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21 February 2020
Union County Man Convicted of Firearms Offense in Connection with ShootingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man previously convicted of multiple felonies was found guilty in federal court of being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Jarrell L. Daniels, 29, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was convicted after a two and a half-day trial before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty in Newark federal court of one count of being a felon in possession of a semi-automatic submachine gun with a high capacity magazine and multiple rounds of ammunition. The jury deliberated less than two hours before delivering the guilty verdict on Feb. 20, 2020.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:
On the morning of April 9, 2018, Daniels was walking down Irvington Avenue in Elizabeth, carrying a loaded .45 caliber Masterpiece Arms ACP submachine gun, with 30 additional rounds of ammunition in an extended magazine. Daniels was wearing a disguise, as well as latex gloves. He came upon his victim and opened fire, shooting at his victim 16 times, but none of the shots struck the victim. As he fled the scene, Daniels dropped his head covering and later stashed the gun and other items of clothing in a nearby trashcan. DNA on these items, as well as surveillance footage and ballistics evidence, ultimately enabled the authorities to identify Daniels as the shooter.
The count on which Daniels was convicted is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited law enforcement officers of the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief John Brennan, Jr.; the Union County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Peter Corvelli; special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson; and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, with the investigation leading to the guilty verdict.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vera Varshavsky and Sammi Malek of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Defense counsel: Peter Willis Esq. and Maximillian Novel Esq., Jersey City, New Jersey
U.S. Attorney's Office Sponsors 17th Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods Logo ContestRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, South Carolina ---- The United States Attorney's Office is sponsoring the 17th Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Logo Contest. The statewide contest welcomes students to illustrate how we can help prevent gun violence in our schools by designing a logo for use on upcoming PSN publications.
The contest is open to all South Carolina grade school students and entries will be categorized into four grade divisions: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grades. A winner will be selected from each of the four divisions, and each division winner will receive $50. An overall winning logo or meme will be chosen from the four division winners and will receive an additional $50 for a total of $100.
The winning entries will be selected by “The Insiders,” a select group of students from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, who travel throughout the state encouraging children and promoting community awareness of the consequences of juvenile crime. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers’ Association Foundation will be providing the awards to the winners.
Entries should be consistent with the theme “Preventing Gun Violence in Our Schools.” The deadline for submissions is March 27, 2020. If your student is interested in participating, contact your local school as contest information has been sent to all South Carolina schools. Applications and contest rules may also be found on our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/programs/ceasefire/project-sentry/contest-winners/contest-rules.
PSN focuses on reducing violent crime in our communities through enforcement, re-entry, and prevention initiatives. The annual logo contest is an important prevention initiative that has proven to be an effective way to engage our students in meaningful conversation about preventing gun crimes amongst our young people and ensuring a safe learning atmosphere for our children. For more information on the contest and to view winning logos from previous years, please visit
http://www.justice.gov/usao/sc/programs/logowinners.html.
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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.
U.S. Attorney Issues Statement on Sheriff’s Compliance with Subpoenas Seeking Jail RecordsRead the Press Release
Kelly Thornton (619) 546-9726
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 21, 2020
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Sheriff’s Department has complied with two of four immigration subpoenas issued last Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These subpoenas sought information about multiple illegal aliens with extensive criminal records and history of illegal entry into the United States. Currently, the individuals are facing additional charges, which include sexual assault of a minor, spousal abuse and false imprisonment, drug possession, assault, and spousal battery.
U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer issued the following statement: “We appreciate the Sheriff’s Department’s compliance with the ICE enforcement subpoenas. We are particularly grateful for the strong working relationships among federal and local law enforcement agencies in the Southern District of California. The sharing of information by law enforcement is crucial to protecting the public and the effective enforcement of our laws.”
There were four subpoenas issued last week; the Sheriff’s Department complied with the first two, which were due this week. The remaining two are due next week.
Tyndall Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Tyndall, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Jose Eduardo Rodriguez, age 44, was indicted on February 11, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 14, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Rodriguez was convicted of Fourth Degree Rape in July 1998. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. It is alleged between August 18, 2019, and December 26, 2019, Rodriguez, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Rodriguez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Rodriguez was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Treasurer of Multiple Political Action Committees Sentenced for Filing False Reports with the FECRead the Press Release
A Virginia political consultant who served as the treasurer of multiple Political Action Committees (PACs) was sentenced today to one year and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release for lying to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about approximately $32,500 in payments of Political Action Committee (PAC) money that he directed to himself and a close friend.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady sentenced Scott B. Mackenzie, 66, today after Mackenzie’s Oct. 22, 2019 conviction. Judge O’Grady also ordered Mackenzie to pay $172,000 in restitution.
From 2011 through 2018, Mackenzie was the treasurer of approximately 52 PACs, including Conservative StrikeForce, Conservative Majority Fund, Tea Party Majority Fund and Conservative Majority SuperFund. In that role, Mackenzie was responsible for complying with campaign finance laws and regulations and filing accurate disclosure reports with the FEC that detailed the PACs’ true income and expenditures.
Person A was a resident of Winchester, Virginia, who had a personal relationship with Mackenzie and with whom Mackenzie shared a joint bank account. Between October 2011 and June 2014, Mackenzie caused approximately $32,500 in payments to Person A from bank accounts belonging to Conservative StrikeForce, Conservative Majority Fund and Conservative Majority SuperFund. Mackenzie falsely reported to the FEC that Person A received these payments for work that Person A had purportedly provided to Conservative StrikeForce and Conservative Majority Fund. In fact, as Mackenzie knew, Person A—an umbrella retailer with no experience in political fundraising—did not provide any of the purported services to these PACs. The funds were deposited into the bank account that Mackenzie shared with Person A.
In addition, Mackenzie made false statements to the FEC to conceal the unlawful use of funds raised by Conservative Majority Fund and Tea Party Majority Fund to pay at least $172,200 in legal fees that Conservative StrikeForce and affiliated companies had incurred from defending a civil lawsuit brought by a former gubernatorial candidate for Virginia.
Finally, Mackenzie admitted that he participated in a scheme to use conduits (also known as straw donors) to contribute to candidates running for federal public office. Mackenzie used conduits to make these contributions in order to evade limits that federal law placed on individual campaign contributions, as well as prohibitions against corporate contributions.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Bill Gullotta and John Taddei of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly R. Pedersen of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. Former PIN trial attorney Molly Gaston provided significant assistance in the case.
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.
Texas Couple Sentenced to Combined 140 Years in Child Exploitation CaseRead the Press Release
A husband and wife from Big Spring, Texas, were sentenced today to a combined 140 years in prison for crimes against multiple children.
U.S Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas and Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations was the lead investigative agency.
Christopher James Regan, 38, a former shipping logistics manager, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after pleading guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to produce child pornography and two counts of producing child pornography. Tanya Marie Regan, 35, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after her October 2019 guilty plea to conspiracy to produce child pornography and possession of prepubescent child pornography. The sentences, which were imposed by U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman of the Northern District of Texas, also included lifetime terms of supervised release for both defendants.
According to court documents, Christopher and Tanya Regan sexually abused and produced child pornography of multiple children, and they possessed and distributed child pornography to one another as well. The Regans also engaged in graphic discussions about the sexual abuse of children over several online platforms.
“These heinous crimes were conducted by sexual predators who posed a serious danger to children,” said United States Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “I commend the swift and dedicated work of law enforcement, and am glad we were able to serve justice for the victims.”
