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Tuesday 22 September 2020
Rotterdam Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Online Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK –Randy Eignor, age 50, of Rotterdam, New York, pled guilty today to attempted online enticement of a minor.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his guilty plea, Eignor admitted that he attempted to entice and coerce an individual, whom he believed to be a 12-year-old girl, to engage in sex. After days of exchanging sexually explicit text messages with the person whom he believed to be a 12-year-old girl, Eignor arranged to meet her in Colonie, where Eignor was arrested by law enforcement on February 12, 2020.
As a result of his conviction, Eignor faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a term of post-release supervision of at least 5 years and up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors. Sentencing is scheduled for January 22, 2021 before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Eignor will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of state and local law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, the Colonie Police Department, and the Rotterdam Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Recidivist Felon Sentenced to 17 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Jeffery Lee Davis, 58, of Trenton, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute more than 5 grams of actual methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in Court, on July 6, 2017, agents with the 28th Judicial District Drug Task Force, as well as deputies with Gibson Co. Sheriff's Office, were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on the defendant, Jeffery Lee Davis, at his home in Trenton, Tennessee.
Prior to entering Davis's home, an agent observed Davis sitting at a desk weighing methamphetamine on a set of digital scales. Also in plain view were two clear plastic bags containing approximately 13 grams of methamphetamine. Law enforcement entered the home and took Davis into custody. While searching Davis, agents found another clear plastic bag containing 14 grams of methamphetamine. Davis later admitted that the drugs were his and this offense was his "third-strike."
On May 8, 2018, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Chemical Analysis Report confirming the drugs contained 27 grams of actual methamphetamine with a 98% purity level.
In January, 2020, Davis proceeded to trial where a jury convicted him of possession with the intent to distribute more than 5 grams of actual methamphetamine in violation of 21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1). In addition to the evidence concerning the July 6, 2017 incident, the government also presented evidence concerning Davis's sale of methamphetamine to an individual at his home on February 28, 2017. Testifying in his own defense, Davis attempted to place the blame on other individuals for his conduct on
July 6 and February 28, 2017. The jury rejected Davis's claims and returned a guilty verdict against him.
Davis has an extensive criminal history, including four prior felony convictions involving the manufacturing and/or distribution of methamphetamine, as well as convictions for assault and burglary.
On September 18, 2020, Chief U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Davis to 210 months imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release. Chief Judge Anderson also found that Davis obstructed justice in this case by testifying falsely at trial, and that he used his residence for the purpose of storing and distributing methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Davis is a recidivist drug offender who was destroying this rural community by his sale of highly potent and poisonous drugs, and despite his refusal to accept responsibility, his prior felony convictions have finally caught up with him. This sentence removing him from the community for 17 years is just punishment for the countless people he has victimized with his repeated criminal conduct."
The 28th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Morrow and Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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RI Man Charged with Fraudulently Seeking $4.7 Million in Covid-19 Stimulus LoansRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Middletown, RI, man currently on federal supervised release having been previously sentenced for robbing four banks, is facing charges in federal court in Providence for allegedly filing fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $4.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was passed by Congress to assist businesses impacted by the pandemic.
It is alleged that Michael C. Moller, 41, applied for and received nearly $600,000 in PPP loans to pay employees for Fall River, MA, businesses, none of which are incorporated with the Massachusetts Secretary of State, or for which investigators could locate any tax or bank records.
According to court documents, it is alleged that Moller filed a PPP loan application in his name, and caused applications to be filed in the name of his father and his girlfriend’s brother. As a result of those bank loan applications, financial institutions provided Moller a total of $599,251 dollars in stimulus PPP loans he was not entitled to receive.
Additionally, it is alleged that Moller, alone or with family members and associates, filed eight fraudulent PPP loan applications, all in the name of his girlfriend’s son, to pay employees for a Fall River-based business for which investigators could find no records. Among the eight applications were three nearly identical ones filed with different financial institutions, each seeking $734,300 in SBA guaranteed PPP loans. None of the eleven applications allegedly filed in the name of Moller’s girlfriend’s son resulted in the disbursement of PPP loans.
Moller, arrested today by FBI and IRS- Criminal Investigation agents on a criminal complaint charging him with making false statements to influence the Small Business Administration and with bank fraud, appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond and was ordered detained.
According to court records, Moller was convicted in the District of Massachusetts in 2010 for fraud and received a sentence of twenty-four months of supervised release. During his term of supervised release, Moller was convicted of four counts of bank robbery and sentenced to 108 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release. His term of supervised release is scheduled to terminate in July 2022.
A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter is being investigated by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FDIC Office of Inspector General.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
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Prolific sextortionist sentenced to 40 yearsRead the Press Release
ATLANTA - Benjamin Jenkins has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of producing and distributing child pornography that he coerced more than 100 young girls to create.
“Jenkins exploited as many as 150 girls for his perverse satisfaction, causing unbelievable trauma to these children and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “The sheer degradation and depravity that Jenkins forced his victims to endure is unimaginable. This sentence will hopefully help these courageous victims and their families heal.”
“No sentence will ever bring back the innocence that this monster stole from hundreds of girls,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “These victims were trapped in a vicious cycle from which they could not escape. We will continue to go after these predators while educating our youth about the dangers of sextortion.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2015, Jenkins allegedly used different identities to contact girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years. To lure the girls, he would use different aliases and profiles where he would persuade them to send a sexually suggestive photo of themselves. After a girl sent him a photo, Jenkins would threaten her into sending him more photos and videos by claiming that he would post their photos online or send them to their family and friends. Jenkins instructed the girls on what body parts to show, what poses to make, and what objects to insert into their genitals and anus. If a girl did not provide him with a photo or video quickly enough, he would start a countdown clock: the girl had a certain amount of time to provide him with an image before he started posting her other images online. Jenkins further humiliated his victims by forcing them to send him videos showing them drinking their own urine or licking toilets. He also humiliated many of his victims by making them watch him masturbate.
Once a girl blocked Jenkins online, he would send her explicit photos to her parents and friends with demands that the girl resume communications with him. Jenkins also posted his victim’s nude photos and contact information online with messages for men to contact the girls directly for more photos or for sex. In total, Jenkins sextorted as many as 150 girls or more.
Benjamin Jenkins, 25, of Mableton, Georgia, was sentenced to 40 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender upon release. Jenkins was charged with nine counts of producing child pornography and three counts of distributing child pornography. He was convicted of all of these charges by a federal jury on January 16, 2020.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance from the Highland (Illinois) Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul R. Jones and L. Skye Davis, Deputy Chief of the Violent Crime & National Security Section, prosecuted the case.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Pittsburgh Man Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl and HeroinRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh has been sentenced in federal court to 21 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV, imposed the sentence on St. John Williams, age 29, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
According to information presented to the court, Williams conspired from January 2018 to June 2019, with more than 30 other individuals, many of whom were members of the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang operating in the South Side area of Pittsburgh, to distribute quantities of fentanyl and heroin. Members of the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force conducted the investigation of the DS44 gang and its drug-trafficking activity. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation. The investigation revealed that Williams was obtaining distribution quantities of fentanyl and heroin from his codefendant, Anthony Jeeter, for further distribution, and was distributing fentanyl and heroin on behalf of his coconspirator Christopher Highsmith.
Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Wilkinsburg Police Department. Other assisting agencies include the Green Tree Police Department, New York City Police Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police, Yonkers Police Department, United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Okmulgee Man Pleads Guilty to Assault of an Intimate Partner and Dating Partner in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Nathan Joe Checotah, age 26, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma entered a guilty plea to Assault of an Intimate Partner and Dating Partner in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 113(a)(8), 1151 and 1153, punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00, or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about January 15, 2020, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian Country, Nathan Joe Checotah, an Indian, did assault the person of T.G., a person who was an intimate and dating partner, by strangling and suffocating, and attempting to strangle and suffocate T.G.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Special Assistant United States Attorney David Youll represented the United States at the plea hearing.
Oil Trader Indicted in International Bribery and Money Laundering Conspiracy Involving Corrupt Payments to Ecuadorian OfficialsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York returned an indictment today against a trader at the U.S. subsidiary of a multinational oil distributor and trading company (Trading Company), for his alleged participation in a five-year international bribery and money laundering scheme involving corrupt payments to Ecuadorian officials.
Acting Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt, Acting U.S. Attorney Seth D. DuCharme for the Eastern District of New York, and Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The two-count indictment charges Javier Aguilar, 46, a citizen of Mexico and resident of the United States, with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
As alleged in court documents, including the criminal complaint that was unsealed today, between approximately 2015 and July 2020, Aguilar and others participated in a conspiracy to pay and conceal bribes to then-Ecuadorian officials, including at Empresa Publica de Hidrocarburos del Ecuador (Petroecuador) in order to obtain and retain business for Trading Company, in particular, a $300 million contract to purchase fuel oil that was awarded to a state-owned entity for the benefit of Trading Company.
To promote the bribery scheme and conceal its proceeds, Aguilar and his co-conspirators allegedly agreed to use sham consulting agreements between bribe paying intermediaries and offshore shell companies, into whose accounts Trading Company paid funds while knowing that they would be used to pay bribes to the Ecuadorian government officials.
According to the allegations, during the scheme, Aguilar and his co-conspirators caused the payment of approximately $870,000 in bribes that they had promised to then-Ecuadorian officials on behalf of Trading Company.
The charges in the indictment and in the original complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by FBI's International Corruption squad in Miami. The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Derek J. Ettinger, Jonathan P. Robell, and Clayton P. Solomon, MLARS Trial Attorneys Ann Brickley and Adam Schwartz, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark E. Bini and Andrey Spektor are prosecuting the case. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance in the investigation.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative is led by a team of dedicated prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and often with U.S. Attorney’s Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office. In 2015, the FBI formed International Corruption Squads across the country to address national and international implications of foreign corruption. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to [email protected] (link sends e-mail) or https://tips.fbi.gov/.
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.
Northern California Man Sentenced to Prison for Receipt and Distribution of over 1,000 Images of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A northern California man was sentenced today to seven years and six months in prison, to be followed by lifetime supervision, for receiving and distributing more than 1,000 images of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
Cody Nathan Patterson, 32, of northern California, resided in Henderson, Nev., at the time of the offense. In March 2020, he pleaded guilty to one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon, who sentenced Patterson today. In addition to imprisonment and supervised release, Patterson was ordered to pay $89,000 in restitution to victims. Under the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act, Patterson is also required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, between May 2013 and November 2015, Patterson distributed and received nearly 1,200 images of child pornography using Skype. In November 2015, Skype reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user — subsequently identified by investigators as Patterson — uploaded images depicting child pornography. When executing search warrants at Patterson’s residence and vehicle, law enforcement seized electronic devices. Those devices contained more than 10,000 images and videos of child pornography, some of which included sadistic and masochistic content.
The investigation was conducted by the Henderson Police Department and the FBI’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Oliva prosecuted the case.
To report child sexual abuse and exploitation, please contact the NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at https://report.cybertip.org/.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Nigerian National Sentenced for Trafficking 30 Kilograms of HeroinRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Nigerian man was sentenced today to over five years in prison for trafficking more than 30 kilograms of heroin intended for importation into the United States.
According to court documents, Edwin Anyaoku, 54, was a heroin trafficker residing in Johannesburg, South Africa. In that part of the world, heroin typically originates in Pakistan or Afghanistan, then transits the southern part of Africa before being smuggled elsewhere. In December 2017, a law enforcement confidential source (CS) negotiated to buy one kilogram of heroin from Anyaoku in exchange for $15,000. Anyaoku understood that the CS would be distributing the heroin for profit in the United States.
The one kilogram, however, was merely a test run for a larger load. And in June 2018, Anyaoku negotiated another deal with the CS, this time for a load of 29 kilograms of heroin, at a cost of $14,000 per kilogram. Anyaoku understood that the heroin would be sold in New York for more than $60,000 per kilogram. On June 19, 2018, Anyaoku and one of his associates arrived at a hotel in Johannesburg with the 29 kilograms of heroin hidden in a duffel bag and a rolling suitcase. Anyaoku was then arrested by South African authorities and detained pending extradition proceedings.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Jesse R. Fong, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh prosecuted the case.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) provided significant assistance in the investigation of this case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:18-cr-270.
