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12 February 2020
Sand Springs Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A man who believed he was communicating online with a 13-year-old girl but in reality was messaging law enforcement officers was sentenced today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.
Chief U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell sentenced Thomas Kyle Williams, 40, of Sand Springs, to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. Williams pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2019.
From March 21, 2019, to June 10, 2019, Williams used his cell phone and two social media apps to attempt to coerce an individual he believed to be a minor into engaging in sex acts with him. In reality, Williams was speaking to a Tulsa Police Department Cyber Crimes Unit detective, and he was later arrested after he arranged to meet the “minor” on June 10, 2019.
“Child predators like Thomas Williams think the apparent anonymity of the Internet can hide their identity along with their perverse motives and deeds. But they are mistaken. The dedicated men and women of law enforcement are on the job and protecting our children,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “I commend Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Gallant, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for this child exploitation investigation and prosecution. Justice was served today.”
The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Gallant prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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. Internet safety education can be found on the tab labeled "resources” on the left column of the page.
Saint Louis Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Shooting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
Saint Louis, MO – Daryaun Wines, 27, of Saint Louis County, MO, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. Wines appeared today before U.S. District Judge John A. Ross who imposed the sentence.
According to court documents, Wines and an associate, Johnzell Moorehead, were travelling inside a vehicle in the early morning hours of October 12, 2017. Wines and Moorehead were being followed by two additional associates who were in a separate vehicle. Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Federal Officer Archie Shaw was on-duty and, as part of an on-going investigation, began to follow the second of the two vehicles. Special Federal Officer Shaw was utilizing an unmarked law enforcement vehicle.
Wines and Moorehead noticed Special Federal Officer Shaw’s vehicle. Wines and Moorehead split-up from their other associates (who were being followed by Special Federal Officer Shaw). The vehicle being followed by Special Federal Officer Shaw led Special Federal Officer Shaw to the intersection of Miami and Iowa streets within the City of Saint Louis. As Special Federal Officer Shaw drove through the intersection, Wines and Moorehead shot Special Federal Officer Shaw. Wines and Moorehead traveled to that location for the purpose of committing the shooting.
Special Federal Officer Shaw’s vehicle was struck several times by the gunfire. Special Federal Officer Shaw himself was also struck by gunfire. After being shot, Special Federal Officer Shaw was able to drive himself to safety. Wines and his associates fled the area.
"We cannot lose sight of the many threats awaiting dedicated members of law enforcement every day. FBI Special Federal Officer Shaw is the paramount example of a courageous officer dedicated to his work and community. He is lucky to be alive, and we are so grateful that he is. This was an unconscionable ambush. Today’s stiff sentence makes clear that this type of conduct will never go unchecked by the Department of Justice," said Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Rea after today's proceeding.
Moorehead will be sentenced on February 13, 2020.
The Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, investigated this case.
Rapid City Woman Charged with Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Theft of Government Funds, False Statement, and Misuse by a Representative Payee.
Jolenta Apodaca, f/k/a Jolenta American Horse, age 42, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for the Theft of Government Funds charge. The maximum penalty upon conviction for the other charges is 5 years in 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 charges relate to Apodaca knowingly converting to her own use money of the U.S. Social Security Administration and making false statements on non-medical review forms on February 13, 2018, and February 28, 2019, as Representative Payee for her minor child’s Supplemental Security Income benefits. Apodaca stated that her minor child resided with her, when in fact the child had not resided with her since 2016. Apodaca received benefits, intended for the child, totaling approximately $26,920 from these false statements.
The charges are merely accusations and Apodaca is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General – Social Security Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.
Apodaca was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for April 14, 2020.
Rapid City Man Found Guilty of Firearm and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Jonathan Andrew Blacksmith, a/k/a Jon Andrew Blacksmith, age 44, was found guilty of 2 counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, 2 counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and 1 count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Each Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The first Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years to not more than 40 years in federal prison. The second charge of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. The charge of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crime carries a minimum of 5 years up to life in prison.
Evidence at trial established Blacksmith, knowing he was a convicted felon, possessed a Glock 9mm pistol in Kyle, South Dakota, on February 17, 2017, and a .40 caliber pistol in Rapid City in January 2017. Blacksmith distributed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Kyle in February 2017. In January 2017, Blacksmith distributed methamphetamine in Rapid City while in possession of the .40 caliber pistol.
Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity. Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers. It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.
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/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-launch-project-guardian-nationwide-strategic-plan.
This case was investigated by federal, state and local agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (“UNET”), which is a local drug task force comprised of various agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted and tried the case.
A sentencing date has been set for June 22, 2020. Blacksmith was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Rapid City Man Charged for Assaulting Federal Officers and Conspiring to Sell MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with Assault on a Federal Officer and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Uriah Lafferty, age 34, was charged on January 22, 2020. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on February 7, 2020, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges relate to Lafferty assaulting three Oglala Sioux Tribe police officers, a deputy U.S. Marshal, and a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper by trying to run them over with his vehicle in December 2019 near Hermosa, South Dakota, while they were attempting to arrest him on a federal warrant related to another case.
Additionally, between August 2014 and December 2019, Lafferty conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine.
The charges are merely an accusation and Lafferty is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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/projectguardian.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Lafferty was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Randolph Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Randolph man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to two firearms offenses.
Levenson Merilus, 28, of Randolph, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license and one count of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Feb. 11, 2021, when Merilus is set to complete the RISE Program.
Between February and March 2019, Merilus conspired with a co-defendant to purchase firearms from a licensed dealer and re-sell them for profit to individuals in Boston. Specifically, Merilus purchased at least seven guns from a licensed dealer, falsely claiming to be purchasing them for himself.
The charge of conspiring to deal in firearms without a license provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making false statements to acquire firearms from a licensed dealer provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Merilus is currently enrolled in the Court-run RISE (Repair, Invest, Succeed, Emerge) Program, which is designed to aid in the rehabilitation of applicable defendants who have pleaded guilty and are under pretrial supervision prior to sentencing. Their sentence is dependent upon their completion of the program and is determined at a later time.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Christopher S. Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today.
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. PSN is part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Randolph County man admits to child porn chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jack Carl Rice, of Elkins, West Virginia, has admitted to a child pornography charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Rice, age 62, pled guilty today to one count of “Possession of Child Pornography.” Rice admitted to having images of child pornography depicting minors under the age of 12 in January 2018 in Harrison County.
Rice faces up to 20 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 David J. Perri prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police, and the Bridgeport Police Department investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Ramona Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Heroin Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Timothy Coughlin (619) 546-6768 and Larry Casper (619) 546-6734
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – February 12, 2020
SAN DIEGO – Maxwell Joseph Gaffney of Ramona was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael M. Anello to 20 years in prison for distributing the heroin that caused the death of his 23-year-old acquaintance, Kyle Rodriguez, on February 17, 2017.
Gaffney was convicted by a federal jury on June 24, 2019.
According to evidence presented at trial, Rodriguez had returned home after an evening spent with friends. He locked himself in the family bathroom, where he ingested heroin by heating it over tin foil and inhaling the smoke, a method known as “chasing the dragon.” According to a government expert who testified at trial, “chasing the dragon” is one of the most dangerous and lethal ways of using heroin.
The overdose death was a shock to his parents, who believed Rodriguez was well on his way to a productive and happy life after almost 10 months of being clean, being gainfully employed and having a girlfriend who cared deeply for him. That night, Rodriguez’s girlfriend and parents discovered Rodriguez in the bathroom unconscious. First responders were unable to revive Rodriguez. Sheriff’s deputies observed drug paraphernalia and heroin residue near his body.
Investigators found text messages between Rodriguez and Gaffney indicating that Gaffney supplied heroin to Rodriguez on the evening of February 16, 2017, and Rodriguez had driven to Gaffney’s residence to purchase the heroin. Gaffney, who had a felony drug conviction when he was 19, was known to law enforcement as a heroin dealer. Thereafter Gaffney was contacted by law enforcement a number of times related to his criminal conduct. The investigation also revealed that Gaffney continued to sell heroin even after learning that Rodriguez overdosed and died.
“This case is a tragedy for two families,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “One young man who had achieved 10 months of sobriety and was well on his way to a new life, has lost it. And today, with this sentence, another young man is spending a significant portion of his in prison. And their families are left with nothing but sorrow. For this reason, we will do all that we can to save other families from this fate. We will continue to aggressively fight the grip that opioids have on our country by pursuing cases against those who distribute the drugs that are causing an overdose crisis in our community. No parent should have their child taken from them by this scourge.”
The government’s sentencing papers noted that the Rodriguez family no longer has a son and a brother and they seek justice for a life cut short so that other families will not have to experience the same tragedy and grief they have endured. In a letter to the judge, Sheila Scruggs, the mother of Rodriguez, wrote, “There is not a day that goes by I don’t think of him. I feel like I’m in a nightmare that I can never wake up from. Every time I close my eyes, I’m taken back to that moment of seeing my son on the floor of our bathroom, blue and lifeless. I can hear myself yelling his name begging him to please take a breath. As a nurse, I have saved countless lives, but that early morning of February 17, 2017, I was unable to save my own child and I will have to live with that daily.”
