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16 October 2020
Ex-con accused of helping destroy evidence and lying in investigation of murdered wife of Fort Stewart soldierRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: A former federal inmate has been charged with helping destroy evidence of the murder of the wife of a Fort Stewart soldier, and then lying to investigators and grand jurors in the case.
Devin Ryan, 30, of Hardeeville, S.C., has been indicted by the U.S. District Court grand jury on charges of Obstruction of Justice, Use of Fire in Commission of a Federal Felony, and False Declarations Before a Grand Jury, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The combined charges carry a possible penalty of up to 75 years in federal prison, followed by a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The investigation into the 2018 murder of the wife of a deployed Fort Stewart soldier was lengthy, detailed and complex,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “It was made even more difficult because of active, illegal efforts to impede the investigators working non-stop to find her killer.”
Stafon Jamar Davis, 28, of Savannah, recently pled guilty to Premeditated Murder and to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in the July 9, 2018 shooting death of Abree Boykin, 24, a resident of post housing at Fort Stewart Army Reservation. The indictment in which Ryan is charged states that Ryan knew Davis from their time spent in federal prison on unrelated charges. At the time of Boykin’s death, both Ryan and Davis were on federally supervised release.
According to the indictment, after killing Boykin, Davis contacted Ryan for help in “getting rid of a car,” and Ryan provided directions to a location in Hardeeville, S.C., where he met Davis. As alleged in the indictment, Ryan “did corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede investigations and proceedings of the United States Probation Office and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia of violations of federal supervised release, which were official proceedings, and did attempt to do so, by burning, altering, mutilating and destroying a 2018 Honda Accord,” and then “provided materially false testimony that obstructed, influenced and impeded the investigation.”
Davis is in custody while awaiting sentencing.
“Any attempt to hinder a criminal investigation is a very serious matter,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is particularly egregious because it was an attempt to cover up the murder of a deployed soldier’s wife. No matter how difficult it makes the investigation, we are determined to uncover it and prosecute it.”
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer G. Solari and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Darron J. Hubbard.
East Longmeadow Man Indicted with Additional Count of False Statements to Federal AgentRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment against an East Longmeadow man who was previously charged with placing an incendiary device at the entrance of a Jewish-sponsored senior health care organization. The superseding indictment adds an additional charge of lying to federal agents.
John Rathbun, 36, has been charged in a superseding indictment with a third count of false statements to a federal agent. On June 23, 2020, Rathbun was previously indicted with one count of attempting to transport or receive explosive devices in interstate or foreign commerce with the knowledge or intent that the device will be used to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, and another count of attempting to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or an explosive, any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property used in interstate or foreign commerce.
It is alleged that on April 15, 2020, Rathbun falsely stated to a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was not familiar with the location on Converse Street where the device was placed; he had not left his house in the past two weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic; and he only used the Internet to search for work, to use a dating application called Bumble and to view pornography.
The new false statement charge provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of attempting to transport or receive explosive devices in interstate or foreign commerce with the knowledge or intent that the device will be used to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of attempting to maliciously damage or destroy, by means of fire or an explosive, any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property used in interstate or foreign commerce provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Feld Division made the announcement yesterday. The investigation was led by the FBI’s Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force with valuable assistance also provided by the Longmeadow and East Longmeadow Police Departments and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office and Trial Attorney Risa Berkower of the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Dyersburg Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
Jackson, TN – Anne Taylor Davis, 28, has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison for distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, in 2019, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and officers with the Dyersburg Police Department began an investigation into a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization in Dyersburg, and Eastern Arkansas.
During the investigation, Davis sold methamphetamine to an undercover operative, and was found in possession of ice methamphetamine. Evidence revealed Davis intended to distribute more than two kilograms of methamphetamine, which was 98% pure. Davis has an extensive criminal history, including multiple convictions for theft and drug charges. On October 9, 2020, Chief United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Davis to 151 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "This sentence represents another great example of law enforcement working together to hold meth traffickers accountable. Criminal enterprises that distribute these harmful drugs into our rural communities can no longer hide. We are taking the fight to the drug trafficking organizations in order to dismantle them and remove them from our streets."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Dyersburg Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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District Election Officer on Duty for November 2020 ElectionsRead the Press Release
Harrisburg - United States Attorney David J. Freed announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Eric Pfisterer will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA Eric Pfisterer has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Freed said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Freed stated that AUSA/DEO Eric Pfisterer will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 717-221-4482.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 215-418-4000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Freed said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
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Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Release Data on Incarcerated AliensRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security released the Alien Incarceration Report for Fiscal Year 2019. The data shows that 94 percent of confirmed aliens incarcerated in Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and United States Marshals Service (USMS) facilities were unlawfully present in the United States. Additionally, the report found that nearly 70 percent of known or suspected aliens in BOP custody had been convicted of a non-immigration-related offense, and 39 percent of known or suspected aliens in USMS custody had committed a non-immigration-related offense.
In January 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, directing “the Secretary [of Homeland Security] and the Attorney General … to collect relevant data and provide quarterly reports on the following: (a) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; (b) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated as Federal pretrial detainees under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service; and (c) the immigration status of all convicted aliens incarcerated in State prisons and local detention centers throughout the United States.”
At the end of FY 2019, a total of 51,074 known or suspected aliens were in Department of Justice custody, with 27,494 known or suspected aliens in BOP facilities and 23,580 known or suspected aliens in USMS facilities. Of those 51,074 known or suspected aliens, 27,266 individuals (53.4 percent) had been confirmed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be aliens who had orders of removal or who had agreed to depart voluntarily. 18,308 individuals (35.8 percent) were still under investigation by ICE to determine alienage, 3,691 individuals (7.2 percent) were illegal aliens who were under adjudication, and 936 individuals (1.8 percent) were legal aliens who were under adjudication. 873 individuals (1.7 percent) were aliens who had been granted relief or protection from removal.
By the end of FY 2019, the USMS had directly expended $162 million to house the 23,580 known or suspected aliens remanded to their custody in state, local, and private facilities. The average cost to house noncitizens in these facilities is $88.19 per prisoner, per day.
Information Regarding Immigration Status of Aliens Incarcerated Under the Supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
At the end of FY 2019, a total of 27,494 known or suspected aliens were in BOP custody. Of those individuals, approximately 72 percent had been confirmed to be illegal aliens.
- 16,970 individuals (61.7 percent) were unauthorized aliens and had orders of removal;
- 2,797 individuals (10.2 percent) were unlawfully present and in removal proceedings;
- 6,120 individuals (22.3 percent) were under investigation to determine alienage;
- 830 individuals (3 percent) were lawfully present and in removal proceedings; and
- 777 individuals (2.8 percent) were granted relief or protection from removal.
Of the 27,494 known or suspected aliens in BOP custody, 27,125 had been convicted of an offense (369 inmates were in pretrial status). Of those 27,125 individuals:
- 13,727 individuals (51 percent) had committed drug offenses;
- 8,403 individuals (approximately 31 percent) had committed immigration offenses;
- 1,380 individuals (5.1 percent) had committed fraud;
- 1,086 individuals (4 percent) had committed weapons offenses;
- 1,007 individuals (3.7 percent) had committed racketeering and continuing criminal enterprise offenses (including murder for hire);
- 553 individuals (2 percent) had committed sex offenses; and
- 969 individuals (3.6 percent) had committed offenses including kidnapping, murder, larceny, terrorism, escape, bribery and extortion, and rape.
Information Regarding the Immigration Status of Aliens Incarcerated as Federal Pretrial Detainees
At the end of FY 2019, a total of 63,725 individuals were in USMS custody. Of those 63,725 individuals, 23,580 individuals (37 percent) were known or suspected aliens. Of those 23,580 individuals:
- 10,296 individuals (43.7 percent) were unauthorized aliens and had orders of removal;
- 894 individuals (3.8 percent) were unlawfully present and in removal proceedings;
- 12,188 individuals (51.7 percent) were under investigation to determine alienage;
- 106 individuals (0.4 percent) were lawfully present and in removal proceedings; and
- 96 individuals (0.4 percent) were granted relief or protection from removal.
Of the 23,580 known or suspected aliens in USMS custody, 22,359 were being held for reasons other than being material witnesses. Of those 22,359 individuals:
- 13,662 individuals (61 percent) had committed immigration offenses;
- 4,833 individuals (21.6 percent) had committed drug offenses;
- 1,205 individuals (5.4 percent) had violated conditions of supervision;
- 1,037 individuals (4.6 percent) had committed property offenses;
- 457 individuals (2 percent) had committed violent offenses;
- 422 individuals (1.9 percent) had committed weapons offenses; and
- 743 individuals (3.3 percent) were in USMS custody due to a writ, hold, or transfer, or an unlisted offense.
Immigration Status of All Convicted Aliens Incarcerated in State Prisons and Local Detention Centers Throughout the United States
The departments continue to progress towards establishing data collection of the immigration status of convicted aliens incarcerated in state prisons and local detention centers through the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics.
BJS annually collects aggregate numbers of noncitizens in state and federal prisons through the National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program. The most recent counts, released in April 2019, were from December 31, 2017. According to Prisoners in 2017, data from 45 states shows that an estimated 69,300 non-U.S. citizens were held in public and private state prison facilities at year-end 2017.
Department of Justice Recognizes October as Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
DETROIT – Every year the Department of Justice observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Commemorated in the United States since 1987, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month educates the public, recognizes and honors victims and survivors, and connects service providers across the country.
“Domestic violence is a crime that effects every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion or nationality,” stated United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. “The heavy emotional toll that domestic violence takes on a person can last a lifetime. We are committed to using the tools available to ensure that offenders are held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office are working on several fronts to prevent domestic violence and bring those perpetrators to justice. One way is through the use of a federal statute that prohibits individuals with domestic violence misdemeanor and felony convictions, as well as individuals subject to domestic violence protective orders, from possessing firearms. The Department as a whole charged more than 500 cases last year. However, in some states such as Michigan, the federal and state definitions of domestic violence differ requiring complex legal analysis that varies based on location of the conviction. Even with limited prosecutorial authority in domestic violence cases, the federal government remains committed to working with all of its partners to end the scourge of domestic violence. One way is by violating individuals who are on federal supervised release when they are accused of domestic violence in the state.
Some examples of these cases are:
- Derrell Hayes, a convicted felon, was on federal supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm. While on supervised release, Hayes fled the state of Michigan and was found in Texas where he had been arrested for abusing the pregnant mother of his child. Hayes was convicted of domestic abuse in Texas. Following his conviction, he was subsequently sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment to be served consecutive to his Texas sentence for violating the terms of his supervised release.
- Mohammed Karkash was on federal supervised release after being convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. While on supervised release, two different women made domestic abuse claims against him. In both cases, the women were in intimate relationships with Karkash. In both cases, Karkash violated the “no contact” orders that were issued by the courts to protect the victims in the cases. Karkash admitted to physically assaulting his then-girlfriend and was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment for the supervised release violation.
- Michael Browder, a convicted felon, was on supervised release after having served 72 months’ in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prior to his federal conviction, Browder had twelve state felony convictions for various crimes including: pistol whipping a man and assaulting his children’s mother. Twelve days following his release from federal custody in April 2019, his girlfriend flagged down a patrol car to report that Browder assaulted her. At his 2019 supervised release violation hearing, his girlfriend recanted her allegations and the court continued Browder’s supervision. In February 2020, Michigan State Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting the on-going assault of a woman in a vehicle by her male passenger. When MSP located the car, they learned from witnesses that Browder had assaulted the same woman who recanted the 2019 allegations. After a hearing on the violation, Browder was sentenced to ten months in federal prison.
- David Byford, a convicted felon, was on supervised release after being sentenced to a 48-month term of imprisonment resulting from his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to his probation officer, on April 24, 2020, Byford assaulted his wife, pushing her to the floor in the bathroom. This incident arose out of an argument because Byford had gone to a liquor store. The government moved for Byford’s detention based on his history of abusing his wife as well as the fact that his pregnant wife had obtained a Personal Protection Order against him only a few days before the April 2020 incident. Byford was sentenced to twelve months in federal prison.
Another way the Department is addressing domestic violence is through grants. The Department’s Office on Violence Against Women and Office for Victims of Crime just last month awarded nearly $4.5 million in grant funding to groups in the Eastern District of Michigan to support efforts to curb domestic violence. The grants will provide resources to local legal aid providers, victim service providers, healthcare professionals as well as tribal victim services providers.
Domestic violence tears lives apart. It causes physical, emotional and psychological trauma not only on the victim, but also on children who witness the abuse. It creates fear and can destroy families.
For more information on domestic violence or to get help, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Department of Justice Announces More Than $341 Million in Grants to Combat America’s Addiction CrisisRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced grant awards totaling more than $341 million to help fight America’s addiction crisis. Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan discussed this year's grant awards during a roundtable discussion of mental health and addiction issues led by Second Lady Karen Pence.