“This is one of the most despicable cases of child exploitation and abuses of trust I have seen in my law-enforcement career,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Dallas. “Even the most hardened criminal would likely take exception to this kind of heinous behavior. No sentence is long enough for these two individuals, and it sends a clear message to others who sexually exploit vulnerable children: We will come after you and hold you accountable for your reprehensible actions.”
In plea papers, the pair admitted that at Christopher Regan’s direction, Tanya Regan repeatedly videotaped herself sexually abusing children for Christopher Regan’s sexual gratification.
When law enforcement seized electronics from the home, several graphic videos had been deleted, but were still stored in the recycle bin or on unalloted space on various SD cards. Undeleted videos were stored in a computer folder titled “users\tanya_000\pictures\privatevids\minor.”
HSI’s office in San Angelo, Texas, the Howard County Sheriff’s Office and the High Technology Investigative Unit within the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated the case. Substantial assistance was provide by the HSI offices in Lubbock and Tyler, Texas, Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the National Center for Mission and Exploited Children. Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Howey and Jeffrey R. Haag prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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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Tahlequah Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Troy Gene Duchesne, age 29, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Felon in Possession of Firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2), punishable by not more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about September 26, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and knowing of such conviction, did knowingly possess in and affecting commerce, a firearm which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Ben Gifford represented the United States.
South Carolina man indicted on meth chargeRead the Press Release
ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Todd Michael Hensley, of Anderson, South Carolina, was indicted this week on a methamphetamine distribution charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Hensley, age 47, is charged with one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Hensley is accused of distributing methamphetamine in January 2020 in Marshall County.
The indictment also calls for the forfeiture of 15 firearms, including three AK47s, nearly 300 rounds of ammunition, $9,000 in cash, and an IPhone XR.
Hensley faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sioux Falls Man Charged for Possession of Firearm by Prohibited PersonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of possession of firearm by prohibited person was sentenced on February 14, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schrerer.
Peyton Michael Ledbetter, age 22, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Ledbetter was indicted for felon in possession of a firearm by a federal grand jury on December 4, 2018. He pled guilty on October 22, 2019.
Law enforcement stopped the vehicle in which Ledbetter was driving on September 30, 2018, in Sioux Falls. During a search of his person and vehicle, law enforcement located a Winchester brand, 9xl9 mm Luger caliber round of ammunition, a Winchester brand 9xl9mm Luger caliber cartridge case, and a TulAmmo brand .380 AUTO caliber cartridge case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Nash prosecuted the case.
Ledbetter was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sicangu Village Man Indicted for Aggravated Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sicangu Village, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse.
Conrad Good Voice, Jr., age 24, was indicted on February 11, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 19, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on June 4, 2018, in Todd County, South Dakota, Good Voice knowingly engaged in a sexual act with the minor victim, by the use of force.
The charge is merely an accusation and Good Voice is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Good Voice was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Sexual Predator Sentenced to More Than 16 Years for Possessing Depictions of Child Sex AbuseRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Richard Allan Griffin (59, Middleburg) to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for possessing images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The court also ordered Griffin to forfeit a cellphone and pay a $10,000 fine.
Griffin had pleaded guilty on October 29, 2019.
According to court documents, Griffin’s employer contacted law enforcement after discovering child sexual abuse materials on Griffin’s computer. The employer also turned over Griffin’s company issued cellphone to law enforcement. A forensic review of the phone revealed at least 25 images depicting children being sexually exploited, including images of children in bathing suits, underwear, and various stages of undress. It also contained images showing small children posing in a sexually suggestive manner. At least 10 of the images were classified as child pornography.
Griffin is a registered sexual predator and has four prior sex offenses involving children. In 1996, in Lee County, he was convicted of two counts of attempted capital sexual battery on a person less than 12 years of age (a first degree felony), and a lewd/lascivious act (a felony in the second degree). Griffin was also convicted of cruelty to a child in Chatham County, Georgia, for performing sexual acts upon a child under the age of 8. In 1990, Griffin was convicted of indecent exposure in Charleston County, South Carolina, after he exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl and offered to pay the child for sex. In 1992, in Chatham County, Georgia, Griffin was convicted of child molestation and loitering for sex after exposing himself to a child under the age of 14 and asking the child for sex.
“This convicted sexual predator did not learn his lesson the first time,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Now, as a result of the hard work of HSI special agents and our partners with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit, this predator will no longer be a threat to our community.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Santa Monica Man Arrested on Federal Charges of Staging Cyber-attacks on Computer System of Congressional CandidateRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – FBI agents this morning arrested a Santa Monica man on federal charges stemming from a series of distributed denial-of-service – or DDoS – attacks on a website for a candidate who was campaigning for a California congressional seat.
Arthur Jan Dam, 32, was taken into custody this morning pursuant to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday that charges him with one count of intentionally damaging and attempting to damage a protected computer.
Dam allegedly staged four cyber-attacks in April and May of 2018 that took down the candidate’s website for a total of 21 hours. “The victim reported suffering losses, including website downtime, a reduction in campaign donations, and time spent by campaign staff and others conducting critical incident response,” according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint. The victim further reported spending $27,000 to $30,000 to respond to the attacks, and the candidate believes the attacks contributed to the loss in the primary election in June 2018.
“Law enforcement at all levels has pledged to ensure the integrity of every election,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “We will not tolerate interference with computer systems associated with candidates or voting. Cases like this demonstrate our commitment to preserving our democratic system.”
“Today’s arrest shows the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable anyone who interferes with an American’s right to vote or who deprives a candidate the right to compete fairly in an election,” said Paul Delacourt, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “As part of our mission to defend the democratic process, the FBI is equipped with the expertise to respond to allegations of election interference; whether by fraud, intimidation or – as in this case – cyber intrusions.”
The investigation outlined in the affidavit found that the cyber-attacks all originated from one Amazon Web Services (AWS) account, which Dam controlled, and the four attacks corresponded to logins into that AWS account from either Dam’s residence or his workplace. Furthermore, Dam had conducted “extensive research” on both the victim and cyber-attacks, the complaint alleges.
DDoS attacks typically are accomplished by flooding the targeted computer with superfluous requests in an attempt to overload systems and prevent some or all legitimate requests from being fulfilled. After the third cyber-attack, the victim increased cybersecurity measures and retained a website security company, but that was not enough to prevent a final disruption to the campaign’s website just one week before the primary election.
Dam was married to a woman who was employed by another candidate – and the eventual winner – in the congressional race, according to the complaint. The FBI has not uncovered any evidence that the winning candidate or Dam’s wife orchestrated or were involved in the series of cyber-attacks.
Dam was arrested this morning after surrendering to FBI agents at the United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Dam is expected to make his initial court appearance this afternoon.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If he were to be convicted of the charge of intentionally damaging and attempting to damage a protected computer, Dam would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The FBI investigated this case.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Cameron L. Schroeder and Joseph B. Woodring of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
Rapid City Man Indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Richard Peneaux, age 26, was indicted on February 11, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 19, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years up to life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Peneaux was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in March of 2014. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender. It is alleged between December 22, 2019, and January 7, 2020, Peneaux, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of conviction under Federal Law, failed to properly register as a sex offender and update his registration.
The charge is merely an accusation and Peneaux is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore is prosecuting the case.
Peneaux was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Raeford Men Sentenced for Drug Trafficking and Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announces that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced ANTONIO DWAYNE EVANS, 33, of Raeford, NC to 158 months imprisonment followed by 4 years of supervised release.
EVANS and his brother, Sammy Durane Evans, Jr., were named in a six-count Indictment on July 18, 2018. On June 19, 2019, ANTONIO EVANS pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin; Possession With Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin, and Aiding and Abetting; and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
From January 2018 to May 2, 2018, the Fayetteville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of brothers Sammy Durane Evans, Jr., and ANTONIO DWAYNE EVANS.
During the course of the investigation, law enforcement received information that Sammy Evans and ANTONIO EVANS regularly sold crack cocaine, cocaine, and marijuana from two parked vehicles in the driveway of a residence located on Amanda Circle in Fayetteville. It was also beloved that the Evans brothers stored their drugs and weapons in the vehicles while selling at the residence.
On May 2, 2018, physical surveillance was established on the Amanda Circle residence, where investigators observed vehicles parked in front of the residence. Surveillance verified several individuals coming and going from the residence and vehicles.
ANTONIO EVANS was seen meeting with various individuals, and going back and forth between two parked vehicles. After one transaction, officers stopped a vehicle leaving the residence and subsequently recovered marijuana. The driver admitted that the marijuana had been purchased from the residence.
Following the traffic stop, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at the Amanda Circle residence. As officers approached the property, an individual fled the residence, but was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
Officers recovered a bag containing cocaine and marijuana in the surrounding area. The individual stated that he lived at the house, and when officers searched his room, they located 2.9 grams of cocaine, 14.7 grams of marijuana, a rifle magazine, 13 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, sandwich bags, 2 cell phones, and $4,992 in U.S. currency.
Sammy Evans and ANTONIO EVANS were then located outside the residence. Sammy Evans also attempted to run, but he was apprehended after a short foot pursuit.
Officers recovered a high capacity magazine, a loaded 9mm firearm, and 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition from Sammy Evans’s vehicle; ANTONIO EVANS possessed a key to that vehicle.
Also recovered from the Evans brothers, including from their vehicles and the immediate area, were 2 gun holsters, 49.2 grams of crack cocaine, 285.8 grams of cocaine, 6.3 grams of heroin, 100.7 grams of marijuana, 236 dosage units of opiates (2.48 grams of oxycodone), 71 dosage units of Alprazolam (a Schedule IV drug), 12.5 grams of MDMA, and a total of $2,708 in U.S. currency.
Based on the investigation, ANTONIO EVANS was held responsible for 6.3 grams of heroin, 12.5 grams of MDMA, 71 dosage units of Alprazolam (Schedule IV drug), 89.85 grams of crack cocaine, 2.48 grams of oxycodone, 1,062.98 grams of cocaine, and 101.2 grams of marijuana.
Additionally, he is a convicted felon, possessed a firearm in connection with his drug-trafficking activities, and maintained a premise for the purpose of manufacturing or distributing a controlled substance.
Previously, on April 11, 2019, Sammy Evans was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of Cocaine, 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin and Possession with Intent to Distribute 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base (Crack), a Quantity of Cocaine, a Quantity of Marijuana, and a Quantity of Heroin and Aiding and Abetting.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case is part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative. This initiative emphasizes the regional assignment of federal prosecutors to work with law enforcement and District Attorney’s Offices on a sustained basis in those communities to reduce the violent crime rate, drug trafficking, and crimes against law enforcement. For additional information about this initiative, click here https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/tbnc.
The Fayetteville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Scott A. Lemmon prosecuted this case for the government.
Portland Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Federal Income Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that Mark Edward Staggs, 64, a resident of Portland, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison and two years’ supervised release for filing a false federal income tax return in 2011. Staggs was also ordered to pay more than $142,000 in restitution to the IRS.
According to court documents, from 2009 through 2019, Staggs owned a used office furniture business in the Portland area. During this time, he received all of his gross income from several large clients in Oregon and California, who paid him with checks. Staggs would travel from Oregon to California to cash the checks at a check cashing service in San Jose, California. His use of a false social security number prompted the check cashing service to file Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Staggs kept the cash he received and never deposited it into his business bank account or recorded it in his business records. When the check cashing service began refusing Staggs’ checks, he enlisted two acquaintances to cash the checks on his behalf. Staggs encouraged these acquaintances to lie if anyone questioned them about his scheme. In total, between 2010 and 2013, Staggs failed to report nearly $500,000 of income, resulting in tax loss of $142,583.
On April 9, 2019, Staggs pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false federal income tax return before U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and prosecuted by Claire M. Fay, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and IRS-CI remind Oregonians that tax day is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. For tips to assist taxpayers in choosing a reputable tax professional or preparing their own taxes, visit: https://www.irs.gov/help-resources.
Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of narcotics distribution and firearms possession, in violation of federal law, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Joseph T. Gale, Jr., age 29, pleaded guilty to three counts before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on November 5, 2018, Gale possessed a .45 caliber semi-automatic Springfield Armory pistol and .45 caliber ammunition, knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Federal law prohibits a felon from possessing a firearm. The court was also advised that on the same date, Gale possessed with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not more than seventy years in prison, a fine of $4,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Ohio Township Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Gale. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). 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.
Philadelphia Labor-Leasing Company Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax FraudRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Deputy United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced that Charlie Kien, 45, of King of Prussia, PA, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine by United States District Court Judge Mark A. Kearney for multiple charges of tax fraud.
The defendant pleaded guilty in October 2019 to charges of failing to pay employment taxes and filing false tax returns in connection with the operation of his former Philadelphia-based labor leasing company, CK’s Business Services. The company had contracts to provide temporary employees to two local businesses: a flag manufacturer and military bandage manufacturer. In preparing and filing IRS Form 941 for both of these contracts, Kien failed to account for the correct number of the company’s employees and wages paid, and also failed to file IRS Form W-2 for the unclaimed employees.
Further, the defendant paid many of his employees in cash – failing to collect and pay employment taxes to the IRS. For the tax years 2010 through 2012, the total amount of lost employment tax (employer and employee) was approximately $565,872. Kien also filed false personal income tax returns: for tax years 2010 through 2012, he failed to pay approximately $474,059 in taxes.
“Knowingly falsifying documents to avoid reporting income to the IRS is a crime,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Lappen. “Dishonest business owners like the defendant use a variety of methods to cheat the government and all honest taxpayers. Our Office will continue to work with our federal partners to hold accountable those who commit tax fraud.”
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terri A. Marinari.
Paterson Man Indicted for Sale of Narcotics that Resulted in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A federal grand jury has indicted a Paterson, New Jersey, man for distributing a quantity of heroin and fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a New Jersey resident, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Wyzier Peterson, 22, was also charged with two additional sales of heroin and fentanyl, as well as with conspiring to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl and at least 100 grams of heroin. The defendant was previously charged by complaint.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Peterson and his conspirators are all members and associates of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement officers determined that from September 2018 through July 3, 2019, Peterson and his conspirators conspired to distribute narcotics, to include heroin and fentanyl.
The count of conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin and 40 grams of fentanyl carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a fine of at least $5 million. The counts of distribution of heroin and fentanyl carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl, which led to the death of another person, carries a maximum of life imprisonment.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; officers of the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Police Director Jerry Speziale; officers of the Jefferson Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Sean Conrad; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Camelia M. Valdes; and detectives of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Fredric Knapp; with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s OCDETF/Narcotics Unit.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Parmelee Woman Indicted for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Jeni May Pearl Arcoren, age 32, was indicted on February 11, 2020. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 21, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in prison and/or a $10,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each Count. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on January 1, 2015, and continuing through February 11, 2020, in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere, Arcoren, knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with others to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The charge is merely an accusation and Arcoren is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Arcoren was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Parent Agrees to Plead Guilty in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Chinese woman who resides in Canada agreed to plead guilty today in federal court in Boston to using bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate her son’s admission to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) as a purported soccer recruit.
Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, agreed to plead guilty to one count of federal programs bribery before U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, who scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2019. Sui has been detained in Spain since her arrest there on Sept. 16, 2019. Sui was extradited to Boston for today’s plea hearing.
Sui agreed with William “Rick” Singer to pay $400,000 to facilitate her son’s admission to UCLA as a purported soccer recruit. During a phone call in August 2018, Singer explained to Sui that he would write Sui’s son application in a “special way” that would guarantee his admission to UCLA, in exchange for $400,000. Between September and October 2018, Singer facilitated the transfer of Sui’s son’s transcript to the head coach of men’s soccer at UCLA, who allegedly designated Sui’s son as a recruited student-athlete.
On Oct. 24, 2018, Singer instructed Sui to wire Singer $100,000 which would be “paid to the coach at UCLA” in exchange for a letter of intent from the UCLA soccer coach recruiting Sui’s son onto the soccer team. Two days later, Sui wired the $100,000 to a bank account in Massachusetts in the name of Singer’s sham charitable organization, Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF).
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
The charge of federal programs bribery provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. According to the plea agreement, the parties will recommend a sentence of time served (approximately five months in prison), one year of supervised release, a fine and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright, and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Palm Harbor Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Receiving and Possessing Child Sex Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Cody Robert Schoh (23, Palm Harbor) to 7 years and 11 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography. The court also ordered Schoh to forfeit the electronic devices he had used in the commission of the offense.
Schoh had pleaded guilty on August 16, 2019.
According to court documents, the FBI began an investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone at Schoh's Palm Harbor residence had uploaded 94 files depicting child pornography to an online cloud storage system. The FBI executed a search warrant at Schoh's residence and seized his electronic devices. A forensic analysis of the devices revealed that Schoh was in possession of child sex abuse images and videos. Forensic analysts also found that Schoh had used a web-based messaging application to engage in sexual conversations with numerous individuals who appeared to be minors. He also received, transmitted, and possessed child pornography via the internet.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.
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 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.
Owner of Company Contracted to Wash Postal Vehicles Pleads Guilty to Violating Environmental LawRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Constance Pritchett, 59, has pleaded guilty to the federal offense of depositing of refuse in navigable waters. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the guilty plea today.
According to information presented in court, from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015, Pritchett, the owner of Pritchett, Inc. d/b/a Crossroads Mobile Service ("Crossroads") had a contract with the United States Postal Service to wash postal service vehicles and postal service locations throughout the Memphis, Tennessee area. The contract required Crossroads to collect all wastewater in accordance with federal law.
An investigation by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General determined that Crossroads employees failed to properly collect wastewater, which then entered the City of Memphis sewer system. The wastewater then entered the Mississippi River which is a navigable waterway of the United States.
"The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General works closely with Postal Service procurement officials to help safeguard the contracting process. When contract irregularities arise, OIG special agents work aggressively to gather the facts and present relevant information to federal prosecutors. In this instance, contractual obligations related to important environmental matters were ignored altogether," said Special Agent in Charge Scott Pierce, Contract Fraud Investigations Division.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a full-service federal prosecution office, and we have the ability and intention to charge any violations of federal law, no matter where or how they occur in the Western District of Tennessee. This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to upholding the rule of law, and to pursuing any cases that harm and impact our waterways and environment."
Sentencing is scheduled for April 10, 2020, before U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., where Pritchett faces up to one year imprisonment followed by one year supervised release.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy S. Robbins is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Orocovis Man Arrested in Massachusetts on Charges of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, P.R. – Jeremy Joel López, 20, from Orocovis, Puerto Rico, was arrested for coercion and enticement of a minor, transfer of obscene material and receipt of child pornography, following an investigation by the FBI Ponce Office and the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Police of Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice, District Attorney’s Office for the Region of Aibonito, announced United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow.
According to the three-count indictment, from on or about 2018 through September 2019, López used a facility of interstate and foreign commerce to entice and coerce the female minor to engage in sexual activity and received child pornography via messaging applications on his cellular phone.
Assistant United States Attorneys Ginette Milanes and Nicholas W. Cannon, Deputy Chief of the Immigration, Cybercrime, and Child Exploitation Unit, are in charge of the prosecution of the case. If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment, and a statutory maximum sentence up to life incarceration. An indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Ord Man Convicted Again for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Reamonn C. Seaman, 25, of Ord, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Seaman was sentenced to 276 months in prison and will also serve 20 years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Seaman was convicted of Possession of Child Pornography and Enticement by Electronic Device, both felony offenses, in the District Court of Buffalo County, Kearney, Nebraska in January of 2018. In June of 2018, while on state probation, authorities became aware that he had contacted a minor female via the internet. Seaman then admitted to his probation officer that he had relapsed. His electronic devices were seized at that time and found to contain child pornography.
In February of 2019, the probation officer contacted Seaman at his residence and found he had once again obtained computer equipment and wireless adapters in violation of his probation. Seaman admitted he had relapsed again and had sent nude photographs and videos to additional minor victims. An examination of those devices also revealed child pornography. Seaman also admitted to making physical contact with minors.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Omaha Man Sentenced to 26 Years for Possessing a Firearm while Distributing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Jayson Yanes, 40, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Yanes to 26 years’ imprisonment. Yanes faced a mandatory minimum 25-year sentence due to a prior federal conviction for Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Yanes will be required to serve a 5-year term of supervised release.
On August 1, 2018, Omaha Police Officers executed a search warrant at Yanes’ South Omaha residence. Officers recovered drug paraphernalia, approximately 11 grams of actual methamphetamine, and a firearm within arm’s reach of the methamphetamine. Yanes admitted that the firearm and the methamphetamine were his and that he had been selling methamphetamine for the previous 6 months.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.
Ohio Doctor Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Distribution of OpioidsRead the Press Release
An Ohio physician who owned a Dayton-area medical practice pleaded guilty today for illegally distributing opioids.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers of the Southern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Detroit Division, Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office and Special Agent in Charge William C. Hoffman of the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office made the announcement.
Morris Brown, M.D. 75, of Dayton, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances before U.S. District Judge Walter Rice of the Southern District of Ohio. Brown is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Rice on May 8.
As part of his guilty plea, Brown admitted that he prescribed controlled substances to patients in amounts and for lengths of time that were outside the scope of legitimate medical practice. Brown also admitted that he routinely prescribed controlled substances to patients even though various “red flags” suggested that he should stop writing those prescriptions, change the prescriptions and/or counsel patients accordingly. Further, Brown admitted that he prescribed dangerous combinations of drugs known to heighten the risk of overdose and death.
Brown owned the building in which his practice operated, and leased space in the building to a pharmacy named Dayton Pharmacy through which the vast majority of his prescriptions were filled. Brown admitted to distributing approximately 73.5 kilograms of opioids by converted drug weight.
Brown no longer maintains a DEA registration.
Brown was charged along with Ismail Abuhanieh, 50, of Phoenix, Arizona; Mahmoud Elmiari, 44, of Bellbrook, Ohio; Yohannes Tinsae, 48, of Beavercreek, Ohio; and Mahmoud Rifai, 50, of Detroit, Michigan in April 2019. All four of Brown’s co-defendants were charged for their roles in agreeing to obtain controlled substances for Dayton Pharmacy by fraud or misrepresentation. Elmiari and Tinsae have entered guilty pleas and are scheduled for sentencing on May 13, 2020. Abuhanieh is scheduled for a change of plea on March 10, 2020. Rifai is the subject of an active arrest warrant.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The DEA, FBI, HHS-OIG, Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and Ohio Board of Pharmacy investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Chris Jason, Tom Tynan and Leslie Garthwaive of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force. Since its inception in October 2018, the ARPO Strike Force, which operates in 10 districts, has charged more than 70 defendants who are collectively responsible for distributing more than 40 million pills. The Health Care Fraud Unit, in general, maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, and has charged nearly 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $15 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Individuals who believe that they may be a victim in this case should visit the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness website for more information.
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.
Northeast Ohio priest charged with child pornography, child exploitation and juvenile sex traffickingRead the Press Release
Robert D. McWilliams, 29, was charged by criminal complaint today with receiving or distributing child pornography, sexual exploitation of children and sex trafficking of a minor.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, McWilliams pretended to be a female on social media applications which he used to make contact with minor male victims. Allegedly, certain of McWilliams’s victims were young boys McWilliams knew because he served as a priest in parishes with which these children and there families were affiliated. Posing as the female, McWilliams allegedly enticed the minor male victims to send sexually explicit photographs and videos, sometimes threatening to expose embarrassing information McWilliams already knew about the victims if they did not send such images. At times, McWilliams is alleged to have threatened to send those photographs to family and friends if the minor male victims did not send additional photographs and videos. McWilliams is also alleged to have followed through on this threat by sending the mothers sexually explicit photographs he received from minor male victims.
The affidavit also alleges that McWilliams was in possession of, received or distributed child pornography, to include a video file of a nude infant boy bound and raped by an adult male, approximately 1,700 images and videos of child pornography, and approximately 150 files of child pornography in a Dropbox cloud storage account.
Additionally, McWilliams is alleged to have used the social networking website Grindr.com to make contact with a minor male victim for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex. McWilliams allegedly met the victim on multiple occasions and, in exchange for sex, paid the 15 year old boy approximately $100 per act.
Anyone with knowledge of McWilliams’s contact with children should contact Homeland Security Investigations at (216) 749-9602.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office and Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (“ICAC”) Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carol M. Skutnik and Bridget M. Brennan.
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North Hollywood Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Smuggling Cocaine in Household Products Shipped to AustraliaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 108 months in federal prison for smuggling more than 80 pounds of cocaine – concealed and suspended in grease – in household products that were mailed to Australia.
Vardges Markosyan, 47, of North Hollywood, was sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney.
Markosyan – who also was known as “David Petrosov,” “Giani Oncho,” and “Laram Narman” – pleaded guilty in November 2019 to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
Between December 2014 and October 2016, Markosyan was involved in a drug conspiracy that procured approximately 40 kilograms (88.2 pounds) of cocaine and shipped it to Australia. The cocaine was suspended in grease and placed in empty household products such as log splitters, air compressors, tankless water heaters, lampstands, and air conditioners. The wholesale value of this cocaine was at least $7 million in Australia, court papers state.
The shipped packages were sent via commercial carrier to Australia, where the drugs were distributed. Markosyan conducted “test runs” of drug shipment methods by sending packages of household products by commercial carrier to Australia to evaluate whether the drugs could be shipped without detection inside similar packages. For example, in March 2015, a co-conspirator used FedEx to send 9.87 kilograms (21.76 pounds) of cocaine hidden in a log splitter to Australia. In advance of this package, Markosyan sent a similar log splitter in a “test run” to Australia.
Markosyan also conspired with his sister, Iren Markosyan, 41, of North Hollywood, to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking and fraudulent activity. From May 2014 until January 2019, Markosyan used his sister’s name – with her knowledge – to buy properties in North Hollywood and Studio City. Markosyan and his sister obtained hard-money loans secured against these properties, and spent the net proceeds of these loans after transferring them to various accounts. In December 2018, Markosyan received $234,442 from the sale of the North Hollywood property. Markosyan also obtained, with his sister’s assistance, Medi-Cal benefits by falsely stating that he had no income, according to court documents.
“Because these loans essentially liquidated the illicit proceeds that were used to purchase these homes, there was never an intent to pay these loans back,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “In total, (Markosyan) laundered up to $3.5 million in this manner.”
Markosyan has agreed to forfeit to the U.S. government his interest in the Studio City property, held in his sister’s name, as well as a 1996 Carver 38 boat and a 2005 Caribe boat also held in her name.
Iren Markosyan pleaded guilty in May 2019 to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. She will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison at her sentencing hearing later this year.
This matter was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Glendale Police Department, and the California Department of Health Care Services Investigations Branch, in conjunction with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The United States wishes to thank its foreign partners -- the New South Wales Police Force, the New South Wales Crime Commission, and the Australian Federal Police -- for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Puneet V. Kakkar of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section, and Katharine Schonbachler of the Asset Forfeiture Section.
Nicholson Man Sentenced to over 15 years for being a Felon in Possession of Firearm and an Armed Career CriminalRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Ronald Christopher Dressner, 41, of Nicholson, was sentenced on February 21, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to 184 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Kurt Thielhorn with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”). Dresser was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine.
On May 20, 2019, interdiction officers with the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Dressner for a stolen tag. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, Dressnerfled. Dressner eventually stopped his vehicle and a passenger in the vehicle advised officers that she saw Dressner throw a silver and black handgun out of the passenger window. Officers returned to the location and discovered a Smith & Wesson, .40 caliber pistol loaded with five live rounds. When Dressner was interviewed, he ultimately admitted to throwing the firearm out of the window during the pursuit. Dressner had previous felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance in the Circuit Court of Pearl River County for which he was sentenced to serve 16 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Dressner was charged in a federal criminal indictment and pled guilty before Judge Ozerden on November 13, 2019.
The Jackson County South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones.
New York Man Admits Role in Defrauding Banks in $9 Million Shotgun Loan SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Freeport, New York, man today admitted participating in a conspiracy to carry out a $9 million scheme to use bogus information and simultaneous loan applications at multiple banks to fraudulently obtain home equity lines of credit, a scheme known as “shotgunning,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Yorce Yotagri, 53, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:
Yotagri was a business partner of Jorge Flores of Oakdale, New York, and Jose Piedrahita of Freeport, two conspirators also charged in the indictment. From 2010 through February 2018, Yotagri, Flores, Piedrahita, and others conspired to fraudulently obtain multiple home equity lines of credit (HELOC) from banks on residential properties in New Jersey and New York.
In August 2016, Yotagri lived at a property in Freeport. A quitclaim deed was prepared that facilitated the transfer of ownership of the property to Yotagri and Piedrahita even though Piedrahita did not own the property.
In September 2016, with the Freeport property now in the names of Yotagri and Piedrahita, the conspirators applied for a $290,000 HELOC from a victim bank in Yotagri’s and Piedrahita’s names using the property as collateral. Piedrahita’s contact information appeared on the HELOC application on the Freeport property, which also contained inflated income and assets for Piedrahita. On Dec. 2, 2016, based on the false representations contained in the application, the victim bank issued a HELOC to Piedrahita for $290,000. Piedrahita then disbursed the $290,000 to himself, Yotagri, and Flores. The HELOC funds were never repaid.
In January 2017, Flores called another victim bank and applied for a second HELOC in Piedrahita’s name for $250,000 – again using the Freeport property as collateral. This time Flores’ email address and phone number appeared on the HELOC application on the Freeport property. To demonstrate to the second victim bank that the property was unencumbered by any senior mortgages, Flores and Piedrahita sent several fraudulent documents to the victim bank to conceal the existence of or amounts owed on senior mortgages. The false documents the defendants submitted included a series of false payoff letters and fake checks from other banks, all submitted to deceive the victim bank into believing that the remaining value of the senior mortgages on the Freeport property was far less than what was actually owed.
On March 22, 2017, the second victim bank issued a HELOC to Piedrahita for $250,000. Piedrahita then disbursed nearly the entirety of the HELOC funds to himself and Yotagri. The funds obtained by Piedrahita and Yotagri from the HELOC were not repaid and were overdrawn, causing losses to the second victim bank totaling approximately $290,000.
At the time the applications for the two HELOCS were made, there was not sufficient equity in the Freeport property to support the $540,000 in HELOC applications made by Flores, Piedrahita, and Yotagri.
The overall scheme, which included HELOC loans for approximately 17 different properties, resulted in over $9 million in losses to the victim banks.
Yotagri faces a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2020.U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Steven Perez in Newark; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin DiGregory of the FHFA-OIG.The charges and allegations against Yotagri’s co-defendants contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Defense counsel: Randy Scott Zelin Esq., New York
New Orleans Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Being in Receipt of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that defendant PRENTISS CRAFT, 29 years of age, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced on Thursday, February 20, 2020 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown to being in receipt of a firearm while under indictment.
CRAFT pled guilty on November 14, 2019, to being in receipt of a firearm while under indictment, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(n) and 924(a)(1)(D).
Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown sentenced CRAFT to 60 months in the Bureau of Prisons, as well as 3 years supervised release following the term of imprisonment.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
U. S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the New Orleans Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Privitera.
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New Orleans Man Pleads in Credit Card Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that JEFFERY JOSEPH, age 25, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on February 20, 2020 before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe to charges related to his participation in a credit card fraud ring.
According to court documents, JOSEPH and the other defendants engaged in a scheme to obtain merchandise and cash from stores through fraud. The defendants obtained stolen credit and debit card information, encoded it onto cards, and then used that information to purchase items at stores. The defendants would then return the items at a different store of the same chain, but they would deceive store workers in order to have the chargeback credited to their own bank accounts. Court documents also detail how JOSEPH took flights with several other co-conspirators to perform fraudulent credit card transactions in various cities in the United States, including St. Louis, Missouri; Richmond, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Cincinnati, Ohio. JOSEPH was also arrested in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and Franklin, Tennessee, while committing credit card fraud.
Federal agents located social media posts by JOSEPH that further established the fraud. For example, a July 2018 Instagram post showed JOSEPH sitting on the hood of a Mercedes with the caption, “I’m living proof that crime do pay.” Another post by JOSEPH in September 2018 showed him in Atlanta with the caption “only ducking indictments,” just six days after two of JOSEPH’S co-conspirators had been arrested. In his plea documents, JOSEPH admitted that he caused between $250,000.00 and $550,000.00 in losses through his own conduct and that of his co-conspirators.
JOSEPH pleaded guilty to three counts of the Third Superseding Indictment. He pleaded to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, for which he faces a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment. He pleaded to one count of aggravated identity theft, for which he must be sentenced to two years of imprisonment to be served consecutively with any other count. He also pleaded to one count of possession of access device-making equipment, which carries a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.00, or twice the gross gain or gross loss caused by this scheme. Sentencing is set for May 28, 2020, before Judge Ashe.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the agencies that contributed to this conviction, which represents a coordinated effort of federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Louisiana Financial Crimes Task Force. The Task Force includes representatives from the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, New Orleans Police Department, Covington Police Department, Hammond Police Department, Kenner Police Department, Louisiana State Police, Mandeville Police Department, Slidell Police Department, St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. John The Baptist Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. State Department, Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. U.S. Attorney Strasser also thanked the Franklin (TN) Police Department, the Mobile Police Department, the Gulfport Police Department, the Minnetonka (MN) Police Department, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office for their assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Payne and K. Paige O’Hale are in charge of the prosecution.
Nebraska Woman Indicted for Methamphetamine TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Valentine, Nebraska, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Mareca Rodriquez, age 28, was indicted on February 11, 2020. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 14, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in prison and/or a $10,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning on November 1, 2019, and continuing through February 4, 2020, in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere, Rodriquez, knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with others to knowingly and intentionally distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The charge is merely an accusation and Rodriquez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Rodriquez was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Narcotics Trafficker who Distributed Heroin Mixed with Fentanyl Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Multiple Gun and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Deputy United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen announced that Matt “Mack” Jones, 37, of Bensalem, PA, was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment and eight years’ supervised release by Senior United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick. Jones was convicted at trial in October 2019 on charges of distribution of heroin and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.
In January 2018, the Philadelphia Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey State Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department began a joint investigation of the defendant and other co-conspirators. Officers learned that the defendant was a heroin supplier, and that he supplied two female associates with bags of heroin and directed them to deliver the bags to customers in New Jersey and the Philadelphia area.
Investigators conducted several controlled buys of heroin from the defendant and his co-conspirators with the assistance of a cooperating witness at the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the Philadelphia Mills Mall (formerly Franklin Mills Mall) in Philadelphia. Laboratory analysis of the seized material confirmed the presence of heroin mixed with fentanyl. In July 2018, officers searched the defendant’s home and found firearms, including a Colt .38 handgun and a 12 gauge shotgun, ammunition, half a kilogram of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, drug packaging paraphernalia and more than $100,000 cash.
“Jones and other members of this drug organization pumped huge quantities of deadly drugs into our community for years,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney Lappen. “Drug trafficking is a serious federal offense which will earn those convicted of it serious time behind bars, as this sentence demonstrates. Our Office is determined to investigate and convict these criminals to keep the streets of our communities safer.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Philadelphia Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Bensalem Township Police, and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher E. Parisi.
Multi-Convicted Felon Sentenced to Prison on Firearms ViolationRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 48 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release on his conviction of violating federal firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed sentence on Christian Burrus, 38.
According to information presented to the court, on July 23, 2018, Burrus unlawfully possessed a Ruger 9 millimeter pistol and ammunition, after having been convicted of multiple crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Those convictions include one conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and three convictions for firearms violations. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Specifically, Burrus was a passenger during a July 23, 2018 traffic stop by the Penn Hills police. During the stop, he was sweating, would not make eye contact, and appeared very nervous. After Burrus provided his name, the Penn Hills police determined that there was an active warrant for Burrus’s arrest, and while patting Burrus down incident to arrest, found a loaded, stolen firearm in Burrus’s waistband.
Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the Penn Hills Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Burrus. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. 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.
Missouri Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Infant Child and Misleading Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
A Missouri woman pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Missouri for assaulting her infant child while living overseas in Germany as the dependent of an enlisted member of the U.S. Army, and repeatedly lying to law enforcement during the course of the subsequent federal investigation.
Baillie Rachelle Dickenson, aka Baillie Hannah, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lajuana M. Counts. Sentencing will be set once a U.S. District Judge accepts the plea.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison of the Western District of Missouri, Christopher Grey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Langan of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office made the announcement.
According to admissions made as part of her plea, in March 2016, Baillie Dickenson lived in Kaiserslautern, Germany with her then-husband Derreck Dickenson and their two minor children. Baillie Dickenson and her children were dependents of Derreck Dickenson, who was at that time an active duty member of the U.S. Army stationed in Germany. In March 2016, the victim, D.D., was about two months old.
On March 12, 2016, Baillie Dickenson and Derreck Dickenson brought D.D. to the emergency room at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), an overseas U.S. military hospital, where medical personnel observed numerous bruises on D.D.’s face and body. Further examination of D.D. at LRMC and a local German hospital revealed that D.D. had suffered a massive brain injury, numerous broken bones that were in various stages of healing and many retinal hemorrhages.
Baillie Dickenson and Derreck Dickenson told medical personnel they suspected that their elder child, 16-month-old B.D. had fallen onto D.D. while both children were napping, likely causing D.D.’s injuries. Baillie Dickenson repeated these statements in subsequent interviews and written statements to personnel and CID special agents even though she knew they were untrue and had the potential to affect CID’s investigation. On May 30, 2017, the FBI interviewed Baillie Dickenson about D.D.’s injuries. During this recorded interview, Baillie Dickenson admitted that on a date prior to March 12, 2016, she squeezed D.D. into her chest too hard causing his rib fractures.
On Dec. 11, 2019, Derreck Dickenson pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction and one count of false statements. He is awaiting sentencing.
Army CID and the FBI conducted the investigation. Trial Attorney Mona Sahaf of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri are handling the prosecution.
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.
Missoula man sentenced for meth traffickingRead the Press Release
MISSOULA—A Missoula man was sentenced to today to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for conviction on methamphetamine trafficking charges after law enforcement found two safes containing the drug in a vehicle he was driving, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
David Edward Holcomb, 36, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth in November.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The prosecution said in court records that law enforcement made a traffic stop of a vehicle Holcomb was driving on Feb. 16, 2019 in Missoula. Officers found two safes in the vehicle during a search and got a search warrant for the safes. The safes contained meth and drug paraphernalia. The investigation also determined that Holcomb confirmed to an individual there was meth in the safe and that he planned to distribute it.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 to 2018. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Mission Man Charged with Assaulting a Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Patrick Red Bird, age 36, was indicted on February 11, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 20, 2020, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on December 27, 2019, Red Bird did forcibly assault, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with a law enforcement officer who was employed by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, and inflicted bodily injury upon the officer.
The charge is merely an accusation and Red Bird is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting the case.
Red Bird was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Milford Woman Sentenced to 24 Months for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - Melissa Babian, 40, of Milford, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in October of 2018, members of the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Task Force together with the Milford Police Department, investigated Babian for selling heroin andfentanyl in Milford. On October 29, 2018, a cooperating individual working at the direction of law enforcement purchased fentanyl from Babian.
“Fentanyl trafficking continues to cause great damage to communities throughout New Hampshire,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “Through Operation S.O.S., we are working with our law enforcement partners to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate the fentanyl traffickers who choose to do business in Hillsborough County.”
This matter was investigated by the Milford Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joachim Barth with assistance from the Milford Police Prosecutor, Karinne Brobst, Esq.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.). In July of 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the District of New Hampshire and nine other federal districts. The goal of S.O.S. is to combat the large number of overdoses and deaths associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In New Hampshire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focusing its efforts on prosecuting synthetic opioid trafficking cases arising in Hillsborough County, which includes Manchester and Nashua.
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Miami Tire Importers Indicted for Excise Tax Conspiracy and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
Miami, Florida -- A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging the owners of a Miami, Florida tire import business with conspiracy to defraud the government and tax evasion, announced Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Richard E. Zuckerman, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to the indictment, Marco Parra and Eira Luces-Parra, a married couple, owned and operated Road Tire Plus, Corp (Road Tire), a tire importer located in Miami, Florida. From 2013 through 2016, the Parras allegedly conspired with others in the tire industry to evade paying federal excise taxes on tires.
Truck tires marked for highway use are subject to excise taxes. A tire importer is liable for the excise tax when the truck tires are sold. Tire importers typically pass on the cost of the excise tax to the tire retailers (their customers) and collect the excise taxes from them. But if the tires are later exported rather than sold domestically, the law provides for a credit for the excise taxes paid.
From 2013 through 2016, the Parras sold taxable truck tires to various tire retailers in South Florida. According to the indictment, the Parras collected from some customers the excise taxes that were due, but did not remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and did not file tax returns reporting the tire sales as they were obligated to do.
For other customers, the Parras allegedly never collected the federal excise taxes due on the tire sales. Instead, the Parras allegedly obtained from these coconspirators false bills of lading claiming that the tires were exported, so that the Parras could obtain an excise tax credit even though they knew the tires were not exported.
If convicted, the Parras face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count. They also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman commended IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Larsen, Tax Division Trial Attorney Mara Strier, and Tax Division Assistant Chief Greg Tortella are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Miami Tire Importers Indicted for Excise Tax Conspiracy and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging the owners of a Miami, Florida, tire import business with conspiracy to defraud the government and tax evasion, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the indictment, Marco Parra and Eira Luces-Parra, a married couple, owned and operated Road Tire Plus Corp (Road Tire), a tire importer located in Miami, Florida. From 2013 through 2016, the Parras allegedly conspired with others in the tire industry to evade paying federal excise taxes on tires.
Truck tires marked for highway use are subject to excise taxes. A tire importer is liable for the excise tax when the truck tires are sold. Tire importers typically pass on the cost of the excise tax to the tire retailers, their customers, and collect the excise taxes from them. But if the tires are later exported rather than sold domestically, the law provides for a credit for the excise taxes paid.
From 2013 through 2016, the Parras sold taxable truck tires to various tire retailers in South Florida. According to the indictment, the Parras collected from some customers the excise taxes that were due, but did not remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and did not file tax returns reporting the tire sales as they were obligated to do.
For other customers, the Parras allegedly never collected the federal excise taxes due on the tire sales. Instead, the Parras allegedly obtained from these coconspirators false bills of lading claiming that the tires were exported, so that the Parras could obtain an excise tax credit even though they knew the tires were not exported.
If convicted, the Parras face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count. They also face a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Mara Strier and Assistant Chief Greg Tortella of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Larsen, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy in MaderaRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Francisco Alcantar-Miranda, aka Paquin, 31, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to manufacture, to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to the plea agreement, Alcantar assisted in manufacturing methamphetamine and storing large quantities of other drugs at an unoccupied house in Madera. At the end of Jan. 2019, detectives executed a search warrant at the house and found Alcantar with co‑defendants Oscar Rene Marrot-Garcia, 27, of Chowchilla, and Jose Monge-Ponce, 31, of Mexico. The detectives also found over 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 pound of heroin, 1 pound of cocaine, and 25 pounds of marijuana. As part of the plea agreement, Alcantar will forfeit a handgun and approximately $18,000 in cash, which were found during the search of the house.