Kyle Rodriguez’s sister, Kendra Bodkins, told the court at today’s hearing that her “social, funny and smart” brother, a motocross racer, became addicted to painkillers after his foot was crushed by an off-road vehicle. This addiction led him to heroin. “My brother never wanted to grow up to be a heroin addict. We didn’t have a broken family. We had it all and it was just a series of unfortunate events that led him down that path. But he was an amazing person, always willing to help anyone out. And he had a huge heart. This drug is constantly ruining lives and ripping families apart every single day. So I hope people can learn from our tragedy and think twice before they start using or even think about relapsing…or selling this drug.”
In July 2017, after the death of Kyle Rodriguez and others, the Sheriff's Department initiated the first overdose death response team to investigate these types of cases. Since then, a multi-agency team was created in San Diego and hosted by the Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate and prosecute overdose death cases in San Diego. The Sheriff's Department and other local law enforcement entities have delegated resources to that effort and have helped to pursue critical evidence in overdose death cases. The Sheriff's Department is working aggressively to remove these dangerous drugs from the streets and hold heroin, fentanyl and other illicit drug dealers accountable for endangering the lives of others.
“The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure those responsible for distributing illegal drugs are held accountable,” said Lt. Michael McNeill of the Sheriff's Ramona Substation. “Today's sentencing represents a significant victory in the fight against the opioid epidemic.”
DEFENDANT Case Number 17-cr-3330-MMA
Maxwell Joseph Gaffney Age: 26 Ramona, California
SUMMARY OF CHARGE TO WHICH DEFENDANT FOUND GUILTY AFTER TRIAL
Distribution of Heroin Resulting in Death – Title 21 U.S.C. Section 841(b)(1)(C)
Maximum Penalty – Mandatory minimum 20 years to a maximum of life in prison
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
San Diego Sheriff’s Department
San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office
Raleigh Bank Robber Sentenced to More Than 12 Years ImprisonmentRead the Press Release
GREENVILLE – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today in federal court, Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced JIMMY EARL GODFREY, 47, of Raleigh, NC, to 151 months’ imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
GODFREY was named in an Indictment filed on July 25, 2018 charging him with three counts of Bank Robbery on February 9, 2018, February 15, 2018, and February 19, 2018. On March 11, 2019, with a written plea agreement, GODGREY pled guilty.
According to an investigation conducted by the Raleigh Police Department, on February 9, 2018, JIMMY EARL GODFREY, JR., entered Capital Bank on Six Forks Road in Raleigh, and presented a note to a teller that stated, “Give me the cash in large bills with no dye packs or trackers.” GODFREY then told the teller to, “Stay calm and do not hit the panic alarm.” The teller provided GODFREY with $1,950 in United States (U.S.) currency, which GODREY took and then fled the bank.
On February 15, 2018, GODFREY entered the BB&T Bank on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, and presented a teller with a demand note that stated, “Give me the cash in large bills with no dye packs or trackers.” GODFREY advised the teller, “This is a robbery, don’t hit the alarm and don’t make it worse than it has to be, and stay calm.” The teller provided GODFREY with $2,650 in U.S. currency, and he fled the bank with the demand note.
On February 19, 2018, GODFREY entered the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) on Bridgeport Drive in Raleigh, and handed the teller a note that stated, “Place the money in the bag.” GODFREY set down a bank bag on the counter and stated, “No dye packs.” The teller provided GODFREY with $8,503 in U.S. currency, and GODFREY fled the bank with the note.
On March 5, 2018, GODFREY was located and arrested at a hotel in Hillsborough, NC. GODFREY confessed to committing the aforementioned bank robberies to law enforcement.
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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its 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.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Raleigh Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel William Smith represented the government.
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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.
Pittsburgh Woman Admits Involvement in DS44 Gang’s Drug Trafficking ActivityRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA –A resident of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to drug trafficking in connection with a large-scale investigation conducted by the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
April Price, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of heroin and fentanyl, before United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV. Ms. Price is one of 37 defendants charged in the Indictment.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that in 2017, the Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force initiated an investigation primarily targeting the Darccide/Smash 44, or DS44, neighborhood gang, and its drug-trafficking activity, in and around the South Side area of Pittsburgh. As part of this large-scale narcotics and firearms investigation, in February of 2019, the United States received authorization to conduct a federal wire investigation, which continued through June of 2019.
The court was further advised that Ms. Price was involved in the distribution of heroin and fentanyl, along with co-defendants Christopher Highsmith and Anthony Jetter.
Judge Stickman scheduled sentencing for July 14, 2020, at 10:30 am. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years to not more than 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of each defendant. Price remains detained pending sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Allegheny County Adult Probation, Allegheny County Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office,
Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Narcotics, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and theWilkinsburg Police Department. Other assistingagencies include the Green Tree PoliceDepartment, New YorkCityPolice Department, Mount Oliver Police Department, PennsylvaniaState Police, Yonkers Police Department,United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and theUnited States PostalInspection Service.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement TaskForce Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal fundingandcoordination thatallows federaland state agencies to work together to successfullyidentify,investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Heroin, Fentanyl and a Loaded PistolRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH − A resident of the City of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Romello Edward Jones, age 20, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan to a two-count Indictment charging him with possessing quantities of heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them, and unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition while knowing that he was a convicted felon. Federal law prohibits felons from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on May 6, 2019, Allegheny County Probation and Parole Officers, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers, went to the Defendant’s residence to conduct a compliance check on Mr. Jones, who was on probation at that time for felony convictions relating to narcotics and firearms. While there, the officers observed the Defendant possessing a bag containing several "bricks" (approximately 400 individual dosage units) containing heroin. The officers searched the Defendant’s residence and found additional quantities of heroin and fentanyl, drug paraphernalia such as digital scales, and U.S. currency. In connection with the plea, the Defendant admitted that he possessed the quantities of heroin and fentanyl intending to distribute them. The officers also seized a loaded 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol from the Defendant’s residence, which he admitted to possessing knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2020, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $2,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Pending sentencing, the Court ordered the continued detention of Mr. Jones.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allegheny County Adult Probation and Parole Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mr. Jones.
Pittsburgh Felon Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Heroin, Fentanyl and a Loaded PistolRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH − A resident of the City of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Romello Edward Jones, age 20, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan to a two-count Indictment charging him with possessing quantities of heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute them, and unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition while knowing that he was a convicted felon. Federal law prohibits felons from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on May 6, 2019, Allegheny County Probation and Parole Officers, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers, went to the Defendant’s residence to conduct a compliance check on Mr. Jones, who was on probation at that time for felony convictions relating to narcotics and firearms. While there, the officers observed the Defendant possessing a bag containing several "bricks" (approximately 400 individual dosage units) containing heroin. The officers searched the Defendant’s residence and found additional quantities of heroin and fentanyl, drug paraphernalia such as digital scales, and U.S. currency. In connection with the plea, the Defendant admitted that he possessed the quantities of heroin and fentanyl intending to distribute them. The officers also seized a loaded 9mm caliber semiautomatic pistol from the Defendant’s residence, which he admitted to possessing knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2020, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $2,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant. Pending sentencing, the Court ordered the continued detention of Mr. Jones.
Assistant United States Attorney Jerome A. Moschetta is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Allegheny County Adult Probation and Parole Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Mr. Jones.
Owner of Lewiston Counseling Agency Sentenced for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: A Lewiston woman was sentenced today in federal court in Portland for conspiring to commit health care fraud, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Nancy Ludwig, 64, to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Ludwig also was ordered to pay $660,902 in restitution to MaineCare. A jury had found Ludwig guilty of nine counts of health care fraud on June 14, 2019, after a five-day trial.
According to testimony at trial, Ludwig was the owner of Facing Change, a mental health and substance abuse counseling agency in Lewiston. Abdirashid Ahmed was a Somali interpreter. From about November 2015 until May 2018, Ludwig conspired with Ahmed and others to commit health care fraud. The evidence showed that beginning in February 2015, Ludwig agreed to pay Ahmed a kickback in return for Ahmed bringing MaineCare beneficiaries to Facing Change. Ludwig, Ahmed and other employees at Facing Change then submitted false claims to MaineCare for counseling and interpreter services. In 2016, in response to a MaineCare regulatory change, Ludwig and Ahmed conspired to change the diagnosis of many of those clients to schizophrenia so they could remain eligible to receive MaineCare reimbursement for services at Facing Change. In the fall of 2016, auditors with the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit audited Facing Change. Ludwig and many of her employees conspired to manufacture false records in an attempt to deceive the auditor. The fraud continued until May 1, 2018, when federal and state agents executed search warrants at Facing Change and Ahmed’s business.
The prosecution was the result of a three-year collaborative investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the FBI; and the Maine State Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The investigation started because of the auditing work done by the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit.
Norwalk Man on Federal Supervised Release Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Possessing GunRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SENTRELL BOOKHARDT, also known as “Scab,” 33, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 84 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm and violating the conditions of his supervised release from a prior federal conviction.
According court documents and statements made in court, on January 28, 2014, Bookhardt was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a machine gun with an extended magazine loaded with 27 rounds of ammunition. He was released from federal prison in May 2018.
On March 29, 2019, while on federal supervised release, Bookhardt was arrested by Norwalk Police after he was found in possession of a loaded .38 caliber revolver and crack cocaine packaged for distribution. The investigation revealed that Bookhardt had been selling crack for several months prior to his arrest.