New York City Man Arrested for Trafficking Drugs into VermontRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Mark Anthony Eusebio, aka “Slim,” 27, of New York City, was arrested yesterday after having been charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base, a Schedule II drug. Eusebio appeared today before the Honorable John M. Conroy, United States Magistrate Judge, and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing.
According to court records, the Vermont State Police’s Northeastern Vermont Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations began investigating Eusebio earlier this month. On September 4, 2020, Eusebio and a criminal associate distributed approximately 74 grams of cocaine base to a confidential informant at the Vermont Welcome Center in Guilford, Vermont, just off Interstate 91. On September 21, 2020, law enforcement located Eusebio operating a Toyota Rav 4 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Agents arrested Eusebio and searched his vehicle. Inside a hidden compartment, agents located a Ruger handgun and approximately 60 grams of suspected cocaine base. Hidden elsewhere in the vehicle, agents located approximately 10 grams of suspected cocaine base and 20 grams of suspected fentanyl.
If convicted, Eusebio faces a mandatory minimum of five years of imprisonment and a maximum of forty years of imprisonment on each count. The actual sentence however, would be determined by the Court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charges in the complaint are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the coordinated investigative efforts of the Vermont State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Vermont, Homeland Security Investigations in Derby Line, Homeland Security Investigations in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, and the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit.
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt. Defendant Eusebio is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.
New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Offense, Assaulting Federal Correctional OfficerRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and David J. Freed, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that SHAWN HILL, also known as “SB,” 37, of New Haven, pleaded guilty today to assaulting a federal correctional officer, and distributing heroin and crack cocaine shortly after his release from federal custody.
Pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), the guilty plea proceeding before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in the District of Connecticut occurred via videoconference.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 11, 2016, Hill was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 72 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. After his sentencing, Hill was incarcerated at USP Canaan, a high-security federal prison in Waymart, Pennsylvania. On June 30, 2017, a correctional officer located a 6-inch metal “ice pick” style weapon in Hill’s left sock. About an hour later, as prison staff attempted to put hand restraints on Hill so that Hill could be transported to the prison’s Special Housing Unit, Hill slipped his arm out of the restraints and struck a correctional officer in the head with a restraint that was still attached to one of his hands, causing injury to the correctional officer.
On September 19, 2017, a grand jury in the Middle District of Pennsylvania returned an indictment charging Hill with one count of assaulting a federal correctional officer, and one count of possessing contraband in prison.
On April 4, 2019, after he had completed his 72-month sentence, Hill was released on bond while his charges in the Middle District of Pennsylvania were pending.
On April 11, 2019, Hill was intercepted over a court-authorized wiretap during an investigation being conducted by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force and New Haven Police Department addressing drug trafficking and related acts of violence by members, former members and associates of the “Island Brothers” street gang in New Haven. The wiretap confirmed that Hill was involved in the acquisition and distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.
On July 9, 2019, a grand jury in New Haven returned a 15-count indictment charging 25 individuals with federal narcotics offenses related to the distribution of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin. Hill and another individual were added as defendants in a superseding indictment that was returned on November 25, 2019.
Hill has been detained since November 26, 2019. His case in the Middle District of Pennsylvania was subsequently transferred to the District of Connecticut for further prosecution.
Today, Hill pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (“crack”) and heroin, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of assault on a correctional officer, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of eight years. Hill also admitted that he violated the conditions of his supervised release, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
Hill is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford on December 15, 2020.
This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven Safe Streets/Gang Task Force, New Haven Police Department, Milford Police Department, Hamden Police Department, East Haven Police Department, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony E. Kaplan, Peter D. Markle and Elena L. Coronado of the District of Connecticut, and Robert J. O’Hara of the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Neosho Sex Offender Sentenced to 15 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A prior sex offender in Neosho, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.
Benjamin H. Cole, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Cole to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration, and to pay $3,000 in victim restitution. Cole will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
Cole, who was sentenced as a prior sex offender, has a prior conviction for second degree sodomy.
On Feb. 11, 2020, Cole pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography. The investigation began when law enforcement received a series of Cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2018. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Cole’s residence on Aug. 5, 2019, and seized his cell phone and a desktop computer, which both contained images and videos of child pornography.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."NDTX Charges Alleged DarkWeb Drug Trafficker Arrested in DOJ Operation DisrupTorRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice, through the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, joined Europol to announce the results of Operation DisrupTor, a coordinated international effort to disrupt opioid trafficking on the Darknet. The operation, which was conducted across the United States and Europe, demonstrates the continued partnership between JCODE and Europol against the illegal sale of drugs and other illicit goods and services.
Operation DisrupTor actions have resulted in the arrest of 179 Darknet drug traffickers and fraudulent criminals who engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services across the United States and Europe — including a 39-year-old alleged Darknet cocaine and heroin trafficker charged in the Northern District of Texas.
121 of Operation DisrupTor arrests were made in the United States, including two in Canada at the request of the United States, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Austria, and one in Sweden. A number of investigations are still ongoing to identify the individuals behind dark web accounts.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of over $6.5 million; approximately 500 kilograms of drugs worldwide (including approximately 275 kilograms of drugs in the U.S.); and 63 firearms. Darknet vendor accounts were identified and attributed to real individuals selling illicit goods on Darknet market sites such as AlphaBay, Dream, WallStreet, Nightmare, Empire, White House, DeepSea, Dark Market and others.
By leveraging complementary partnerships and surging resources across the U.S. government and Europol, Operation DisrupTor was used to significantly disrupt the online opioid trade and send a strong message that criminals operating on the Darknet are not beyond the reach of law enforcement.
“Criminals selling fentanyl on the Darknet should pay attention to Operation DisrupTor,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. “The arrest of 179 of them in seven countries—with the seizure of their drug supplies and their money as well — shows that there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace.”
The extensive operation, which lasted nine months, resulted in over dozens of federal prosecutions including:
- Aaron Brewer, 39, of Corsicana, Texas, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance in a two-count indictment returned by a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas. According to court documents, the defendant allegedly sold cocaine, heroin, and other drugs via the dark web. He allegedly accepted payment in cryptocurrency, primarily bitcoin, and then shipped the drugs to customers’ addresses through the U.S. mail and other shipping services. Following Brewer’s arrest on July 2, agents with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI Dallas Field Office seized roughly 650 grams of black tar heroin, cocaine, and OxyContin, two computers, and more than $870 in postage stamps, as well as a ledger outlining 757 drug shipments sent to 609 unique addresses between December 2019 and March 2020.
- The Los Angeles JCODE Task Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, successfully dismantled a drug trafficking organization that used online monikers such as “Stealthgod” to sell methamphetamine and MDMA on multiple Darknet marketplaces. Investigators have linked the crew to more than 18,000 illicit drug sales to customers in at least 35 states and numerous countries around the world. During law enforcement actions in Southern California earlier this year, members of JCODE arrested five defendants and seized approximately 120 pounds of methamphetamine, seven kilograms of MDMA and five firearms. Two of the five – Teresa McGrath, 34, of Sunland-Tujunga, and Mark Chavez, 41, of downtown Los Angeles – have since pleaded guilty to narcotics-trafficking and other offenses, and each faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. As the investigation continued, the Los Angeles JCODE Task Force made additional seizures, including $1.6 million in cryptocurrency, 11 pounds of methamphetamine and 14 pounds of pills pressed with methamphetamine. Andres Bermudez, 37, of Palmdale, California, who allegedly was a main supplier of methamphetamine to the “Stealthgod” crew, was charged last week with a narcotics-trafficking offense that carry a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. He is considered a fugitive.
- Arden McCann, 32, of Quebec, Canada, was charged with conspiring to import drugs into the United States and money laundering conspiracy, in a four-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Atlanta, Georgia. According to court documents, the defendant is alleged to have imported alprazolam, fentanyl, U-47700, and fentanyl analogues such as carfentanil, furanyl fentanyl, 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, acryl fentanyl, and methoxyacetyl fentanyl into the United States from Canada and China. The superseding indictment alleges that fentanyl analogues the defendant imported into the United States resulted in a non-fatal overdose in April 2016, and fentanyl the defendant imported into the United States resulted in an overdose death in December 2016.
- Khlari Sirotkin, 36, of Colorado; Kelly Stephens, 32, of Colorado; Sean Deaver, 36, of Nevada; Abby Jones, 37, of Nevada; and Sasha Sirotkin, 32, of California, were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, in a 21-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to court documents, the defendants are alleged to be members of one of the most prolific online drug trafficking organizations in the United States and allegedly specialized in the manufacturing and distribution of more than one million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and laundered approximately $2.8 million over the course of the conspiracy. The pressed fentanyl pills, along with heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, were shipped to the Southern District of Ohio and throughout the country. FBI, DEA, FDA, HSI and USPIS agents seized 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl; 5,095 pressed xanax; 50 suboxone; 16.5 grams of cocaine; 37 grams of crystal meth; 12 grams of black tar heroin; an industrial pill press; 5,908 pounds of dried marijuana with an estimated street value of $9 million; $80,191 in cash, 10 firearms and one pound of fentanyl.
- The FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, successfully thwarted a firebomb attack plot involving explosives, firearms, the Darknet, prescription opioid trafficking, cryptocurrency, and sophisticated money laundering. William Anderson Burgamy, 33, of Hanover, Maryland, and Hyrum T. Wilson, 41, of Auburn, Nebraska, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to charges related to a conspiracy to use explosives to firebomb and destroy a competitor pharmacy in Nebraska. Burgamy, who is not a pharmacist, operated as the Darknet vendor NeverPressedRX (NPRX) since at least August 2019. Wilson, who was a licensed pharmacist, illegally mailed to Burgamy over 19,000 dosage units of prescription medications, including opioids, from his pharmacy in Nebraska. Burgamy illegally sold prescription drugs through his Darknet vendor account to customers nationwide, and claimed at one point that he made nearly $1 million total. Burgamy and Wilson agreed that Burgamy and another individual would carry multiple firearms during the attack operation and use explosives, specifically Molotov cocktails enhanced with Styrofoam as a thickening agent, to burn the victim pharmacy down in furtherance of their drug trafficking scheme. Law enforcement agents seized thousands of opioid pills, eight unsecured firearms, including two loaded AR-15 assault rifles with high capacity magazines, and over $19,000 cash. Prior to Burgamy’s arrest in April 2020, which uncovered and thwarted the firebombing plot, Burgamy and Wilson fully intended on the attack occurring after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
An indictment and criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Operation DisrupTor was a collaborative initiative across JCODE members, including the Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Department of Defense (DOD). Local, state and other federal agencies also contributed to Operation DisrupTor investigations. The investigations leading to Operation DisrupTor were significantly aided by essential support and coordination by the Department of Justice’s multi-agency Special Operations Division, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, and Organized Crime and Gang Section, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the National Cyber Joint Investigative Task Force (NCJITF), Europol and its Dark Web team and international partners Eurojust, Austrian Federal Investigation Bureau (Bundeskriminalamt), Cyprus Police (Αστυνομία Κύπρου), German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Portuguese Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária), Dutch Police (Politie), Swedish Police (Polisen), the British National Crime Agency, Australia's Western Australia Police Force and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Federal prosecutions are being conducted in more than 20 Federal districts, including: the Central District of California, the Eastern District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the District of Colorado, the District of Columbia, the District of Connecticut, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the District of Hawaii, the Western District of Missouri, the District of New Jersey, the Western District of North Carolina, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, District of Oregon, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Virginia, the District of the Virgin Islands and the Western District of Washington.
JCODE is an FBI-led Department of Justice initiative, which works closely with the DEA-led, multi-agency, Special Operations Division to support, coordinate and de-conflict investigations targeting for disruption and dismantlement of the online sale of illegal drugs, especially fentanyl and other opioids. Additionally, JCODE targets the trafficking of weapons and other illicit goods and services on the internet. Operation DisrupTor illustrates the investigative power of federal and international partnerships to combat the borderless nature of online criminal activity.