“The addiction crisis has taken an enormous toll on America’s families and communities, eroding public health, threatening public safety and claiming tens of thousands of lives year after year,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Through comprehensive measures taken by this administration, we have been able to curtail the opioid epidemic, but new and powerful drugs are presenting exceptional challenges that we must be prepared to meet. The Justice Department’s substantial investments in enforcement, response, and treatment will help us overcome these challenges and work towards freeing Americans from abuse and addiction.”
“If we hope to defeat an enemy as powerful, persistent and adaptable as illicit drugs, we must be at least as determined and versatile, focusing our ingenuity and resources on curbing abuse and fighting addiction,” said OJP's Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney Katharine T. Sullivan. “It was a privilege to join the Second Lady in announcing these investments, which will enable criminal justice officials and substance abuse, mental health and other medical professionals to pool their assets and bring the full weight of our public safety and treatment systems down on this epidemic that has already caused so much harm.”
Illegal drugs and illicit drug use have claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 Americans since the turn of the century. Powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl are exacting an enormous toll on families and communities, and an emergence in the use of methamphetamines and other psychostimulants is drawing drug traffickers and driving up overdose rates. Three years ago, President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency and initiated a whole-of-government approach dedicated to ending this national tragedy. The Department of Justice has invested unprecedented levels of funding in combating the addiction crisis. The awards announced today build on those earlier investments.
Funding is made available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), components of OJP.
- More than $147 million under BJA’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Abuse Site-based Program will help prosecutors develop strategies to address violent crime caused by illegal opioid distribution and abuse.
- More than $57 million will fund BJA’s Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program, which helps states, state courts, local courts and federally recognized tribal governments implement and enhance the operations of adult drug courts and veteran treatment courts. BJA also awarded more than $12 million for related training and technical assistance.
- BJA awarded more than $28 million to fund the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which enhances the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data and other scheduled chemical products through a centralized database administered by an authorized agency.
- BJA awarded $28 million to support the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program, which helps states develop and implement residential substance abuse treatment programs within state and local correctional facilities, as well as detention facilities, in which inmates are incarcerated for a time sufficient to permit substance abuse treatment.
- BJA awarded $2.6 million to fund the National Community Courts Site-based and Training and Technical Assistance Initiative, which helps community court grantees and practitioners develop effective responses to low-level and non-violent offenses.
- OJJDP awarded over $19 million across 21 jurisdictions under its Family Drug Court Program to build the capacity of state and local courts, units of local government and federally recognized tribal governments to enhance existing family drug courts or implement statewide or countywide family drug court practices. The program aims to increase collaboration with substance abuse treatment and child welfare systems to ensure the provision of treatment and other services for families that improve child, parent and family outcomes.
- More than $5 million will support OJJDP’s Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program, designed to help jurisdictions that want to establish or enhance a juvenile drug treatment court and to improve court system operations and treatment services.
- OJJDP awarded $14 million under two categories of its Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative to address opioid and other substance abuse.
- Just over $4 million was awarded to support youth mentoring organizations that have a partnership with a public or private substance abuse treatment agency to provide mentoring services for youth impacted by unlawful or addictive opioid use.
- Nearly $10 million was awarded to build mentoring program capacity in targeted regions throughout the country to support statewide or regional approaches to expanding mentoring services for youth impacted by opioids.
- Nearly $9 million will fund OJJDP’s Opioid Affected Youth Initiative, which will support states, communities, tribes and nonprofits implementing programs and strategies that identify, respond to, treat and support children, youth and families impacted by the opioid epidemic.
- Another $1 million will fund specialized training to serve families impacted by opioids as part of a larger award under OJJDP’s Child Abuse Training for Judicial and Court Personnel
- OVC will fund more than $12 million under the Enhancing Community Responses to America’s Drug Crisis: Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims Program to support direct services to children and youth who are crime victims as a result of the nation's addiction crisis; and nearly $1.5 million to one organization to support training and technical assistance for the direct services grantees.
- NIJ will fund nearly $1.5 million on Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, which will support rigorous applied research on evidence-based tools, protocols and policy efforts that will address drug traffickers, markets and related violence. It will also fund over $2.3 million for other related research.
A full list of the awards, organized under specific grant programs and listing awardees by state, is available here.
Additional information about FY 2020 grant awards from the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Award Data Page.
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Shawn Everett Daley, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Daly distributed and received computer movies depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. An examination of Daly’s digital devices and cloud storage accounts revealed the presence of thousands of movies depicting young children being sexually abused. Daly has a prior conviction in Pennsylvania for the indecent assault of two minor females. Daly’s plea agreement contains a binding sentencing provision whereby the parties agreed to a sentence of 24 years in jail to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.
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 (CEOS), 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.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 80 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Daly.
DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in Fiscal Year 2020Read the Press Release
BOISE – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
Of the more than 14,200 cases charged, sixty cases have been brought by the District of Idaho, announced U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis.
“We have a great impact on curtailing violent crime by focusing our efforts on the enforcement of federal firearm laws,” said U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. “Through our partnerships, we are ensuring that those that contribute to gun violence face appropriate charges and sentences that will protect our community.”
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law-abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Programs
A key component of Idaho’s strategy is its Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) programs. First, is the Treasure Valley Gang SAUSA program, which is based in southwestern Idaho. Second, is the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) SAUSA program.
In southwestern Idaho, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ATF are founding members of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force (Metro), a co-located task force dedicated to investigating violent offenders and criminal enterprises in the Treasure Valley. Their focus is and has been on reducing gang violence in southwestern Idaho. As a complement to this effort, the United States Attorney’s Office utilizes a Gang SAUSA. The Gang SAUSA, a federally deputized Canyon County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, is co-located in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecutes all of the gang and gun crime referrals from the Metro Task Force. The Gang SAUSA was hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org. This program has enjoyed tremendous success and is a national model. Since February 2007, 413 defendants have been indicted, convicted, and sentenced as part of the Gang SAUSA program. The 413 convictions obtained thus far have resulted in a total prison time of 22,157 months (approximately 1,846 years), representing an average prison sentence of 53.6 months (4.5 years). Federal sentences are served out of-of-state, helping to disrupt criminal networks.
Similarly, in the U.S. Attorney’s branch office in Pocatello, the EIP SAUSA prosecutes federal gun crimes among others. This SAUSA program is sponsored by the Eastern Idaho Partnership, a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho. The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent armed criminals. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts. This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 143 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. These defendants have been sentenced to 7,063 months (approximately 588 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 49.3 months (4.1 years).
The following are examples of cases prosecuted in Idaho, some of which were prosecuted through the Special AUSA programs.
Just last month on September 8, 2020, Hussein Al Hasani, 22, of Boise, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a firearm because he was a convicted felon. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boise on August 13, 2019. According to court records, on June 15, 2019, Al Hasani was in an altercation with individuals outside of a hookah bar in Nampa. During the altercation, Al Hasani discharged a firearm. Police later arrested Al Hasani and found him in possession of a .40 caliber, semi-automatic handgun. Al Hasani was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction. Al Hasani is awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for December 7, 2020, before Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Just this week on October 13, 2020, Mark Harry Thompson, 62, of Yuba City, California, pleaded guilty to dealing in firearms without a license. Court records reveal that beginning around January 2017 and continuing to June 2019, Thompson, who resided in California, would regularly travel to Idaho to purchase firearms that he would not be able to purchase in California due to differences in state laws. Thompson falsely represented that he was an Idaho resident in obtaining the firearms in Idaho. Thompson would then transport the firearms back to California and sell them to other individuals. During this period, Thompson sold in excess of one hundred firearms in California. The investigation and prosecution of unlicensed firearms dealers is an important part of enforcing federal firearms laws. Federal law establishes a system designed to prevent guns from falling into the hands of felons and others who cannot legally possess firearms. When unlicensed firearms dealers illegally sell firearms for their own profit, they put the community at risk. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to vigorously pursuing these unlicensed dealers.
Finally, on September 30, 2020, Timothy Earnest Hudson, 37, of Idaho Falls, was convicted of unlawfully possessing a firearm and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. According to court records, officers with the Idaho Falls Police Department responded to a call for a possible drug overdose at Hudson’s residence in July 2019. Officers contacted Hudson, who was on parole due to a prior felony conviction. The police officers and officers with the Idaho Department of Probation and Parole conducted a search of Hudson’s residence. They located a Ruger pistol in Hudson’s possession, which had previously been reported as stolen. Hudson was prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony conviction.
Idaho’s anti-violent crime program has enjoyed success because of the investigation and prosecution efforts at all levels of government. “Federal prosecutions of firearm crime involve collaboration between federal, tribal, state, and local agencies,” said Davis. “These partnerships promote our ability to make our community safer on a daily basis.”
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in FY20Read the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals, who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
“Removing an illegal firearm from the street can be the most dangerous thing a law-enforcement officer ever does,” said U.S. Attorney Anderson. “Our community depends on federal, state and local law-enforcement cooperation to enforce our gun laws. We are all safer when we work together.”
Of the more than 14,200 cases charged, 113 cases have been brought by the Northern District of California, announced U.S. Attorney Anderson.
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in FY20Read the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – This week, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants nation-wide with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals, who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
“The primary mission of law enforcement is to ensure that all citizens feel safe in their homes and communities. However, because of firearm related violent criminal acts, many people do not experience this fundamental sense of security,” said U.S. Attorney Strasser. “In order to keep citizens safe and ensure that violent criminals are brought to justice, the Department of Justice, our own U.S. Attorney’s office, the ATF, as well as our federal, state and local law enforcement partners will continue their relentless effort to uncover, investigate and prosecute violent criminals. Today’s announcement powerfully illustrates that cases like these can and will make a difference.”
This fiscal year the Eastern District of Louisiana charged 38 firearms cases, announced U.S. Attorney Strasser. These cases involve convicted felons in possession of a firearm. Additionally, during this same period, our office has prosecuted numerous firearm crimes that are connected to other federal violent crimes and illegal drug activities. U.S. Attorney Strasser noted, “Despite challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, our office continues in its mission to protect the people of our district and ensure that criminals who engage in firearm related offenses are brought to justice.”
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law-abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
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DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in FY20Read the Press Release
Charging Numbers Hit Five-Year High in the Southern District of Illinois, Fairview Heights, Ill. – This week, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than
14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID-19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. In the Southern District of Illinois, 93 people were charged with gun crimes – an increase of over 34 percent from last year and the district’s highest annual total over the past five years.Firearms cases have been a Department priority since November 2019, when Attorney General William
P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. The significant number of charges announced this week are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United
States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr.
“By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms.
Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S.
Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”According to statistics collected by the Justice Department, the Southern District of Illinois charged more gun-related crimes in FY2020 than it had in any of the previous five years. Out of 108 matters opened during the year, charges were filed against 93 defendants, representing 86 separate cases. Of those 93 defendants, 40 were charged with using a firearm in connection with a crime of violence or a drug trafficking offense. These cases involve defendants who have used and sometimes discharged a firearm during the commission of a robbery or a carjacking or used the firearm to further their drug distribution. A conviction for brandishing or discharging the firearm in these cases carries some of the most serious penalties under federal law, including a mandatory minimum term of 7 or 10 years and up to life imprisonment. A defendant who commits a series of these firearm offenses, such as a string of armed robberies or carjackings, will be sentenced to mandatory consecutive terms of imprisonment for each offense.
“Every day, we are working with our law enforcement partners to combat violent crime in the Metro
East and throughout Southern Illinois,” U.S. Attorney Weinhoeft said. “When a gun is involved, we can often leverage federal firearms laws to prosecute and detain some of the most dangerous criminals in this district. Many of these prosecutions are the direct result of outstanding work by the Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force, and I especially want to thank the United States Marshals
Service for their tremendous leadership and support in tracking down and apprehending these offenders.”Led by the United States Marshals Service for the Southern District of Illinois, the Great Lakes
Fugitive Task Force includes members from ATF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Illinois
Department of Corrections (IDOC), Illinois State Police (ISP), St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, Belleville Police Department, Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, and East St. Louis Police
Department. In FY20, the Task Force continued to concentrate its efforts on the most dangerous criminals in the Southern District of Illinois, arresting 60% of the district’s priority violent offenders and seizing a record high 272 firearms and over 100,000 rounds of ammunition.“It has been my great privilege to assist in assembling one of the finest fugitive task forces in the United States,” said U.S. Marshal Brad Maxwell. “The commitment by our partner agencies has shown their dedication to doing everything possible for the people of Southern Illinois. Each of our partner agencies truly has dedicated some of their finest officers, agents and deputies to ensure success.”
Twenty-three men arrested by the Task Force are currently under indictment in the Southern District of Illinois awaiting trial on felon-in-possession charges. Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories, including being a felon, an illegal alien, or an unlawful user of a controlled substance. It is also unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime, or to purchase firearms for a prohibited person. Lying on ATF Form 4473 (used to lawfully purchase a firearm) is also a federal offense.
DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in Fy20Read the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – This week, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combating gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
“Keeping our communities in East Texas safe will always be the most fundamental priority of this District, and that starts with reducing gun violence and taking firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox. “The Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue those who choose to illegally use and possess firearms.”
Of the more than 14,200 cases charged, 239 cases have been brought by the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox.
Some of those individuals indicted in the last two weeks in the Eastern District of Texas and their corresponding charges are as follows:
- Derionte Chrishaun Thomas, 24, of Beaumont, Texas, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person;
- Amber Dawn LeBlanc, 37, of Beaumont, Texas, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm;
- Antonio Daquan Epperson, 29, of Brookston, Texas, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession;
- Glenn Curtis Frazier, 51, of Honey Grove, Texas, felon in possession of a firearm;
- Austin Dee McManus, 20, of Pilot Point, Texas, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person;
- Andres Ocampo Acosta, 30, of Dallas, Texas, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- Hector Javier Castenada Rueda, 42, of Dallas, Texas, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime;
- Robert Leon Franklin, III, 38, of Gainesville, Texas, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person;
- Moniqua Dyan Kershman, 24, of Ardmore, OK, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person;
- Phillip Eugene Seese, 51, of Gainesville, Texas, felon in possession of a firearm;
- Courtney Anderson, 40, of Dallas, Texas, felon in possession of a firearm; and
- Halil Sivri, 31, of Plano, Texas, illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
DOJ Charges More Than 14,200 Defendants with Firearms-Related Crimes in Fy20Read the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – This week, the Department of Justice announced it has charged more than 14,200 defendants with firearms-related crimes during Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, despite the challenges of COVID 19 and its impact on the criminal justice process. These cases have been a Department priority since November 2019 when Attorney General William P. Barr announced his commitment to investigating, prosecuting, and combatting gun crimes as a critical part of the Department’s anti-violent crime strategy. These firearms-related charges are the result of the critical law enforcement partnership between United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, led by Acting Director Regina Lombardo, who has made firearms-related investigations a priority.
“The number one priority of government is to keep its citizens safe,” said Attorney General Barr. “By preventing firearms from falling into the hands of individuals who are prohibited from having them, we can stop violent crime before it happens. Violating federal firearms laws is a serious crime and offenders face serious consequences. The Department of Justice is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who illegally buy, sell, use, or possess firearms. Reducing gun violence requires a coordinated effort, and we could not have charged more than 14,000 individuals with firearms-related crimes without the hard work of the dedicated law enforcement professionals at the ATF, our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, and especially all of our state and local law enforcement partners.”
“Protecting the public from violent crime involving firearms is at the core of ATF’s mission,” commented ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo. “Every day the men and women of ATF pursue and investigate those who use firearms to commit violent crimes in our communities, many of whom are prohibited from possessing firearms from previous convictions. ATF, in collaboration with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation, is committed to bringing these offenders to justice for their egregious and violent criminal acts.”
“Actions have consequences, and if, for example, you have committed a felony, you often forfeit certain rights. We will enforce those consequences, including the right to possess firearms. The safety of our communities remains a top priority,” said Powell.
Of the more than 14,200 cases charged, 57 cases involving 75 defendants have been brought by the Northern District of West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Powell.
The Northern District began the 2021 fiscal year (began October 1, 2020) with more firearms cases. A grand jury sitting in Wheeling on October 7 and 8, 2020 indicted 12 individuals with firearms violations. Of those cases, five are unsealed.
- Walter S. Bernoski, 52, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was indicted on one count of “False Statement During Purchase of Firearm.” Bernoski is accused of lying on the ATF form when purchasing a 9mm pistol in Morgantown in January 2018.
- Leonadus Lowell Chaney, III, 52, of Fairmont, West Virginia, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Lowell, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior felony conviction, is accused of having a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol in Marion County in February 2020.
- Samuel Robert Loretta, 54, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was indicted on one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Loretta, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of three previous felonies, is accused of having a 6-shot revolver in Harrison County in March 2020.
- Shawn Monte Pritchard, 33, of Fairmont, West Virginia, was indicted on two counts of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Pritchard, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of three previous felonies, is accused of having a 9mm pistol and a .22 caliber rifle in October 2019 in Marion County.
- Randolph Michael Smith, 42, of Wheeling, West Virginia, was indicted on one “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Smith, a person prohibited from having a firearm because of four previous felonies, is accused of having two 9mm pistols seven 9mm caliber cartridges in May and August 2020 in Ohio County.
Under federal law, it is illegal to possess a firearm if you fall into one of nine prohibited categories including being a felon, illegal alien, or unlawful user of a controlled substance. Further, it is unlawful to possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense or violent crime. It is also illegal to purchase – or even to attempt to illegally purchase - firearms if the buyer is a prohibited person or illegally purchasing a firearm on behalf of others. Lying on ATF Form 4473, which is used to lawfully purchase a firearm, is also a federal offense. The Department is committed to prosecuting these firearms offenses as well as using all modern technologies available to law enforcement such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN, to promote gun crime intelligence. Keeping illegal firearms out of the hands of violent criminals will continue to be a priority of the Department of Justice and we will use all appropriate, available means to keep the law abiding people of this country safe from gun crime.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, please see: https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Coordinated Multi-Agency Narcotics Operation Across SoCal Nets Large Quantities of Methamphetamine, Cocaine and other Illicit DrugsRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – United States Attorney Nick Hanna in Los Angeles and United States Attorney Robert S. Brewer Jr. in San Diego today announced the results of a coordinated operation conducted over the last three months that resulted in hundreds of kilograms of dangerous narcotics being taken off the streets of Southern California.
State and federal law enforcement agencies worked together to plan and execute this operation, which culminated in a one-week coordinated surge in mid-September and resulted in the seizure of approximately 778 kilograms of methamphetamine, 268 kilograms of cocaine, 30 kilograms of fentanyl, 31 kilograms of heroin, and $281,000 in U.S. currency.
In addition to the substantial seizures, six individuals were arrested and charged with various federal drug trafficking offenses in Los Angeles, and numerous additional individuals were charged with federal drug trafficking offenses in San Diego.
The operation focused on identifying narcotics entering the United States through Southern California ports of entry and then being transported to various locations throughout Southern California for further distribution around the country. Numerous High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) teams, comprised of both state and federal law enforcement officers and agents, worked throughout the operation to identify and arrest individuals, and to seize narcotics and drug trafficking proceeds.
“This operation underscores our significant – and successful – efforts to disrupt the smuggling routes used by international drug cartels to deliver narcotics to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Hanna. “This concerted effort allowed us to identify shipments coming in from Mexico and being delivered to stash houses across the region. As a result of the excellent work of law enforcement agents, we were able to make substantial seizures and arrest individuals who played important roles in the distribution chain.”
“Drug traffickers and their networks are not bound by city or county boundaries, and neither are we,” said U.S. Attorney Brewer. “With the combined resources of our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, our reach is far and wide. We are seizing the drugs and dismantling the networks that are injecting our neighborhoods with poison.”
As a result of this operation, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed two cases that charge six defendants.
In one case, a federal grand jury late this afternoon indicted three defendants, including an alleged drug courier who is accused of driving a car from Tijuana into the United States with 21.8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine hidden in his car doors and quarter panels. The courier drove the vehicle to Compton, where he turned it over to another man, who unloaded the drugs into the trailer where he lived, according to court documents. The indictment charges the defendants – one of whom is currently known only by the moniker “Gringo” – with several offenses, including importation of methamphetamine. If convicted, the defendants in this case would face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in federal prison. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Scott D. Dubois of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
In the second Los Angeles case resulting from this operation, a federal grand jury late last month indicted four defendants, two of whom allegedly drove a vehicle with a hidden compartment containing approximately 14.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States, eventually bringing their load to a La Puente auto repair shop, where two other men helped them unload the narcotics. The owner of the shop, Juan Pablo Castro Velazquez, and the three other defendants face narcotics trafficking charges that carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay M. Bailey of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
The three-month operation was coordinated by Assistant United States Attorney Carol Alexis Chen, Chief of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section in Los Angeles, and Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Smith, Chief of the OCDETF Section in San Diego.
This effort is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation jointly undertaken by law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the Southern and Central Districts of California. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. OCDETF Director Adam W. Cohen said, “We must salute the coordinated efforts led by dedicated OCDETF prosecutors from these two U.S. Attorney’s Offices to leverage our multi-agency strengths against these criminal networks.”
The investigating agencies involved in this operation were Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department; LA IMPACT; and SD-NET.
Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty After Robbing Traveler Inside I-75 Rest AreaRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA, Ga. – A Florida man arrested following a high-speed chase along I-75 after he robbed a traveler at gunpoint, has pleaded guilty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
James Clemente Holloway, 43, of Jacksonville, Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Wednesday, October 14 before U.S. District Judge Louis Sands. Holloway, a convicted felon, faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
According to the facts the Government entered in federal court, Holloway robbed a traveler at gunpoint at the southbound rest area at exit 79 on I-75 in Turner County, Georgia on the morning of March 12, 2019, holding a gun to the man, demanding money. Holloway took off with the cash. A BOLO was issued, and Valdosta Sheriff’s deputies spotted Holloway, pursuing him at speeds of 110 mph. Holloway changed lanes multiple times, and deputies successfully deployed stop sticks, which caused Holloway’s tires to blow. Holloway was arrested without injury and found in possession of a Taurus .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a small quantity of marijuana and the stolen cash. Holloway has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for felony grand theft auto, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, felony burglary, felony breaking and entering and felony probation violation.
“Holloway caused a tremendous amount of terror in a short time, robbing a traveler at gunpoint and creating havoc along a busy highway. I want to commend the Turner County and Lowndes County deputies who responded quickly and bravely to a dangerous situation, ultimately bringing the defendant into custody and restoring peace to the community,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “The penalty is federal prison time for convicted felons caught with firearms, where there is no parole. We will pursue federal prosecutions for convicted felons violating gun laws in this country.”
The case was investigated by the Turner County Sheriff’s Office, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melody Ellis and Sonja Profit are prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.Clifton Park Doctor Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Drug DistributionRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Adrian Morris, M.D., age 64, a Clifton Park, New York, psychiatrist specializing in addiction recovery, pled guilty today to distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Ray Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division; 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, Morris admitted that he dispensed controlled substances, including Adderall and Xanax, for no legitimate medical purpose, to people he never met or treated. Morris also admitted that he engaged in personal relationships with female patients seeking treatment from him for addiction to controlled substances.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2021 before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Morris faces up to 20 years in prison, at least 3 years of post-imprisonment supervised release, and a maximum $1 million fine.
This case was investigated by the DEA, FBI, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the New York State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne A. Myers.
Catskill Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Months for Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Ricky J. Bilyou, age 28, of Catskill, New York, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and United States Marshal David McNulty.
Bilyou was convicted of child exploitation, in Clinton County, Indiana, in 2016. As part of that crime, Bilyou coerced a child, in Indiana, into sending him photos of herself that were sexual in nature.
In pleading guilty to failing to register, Bilyou admitted that he was residing in Indiana in May 2019, when he traveled to Colorado. After staying briefly in Colorado, in late September 2019, he took Amtrak trains from Colorado, to Chicago, Illinois, and finally to the Albany-Rensselaer station. He then began residing in Catskill, up until his arrest on March 18, 2020. Bilyou knew that he was required to register as a sex offender in New York, and failed to do so.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett.
CBL/BFL Member Going to Prison for More Than 15 Years for Racketeering Conspiracy and Other Charges; Buffalo Woman Also Going to Prison for Lying About A Murder by Another CBL/BFL Gang MemberRead 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 Miquise Jones, a/k/a Scaife, 24, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of racketeering and narcotics conspiracy, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. In addition, Shanna Smith, 25, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of making false declarations before a federal grand jury and obstruction of justice, was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth T. Molisani and Paul C. Parisi, who handled the cases, stated that defendant Jones was a member of the CBL/BFL Gang, which stands for, among other things, “Cash Been Long” and “Brothers for Life.” The gang, which was involved in the illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, was formed around 2009 and operates primarily in the City of Buffalo at the Towne Gardens Housing Complex. The Towne Gardens served as a central hub for the gang with many members living within the housing complex, and many housing units used to store firearms and narcotics. Parking lots and business fronts adjacent to the Towne Gardens were utilized by members of the gang to distribute street level quantities of narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs. The gang used violence, including murder and attempted murder, threats, and intimidation to defend their territory against rivals and anyone deemed to be a threat to the gang.