Bookhardt has been detained since his arrest. On November 20, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
In addition to his prior federal conviction, Bookhardt’s criminal history includes state convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, weapon in a motor vehicle, possession of narcotics, and risk of injury to a minor.
Judge Dooley sentenced Bookhardt to 60 months of imprisonment for the firearm offense, and a consecutive 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Norwalk Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria del Pilar Gonzalez.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
New York Man Sentenced for Crack Cocaine and Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: A Bronx, New York man was sentenced today in federal court in Bangor for distributing cocaine base (a/k/a crack cocaine) and heroin, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced.
U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Leanza Boney, a/k/a “G,” 22, to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Boney pleaded guilty on October 3, 2019.
According to court records, on March 22, 2019, Boney distributed crack and heroin to an undercover agent. At the time of the offense, Boney was on state probation following his conviction for a 2018 drug trafficking offense.
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Hancock and Washington County Sheriff’s Offices and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Crack Cocaine ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Thomas Critten, age 30, of Jersey City, New Jersey, pled guilty today to possession with the intent to distribute 104 grams of crack cocaine in St. Lawrence County.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Sheriff Brooks J. Bigwarfe of St. Lawrence County.
As part of his guilty plea, Critten admitted that on December 20, 2018, he brought 104 grams of grams of crack cocaine to Massena, New York, with the intent of distributing the drugs to another individual. Critten admitted he had hidden two bags containing crack cocaine in his underwear, and that police discovered the drugs during a search incident to his arrest on an unrelated charge.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2020. Critten faces at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least 4 years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Anderson.
New Castle Man Admits Distributing Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh on a charge of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Delaughn Searcy, age 24, formerly of New Castle, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack, before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that on or about April 10, 2019, Delaughn Searcy distributed more than 28 grams of crack cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Judge Horan scheduled the sentencing for June 3, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. The law provides for a sentence of not less than 5 years nor more than 40 years in prison, a fine not to exceed $5,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Yvonne M. Saadi is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Lawrence County Drug Task Force, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Delaughn Searcy.
New Bedford Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin, Fentanyl and Marijuana ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Bedford man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to a federal drug charge.
Davaun Oswald, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana before U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, who scheduled sentencing for June 17, 2020. Oswald has been in state custody since his arrest on Jan. 31, 2019, and was recently transferred to federal custody.
On Jan. 31, 2019, after an investigation into drug distribution in and around New Bedford, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Oswald’s apartment, where Oswald was found in possession of approximately 15 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, as well as over 450 grams of marijuana. Oswald has prior felony convictions for criminal possession of a firearm, and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance.
The charge of distribution of a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $2 million. 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; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Soivilien of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution 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 the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Mobile Man Sentenced for Being Felon in Possession of FirearmRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Jamar Kaleel Pettway, 23, of Mobile, Alabama, was sentenced in federal court for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Pettway pleaded guilty to the charge in November of 2019.
In connection with his guilty plea, Pettway admitted that on April 12, 2019, he was stopped by an officer of the Mobile Police Department for driving a vehicle with a switched tag. Pettway did not have a driver’s license and evaded questions from the officer regarding his identity. When the officer asked Pettway if he was in possession of any weapons, Pettway began to flee on foot. The officer gave chase and ordered Pettway to stop, warning him that if he did not stop, he would be tased. Pettway continued running and the officer deployed his taser. After a brief struggle, officers forcibly walked Pettway back to his vehicle. Officers searched Pettway’s person and found a loaded .38-caliber revolver in the front left pocket of his shorts. At the time Pettway possessed the revolver, he knew he had two prior felony convictions for Breaking into a Motor Vehicle and Possession of a Controlled Substance in July 2015, both in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama. Because of his prior felony convictions, Pettway was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition.
United States District Court Jeffrey U. Beaverstock imposed a sentence of 30 months’ incarceration, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. During that time, Pettway will undergo testing and treatment for substance abuse and will receive mental health evaluation and treatment. The judge also ordered Pettway to pay $100 in special assessments.
This case was investigated by the Mobile Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorneys Gina S. Vann and Justin Roller.
Mission Woman Indicted on Assault ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Mission, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer.
Brandi King, age 30, was indicted on January 14, 2020. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 11, 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 7, 2019, King 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 that such conduct involved the use of a dangerous weapon.
The charges are merely accusations and King 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 Michael J. Elmore is prosecuting the case.
King was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Milwaukee Business Owner Sentenced for $5.4 Million Tax Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on February 10, 2020, the Honorable Lynn Adelman sentenced Tedmund Blankschein (age: 51) to 15 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Blankschein was also ordered to pay $5.4 million in restitution to the IRS, joint and several with his co-conspirator, Albert Golant, aka “Alex Golant.”
Blankschein previously plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding the Internal Revenue Service in connection with his and Albert Golant’s luxury vehicle brokerage businesses, WI Automotive T.R.U.S.T.; Lease, Registration, and Consulting LLC; and DOT Automotive of WI LLC, from at least May 2013 to May 2017. Blankschein and Golant were in the business of purchasing luxury vehicles in the United States and selling them at a substantial profit to overseas buyers, typically in China.
Both Blankschein and Golant had control over multiple business and personal bank accounts they used to divert corporate receipts which were supposed to be used to purchase specific luxury vehicles. Blankschein and Golant used the diverted funds to gamble and to purchase personal items such as expensive jewelry, which they concealed from their accountant. Instead, Golant falsely told the accountant that the funds were used to purchase luxury vehicles and should be deducted as expenses on their tax returns. As a result, the tax returns prepared by their accountant substantially overstated business expenses and underreported income by more than $12 million, generating a tax loss to the United States of more than $5.4 million.
This matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura S. Kwaterski.
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Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 26 Months for Misuse of a Social Security Number and Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Alejandro Hernandez, a/k/a Eddy Wilkins, age 69, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty and was sentenced yesterday to time served (26 months in prison) for misusing a Social Security Number and aggravated identity theft. He also was ordered to pay restitution of $127,739.32 to the Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (“Van Duyn”) and $946,801.83 to the State University of New York Upstate Medical University Hospital (“SUNY-Upstate”). The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Buffalo Field Office Director of Operations Thomas Feeley, and Special Agent in Charge John Grasso of the New York Field Office of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General.
In pleading guilty, Hernandez acknowledged that in October 2016, he was admitted as a patient to SUNY-Upstate in Syracuse. At that time, he identified himself as Eddy Wilkins and provided a Social Security Number. He knew at the time he made those statements that the Social Security Number that he presented was not his own and was assigned to another person. He made the false representations for purposes of billing for his medical expenses and in an effort to use the number to receive care at SUNY-Upstate. The defendant was later admitted to Van Duyn where he again provided a false name and Social Security Number for the purposes of billing for medical expenses and to obtain care. Hernandez was provided medical care by both facilities, resulting in unpaid charges of slightly more than $1 million.
Upon being sentenced yesterday, Hernandez was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security on an immigration detainer. He faces further civil proceedings in Immigration Court.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
Mark Triolo Sentenced for RobberyRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Mark Triolo, 47, was sentenced on February 11, 2020 to 75 months in jail by Judge Christina Reiss in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont. Triolo had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery. Judge Reiss also imposed a three-year period of supervised release to be served after Triolo completes his jail sentence.
On May 1, 2018, Triolo robbed the Small City Market in Vergennes at gunpoint and fled the store with approximately $6115 in cash. At the time of this robbery, Triolo was wanted on a parole violation in Texas, and he was a suspect in a recent robbery in Queensbury, New York. On the evening of May 4, 2018, law enforcement was notified of two more armed robberies: one at the Ascutney Sunoco gas station in Weathersfield and a second armed robbery at the Allen Brothers Farm Market in Westminster.
On May 4, 2018, law enforcement encountered Triolo at a gas station in Brattleboro and attempted to take him into custody. Triolo fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Triolo was later located on the Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro. Officers began to give verbal commands to Triolo ordering him to stop and show his hands. Triolo did not respond to those commands and officers subsequently fired multiple rounds striking him. Triolo was taken into custody with officers rendering medical aid until rescue personnel arrived. Triolo has since recovered. A search of the vehicle driven by Triolo recovered a pellet gun which was similar in appearance to an actual semi-automatic pistol and similar to the weapon used in the robberies.
The Vermont Attorney General’s Office later determined that the officers involved in the shooting were justified in their use of force against Triolo.
At sentencing, the government urged the court to impose a sentence of 144 months, in part because of the seriousness of the offense and the danger Triolo poses to the public. In addition, at the time of the crimes in Vermont, Triolo was on parole escape status and had been placed on parole after serving 17 years in prison in Texas for crimes similar to those which he committed in Vermont. The court declined and imposed a within-the-guidelines sentence of 75 months.
This case was investigated by the Vermont State Police, the Vergennes Police Department, the Brattleboro Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller represented the government. Triolo was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender David McColgin.
