices.
The overbilling allegedly resulted from Memorial Health billing for its usual costs following a federal court’s temporary stay of the implementation of the California law requiring 340B providers to bill Medi-Cal at actual acquisition cost rates. But once a court lifted the temporary ban, Memorial Health failed to implement actual acquisition cost pricing.
“Hospitals and pharmacies that participate in the 340B Program are expected to provide low-priced drugs to vulnerable patients without overcharging the federal or state government,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “While we commend Memorial Health for making a voluntary disclosure of its overbilling, we expect health care entities that participate in the 340B Program to do so fairly, honestly and in full compliance with the law.”
“Today’s settlement was the result of Memorial Health coming forward, doing the right thing, and alerting the authorities of their error,” said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. “The money from the settlement will go back where it belongs: to California’s residents, particularly low-income families and children who rely on Medi-Cal for their healthcare coverage.”
Memorial Health ultimately overbilled the United States and California $21,021,786 and the $31.5 million settlement represents 1.5 times the alleged overbilling, the agreement states. Memorial Health has agreed to pay the United States $12,613,071.60 and California $18,919,607.40 to resolve the allegations, bringing the total settlement amount to $31,532,679.
After making its voluntary disclosure, Memorial Health cooperated with the federal and state authorities’ investigation.
The settlement was negotiated by Assistant United States Attorneys John E. Lee and Abraham C. Meltzer of the Civil Fraud Section, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General and the California Department of Justice.
The settled claims are allegations only, and Memorial Health has not admitted any wrongdoing.
Northern Florida U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal Criminal Investigators Recognized by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network at Annual Awards ProgramRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Kenneth A. Blanco hosted a virtual ceremony on October 29, 2020, to recognize the recipients of this year’s FinCEN Director’s Law Enforcement Awards which included a new category of honors, “Recognition of COVID-19 Efforts.” He also applauded the swift and tremendous efforts of law enforcement, prosecutors, financial institutions, and others to confront wide scale fraud and money laundering associated with COVID-19 pandemic.
Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Justin Keen and investigators from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General were applauded for their work in uncovering a far-reaching scheme to steal the identities of elderly Floridians for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining federal COVID-19 relief funds. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, made the announcement.
“I couldn’t be prouder of AUSA Keen and our partners at IRS-Criminal Investigations, the FBI and the SBA,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “Protecting senior citizens from financial predators is a top priority for the Department of Justice, and this team used every tool available to ensure they left no stone unturned. We appreciate the work of the dedicated professionals at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for making this vital financial intelligence available to our investigators and prosecutors.”
The mission of the FinCEN is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use, combat money laundering and its related crimes including terrorism, and promote national security through the strategic use of financial authorities and the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence. FinCEN serves the interests of the financial, law enforcement, and regulatory communities. FinCEN analysts provide case support to more than 165 federal, state, and local agencies, issuing approximately 6,500 intelligence reports each year. Using advanced technology and a variety of data sources, FinCEN links together various financial elements of the crime, helping federal, state and local law enforcement find the missing pieces to the criminal puzzle.
“Because of the secretive nature of many financial crime investigations, the general public may never know about all of our many successful cases; however, this award highlights the important work that we and our law enforcement partners do to thwart fraud and other crime that involves America’s financial system,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Keen. “Protecting our citizens – especially our seniors – from financial harm is an important part of our mission and would not be possible without the help of professionals at FinCEN and those who work at our local banks and credit unions.”
The Northern District of Florida case recognized by FinCEN at yesterday’s program is still being actively investigated, and is just one example of many cases that have been built with the help of financial intelligence. More information will be provided at the conclusion of the investigation.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Press Release - NDFL Recognized By FinCEN.pdfNew 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.
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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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