The proof against Jones established that on August 21, 2015, the defendant drove a vehicle on Dodge Street Buffalo with two co-defendants who shot at Victim J, a rival gang member, in retaliation for the shooting of Larell Watkins. On August 30, 2015, Jones drove a vehicle to Genesee and Crossman Streets in Buffalo, with two co-defendants who shot at Victim K, a rival gang member. On September 21, 2015, at East Ferry Street in Buffalo, the defendant drove a vehicle with three co-defendants, and one of those co-defendants exited the vehicle, fired a gun numerous times at Victim L, a rival gang member. Victim L sought refuge in a store and the co-defendant then opened up the door to the store and began to shoot inside of the store. Victim L was struck in his arm and sustained injuries. Approximately 20 minutes later, Jones drove the vehicle in the area of Genesee and Crossman Streets in Buffalo. Another co-defendant in the car fired shots and struck Victim K, a rival gang member.
On April 4, 2016, the defendant appeared in a video on Snapchat and displayed three firearms. On June 4, 2016, Jones was in a vehicle stopped by the Buffalo Police Department and possessed a Beretta semi-automatic pistol with ammunition. On December 11, 2016, the defendant was at Skyzone in Cheektowaga, NY when rival gang members shot at members of CBL/BFL. Jones and others agreed to retaliate. The defendant drove to the bar called The Groove in Buffalo where a co-defendant fired gunshots at Victim L, a rival gang member. On June 2, 2017, in the Towne Gardens, Jones possessed marijuana packaged for distribution.
On July 31, 2018, defendant Smith, while under oath, lied to a federal grand jury regarding the murder of Xavier Wimes on January 1, 2017, and the role of her cousin, Dalvon Curry, in that murder. Curry was also a member of the CBL/BFL Gang. Smith testified that she was with Curry the night that Wimes was shot dead outside the Towne Gardens Apartments. The defendant stated that there were approximately 20 guys around Wimes at the time he was shot: “Zave was fighting them, but I didn't - then I heard gunshots, but I didn't see who shot him. I just heard gunshots.” Smith also testified that as police officers arrived, she saw the gun on the ground in the grass near the sidewalk. Smith denied seeing someone throw it. Smith stated: “Dal picked it up. I mean, he was probably trying to take it, but he threw it in the bushes when he saw the cops.” In February 2020, a federal jury convicted Dalvon Curry, of murder in aid of racketeering for the death of Xavier Wimes. He is awaiting sentencing.
The sentencings are the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; the New York State Police, under the direction of Major James Hall; the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Sliwinski; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Packard; and the Erie Crime Analysis Center. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney John Flynn.
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Bozeman bookkeeper who embezzled more than $400,000 sentenced to probationRead the Press Release
MISSOULA–A Bozeman woman who admitted embezzling more than $400,000 while working as a bookkeeper for several businesses today was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $423,245 restitution, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Anna Michelle Niles, 47, pleaded guilty on June 3 to wire fraud.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In a sentencing memo filed in the case, the prosecution recommended a sentence within the guideline range, which was 27 months to 33 months.
The prosecution said in court documents that from 2009 until 2018, Niles embezzled from Cresent Cross, LLP, Clair W. Daines, Inc., Genesis Partners, LLC, Bitterroot Turf Farm, Inc., and other related business entities while performing bookkeeping and accounting services. Niles defrauded the firms by diverting funds through checks, stealing cash, claiming leave she was not entitled to obtain, receiving unauthorized 401(k) loan payments and using business credit cards on personal expenses, none of which was authorized. The investigation found that Niles embezzled about $433,018 from the businesses. When interviewed by the FBI, Niles admitted to stealing from Cresent Cross, LLP, and writing checks from other businesses to cover up the fraud.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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Biloxi Man Pleads Guilty to Escape from Federal CustodyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – David Eugene Bangs, 56, of Biloxi, pled guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden, to escape from federal custody, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Mark Shepard, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi.
On January 27, 2020, Bangs was being transported by bus from a federal facility in Jesup, Georgia, to Dismas Charities Community Corrections Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he would have completed the last months of his incarceration there. However, on January 28, 2020, when the bus made a stop in Biloxi, Bangs escaped from custody. He was subsequently arrested on January 29, 2020 by the U. S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Bangs was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on February 25, 2020. He will be sentenced by Judge Ozerden on January 14, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. in Gulfport. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the U. S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.
Armed Carjackings Result in Arrest and Federal IndictmentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that HAROLD FOSTER, age 29, and MARC DALTON, age 30, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a five-count indictment by a Federal Grand Jury for carjacking, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2119, 924, and 922.
According to court documents, FOSTER and DALTON were the offenders in two separate armed carjacking incidents in New Orleans. On April 10, 2020, the two men used firearms to forcefully take a Chevrolet Envoy. On April 12, 2020, they committed a second armed carjacking of a Mercedes C230. Both have prior felony criminal convictions. If convicted of carjacking and the firearms offenses, FOSTER and DALTON face a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of $250,000.00 and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the following Project Guardian partners: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives . For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/project-guardian.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.
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Armed Carjackings Result in Arrest and Federal IndictmentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that HAROLD FOSTER, age 29, and MARC DALTON, age 30, both of New Orleans, Louisiana, were charged in a five-count indictment by a Federal Grand Jury for carjacking, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2119, 924, and 922.
According to court documents, FOSTER and DALTON were the offenders in two separate armed carjacking incidents in New Orleans. On April 10, 2020, the two men used firearms to forcefully take a Chevrolet Envoy. On April 12, 2020, they committed a second armed carjacking of a Mercedes C230. Both have prior felony criminal convictions. If convicted of carjacking and the firearms offenses, FOSTER and DALTON face a maximum term of life imprisonment, a fine of $250,000.00 and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from the following Project Guardian partners: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives . For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/project-guardian.
The case was investigated by the New Orleans Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles D. Strauss.
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Arlington Man Sentenced for Coercion and Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to over 15 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor in the Richmond area.
“We must do everything possible to protect our children from dangerous sexual predators like Jose Parra-Camargo,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Child sexual abuse is a horrific and abhorrent crime. I want to thank our law enforcement partners and prosecutors for ensuring that Parra-Camargo will now be in a place where he cannot prey on our most vulnerable victims.”
According to court documents, Parra-Camargo, 45, solicited a 14 year-old female in the Richmond area for sex on numerous occasions in 2016 and 2017 over the Internet application “Kik.” As part of this conduct, he directed her to send him pornographic images of herself. On two occasions, Camargo drove to Richmond from his residence in Arlington and had sex with the minor victim after convincing her to sneak out of her house.
“Child predators often use the Internet to gain the trust of vulnerable children and exploit it for their own gratification. They are a true danger to our children, communities, and society,” said David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners and the men and women of the Richmond Child Exploitation Task Force this predator has been taken off the streets and can no longer victimize our children.”
Around the same time, Parra-Camargo was additionally chatting with an undercover officer from the Loudoun County, Virginia Police Department who was posing as a 14 year-old girl. After also soliciting the undercover officer for sex, Loudoun County officers arrested Parra-Camargo. He pled guilty in 2017 in a separate state prosecution in Loudoun County Circuit Court to use of a communications system to solicit a minor and received a five-year term of imprisonment, which he will continue to serve out prior to beginning his term of federal imprisonment.
“A strong sentence like this sends an important message that individuals who try to exploit children and rob them of their innocence will be brought to justice,” said Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia. “I want to thank my team for their hard work on this case, as well as our state and federal partners for their continued partnership in working to bring justice to those who would harm or take advantage of children.”
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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Mark R. Herring, Attorney General of Virginia, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexaundra Williams and Gene Fishel 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. 3:20-cr-4.
Albany Felon Admits Possessing a Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jahmeek Croley a/k/a “Meeker,” age 33, of Albany, pled guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; Thomas F. Relford, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); John B. DeVito, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Eric Hawkins of the Albany Police Department (APD).
Croley, who has prior felony convictions for drug and weapons offenses, admitted that in November 2019 he possessed a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his residence in Albany. Croley admitted to purchasing the pistol, which had been stolen from a Vermont residence in 2015, from an unknown individual in the city of Albany in October 2019.
Croley was arrested on November 14, 2019, as part of an operation targeting the Yard Boys criminal street gang, undertaken by the Capital District Safe Streets Gang Task Force, a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and has been in custody since his arrest. Croley has additional charges pending in Albany County Court.
Croley faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years, when he is sentenced on February 11, 2021 by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF and Albany Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmet O’Hanlon.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and 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/ag/project-guardian-memo-2019/download.
Alabama Cattle Broker Guilty of Livestock Theft, Loss to Farmers exceeds $400kRead the Press Release
VALDOSTA, Ga. – An Alabama livestock broker admitted he conducted cattle deals but never paid farmers money they were due, instead diverting the profits for his personal use, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
Tommy W. Baxley, 72, of Slocumb, Alabama, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 14 to one count theft of livestock before U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson. Baxley faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set.
Baxley was a registered livestock dealer doing business as Tri State Cattle Marketing. From September 2017 to February 2018, he brokered five separate feeder cattle deals with farmers in North Carolina, Mississippi and Moultrie, Georgia. Baxley never paid the farmers who sold him the cattle, stealing $414,265.45. Baxley admitted to investigators that he failed to pay the farmers for the cattle, and instead used the money in the hopes of making more money so he might ultimately pay for the cattle.
“Cattle rustlers and others who steal from our hardworking farmers and ranchers will face federal prosecution in the Middle District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, the Colquitt County Sherriff’s Office, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their combined investigative work in this case.”
“Mr. Baxley violated the trust of livestock farmers throughout the Southeastern United Sates. Mr. Baxley knowingly brokered livestock transactions without having any intentions of paying the farmers for their cattle. The actions by Mr. Baxley caused emotional and financial hardships to the innocent livestock farmers that cannot be repaired,” said Clint Bush, Resident Agent in Charge, United States Secret Service, Albany, Georgia Resident Office. “The United States Secret Service, along with our state, local and federal law enforcement partners will continue to investigate, arrest and support the successful prosecution of the criminals who choose to commit this and other types of fraud in our community and around the nation.”
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office and the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service Fair Trade Practices Program, Packers and Stockyards Division (USDA PSD). Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Additional Members of 59 Brims Gang Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Racketeering, Narcotics, and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Dermot Shea, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging three members of the 59 Brims gang with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Robert Baley, Augustus Ingram, and Quaveon Ross participated in the activities of a violent gang, conspired to sell significant quantities of heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine, and unlawfully possessed firearms. Now they face significant charges in federal court. We commend our partners at the NYPD and HSI for their outstanding work on this ongoing investigation. This Office, working with our law enforcement partners, continues its efforts to prosecute gun violence in New York City.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said: “Gang violence puts all of us in peril – not simply the vicious gang members. I commend our NYPD detectives and our law enforcement partners for using all of our lawful tools to ensure that the New Yorkers we serve can live free from the threat of it.”
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: “HSI and NYPD continue to relentlessly dismantle violent gangs in the New York Metro area. The gangsters we take off the street are responsible for numerous murders, deadly drug distribution, and senseless violence throughout our communities. As alleged, we cut the 59 Brims at their roots, arresting the ‘Godfather’ of New York. This was the culmination of the systematic and successful indictment of the entire 59 Brims’ top leadership across all 5 boroughs. Our agents and officers have done outstanding work during the course of this investigation and I applaud their tireless commitment to public safety.”
As alleged in the Superseding Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
ROBERT BALEY, a/k/a “Dead Eye,” AUGUSTUS INGRAM, a/k/a “Elevator,” and QUAVEON ROSS, a/k/a “Bullet,” are members of the 59 Brims gang, a criminal organization whose members engaged in, among other activities, acts involving murder, robbery, fraud, and the distribution of controlled substances.
The 59 Brims operate in and around Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, New York. Members of the 59 Brims engaged in a series of violent disputes with rivals of the 59 Brims, including those within the 59 Brims who were deemed disloyal. During these disputes, members and associates of the 59 Brims committed multiple murders, shootings, robberies, and assaults against their rivals and against fellow members of the 59 Brims. Members of the 59 Brims sold heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana, and committed, or attempted to commit, acts of violence to protect and expand their narcotics business.
Today’s Superseding Indictment follows initial charges brought in February 2020 against 18 members and associates of the 59 Brims gang, who were charged with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses, including murder and attempted murder.
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BALEY, 43, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on October 15, 2020, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. INGRAM, 49, of New York, New York, was arrested on October 14, 2020, in New York, New York. ROSS, 23, of New York, New York, remains at large. This case is assigned to United States District Judge George B. Daniels.