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 enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting firearm use and possession crimes; prioritizes prosecuting persons who make false statements when attempting to obtain firearms; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concerning persons who attempt to obtain firearms illegally; coordinates responses to persons prevented from obtaining firearms for mental health reasons; and ensures the use of modern intelligence tools and technology to focus on the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
For more information, please see https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian
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
Manitou Springs Man Sentenced for Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Scott Daniel Roughen, age 54, of Manitou Springs, Colorado was sentenced today to serve 24 months (2 years) in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for tax evasion. He was also ordered to pay $995,033.51 in restitution. Roughen was ordered to report to a facility designated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on March 18, 2020. IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Andy Tsui joined in today’s announcement.
According to court documents, Roughen failed to file individual federal tax returns for tax years 2000 through 2006. After the IRS assessed tax liabilities for Roughen for those tax years, he evaded the payment of those taxes for more than a decade by hiding his income through shell corporations, using bank accounts held in names other than his own, setting up multiple offshore bank accounts, and recruiting others to lie to the IRS on his behalf.
“The defendant cheated the American people for seven years and tried to escape liability for many more,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn. “He will now go from a life of luxury to a prison cell as a result of his lies and deception.”
“Every American who pays his or her taxes should be offended that a select few use offshore accounts to evade paying their fair share of taxes,” said Andy Tsui, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation. "Today's sentence is a positive message, especially since it is tax filing season, to honest taxpayers and further shows that IRS – CI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to protecting the integrity of the U.S. tax administration system, and to make sure everyone complies with their tax obligations."
This case was investigated by the IRS – Criminal Investigation. Roughen was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Pegeen Rhyne.
Man from Colorado sentenced to more than 37 years in prison for carjacking resulting in death and other offenses stemming from deadly crime spree near Las Cruces in 2017Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Daniel Lowell, 36, of Pueblo, Colorado was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico to more than 37 years (449 months) in prison for carjacking resulting in death and other offenses arising from a deadly crime spree near Las Cruces in 2017.
Lowell previously pleaded guilty on July 11, 2019, to carjacking resulting in death, carjacking, attempted carjacking, high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of a stolen firearm, interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of unauthorized accesses devices.
According to public court documents, Lowell took part in the crime spree with Trista Schlaefli, 32, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Lowell approached an immigration checkpoint in a stolen vehicle and could not produce identification. A Border Patrol agent directed Lowell to secondary inspection. However, Lowell sped away with Schlaefli in the stolen vehicle driving more than 100 miles per hour.
After fleeing the checkpoint, one of the tires on the truck blew out. Lowell approached another vehicle with a family inside, including two small children. Lowell threatened the driver at gunpoint and demanded they give him their vehicle. Lowell carjacked the vehicle and took off with Schlaefli.
From there, Lowell stole some spark plugs from a store that he intended to use to break into other cars. However, before Lowell could do that, police tried to pull Lowell and Schlaefli over in the stolen vehicle. Lowell and Schlaefli took off driving recklessly and speeding with police chasing them. During their flight, they crashed into a motorcyclist, who died from the impact of the collision.
Lowell and Schlaefli continued to attempt to evade law enforcement. Lowell tried to carjack another vehicle, but the driver resisted. Eventually, a team of law enforcement officers stopped Lowell and Schlaefli and arrested them. Lowell had a stolen firearm and at least fifteen stolen credit cards with him at the time of his arrest.
Schlaefli previously pleaded guilty on Nov.13, 2018, to carjacking resulting in death, high-speed flight from an immigration checkpoint, carjacking, attempted carjacking, aiding and abetting brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of unauthorized access devices. She is in custody awaiting sentencing at a future date.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police Department, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the Pikes Peak Community College Campus Police, the Colorado Springs Police Department, the Pueblo Police Department, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, the Fountain Police Department, and the Colorado State Patrol investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa A. Ong and Aaron Jordan are prosecuting the case.
Man Involved in Nectar's Shooting SentencedRead the Press Release
The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Rashad Nashid, age 39, was sentenced on February 10, 2020 to 150 months in jail by Judge William K. Sessions III in United States District Court in Burlington, Vermont. Nashid had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Judge Sessions also imposed a three-year period of supervised release to be served after Nashid completes his jail sentence.
On February 26, 2018, at approximately 2:10 a.m., Rashad Nashid fired two bullets into a crowded street in front of Nectar’s bar in Burlington. One of the bullets struck a 27-year-old female bystander in the chest and the other bullet pierced a bedroom window of a nearby apartment. Nashid fled the scene on foot. Moments later, Burlington Police Department Sergeant Daniel Merchand encountered Nashid. Nashid reached toward the waistband of his pants for a gun. Fearing that he too would be shot, Sgt. Merchand ran for cover behind his cruiser, screamed at Nashid to put his hands up and told Nashid to get on the ground. Nashid complied and was arrested. The female victim was rushed to the UVM Medical Center where she underwent multiple surgeries and remained hospitalized for almost three weeks. She has since recovered but still suffers physical and psychological effects from the shooting.
Investigation into the incident revealed that Nashid had eight prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing firearms. The investigation also showed that the day before the shooting, Nashid was at a firing range in Chittenden County shooting an AR-15.
During the sentencing, Judge Sessions ruled that Nashid’s actions of shooting the firearm into the crowd was reckless under the circumstances and manifested extreme indifference to the value of human life. Judge Sessions also agreed that given the seriousness of the offense and the harm to the female victim and Sgt. Merchand, an upward variance from the applicable guideline range was warranted which resulted in a 150-month sentence.
The case resulted from the collaborative efforts of the Burlington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Kelly D. Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division, commented: “Today’s sentence is another example of ATF’s relentless effort to reduce violent crime and remove trigger-pullers from the streets of Burlington, Vermont. We will continue to aggressively work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and to keep all Vermont neighborhoods safe from violent gun crime.”
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.
Assistant United States Attorney Wendy L. Fuller represented the government. Nashid was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.
U.S. Attorney Christina E. Nolan commended the collaborative investigation of state and federal law enforcement, stating, “this case exemplifies how we prioritize charging federal gun laws to make our communities safer. Convicted felons who possess guns pose extreme dangers to innocent, law abiding Vermonters, as this case demonstrates. The U.S. Attorney’s office will not tolerate this conduct and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring serious consequences to felons who flout federal gun laws.”
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.
Local non-profit CEO charged with tax fraudRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – The founder, owner, CEO and president of a Cincinnati nonprofit appeared in federal court this week on allegations he used thousands of dollars for personal expenses instead of paying over payroll taxes to the IRS.
Hope 4 Change, an agency that provided housing and care for adults with developmental disabilities, drug addiction problems and mental disorders, employed between 120 and 180 individuals in 2013 and 2014.
Barry Rene Isaacs, the founder, owner, CEO and president of the non-profit, allegedly caused Hope 4 Change to spend thousands of dollars for clothing, massages, beauty care, travel and personal vehicles for Isaacs and his family.
According to the indictment, Hope 4 Change withheld FICA taxes from its employees’ paychecks but did not pay over the employment taxes to the IRS for five quarters in late 2013 and 2014.
It is also alleged Isaacs, 34, of Cincinnati, fraudulently applied for an auto loan and credit card using someone else’s social security account number.
Specifically, Isaacs is charged with five counts of willfully failing to pay over employment taxes, one count of obstructing justice, two counts of falsely representing a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft.
After fleeing the jurisdiction, Isaacs was apprehended by the United States Marshals Service in Texas on Jan. 30, 2020. Isaacs appeared for arraignment in federal court in Cincinnati on Feb. 10. He remains in custody.
Teela Gilbert, 34, of Cincinnati, Hope 4 Change’s vice president, “student affairs” director and office manager has also been charged. Gilbert is charged with obstructing justice in connection to the investigation of the tax fraud.
David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office; and Tracey Thanos, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo is representing the United States in this case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Local man sentenced for transporting 27 aliens in tanker truck filled with waterRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A 29-year-old Laredoan has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for conspiring to transport aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Jesus Ramon Soto Jr. pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2019.
Today, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana handed Soto a 46-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted Soto’s behavior was “egregious” and “callous” and showed a complete disregard for human life.
On Aug. 21, 2019, Soto was driving a white tanker truck near the intersection of West Viggie Street and North Rigma Avenue in Hebbronville. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for speeding.
Federal authorities were called to the scene, after which a K-9 alerted to the presence of persons or contraband concealed within the vehicle. They soon found 27 undocumented aliens concealed within the tank in waist-high water.
Soto said he knew he was transporting undocumented aliens. Someone drove him to the truck, where he observed numerous people being loaded into the water tank compartment. Soto later drove the truck to a water station and filled it until the aliens were approximately waist-deep in water.
Soto expected to be paid $5,000 to transport the aliens to San Antonio.
Soto will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Jim Hogg County Constable’s Office and Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bukiewicz is prosecuting the case.
Lincoln Day 2020: Standing up for the Rule of LawRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney McSwain was the keynote speaker at the Union League of Philadelphia’s annual Lincoln Day celebration. In his remarks, U.S. Attorney McSwain discussed the importance of the rule of law, President Lincoln’s almost religious devotion to it, and how the rule of law is under attack today in Philadelphia on a number of fronts. Finally, he offered his thoughts on what should be done in response and encouraged his fellow patriots to fight back against the City’s lawlessness. His remarks as prepared for delivery are below.
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Thank you, Charlie [Davidson], for that very kind introduction and for your leadership of the Union League. Thank you, Ed Turzanski, for emcee-ing today and for being the Chair of these wonderful Lincoln Day festivities. Thank you, Joan Carter, for your work as Chair of the Union League Legacy Foundation, which hosts and presents today’s program. Thank you, John Meko, for your important work as the Executive Director of the Union League Legacy Foundation. And a few final thank-yous to others at my table: thank you, Bob and Darlene Cavalier, for the invitation to speak here today; thank you, Frank and Dottie Giordano, for your many years of dedication to the Union League; and thank you, Bruce Meyer, Tom Pappas and Jim Straw, for your leadership. I also want to acknowledge and thank my Senior Advisor, Clare Putnam Pozos, for her help in crafting today’s message and for her wise counsel, which I benefit from daily.
When I look out over this crowd of fellow patriots, I feel joy, I feel optimism, I feel solidarity, I feel strength, but most of all, I feel the blessings of God. One of those blessings was the life of Abraham Lincoln.
I invite you to take a trip with me. A trip through some of the streets and monuments of Washington D.C. Whenever I make an overnight visit to our nation’s capital, I always stay at the Army-Navy Club on Farragut Square, just a few blocks from the White House. My favorite thing to do in Washington – and one of my favorite things in life – is to rise early, step outside the Army-Navy Club, and run.
I run along Farragut Square and make a left onto 17th Street. It’s flat for a bit, and then it slopes downward. I run by the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the White House on my left – feeling pretty good at this point, mostly because I’m running downhill. I pass the American Red Cross Headquarters on my right, and the ground flattens out. I cross Constitution Avenue and see the World War II Memorial straight ahead. As I approach, I briefly think about the Greatest Generation, and then I hang a right. I wind my way around the World War II Memorial and I emerge onto the beauty of the Reflecting Pool.
It’s still mostly dark out, but the sun is starting to rise, and as I run with the Pool on my left, I can see the huge edifice of the Lincoln Memorial looming ahead of me. At this point, I’ve found my stride. I run with a purpose – to get to that Memorial as fast as possible. Sometimes I even think to myself: I had better not slow down, President Lincoln is watching and he would not be impressed.
As I approach the Memorial, I hop over the series of stairs that lead to the plaza, and I reach the foot of the Memorial, pausing for a second to stare up at the 58 steps that lead to the chamber, where President Lincoln sits. (Yes, I have counted those steps, many times). And then I run up those steps, greet the President, and turn around so that I’m now facing east, looking down along the Reflecting Pool towards the Washington Monument, pointing to the sky, with the sun rising behind it. As I take in this remarkable vista, I say a silent prayer, thanking God for the blessing of America.
I like being at the top. For the purpose of my workout, I should probably get going down the stairs and along the Reflecting Pool again. But sometimes I linger. I turn around and I look at President Lincoln. And I look at the words of the Gettysburg Address inscribed in the wall. Staring at those words never gets old. They are, in my opinion, the 10 greatest sentences ever spoken or written in the English language:
Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I can’t see, read, or say those words without feeling a jolt go through my body. Having had my time with President Lincoln, I run down the steps of the Memorial and back along the Reflecting Pool, past the World War II Monument again, and up a slight rise to the Washington Monument. After pausing there briefly, I turn back towards the Army-Navy Club – down the hill, across Constitution Avenue, up the hill along 17th Street, past the White House on my right, through Farragut Square, and finally, I arrive where I started. My body is tired, but my heart is full.
So what did President Lincoln mean when he uttered those famous words – what was he really getting at? President Lincoln was addressing the beauty and the promise of the law. And he was addressing the will of the people. In America, it is the law that is the will of the people. The law is the manifestation of government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is the law that gives birth to freedom.
Moreover, it is federal law that reigns supreme: it is federal law that expresses the will of the nation. But that federal law will only have lasting legitimacy – and will only live up to the potential that the Framers could see in it – if it protects all Americans, and does not exclude and subjugate an entire race.
But the law is not self-enforcing. It is the rule of law – namely, the enforcement of the law in an impartial, consistent manner – that gives the will of the people its power and its meaning. President Lincoln held the rule of law in such high esteem that it almost had a spiritual quality to him. The rule of law is literally the foundation of this nation and the foundation of everything that we hold dear as Americans.
Sadly, today, the rule of law is under attack, right here in Philadelphia. The examples are all around us. Presently, we have two of the most powerful members of City Council under federal indictment for allegations of selling their office. The Mayor’s reaction to this is utter indifference. But the City Council president’s reaction is even worse: he has rewarded both of these Councilmen with a promotion – handing them plum committee assignments and chairmanships. Yes, these Councilmen are entitled to their day in court, and they will have it. But these are grave allegations that should not elicit a shrug of the shoulders from our City leaders – especially given the City’s sorry track record of political corruption. Just to name a few, one of the City’s recent U.S. Congressmen, the City’s previous District Attorney, and the City’s previous Sheriff are all currently sitting in federal prison. And not too long ago, the most powerful state senator in the City’s history finished serving his federal sentence for 137 felony convictions.
Our City is also subjected to a District Attorney who willfully – even gleefully – ignores entire sections of the criminal code. This District Attorney’s stated priority is “decarceration,” or in other words, emptying the jails in service of his radical, anti-law enforcement, political ideology. An ideology which has nothing to do with guilt or innocence, or accountability, or public safety, or justice, or the rule of law.
Our City is further subjected to the radical concept of a so-called “safe injection site,” for the injection of illegal drugs, like heroin. Any use of heroin for any purpose, anywhere, by anybody, in this country is illegal under federal law – there are no exceptions. It should be self-evident that setting up a place for the purpose of injecting heroin is a grievous affront to the rule of law. But we have a Mayor, and a District Attorney, and a handful of loud, misguided activists in our City who think otherwise – because to them, the rule of law is not the foundation of our nation, but rather something to be ignored when it suits their purposes.
But the most flagrant affront to the rule of law in Philadelphia is its status as a so-called “sanctuary city.” This is such an absurd concept that it’s hard to even wrap one’s head around it. A sanctuary city? Sanctuary from what, exactly? A sanctuary from the enforcement of federal law. Yes, a sanctuary from the supreme law of the land, the law that binds our nation together, enacted by our democratically-elected Congress, exercising its authority in our constitutional republic.
What an amazing concept – one that would have elated those who opposed the desegregation of lunch counters in the Deep South, or those who told Rosa Parks to go to the back of the bus, or those who stood in the schoolhouse doorway to prevent African-American children from entering.
And this concept would have absolutely thrilled Southern slave owners. A sanctuary from federal law, where they could continue their practice of human bondage. They might have even been willing to fight a war in defense of that concept. They lost that war. And thank God for that.
The secessionists who defied federal authority during our nation’s Civil War are gone but not forgotten. They did not fight in vain. No, their spirit lives on, right here in Philadelphia, in the Cradle of Liberty. Their spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of those who declare Philadelphia a “sanctuary city.”
President Lincoln would have been appalled by all of this. Even at the young age of 28, he knew where he stood on the rule of law. Here are his words from his Lyceum Address in Springfield, Illinois:
Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of this country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor – let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children’s liberty. Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap – let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs – let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.
So what should we do – what can we do – when the rule of law is under attack? Come with me again to the National Mall. I’ve thought about this question while running along the Reflecting Pool, while bounding up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and while standing at the top, looking back at the Washington Monument. There’s a cleansing quality to exercise, a purity that comes with the physical exertion, as the noise from the outside world falls away. It provides a mental clarity that answers our question.
And the answer is this: we . . . must . . . fight. We must fight for our nation’s founding values and we must fight for the rule of law. When the rule of law is under attack, we must be willing to stand up and say – not in my neighborhood, not in my City, not in America, not on my watch. We must fight for the principles that Abraham Lincoln lived and died for.
I am a son of Lincoln. Everybody in this room is a son or daughter of Lincoln. We are all children of Lincoln. From this day forward, my friends, let us go forth together – and make him proud.
God bless you, God bless the Union League and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.
Leader of a Drug Trafficking Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Jack Huck, 23, of Ste. Genevieve, MO, was sentenced to 89 months in prison for his role as a leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed marijuana and laundered drug proceeds. Huck appeared yesterday before United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey.
According to court documents, between January 2016 and February 2018, Huck and his co-defendants were part of a drug conspiracy to distribute marijuana. They then laundered the drug proceeds via MoneyGram. In order to avoid detection, Huck and his co-defendants had the marijuana sent via U.S. Mail and other means to various addresses in the Eastern District of Missouri. Upon receipt, Huck or his co-defendants would pick up the packages. Once distributed, they collected the drug proceeds and utilized MoneyGrams purchased at various outlets to send the drug proceeds to co-defendant Cedric Davis in California. The MoneyGrams were payment for previously shipped marijuana as well as for impending marijuana shipments.
On August 8, 2017, Huck orchestrated a robbery in which he recruited co-defendants Dakota McCain and Seth Ault, along with a minor, to commit a home invasion of an individual identified only as “A.R.,” who had refused to pay Huck for marijuana. Wearing masks and armed with various blunt objects, the three individuals forcibly entered the residence of A.R. in Warrenton, Missouri, and attempted to recover the marijuana or cash. The robbery quickly ended when A.R.’s roommate arrived on scene with a firearm.
The following co-defendants in this drug conspiracy have been sentenced:
Seth Ault – 36 months in prison;
Cedric Davis, Jr. – 46 months in prison;
Cody Henderson – 3 years probation;
Joseph Hope – 96 months in prison;
Deven Huck – 48 months in prison;
Zach Hunter – 3 years probation;
Dakota McCain – 32 months in prison;
Dustin Puckett – 3 years probation;
Collin Weber – 3 years probation; and
Jacob Wolff – 3 years probation.
The Missouri Highway Patrol, the Ste. Genevieve Police Department, the Homeland Security Investigation, the Warrenton Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Major Case Squad investigated this case.
Leader of Violent Baltimore Heroin and Crack Cocaine and Heroin Distribution Conspiracy Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake today sentenced Charles Gilliam, Jr., a/k/a “Big Head Charlie,” “Big C,” and “Chuck,” age 51, of Baltimore, Maryland, to 210 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Baltimore District Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
“Charles Gilliam led a drug organization that also used guns and violence as part of their business model,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We will not tolerate those who bring death through drugs and gun violence to our neighborhoods. Gilliam now faces more than 17 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to remove those who would commit violence from our community. ”
According to his guilty plea, Gilliam was the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy which operated an open-air drug market near the 600 block of Glenwood Avenue in the Woodbourne-McCabe neighborhood of Baltimore, where they sold the organization's signature orange-top vials of crack cocaine. The organization also distributed crack cocaine and heroin at other locations in Baltimore. The members of the organization purchased cocaine and heroin, then used residences in and around North Baltimore to cut, package, and store the narcotics, as well as to convert the powder cocaine to crack by cooking it in the stash houses.
As detailed in his plea agreement, Gilliam was responsible for distributing wholesale quantities of heroin on behalf of the organization. Gilliam and other members of the conspiracy sold large quantities of heroin, and used stash houses to process and repackage these narcotics for distribution. On several occasions, Gilliam was recorded on video in a stash house, engaging in drug trafficking activities, including mixing heroin with cutting agents and packaging heroin for distribution.
On August 22, 2016, Gilliam was recorded on video in the stash house preparing heroin with co-conspirator Theodore Smith. During the recording, Gilliam discussed the organization’s sales of crack cocaine at the street shop and provided advice to Smith about how Smith could increase street sales of crack cocaine. Smith’s responsibilities in the organization included overseeing and managing the distribution of crack cocaine on the streets, collecting proceeds from sales, making sure the organization had a sufficient supply of cocaine, and cooking cocaine into crack cocaine.
Some members of the conspiracy committed acts of violence in furtherance of the organization's activities and routinely carried firearms. In an attempt to avoid detection, Gilliam and his co-conspirators frequently changed phones and conducted counter surveillance of law enforcement. The proceeds from the sale of the narcotics were used to expand the drug operation and to pay for legal counsel for other members who were arrested for trafficking narcotics.
Twelve members of the conspiracy were convicted in this case, including Gilliam and Theodore Smith, a/k/a “40 Money,” age 43, of Baltimore, Maryland, who was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. The remaining defendants received sentences ranging from 50 months in federal prison to 14 years in federal prison.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA, the Baltimore City Police Department, and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek Hines and Leo Wise, who prosecuted the case.
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Kingston Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of MailRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Dallas Mitchell Duflot, age 24, of Kingston, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to Theft Of Mail, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708, punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000.00 or both.
The Indictment alleged that on or about December 25, 2019, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did steal and take mail from and out of an authorized depository for mail matter.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Madill Police Department, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant United States Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.
Kernersville Man Who Shot at A North Carolina State Highway Patrol Officer Convicted of Firearms and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. - On Wednesday, February 12, 2020, a jury in federal court convicted a Kernersville man of four felony charges related to shooting at a state trooper, announced United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina.
Following a three day trial in Greensboro, the jury found TYLER LLOYD GRANTZ, age 20, guilty of knowing possession of a stolen firearm, possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing cocaine hydrochloride, possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing oxycodone, and carry and use of firearms, through discharge, during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
Evidence presented at trial showed that on March 5, 2019, a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper tried to stop of GRANTZ for driving in excess of 100 mph on I-40 in Orange County. As he fled, GRANTZ, fired multiple rounds from a Glock .40 caliber handgun at the trooper, striking the patrol vehicle’s radiator. GRANTZ then pulled over and fired multiple rounds at the trooper with a Draco 7.62x39 mm rifle before fleeing on foot. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office began a manhunt for GRANTZ, ultimately arresting him later that morning. During the investigation, officers recovered the handgun from the GRANTZ’S vehicle and the rifle from his person. At the time of his arrest, GRANTZ possessed distribution amounts of cocaine hydrochloride and oxycodone, drug packaging paraphernalia, and additional ammunition. Deputies discovered that the car GRANTZ was driving was stolen, and that the Glock .40 caliber handgun he had fired was also stolen.
In reviewing GRANTZ’S social media accounts, officers saw an image of a person who appears to be GRANTZ holding a Glock handgun similar in appearance to the stolen Glock handgun recovered from the car, posted shortly after it was reported as stolen. A search of GRANTZ’S cell phone, left in his vehicle, revealed multiple text messages related to the sale of controlled substances and the possession of firearms.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., in Greensboro, before United States District Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. GRANTZ faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possession of the stolen firearm, a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the narcotics offenses, and a consecutive sentence of ten years to life for discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug crime.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the Chapel Hill Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney JoAnna G. McFadden.
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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Georgia Tax Return PreparerRead the Press Release
The United States filed a civil injunction suit seeking to bar Wesley Adam Kroll from owning or operating a tax return preparation business and preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The complaint also seeks an order that Kroll disgorge ill-gotten return preparation fees that he obtained through his alleged misconduct.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, alleges that Kroll has operated three tax return preparation stores in Albany and Moultrie, Georgia, under the names United Tax Service, American Tax Service, American Tax, and Tax South.
The government alleges that Kroll prepared tax returns claiming fabricated businesses and business-related profits or losses, and various false tax deductions and credits, including education, childcare, and earned income tax credits. The complaint estimates the lost tax revenue from federal tax returns prepared by Kroll and his employees exceeds $1.9 million. According to the complaint, the IRS took multiple steps to correct Kroll’s unlawful behavior, including conducting in-person educational visits with Kroll in 2012, 2014, and 2015; issuing him warning letters in 2013 and 2016; and assessing him with $182,500 in tax return preparer penalties. But, the government alleges, these efforts have failed to curb Kroll’s unlawful behavior.
“The Justice Department is committed to working with the IRS to bring enforcement actions against unscrupulous return preparers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Zuckerman. “This civil action is further evidence that the IRS and the Tax Division will use all available tools to hold dishonest return preparers accountable and protect the U.S. Treasury from damage.”
Return preparer fraud is one of the IRS’ Dirty Dozen Tax Scams and taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.
Jury convicts Billings man in large methamphetamine conspiracyRead the Press Release
BILLINGS – A jury today convicted a Billings man of methamphetamine crimes for his role in a large trafficking organization that brought hundreds of pounds of the drug into Montana, U.S Attorney Kurt Alme said today.
The jury found Nicholas John Montano, 34, of Billings, guilty of conspiracy to possess meth with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute as charged in an indictment. The trial began on Monday.
Montano faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and set sentencing for June 24. Montano remains in custody.
“Mr. Montano worked with others to distribute an enormous amount of this highly-addictive poison into our communities. We are committed to dismantling these meth trafficking organizations and prosecuting all members. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Rubich and Tom Godfrey, along with the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Billings Police Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration for investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Alme said.
The prosecution presented evidence at trial that in the spring and summer of 2018, Montano received meth from Joshua Clause, who was the head of a large drug trafficking ring that imported hundreds of pounds of meth into Montana. Clause has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and is serving a 15-year federal prison sentence. Clause met Montano through another person, and after Clause and that person had a falling out, Clause contacted Montano, who began to receive meth from Clause for redistribution.
Clause told law enforcement that he supplied Montano with a quarter-pound to one pound of meth each time he restocked. Clause and Montano also traveled once together to Bakersfield, CA, where Clause got meth from a supplier. Clause supplied Montano with approximately 10 to 15 pounds of meth during their association. Fifteen pounds of meth is the equivalent of about 54,360 doses.
Law enforcement officers arrested Montano in Billings on a federal warrant on Aug. 19, 2018 after he fled in a stolen vehicle. Officers tracked Montano to an apartment complex, where he went to all three floors and hid in woman’s apartment. When arrested, Montano had on him $1,645 cash. Officers also found a bag containing about 92 grams of meth they believed Montano had discarded as he was running. He admitted he had been on all three floors and possessed a small amount of meth.
Four days earlier, Billings Police Officers responded to a 911 call about a blocked vehicle at a restaurant and, at the request of the vehicle’s owner, removed a bag that belonged to Montano. Officers took the bag into their custody and, following policy, opened it to ensure it did not contain hazardous materials. The bag contained approximately 32 grams of meth, a wallet with $3,075, a syringe, a loaded 9mm magazine and Montano’s identification information.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Rubich and Tom Godfrey are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Billings Police Department, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.
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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Jury Convicts KC Man of Drug Trafficking, Illegal FirearmRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was convicted by a federal jury today of drug trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm.