Photos of seizures can be obtained by clicking here, relevant court documents can be obtained by clicking here, and graphic can be downloaded here.
- Aaron Brewer, 39, of Corsicana, Texas, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance in a two-count indictment returned by a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas. According to court documents, the defendant allegedly sold cocaine, heroin, and other drugs via the dark web. He allegedly accepted payment in cryptocurrency, primarily bitcoin, and then shipped the drugs to customers’ addresses through the U.S. mail and other shipping services. Following Brewer’s arrest on July 2, agents with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI Dallas Field Office seized roughly 650 grams of black tar heroin, cocaine, and OxyContin, two computers, and more than $870 in postage stamps, as well as a ledger outlining 757 drug shipments sent to 609 unique addresses between December 2019 and March 2020.
Muskogee Man Pleads Guilty to Child Neglect in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Brandon Edward Bridges, age 24, of Muskogee, Oklahoma entered a guilty plea to Child Neglect In Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1151, 1153 and Title 21, Oklahoma Statutes, Section 843.5(C), punishable by not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $5,000.00, or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about December 7, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Indian Country, the defendant, Brandon Edward Bridges, an Indian, did willfully and maliciously fail and omit to provide JS1, JS2, JS3, AS, BB1, and BB2, adequate food, clothing, shelter, sanitation and hygiene and appropriate care and supervision and failed to protect JS1, JS2, JS3, AS, BB1, and BB2 from exposure to the use and possession of illegal drugs and illegal activities all while BRANDON EDWARD BRIDGES was responsible for the health, safety and welfare of JS1, JS2, JS3, AS, BB1, and BB2, children under the age of eighteen.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States at the plea hearing.
Middlesex County Man Admits Role in Heroin Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
TRENTON, N.J. – A Middlesex County, New Jersey, man today admitted that he conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin as part of a conspiracy responsible for distributing significant quantities of heroin and cocaine in the Bayshore area of Monmouth and Middlesex counties, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Daniel McHugh, 50, of Sayreville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti via videoconference to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. McHugh also admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and possessing with intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine.
Today’s guilty plea follows a coordinated takedown in November 2018 of 15 defendants charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. To date, 13 defendants have pleaded guilty, including supplier Gregory Gillens and lead defendant Guy Jackson. Gillens was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2020, to 10 years in prison. Jackson is awaiting sentencing.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From May 2017 to November 2018, McHugh and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated in the Raritan Bayshore region of Middlesex and northern Monmouth counties. Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court-authorized wiretap orders, controlled purchases of heroin and cocaine, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement learned that McHugh regularly obtained heroin and cocaine for further distribution from Jackson. Some of the heroin distributed by the conspiracy contained fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid.
On the date of his arrest, McHugh gave consent to search his residence. During that search, law enforcement recovered quantities of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine intended for further distribution.
The heroin conspiracy count to which McHugh pleaded guilty carries a statutory mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited Special Agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, Jersey Shore Gang and Criminal Organization Task Force (including representatives from the Bradley Beach Police Department, Brick Police Department, Howell Police Department, Marlboro Police Department, Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, Toms River Police Department, and Union Beach Police Department) under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr.; Special Agents of the FBI, Philadelphia Division, Scranton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent; the Matawan Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas J. Falco, Jr.; the Holmdel Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Mioduszewski; the Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Burton; the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni; the Old Bridge Police Department, under the direction of Chief William A. Volkert; the Keansburg Police Department, under the direction of Chief James K. Pigott; the Hazlet Police Department, under the direction of Chief Philip Meehan; and the Aberdeen Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard A. Derechailo, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elisa T. Wiygul of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton.
The charges and allegations against the two remaining defendants are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Meth Dealing and Firearm Possession Lands Oklahoma City Woman in Federal Prison for a Quarter of a CenturyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – CRYSTAL LEANN RODRIGUEZ, 28, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 300 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, as well as possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.
Rodriguez was arrested on May 8, 2019, after law enforcement observed multiple drug transactions at her residence in southwest Oklahoma City. Law enforcement thereafter executed a court authorized search warrant on Rodriguez’ home. That search resulted in the seizure of more than 68 pounds of methamphetamine, more than $95,000 in cash, and thirteen firearms.
Three other individuals—Tara Humphries, Cheyenne Delodge, and Aimee Salem—were also arrested in connection with the illicit activity taking place at the residence. Public records reflect that all four women have pled guilty to both possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
At a sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick sentenced Rodriguez to 240 months in federal prison on the drug dealing count, to be followed by 60 months of imprisonment on the firearm count. Judge Wyrick also imposed five years of supervised release. In imposing Rodriguez’ sentence, Judge Wyrick noted the nature and circumstances of the offense and Rogriguez’ criminal history. Public records reflect that Rodriguez’ arrest came approximately two months after her release from state prison, where she was serving sentences for other controlled substances offenses.
Judge Wyrick has previously sentenced Delodge to 210 months of incarceration, Salem to 120 months of incarceration, and Humphries to 352 months of incarceration.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Oklahoma City Field Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David McCrary and Jason Harley prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the work of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, the Department of Justice’s signature initiatives to address and reduce drug-related criminal activity.
Reference is made to court filings for further information. To download a photo of U.S. Attorney Downing, click here.
McKeesport Man Charged with Possessing Images of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit ConductRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of McKeesport, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal law relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The one-count Indictment, returned on September 15, 2020 and unsealed today, names Joseph Teasdale, age 42, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about March 5, 2020, Teasdale possessed images depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, some of whom had not reached the age of 12.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a maximum term of lifetime supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. The defendant remains under home detention pending the resolution of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allegheny Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced for Role in Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal alien and admitted MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for serving as a getaway driver for three men associated with MS-13 who had just committed an armed robbery.
“This case is a prime example of our need for strong borders,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “After previously being deported, this admitted MS-13 gang member again illegally crossed our southern border to get back into the United States. Then, as we’ve seen so often, once back here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area he continued his criminal activity and participation in MS-13. My thanks to the dedicated anti-gang task force agents for their outstanding work on this important case.”
According to court documents, William Alexis Benavides Pena, 27, is in the United States illegally and is a member of MS-13’s Pinos Locos Salvatruchos (PLS) clique. On the morning of Aug. 18, 2017, several PLS members and associates travelled from Maryland to Herndon at the direction of the clique’s then-leader in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Some of those individuals, wearing masks and brandishing firearms, proceeded to rob a store in the 1100 block of Elden Street of approximately $19,500. Those men then entered a neighboring restaurant and kept its patrons and staff on the floor for several minutes before fleeing through the rear exit. Benavides Pena, knowing that a robbery had been committed, drove three of the armed robbers away from the scene and back to Maryland.
"This prosecution and sentencing demonstrates the combined efforts of local, state and federal agencies in disrupting and dismantling the MS13 threat in our communities," said Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division.
The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Blue Heat. The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations. 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.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Washington Field Office's Northern Virginia Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force which is composed of FBI agents, along with Task Force Officers from local, state, and federal partners throughout Northern Virginia. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious and violent gangs in Northern Virginia, to include MS13. Significant investigative assistance in this case was provided by the Herndon PD and Northern Virginia Gang Task Force.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which 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.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Robert E. Bornstein, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Maggie A. DeBoard, Town of Herndon Police Chief, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady. Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Blanchard prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-123.
Lincoln Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Joshua Clutter, 24, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln for Receipt of Child Pornography. Senior United States District Judge Richard G. Kopf sentenced Clutter to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Clutter will begin a 20-year term of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. The Court further ordered that Clutter pay restitution in the sum of $4,400 to three victims whose images were found in his collection.
On December 11, 2018, agents of Homeland Security Investigations served a federal search warrant on Clutter’s Lincoln residence. Forensic analysis revealed 465 videos of child pornography on various devices. More than 90 images included children in bondage.
During an interview, Clutter admitted downloading child pornography from age 4 and upward. He admitted to viewing child pornography for sexual gratification. Shortly after the warrant was served on his residence, Clutter went on the internet seeking to babysit young children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
Kalamazoo Man Gets 30 Months for Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that Daniel Augustine Solis, 28, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to serve 30 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for bank robbery. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker also imposed a period of supervised release of 3 years and ordered Solis to pay $7038.50, in restitution.
On February 12, 2020, Solis entered the Chase Bank located at 141 E. Michigan Avenue, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He used a demand note to rob a teller and fled with $7,038.50 in cash. A Kalamazoo Township law enforcement officer recognized Solis from the bank surveillance photo. When confronted by police, Solis confessed to robbing the bank and claimed that he just wanted to see what it felt like, and if he was successful, he might try it again.
At sentencing, Chief Judge Jonker rejected Solis’s request for leniency and the claim that the robbery was out of character for him. Judge Jonker emphasized the research and preparations that Solis made and seriousness of bank robbery.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Birge stated, “Bank robbery is not a ‘life experience.’ It is a serious violent offense, often resulting in sobering life-altering consequences for the victims. My office and our partners at the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo Township Police and at the FBI are committed to holding bank robbers accountable.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru,and investigated by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, Kalamazoo Township Police, and the FBI.
Justice Department Obtains $20,000 Settlement Against Tampa, Florida Towing Company for Unlawfully Selling Deployed Servicemember’s CarRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced that Target Recovery Towing Inc. (Target) has agreed to enter into a court-enforceable consent order to resolve allegations that it failed to obtain a legally required court order before auctioning off a car belonging to a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who was deployed overseas.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Target on Aug. 18, 2020, alleging that the auction violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Under the proposed consent order, which is still subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Target must adopt new policies, pay the Marine $17,500, and pay a $2,500 civil penalty to the United States.
The SCRA, which provides a wide variety of financial and housing protections to members of the military, prohibits towing companies from auctioning off servicemembers’ vehicles without a court order. The law places the burden on towing companies and other lienholders to determine whether the property in their possession belongs to a servicemember. The complaint alleges that several facts should have put Target on notice that the owner of this particular vehicle was a servicemember, including that the Marine's car had at least one military decal, military documents were in the car, her address of record was at a U.S. Marine Corps base, and she obtained her vehicle loan through Navy Federal Credit Union.
“This settlement should send a clear message that the Justice Department will not tolerate the illegal taking of servicemembers’ vehicles,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the department’s Civil Rights Division. “Servicemembers must be able to count on their country to protect their rights, and we are committed to doing just that.”
“I am pleased that we were able to reach a swift and effective resolution to this matter. The SCRA exists to protect the brave men and women of our Armed Forces serving overseas and minimize undue financial burdens associated with military deployments,” said Maria Chapa Lopez, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to aggressively hold accountable those businesses and institutions who are required to comply with the Act. Our brave servicemembers deserve nothing less.”
This lawsuit resulted from a referral to the Justice Department from the U.S. Marine Corps. Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/. The department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $474 million in monetary relief for over 120,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on the Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Jury Convicts Virginia Man of Distributing More than 500 Grams of Methamphetamine, Illegal Possession of Firearm at Conclusion of Three-Day Jury TrialRead the Press Release
ABINGDON, Va. – At the conclusion of a three-day jury trial, jurors sitting in U.S. District Court in Abingdon convicted Tracy Leonard Brown of federal drug and gun charges related to the defendant’s distribution of methamphetamine. Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Against in Charge of the Washington Field Office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
The jury convicted Brown, 45, on four counts—one count of possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of possessing firearms after having been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and while knowingly being an unlawful user of a controlled substance, and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to evidence presented at trial, Carroll County deputies arrested Brown on July 3, 2019, after a high-speed pursuit. Before the pursuit, Brown had been traveling north through Carroll County toward Wytheville and had been using a scout to avoid law enforcement. Searches of Brown’s person and car uncovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine, two pistols, digital scales, baggies, and roughly $3,800 in cash. The evidence also showed that Brown had sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Wytheville just weeks before the high-speed pursuit.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office; and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United State Attorneys Whit Pierce and Lena Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.
Judge sentences armed fentanyl trafficker and felon to eight years for firearms and narcotics violationsRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS, MO – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Darrise Ball to 96 months in federal prison. The 33-year-old St. Louis resident pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, and being in possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
On the evening of August 5, 2019, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detectives were patrolling in the area of Romaine Place and Hodiamont Avenue when a Nissan Rogue ran a stop sign and almost hit the detectives, who were driving an unmarked car. Detectives checked the Nissan’s license plate and learned the Nissan had been reported stolen. St. Louis officers activated their lights and sirens in an attempt to pull over the Nissan. Ball, who was driving the Nissan fled at a high rate of speed, violating traffic signs and causing people to run out of the street to avoid being hit. While turning at the intersection of Ridge and Hodiamont Avenues, the Nissan slid into a vacant lot at 6001 Ridge Avenue and came to a stop.
The front seat passenger fled from the Nissan. Ball crawled from the driver’s seat into the passenger’s seat and out of the passenger’s side door. Ball ran across a field while disobeying officers’ commands to stop. Detectives were able to catch Ball and arrest him.
The detectives searched the Nissan and discovered a 9mm Glock pistol with an extended magazine, loaded with 33 rounds, a .45 caliber Glock pistol with an extended magazine, loaded with 28 rounds, and fentanyl and cocaine packaged in multiple individually wrapped plastic bags. It was further discovered the .45 Glock pistol had been reported stolen.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jamestown Man Sentenced After Being Caught with Meth and Gun in A CarRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Jacob Graham, 19, of Jamestown, NY, who was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of actual methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua A. Violanti, who handled the case, stated that on May 7, 2019, Jamestown Police officers observed two males fighting with another male in the area of Crescent and Cheney Streets. The suspects quickly got into a silver vehicle and sped away from the scene. Detectives followed the suspect vehicle in an unmarked police car, but also requested the assistance of a marked patrol unit. The marked patrol unit initiated a traffic stop at the driveway of a residence on Lincoln Street in Jamestown.
A detective approached the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the front passenger door. Inside, the detective observed two baggies of what appeared to be methamphetamine. The front seat passenger, identified as defendant Graham, exited the vehicle and was placed under arrest. Another officer approached the driver's side door of the vehicle and had the driver exit the vehicle. The driver was also placed under arrest. A back seat passenger was detained but later released.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, investigators recovered a book bag which contained a loaded 12 gauge shotgun. The book bag also contained a digital scale with white powder residue on it and 16 rounds of 12 gauge shotgun ammunition. A records check determined that the firearm was stolen from a Federal Firearms Licensee in Hamilton, Ohio in March 2017.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Timothy Jackson; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.
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International Law Enforcement Operation Targeting Opioid Traffickers on the Darknet Results in over 170 Arrests Worldwide and the Seizure of Weapons, Drugs and over $6.5 MillionRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice, through the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team joined Europol to announce the results of Operation DisrupTor, a coordinated international effort to disrupt opioid trafficking on the Darknet. The operation, which was conducted across the United States and Europe, demonstrates the continued partnership between JCODE and Europol against the illegal sale of drugs and other illicit goods and services. Operation DisrupTor builds on the success of last year’s Operation SaboTor and the coordinated law enforcement takedown of the Wall Street Market, one of the largest illegal online markets on the dark web.
Following the Wall Street Market takedown in May 2019, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies obtained intelligence to identify Darknet drug traffickers, resulting in a series of complementary, but separate, law enforcement investigations. Operation DisrupTor actions have resulted in the arrest of 179 Darknet drug traffickers and fraudulent criminals who engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services across the United States and Europe.
This operation resulted in the seizure of over $6.5 million in both cash and virtual currencies; approximately 500 kilograms of drugs worldwide; 274 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA, and medicine containing addictive substances in the United States; and 63 firearms. Darknet vendor accounts were identified and attributed to real individuals selling illicit goods on Darknet market sites such as AlphaBay, Dream, WallStreet, Nightmare, Empire, White House, DeepSea, Dark Market and others. By leveraging complementary partnerships and surging resources across the U.S. government and Europol, Operation DisrupTor was used to significantly disrupt the online opioid trade and send a strong message that criminals operating on the Darknet are not beyond the reach of law enforcement.
Operation DisrupTor led to 121 arrests in the United States including two in Canada at the request of the United States, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Austria, and one in Sweden. A number of investigations are still ongoing to identify the individuals behind dark web accounts.
“Criminals selling fentanyl on the Darknet should pay attention to Operation DisrupTor,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. “The arrest of 179 of them in seven countries—with the seizure of their drug supplies and their money as well—shows that there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace.”
“With the spike in opioid-related overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize that today’s announcement is important and timely,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI wants to assure the American public, and the world, that we are committed to identifying Darknet drug dealers and bringing them to justice. But our work does not end with today’s announcement. The FBI, through JCODE and our partnership with Europol, continues to be actively engaged in a combined effort to disrupt the borderless, worldwide trade of illicit drugs. The FBI will continue to use all investigative techniques and tools to identify and prosecute Darknet opioid dealers, wherever they may be located.”
“The 21st century has ushered in a tidal wave of technological advances that have changed the way we live,” said DEA Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea. “But as technology has evolved, so too have the tactics of drug traffickers. Riding the wave of technological advances, criminals attempt to further hide their activities within the dark web through virtual private networks and tails, presenting new challenges to law enforcement in the enduring battle against illegal drugs. Operation DisrupTor demonstrates the ability of DEA and our partners to outpace these digital criminals in this ever-changing domain, by implementing innovative ways to identify traffickers attempting to operate anonymously and disrupt these criminal enterprises.”
“U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has played an integral role in Operation DisrupTor which has effectively removed opioids from our communities,” said ICE Acting Deputy Director Derek Benner. “It has been an honor to work alongside our domestic and international law enforcement partners and pursue bad actors hiding on the Darknet. Our trained cyber analysts and investigators have conducted undercover efforts that target dark website operators, vendors and prolific buyers of these dangerous drugs. HSI special agents employ unique investigative capabilities to trace and identify the proceeds stemming from the distribution and online sales of fentanyl and other illicit opioids. These efforts will continue to thwart a significant amount of criminal drug sale activity and deter criminals believing they can operate with anonymity on the Darknet.”
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has worked diligently for years to rid the mail of illicit drug trafficking and preserve the integrity of the mail,” said Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale. “Most importantly, these efforts provide a safe environment for postal employees and the American public. Today’s announcement serves as an outstanding example of the worldwide impact Postal Inspectors can make through our ever-growing partnerships with federal and international law enforcement agencies. On behalf of the U.S. Postal Service, we offer our sincere appreciation to all of our partners in this operation who helped protect the nation’s mail, and we pledge to never relent in our pursuit of criminals seeking to exploit the U.S. mail.”
“Law enforcement is most effective when working together, and today’s announcement sends a strong message to criminals selling or buying illicit goods on the dark web: the hidden internet is no longer hidden, and your anonymous activity is not anonymous,” said Edvardas Šileris, the Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3). “Law enforcement is committed to tracking down criminals, no matter where they operate – be it on the streets or behind a computer screen.”
The extensive operation, which lasted nine months, resulted in over dozens of federal prosecutions including:
- The Los Angeles JCODE Task Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, successfully dismantled a drug trafficking organization that used online monikers such as “Stealthgod” to sell methamphetamine and MDMA on multiple Darknet marketplaces. Investigators have linked the crew to more than 18,000 illicit drug sales to customers in at least 35 states and numerous countries around the world. During law enforcement actions in Southern California earlier this year, members of JCODE arrested five defendants and seized approximately 120 pounds of methamphetamine, seven kilograms of MDMA and five firearms. Two of the five – Teresa McGrath, 34, of Sunland-Tujunga, and Mark Chavez, 41, of downtown Los Angeles – have since pleaded guilty to narcotics-trafficking and other offenses, and each faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. As the investigation continued, the Los Angeles JCODE Task Force made additional seizures, including $1.6 million in cryptocurrency, 11 pounds of methamphetamine and 14 pounds of pills pressed with methamphetamine. Andres Bermudez, 37, of Palmdale, California, who allegedly was a main supplier of methamphetamine to the “Stealthgod” crew, was charged last week with a narcotics-trafficking offense that carry a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. He is considered a fugitive.
- Arden McCann, 32, of Quebec, Canada, was charged with conspiring to import drugs into the United States and money laundering conspiracy, in a four-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Atlanta, Georgia. According to court documents, the defendant is alleged to have imported alprazolam, fentanyl, U-47700, and fentanyl analogues such as carfentanil, furanyl fentanyl, 4-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl, acryl fentanyl, and methoxyacetyl fentanyl into the United States from Canada and China. The superseding indictment alleges that fentanyl analogues the defendant imported into the United States resulted in a non-fatal overdose in April 2016, and fentanyl the defendant imported into the United States resulted in an overdose death in December 2016.
- Khlari Sirotkin, 36, of Colorado; Kelly Stephens, 32, of Colorado; Sean Deaver, 36, of Nevada; Abby Jones, 37, of Nevada; and Sasha Sirotkin, 32, of California, were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy, in a 21-count indictment returned by a grand jury in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to court documents, the defendants are alleged to be members of one of the most prolific online drug trafficking organizations in the United States and allegedly specialized in the manufacturing and distribution of more than one million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and laundered approximately $2.8 million over the course of the conspiracy. The pressed fentanyl pills, along with heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, were shipped to the Southern District of Ohio and throughout the country. FBI, DEA, FDA, HSI and USPIS agents seized 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl; 5,095 pressed xanax; 50 suboxone; 16.5 grams of cocaine; 37 grams of crystal meth; 12 grams of black tar heroin; an industrial pill press; 5,908 pounds of dried marijuana with an estimated street value of $9 million; $80,191 in cash, 10 firearms and one pound of fentanyl.
- The FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, successfully thwarted a firebomb attack plot involving explosives, firearms, the Darknet, prescription opioid trafficking, cryptocurrency, and sophisticated money laundering. William Anderson Burgamy, 33, of Hanover, Maryland, and Hyrum T. Wilson, 41, of Auburn, Nebraska, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to charges related to a conspiracy to use explosives to firebomb and destroy a competitor pharmacy in Nebraska. Burgamy, who is not a pharmacist, operated as the Darknet vendor NeverPressedRX (NPRX) since at least August 2019. Wilson, who was a licensed pharmacist, illegally mailed to Burgamy over 19,000 dosage units of prescription medications, including opioids, from his pharmacy in Nebraska. Burgamy illegally sold prescription drugs through his Darknet vendor account to customers nationwide, and claimed at one point that he made nearly $1 million total. Burgamy and Wilson agreed that Burgamy and another individual would carry multiple firearms during the attack operation and use explosives, specifically Molotov cocktails enhanced with Styrofoam as a thickening agent, to burn the victim pharmacy down in furtherance of their drug trafficking scheme. Law enforcement agents seized thousands of opioid pills, eight unsecured firearms, including two loaded AR-15 assault rifles with high capacity magazines, and over $19,000 cash. Prior to Burgamy’s arrest in April 2020, which uncovered and thwarted the firebombing plot, Burgamy and Wilson fully intended on the attack occurring after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
- Aaron Brewer, 39, of Corsicana, Texas, was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and distribution of a controlled substance in a two-count indictment returned by a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas. According to court documents, the defendant allegedly sold cocaine, heroin, and other drugs via the dark web. He allegedly accepted payment in cryptocurrency, primarily bitcoin, and then shipped the drugs to customers’ addresses through the U.S. mail and other shipping services. Following Mr. Brewer’s arrest on July 2, agents with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI Dallas Field Office seized roughly 650 grams of black tar heroin, cocaine, and OxyContin, two computers, and more than $870 in postage stamps, as well as a ledger outlining 757 drug shipments sent to 609 unique addresses between December 2019 and March 2020.