A chart containing the charges and maximum penalties for the defendants is set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD and HSI. Ms. Strauss also praised the New York City Department of Correction, Correction Intelligence Bureau, and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation. Ms. Strauss also thanked the Pennsylvania State Police - Bureau of Criminal Investigations - North East and South Central Drug Enforcement Divisions and Blooming Grove Barracks for their assistance in the arrest of Baley.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Longyear, Jacob Warren, Adam S. Hobson, and Peter J. Davis are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Superseding Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
COUNT
DEFENDANT(S)
MAX. TERM OF IMPRISONMENT
Count One: Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering (18 U.S.C. § 1962(d))
All Defendants
Life imprisonment
Count Two: Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. § 846)
All Defendants
Life imprisonment; Mandatory Minimum Sentence of 10 years
Count Three: Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (18 U.S.C. §§ 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and 2)
All Defendants
Life Imprisonment; Mandatory Minimum Sentence of 5 years
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment and the description of the Superseding Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
8 individuals convicted of conspiring to launder $44M in drug proceeds to Mexico through local cell phone store frontsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final two of eight defendants in a $44 million money-laundering case were convicted today when they pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court. Another co-conspirator was sentenced today in federal court as well. Local and federal law enforcement, working in conjunction, spent years investigating large-scale narcotics traffickers in an effort that ultimately brought down the money-laundering ring.
According to court documents, beginning around 2013 and continuing until September 2019, the defendants conspired to distribute heroin, fentanyl and marijuana and commit large-scale money laundering.
The schemes relied on the use of small businesses that held themselves out as cell phone stores. The stores sold few, if any, cell phones, and they conducted little, if any, legitimate business otherwise. Rather, the stores were merely front businesses for drug traffickers to send large amounts of money related to their drug trafficking from Columbus to Mexico.
Jose Luis Rosales-Ocampo, 57, of Columbus, and his family members ran the so-called cell phone stores: Los Rosales on Shady Lane Road, Los Rosales 2 on East Main Street and Express Cellular on Eastland Square Drive.
The storefronts principally served as a place for individuals to wire illicit drug proceeds to Mexico. Thousands of illicit wire transfers were completed per year. Drug dealers from multiple narcotics-trafficking cells would drop large amounts of narcotics money at the stores, after which the store owners would falsify money sender names, addresses and phone numbers on the wire transfers to Mexico in order to conceal the nature of the proceeds.
In total, the joint state–federal efforts led to the prosecution of eight defendants federally and 35 defendants by the office of Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien. The investigation and prosecution of these defendants removed approximately 34 kilograms of heroin, 516 grams of cocaine, 76 grams of fentanyl and 250 pounds of marijuana from Central Ohio streets. Additionally, investigators seized $458,500 in U.S. currency as part of the investigation and prosecution of these cases.
“The agents and officers on these cases dedicated thousands of hours of good investigative work to expose a massive money-laundering scheme that was benefiting drug lords in Mexico,” U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers said. “Thanks to our law enforcement partners, at least 40 defendants are no longer doing business in Central Ohio and a significant amount of illegal drugs have been removed from our community.”
One of the lead drug distributors, Julio Angel Homer Gonzalez, 43, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison.
Eliezar Mendoza-Nava, 36, and Rodrigo Esqueda-Vazquez, 33, each pleaded guilty today.
“IRS Criminal Investigation followed the money and discovered that the cell phone stores were operating primarily for the purpose of laundering drug proceeds,” said Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle and disrupt money laundering organizations.”
Five of the other five defendants – Jose Rosales-Ocampo, Thania Rosales-Guadarrama, Josue Gama-Perez, Dulce Rosales-Guadarrama and Rodolfo Franco-Valdez – also previously pleaded guilty and currently await sentencing.
Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence. Sentencing defendants is determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; Keith Martin, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Detroit Division; Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien; Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan and officials with the Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Commission announced the plea agreements and sentences imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley.
Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall, Jessica W. Knight and Special Assistant United States Attorney Daniel J. Stanley from Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien’s office are representing the United States in this case.
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5 charged in kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in death of victimRead the Press Release
DAYTON – A federal grand jury has charged five Dayton individuals in the summer 2019 kidnapping and subsequent death of Kwasi Casey, whose body was later found in a detached garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton.
According to the indictment that was returned yesterday and unsealed today, co-conspirators kidnapped and abducted the victim at gunpoint on July 7, 2019.
Mr. Casey was taken to one of the defendant’s homes, where he was held against his will and beaten with a baseball bat. Another defendant made ransom demands of the victim’s family.
The indictment details that Casey escaped on July 8, 2019, but was recaptured and forced into a co-conspirator’s minivan, where the victim was again physically assaulted. It is alleged Mr. Casey ultimately died as a result of the defendants’ actions.
Those charged include: Eric Blackshear, 40; Markale Thomas, 26; Devon Love, 27; Ryan Reese, 25; and Antoine Dye, 35.
Each of the defendants is charged with conspiring to kidnap the victim, a federal crime punishable by up to life in prison.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dayton Police Chief Richard S. Biehl; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith and OCDETF Deputy Criminal Chief Christy L. Muncy are representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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15 October 2020
Wood County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzling from Labor UnionRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart today announced that a Wood County man was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison for embezzling from a labor union. Rick Drain, 56, of Vienna, previously pled guilty to one count of embezzling from a labor union. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Drain will also pay restitution.
“Drain was “draining” the Union. Drain took advantage of his position with the local union and took collected union dues and fees for himself,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Not only will Drain be returning the money, but he’ll also be spending a year of his life behind bars for his crime. Crime doesn’t pay.”
Drain was the business manager of a local union and used his position to defraud the union. Law enforcement learned that Drain had defrauded the union of approximately $50,000 by collecting dues and other fees from union members and keeping the money for himself, not depositing it into the union’s bank account. The Department of Labor, through its Office of Labor Management Standards, conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen Robeson handled the prosecution.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00045.
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Woman Who Drove Kilograms of Methamphetamine from Texas to Dubuque Sentenced to over Six Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A woman who drove over five kilograms of ice methamphetamine from Texas to Dubuque was sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison.
Veronica Marie Hinkle, age 34, from Dallas, Texas, received the prison term after a September 2, 2020 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Information disclosed at the sentencing hearing showed that in about June 2017, Hinkle was recruited by her boyfriend, Jose Roberto Vazquez, to drive one kilogram of ice methamphetamine from Dallas to deliver to Jeremy Kieffer in Dubuque. Over the next six months, Hinkle made multiple similar trips to Dubuque, each time delivering at least a kilogram of ice methamphetamine to Kieffer and his associates. In January 2018, Hinkle helped package nearly a kilogram of 98% pure methamphetamine for her co‑conspirators, but the package was intercepted by law enforcement in Iowa. Kieffer and Vazquez were previously sentenced to 165 months’ imprisonment and 259 months’ imprisonment, respectively, for their roles in the conspiracy.
Hinkle was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hinkle was sentenced to 81 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hinkle is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham and Special Assistant United States Attorney Drew Inman.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 18-CR-01027‑CJW‑MAR.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Woman Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Gun Used in Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk woman was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, Jaclyn Amanda Inge, 41, purchased two handguns from federally licensed gun dealers at gun shows. Before buying each gun, Inge completed a form 4473. On the form, she checked the box indicating that she was not addicted to drugs or a drug user, when in fact, as several witnesses would testify, she has used marijuana daily for years. And she illegally possessed those guns while being a drug user.
In October 2017, Inge and two conspirators, including Desmond Littlejohn, plotted to rob Mac’s Reloads, a Federal Firearm Licensee and ammunition-reloading business located in Virginia Beach where Inge was employed. During the robbery, Inge and Littlejohn used at least one of the guns Inge had purchased just weeks earlier. Inge provided the robbers with inside information about Mac’s Reloads to help them commit the crime.
In February 2019, Littlejohn was convicted by a federal jury of charges stemming from the armed robbery and was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William B. Jackson and Bill Muhr prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.
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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-90.
Wichita Woman Sentenced for False Statements When Buying GunsRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita woman was sentenced today to serve three years on federal probation for making false statements when she purchased guns from a pawnshop, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Kristi S. Praseuth, 25, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of providing false information in order to purchase firearms. In her plea, she admitted she bought two 9 mm pistols and a .357 caliber revolver from Loan at Last, a pawnshop at 3375 E. 47th South in Wichita. She was required to fill out an ATF form 4473, in which she falsely stated that she was buying the guns for herself. In fact, she turned the guns over to other people who were the real buyers.
For more information on the lawful purchasing of firearms, see https://www.atf.gov/qa-category/atf-form-4473.
McAllister commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.
West Des Moines Man Sentenced to Prison for Stealing from Local BusinessRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, IA – On October 14, 2020, Gregory Michael Press, age 46, of West Des Moines, was sentenced to two years in prison by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose for wire fraud announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Press was ordered by the Court to serve three years of supervised release to follow his prison term. Additionally, he must pay $450,000 to the victim.
The defendant pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July of 2019. According to court documents, while Press was employed as the director of operations at L&C Billing Services Inc. in West Des Moines, he stole money from the company over a number of years. Press accessed the company payroll and issued himself unauthorized salary raises and bonuses; he paid for personal credit card debit with company funds; he issued company checks and cash to himself; and he placed two women, with whom he had personal relationships with, on the company payroll and insurance plan – although they did not work for L&C Billing Services Inc.
The West Des Moines Police Department and United States Postal Service – Criminal Investigations investigated this matter. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Waffle House robbers, felons, straw purchasers and many more charged with firearms-related crimes districtwideRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – Nearly two dozen people have been charged with various violations related to firearms in all five Southern District of Texas (SDTX) divisions in the last two weeks alone, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
As the nation recognizes Firearms Related Criminal Offenses Week, the SDTX has charged several people in 15 separate cases in the Houston, Laredo, McAllen, Brownsville and Corpus Christi Divisions. The charges include straw purchasing of firearms, felons in possession of firearms, carjacking, interference with interstate commerce by robbery or by threats of violence, brandishing a firearm and aiding and abetting brandishing a firearm.
“Bottom line, we have great law enforcement relationships throughout the SDTX,” said Patrick. “From the smallest city police department to the biggest federal agencies, officers, agents, deputies and troopers are all working together to get dangerous criminals off the streets. These cases are a small representation of the record-setting violent crime and gun cases prosecuted by my office over the past three years. Criminals who carry a gun, rob with a gun or run guns are going to see the inside of a federal courtroom.”
In the Houston Division this week, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against two Houston men for their roles in the violent robbery of two Waffle House restaurants, a Shipley Donuts and a local gas station. Fabian Bradley, 19, and Deonta Brown, 29, allegedly aided and abetted brandishing a firearm and interfered with interstate commerce by robbery at the Star Stop gas station on McKay Road Oct. 24, 2019. On the same date, Brown allegedly did same at the Waffle House on Wilson Road in Humble. Bradley faces the same charges in relation to the Oct. 21, 2o19, robbery of the Waffle House on Rankin Road and again at the Shipley Donuts on North Freeway Nov. 11, 2019.
Also indicted yesterday was Justin Mouton, 31, Houston. The charges allege he is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition per federal law. However, he allegedly possessed a Taurus, Magnum .357 pistol on Feb. 21.
Just last week, another grand jury charged Jordan Stewart, 28, Houston, with two counts each of interstate commerce by robbery and illegally brandishing a firearm. The charges allege he was involved in the Dec. 4, 2019, robbery of 1% Check Cashing on Briar Forest Road in SDTX while brandishing a firearm. He allegedly did the same on Dec. 21, 2018, and June 13, 2019, when he interfered with interstate commerce by robbing Senor Check Cashing and A-1 Check Cashing on Beechnut Drive, respectively.
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) continues to work with our partners to focus our efforts on violent criminals who are using firearms to commit crimes,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski. “This focus is critical, now more than ever, as violent crimes involving firearms are increasing in many areas throughout the United States.”
In Laredo, a 39-year-old felon is set to appear in federal court on allegations of carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Joaquin Joel Montemayor is expected to make his appearance in Laredo in the near future.
According to the indictment, Montemayor allegedly carjacked a vehicle that had traveled in interstate commerce on Aug. 11, 2018. He allegedly took that vehicle by force, violence and intimidation with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm. At that time, Montemayor allegedly had possession of a pistol and four rounds of ammunition.
Also today, the fifth defendant charged with multiple counts of false statements and smuggling firearms from the United States is set to make his initial appearance in Laredo federal court. Authorities arrested Leopoldo Martinez, 23, yesterday. He will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher dos Santos at 1:30 p.m. Also charged and previously in custody are Irving Navarro, 32, Javier Chapa, 22, Cynthia Navarro, 27, and Heriberto Castillo, 23.
The indictment charges all individuals with making false statements during the purchase of firearms and smuggling goods outside of the United States. The indictment alleges that from July 17, 2019, to Aug. 22, 2020, they made false statements in connection with the purchase of 26 guns from four different federal firearms licensees in Laredo.
The Laredo grand jury also charged more defendants last week with conspiracy to straw purchase firearms and straw purchasing of firearms. Authorities arrested Jose Sanchez Jr., 37, Laredo, yesterday. He will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos today. The indictment remains sealed as to those charged but not as yet in custody.
The Laredo grand jury also returned an indictment against Juan Antonio Cepeda, 47, Laredo, and Abraham Canela, 19, Houston, for attempting to illegally export firearms and ammunition to Mexico. Cepeda is also charged with possession of ammunition as a felon. They are both expected to appear for their arraignments before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos tomorrow at 3 p.m.