This case is the product of an investigation by Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET)and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) High Impact Investigation Team (HITT), consisting of agents of Homeland Security Investigations; California Department of Justice; California Highway Patrol; Fresno, Tulare, and King Counties Sheriffs’ Offices; and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Alcantar is scheduled for sentencing on May 15. He faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a fine up to $10 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Marrot-Garcia and Monge-Ponce are scheduled for a jury trial on June 16. The charges against them are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Menominee Man Indicted for Possession of Child Pornography on Menominee Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 19, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against Kelly L. Turney (age: 23), of Zoar, on the Menominee Indian Reservation. The indictment charged Turney with Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A.
If convicted, Turney faces up to ten years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. He also faces at least five years and up to a lifetime on supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
The Menominee Tribal Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier will prosecute the case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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For Additional Information Contact: Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700
McAlester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charles P. Hendricks, age 32, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Drug Conspiracy, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00 or both.
The Indictment alleged that from in or about April, 2017, the exact date being unknown to the Grand Jury, and continuing until on or about June 26, 2019, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, the Defendant, did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate and agree with others, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit offenses against the United States in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) & 841(b)(1)(A), as follows: to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of Methamphetamine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Steven P. Shreder, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Shannon Henson represented the United States.
Massachusetts Man Charged with Assaulting a Border Patrol AgentRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Michael Scaduto, 33, of Littleton, Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty on February 20, 2020, in United States District Court in Burlington, to a charge of assaulting a Border Patrol Agent. U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy released Scaduto on conditions pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
On February 13, 2020, a federal grand jury in Burlington returned a one-count indictment charging Scaduto with knowingly and intentionally forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a Border Patrol Agent of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, while the Border Patrol Agent was engaged in and on account of the performance of his official duties.
United States Attorney Christina E. Nolan stated: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate assaults on those who protect, serve, and put themselves in harm’s way to make Vermont safer. Those who commit such offenses against federal agents will find themselves in federal court. We thank our brave men and women in uniform at all levels of law enforcement for their daily sacrifices in the name of public safety.”
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Scaduto faces a maximum possible term of imprisonment of eight years and a fine of $250,000.00.
The matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Gilman. Scaduto is represented by Mark Kaplan, Esq.
Martinsburg man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Dehaven Darnell Craig, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Craig, age 34, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of Firearm.” Craig, prohibited from having a firearm because of a prior conviction, admitted to having a .380 caliber pistol in April 2018 in Jefferson County.
This case is the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) under the Attorney General-led Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS)/Special Operations Division (SOD) Project Clean Sweep. This initiative seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in “hot spot” areas previously identified by the Attorney General of the United States, thereby reducing drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths, and identify wholesale distribution networks and sources of supply operating nationally and internationally.
Craig faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Market owners who redeemed more than $10M in food stamp, WIC benefits charged in fraud conspiracyRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged Hassan and Abdurahim Nuriso, owners of the Somali specialty market Towfiq Market on Sullivant Avenue, with conspiring to commit food stamp and WIC fraud. The brothers redeemed more than $10 million in SNAP and WIC benefits at their store between 2010 and 2019.
As part of the alleged conspiracy, brothers Hassan and Abdurahim Nuriso converted illegally obtained food stamp benefits, WIC coupons and WIC electronic benefits into money, in order to use the money for other purposes.
The five-count indictment filed today also alleges the defendants allowed SNAP and WIC beneficiaries to purchase items that were not redeemable through the food stamp or WIC programs.
In total, Hassan and Abdurahim Nuriso are alleged to have redeemed in excess of $8 million of SNAP benefits and nearly $2.1 million in WIC benefits at Towfiq Market between 2010 and November 2019. The government alleges a majority of those redemptions were fraudulent.
The government is seeking to forfeit more than $200,000 in this case. Approximately $18,650 in cash was seized during a federal search and seizure warrant at one of the Nuriso brother’s homes in Grove City in November 2018.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Anthony V. Mohatt, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney David J. Bosley is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Mandaree, ND Man sentenced to 40 years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
BISMARCK – United States Attorney Drew H. Wrigley announced that on February 21, 2020, United States District Judge Daniel L. Hovland sentenced Kelly Shayne Mason, age 38, Mandaree, ND, for multiple counts of sexual abuse of children under the age of 12. On November 1, 2019, Mason pled guilty to three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child. Judge Hovland sentenced Mason to serve 40 years in prison for all three counts to run concurrently, followed by lifetime of supervised release. Mason was also ordered to pay $ 300 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
"The defendant heartlessly stole the security and innocence from three children’s lives," said United States Attorney Drew H. Wrigley, "and the investigative team has brought the defendant to his reckoning. The sexual exploitation of these children is over, and justice has been served."
In 2017, one of three child victims in this case told police that Mason had sexually abused her on Spirit Lake Reservation approximately a decade earlier. The report launched a full investigation, during which investigators learned that Mason had victimized three children. Each of the three child victims were then interviewed by the Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center in Minot, ND. All three victim girls were under the age of 12 at the time that Mason sexually abused them. On multiple days between September 2006 and August 2010, Mason sexually abused the girls while inside their Fort Totten, ND home.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Three Affiliated Tribes Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Rodenbiker.
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Man from Sunland Park, New Mexico sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for child pornography chargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Luis Moreno, 40, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, was sentenced on Feb. 18 in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico to 25 years in prison for production of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Moreno previously pleaded guilty to this offense on Nov. 13, 2019. According to public court documents, Moreno admitted using a video camera on his mobile phone to record a 12-year-old child engaged in sexual explicit acts.
Moreno must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing his sentence and pay $30,000 in restitution.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Sunland Park Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong prosecuted this case as part of the Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/. Individuals with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse are encouraged to contact the Children’s Advocacy Center tip line at (575) 526-3437.
Man Sentenced to Prison for Straw Purchasing 35 FirearmsRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for straw purchasing 35 firearms, including guns that were recovered by law enforcement after being used in violent crimes in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
“Juan Zimmerman illegally straw-purchased 35 firearms, including guns that were used in a homicide and a domestic violence shooting,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Only six of the firearms have been recovered, and the whereabouts of the remaining 29 firearms are unknown. Zimmerman’s conduct in this case is the quintessential definition of firearms trafficking, and is precisely the type of criminal conduct we are pursuing with Project Guardian-DMV. I want to commend the tremendous work of our investigative partners at ATF for their outstanding efforts on this important case.”
According to court documents, Zimmerman, 26, used a fraudulently obtained Virginia identification card to purchase 35 firearms from various Federal Firearms Licensees throughout the Eastern District of Virginia between June and August 2018. After purchasing the firearms, Zimmerman transferred the firearms to others, including his cousin, who trafficked the firearms across state lines to Maryland and Washington, D.C. to other individuals. Four of the firearms Zimmerman illegally purchased have been recovered by law enforcement after being used in a number of violent crimes, including at least one homicide and one domestic violence shooting.
“This investigation demonstrates how individuals criminally abuse the process of purchasing firearms,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division. “Anyone engaged in straw purchasing and trafficking firearms threatens the safety of our communities. ATF will continue to work tirelessly with our partners, both law enforcement and prosecutors, to ensure that these offenders are caught and held accountable.”
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.
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 T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas U. Murphy and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Trigger prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-265.