Paris B. Young, 48, was found guilty of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Kansas City, Missouri, police officers stopped Young on June 16, 2018, because he failed to signal while making a turn at the intersection of 41st and Garfield Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. Young, who was driving a maroon BMW 650i, was seen making furtive movements by leaning towards the center console of the vehicle and placing items inside the center console. Young opened his car door and got out of the vehicle; he refused to listen to multiple commands by the officers to get back into the vehicle. While speaking with the officers, Young suddenly pushed off of one officer and began to run. The officer grabbed Young’s shirt and Young was immediately taken into custody.
Officers searched Young’s car and found a Taurus .45-caliber revolver, with an obliterated serial number, underneath the driver’s seat. The revolver was loaded with three .45-caliber Colt rounds of ammunition and two 410 shotgun shells in the cylinder. Officers also found a large plastic bag that contained 46 individually wrapped bags of crack cocaine, with a total weight of 12.49 grams, and 4.38 grams of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Young has prior felony convictions for murder, armed criminal action, possessing a controlled substance, and two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance.
Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, deliberated for less than an hour before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Under federal statutes, Young is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.Judeg Sentences Former Erie Man to 10 Years in Prison for Violating Laws Related to the Sexual Exploitation of ChildrenRead the Press Release
ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to three counts and has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison, 20 years of supervised release, a $5,100 special assessment and was ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution to four victims on his conviction of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on David Anthony Thompson, 37.
According to information presented to the court, Thompson distributed, received and possessed computer images and movies depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Thompson.
Jermaine Myrie, a/k/a “Rapp,” Sentenced to over 11 Years in Federal Prison for Sex Trafficking of A MinorRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JERMAINE MYRIE was sentenced today to 135 months in prison for sex trafficking of a minor female. MYRIE was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood, before whom he previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. As part of his plea, MYRIE acknowledged that he trafficked a minor female.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Jermaine Myrie previously admitted to unconscionable conduct involving the exploitation of a minor girl who had resided in New York State’s social services system. Today’s lengthy prison term exemplifies the seriousness of Myrie’s crimes against his vulnerable minor victim. We will continue to advocate for the victims of these crimes and urge anyone who might have information that may be relevant to this investigation to contact the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or https://tips.fbi.gov.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and other court documents filed in Manhattan federal court:
From at least in or about January 2016 to in or about April 2016, JERMAINE MYRIE, a/k/a “Rapp,” the defendant, participated in a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of one minor victim (“Minor Victim-1”). The defendant recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, and maintained Minor Victim-1 for the purpose of commercial sex. Prior to being trafficked by MYRIE, Minor Victim-1 previously resided at a residential treatment facility located in Westchester County, which provided housing for at-risk troubled children and adolescents on behalf of department of social services for certain counties in New York State.
The defendant recruited Minor Victim-1 to engage in commercial sex by conveying that he was romantically interested in her. Subsequently, the defendant used the website Backpage.com, an online classifieds website, to post advertisements of Minor Victim-1 for commercial sex. MYRIE directed Minor Victim-1 to engage in commercial sex in particular locations in the Bronx, New York. The defendant used physical violence with Minor Victim-1, including to discourage Minor Victim-1 from working directly for any other pimps.
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In addition to his prison sentence, MYRIE, 35, was sentenced to five years of supervised release.
MYRIE is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case by Judge Wood for his participation in the sex trafficking of minors.
- Reuben Sands, who pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act, was sentenced on December 18, 2019, to a term of 60 months in prison.
This case is part of an ongoing prosecution of 19 defendants, set forth in eight indictments, for the sex trafficking of at least 20 minor girls and young adults in New York State’s social services system. All 19 of the defendants have been convicted, either via guilty plea or following trial. In addition to MYRIE and Sands, three other defendants have also been recently sentenced:
- Christopher Bullock, who pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman on December 6, 2019, to 54 months in prison.
- Cimmie Wright, who pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan on January 15, 2020, to 51 months in prison.
- Dariel Braham, who pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Travel Act, was sentenced by Judge Furman on January 29, 2020, to 48 months in prison.
Any individuals who believe that they have information that may be relevant to this investigation should contact the FBI at 1-212-384-1000 or https://tips.fbi.gov.
Mr. Berman thanked the FBI and the NYPD for their outstanding work in this matter and, in particular, the New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Mollie Bracewell, Elinor Tarlow, Jacob Gutwillig, and Peter Davis are in charge of the prosecution.
Jackson County Men Sentenced for Methamphetamine OffensesRead the Press Release
Jonathan R. Moore, a/k/a “J-Mo,” 34, of Carbondale, Illinois, and Elijah S. Lacy, a/k/a “E,” 35, of
Murphysboro, Illinois, were recently sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a methamphetamine conspiracy. Both Moore and Lacy previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. The alleged offenses occurred in Jackson County, Illinois, between December 2018 and January 2019.Evidence at the plea hearings established that Moore and Lacy were involved with others in the distribution of ice. Ice is methamphetamine with a purity level of at least 80%. Moore had multiple packages of ice mailed from California to Jackson County residences. Moore, Lacy, and others then distributed the ice in southern Illinois. In late January 2019, Moore arranged to have approximately 56 pounds of ice mailed from California to three Jackson County residences. Lacy received one of the shipments.
Earlier today, the district court found Lacy responsible for distributing approximately 12.6 kilograms of ice and sentenced him to 235 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $700 in fines. Moore, who was found responsible for distributing approximately 24 kilograms of ice, was sentenced last month to 210 months imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and $400 in fines.
A third man, co-defendant Kenton Murillo, a/k/a “Nephew,” has also pleaded guilty to his role in the methamphetamine conspiracy but has not yet been sentenced.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the
Carbondale Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Murphysboro Police Department, Illinois State Police, Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, and the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office.Ithaca Man Pleads Guilty to Filing False Income Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – William Harrell, age 58, of Ithaca, New York, pled guilty yesterday to filing a false tax return, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Jonathan Larsen, Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office.
Harrell was charged with one count of filing a false tax return in 2016. As part of his guilty plea, Harrell admitted that in October 2016, he filed a tax return for the year 2015 in which he knowingly and willfully underreported revenue he received through his construction and remodeling business. Harrell also admitted to underreporting revenue for the years 2012-14, and 2016. Harrell failed to report approximately $3,994,866 in income, as result of which he avoided paying $422,843 in federal incomes taxes, not including interest and penalties.
Harrell faces up to 3 years in prison, a maximum fine of up $250,000, and up to 1 year of supervised release, when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy on June 16, 2020. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
This case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.
Indictment Charges 15 Members of a Los Angeles Drug Trafficking Ring that Distributed Heroin, Methamphetamine and CocaineRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Law enforcement this morning arrested 11 defendants charged in a federal grand jury indictment alleging they participated in a long-running drug trafficking operation that distributed kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine from multiple locations in Los Angeles County, including a storefront in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles.
The 20-count indictment charges a total of 15 defendants with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and alleges a series of acts in furtherance of the conspiracy between December 2015 and December 2019.
Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately eight kilograms of cocaine, five kilograms of heroin, 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, 10 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and more than $200,000 in suspected drug proceeds.
The 11 defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial court appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
Those arrested today include Gabriel Ortega, a.k.a. “Nightowl,” 42, of Lynwood, alleged to be one of the organization’s ringleaders who allegedly directed narcotics distribution operations from his home in Lynwood and from a storefront he operated in Lincoln Heights. Ortega sold nearly one pound of methamphetamine for $2,800 on two separate occasions at his Lincoln Heights storefront between December 2015 and February 2016, the indictment alleges.
Also arrested was Raul Sanchez, a.k.a. “Rawlo,” 39, of Alhambra, another of the organization’s alleged ringleaders, who is charged with being one of the ring’s primary distributors of narcotics. Specifically, on March 21, 2018, Sanchez allegedly coordinated the delivery of 4.9 kilograms (10.8 pounds) of cocaine, 3.9 kilograms (8.6 pounds) of heroin, and 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) of methamphetamine to a storage facility in Alhambra. He also allegedly possessed three unregistered “ghost guns,” one .45-caliber Glock pistol, and ammunition at the Alhambra location.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, Ortega and Sanchez each face individual charges of knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sanchez, who previously was convicted in Los Angeles Superior Court of four separate drug possession charges, also has been charged with being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
If convicted on all counts, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison and mandatory minimum sentences of at least 10 years in federal prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Group 51 and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter. HIDTA Group 51 is comprised of members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and the LAPD.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce K. Riordan of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Fentanyl and CrackRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that CHRISTIAN PATTERSON, 20, of Hartford, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack”).
According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2019, after a spate of gun violence in Hartford, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force, DEA, Hartford Police Department and other law enforcement agencies initiated an investigation targeting gang-related drug distribution and associated violence in north Hartford. On August 28, 2019, investigators made a controlled purchase of fentanyl and crack from Patterson.
Patterson was arrested on September 13, 2019. He has been detained since December 11, 2019, when his bond was revoked.
Judge Bolden scheduled sentencing for May 5, 2020, at which time Patterson faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
The FBI’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Harrison County man admits to firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Allen Crowe, of Bridgeport, West Virginia, has admitted to a firearms charge, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Crowe, age 57, pled guilty to one count of “False Statement in Connection with the Acquisition of a Firearm.” Crowe, having been previously convicted of domestic battery, admitted to lying about his previous charges when trying to purchase a 9mm pistol in April 2018 in Marion County.
Crowe 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.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Hamburg Man Arrested and Charged with Threatening A Local News ReporterRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Paul E. Lubienecki, 62, of Hamburg, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with cyberstalking. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that on February 4, 2020, a member of the Buffalo, NY media (the Victim), received a voicemail that contained a death threat. The Victim has been reporting on the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo clergy sex abuse scandal for the past two years, and on that day, the Victim reported that Christ the King Seminary was being closed by the Diocese.
According to the complaint, the caller criticized the Victim's professionalism before stating, “...I know where you live in [town]. I'm going to find you. I'm going to kill you.” The complaint further states that the Victim received other harassing voicemails from a number associated with the defendant during August, November, and December of 2019. All told, 11 harassing phone calls were made from the phone number associated with Lubienecki to the Victim.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder and was released on conditions.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Greenup County Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Firearm as Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
ASHLAND, Ky.- Justin Huffman, 31, of Greenup, Kentucky, pled guilty in federal court on Monday, before U.S. District Court Judge David L. Bunning, to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Huffman admitted that on September 21, 2019, that he went to a victims’ residence in Greenup County, with a juvenile, and struck a victim in the face with a firearm, in order to retrieve property. Prior to being stopped by officers, Huffman admitted to giving the firearm to the juvenile, to conceal it from police. The firearm was recovered by law enforcement, who then confirmed the firearm was stolen. Huffman admitted that he knowingly possessed the firearm and that he was prohibited from possessing it, as a convicted felon.
Huffman was indicted in December 2019. Huffman was previously convicted, in 2013, of Second Degree Robbery, in Boyd County Circuit Court.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Tommy Estevan, Acting Special Agent in Charge, ATF Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff Matt Smith, Greenup County Sheriff’s Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by ATF and Greenup County Sheriff’s Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos II.
Huffman is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11, 2020. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statutes.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Robert Duncan Jr., coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
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
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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Grand Jury Returns IndictmentsRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. -- A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Two Chicago Men Charged with Madison Armed Robberies
Justin Harris, 24, and Robert ONeal, 33, both of Chicago, Illinois, are charged with two armed robberies of Madison, Wisconsin businesses and brandishing a firearm during each robbery.
The indictment alleges that Harris and ONeal robbed the Northside Liquor Store on North Sherman Avenue on January 25, 2020, and that they brandished a firearm during the robbery. The indictment further alleges that Harris and ONeal robbed the Citgo gas station on Northport Drive on the same day, and that they brandished a firearm during the robbery.
If convicted, Harris and ONeal face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each armed robbery charge, and a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in federal prison on each charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Federal law requires that any penalty imposed for the charge of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
The charges against Harris and ONeal are the result of an investigation by the Madison and Oshkosh Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow is handling the prosecution.
Medford Man Charged with Illegally Possessing Firearm
Michael Alexander, 53, Medford, Wisconsin, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The indictment alleges that on December 29, 2019, he possessed a loaded .45 caliber pistol and ammunition.
If convicted, Alexander faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey C. Stephan is handing the prosecution.
The indictments charging Harris, ONeal, and Alexander have been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, and violent crimes and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
La Crosse Man Charged with Methamphetamine Crime
Seth Strand, 31, La Crosse, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The indictment alleges that he possessed the methamphetamine on January 22, 2020.
If convicted, Strand faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison. The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol. United States Attorney Scott C. Blader and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron D. Wegner are handling the prosecution.
Georgia pharmacy, pharmacist accused in civil suit of unlawfully dispensing thousands of opioids and other controlled substancesRead the Press Release
BRUNSWICK, GA: A South Georgia pharmacy and its pharmacist are accused in a newly filed federal civil complaint with dispensing thousands of highly addictive controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.
Chip’s Discount Drugs Inc., Chips Discount Drugs LLC, and pharmacist Rogers Wood, of Hazlehurst, Ga., are accused in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, of failing to recognize “red flags” of improper and illegitimate prescriptions, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
The suit is part of the ongoing crackdown by the Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office and its federal law enforcement partners to combat the opioid crisis through criminal prosecutions and civil actions.
“Pharmacists have responsibilities under the law which nearly all follow,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “This lawsuit is part of our office’s continuing effort seeking to hold accountable every level of the distribution chain who fail to act consistent with the basic obligations of the law.”
As alleged in the suit, the defendants “knew or should have known” that many of the prescriptions it filled were not issued for legitimate reasons. Those “red flag” warnings of drug abuse and diversion included numerous patients traveling long distances to get prescriptions filled; simultaneous prescriptions to the same patients for similar drugs; prescriptions for the same drugs in multiple strengths; prescriptions for daily doses higher than medically necessary; prescriptions for drug combinations well-known in the medical and pharmacy community as carrying a high risk of drug abuse; and a disproportionate level of cash sales.
The suit also alleges that the defendants could not account for more than 9,000 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills supplied to the pharmacy as required by the Controlled Substances Act.
Dispensing drugs in violation of the Controlled Substances Act carries a civil penalty of up to $64,820 per violation, and failing to maintain and provide accurate prescription records carries a civil penalty of up to $15,040 per violation. The suit alleges “thousands” of violations by Wood and Chip’s Pharmacy.
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said, “DEA Diversion investigators did remarkable work in this case. DEA Diversion, its law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue healthcare providers who are not in compliance with mandatory regulations.”
The claims asserted against the defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
The DEA is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradford C. Patrick and Jonathan A. Porter are representing the United States.
Freeland Man Sentenced to 270 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking, Firearms, and Explosives OffensesRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on February 11, 2020, Roberto Torner, age 47, of Freeland, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 270 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release, by United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, for drug trafficking, firearms, and explosives offenses.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Torner was convicted following a 13-day jury trial of conspiring to distribute 15 grams of heroin from June 2, 2015 and June 8, 2015, and for distributing five grams of heroin on June 8, 2015. Torner also was convicted of possessing and conspiring to possess firearms as a multi-convicted felon. From May 12, 2012 to August 28, 2017, Torner obtained and had access to numerous firearms, including several that were maintained by his co-defendant, Liza Robles.
After Torner was charged initially with heroin trafficking and firearms offenses, he was released on bail in advance of trial. While on pretrial release, Torner planted stolen, U.S. military C4 plastic explosives at the residence of his co-defendant, David Alzugaray-Lugones. Judge Mannion also found that Torner obstructed justice by lying on the stand at trial about his criminal activities, and by destroying evidence—his own shirt—in the middle of trial by flushing it down a holding cell toilet bowl.
Torner’s codefendants, Liza Robles and David Alzugaray-Lugones, also were convicted at trial of heroin trafficking offenses, and Robles was convicted of firearms offenses. Alzugaray-Lugones previously was sentenced to 27 months of imprisonment. Robles previously was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment.
Judge Mannion ordered Torner to pay a $20,000 fine. Judge Mannion also ordered the forfeiture of the ammunition and firearms seized during the investigation, which included a:
- Magnum Research 1911U .45acp, Serial Number U100343;
- Hi-Point JHP .45acp, Serial Number 4266999;
- Stag Arms STAG-15, .223 cal., Serial Number 185412, which is capable of accepting a high capacity magazine;
- Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun, Serial Number U080316;
- Norinco MAC90, 7.62x39, Serial Number 934134, which is capable of accepting a high capacity magazine; and a
- Tikka T3, 30.06, Serial Number C77995.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Weatherly Police Department, the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Phillip Caraballo and Todd Hinkley prosecuted the 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 the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.
The case also was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
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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Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 15 YearsRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Jeremiah Montel, age 40, of Fort Wayne, Indiana was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Holly A. Brady upon his guilty plea to the sexual exploitation of minors, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Montel was sentenced to 180 months in prison, 5 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $5000.
According to documents in this case, from April 2016 through April 2017, Montel enticed a minor to produce child pornography.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley J. Miller Lowery.
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Former mayor arrested in fraud schemeRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – The former mayor of La Joya has been indicted on two counts of wire fraud relating to a public relations contract and the purchase of real property, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Authorities arrested Jose “Fito” Salinas, 81, today. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan Alaniz 11 a.m. tomorrow.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment Feb. 11. It was unsealed today upon his arrest.
From June 2018 to approximately November 2018, the City of La Joya entered into a public relations contract with Sylvia Garces Valdez, according to the charges. As a condition for receiving the contract, the mayor’s daughter - Frances Salinas De Leon – was to allegedly receive a portion of the contract’s payments.
The indictment alleges that from January 2016 to approximately July 2016, Salinas devised a scheme that resulted in the City of La Joya purchasing property he owned at a highly-inflated rate.
If convicted, Salinas faces up to 20 years in federal prison and up to $250,000 maximum fine. The indictment also includes a notice of intent to forfeit $235,000.
Former La Joya Housing Authority member Valdez, 39, La Joya, is also charged in relation to the scheme as is former interim executive director for the La Joya Housing Authority – De Leon, 52, La Joya. They face up to 10 and 20 years in prison, respectively.
The FBI, Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarina S. DiPiazza and Roberto Lopez, Jr. are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.