On Sept. 14, Cepeda and Canela allegedly appeared to be traveling together as they rode in tandem along Interstate Highway 35 near Laredo, according to the charges. Authorities took them into custody, at which time they allegedly discovered 14 firearms - primarily semi-automatic rifles - and over 20,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers in Cepeda’s vehicle.
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) possesses the broadest investigative authorities of any U.S. government agency in the areas of smuggling and illegal exports, including the illegal export of munitions, small arms and weapon sanctions violations,” announced Special Agents in Charge Shane Folden and Mark Dawson of the San Antonio and Houston Division, respectively. “HSI leverages its expansive authorities to combat transnational criminal organizations involved in weapons smuggling which often fuels the violence committed by cartels.”
The Rio Grande Valley also saw the return of indictments charging seven people on firearms-related offenses. Earlier this week, a grand jury sitting in Brownsville charged three Cameron County residents for being felons in possession of firearms. Clifford Wayne Moody, 44, Harlingen; and Damian De Los Reyes, 28, and Juan Carlos Sanchez, 26, both of Brownsville, are all convicted felons, according to the charges. They now face federal firearms charges for allegedly possessing a Howa 6.5 Creedmor Rifle, a Kimber .45 and Beretta .40 caliber pistols as well as a Springfield 9 mm pistol and a Ruger AR multi caliber rifle, respectively.
In another case indicted this week, a 26-year-old Brownsville man wearing a Hello Kitty bandana is charged with the robbery of two local Stripes convenience stores. Ruben Arredondo was allegedly a felon in possession of a firearm, interfered with commerce by robbery and brandished a firearm during a crime of violence. On Jan. 17, he allegedly entered the Stripes Convenience Store on Boca Chica after which he pointed a black gun with pink colored grips at the employee and demanded beer. The charges allege a store employee heard Arredondo rack the slide making him think there was a chambered round in the weapon.
Soon after, the indictment alleges Arredondo went to another Stripes on East University Boulevard and again brandished the black and pink weapon at the store employee, demanding beer. After allegedly taking the beer and some cigarettes, Arredondo then got into a station wagon and sped away, according to the charges.
In another Brownsville case, a Harlingen man has just made his appearance in federal court on allegations he shot a bank teller in the head during a violent bank robbery earlier this year. Muhamed Pathe Bah, 27, is charged with bank robbery with a dangerous weapon and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. On June 26, Bah allegedly entered a Texas Regional Bank on Sunshine Strip in Harlingen and made his way to a bank teller. The indictment alleges he pulled a pistol from his bag and shot the teller in the head, after which he took money from the bank and fled the area.
In McAllen, two alleged felons are charged in relation to an attempted burglary that occurred Sept. 16. Eugene Brimzey, 28, Baytown, and Luther Remon Jones, 27, Houston, had allegedly fled the area. The charges allege authorities eventually stopped them near El Campo, at which time they found two firearms. They have made their appearances and are in custody pending further criminal proceedings. They are charged with being felons in possession of firearms.
“Criminal organizations and their affiliates are habitually engaged in extensive violence, intimidation and drug distribution, which poses an immediate, dangerous and serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said FBI Special Agents in Charge Perrye K. Turner and Christopher Combs of the Houston and San Antonio offices, respectively. “We are committed to partnering with our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to dismantle these criminal organizations and prosecute the most dangerous violent offenders.”
Charges have also been filed against Corpus Christi felons. Two indictments name Vernal Williams, 33, and Daniel Pulido, 28, for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. They are expected to appear for their arraignment before a U.S. magistrate judge in Corpus Christi in the near future.
According to William’s indictment, on April 30, he knowingly possessed a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and four rounds of ammunition. Williams was previously convicted of numerous felonies, including injury to an elderly individual and delivery of a controlled substance.
Similarly, Pulido has multiple drug-related felony convictions - possession and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance - and is prohibited per federal law of possessing firearms or ammunition. However, on June 25, Pulido knowingly possessed .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and 14 rounds of ammunition.
Those charged with Hobbs Act robbery could be sentenced to a maximum of 2o years in federal prison. Related firearms charges carry additional sentences of seven years or more and must be served consecutively to any underlying charges.
Those convicted of being felons in possession of firearms and making false statements face penalties up to 10 years in prison, while carjacking carries a 15-year maximum sentence.
These cases are not all-inclusive of all similar cases in the SDTX but are being announced as part of Firearms Related Criminal Offenses Week and Project Guardian. They are an example of the coordination between law enforcement which combines personnel and resources from numerous federal, state and local agencies to proactively fight and reduce violent crime and offenses involving firearms across the SDTX. The focus is on robberies, felons/aliens in possession of firearms and straw purchasers to protect local communities from violent offenders and those illegally in possession of guns.
ATF, HSI and/or FBI conducted the aforementioned investigations. Several other federal, state and local agencies also routinely provide substantial cooperation and assistance in these violent crime and firearms initiatives. Those recognized for their efforts leading to these charges include Harris County Sheriff’s Office, police departments in Houston, Humble, Laredo and Brownsville; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations; Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, Cameron County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
United States Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Nationwide Money Laundering NetworkRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The United States has unsealed a superseding indictment charging six individuals with participating in a conspiracy to launder millions of dollars of drug proceeds on behalf of foreign cartels. This superseding indictment is the result of a nearly four-year investigation into the relationship between foreign drug trafficking organizations and Asian money laundering networks in the United States, China, and elsewhere.
“The successful work in uncovering and halting this scheme is due to years of collaboration and cooperation by multiple Department of Justice units and our law enforcement partners who are all committed to combating transnational criminal organizations,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We would not have been able to achieve this result without our investigative partners and agencies around the world helping contribute to this case. My thanks to all of you for your continued commitment to this important work.”
“The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that distribute contraband, launder illicit proceeds, and attempt to corrupt our society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt for the Criminal Division. “I would like to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and our federal law enforcement partners for taking down a criminal organization that laundered drug proceeds for the Mexican cartels. Drug traffickers and money launderers operate globally, but this investigation demonstrates that they will be brought to justice wherever they are found.”
According to the superseding indictment, Xizhi Li, Jianxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Eric Yong Woo, Jingyuan Li, Tao Liu, and others participated in a years’ long conspiracy to use casinos, front companies, foreign and domestic bank accounts, and bulk cash smuggling to launder money on behalf of drug trafficking organizations.
“These individuals went to great lengths to conceal their alleged criminal activities and further schemes that enabled drug cartels to push their poisons on our communities and launder their illicit proceeds,” said Wendy Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Special Operations Division. “Despite these efforts, they could not evade detection by U.S. law enforcement. DEA, along with our partners, will continue to arrest and bring to justice transnational criminals like these, who facilitate and profit from the vicious global drug trade.”
The superseding indictment also alleges that Tao Liu planned to bribe a U.S. Department of State official using wire transfers and cryptocurrency to create U.S. passports that he and his associates would use to enter the United States and engage in additional crimes, including money laundering. In fact, this State Department official was an undercover law enforcement agent, and these allegations stem from a seven-month undercover investigation.
“The defendants in this case are alleged to have gone to great lengths to carry out their sophisticated money laundering conspiracy,” said James M. Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Chicago. “HSI will continue to collaborate with our partner agencies to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the country that is facilitated through the laundering of funds out of the U.S.”
“This is a perfect illustration of DSS’ global reach and our ability to partner with U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies on complex international, multi-jurisdictional cases,” said Jeffrey A. Thomas, Deputy Assistant Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Investigations Division. “DSS and our counterparts are conducting investigations like these on a daily basis around the world.”
Below is information related to each defendant charged in the superseding indictment:
Name, Age
Charges
Xizhi Li, 45
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Jianxing Chen, 40
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Jiayu Chen, 46
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Eric Yong Woo, 43
Counts 3 (money laundering)
Jingyuan Li, 47
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Tao Liu, 45
Counts 1-14 (drug trafficking, money laundering, attempted identity fraud, and bribery)
Five of the six defendants are in custody (Jianxing Chen is a fugitive).
Xizhi Li, Jiaxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Jingyuan Li, and Tao Liu are all charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine knowing and intending that it will be unlawfully imported into the United States. If convicted, these defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Xizhi Li, Jiaxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Jingyuan Li, Eric Yong Woo, and Tao Liu are also charged with conspiracy to launder money. If convicted of this offense, the defendants will face a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Additionally, Tao Liu is charged with four counts of attempted identity fraud, four counts of bribery, one count of conspiracy to launder money, and two counts of international promotional money laundering. If convicted of attempted identity fraud and/or bribery, he faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment per count. If convicted of money laundering, he faces up to 20 years’ of imprisonment per count.
The case was investigated as part of two Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), Operation Dark Castle and Operation Taishan Triangle. 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.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wendy C. Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Special Operations Division; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA-Louisville; Raymond P. Donovan, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA-New York; Jessica Moore, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and James M. Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Michael P. Ben’Ary, along with Trial Attorneys Kerry Blackburn, Mary Daly, and Stephen A. Sola of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, are prosecuting the case.
Significant assistance was provided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Federal Police, the Mexican Federal Police, Australia Department of Home Affairs, the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC), and the New Zealand Police.
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. 1:19-cr-334.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
United States Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Nationwide Money Laundering NetworkRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging six individuals with participating in a conspiracy to launder millions of dollars of drug proceeds on behalf of foreign cartels. This superseding indictment is the result of a nearly four-year investigation into the relationship between foreign drug trafficking organizations and Asian money laundering networks in the United States, China, and elsewhere.
“The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that distribute contraband, launder illicit proceeds, and attempt to corrupt our society,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt for the Criminal Division. “I would like to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and our federal law enforcement partners for taking down a criminal organization that laundered drug proceeds for the Mexican cartels. Drug traffickers and money launderers operate globally, but this investigation demonstrates that they will be brought to justice wherever they are found.”
“The successful work in uncovering and halting this scheme is due to years of collaboration and cooperation by multiple Department of Justice units and our law enforcement partners who are all committed to combating transnational criminal organizations,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We would not have been able to achieve this result without our investigative partners and agencies around the world helping contribute to this case. My thanks to all of you for your continued commitment to this important work.”
“These individuals went to great lengths to conceal their alleged criminal activities and further schemes that enabled drug cartels to push their poisons on our communities and launder their illicit proceeds,” said Wendy Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Operations Division. “Despite these efforts, they could not evade detection by U.S. law enforcement. DEA, along with our partners, will continue to arrest and bring to justice transnational criminals like these, who facilitate and profit from the vicious global drug trade.”
“The defendants in this case are alleged to have gone to great lengths to carry out their sophisticated money laundering conspiracy,” said James M. Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago. “HSI will continue to collaborate with our partner agencies to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the country that is facilitated through the laundering of funds out of the U.S.”
“This is a perfect illustration of DSS’ global reach and our ability to partner with U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies on complex international, multi-jurisdictional cases,” said Jeffrey A. Thomas, Deputy Assistant Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Investigations Division. “DSS and our counterparts are conducting investigations like these on a daily basis around the world.”
According to the superseding indictment, Xizhi Li, Jianxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Eric Yong Woo, Jingyuan Li, Tao Liu, and others participated in a years’ long conspiracy to use casinos, front companies, foreign and domestic bank accounts, and bulk cash smuggling to launder money on behalf of drug trafficking organizations.
The superseding indictment also alleges that Tao Liu planned to bribe a U.S. Department of State official using wire transfers and cryptocurrency to create U.S. passports that he and his associates would use to enter the United States and engage in additional crimes, including money laundering. In fact, this State Department official was an undercover law enforcement agent, and these allegations stem from a seven-month undercover investigation.
Below is information related to each defendant charged in the superseding indictment:
Name, Age
Charges
Xizhi Li, 45
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Jianxing Chen, 40
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Jiayu Chen, 46
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Eric Yong Woo, 43
Counts 3 (money laundering)
Jingyuan Li, 47
Counts 1-3 (drug trafficking and money laundering)
Tao Liu, 45
Counts 1-14 (drug trafficking, money laundering, attempted identity fraud, and bribery)
Five of the six defendants are in custody, Jianxing Chen is a fugitive.
Xizhi Li, Jiaxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Jingyuan Li, and Tao Liu are all charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine knowing and intending that it will be unlawfully imported into the United States. If convicted, these defendants faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Xizhi Li, Jiaxing Chen, Jiayu Chen, Jingyuan Li, Eric Yong Woo, and Tao Liu are also charged with conspiracy to launder money. If convicted of this offense, the defendants will face a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Additionally, Tao Liu is charged with four counts of attempted identity fraud, four counts of bribery, one count of conspiracy to launder money, and two counts of international promotional money laundering. If convicted of attempted identity fraud and/or bribery, he faces up to 15 years’ imprisonment per count. If convicted of money laundering, he faces up to 20 years’ of imprisonment per count.
The case was investigated as part of two Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). 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.
Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Wendy C. Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Special Operations Division; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA-Louisville; Raymond P. Donovan, Special Agent in Charge for the DEA-New York; Jessica Moore, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State’s DSS; and James M. Gibbons, Special Agent in Charge of HSI made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Peters and Michael P. Ben’Ary, along with Trial Attorneys Kerry Blackburn, Mary Daly, and Stephen A. Sola of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs of the Department’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance. Significant assistance was also provided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Federal Police, the Mexican Federal Police, Australia Department of Home Affairs, the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC), and the New Zealand Police.
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. 1:19-cr-334.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
United States Settles Fair Housing Act Lawsuits Against Affordable Housing Developer for Failure to Construct Apartments with Features Accessible to Persons with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that the United States has settled two related federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) lawsuits against ATLANTIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP, LLC (“ATLANTIC”). Under the settlement, ATLANTIC has agreed to make retrofits at 71 rental buildings in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Westchester County, which together contain more than 6,000 affordable units as well as several hundred market-rate apartments. ATLANTIC also agreed to provide $600,000 to compensate aggrieved persons and pay a $30,000 civil penalty. Additionally, ATLANTIC agreed to establish procedures to ensure that its future residential development projects will comply with the accessibility requirements of the FHA. The settlement was approved today by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “The Fair Housing Act protects people with disabilities from being treated as second-class citizens when it comes to housing. This right applies equally to residents in affordable housing as to those living in luxury high-rises. Today’s settlement is part of this Office’s long-standing effort to fulfill the FHA’s promise of accessibility for people with disabilities and a reminder to real estate developers that we will continue to enforce the FHA’s accessibility requirements vigorously.”
The FHA’s accessible design and construction provisions require multifamily housing complexes constructed after January 1991 to have basic features accessible to persons with disabilities. The settlement with ATLANTIC is the 17th settlement reached by this Office with developers and architects to remedy inaccessible housing in this District. It was reached after the Court denied in its entirety ATLANTIC’s motion to dismiss.
According to the allegations in the complaints in the two FHA cases, a recurring pattern of inaccessible conditions exists at ATLANTIC’s rental buildings, including excessively high thresholds at building entrances and entrances to common use areas, ramps that lack handrails on both sides, common use bathrooms that lack grab bars and pipe insulation, excessively high thresholds at entrances to individual apartments and within the apartments, and bathrooms in individual apartments that lack sufficient clear floor space for people who use wheelchairs. ATLANTIC admitted in the court-ordered settlement stipulation that features in the common use areas of their buildings, as well as in their buildings’ apartment interiors, did not meet the specifications set forth in the Fair Housing Accessibility Guidelines, Design Guidelines for Accessible/Adaptable Dwellings.
Under the settlement, ATLANTIC agreed to make retrofits to the public and common use areas as well as the individual units at its 71 rental buildings to improve accessibility at those buildings. The settlement also requires ATLANTIC to establish procedures to ensure FHA compliance at its future development projects, including to retain an FHA compliance consultant to assess the design documents and conduct site visits to identify non-compliant conditions. In addition, ATLANTIC agreed to institute policies and training to ensure that its employees and agents will comply with the FHA’s accessibility requirements.
Finally, the settlement requires ATLANTIC to provide $600,000 to compensate aggrieved persons. Aggrieved persons may be entitled to monetary compensation from the fund created through today’s settlement. Aggrieved individuals may include those who:
- Were discouraged from living at one of Atlantic’s rental buildings because of the lack of accessible features;
- Have been hurt in any way by the lack of accessible features at one of Atlantic’s rental buildings;
- Paid to have an apartment at one of Atlantic’s rental buildings made more accessible to persons with disabilities; or
- Otherwise were discriminated against on the basis of disability at one of Atlantic’s rental buildings as a result of inaccessible design and construction.
Any individual who may be entitled to compensation can file a claim by using the Civil Rights Complaint Form available on the United States Attorney’s Office’s website http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/civilrights.html, or by sending a written claim to:
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
- 86 Chambers Street, 3rd Floor
- New York, New York 10007
- Attention: Chief, Civil Rights Unit
Finally, ATLANTIC agreed to pay a civil penalty of $30,000.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Li Yu, Jacob Lillywhite, Steven Kochevar, and David J. Kennedy are in charge of the case.
United States Secures Return of Artwork 87 Years After Nazis Looted it from Jewish Family in BerlinRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK - A painting looted by the Nazis in 1933 from a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany, was returned to the family’s heirs, represented by the Mosse Foundation, on October 15, 2020, announced 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).
Rudolf Mosse was a prominent publisher and philanthropist in the early twentieth century in Berlin, Germany. He and his family published newspapers including the Berliner Tageblatt, which criticized the Nazi party. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Mosse family, who were Jewish, became subject to Aryanization measures, which sought to remove them from the German economy. When the Mosses fled Germany, the Nazis seized their assets, including an extensive art collection.
The Mosse art collection included a painting known as “Winter,” by American artist Gari Melchers (a photograph of the painting is attached). After the Nazis seized “Winter,” it went through a series of intermediaries, ultimately purchased by Bartlett Arkell, co-founder and president of Imperial Packing Company, which became Beech-Nut Packing Company. Bartlett Arkell’s art collection is now housed at the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, New York. In September 2019, the FBI recovered “Winter” from the Arkell Museum on the basis that it is stolen property that travelled in interstate commerce. There is no evidence suggesting that Bartlett Arkell knew that “Winter” had been unlawfully taken and the Arkell Museum has relinquished all rights to the painting. “Winter” was returned to the Mosse Foundation, which operates internationally to recover works of art expropriated from the Mosse family by the Nazi regime, and represents the lawful heirs’ interest in “Winter.”
“We can never ease the horrors of Nazi Germany from history, but we can, and should, take every opportunity to deliver any justice we can including the return of property to rightful heirs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon. “The Department of Justice will continue to do just that.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Relford stated: “While it’s believed there were hundreds of thousands of pieces of art stolen by the Nazis, our office is immensely proud to help right even just one wrong done during this evil period of world history. We may have played a small role in a massive effort, but we will forever recognize the magnitude of this work and we’re truly honored to be able to return this painting to its rightful owners.”
The FBI transferred the painting to the heirs’ representatives at the FBI’s Field Office in Albany, with remarks from the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Mosse Foundation, and the Arkell Museum. A media outlet interested in a video recording of the event may contact FBI Public Affairs Specialist Sarah Ruane at [email protected].
Countless pieces of artwork stolen by the Nazi regime remain at large. Anyone with information regarding stolen artwork can reach the FBI’s art crime team at: [email protected].
This case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Moran.
United States Attorney Announces Update on Initiative to Reduce Gun ViolenceRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: Today U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank provided an update on the status of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative designed to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws across the country. Project Guardian is a complement to the Department’s longstanding Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) anti-violence program, and focuses on investigating, prosecuting and preventing gun crimes.
“Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws through PSN have always been among the highest priorities for the Department, but federal law enforcement represents only about 15 percent of all law enforcement resources nationwide,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “Our ability to combat gun violence in Maine depends on our partnerships with state and local stakeholders, and Project Guardian enhances those partnerships.”
The Project Guardian initiative, launched in November 2019, promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing gun violence involving those dealing with domestic violence and mental health issues. One of the initiative’s principles is regular consultation with relevant agencies and organizations to assess the feasibility of adopting disruption and early engagement programs. These programs focus on individuals prohibited from possessing firearms because of mental health issues and domestic abusers who attempt to acquire firearms.
“The strength of PSN Maine continues to be the involvement of dedicated and informed stakeholders who serve on a Task Force with representatives from throughout the State,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “This year we welcomed an additional number of dedicated professionals from a variety of agencies and organizations to serve on our Project Guardian Working Group.” The working group will assist law enforcement in pursuit of a holistic response to potential gun violence involving individuals struggling with mental illness and/or domestic violence in Maine communities.
Representative agency/organizations serving on the Working Group include: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office; Cumberland County Violence Intervention Partnership; FBI; Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services; Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence; Maine Department of Education, Maine School Safety Center; Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; Maine State Forensic Service; Maine State Police; Muskie School of Public Service; National Alliance on Mental Illness; Northern Light, Acadia Hospital Community & Pediatric Services; Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office; Penobscot & Piscataquis County District Attorney; and United States Secret Service.
As part of the Project Guardian initiative, U.S. Attorney Frank is hosting a virtual meeting of the Working Group today. The meeting will focus on the preparation of a statewide list of mental health and domestic violence-related community resources that Maine law enforcement agencies can reference.
US Attorneys Announce Election Day Program & District Election OfficersRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – United States Attorneys Scott C. Blader and Matthew D. Krueger announced today the Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) who will lead the efforts of their Offices in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSAs Daniel Graber and Meredith Duchemin have been appointed as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Wisconsin, and AUSAs Christopher Ladwig and Philip Kovoor have been appointed as the DEOs for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In this capacity, they are responsible for overseeing their respective District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Krueger said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
United States Attorney Blader said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorneys Blader and Krueger stated that AUSAs/DEOs Graber, Duchemin, Ladwig and Kovoor will be on duty in their Districts while the polls are open. AUSAs/DEOs Graber and Duchemin can be reached by the public at (608) 264-5158 and AUSAs/DEOs Ladwig and Kovoor can be reached by the public at (414) 297-4103
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The Milwaukee FBI field office can be reached by the public at (414) 276-4684.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., by phone at (800) 253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorneys Announce Election Day Program & District Election OfficersRead the Press Release
United States Attorneys Scott C. Blader and Matthew D. Krueger announced today the Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) who will lead the efforts of their Offices in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSAs Daniel Graber and Meredith Duchemin have been appointed as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Wisconsin, and AUSAs Christopher Ladwig and Philip Kovoor have been appointed as the DEOs for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In this capacity, they are responsible for overseeing their respective District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Krueger said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
United States Attorney Blader said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.
For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorneys Blader and Krueger stated that AUSAs/DEOs Graber, Duchemin, Ladwig and Kovoor will be on duty in their Districts while the polls are open. AUSAs/DEOs Graber and Duchemin can be reached by the public at (608) 264-5158 and AUSAs/DEOs Ladwig and Kovoor can be reached by the public at (414) 297-4103
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The Milwaukee FBI field office can be reached by the public at (414) 276-4684.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., by phone at (800) 253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
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.
# # #
For further information contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales
(414) 297-1700
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U.S. Attorney Will Monitor Federal Election Complaints in KansasRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal prosecutor will be on duty on Election Day to respond to complaints of possible election fraud or voting rights violations in Kansas, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
McAllister said he has appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag to serve as the District Election Officer for Kansas. Maag will be responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department officials in Washington.
Maag will be available to the public at 785-295-2858 while the polls are open on Nov. 3.
“I don’t expect any problems during voting,” McAllister said. “However, I want to remind Kansans that there are penalties under federal law for any efforts to influence the outcome of an election through fraud or to improperly prevent another person from exercising the right to vote. The Department of Justice has the authority to monitor polling places or take other measures to protect Kansans’ right to vote in free and fair elections.”
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and may have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate,” McAllister said. “It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing Highlights the Justice Department’s Nationwide Election Day ProgramRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, Timothy J. Downing, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, highlighted the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. Each U.S. Attorney’s Office is responsible for handling complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Attorney Downing said, "Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process. The Department’s nationwide effort is important to give our nation peace of mind and confidence in each district. It is also a great reminder to be thankful as Oklahomans that we have a safe and secure election process in our state."
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against crimes such as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
To respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI’s Oklahoma City Field Office can be reached by the public at 405-290-7770.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
U.S. Attorney Downing said, "Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my office through the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division."
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.
**END**
U.S. Attorney Schroder Appoints District of Alaska Election OfficerRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Schroder announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Kelly Cavanaugh will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA Cavanaugh has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Alaska, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Schroder said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Schroder stated that AUSA/DEO Cavanaugh will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. AUSA Cavanaugh can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (907) 271-5071.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (907) 276-4441.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Schroder said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announces more than 3.3 million in DOJ grants to address violence against children and support youth mentoringRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced today that the Department of Justice has awarded more than 3.3 million in grant funding for fund programs that address violence against children and support youth mentoring in the Northern District of Ohio.
The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), are part of more than $300 million made available to bolster school security, support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident, conduct research on school safety, support mentoring services for youth and protect children from abuse, exploitation and threats, such as sex trafficking.
“As the school year gets under full swing, it is important that funding is made available for law enforcement agencies and organizations that play a critical role in ensuring the safety of students on and off campus,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “By removing barriers to education, such as violence, we can help our students achieve their full potential.”
“Only by removing the threat of violence from our schools can we expect our kids to reap the full benefits of their education, and only after making our places of learning safe can we ask our teachers to instruct and inspire as they are trained to do,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Department of Justice is committed to securing our schools from danger and giving our kids the support they need to learn, grow and thrive.”