An indictment and criminal complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Operation DisrupTor was a collaborative initiative across JCODE members, including the Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and Department of Defense (DOD). Local, state and other federal agencies also contributed to Operation DisrupTor investigations. The investigations leading to Operation DisrupTor were significantly aided by essential support and coordination by the Department of Justice’s multi-agency Special Operations Division, the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, and Organized Crime and Gang Section, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the National Cyber Joint Investigative Task Force (NCJITF), Europol and its Dark Web team and international partners Eurojust, Austrian Federal Investigation Bureau (Bundeskriminalamt), Cyprus Police (Αστυνομία Κύπρου), German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Portuguese Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária), Dutch Police (Politie), Swedish Police (Polisen), the British National Crime Agency, Australia's Western Australia Police Force and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Federal prosecutions are being conducted in more than 20 Federal districts, including: the Central District of California, the Eastern District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the District of Colorado, the District of Columbia, the District of Connecticut, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the District of Hawaii, the Western District of Missouri, the District of New Jersey, the Western District of North Carolina, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, District of Oregon, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Virginia, the District of the Virgin Islands and the Western District of Washington.
JCODE is an FBI-led Department of Justice initiative, which works closely with the DEA-led, multi-agency, Special Operations Division to support, coordinate and de-conflict investigations targeting for disruption and dismantlement of the online sale of illegal drugs, especially fentanyl and other opioids. Additionally, JCODE targets the trafficking of weapons and other illicit goods and services on the internet. Operation DisrupTor illustrates the investigative power of federal and international partnerships to combat the borderless nature of online criminal activity.
Documents related to this announcement can be viewed here.
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.
- The Los Angeles JCODE Task Force, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, successfully dismantled a drug trafficking organization that used online monikers such as “Stealthgod” to sell methamphetamine and MDMA on multiple Darknet marketplaces. Investigators have linked the crew to more than 18,000 illicit drug sales to customers in at least 35 states and numerous countries around the world. During law enforcement actions in Southern California earlier this year, members of JCODE arrested five defendants and seized approximately 120 pounds of methamphetamine, seven kilograms of MDMA and five firearms. Two of the five – Teresa McGrath, 34, of Sunland-Tujunga, and Mark Chavez, 41, of downtown Los Angeles – have since pleaded guilty to narcotics-trafficking and other offenses, and each faces a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. As the investigation continued, the Los Angeles JCODE Task Force made additional seizures, including $1.6 million in cryptocurrency, 11 pounds of methamphetamine and 14 pounds of pills pressed with methamphetamine. Andres Bermudez, 37, of Palmdale, California, who allegedly was a main supplier of methamphetamine to the “Stealthgod” crew, was charged last week with a narcotics-trafficking offense that carry a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. He is considered a fugitive.
Human Traffickers Ordered to Serve Significant Federal Prison Sentences and Pay $183,600 in RestitutionRead the Press Release
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Robert S. Tillman, age 30, of Sacramento, California, and Brandon C. Campbell, age 23, of Troy, New York, have been sentenced to significant terms of custody after their convictions on federal sex trafficking charges. Following their guilty pleas earlier this summer, United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr., sentenced Tillman to 15 years and Campbell to 7.5 years in federal prison, to be followed by lengthy terms of court supervision after they are released. Judge Mendoza also ordered Tillman and Campbell to pay a total of $163,200 in restitution ($81,600 per victim) to two victims in this case. Tillman was ordered to pay an additional $20,400 to another victim. The restitution awards represent the income that Tillman and Campbell gained by forcing and coercing their victims to engage in commercial sex acts, sometimes under the threat of a firearm that Tillman carried.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Tillman and Campbell engaged in a scheme that involved pimping out at least three victims in Arizona, Utah, and eventually Wenatchee and Pasco, Washington. One of these victims was a minor. Tillman and Campbell posted online advertisements for their victims’ sexual services, and then forced their victims to engage in prostitution acts at hotel rooms throughout Eastern Washington. Sometimes they hid in the hotel rooms themselves to rob unsuspecting “johns” while brandishing a firearm or threatening violence, a practice known as “trapping” or “tricking.” Tillman used his firearm to threaten victims if they did not follow his specific instructions, and Campbell guarded the doors to the hotel rooms and posted the online advertisements for sex with the victims.
In addition to using force and threats of force to ensure compliance, Tillman and Campbell also made victims take methamphetamine so they could stay awake while they engaged in as many as ten commercial sex encounters in a day, sometimes for seven days a week. Tillman and Campbell kept the money that their victims were forced to earn at their direction; in only a few months, they profited more than a hundred thousand dollars. Judge Mendoza ordered them to pay their victims back the actual value of the commercial sex acts they forced the victims to perform. As Judge Mendoza noted, Tillman and Campbell’s conduct was incredibly damaging to their victims – physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it cannot be tolerated in a just society. Judge Mendoza’s sentence sends a clear message not only to the traffickers themselves, but also to potential customers who seek out children or adults for sex online. These victims are human beings who have been threatened, beaten, and coerced at the point of a gun to engage in commercial sex acts. It is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office to protect all women and girls from sexual exploitation. Human traffickers in Eastern Washington should know that federal agents are actively looking for them and are waiting for them in every online forum from Craigslist to SkipTheGames. We are deeply committed to investigating, prosecuting, and stopping sex trafficking to the fullest extent possible. I commend the outstanding investigative efforts by the Yakima Office of HSI, and I thank the Support, Advocacy, and Resource Center in Richland for their unwavering support of victims.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States 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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:
· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and
· Community awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case was investigated by the Yakima Office of HSI, and Special Agent Daina Nunez. This case was prosecuted by Meghan McCalla and David M. Herzog, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington. Victim services were provided by Desiree Reynolds at the Support Advocacy Resource Center (“SARC”) in Richland, Washington.
Honduran National Indicted for Possession of Fraudulent Immigration DocumentsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that DANIEL IGNACIO MEJIA-CASTILLO (MEJIA), age 31, a citizen of the Honduras, was charged on September 18, 2020 in a one-count indictment for possession of fraudulent immigration documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. ' 1546(a).
According to the indictment, MEJIA was charged with possessing a counterfeit Permanent Resident card that was not assigned to him by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
MEJIA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, two years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro George Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
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Harrisburg Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ Imprisonment for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Robert L. Hayes, Sr., age 74, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on September 21, 2020 to 10 years’ imprisonment followed by 15 years of supervised release by Chief U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones III, on child exploitation charges.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Hayes possessed images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12 years old on October 16, 2018 and November 20, 2018, in Harrisburg. Hayes was on federal Supervised Release following a prison term after pleading guilty to a similar federal child exploitation offense in 2007.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
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Fort Washington Felon Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Heroin Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Garrick Richardson, age 50, of Fort Washington Maryland, today to 151 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a heroin distribution conspiracy during which Richardson was aware that more than a kilogram of heroin would be possessed for distribution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
According to Richardson’s guilty plea, during the week of November 17, 2019, a DEA confidential source engaged in a series of conversations with Richardson’s co-conspirator regarding the purchase of a kilogram of heroin, finally agreeing on a purchase price. Richardson agreed to work with the co-conspirator to acquire the heroin and to distribute it to the purchaser.
As detailed in the plea agreement, on November 26, 2019, the confidential source agreed to meet the co-conspirator at a hotel in Clinton, Maryland. The source got into the co-conspirator’s vehicle and after the co-conspirator placed multiple calls to arrange for the delivery of the drugs, Richardson got into the back seat of the co-conspirator’s vehicle with a brick-like object wrapped in aluminum foil. Richardson cut a piece of the heroin off for the co-conspirator and source to examine. The source then exited the vehicle, notifying DEA agents that there was a kilogram of heroin in the vehicle.
Richardson admitted that when DEA agents attempted to detain him and the co-conspirator, they fled in the co-conspirator’s vehicle. However, the co-conspirator crashed the vehicle and he and Richardson fled into the nearby woods. Law enforcement located and arrested Richardson and found the heroin near where the co-conspirator had fled.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney LaRai N. Everett, who is prosecuting the case.
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Forsyth Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A prior sex offender in Forsyth, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court today for receiving and distributing child pornography.
Timothy Wayne Carnelison Jr., 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Carnelison to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Carnelison will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
Carnelison, who was sentenced as a prior sex offender, has two prior convictions for statutory sodomy in the first degree and a prior conviction for child molestation.
On Feb. 20, 2020, Carnelison pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography.
The investigation began when Google initiated a CyberTip with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after locating files of suspected child pornography in Carnelison’s Google Photo application. Investigators confirmed the child pornography and, on Sept. 24, 2019, executed a search warrant at Carnelison’s residence. They found images of child pornography on his cell phone.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southwest Missouri Cybercrime Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."Former Xerox Employee Going to Prison for the Rest of His Life for Credit Union Robbery and MurderRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Richard Leon Wilbern, 60, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted by a federal jury of the August 12, 2003, armed robbery of the Xerox Federal Credit Union which resulted in the death of Raymond Batzel, was sentenced to serve life in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
“After 17 years, and thanks to the tireless and relentless dedication of our federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals, a cold-blooded murderer has finally been held accountable and the family of his victim has finally received some measure of justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Notwithstanding the current widespread effort to demonize our Nation’s law enforcers, both their shortcomings and the virtues are but a reflection of their humanity. Fortunately, their virtues routinely outweigh their shortcomings, and in this case, the compassion and commitment exhibited by our law enforcers helped to deliver our community’s best—and last—hope for justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas E. Gregory and Joel L. Violanti, who handled the prosecution of the case, stated that on August 12, 2003 at approximately 9:45 a.m., the defendant walked into Xerox Federal Credit Union (XFCU), located on the Xerox Corporation campus at 800 Phillips Road in Webster, NY. Wilbern was wearing a dark blue nylon jacket with the letters “FBI” written in yellow on the back of the jacket, sunglasses and a poorly fitting wig. The defendant was also carrying a large briefcase, a green and gray-colored umbrella and had what appeared to be a United States Marshals badge hanging on a chain around his neck.
Wilbern went into the cubicle of a female employee and told the employee that he was there to conduct a security assessment and to “stage” a robbery. The defendant subsequently removed two firearms from the briefcase, one described as a handgun, the other a sawed-off shot gun or sawed-off rifle. Wilbern also removed a bag and instructed the employee to fill the bag with money from behind the teller counter. The employee complied with the demands.
Shortly after, the defendant ordered employees and customers to lay down on the floor. While doing so, Wilbern confronted a customer Raymond Batzel who had just finished a banking transaction with the teller. After a very brief verbal altercation, the defendant shot Batzel in the neck which resulted in his death. As Wilbern shot Batzel, a second customer, Joseph Doud, entered the credit union and attempted to turn and run back outside after witnessing the shooting. The defendant shot and wounded the customer in the back as he fled. After shooting the two customers, Wilbern returned to the teller counter area and, while holding the firearm in the air, told credit union employees to fill the bag with cash. The defendant then took the money and fled the credit union leaving behind the umbrella.
In the aftermath of the robbery/homicide at the Xerox Federal Credit Union, the Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory attempted to obtain DNA samples from the green and gray umbrella which was left behind by Wilbern. Two sets of swabs were taken from various locations on the umbrella, including the “external wrap around closure and button”, the “lower latch mechanism”, the “metal shaft and upper latch mechanism” and an “internal strap.” One set of swabs was tested for the presence of DNA while the second set was allowed to dry, packaged and appropriately stored at the lab for future testing. Based upon the technology available at the time, insufficient amounts of DNA were located on the first set of swabs and therefore no conclusions could be drawn.
On November 15, 2011, Webster Police investigators transferred the second set of swabs from the Monroe County Public Safety Building to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in New York City. OCME had developed the expertise and facilities necessary to perform a DNA testing technique that enables testing to be performed on trace amounts of evidence. This testing technique is referred to as High Sensitivity DNA testing, also referred to as Low Template testing.
On December 28, 2011, OCME issued a report advising that they were able to recover human DNA from each of submitted swabs from the umbrella, and that two of the submitted swabs contained sufficient levels of human DNA to conduct High Sensitivity PCR DNA testing and comparison. Regarding DNA taken from the “umbrella closure wrap around”, the Medical Examiner concluded that DNA from at least two people was located, but included one major male contributor, referred to as “Male Donor A.” The DNA profile of “Male Donor A”, based on a 15 loci result, is expected to be found in only 1 in 6.80 trillion people. As for the second sample, which was taken from the “umbrella latch mechanism (lower)” of the umbrella, based on a 10 loci result, is expected to be found in in one in 138 million people. The DNA profile was placed in a local and state data base with no positive hits.
In March 2016, a press conference was held to seek new leads in the investigation. Details of the crime were released as well as photographs of Wilbern committing the robbery. Anyone with information was asked to call a dedicated hotline.
On March 27, 2016, a concerned citizen contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and indicated that the person who committed the crime was likely a former Xerox employee named Richard Wilbern. The citizen indicated that the defendant worked for Xerox prior to the robbery but had been fired. The citizen also stated that they recognized Wilbern’s face from the photos.
In July 20016, FBI agents met with Wilbern regarding a complaint he had made to the FBI regarding an alleged real estate scam. During one of their meetings, agents obtained a DNA sample from Wilbern after he licked and sealed an envelope. That envelope was sent to OCME, and after comparing the DNA profile from the envelope to the DNA profile previously developed from the umbrella, determined there was a positive match.
Wilbern was employed by Xerox between September 1996 and February 23, 2001 as which time he was terminated for repeated employment related infractions. In 2001, Wilbern filed a lawsuit against Xerox alleging that the company unlawfully discriminated against him with respect to the terms and conditions of his employment, subjected him to a hostile work environment, failed to hire him for a position for which he applied because of his race, and retaliated against him for complaining about Xerox’s discriminatory treatment. Wilbern also maintained a checking and savings accounts at the Xerox Federal Credit Union. Evidence at trial demonstrated that Wilbern was in significant financial distress from roughly 2000 – 2003, including filing for bankruptcy.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belongia; the Webster Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph P. Rieger, the New York State Police, under the direction of Acting Major Barry Chase, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Todd Baxter, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Mark Simmons, the United States Marshals Service, under the direction of Charles Salina, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of Sandra Doorley.
Former St. Thomas Student Pleads Guilty to Hoax Bomb Threat Against the University's St. Paul CampusRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of RAY GHANSHAM PERSAUD, 21, to calling in a bomb threat to the University of St. Thomas on September 17, 2019. PERSAUD entered his guilty plea this morning before Judge Eric C. Tostrud in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, on three separate occasions – April 17, 2019; August 20, 2019; and September 17, 2019 – PERSAUD, who was at the time an undergraduate student at the University of St. Thomas, called in to the University’s main switchboard and falsely stated that there was a bomb on the St. Paul campus. The three bomb threats caused substantial disruption to the University, including the evacuation of campus buildings and a child care center, re-routing of traffic on nearby streets, and a full response by the University’s Public Safety personnel. PERSAUD admitted that on the dates he called in the bomb threats he had failed to complete his homework and was unprepared for class. PERSAUD pleaded guilty to count three of the indictment, charging him with the September 17, 2019, bomb threat. At the time of sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will ask the Court to dismiss the April 17, 2019, and August 20, 2019, charges.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the St. Paul Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Docherty.
Defendant Information:
RAY GHANSHAM PERSAUD, 21
Blaine, Minn.
Convicted:
- Using an instrumentality of interstate commerce to maliciously make a threat to damage and destroy any building, by means of explosives, 1 count
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
Former Manager of Oil Trading Firm Charged in Money Laundering and Bribery SchemeRead the Press Release
An indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Javier Aguilar with conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and money laundering conspiracy for his involvement in a scheme to pay approximately $870,000 in bribes to Ecuadorian government officials in exchange their assistance to help Aguilar’s employer secure a $300 million contract for fuel oil from Ecuador’s state-owned oil company. Aguilar was previously arrested in Houston, Texas, and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
Seth D. DuCharme, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Brian C. Rabbitt, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and George L. Piro, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office (FBI), announced the charges.
As alleged in the indictment and other court documents, Aguilar worked as a manager and oil trader in Houston for a United States subsidiary of a European energy trading company (the “Trading Company”). Beginning in mid-2015 and continuing into 2020, Aguilar and others allegedly caused approximately $870,000 in bribes to be paid to Ecuadorian government officials for their assistance in obtaining and retaining business for the Trading Company. Specifically, the Trading Company paid two intermediaries $1.4 million for their efforts to secretly bribe the government officials using bank accounts located in the United States and offshore, and $870,000 of those funds were used to pay the bribes to the Ecuadorian officials. In exchange for the bribes, the Trading Company secured contracts to purchase approximately $300 million in fuel oil from Petroecuador. To conceal the proceeds of the bribery scheme, Aguilar caused fake and fraudulent consulting agreements to be executed with so-called consultants located in the United States who were actually bribe intermediaries.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Aguilar faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The government’s investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s International Corruption Unit, Miami Field Office. The is case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) and the Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Bini and Andrey Spektor, MLARS Trial Attorneys Ann Brickley and Adam Schwartz, and Fraud Section Trial Attorney Derek Ettinger are prosecuting the case.
The Defendant:
JAVIER AGUILAR
Age: 46
Houston, TexasE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 20-CR-390 (ENV)
Former Lucky Star Casinos CEO Sentenced to Serve More Than One Year in Federal Prison and Pay over $1 Million in Restitution to IRS for Not Filing Federal Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier today, BRIAN LEE FOSTER, 51, of Norman, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison for not filing his federal income tax returns for calendar years 2012 and 2013, and ordered to pay over $1 Million in restitution to the Internal revenue Service (IRS), announced Timothy J. Downing, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Foster was the CEO and Director of Gaming for the four Lucky Star Casinos until early 2014. On October 8, 2019, Foster was charged with willful failure to file a federal tax return for calendar years 2012 and 2013. According to court filings, Foster earned more than $2.4 million in gross income during those two years, but did not timely file federal income tax returns. On October 24, 2019, Foster pled guilty to willfully failing to file a federal tax return for 2012 and 2013.
United States Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell sentenced Foster today to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release. In addition, Foster was ordered to pay $1,047,241 in restitution to the IRS for taxes owed for 2012 through 2018. In imposing the sentence, Judge Mitchell noted the nature and circumstances of the offense. Foster must self-surrender to federal prison on October 26, 2020.
These charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Brown.
Reference is made to court filings for further information. To download a photo of U.S. Attorney Downing, click here.
Former Business Administrator at Westminster Presbyterian Church Indicted on Tax ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of tax fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The 16-count indictment named David Reiter, age 51, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, beginning in and around 2011, until his termination from employment in 2018, Reiter as business administrator at Westminster Presbyterian Church located in Upper St. Clair, PA, engaged in a pattern of deception and fraud by regularly embezzling and converting to his personal use funds belonging to church. The Indictment alleges that Reiter failed to pay over employment taxes and filed false personal income tax returns relating to the embezzlement, which materially underreported his personal income.
The law provides for a total sentence of not more than five years’ imprisonment for each of counts one through 11, and not more than three years for each of counts 12 through 16, a fine of $250,000, or a fine not more than the greater of twice the gross pecuniary gain to any person or twice the pecuniary loss to any person other than the defendant. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Broward County Employee Sentenced to Prison Term for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida – U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz, who sits in Ft. Lauderdale, sentenced 50-year-old Richard Allen Ellis, Jr., of Hollywood, Florida, to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes from a contractor. Ellis worked as a supervisor for the Physical Plant Operations Division of the Broward County School Board when he committed the crimes.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
According to court records, one of Ellis’ job duties at the School Board was to process work orders for repairs to the grounds of public schools in Broward County. Ellis assigned projects to contractors, ensured that they adequately performed the work, and authorized payment when the work was done. In May 2018, Ellis accepted four bribe payments totaling more than $6,000 from the representative of a contractor who had done repair work for the School Board. In exchange for the bribes, Ellis agreed to keep the repair work flowing to the contractor and to fast-track payments of the contractor’s invoices. In 2018, part of the School Board’s operating budget came from federal funds.
On July 13, 2020, Ellis pled guilty to four counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
FBI Miami investigated the case and received substantial cooperation from the School Board of Broward County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia R. Wood prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 19-cr-60369.
Florida Man Sentenced for Trafficking in Protected Water Monitor LizardsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Akbar Akram (44, Holiday) to serve a four-year term of federal probation for trafficking in protected water monitor lizards, in violation of the Lacey Act. The court also ordered Akbar to serve 90 days’ home detention and complete 288 hours of community service.
Akram had pleaded guilty on January 8, 2020.
According to the plea agreement, Akram admitted to illegally importing at least 20 live, water monitor lizards from the Philippines between January and December 2016, in violation of United States law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Treaty. To avoid detection by United States customs authorities, the lizards were placed in socks, which were sealed closed with tape, and then concealed in the back panels of audio speakers or other electronic equipment. The equipment was then shipped via commercial carriers to Akram and his associate, who resided in Massachusetts. The customs declarations accompanying the shipments identified the content as audio speakers or similar electronics. Akram further admitted that he knew the monitor lizards he received had been imported into the United States in violation of CITES and the Endangered Species Act. Upon receiving the monitor lizards, he sold some of them to customers, including customers in Colorado, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
“Wildlife trafficking is harsh and cruel. Operation Sound of Silence revealed that baby lizards were illegally collected, inhumanely packaged, and internationally trafficked with many arriving into the United States injured, sick or dead,” said Edward Grace, Assistant Director for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remains dedicated to working alongside federal and international law enforcement agencies to apprehend and bring to justice U.S. citizens who seek to profit from the exploitation of wildlife.”
Monitor lizard is the common name for lizards comprising the genus Varanus. Monitor lizard species (there are approximately 70) are characterized by elongated necks, heavy bodies, long-forked tongues, strong claws, and long tails. Monitor lizards have a vast geographical range and are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Water monitor lizards are semi-aquatic monitor lizards endemic to South and Southeastern Asia. As their name suggests, they are water dependent and easily swim long distances. This ability has allowed them to inhabit many remote islands. Some species of water monitor lizard are common and abundant in the pet trade, while others are extremely rare and are found only on specific islands. In addition to suffering increasing habitat loss due to rainforest destruction, water monitor lizards are often illegally collected from the wild and killed for various uses. They are also targeted for their popularity in the international exotic pet trade. Exotic pet traders seek water monitor lizards due to their attractive patterns, unique colors, intelligence, and rarity. The yellow-headed water monitor (Varanus cumingi), the white-headed water monitor (Varanus nuchalis), and the marbled water monitor (Varanus marmoratus), are species of large monitor lizards endemic to the Philippines.
This case is part of Operation Sound of Silence, an ongoing effort by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, in coordination with the Department of Justice, to bring to justice those involved in the illegal taking and trafficking in protected species, including water monitor lizards. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Colin P. McDonell and and Environmental Crimes Section Trial Attorneys Gary N. Donner and Erica H. Pencak.
Five-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison for Unlawful Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A five-time convicted felon was sentenced Monday to three years and four months in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and threatening his girlfriend’s life with the firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Working closely with our law enforcement partners, one of our office’s top priorities is reducing the threat of gun violence in our communities by prosecuting felons who illegally possess firearms,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “This case helps illustrate the impact that the Department of Justice seeks to achieve through Project Veronica, which is providing new resources to curb domestic and sexual violence in Nevada, including gun crimes.”
Bryson Lamar Williams, a 34 year old from Las Vegas, pleaded guilty on June 24, 2020, to one count of felon in possession of a firearm. In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Williams to three years of supervised release. Williams is prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for Attempted Grand Larceny Auto; Possession of a Controlled Substance; Attempted Possession of Stolen Property; Possession of a Firearm by an Ex-Felon; and Attempted Ownership or Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
According to court documents, on October 12, 2019, Williams entered his girlfriend’s apartment, where she lived with her two children. Williams retrieved a .40 caliber pistol he had been storing in the closet. He exited the apartment, fired several shots in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and then re-entered the residence to reload the firearm. While in the apartment, he threatened his girlfriend with the firearm, stole her phone, and stated: “If you let anyone know, or call the police then you already know what’s gonna’ happen and everyone’s gonna’ get killed.” Williams attempted to flee and, shortly afterwards, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested him.
This case resulted from an investigation by the ATF with assistance from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Clarkson prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Veronica, an initiative that the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada launched in August 2020. Project Veronica brings together law enforcement agencies, tribes, victims of domestic violence, and local and state government within Nevada to curb domestic violence and sexual violence. Project Veronica is named in honor of a local victim of domestic violence named Veronica Caldwell. In 2015, Veronica lost her life at the hands of her husband, who also shot and killed Veronica’s daughter Yvonne and her daughter’s boyfriend.
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Federal Authorities Announce More Seizures in Ongoing Effort to Combat COVID-19 Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray announced the results of the U.S. Attorney’s Office latest public legal action in its ongoing efforts to combat fraud schemes seeking to exploit the coronavirus pandemic. A warrant resulting in the seizure of $140,490.34 from a bank account has been unsealed in federal court. Law enforcement seized the funds after determining that the account was used to perpetuate COVID-19 fraud.
Reginald A. DeMatteis, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
The affidavit filed in support of the federal warrant alleges that the funds were seized as part of an investigation of a COVID-19 Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program fraud scheme. The alleged scheme implicated a bank account purportedly opened by Oscar Estala, and/or one or more other individuals in the Western District of North Carolina. As alleged in court documents, the bank account identified in the seizure warrant was used to receive approximately $149,900 in funds fraudulently obtained from the SBA, purportedly for a small business named “VR Wesson.” The funds from the SBA are intended to provide financial assistance to qualifying small businesses and individuals impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. As alleged in the unsealed affidavit, law enforcement determined that the account that received the funds was not used to fund a business or employees impacted by COVID-19. Instead, the account was used to make retail and gift card purchases.
The unsealing of the warrant adds to a list of unsealed court documents in which the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and other federal, state and local law enforcement partners, including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, have coordinated and worked closely to combat fraud related to the coronavirus, and to recover hundreds of thousands in proceeds of such fraud.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray commended the U.S. Secret Service for their work in this case. U.S. Attorney Murray also thanked financial institutions in the Western District of North Carolina for their cooperation and their efforts to detect and report COVID-19 financial fraud.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bain-Creed, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, is handling the federal warrants.
U.S. Attorney Murray also urged the public to remain alert in detecting COVID-19 fraud and to report suspicious activity to the local authorities, or by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form. Members of the public in the Western District of North Carolina are also encouraged to call 704-344-6222 to reach their local Coronavirus Fraud Coordinator at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
El Dorado Springs Woman, New Jersey Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – An El Dorado Springs, Missouri, woman and a North Plainfield, New Jersey, man were sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.
Amanda Errin Hunt, 41, and Daniel Thomas Baggott, 38, each were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Hunt and Baggott to spend the rest of their lives on supervised release following incarceration. They will be required to register as sex offenders upon their release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout their lives.
On Oct. 21, 2019, Baggott pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of the coercion and enticement of a minor. On Sept. 16, 2019, Hunt also pleaded guilty to one count of child sexual exploitation and one count of the coercion and enticement of a minor.
The investigation began when Facebook initiated a CyberTip with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on April 7, 2019. Facebook reported that Hunt and Baggott exchanged images of child pornography through Facebook Messenger. Investigators also discovered sexually explicit messages, along with shared images of child pornography, between Hunt, Baggott, and the 15-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe.”
Baggott admitted that he met Hunt and Jane Doe through PlayStation Home approximately 12 years ago. The first time he went to visit them in El Dorado Springs was approximately six or seven years ago. Baggott admitted to requesting sexually explicit images and videos of Jane Doe. He stated this started approximately a year and a half ago and it became a regular occurrence.
Hunt admitted to taking sexually explicit images of Jane Doe and asking Jane Doe to take sexually explicit images that Baggott requested. Hunt also admitted to sending Baggott the sexually explicit images of Jane Doe and engaging in the sexual chat messages in Facebook Messenger with Baggott regarding Jane Doe. Hunt advised that Baggott had come to Missouri at least once a year since 2014.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southwest Missouri Cybercrime Task Force, and the New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."Driver indicted for fleeing checkpoint in human smuggling conspiracyRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against a 50-year-old Laredoan for charges related to the smuggling of an undocumented alien and fleeing from an immigration checkpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Arturo Trevino is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien and one count of high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint. He is expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge in Laredo in the near future.
According to the criminal complaint originally filed in the case, Trevino drove his pickup truck to the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 north of Laredo on Sept. 3. Soon after, a K-9 allegedly alerted to the presence of concealed persons, according to the charges.
The complaint alleges authorities referred him to secondary inspection. However, he allegedly ignored their instruction, driving past it and back onto the interstate at a high rate of speed.
Authorities pursued the vehicle for nearly two miles as Trevino drove at speeds in excess of 75 mph, according to the charges. He allegedly drove his vehicle across the median and access road onto the grass, eventually crashing into an electric pole.
Authorities conducted a search of his pickup truck and allegedly discovered an undocumented alien from Mexico behind the driver’s seat.
If convicted, Trevino faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
BP conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Bajew is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Department of Justice and Oglala Sioux Tribe Announce New Partnership to Combat Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons and Oglala Sioux Tribe Attorney General Scott James are pleased to announce that the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), part of the U.S. Department of Justice, has awarded a three-year grant to the Oglala Sioux Tribe to combat domestic violence and other serious crimes. The Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Initiative, financed through a partnership between OVW and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, funds and trains cross-deputized tribal prosecutors in federal law and procedure and investigative strategies so they can pursue domestic or sexual violence cases in tribal court, federal court, or both.
Under this initiative, the Oglala Sioux Tribe will receive funding to hire an additional tribal prosecutor, who will also be appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of South Dakota, to prosecute domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking cases in both tribal and federal court. This new position will enable the U.S. Attorney’s Office and OST Attorney General’s Office to increase their collaborative efforts to hold violent offenders accountable and bring justice to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse living within the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“Working closely with the Oglala Sioux Tribe to protect victims and prosecute violent offenders for crimes committed on tribal land is a top priority for my office,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “This new position will help the Oglala Sioux Tribe take an even more robust approach to safeguarding domestic and sexual abuse victims and their families. We look forward to partnering with Attorney General James and his team in this critically important initiative.”
"These additional resources to combat domestic violence crimes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation were desperately needed,” said Attorney General James. “We thank the U.S. Attorney's Office for helping the tribe to acquire this grant. The Tribal Attorney General's Office looks forward to working with this new Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to hold offenders accountable and to bring justice to victims of domestic violence crimes."
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is one of only five Indian tribes in the country to receive a Tribal SAUSA award this year.
Department of Justice Marks 20th Anniversary of Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act with Comprehensive 20-Year ReportRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today marked the 20th Anniversary of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by releasing a comprehensive report detailing how RLUIPA has helped preserve the religious liberty rights of thousands of individuals and institutions.
RLUIPA, which protects the rights to use land for religious purposes without discrimination or unduly burdensome regulation, and protects the religious exercise of persons confined to institutions, was signed into law by President Clinton 20 years ago today. The report recounts the history and purpose of RLUIPA, how it has been interpreted in the courts, and the Department of Justice’s enforcement efforts, which have protected the religious liberty of people of a wide range of faiths in a broad array of settings.
Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, stated: “For more than four centuries, religious people from all over the world have sought refuge here. Often, these people did so to escape persecution by monarchs, dictators, and other despots. Then, when our ancestors established the United States of America, the Founders adopted the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and thereby preserved in law the right of all people to exercise religion. Two decades ago, the Congress extended these protections when it passed RLUIPA. The Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to enforcing RLUIPA vigorously to protect the right of all people to practice their faith and worship together.”
Some key points in the report include:
- The Department of Justice has opened 553 preliminary and full investigations under RLUIPA; filed 28 RLUIPA lawsuits; filed 53 amicus briefs and statements of interest in privately filed RLUIPA cases; and intervened in more than 65 cases to defend the constitutionality of RLUIPA.
- Under the department’s Place to Worship Initiative, launched in June 2018, the department has filed double the number of RLUIPA cases and briefs, and 60% more full investigations, compared to the department’s RLUIPA filings in an average two-year period.
- Filed cases and briefs that have protected the rights of a wide range of religious groups, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Native Americans, and others.
- The department’s land use cases frequently involve the rights of minority faiths. 55% of the department’s court filings have involved Muslims and Jews. This is consistent with the legislative history of RLUIPA, where Congress found that minority faiths were disproportionately represented in zoning disputes.
The report is attached. More information about the Place to Worship Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/crt/placetoworship. More information about the enforcement of the RLUIPA rights of prisoners and others confined to institutions is available at the Special Litigation Section RLUIPA page, https://www.justice.gov/crt/religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-act-0.
In July 2018, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the Religious Liberty Task Force. The Task Force brings together department components to coordinate their work on religious liberty litigation and policy, and to implement the Attorney General’s 2017 Religious Liberty Guidance.
Individuals who believe they have been subjected to discrimination in land use or zoning decisions may contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Hotline at (855) 281-3339 or the Civil Rights Division Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at (800) 896-7743, or through the complaint portal on the Place to Worship Initiative website. More information about RLUIPA, including questions and answers about the law and other documents, may be found at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/rluipaexplain.php.
Defendant Admits He Fired Shots in Newton Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man pleaded guilty today to an armed robbery at a convenience store in Newton, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Jorge Correa, 25, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. In his plea, Correa admitted that on Feb. 4, 2020, he and two co-defendants robbed the EZ Trip at 100 S. Main in Newton, Kan. Both Correa and another man were armed when they entered the store. Correa had a military style rifle. The clerk gave them cash, but Correa demanded more. While the clerk was getting money from her purse, Correa fired several shots that hit the ceiling, aisle displays and an ATM machine.
Co-defendant Rico Montes is set for a change of plea hearing Sept. 30. Co-defendant Jeremiah Urias is set for a change of plea hearing Sept. 28.
Correa is set for sentencing Dec. 8. He could face a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. McAllister commended the FBI, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Newton Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Denver Doctor Justin Neisler Sentenced to Twenty-Three Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Dr. Justin Neisler, age 32, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced to serve 276 months (23 years) in federal prison, followed by 10 years in supervised release for the production of child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $10,100 in assessments to the Court and into funds set up to assist victims of child exploitation crimes. Dr. Neisler appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody and was remanded at the hearing’s conclusion, to be placed in an institution designated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The Denver office of the FBI joined in this announcement.
According to the stipulated facts contained in Dr. Neisler’s plea agreement, on November 2, 2018, the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip that child pornography was being distributed by means of social media accounts, later determined to belong to Dr. Neisler. The accounts made child pornography available to others.
On March 13, 2019, agents executed a search warrant at Dr. Neisler’s residence. During the search it was determined that Dr. Neisler had child pornography on his cell phone and on various other electronic media. Dr. Neisler’s electronic devices were later reviewed by FBI forensic examiners, revealing approximately 6,600 still images and 1,725 videos of child pornography that he had obtained from online sources.
The investigation further determined that during some of Dr. Neisler’s medical examinations of young boys, he secretly video recorded them while they were undressed and without their knowledge, using a Spy Pen Camera and his iPhone. Dr. Neisler would then watch those videos at home for his own gratification. During the investigation and prosecution, the victims were identified and interviewed to make certain that no other hands-on offenses occurred. The investigation also determined that the videos made by Dr. Neisler were not distributed to others. Although it is not part of the federal prosecution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has been advised that Dr. Neisler’s Colorado medical license has been suspended and will be forfeited following his sentencing hearing.
“This sentence is wholly appropriate in light of the horrific acts committed by the one person besides a parent that a child is told to trust unquestionably,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “Our hope is that the sentence gives his victims and their parents some sense of closure and allows them to move forward with their lives.”
"I am extremely proud of the collaborative effort by the FBI Denver Child Exploitation Task Force put forth in order to ensure this defendant was brought to justice and will no longer be able to harm children again,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. “Knowing that Mr. Neisler will serve the next 23 years in federal prison, ensures there is one less predator victimizing the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community. Our community is a lot safer as a result of today’s sentencing.”
Dr. Neisler was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Davies and Alecia Riewerts. The sentence was pronounced by U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore. The case was investigated by the Denver Division of the FBI.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. Related court documents can be found on PACER. The defendant’s case number is 19-cr-150.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
D.C. Felon Pleads Guilty in Federal Court in Maryland to Illegal Possession of a “Ghost Gun” Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Martrel Rayshard Reeves, age 30, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Interim Chief Hector Velez of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“Law enforcement must be able to keep guns out of the hands of convicted criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “So-called ‘ghost guns’ circumvent the laws designed to prevent felons from possessing firearms because they have no serial numbers and do not require background checks.”
According to his plea agreement, on July 8, 2018, law enforcement executed a traffic stop on Reeves’ vehicle, a black Dodge Charger, for traffic violations. The car was occupied by Reeves and a female passenger. Reeves did not have a driver’s license or other identification and a check of his driving record revealed that his license had been suspended. Officers asked Reeves to step out of the car. Law enforcement smelled alcohol on Reeves’ breath and the odor of marijuana on his person. The vehicle was searched and law enforcement recovered a .40-caliber pistol, loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, from a black bag in the car. Reeves admitted at the scene that the firearm belonged to him, following which, he was arrested.
As detailed in Reeves’ plea agreement, the pistol was test-fired and found to function as a firearm. The gun recovered in Reeves’ car is what is known as a “ghost gun”—in that it was made from a firearm parts kit. These kits can be purchased from various kit manufacturers or secondary retailers, including Internet websites. Crucially, convicted felons, who are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition as a result of their convictions, can order such firearm kits and assemble an untraceable working gun in the privacy of their homes in as little as one hour with minimal effort.
Reeves faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has scheduled sentencing for January 5, 2021, at 9:00 a.m.
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 our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (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; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajeev R. Raghavan and Erin B. Pulice, who are prosecuting the case.
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Corona Woman Sent Back to Prison for Executing Celebrity-Based Scam Soon After Release from Custody in Prior Fraud CasesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Corona woman who recently completed a 79-month federal prison sentence stemming from a $15 million bank fraud scheme was ordered back to prison on Monday for executing a similar fraud scheme in which she lied to a victim about celebrities such as LeBron James supporting her supposed venture.
Carolyn Marie Jones, 57, was sentenced Monday afternoon to 20 months in prison by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald after she admitted violating the terms of her supervised release. Once she completes this prison stint, Jones will be on supervised release for 40 months.
At Monday’s hearing, Jones admitted that she violated the terms of her supervised release by defrauding a victim in violation of California law. While still in custody and then immediately after being placed on supervised release, Jones fraudulently obtained a $13,000 investment “through a myriad of lies, false pretenses, and material omissions,” court documents state.
According to documents filed by prosecutors, Jones purported to be a successful and well-connected denim jeans entrepreneur, claiming that numerous celebrities supported her denim brand, including the Kardashian and Jenner families, Taylor Swift, Floyd Mayweather, Chrissy Teigen, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jones also falsely claimed that LeBron James had offered her $500,000 for equity in her company.
“In the wake of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and one of his daughters, [Jones] used their deaths as a way to prop up her company and bolster her carefully-crafted image of being a well-connected entrepreneur,” the government’s sentencing memorandum states. Text messages show that Jones falsely told the victim that she was in contact with the Bryant family after the crash, consoling them, and that prior to his death, Bryant had wanted his daughters to be the “face” of her denim brand.
Jones admitted on Monday that she violated other terms of her release by failing to disclose an open line of credit, failing to disclose an open bank account, and engaging in a business involving the solicitation of funds without the express prior approval of her probation officer.
As he ordered her back to federal prison, Judge Fitzgerald told Jones: “This is the final chance.” If Jones violates any term of her supervised release again, Judge Fitzgerald said that he would give her the “harshest sentence” permitted by law.
The prison sentence completed earlier this year was the result of two cases against Jones – one involving bank loans and bankruptcy fraud, and another involving a wire fraud scheme Jones perpetrated while free on bond in the first case. Both indictments stemmed from Jones’s false portrayal of herself as a successful and well-connected denim jeans entrepreneur. Jones’s fraud schemes related to her company, DDI, sometimes known as Diamond Decisions, Inc., which sold high-end jeans under the labels Privacywear and PRVCY Premium.
Jones pleaded guilty in February 2015 to one count of bank fraud and one count of concealing assets in bankruptcy. Jones “executed not one, but two, fraud schemes of epic proportions resulting in a loss to Union Bank and numerous investors of $15,124,100,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
When she received the 79-month sentence in December 2015, Judge Fitzgerald characterized Jones as “truly a greedy, awful person.”
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service.
The cases against Jones were handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth C. Pinkel and Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Anyone who has information about Jones’s conduct or thinks they may be a victim of Jones is encouraged to contact IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office at (213) 372-4490.
Convicted Impersonator Charged with Contempt of Court/Witness Tampering and Obstruction of Justice While Pending Federal Charges of Defrauding Elderly Victims, Impersonating Federal and Territorial Officials, and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced that a federal complaint has been filed charging Yamini Potter with one count of contempt of court/witness tampering and obstruction of justice in violation of 18 U.S.C. §402 and §1512. Potter is currently charged with eighty counts of wire fraud, two counts of impersonating a federal judge, and obstruction of justice in violation of federal law and two counts of acting in assumed character and one count of grand larceny in violation of Virgin Islands law. Potter’s next court date is Thursday, September 24, 2020.
According to the affidavit filed in this case, between September 3-14, 2020, Potter violated a court order which expressly prohibited Potter from contacting the alleged victims in this case. Potter is currently in custody pending federal charges and local charges for larceny. All of his phone calls are recorded. The affidavit further alleges that Potter, while impersonating Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, called the victims in this case multiple times telling them not to testify or cooperate. He even admitted knowing there was a violation of the no contact court order.
The affidavit further alleges that Potter, pretending to be Ms. George, tells the victims not to come to court or speak with the FBI. Potter, acting as Ms. George, tells the victims Potter is dangerous because Potter committed a murder, has been in jail for murder, and describes the violence caused upon his purported victim. Potter further threatens one of the victims with murder and injury if they testify against him.
Prior court documents reveal that Potter pled guilty in 2015 to impersonating an FBI agent in violation of federal law. He was sentenced to one year in prison for that offense.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virgin Islands Police Department, and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alessandra P. Serano.
United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert encourages anyone, and especially elderly victims, who may be a victim of fraud – or of any other crime - to come forward and make a report to the FBI at (340) 777-3363. U.S. Attorney Shappert also reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely a formal charging document and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, please see: https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
Central Arkansas Drug Organization Dismantled After Arrest OperationRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK-A sweeping law-enforcement operation that involved numerous agencies and targeted members of a drug-trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of multiple kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine in central Arkansas resulted in more than a dozen arrests Tuesday morning.
The organization is alleged to be led by Britney Allen, 33, of Jacksonville. The indictment, which was returned by a Grand Jury on September 11, 2020, and unsealed today, named 20 other defendants alleged to be part of Allen’s organization. Law enforcement officers arrested 13 individuals in the early morning hours and served an arrest warrant Tuesday on one defendant already in state custody. Seven defendants are currently considered fugitives (see defendant list).
This investigation, named Operation Wagon Wheel, was the result of several law enforcement agencies, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), attacking the drug-trafficking organization on multiple fronts. During the course of the investigation, which began in 2019, the DEA utilized court-authorized wiretaps to intercept hundreds of drug-trafficking calls, primarily involving Allen. Law enforcement officers, including DEA agents and several local police departments, conducted more than 10 controlled purchases of methamphetamine or heroin. Numerous seizures following local police arrests occurred as well. More than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, and multiple ounces of heroin and cocaine have been seized, along with more than $50,000. At least eight firearms have also been recovered from the organization.
During arrest operations Tuesday morning, agents recovered several more ounces of methamphetamine and cocaine and approximately an additional $10,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
“This operation has taken 21 drug dealers off the streets of our communities,” stated Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Drugs and violence go hand in hand, and removing firearms from these offenders is a major step towards creating a safer community. We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to keep our district safe from the violence that accompanies drug trafficking.”
In addition, during the investigation officers discovered Allen was acquiring methamphetamine through the mail. The DEA and United States Postal Service identified numerous suspected drug packages being sent through the mail and recovered more than three pounds of methamphetamine.
“The Postal Inspection Service will spare no effort to disrupt criminal enterprises and present those involved for prosecution,” said Ketty Larco, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Fort Worth Division. “Postal Inspectors are committed to disrupting the activities of those who use the U.S. Mail in the course of their criminal activities. These arrests represent a commitment to safeguarding the Postal Service and its customers, and we appreciate the excellent work by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in addition to partnering federal and local agencies.”
Officers also executed search warrants at various houses alleged to be used by Allen and his associates to house and distribute drugs. The DEA coordinated with numerous local police agencies to adopt state charges into the overarching federal case. In all, the 21 defendants are named in 48 different counts.
The defendants include multiple individuals who have previously been convicted of state felonies, including prior convictions for drug trafficking or firearm possession.
“The damage caused by drugs and violence affects everyone across the nation, including here in the Eastern District of Arkansas,” DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Justin King said. “Our neighborhoods deserve to exist without fear and intimidation inflicted by violent drug gangs. The indictments and arrests of these individuals should be a warning to others who prey on the weak and defenseless through their drug trafficking and violent acts. We will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue these violent criminals and drug traffickers plaguing our communities.”
The investigation was led by the DEA, North Little Rock Police Department, and United States Postal Service, with assistance from the Sherwood Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department, Conway Police Department, Pulaski County Sherriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, Beebe Police Department, Saline County Sheriff’s Office, and the 14th Judicial Drug Task Force.
The charges in today’s unsealed indictment include conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine; distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm; and use of a phone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.
The maximum penalty for the drug charges is not less than 10 years in prison and up to life imprisonment and a $10,000,000 fine. The maximum penalty for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime is not less than five years in prison and up to life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for use of a phone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime is four years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The defendants arrested today will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia S. Harris on September 23, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. for plea and arraignment. The case, docketed as Case No. 4:20CR00267 DPM, is pending before U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky, and the trial date will be announced at plea and arraignment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chris Givens. The defendants charged include:
Britney Decore Allen, a/k/a “Big B”, 33, Jacksonville *
Shakeba Allen, 35, Jacksonville, AR *
Cojan Bailey, a/k/a “Cojan Owens”, a/k/a “Cogee”, 44, Roe %
Joshua Dean Bath, 43, Flippin %
Michael Birts, a/k/a “Lil’ Mike”, 28, Jacksonville %
Scott Nickson Cain, 46, Jacksonville *
Cassandra Chambers, 36, Stuttgart *
Brittney Craig, a/k/a/ “Brittney Dismuke”, 40, Searcy *
James Cunningham, 25, Conway &
Shane Anthony Daugherty, 44, Sherwood *
Francisco Manuel Deltoro, 27, North Little Rock *
Tavio Gustravus Garrison, 32, North Little Rock *
Marlena Hales, 36, Beebe *
Jason Patrick Jackson, 34, Searcy *
Kevin Lamont Jarrett, 24, Jacksonville %
Shameka McClain, 37, Jacksonville %
Anthony Neal Reeves, 39, Stuttgart *
Anthony Charles Rowland, a/k/a “Duck”, a/k/a “D”, 41, Jacksonville %
April Jeanette South, 31, Jacksonville *
Nichlaus Vetor, 41, Greenbrier %
Andrew David Womble, 35; North Little Rock *
* arrested Tuesday
& in state custody
% fugitive
An indictment contains only allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
Twitter:
@EDARNEWS
California Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Conspiracy Caught Transporting 10 Pounds of Meth to IowaRead the Press Release
A California man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Iowa pled guilty on September 17, 2020, in federal court in Sioux City.
Gabriel Mata-Becerra, 37, from Hayward, California, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, Mata-Becerra admitted that beginning on or about March 2019 and continuing to on or about May 2019, he and others had an agreement to distribute more than 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine. In furtherance of that agreement, on or about April 21, 2019, Mata-Becerra was traffic stopped in Wyoming and law enforcement seized approximately ten pounds of ice methamphetamine from inside an unconnected speaker box in the trunk of his vehicle. Mata-Becerra further admitted that he had acquired the methamphetamine in California and was traveling from California to Hawarden, Iowa to deliver the methamphetamine to another person.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mata-Becerra remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Mata-Becerra faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office; the Wyoming State Patrol; and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigations.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 19-4054. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.