STOP School Violence Program
- Digitalc, Cleveland, Ohio - $750,000
- Bowling Green State University - $749,993
These organizations received funding under the Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP School Violence Program. This initiative seeks to improve school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence. In addition to STOP School Violence Act funding, OJP’s National Institute of Justice is investing in research on school violence.
Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative
- Northern Ohio Recovery Association, Cleveland, Ohio -- $600,000
This initiative seeks to support the implementation and delivery of mentoring services to youth populations that are at risk for juvenile delinquency, victimization and juvenile justice system involvement.
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC).
- Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces -- $612,392
The ICAC Task Force Program consists of 61 task forces, each led by a single law enforcement agency. Every state has at least one task force, with the more populated states having multiple task forces. Each lead agency receives an annual award from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and then serves as the primary entity responsible for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of their state or regional task force. These task forces conduct forensic examinations and investigate and prosecute technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation throughout the country.
Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking- Advocating Opportunity, Inc. Toledo, Ohio – $664,932
The Services for Minor Victims of Labor Trafficking program awarded funding to organizations to develop, expand, or strengthen victim service programs for victims of labor trafficking whose victimization occurred when they were under the age of 18.
Additional information about Fiscal Year 2020 grant awards made by the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Awards Data webpage.
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announces more than $2.1 million in DOJ grants to support forensic science and testing, tracking of sexual assault kits in the Northern DistrictRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman announced today that the Department of Justice has awarded more than $2.1 million in grant funding to support crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research, and help law enforcement identify missing persons.
Grant funding was also made available to support the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), which helps law enforcement agencies and crime labs process sexual assault evidence and increase the number of sexual assault kits submitted to crime labs.
“Funding crucial sciences and programs such as the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative will have a significant positive impact on the number of active criminal and cold cases that law enforcement agencies can process and solve,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “Not only do these research sciences and kits go a long way to support law enforcement, but they also bring much-needed hope to victims and their families that they will one day see justice.”
“Far too many people endure the physical and emotional trauma of a sexual assault only to have evidence of the crime remain unanalyzed,” said Katharine T. Sullivan, Office of Justice Programs Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General. “These grants will help investigators get these kits to labs, where they can be tested, used to solve crimes and ultimately bring justice to victims.”
Since 2004, the DOJ Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has received an annual appropriation for DNA and other forensic science activities. The funding, administered through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and National Institute of Justice, supports DNA analysis, laboratory capacity enhancement and forensic science research that provides knowledge and tools to improve the quality and practice of forensic science. The following organizations have received funding under this program:
- Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office – $492,041
- Lake County – $256,361
- City of Mansfield – $250,000
In addition, the OJP BJA has made grant funding available to strengthen an individual jurisdictions’ capacity to act on evidence resulting from rape kits and to support the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence ‒ Inventory, Tracking and Reporting (SAFE-ITR) program. These awards will assist law enforcement and prosecutorial activities related to the testing and use of evidence obtained in a sexual assault investigation. The following organizations have received funding under this program:
- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office – $1,000,000
- City of Akron – $150,000
More information about the programs and awards announced today is available here: OJP Awards Data webpage.
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
U.S. Attorney Announces the Appointment of the District Election Officer for the Western District of TennesseeRead the Press Release
MEMPHIS, TN – United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Scott Smith will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020, general election. AUSA Smith has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of Tennessee, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Dunavant said, "Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process."
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Dunavant stated that AUSA Smith will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 901-544-4231.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 901-747-4300.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
United States Attorney Dunavant said, "Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division."
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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U.S. Attorney Announces Update on Firearms Initiative in Hampton RoadsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Today U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger provided an update on the status of Project Guardian, our strategic effort to reduce violent crime and further enforce federal firearms laws across the Eastern District of Virginia, including here in Hampton Roads.
“We are committed to combating violent crime and firearms offenses in our Tidewater Divisions,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The prosecutors of the Eastern District, in conjunction with ATF and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, are doubling down on illegal firearms offenses through Project Guardian.”
During Fiscal Year 2020, from Oct. 1, 2019 through Sept. 30, 2020, the Norfolk and Newport News Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office have charged over 85 defendants with firearms-related offenses, including straw purchases, illegal possession of firearms by previously convicted felons and other prohibited persons, and carrying, brandishing, or discharging a firearm during a crime of violence or in relation to a drug trafficking offense. One such collaborative effort was Operation High Tide, which resulted in 23 convictions and combined sentences of over 187 years for previously convicted felons who illegally possessed firearms and many of whom sold narcotics while in possession of firearms.
Project Guardian is the Justice Department’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.
Project Guardian in EDVA localizes the Justice Department’s national effort, and expands upon the current partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF, and Metro Police Department, and now also includes the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Maryland and the Western District of Virginia, and the Virginia State Police.
Recent Project Guardian cases in Hampton Roads
United States v. Vernon Evander Green II
On July 6, 2020, Green made his initial appearance in federal court on gun charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a January traffic stop that led to the death of Newport News Police Officer Katie Thyne. Green is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. He is scheduled to plead guilty tomorrow.
United States v. Paul Eric Sherrod Parham
In September 2019, Paul Eric Sherrod Parham, a seven-time prior convicted felon, was walking in the area of 36th Street and Chestnut Avenue in Newport News. Parham had outstanding warrants at the time for abduction, larceny, assault and battery, and withholding a credit card belonging to another individual. An individual who knew Parham, and who was aware of Parham’s outstanding warrants, notified Newport News Police of Parham’s precise location. When officers encountered Parham, confirmed his identity and felony status, and began to take him into custody, Parham notified the officers that he was unlawfully carrying a loaded SCCY, CPX-1, 9mm semiautomatic handgun. Parham pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 4, 2021.
United States v. Tamarrea Deyon Walker
In April 2019, Walker, who is a member of the Suffolk-based criminal street gang “YNGI”, and a fellow gang member, brandished firearms and shot at two rival gang members, who fled to their vehicle and drove away while brandishing rifles. Walker and four other YNGI members got into their own car and gave chase. The two groups shot at each other while driving. The driver of Walker’s car was shot in the chest, which caused him to slam on the gas, speed through an intersection, and crash head-on into another vehicle. Police officers arrived at the accident scene soon after and saw Walker rummaging around the vehicle and an extended 9mm magazine lying on the ground by his feet. This extended magazine was capable of holding more than double the ammunition in a standard handgun clip. The officers also recovered from the wreckage more than 30 grams of heroin and four firearms, including a Masterpiece Arms 9mm handgun. A photo of Walker holding the Masterpiece Arms handgun, loaded with that same extended magazine, was posted on his Instagram account just days earlier. Walker had a prior conviction for felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and a lengthy history of participating in gang activity and brandishing firearms at his enemies. Furthermore, Walker was on state probation for the felony when he committed this offense. On September 10, Walker was sentenced to 70 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and his sentence was ordered to be served consecutive to his state sentence for violating probation.
United States v. Demetrius McGregor
On September 24, a federal jury convicted McGregor, who is an 11-time convicted felon with a long history of committing violent gun crimes in Hampton Roads, on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, one count of possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. On Oct. 6, 2017, McGregor was arrested on a warrant in front of his apartment by members of the Norfolk Police Department Fugitive Unit and a Deputy U.S. Marshal. They recovered a loaded Sig Sauer handgun from his waistband. Investigators obtained a search warrant for McGregor’s apartment, where he was staying with his mother, and found in the bedroom closet 18 bags of cocaine, two assault rifles, one of which was loaded and had been reported stolen, four additional large-capacity magazines, dozens of rounds of .45 and 9mm caliber ammunition, and two digital scales. The investigators also recovered from under the bedroom mattress a Sig Saur .45 caliber magazine designed for the gun taken from his waistband, two additional digital scales sitting out in the open on top of a cabinet, and shoes that McGregor had previously photographed himself wearing and had posted on his Facebook page along with multiple photos of himself standing in front of his residence months before the arrest and search. The .45 caliber ammunition from the closet and in the magazine under the mattress matched the brand of the ammunition in the handgun recovered from McGregor. McGregor faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison when sentenced on Feb. 4, 2021.
United States v. Keith Earl Redman
Redman was a member of a Portsmouth-based cocaine and crack-trafficking conspiracy led by Charles Boomer (who was recently sentenced to sixteen years in federal prison) that was responsible for distributing kilogram amounts of the substances throughout Hampton Roads. Redman was the armed security for Boomer’s drug premises. In September 2018, Redman engaged in a shootout with at least two masked gunmen trying to rob one of Boomer’s drug premises—a residence across the street from a Portsmouth elementary school. Redman shot both gunmen in the legs and thwarted the robbery, while sustaining minor injuries. Police officers arrived at the scene and stopped Boomer, Redman, and another co-conspirator as they were trying to flee in Redman’s girlfriend’s car. During the police encounter, the officers saw that the co-conspirators were sitting on multiple bags of cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana, thousands of dollars in cash, and the handgun Redman used to shoot at the masked gunmen. The officers recovered even more drugs and drug-manufacturing materials, as well as dozens of spent shell casings, from inside and in front of the residence. On October 1, Redman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for discharging a firearm in relation to a drug-trafficking crime.
More information on Project Guardian in EDVA can be found here.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Two Individuals and Two Companies Sentenced in Scheme to Fraudulently Sell Popular Dietary SupplementsRead the Press Release
A federal court in Texas sentenced two former dietary supplement company executives to prison and ordered two companies to pay a combined $10.7 million in criminal forfeiture for their roles in fraudulently selling popular workout supplements, the Justice Department announced today.
On Oct. 13, 2020, U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay sentenced former USPlabs CEO Jacobo Geissler, 44, of University Park, Texas, to 60 months’ imprisonment. On October 15, Judge Lindsay sentenced former USPLabs president Jonathan Doyle, 41, of Dallas, to 24 months’ imprisonment. In addition, the Court ordered each defendant to pay a criminal fine of $250,000. The Court previously sentenced USPlabs to pay $4.7 million in criminal forfeiture, and sentenced another company, SK Laboratories Inc., to forfeit $6 million in connection with the case. All of the defendants were charged in a 2015 indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas.
“Consumers rely on dietary supplement manufacturers to accurately represent the ingredients in their products and ensure that they are safe to consume,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will tirelessly investigate and prosecute individuals and companies that place profits before the safety of consumers.”
“Dietary supplement companies cannot be allowed to deceive their consumers and hide the fact that they are including untested ingredients in their products,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox. “We are committed to holding people who harm consumers accountable for their unconscionable behavior.”
“Consumers of dietary supplements do not expect the products they purchase to put their health at risk. Distributing supplements that jeopardize consumer health by being falsely or misleadingly labeled will not be tolerated. The FDA will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who endanger the public’s health and violate the law,” said Judy McMeekin, Pharm.D., Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The defendants in this case thought they could profit off the boom in dietary supplements, while blatantly concealing the true nature of the products they were peddling,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Caramucci, Dallas Field Office. “IRS-CI is proud to stand with our federal partners in investigating financial crimes that bilk millions of dollars from our honest taxpayers, especially when products such as those distributed by Mr. Geissler and Mr. Doyle caused so much harm.”
The defendants each played roles in developing, manufacturing, or marketing the popular workout and weight loss supplements known as Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, which were distributed by USPlabs. In pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to introduce misbranded food into interstate commerce, Doyle and Geissler admitted that they imported substances with false and misleading labeling to avoid law enforcement and regulatory agency attention. SK Laboratories pleaded guilty to introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce, and USPlabs pleaded guilty to conspiracy to introduce misbranded food into interstate commerce. The misbranding charges relate in part to OxyElite Pro, which was recalled in 2013 in the wake of an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration into whether the supplement caused liver injuries in consumers. The indictment alleged that the defendants sold some of their products without determining whether they would be safe to use.
Three other individuals also pleaded guilty and are expected to be sentenced in the coming months. Cyril Willson, 39, of Ralston, Nebraska, and Matthew Hebert, 42, of Dallas, pleaded guilty to introducing misbranded food into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead. Sitesh Patel, 37, of Irvine, California, the vice president of S.K. Laboratories, a California dietary supplement manufacturer, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to introduce misbranded food into interstate commerce and to the introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce.
According to the indictment, sales of USPlabs products related to the conspiracy brought the company hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. The indictment alleged that the defendants participated in a conspiracy to import dietary supplement ingredients from China, including the stimulant known as “DMAA,” using false certificates of analysis and false labeling, and then lied about the source and nature of those ingredients. According to the indictment, the defendants told some of their retailers and wholesalers that USPlabs products contained natural plant extracts, when in fact they contained a synthetic stimulant manufactured in a Chinese chemical factory.
The case was investigated by Special Agent Chad Medaris and former Special Agent Liam Gimon of FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations and Special Agent Larissa Wilson of the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys David Sullivan, Patrick Runkle, and Raquel Toledo with the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division, and Assistant United States Attorneys Errin Martin and John DelaGarza of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx.