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19 December 2019
Madison Man Sentenced to 150 Months for Shooting Man During Drug DealRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that James E. Taylor, 37, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 150 months in prison for discharging a firearm during a drug deal. Taylor pleaded guilty to this charge on August 19, 2019.
In April 2016, Taylor arranged to purchase marijuana from a Town of Madison man. During the transaction, Taylor and the man got into a physical fight and Taylor pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at the man. The two continued to struggle and Taylor shot the man in the head, then stole the man’s marijuana. The man survived the shooting, but had to undergo surgery and has a lasting injury. Taylor fled the state and was later arrested on an unrelated warrant in Rockford, Illinois.
In sentencing Taylor, Judge Conley considered Taylor’s lengthy criminal history and the fact that Taylor kept going back to crime even though many people tried to help him. Judge Conley told Taylor that he was out of time to change, and that the next time he commits a crime, he will likely go to prison for the rest of his life. Judge Conley also noted that bringing a gun to a drug deal is tempting fate, and but for a chance intervention and life-saving surgery, the man that Taylor shot likely would have died.
The charge against Taylor was the result of an investigation conducted by the Town of Madison Police Department, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and UW-Madison Police Department. The prosecution of the case has been handled by U.S. Attorney Scott C. Blader and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Przybylinski Finn.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach involves collaboration by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and communities to prevent and deter gun violence.
MS-13 defendant sentenced to 40 years in prison for role in 3 murders, drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, assaultRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jose Manuel Romero-Parada, 25, formerly of Indianapolis, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 480 months in prison.
Romero-Parada, also known as “Russo,” is one of 23 individuals charged in a second superseding indictment in February 2018 who are alleged to be members and associates of MS-13 in Columbus.
The defendants are charged in a racketeering conspiracy, which includes five murders as well as attempted murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, assault, obstruction of justice, witness intimidation, weapons offenses and immigration-related violations.
The second superseding indictment alleges that the defendants committed a host of overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: 1) the December 2006 murder of Jose Mendez, a confidential informant, in Perry County; 2) the November 2008 murder of Ramon Ramos on Lockbourne Road in Columbus; 3) the mid-2015 murder of Carlos Serrano-Ramos, a suspected rival gang member, near Innis Road in Columbus; 4) the November 2015 murder of Wilson Villeda near Innis Road in Columbus; and 5) the December 2016 murder of Salvador Martinez-Diaz, a suspected rival gang member, on Melroy Avenue in Columbus.
Romero-Parada pleaded guilty in August 2019. He took responsibility for his role in the murders of Carlos Serrano-Ramos and Wilson Villeda, as well as his involvement in drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering and assault.
As part of his plea, Romero-Parada also accepted responsibility for his role in an additional, unindicted murder that took place in 2017 in Indianapolis. Israel Anibal Mejia-Martinez was killed and dismembered with bladed weapons and buried in Grassy Creek Regional Park in Indianapolis. Law enforcement officers from Columbus and Indianapolis found his remains in August 2018.
In 2019, six defendants in this case have been sentenced. A total of 14 defendants have pleaded guilty this year.
The lead defendant, Martin Neftali Aguilar-Rivera (also known as Momia), was sentenced in October to life in prison with no chance of release.
“The purpose behind the brutality of the murders committed by MS-13 was to send a message to anyone who dare threaten their existence,” said U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers. “Let this sentence be a message to MS-13 that we are threatening the existence of this transnational criminal organization.”
DeVillers is joined by Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Rebecca Adducci, Detroit Field Office Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. Deputy Criminal Chief Brian J. Martinez and Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.
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Mayor of Taylor and Two Others Indicted for Bribery and FraudRead the Press Release
A thirty-three count Indictment unsealed today charges City of Taylor Mayor Richard “Rick” Sollars, businessman Shady Awad, and Taylor Community Development Manager Jeffrey Baum with conspiracy to commit bribery in a scheme spanning from 2015 to 2019, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced. The Indictment also charges Sollars and Awad with seven counts of bribery each, and charges Sollars and Baum with 18 counts of Wire Fraud.
According to the Indictment, Sollars helped Awad’s real estate development company Realty Transition LLC obtain scores of tax-foreclosed properties owned by the City of Taylor. In return, Awad lavished Sollars with thousands of dollars in cash and over $30,000 in renovations to Sollars’s home, over $11,000 in renovations to Sollars’s lake house, and over $12,000 in new household appliances. The appliances included a refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, a $1,600 cigar humidor, a vacuum cleaner, and a clothes washer and dryer. The free renovations provided to Sollars by Awad include hardwood floors on every level of Sollars’s Taylor residence, hardwood floors at the lake house, a garage door, a new front door, cabinets, and a refurbished lake house deck. The Indictment also alleges that Jeffrey Baum received bribes from Awad and another developer, in exchange for Baum’s help in obtaining tax-foreclosed properties from the City.
Text messages between Sollars, Awad, and Baum cited throughout the Indictment document the bribe scheme. In one text, Awad states as follows: “My relationship with Rick is worth $1 million so whatever it takes I’ll pay for it” in telling a contractor to do free work on Sollars’s lake house. In another text, the Indictment states that Awad told Sollars that Sollars was Awad’s “silent partner” in Awad’s real estate development business. Sollars, 45, is a resident of Taylor. Awad, 39, and Baum, 44, are both residents of Allen Park, Michigan.
The Indictment also charges Sollars and Baum with 18 counts of Wire Fraud, alleging that Sollars and Baum defrauded donors to Sollars’s campaign fund in three ways. First, Sollars would take checks from his campaign account and write them payable to a particular market, purporting to pay for catering for one of Sollars’s events. Instead, the market owner would cash the campaign checks and give the cash back to Sollars, with no catering provided. Second, Sollars and Baum would direct Sollars’s supporters to write checks directly to the market for events that never occurred. Sollars would get cash and scratch-off lottery tickets from the market owner. Third, Sollars and Baum would solicit and accept thousands of dollars in cash contributions to Sollars’s campaign. Instead of depositing the funds into his campaign account, Sollars would simply keep the cash and use it for personal expenses.
The Indictment also seeks forfeiture of $205,993 in cash seized from Sollars’s home on February 10, 2019.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Steven D’Antuono, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The unearthing of allegedly blatant corruption at the top levels of government in the City of Taylor should disturb every citizen of our state,” said United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. “Federal law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute any public officials who choose their personal greed over their public oath.”
"Any time an allegation of corruption is brought to our attention, the FBI's Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force will investigate it thoroughly. Public corruption at any level undermines the community's faith in their elected officials and does long-term damage to government institutions," said SAC D'Antuono. "With that in mind, we encourage anyone who believes they have information about corruption to contact the FBI at 313-965-4545 or tips.fbi.gov."
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dawn Ison and R. Michael Bullotta.
An indictment is only a charging document and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Larceny and Aiding and AbettingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Larceny and Aiding and Abetting was sentenced on December 16, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Demitre’ Ecoffey, age 25, was sentenced to 2 years of probation, $2,084 in restitution, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Ecoffey was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 13, 2019. He pled guilty on December 16, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on May 26, 2017, when Ecoffey and Alan Thompson, Jr., took and vandalized personal property from the driveway and outdoor lot of an individual’s residence in Lyman County, resulting in a total loss of $2,084.
Alan Thompson, Jr., was set to be sentenced on October 7, 2019, but failed to appear. A warrant for his arrest has been issued.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Defendant was released following his sentencing hearing.
Louisiana Man and Oakland Man Admit Murder-For-Hire Plot Leading to Death of TargetRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Marcus Etienne, a.k.a. Hitler, and Mario Robinson, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from the activities of a marijuana distribution organization, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The plea was accepted by the Hon. William H. Alsup, United States District Judge.
According to the plea agreements, Etienne, 38, of St. Martin Parish, La., and Robinson, 36, of Opelousas, La., and Oakland, Calif., were involved in an enterprise based in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, consisting of more than seven members who conducted a continuing and extensive narcotics distribution conspiracy. Etienne admitted that he was the leader of the enterprise beginning as early as 2009. The defendants both acknowledged that the enterprise engaged in narcotics distribution, assault, robbery, extortion, extortionate collection of extensions of credit, murder for hire, murder, money laundering, illegal firearms possession, gambling on dogfighting, and obstruction of justice. Robinson further admitted that in 2015, he moved from California to Louisiana and began receiving marijuana from the enterprise to distribute in Louisiana.
Etienne and Robinson admitted their respective roles in the 2016 murder of another enterprise member, Trince Thibodeaux. According to the plea agreements, Etienne ordered the murder of Thibodeaux because Etienne believed Thibodeaux had stolen money and narcotics from the enterprise. Etienne offered Robinson $5,000 to murder Thibodeaux, and Robinson accepted. Robinson then contracted with a third party to complete the murder. On March 22, 2016, Robinson lured Thibodeaux to a location in Oakland where the third party shot and killed Thibodeaux. A week later, Robinson sent a $1,250 wire transfer to the individual who shot Thibodeaux. Robinson acknowledged that he expected to remain in good standing with Etienne and the enterprise by completing the murder at Etienne’s direction.
The plea agreements describe additional activities the defendants engaged in to promote the enterprise. For example, the plea agreements describe how the enterprise purchased marijuana in California and used the United States Postal Service to ship the drugs to Louisiana and Texas. Robinson admitted he received packages containing between one and ten pounds of marijuana every one or two months. Robinson and Etienne used cash proceeds from the narcotics trafficking to purchase marijuana and other controlled substances in California. Robinson also purchased money orders in Louisiana to pay the enterprise’s marijuana suppliers in California. Both Etienne and Robinson admitted that they conducted financial transactions with proceeds of narcotics trafficking to conceal the nature, source, and ownership of the enterprise’s profits.
In addition, Etienne admitted he purchased and maintained dogs used for fighting in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, on a property owned by another member of the enterprise. At the property, Etienne and other members of the enterprise hosted dog-fighting events at which attendees would pay a cover fee and bet money on the dogfights. Dogs, including dogs owned by Etienne, were seriously injured and even killed either during the events or as a result of the training leading up to the events.
On December 18, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Etienne, Robinson, and one other for their respective roles in the enterprise. Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(A)(vii), and 846; racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d); and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h).
The defendants face maximum statutory penalties as follows:
CHARGE
STATUTE
MAXIMUM STATUTORY PENALTY
Conspiracy to Distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana
21 U.S.C. § 846, 841, and (b)(1)(A)
Not less than 10 years or more than life in prison
$10,000,000 fine
After filing of prior conviction, if applicable, not less than 20 years or more than life in prison and
$20,000,000 fine
Conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
Life in prison
$250,000 fine
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)
20 years in prison
$250,000 fine
Additional fines, forfeitures, restitution, and special assessments also may be imposed. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The defendants will remain in federal custody pending sentencing. Judge Alsup has scheduled the sentencing hearing for both defendants for April 7, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Meredith Osborn, Claudia Quiroz, and William Frentzen and with the assistance of Jessica Meegan. This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oakland Division, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Oakland Police Department, with assistance from the St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Office, and the Opelousas, Louisiana, Police Department.
Livingston meth trafficker sentenced to prisonRead the Press Release
BILLINGS—A Livingston man who led law enforcement on a vehicle chase before getting arrested after a manhunt was sentenced on Wednesday to 13 years in prison and five years of supervised release for methamphetamine trafficking crimes, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Shaunesy Alan Cole, 37, pleaded guilty on June to possession with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
Cole was charged with drug trafficking crimes after Park County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to pull over a vehicle Cole was driving in July 2018, the prosecution said in court records. Cole gave a false name and instead of stepping out of the vehicle as instructed, he sped off. As deputies pursued, Cole fired a gun from the driver’s side window. Law enforcement stopped the chase for safety reasons and because Cole had driven down a dead end road. Law enforcement set up a road block and a manhunt began.
The next day, deputies got a call from a resident in Quinn Creek that Cole was walking around the balcony of his home. As officers converged, Cole jumped off the balcony and went down a steep embankment. Officers arrested Cole a short time later. During a search of the area, officers found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol. On Cole, officers found a box of 9mm ammunition and about 21 grams of meth.
In an interview with law enforcement, Cole said he was using heroin, meth and acid and that he had traded four grams of meth for the 9mm pistol. Law enforcement determined that the pistol had been reported stolen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Godfrey prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Lithuanian Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Theft of over $120 Million in Fraudulent Business Email Compromise SchemeRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that EVALDAS RIMASAUSKAS, a Lithuanian citizen, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for participating in a fraudulent business email compromise scheme that induced two U.S.-based Internet companies (the “Victim Companies”) to wire a total of over $120 million to bank accounts he controlled. RIMASAUSKAS previously pled guilty to one count of wire fraud before U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, who imposed today’s sentence.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Evaldas Rimasauskas devised an audacious scheme to fleece U.S. companies out of more than $120 million, and then funneled those funds to bank accounts around the globe. Rimasauskas carried out his high-tech theft from halfway across the globe, but he got sentenced to prison right here in Manhattan federal court.”
According to the allegations in the Indictment to which RIMASAUSKAS pled guilty, court filings, and statements made in public court proceedings:
From at least in or around 2013 through in or about 2015, RIMASAUSKAS orchestrated a fraudulent scheme designed to deceive the Victim Companies, including a multinational technology company and a multinational online social media company, into wiring funds to bank accounts controlled by RIMASAUSKAS. Specifically, RIMASAUSKAS registered and incorporated a company in Latvia (“Company-2”) that bore the same name as an Asian-based computer hardware manufacturer (“Company-1”), and opened, maintained, and controlled various accounts at banks located in Latvia and Cyprus in the name of Company-2. Thereafter, fraudulent phishing emails were sent to employees and agents of the Victim Companies, which regularly conducted multimillion-dollar transactions with Company-1, directing that money the Victim Companies owed Company-1 for legitimate goods and services be sent to Company-2’s bank accounts in Latvia and Cyprus, which were controlled by RIMASAUSKAS. These emails purported to be from employees and agents of Company-1, and were sent from email accounts that were designed to create the false appearance that they were sent by employees and agents of Company-1, but in truth and in fact, were neither sent nor authorized by Company-1. This scheme succeeded in deceiving the Victim Companies into complying with the fraudulent wiring instructions.
After the Victim Companies wired funds intended for Company-1 to Company-2’s bank accounts in Latvia and Cyprus, RIMASAUSKAS caused the stolen funds to be quickly wired into different bank accounts in various locations throughout the world, including Latvia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, and Hong Kong. RIMASAUSKAS also caused forged invoices, contracts, and letters that falsely appeared to have been executed and signed by executives and agents of the Victim Companies, and which bore false corporate stamps embossed with the Victim Companies’ names, to be submitted to banks in support of the large volume of funds that were fraudulently transmitted via wire transfer.
Through these false and deceptive representations over the course of the scheme, RIMASAUSKAS, the defendant, caused the Victim Companies to transfer a total of over $120,000,000 in U.S. currency from the Victim Companies’ bank accounts to Company-2’s bank accounts.
RIMASAUSKAS was arrested by Lithuanian authorities in March 2017, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant, and was extradited to the Southern District of New York in August 2017.
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In addition to the prison term, Judge Daniels ordered RIMASAUSKAS to serve two years of supervised release, to forfeit $49,738,559.41, and to pay restitution in the amount of $26,479,079.24.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and thanked the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office and the Economic Crime Investigation Board of Vilnius County Police Headquarters, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Latvia, and the International Assistance Group at the Department of Justice, Canada, for their assistance in the investigation, arrests, and extradition, as well the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eun Young Choi and Olga Zverovich are in charge of the prosecution.
Leader of Drug Trafficking Organization Convicted of International Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A woman from Culiacan, Mexico was convicted after a seven-day jury trial for her role in an international drug trafficking conspiracy to transport thousands of kilograms of cocaine and dozens of pounds of methamphetamine into the United States.
Luz Irene Fajardo Campos, aka “La Comadre,” “La Madrina,” and “La Doña,” was convicted of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and to manufacture and/or distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and elsewhere, knowing or intending that these substances would be unlawfully imported into the United States, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 959 and 963. Sentencing for the defendant is set for March 26, 2020. U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the District of Columbia presided over the trial and will impose sentence.
According to the evidence introduced at trial, Fajardo Campos ran a drug trafficking organization with her adult children that was aligned with the Sinaloa cartel. She sourced cocaine directly from Colombia, employed pilots, and brokered the purchase of jets to fly the cocaine to Central America and Mexico. She partnered with other traffickers in the Sinaloa cartel and her children for further distribution of the cocaine into the United States. She also oversaw the importation of precursor chemicals into Mexico, which she processed into methamphetamine at a laboratory located in the desert outside Hermosillo, Mexico. She distributed this methamphetamine in Tucson, Arizona, and Jackson, Mississippi, among other locations.
“Luz Irene Fajardo Campos ran a sophisticated, multinational drug trafficking organization aligned with the Sinaloa cartel that pumped large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into communities across the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Her conviction yesterday demonstrates that the Department of Justice will aggressively pursue drug traffickers who send their poison to the United States, wherever they may be.”
“Yesterday’s verdict clearly shows that no matter where drug traffickers operate, DEA agents will relentlessly pursue those whose actions wreak havoc on American communities,” said Phoenix Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Apolonio Ruiz Jr. “The Fajardo Campos conviction should send a message to drug traffickers throughout the world that DEA is committed to finding those who profit from Americans suffering from addiction.”
The case was investigated by DEA’s Tucson, Arizona Office and DEA’s Mexico City Country Office.
Trial Attorneys Cole Radovich, Anthony Aminoff and Kaitlin Sahni, and paralegal Marilu Vargas of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section (NDDS) prosecuted this case, with significant assistance provided by the NDDS Judicial Attachés in Bogotá, Colombia, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, and the Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations.
Kerrville Man Sentenced to 460 Months in Federal Prison for Cyberstalking and Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
In San Antonio today, 46-year-old Christopher Zamarripa was sentenced to 460 months in federal prison for cyberstalking and possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery also ordered that Zamarripa be placed on supervised release for the remainder of his life after completing his prison term.
On August 15, 2019, Zamarripa pleaded guilty to ten counts of cyberstalking and one count of possession of child pornography. According to court records, Zamarripa caused substantial emotional distress to his victims by altering photographs of their faces he downloaded from the Internet and placing them onto photographs of bodies engaged in explicit sexual activities, which he then uploaded to online pornographic websites. Zamarripa also uploaded to the same online pornographic websites unaltered images of two child victims.
On August 22, 2017, Kerr County sheriff’s deputies seized Zamarripa’s laptop computer. A subsequent forensics analysis of the laptop revealed the presence of child pornography.
Zamarripa has remained in custody since his arrest by FBI agents on May 20, 2019.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI in San Antonio and the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bettina Richardson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Kayenta Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Vehicular HomicideRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – This week, Alonzo Anagal, of Kayenta, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 15 years of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Anagal had previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and assault of a child resulting in serious bodily injury.
On January 30, 2019, Anagal was driving while intoxicated on Highway 160, on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. Driving recklessly, Anagal caused an accident that killed two people in another vehicle, including a small child, and seriously injured a third person. After the accident, Anagal’s blood alcohol concentration was tested and found to be .221. Anagal is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Kansas Man pleads Guilty to Murder for Killing a Woman on a Cruise ShipRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Kansas man pleaded guilty today to murdering his longtime girlfriend during a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas in January 2018.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister of the District of Kansas and Special Agent in Charge Rachel L. Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.
Eric Duane Newman, 55, of Topeka, Kansas, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Julie A. Robinson of the District of Kansas to one count of murder in the second degree for killing Tamara Tucker with malice aforethought.
According to the admissions made in connection with the plea, Newman and Tucker boarded the Carnival Elation cruise ship on Jan. 18, 2019, in Jacksonville, Florida, to take a round-trip voyage to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Newman and Tucker were staying together in a cabin room on the 13th deck of the cruise ship.
Before midnight on Jan. 18, Newman became involved in a verbal argument with Tucker inside their cabin room. At approximately 12:15 a.m. on Jan. 19, Newman physically attacked Tucker, and strangled her by placing both of his hands around her neck. In the process of strangling her, Newman pushed Tucker over the cabin room balcony railing causing her to fall to her death onto the 11th deck. Ms. Tucker died from blunt force trauma as a result of the fall. At the time, the cruise ship was sailing on the high seas in international water, approximately 30 nautical miles from New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Sentencing has been scheduled for March 18, 2020, before Chief U.S. District Judge Julie A. Robinson.
The FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Topeka Field Office. Trial Attorney Rami S. Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine E. Kenney of the District of Kansas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Office of the Attorney General also provided assistance.
Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Murder for Killing a Woman on a Cruise ShipRead the Press Release
A Kansas man pleaded guilty today to murdering his longtime girlfriend during a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas in January 2018.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Stephen R. McAllister of the District of Kansas and Special Agent in Charge Rachel L. Rojas of the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office made the announcement.
Eric Duane Newman, 55, of Topeka, Kansas, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Julie A. Robinson of the District of Kansas to one count of murder in the second degree for killing Tamara Tucker with malice aforethought.
According to the admissions made in connection with the plea, Newman and Tucker boarded the Carnival Elation cruise ship on Jan. 18, 2019, in Jacksonville, Florida, to take a round-trip voyage to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Newman and Tucker were staying together in a cabin room on the 13th deck of the cruise ship.
Before midnight on Jan. 18, Newman became involved in a verbal argument with Tucker inside their cabin room. At approximately 12:15 a.m. on Jan. 19, Newman physically attacked Tucker, and strangled her by placing both of his hands around her neck. In the process of strangling her, Newman pushed Tucker over the cabin room balcony railing causing her to fall to her death onto the 11th deck. Ms. Tucker died from blunt force trauma as a result of the fall. At the time, the cruise ship was sailing on the high seas in international water, approximately 30 nautical miles from New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Sentencing has been scheduled for March 18, 2020, before Chief U.S. District Judge Julie A. Robinson.
The FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Topeka Field Office. Trial Attorney Rami S. Badawy of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine E. Kenney of the District of Kansas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Office of the Attorney General also provided assistance.
Kaibeto Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Domestic AssaultRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – This week, Dustin Tso, of Kaibeto, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dominic W. Lanza to three years of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. The three years of imprisonment imposed will be served in addition to six months of imprisonment previously served in tribal custody. Tso had previously pleaded guilty to assault of a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner resulting in substantial bodily injury.
On January 12, 2019, Tso attacked the victim, including by striking her and strangling her. The assault occurred on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, and both Tso and the victim are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation. Tso’s sentence in this case was enhanced because he committed this crime while in violation of a protection order issued by the Navajo Nation tribal courts.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Samuels, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
KCK Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing over 450 Kilos of CocaineRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Kansas, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute more than 450 kilograms of cocaine in the metropolitan area.
Jesus Salvador Campoy-Estrada, also known as “Chava” and “Chavita,” 25, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy that lasted from October 2013 to Nov. 15, 2018. Campoy-Estrada also pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Campoy-Estrada was a large cocaine supplier in the Kansas City metropolitan area who received cocaine, smuggled from Mexico, from the leader of the drug-trafficking organization. He then made multi-kilogram sales to other cocaine dealers involved in the conspiracy. Campoy-Estrada admitted that he distributed well in excess of 450 kilograms of cocaine during his involvement in the conspiracy.
A confidential witness started distributing cocaine with Campoy-Estrada in 2015. Initially, they distributed approximately eight to 10 kilograms of cocaine per week. By 2016, they were distributing 10 to 20 kilograms of cocaine per week.
When Campoy-Estrada was arrested, officers searched his mother’s residence and found $111,995 in cash, which he admitted was illicit drug proceeds from the sale of 3.5 to 4 kilograms of powder cocaine. Officers also found a loaded XD 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a drug ledger.
Co-defendants Miguel Armendariz-Rascon, 31, a citizen of Mexico residing in Olathe, Kansas, and Armando Rosales Jr., 30, of San Elizario, Texas, have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
Campoy-Estrada and Armendariz-Rascon admitted they gave $491,211 in drug-trafficking proceeds to another co-conspirator, and received an unknown amount of powder cocaine. The money, which was seized by law enforcement, represented the proceeds of the distribution of more than 17 kilograms of cocaine.
Rosales admitted that he was a courier for the drug-trafficking organization. Investigators had received information that a shipment of cocaine was being delivered to the Kansas City, Missouri, metropolitan area. On Dec. 18, 2017, a DEA investigator stopped the Ford F-150 pickup Rosales was driving near Sweetwater, Texas. The investigator searched Rosales’s vehicle and found eight packages completely wrapped in electrical tape in the rear seat back of the truck. The packages contained a total of approximately eight kilograms of powder cocaine. Rosales admitted he was transporting the cocaine to the Kansas City metropolitan area.
According to the plea agreement, the drug-trafficking organization was purchasing cocaine for approximately $27,000 to $27,500 per kilogram. Accordingly, the value of the eight kilograms that Rosales transported was at least $216,000.
Under federal statutes, Campoy-Estrada is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 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 defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department.
Justice Department Will Move to Significantly Modify and Extend Consent Decree with Live Nation/TicketmasterRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division will file a petition asking the court to clarify and extend by five and a half years the Final Judgment entered by the Court in United States v. Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:10-cv-00139-RMC (July 30, 2010). This is the most significant enforcement action of an existing antitrust decree by the Department in 20 years.
The 2010 Final Judgment permitted Live Nation to merge with Ticketmaster but prohibited the company from retaliating against concert venues for using another ticketing company, threatening concert venues, or undertaking other specified actions against concert venues for ten years. Despite the prohibitions in the Final Judgment, Live Nation repeatedly and over the course of several years engaged in conduct that, in the Department’s view, violated the Final Judgment. To put a stop to this conduct and to remove any doubt about defendants’ obligations under the Final Judgment going forward, the Department and Live Nation have agreed to modify the Final Judgment to make clear that such conduct is prohibited. In addition, Live Nation has agreed to extend the term of the Final Judgment by five and a half years, which will allow concert venues and American consumers to get the benefit of the relief the Department bargained for in the original settlement. The proposed modifications to the Final Judgment will also help deter additional violations and allow for easier detection and enforcement if future violations occur.
“When Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010, the Department of Justice and the federal court imposed conditions on the company in order to preserve and promote ticketing competition.” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today’s enforcement action including the addition of language on retaliation and conditioning will ensure that American consumers get the benefit of the bargain that the United States and Live Nation agreed to in 2010. Merging parties will be held to their promises and the Department will not tolerate transgressions that hurt the American consumer.”
The Department today filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to reopen the docket in the underlying action, a necessary step towards filing the petition to clarify and extend the Final Judgment. The Department will file that petition once leave is granted by the court.
The clarifications to the Final Judgment the parties will seek include provisions that:
- Live Nation may not threaten to withhold concerts from a venue if the venue chooses a ticketer other than Ticketmaster;
- A threat by Live Nation to withhold any concerts because a venue chooses another ticketer is a violation of the Final Judgment;
- Withholding any concerts in response to a venue choosing a ticketer other than Ticketmaster is a violation by Live Nation of the Final Judgment;
- The Antitrust Division will appoint an independent monitor to investigate and report on Live Nation’s compliance with the Final Judgment;
- Live Nation will appoint an internal antitrust compliance officer and conduct regular internal training to ensure its employees fully comply with the Final Judgment;
- Live Nation will provide notice to current or potential venue customers of its ticketing services of the clarified and extended Final Judgment; and
- Live Nation is subject to an automatic penalty of $1,000,000 for each violation of the Final Judgment.
- Live Nation will pay costs and fees for the Department’s investigation and enforcement.
Along with the provisions described above, the proposed modifications to the Final Judgment, if approved by the court, include additional safeguards to ensure Live Nation does not punish venues that want to work with competing ticketers, and importantly, extends the term of the Final Judgment for five and half years.
Live Nation Entertainment Inc. is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. It claims to be the largest live entertainment company in the world, active in three principal segments: concert promotion, ticketing services, and sponsorship & advertising. In 2018, Live Nation’s revenues were approximately $10.8 billion.
Ticketmaster is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Live Nation following their merger in 2010. It claims to be the world’s leading live entertainment ticketing sales and entertainment company. In 2018, Ticketmaster’s revenues were approximately $1.5 billion.
Justice Department Awards More Than $333 Million to Fight Opioid CrisisRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs has announced awards of more than $333 million to help communities affected by the opioid crisis. $4,149,896 will help public safety and public health professionals in the Middle District of Florida combat substance abuse and respond effectively to overdoses. OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan made the announcement during a visit with local, state and federal officials in West Virginia, one of the states hardest hit by the epidemic.
“The opioid crisis has destroyed far too many lives and left too many Americans feeling helpless and hopeless,” said PDAAG Sullivan. “This epidemic—the most deadly in our nation’s history—is introducing new dangers and loading public health responsibilities onto the public safety duties of our law enforcement officers. The Department of Justice is here to support them during this unprecedented and extremely challenging time.”
With more than 130 people dying from opioid-related overdoses every day, the Department of Justice has made fighting addiction to opioids—including heroin and fentanyl—a national priority. The Trump Administration is providing critical funding for a wide range of activities—from preventive services and comprehensive treatment to recovery assistance, forensic science services and research—to help save lives and break the cycle of addiction and crime.
“We plan to continue to use every tool in our arsenal to combat the illegal distribution and use of opioids in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “These additional resources will increase the ability of our partners to save the lives of those affected by this dangerous epidemic.”
The awards announced today support an array of activities designed to reduce the harm inflicted by these dangerous drugs. Grants will help law enforcement officers, emergency responders and treatment professionals coordinate their response to overdoses. Funds will also provide services for children and youth affected by the crisis and will support the nationwide network of drug and treatment courts. Other awards will address prescription drug abuse, expand the capacity of forensic labs and support opioid-related research.
The following awards were made to organizations in the Middle District of Florida.
City of Tampa (Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program)
$900,000Family Support Services of North Florida (Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis: Serving our Youngest Crime Victims)
$750,000Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (Opioid Affected Youth Initiative)
$1,000,000Nassau County Board of County Commissioners (Adult Court and Veterans Treatment Courts Discretionary Grant Program)
$499,896Brevard County (Adult Court and Veterans Treatment Courts Discretionary Grant Program)
$500,000Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (Adult Court and Veterans Treatment Courts Discretionary Grant Program)
$500,000 Pinellas County (Paul Coverdell Competitive Grant Program) $189,565In addition, the following statewide awards were made to organizations in Florida.
Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator (Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program)
$1,492,871Institute for Intergovernmental Research (Opioid Affected Youth Initiative)
$1,000,000Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (Statewide and Regional Mentoring Initiatives for Youth Impacted by Opioids)
$1,250,000Information about the programs and awards announced today is available here. For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
Jamaican National Indicted for Fraudulently Collecting Lottery Money from the ElderlyRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO –Christopher Gibbon, 48, of Florissant, Missouri, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud; four counts of mail fraud; and one count of bank fraud.
According to the Indictment, Gibbon, a Jamaican National who resided in St. Louis County, Missouri, participated in a lottery scheme targeting residents over the age of 60 residing in various parts of the country. He participated in the scheme as early as 2012 through July 2018.
The scheme involved individuals in Jamaica calling United States residents to inform them that they had won money and prizes in a lottery. Gibbon’s role was to mail letters to fraud victims advising them that the lottery winnings were legitimate. Because the letters were purportedly written by United States government officials, and mailed from within the United States, the recipients believed the fraudulent representations. In exchange, Gibbon received 20% of the illegal proceeds mailed to him while he forwarded the balance to his counterparts in Jamaica. Those proceeds ranged from $190.00 to as much as $50,000.00.
If convicted, Gibbon faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Restitution is also mandatory.
Charges set forth in the indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes targeting older adults. The Eastern District of Missouri Identity Theft Task Force is a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat identity theft and its related crimes across the St. Louis Community.
Indiana, California Drug-Trafficking Organizations DismantledRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that two drug-trafficking organizations with fifteen total members were indicted by a grand jury for charges of drug-trafficking, unlawful use of a communication facility, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The cases were investigated and prosecuted by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
"If you choose to make a living by selling drugs, promoting violence, and illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of those crimes, we will find you, and you will be prosecuted, federally" said Minkler. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe by removing violent crime organizations and individuals from our communities."
According to the superseding indictment, Defendants Tavares Hutcherson, Stefantatos, Mathews, Roshel, Jones, Eyre, Cox, and Carson conspired to distribute methamphetamine. Jones supplied methamphetamine to Hutcherson for re-distribution. Stefanatos acted as a middle-man for Jones and supplied drugs to Hutcherson. Hutcherson and Mathews distributed methamphetamine to each other as well as others in the Terre Haute area, including Cox, Roshel, and Carson. Eyre assisted Hutcherson in distributing drugs and collecting drug proceeds. The superseding indictment further alleges that Hutcherson, Mathews, and Jones possessed firearms
to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds. With respect to Grindle, the superseding indictment states that Grindle took over 200 grams of methamphetamine and firearms from Mathews, prompting Mathews to enlist the help of co-conspirators to attempt to recover the drugs and guns.
According to a second superseding indictment arising out of the same investigation, Defendant James Briscoe, Page, Clephane, Bays, Pugh, and Bell conspired to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. Pugh arranged for methamphetamine to be shipped from California to Indiana for re-distribution by Briscoe and Bell. In addition, Briscoe obtained methamphetamine from Page who operated out of Anderson, Indiana. Briscoe in turn supplied methamphetamine and marijuana to Bell, Clephane, Bays, and others. The superseding indictment also alleges that Briscoe, Page, Clephane, and Pugh possessed firearms, including a Hi-Point, 9mm pistol, a Mossberg, 12 gauge shotgun, a Micro Draco, 7.62 caliber pistol, a LLAMA, .45 caliber pistol, and an AK-style, short barrel rifle.
The indicted defendants, their ages, and residences are as follows:
Tavares Hutcherson, 42, Terre Haute, Ind.
Timothy Stefanatos, 40, Indianapolis, Ind.
Brock Mathews, 29, Terre Haute, Ind.
Deena Roshel, 52, Terre Haute, Ind.
Kyra Grindle, 19, Terre Haute, Ind.
Brad W. Jones, 35, Indianapolis, Ind.
Travis Eyre, 30, Terre Haute, Ind.
Robert Cox, 33, Terre Haute, Ind.
Zachary Carson, 25, Terre Haute, Ind.
James Briscoe, 36, Muncie, Ind.
Damarus Page, 37, Anderson, Ind.
Bradley Clephane, 35, Gosport, Spencer, Ind.
Christopher Bays, 33, Brazil, Ind.
Jamar Pugh, 26, Muncie, Ind.
James Bell, 40, Muncie, Ind.
The lead investigative agencies were the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Other agencies that assisted in the investigation include the Indiana State Police, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Terre Haute Police Department, Muncie Police Department, Anderson Police Department, Madison County Drug Task Force, Vigo County Sheriff’s Department, Vigo County Drug Task Force, Clay County Sheriff’s Department, and the Owen County Sherriff’s Department.
"The individuals arrested during this complex investigation were responsible for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine into the Wabash Valley area," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Gannon. "Throughout the course of this investigation, agents seized approximately 23 pounds of methamphetamine, and 13
firearms. DEA commends the outstanding work that was done by the Terre Haute Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Vigo County Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office. This violent drug trafficking organization showed complete disregard for the fine citizens of Terre Haute and utilized fear and intimidation to aid their criminal activity. All drug dealers need to take notice that the newly formed DEA Terre Haute Office along with our law enforcement partners will utilize all available resources to take investigations to the highest levels and steam roll drug dealers who are peddling garbage into our communities."
"The United States Postal Inspection Service is committed to the protection of our nation’s mail system, and to ridding the criminals’ use of the mail for the transportation of illegal drugs. This case is a great example of how working together with our law enforcement partners, we are able to make progress in getting the drugs off the streets in Indiana and California. The arrest and indictment of these defendants should serve as a warning to others who seek to commit drug-trafficking through the U.S. Postal Service." said Inspector in Charge Edward Gallashaw of the Detroit Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter commented, "I am extremely proud of our participation in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force." Carter continued, "The hard work of our assigned investigators, in collaboration with other member representatives, speaks to the dedication of state, county, local and federal law enforcement partners who work daily to make Indiana communities safer for everyone to enjoy."
"Too often, violence in our city is connected to the trafficking of illegal narcotics. These bad actors are willing to profit from crime and violence in our neighborhoods, and working closely with law enforcement partners to remove them from our community is crucial to making Indianapolis a safer place for all to call home," said IMPD Chief Bryan Roach.
"We are always eager to partner with federal law enforcement in an effort to aggressively investigate the predatory practices of those who seek to exploit the weak and drug-addicted for their own personal financial gain," said Sergeant Chad Boynton, Anderson Police Department K9 Supervisor and Madison County Drug Task Force Supervisor. "This investigation has undoubtedly produced a positive impact within Central Indiana, having resulted in the arrest of several significant drug traffickers."
According to Assistant United States Attorney M. Kendra Klump, who is prosecuting these cases for the government, defendants, if convicted, each face up to life in prison, except for Grindle, who faces up to 40 years in prison.
An Indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the Office’s firm commitment to prosecuting those who engage in organized drug and violent crime. See United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan 2.1.
Idaho man sentenced to prison for possessing meth for distributionRead the Press Release
MISSOULA—An Idaho man who admitted possessing meth for distribution after the vehicle in which he was riding crashed in Bozeman was sentenced today to 54 months in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Robert David Barclay, Jr., 42, of Pocatello, ID, pleaded guilty in August to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The prosecution said in court records that Barclay was arrested on May 7 and that law enforcement found 329 grams, or about 11 ounces, of meth in his backpack. A Montana Highway Patrol trooper who was watching traffic on Interstate 90 from the median near the Belgrade interchange, saw a sedan approaching at what appeared to be faster than the speed limit. The trooper pulled out to follow the sedan when it abruptly exited the interstate. After a high-speed chase toward Bozeman at rates nearing 90 mph, the trooper discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons.
Citizens reported a crash near the Costco parking lot and a man carrying a black backpack. A Gallatin County Sheriff’s deputy who was nearby responded and saw a man fitting the description provided by the Costco loading docks. A foot chase began and the man, identified as Barclay, was arrested for obstructing a peace officer. During a search of Barclay’s backpack at the county’s detention center, officers found 12 bags of meth, which totaled about 329 grams of nearly pure meth.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Montana Highway Patrol, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Husband and Wife Sentenced to Prison for Attempting to Bilk the IRS out of $1.3 MillionRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A husband and wife have been sentenced to federal prison for stealing the identities of at least ten people and using the information to file fraudulent tax returns seeking more than $1.3 million in refunds.
TILLMAN LIGGINS III, 50, of Joliet, was sentenced Tuesday to five years and four months in prison. His wife, CHINITA WILLIAMS-LIGGINS, 39, of Joliet, was sentenced in July to three and a half years in prison. The couple was also ordered to pay $331,154 in restitution to the IRS.
U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman imposed the sentences in federal court in Chicago.
The sentences were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.
“Without the compliance of taxpayers with our country’s tax laws, the federal government would essentially cease to function,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalia Coleman argued in the government’s sentencing memorandums. “The honest taxpayers must shoulder a disproportionate amount of the tax burden, and fewer necessary government services and benefits can be provided when some people cheat the IRS out of substantial sums of money.”
Liggins III and Williams-Liggins each pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. The couple admitted in plea agreements that they obtained personal identifying information, including names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth, of at least ten individuals without their knowledge or consent. They used that information to prepare and file false and fraudulent individual federal income tax returns (Forms 1040) for the tax years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
In total, the pair caused to be filed with the IRS at least 219 false and fraudulent tax returns seeking refunds of approximately $1,323,793. As a result of the scheme, the IRS deposited approximately $331,154 in fraudulent refunds into bank accounts controlled by the couple and others.
Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man was sentenced to federal prison for a gun crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Jeremy Adam Bartram, 27, was sentenced to 51 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Bartram previously admitted that on July 6, 2019 he was pulled over by the West Virginia State Police in the area of 16th Street Road in Huntington. He admitted that there was a handgun in the bag at his feet in the vehicle. Bartram was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his felony conviction for Arson in the Third Degree in Wayne County, West Virginia.
The West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor handled the prosecution.
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Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., Ordered to Dissolve & Pay Restitution to Victims of Building CollapseRead the Press Release
Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, appeared in federal court for sentencing following its conviction for Willful Violation of the Occupational, Safety, and Health Act Causing Death to an Employee. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier presided over the sentencing hearing.
Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., was sentenced to 1 year of probation. During that time, the company was ordered to dissolve and comply with all of the bankruptcy proceedings, including paying restitution to the victims of the building collapse. The company was not fined because all of the assets were used to pay restitution to the victims. As required by federal law, the company was also ordered to pay a $50 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documents, on December 2, 2016, Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., an employer under the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, willfully violated the standards and regulations relating to instruction and training on proper demolition methods promulgated and prescribed under the Act, and said violation caused the death of Ethan McMahon.
At times relevant to this case, Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., was a company providing residential and commercial construction services throughout South Dakota, and the company employed approximately eleven (11) employees in South Dakota. On or about and at times prior to December 2, 2016, Hultgren Construction, L.L.C., the controlling and exposing employer, did not sufficiently instruct employees in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions related to temporary shoring supporting a multi-story building. Employees were tasked to remove two adjoining exterior load bearing walls between the ground level and first floor. Employees were not sufficiently instructed in the means and methods for building and installing a temporary shoring system to transfer the building loads from the foundation to the shoring system. In the morning hours of December 2, 2016, an employee was fatally injured as a result of removing the last segment of the load bearing wall, thereby causing the structure to collapse.
Hultgren Construction’s acts and omissions exhibited a plain indifference to a known and obvious hazard. Hultgren Construction knowingly permitted employees to engage in demolition activities without sufficient training to ensure that a licensed engineering professional first prepared an engineering analysis to assess the structural stability of the building, including the planned temporary shoring systems.
This case was investigated by the Department of Labor – Office of the Solicitor, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri.
Houston man learns fate for kidnapping and killing postal employeeRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 32-year-old resident of Houston has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of kidnapping in connection with the death of a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Don Gaines pleaded guilty April 26, admitting he choked the victim and drove her to Louisiana, ultimately shooting her in the head.
Today, U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett granted the government’s request for an upward departure of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and ordered Gaines to serve a 540-month sentence.
The court called the crime one of the most gruesome he has had to deal with in his 11 years on the bench. He considered the manner in which the victim died and her last moments of life as well as the defendant’s need for self-preservation over the life of the mother of his children. In imposing the sentence, the court remarked that if the crime had been a mistake, an argument gone horribly wrong, Gaines had the option of calling it off and turning around. “Instead, you doubled down,” he said, noting he then walked her into the woods and shot her.
The defense tried to argue the facts did not warrant a sentence applicable to 1st degree murder. The government disagreed, contending Gaines deliberately decided the victim would die Sept. 11, 2017.
At the hearing, the court heard from Gaines’ former girlfriend who became emotional, describing how Gaines had also choked her in June 2017. He had threatened her after she denied his sexual advances and said he would kill her. The victim’s father also took the stand and described his wonderful and loving daughter and mother to her children.
The defense attempted to portray Gaines as a troubled person who had a difficult life.
The government asked the court to consider what the victim endured at the hands of the defendant and called Gaines a cold-blooded killer.
“Postal inspectors’ duties include protecting employees and investigating violent crimes committed against them,” said Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). “While these types of crimes are rare, when they do occur, we will aggressively investigate to find those responsible and bring them to justice. This investigation was a partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies who worked together tirelessly to bring justice to the victim and her family.”
The investigation identified Gaines, also a postal employee, as the person who abducted the victim as she left from the U.S. Postal Station - Houston distribution Center on Aldine Bender Road Sept. 11, 2017. The victim’s family reported her missing shortly thereafter. Gaines and the victim had previously been in a relationship and had two children together.
At the time of his plea, Gaines admitted he choked the woman in her car near his residence in Houston. After he strangled her, Gaines believed she was dead and transported her to Louisiana. However, during the trip, she regained consciousness, and Gaines drove her to a secluded area off the highway. At that time, he parked the car and walked the victim into the woods where he shot her in the head with a firearm. He abandoned her body and drove back to Houston in her car the same day.
Investigators identified location data on the victim’s car through a GPS device.
Evidence mirrored Gaines’ statements. Authorities located the victim’s car at his residence the same date he claimed to have choked her. Her car also traveled along Interstate 10 through Louisiana and returned to Houston. A video further showed Gaines purchased gas on the return drive to Houston after he disposed of the victim’s body.
Ultimately, the investigation led to the remote location in Louisiana where authorities discovered skeletal remains Oct. 12, 2017. Subsequent DNA analysis confirmed those remains were of the victim.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
USPIS led the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson Davis Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Calcasieu Parish (Louisiana) Coroner’s Office, Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory at Louisiana State University and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Jocher and James McAlister prosecuted the case.
Hartford Gang Member Involved in Violent Kidnapping and Assault Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PEDRO CARILLO, also known as “P,” 25, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 161 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for a kidnapping and violent assault he committed with four other members of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation (“Latin Kings”).
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 26, 2018, Carillo’s brother, Anthony Carillo, and another associate, Josue Franco, lured an individual (“the victim”) to a residence on Benton Street in Hartford. When the victim entered the residence, Jonathan Otero and Luis Pitt were waiting. Anthony Carillo, Franco, Otero and Pitt then threatened, assaulted and tortured the victim, prevented him from leaving the residence, and demanded a ransom. After the victim was restrained, Pedro Carillo arrived at the residence and participated in the ongoing assault and torture of the victim, which included burning him with cigarettes, pistol-whipping him and throwing a dart into his foot.
The defendants forced the victim to call someone to deliver money in exchange for his release. The victim then called his father. Franco grabbed the phone and told the victim’s father if he did not deliver $500 they were going to kill his son. After the call, Otero put a bullet in the victim’s hand and told him he would use that bullet to shoot him in the head if the victim could not get the ransom money. The victim was then transported to different locations in Hartford in an effort to collect ransom before he was eventually released.
The victim was treated at a hospital for a fractured cheekbone, a facial laceration, a concussion and other injuries.
Pedro Carillo’s criminal history includes two felony assault convictions and he was on probation for those offenses when he committed this violent assault. In June 2017, he was seriously wounded in a gang-related shooting.
Pedro Carillo is currently detained. On September 13, 2019, he pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
The other four defendants also pleaded guilty to related charges. On December 10, 2019, Otero was sentenced to 154 months of imprisonment; on December 16, 2019, Franco was sentenced to 132 months of imprisonment, and on December 18, 2019, Anthony Carillo was sentenced to 125 months of imprisonment. Pitt is detained while awaiting sentencing.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department. The Task Force includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Hartford Police Department’s Major Crimes Division has provided critical assistance to the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
Hamden Man Charged with Attempting to Travel to Fight for IsisRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that KEVIN IMAN McCORMICK, 26, of Hamden, has been charged by indictment with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
McCormick was arrested on October 21, 2019, and charged by federal criminal complaint. On October 30, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging McCormick with the offense. The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint was unsealed today.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in October 2019, McCormick made several statements to others expressing a desire to travel to Syria and to fight for ISIS. In one conversation, McCormick stated “I gotta fight bro, because those people, Abu Masa and ISIL, they fought for me bro, I know it, I can feel it, in my heart. So it’s my time to fight . . . It just is what it is bro, it’s just my – it’s just my time to go bro.” When McCormick was asked to elaborate on where he would like to travel, McCormick responded, “I don’t know, I don’t know bro – it’s gotta be like Syria. Where ISIL is at….whichever place is easiest, whichever place I can get there the fastest, the quickest, the easiest, and where I can have a rifle and I can have some people bro. That’s what I need, I need a rifle and I need some people, I need Islamic law, I need, that’s what I need, because if I have these things, it’s going to be very hard to kill me.”
It is also alleged that, on October 12, 2019, McCormick attempted to board a flight from Connecticut to Jamaica, but was prevented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. McCormick subsequently told an individual that he wanted to travel to Jamaica, and then onward to Syria to join ISIS. He also indicated that he wanted to acquire weapons.
It is further alleged that, on October 19, 2019, McCormick made a video during which he pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. Also on that date, he purchased a plane ticket from Toronto, Canada, to Amman, Jordan. On October 21, 2019, McCormick was arrested after he traveled to a small private airport in Connecticut where he expected to board a plane that would fly him to Canada.
McCormick has been detained since his arrest.
The charge of conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) with the assistance of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The FBI’s JTTF includes participants from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Department of Correction, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, Norwich Police Department, Hartford Police Department, Stamford Police Department, Norwalk Police Department, Town of Groton Police Department, UConn Police Department, Yale Police Department, and New York Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito and Trial Attorney Justin Sher from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Grand Jury Returns Indictment Adding Drug, Firearms and Money Laundering Charges Against Alleged Fentanyl DealerRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A federal grand jury returned a third superseding indictment against two residents of Pittsburgh, PA, on charges of violating the federal narcotics, firearms and money laundering laws, United States Scott W. Brady announced today.
The nine-count third Superseding Indictment, returned on Dec. 17, named Lynell Guyton, age 30, and Drevon Woodson, age 22, as the defendants.
According to the third Superseding Indictment, Guyton and Woodson conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute varying quantities of an analogue of fentanyl, from May, 2017, to August, 2017. Guyton is charged with possession with intent to distribute the same. According to information provided to the Court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)/ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), assisted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, including the Pittsburgh Police SWAT Team, executed a federal search warrant at 7 Bond Street in Pittsburgh’s West End. During the entry, a table located near where the individuals were present inside the residence was overturned causing the powder narcotics to become airborne. Several SWAT operators experienced dizziness and numbness. In all, 18 officers were transported to UPMC-Mercy for evaluation before being medically cleared. In the kitchen of the residence, law enforcement located a plate with a significant quantity of white power on it and a number of packaged stamp bags and empty stamp bags. Officers observed stamp bags bearing both the "Ferrari" stamp and the "Louis Vuitton" stamp.
In addition, the third Superseding Indictment charges that Guyton possessed with intent to distribute a fentanyl analogue on July 20, 2017, and August 2, 2017, and that he attempted to possess with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue on June 1, 2017. In addition, Guyton is charged with two counts of possession of firearms by a convicted felon, and with two counts of sending international wire transfers to promote the drug trafficking.
The law provides for maximum total sentences ranging from up to 10 years to up to life in prison as well as certain statutory minimum sentences starting at 5 years in prison. Fines ranging from $250,000 to up to $20,000,000 may also be imposed. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of each defendant. Guyton and Woodson are currently detained pending resolution of these charges.
Assistant United States Attorney Shanicka L. Kennedy is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)/ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), assisted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, including the Pittsburgh Police SWAT Team, conducted the investigation leading to the third Superseding Indictment in this case.
A third superseding indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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Government Contractor Charged in Scheme to Defraud U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Dale Johnson, 57, of Anchorage, has been charged with one count of conspiracy for his role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) into issuing Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) government “set-aside” contracts to unqualified private contractors. A plea agreement has also been filed in this case, and Johnson is currently awaiting his Change of Plea hearing to be scheduled.
Johnson’s co-conspirators, Richard Vaughan, 72, and Donald Garner, 47, have been charged in a separate 31-count indictment with bribery and wire fraud charges in connection with the scheme.
Vaughan was a VA contract officer representative and was responsible for awarding and managing numerous contracts awarded by the VA, including certain SDVOSB “set-aside” contracts. Johnson was the owner of ADALECO General LLC, and Garner was the owner of Veteran Ability, which were both government contractors that provided various services to the U.S. government, including the VA in Anchorage.
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the federal government responsible for aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small business concerns. The SBA and VA administered a program to award SDVOSB “set-aside” contracts, which could only be awarded to small business concerns owned and controlled by qualified Service-Disabled Veterans (SDVs).
In October 2014, ADALECO had an SDVOSB certification, while Veteran Ability did not. According to court documents, Johnson falsely certified to the VA that his company ADALECO would perform a majority of the work on a snow removal contract awarded in October 2014, which was a “set-aside” contract for a certified SDVOSB contractor. The investigation revealed, however, that it was actually Garner and Veteran Ability, along with other non-SDVOSB companies, who performed 100% of the work under the snow removal contract. Johnson received 5-10% of every payment under the contract as a “kickback” for allowing Garner to use ADALECO’s SDVOSB certification, which amounted to approximately $54,302. Johnson also made other misrepresentations to the VA in furtherance of the fraudulent scheme.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General, and General Services Administration Office of the Inspector General, conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan D. Tansey and Kyle Reardon.
The charges against Johnson are merely allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Alejandro Javier Chaves, 44, of Douglasville, Georgia, to 360 months in prison, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Chaves to serve five years under court supervision after he is released from prison.
Joining U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement are Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which oversees the Asheville District Office; Gregory Forest, United States Marshal for the Western District of North Carolina; Director Robert Schurmeier of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation; Sheriff Chip Hall of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office; Sheriff Robert Holland of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Quentin Miller of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
According to filed court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, in 2017, Chaves was serving a sentence in the Georgia Department of Corrections related to nine felony convictions, including convictions for trafficking methamphetamine and threatening to kill a member of law enforcement. Between January and February 2017, while incarcerated in Georgia, Chaves used a contraband cell phone to orchestrate multi-ounce methamphetamine deals with a narcotics trafficker located in the Western District of North Carolina. Following an investigation into that criminal activity, Chaves was indicted in October 2017 by a grand jury in Asheville, and was transferred to the Western District of North Carolina to face the federal charges.
In May 2018, Chaves pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Court records show that, while he was in federal custody at the Buncombe County Detention Center, Chaves used a phone within the detention center to orchestrate additional methamphetamine deals, accounting for another four and half kilograms of methamphetamine. According to court records, Chaves arranged the drug deals between the date he entered his guilty plea and the date of his sentencing hearing.
Chaves remains in custody. Upon designation of a federal facility he will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The DEA in Asheville conducted the investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service, the SBI, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office also assisted with the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.
Gary, Indiana Man Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND-Edward T. Bell, 30, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Simon to 87 months imprisonment following his guilty plea to possession of firearms by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
According to documents in the case, during July and August 2018, the FBI and ATF purchased nine firearms, including a fully automatic pistol, from Edwards in East Chicago and Gary, Indiana. Thereafter, in August 2018, during a search of Bell’s vehicles in Gary, Indiana, law enforcement recovered eleven semi-automatic pistols, one fully automatic pistol, 72 grams of crack cocaine, and synthetic marijuana. Bell has prior felony convictions for possession of cocaine and distribution of ecstasy.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Chicago Field Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives-Chicago Field Division. The case was prosecuted by Northern District of Indiana Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Padilla.
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Four Separate Indictments Brought Against Residents of Fairfield, Stockton, Vallejo, and Mount Shasta charged with Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As part the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California’s strategy to reduce violent crime by focusing on firearms prosecutions, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced that a federal grand jury returned indictments today in the following cases involving firearms offenses:
Roderick Darnell Harris, 45, of Fairfield, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Oct. 19, police officers tried to stop Harris, who was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk in violation of a city ordinance. Harris disregarded the officer’s many requests to yield at first, but eventually stopped. A loaded 9 mm pistol was concealed in his jacket. Harris cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of five felony offenses.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fairfield Police Department with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
Fred Lavender, 44, of Stockton, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Oct. 31, Lavender was arrested for a parole violation. In the car he had been driving, police officers found a Glock Model 23 handgun. Lavender has several prior convictions – including a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence battery – which prohibit him from possessing a firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael W. Redding is prosecuting the case.
Joshua Wayne Thompson, 25, of Vallejo, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on Nov. 18, Thompson had several outstanding warrants. When law enforcement officers saw Thompson in front of his home in Vallejo, they tried to apprehend him. Thompson got into a car and tried to flee, ramming a law enforcement vehicle in the process. When Thompson was arrested, he had a pistol with an extended magazine in his waistband. Thompson cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of a felony offense.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, Vallejo Police Department, and California Highway Patrol.
Daniel Andrew Walker, 60, of Mount Shasta, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, in April 2018, Walker filed a Petition for Certificate of Rehabilitation, seeking a court recommendation for a retroactive pardon of his prior felonies. As part of his application, Walker submitted a questionnaire in which he indicated that he did not possess any firearms. Walker has multiple felony convictions with both felony and misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence and is prohibited from possessing firearms. An ensuing investigation by the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office uncovered that Walker did in fact possess multiple firearms. In March 2019, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Walker’s home. In total, officers seized 39 firearms, including 10 weapons without serial numbers, six short-barreled AR-style rifles, multiple shotguns and handguns, and an improvised silencer.
This case is the product of an investigation by Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office, California Department of Justice, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Siskiyou County Child Protection Services, and ATF. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, each of the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
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, please see https://www.justice.gov.
Four Men Sentenced to More Than 100 Years in Prison, Collectively, for Violent Crime in Nashville Public HousingRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – December19, 2019 – Four Nashville men were sentenced to federal prison last week by Chief U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., for their roles in violent crime incidents connected to Nashville public housing developments, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The four men were found responsible for a murder, multiple armed robberies and home invasions, shootings, and illegal firearms possession connected to the JC Napier public housing development in Nashville in 2015.
Aweis Haji-Mohamed, aka Son Son, 31, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was responsible for committing three armed robberies, including a robbery of Isaiah Starks a/k/a Blue, in the J.C. Napier Homes public housing development, and later shot and killed Starks in February 2015. He also committed other shootings, including in January 2015, at a home in east Nashville that was occupied by women and children, including a disabled child. Haji-Mohamed fired several shots during that incident as part of an ongoing dispute relating to a stolen gun. Prior to these incidents, Haji-Mohamed had been ordered deported to his home country, Somalia, from the United States and was under an order of supervision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Marquis Brandon aka Dummy, 25, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted at trial in April 2018, of illegal firearms possession and committing an armed home invasion. In January 2015, Brandon entered a home in north Nashville and hoisted a male occupant onto the wall while brandishing a pistol. He took cash and a MAC-10 type firearm in that home invasion which he committed with Santez Bradford. At sentencing, Brandon was found responsible for committing other commercial robberies, including the armed robbery of a Cricket Wireless store near the J.C. Napier community with Haji-Mohamed in January 2015; an armed robbery of a Shell gas station in which he fired shots at a clerk the following week; and a robbery at a north Nashville home construction site in which two construction workers were shot in February 2015. One of the victims was shot in the throat and the other was permanently paralyzed from the shooting. Brandon was found to have threatened potential witnesses and also provided Haji-Mohamed the pistol which Haji-Mohamed used to murder Starks.
Santez Bradford a/k/a Wacco, 25, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 22 ½ year in prison for illegal firearms possession and the January 2015 home invasion, which he committed with Brandon. During that home invasion, Bradford forced a man to his knees at gun point and threatened to shoot him. He was also responsible for shooting at a group of people at close range in the J.C. Napier area in December 2014 and attempted to prevent a victim whom he had tried to rob from testifying against him.
Charles Braden, aka Manstinka, 26, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for illegal firearms possession; two drug-related robberies which he committed with Haji-Mohamed in January 2015; and committing an armed home invasion in the J.C. Napier community in March 2015. In that home invasion, Braden targeted a residence he believed would contain a substantial amount of drugs, which he planned to take, but invaded the wrong home while he was high on heroin. Braden terrorized the occupants, and threatened to kill a man, two women, and several young children who lived in that home. He was found responsible for attempting to tamper with one of the victims of that home invasion. Braden was later arrested after being wounded in a shootout in the J.C. Napier community in March 2015.
The multi-year investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sunny A.M. Koshy prosecuted the cases. More than 70 individuals have been convicted in the probe since 2015.
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Fort Smith Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Fort Smith, Arkansas – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Jay Don Gifford, age 26, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was sentenced today to 420 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release on one count of Production of Child Pornography and one count of Offense by a sex Offender. The Honorable P. K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fort Smith.
According to court records, in October 2018, officers with the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that at ninety (90) files of suspected child pornography were uploaded to Dropbox by an individual. Further investigation showed the individual to be Gifford, a registered sex offender who was residing in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Law enforcement located and interviewed Gifford who admitted to taking explicit photographs and videos of two minors.
Gifford was indicted in February of 2019 on federal charges and entered a guilty plea to Counts 1 and 7, Production of Child Pornography and Offense by a Sex Offender in August 2019.
This case was investigated by Arkansas State Police and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Carly Marshall prosecuted the case for the United States.
Former shipbuilding project manager sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for $1.5 million false invoice schemeRead the Press Release
Seattle – A former project manager for Portland, Oregon-based shipbuilder Vigor Marine LLC, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 51 months in prison for his scheme to defraud his employer out of approximately $1.5 million, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. SHELTON LAYNE SMITH, 50, of Portsmouth Virginia was indicted in June 2019 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud on September 26, 2019. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik found that SMITH had obstructed justice by making false statements to FBI agents and urging a co-conspirator to lie to investigating agents. SMITH was also ordered to pay $1,483,802 in restitution.
“This fraud could have resulted in the shipbuilder being barred from government contracts – a key source of shipbuilding work,” said U.S. Attorney Brian Moran. “In order to line his pockets, this defendant put the future of his employer and its 2,300 person work force at risk.”
According to records filed in the case, in 2016 and 2017, SMITH served as the project manager on the renovation of two U.S. Coast Guard cutters called the “Bertholf” and the “Waesche.” The renovations took place at Vigor’s Seattle facility. SMITH was responsible for selecting vendors and approving payments to them for equipment and services related to the renovations. Smith admitted in a plea agreement that, in this role, he fabricated invoices from a fictitious company called “Marine Service Solutions” (MSS). The fraudulent invoices caused Vigor to pay out approximately $1.5 million for work that was never done and equipment that was never provided. SMITH used the fraud proceeds for his own purposes, including to finance his gambling activities.
SMITH’s scheme to defraud was an elaborate charade. SMITH persuaded a legitimate Vigor vendor to serve as a “pass-through” entity that received invoices from MSS, marked up the cost of the services, and passed on the fraudulent expenses to Vigor. The local vendor was not aware that Marine Service Solutions was not a real company. SMITH also misled a long-time acquaintance in Mississippi into setting up a bank account for MSS, cashing the checks, and funneling most of the proceeds to SMITH. In emails, SMITH posed as the Mississippi man, making it appear as if the Mississippi man was the owner of MSS.
When questioned by the FBI, SMITH repeatedly lied about MSS and encouraged his acquaintance in Mississippi to stick to a false story about the company.
Vigor terminated SMITH in 2017, after discovering that SMITH had mishandled the Bertholf project. SMITH’s successor discovered the fraud, and Vigor reported the crime to the FBI.
The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Seth Wilkinson.
Former felons imprisoned after Lakewood Park rap video shootRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The last of 11 Houston men convicted in a conspiracy to unlawfully possess a firearm by a felon has been sent to prison, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick.
Joshua Amos, 31, pleaded guilty July 11. Today, U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas ordered him to prison for 30 months. Also sentenced this week were the remaining 10 defendants who had also pleaded guilty to the federal charges that resulted from a rap video filmed in Northeast Houston’s Lakewood Park March 28, 2018.
The lead rapper in that video - Warren Brown II aka NFL Cartel Bo, 30 - received a 78-month term of imprisonment. Ivory Vershone Brown, 31, was the last to plead guilty and was also sentenced yesterday, receiving 36 months in prison, while Keithric Lewis, 30, was ordered to serve a 60-month sentence.
Roland Labome, 34, Garrett Winn, 30, and Devonte Haynes, 26, all received 30 months, while Kenneth Fontenot 22, and Marces Randolph, 30, were both ordered to serve 24-month terms of imprisonment.
Jerrell Grant, 37, and Frenton Price, 33, received respective terms of 36 months and 20 months.
At the hearings that began Dec. 16 and concluded today, the court heard additional evidence that detailed the unlawful possession of eight loaded firearms by convicted felons during the filming of a rap video.
During the video shoot, numerous criminal street gang members – all convicted felons - gathered in the park to film a music video promoting gangs in Houston. All brandished firearms on the basketball court. After receiving a 911 call, authorities responded to the scene to find that a majority of the group had fled the area. Law enforcement subsequently located eight loaded firearms abandoned at the park. The music video was released May 20, 2018, via YouTube which WorldStarHipHop.com promoted. From the video, authorities were able to identify each person who was in possession of a firearm by comparing each gun recovered at the scene to the ones they held in the video.
With the exception of Winn, Amos, Price, Randolph and Labome, all have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The others had been previously released but were permitted to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Houston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Britni Cooper and Lisa Collins are prosecuting the case.
Former Tribal Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement from Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal OrganizationRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a former supervisor of a tribal government department was sentenced on December 12, 2019, by U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes.
Jerome Renville, age 42 of Peever, South Dakota, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor embezzlement and theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. Renville was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution. He was also ordered to pay $25 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documents, between on or about January 2015 and March 2019, in the District of South Dakota, Renville embezzled, willfully misapplied, willfully permitted to be misapplied monies, funds, credits, goods, assets, and other property belonging to the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe, an Indian Tribal Organization. Renville was the Supervisor of the Tribe’s Facilities Maintenance for over 5 years. While serving in that position, he willfully misapplied money and funds belonging to the Tribe; Renville used and converted those monies and funds for his own personal use.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Guardians Project is a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the participating federal agencies include: Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; U.S. Postal Inspector Service; U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General
For additional information about The Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
Former Postal Employee Who Stole Mail is SentencedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CAREEMA LEWIS, 33, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to three years of probation for stealing mail while employed by the U.S. Postal Service. Judge Bolden ordered Lewis to perform 100 hours of community service while she is on probation.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 2018 and January 2019, while she was employed as a postal worker at the U.S. Post Office in Plymouth, Lewis stole numerous pieces of mail, specifically, greeting cards that contained gift cards or other items of value. When confronted by investigators in January 2019, Lewis admitted that she stole “between 20 and 50” gift cards from the mail. Lewis subsequently surrendered approximately 10 gift cards that she had stolen from greeting cards, and approximately 17 pieces of stolen mail that she had in her vehicle and her purse.
On September 26, 2019, Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail by a postal employee.
Restitution will be determined after additional court proceedings.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan.
Individuals who believe they are a victim of mail theft may file a complaint by calling 888-USPS-OIG or by clicking this link.
Former Pittsburgh Resident Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years for Robbing Four Banks and a Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court on bank robbery and Hobbs Act robbery charges, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Patrick Acierno, 34, who received a total of 57 months’ imprisonment, followed by 36 months’ supervised release.
According to information presented to the court, on March 5, 2019, Acierno entered KeyBank, located at 9605 Harmony Drive, Ingomar, PA 15127, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, black mask, sunglasses, and blue latex gloves, proceeded toward the teller stations where two tellers were working and took $7,743, including eight $20.00 bait bills. Acierno fled on foot and was observed by one of the tellers getting into a blue Toyota Rav 4. Franklin Park Police later identified the Toyota Rav4, and apprehended the defendant after a brief vehicle chase. Inside the vehicle, law enforcement officials found the items Acierno wore during the robbery, and $7,743 in U.S. currency, including the bait bills from the Key Bank.
In addition to the March 5, 2019 KeyBank robbery, Acierno was sentenced for committing three additional bank robberies on September 12, 2018, at the PNC Bank at 20940 Route 19, in Cranberry, on November 12, 2018, at the West View Savings Bank, 2566 Brandt School Road, in Wexford, and December 5, 2018, at the WesBanco Bank, 3531 Broadhead Road, in Monaca.
Additionally, Acierno was sentenced for robbing the Cogos located at 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue, also in Monaca, on October 11, 2018. Acierno was ordered to pay restitution to the victim banks and convenience store, which totals $26,423 from the banks and $630 from CoGos.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cranberry Police Department, the Franklin Park Police Department, the Center Township Police Department, the McCandless Police Department, and the Monaca Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Acierno.
Former New Orleans Church Official Pleads Guilty to Wire FraudRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – CHARLES WILLIAMS, JR. (“WILLIAMS”), age 50, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on December 18, 2019 to Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.
According to documents filed in Federal Court, the defendant was elected Senior Warden of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (“St. Luke’s”) located at 1222 North Dorgenois Street in New Orleans. In his role as Senior Warden, WILLIAMS was responsible for paying all of St. Luke’s bills including insurance, salaries, and utilities. WILLIAMS took over the finances of the church and reduced or eliminated other church members’ access to church finances shortly after becoming the Senior Warden at St. Luke’s. WILLIAMS did not share church bank statements with other church members in an effort to conceal his embezzlement of church funds and he transferred church funds from one bank account to another account before withdrawing the funds. During his tenure, WILLIAMS embezzled approximately $89,000 from St. Luke’s in his capacity as Senior Warden. WILLIAMS deposited much of the money into his various Chase accounts and used some of the stolen money to support his pizza restaurant located in the Esplanade Mall.
On August 29, 2018, FBI special agents interviewed WILLIAMS. During the interview, WILLIAMS said he used cash withdrawn from a St. Luke’s account to fund a $2,500 Chase cashier check dated February 21, 2018, with Remitter: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church/Operating Account. When the agents specifically asked whether bank records would show the money for the cashier’s check came from a St. Luke’s account, he denied that bank records would show the $2,500 coming from the church account. Further, he told the agents that the $2,500 had come from his personal account. The investigation showed, however, that on February 21, 2018, he had withdrawn $2,900 from St. Luke’s operating account ending x1224 and then used $2,500 of those funds to purchase the above described cashier’s check made payable to the Esplanade Mall for the benefit of his pizza restaurant. Further, he used St. Luke’s money for his business and personal use.
WILLIAMS faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years imprisonment. Upon release from prison, WILLIAMS faces up to three (3) years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
WILLIAMS will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lance M. Africk on April 15, 2020.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Supervisor of the Financial Crimes Unit.
Former Greeneville man pleads guilty to embezzlement schemeRead the Press Release
Greeneville, Tenn. – On December 19, 2019, Shain A. Chappell, 48, currently of Helena, Montana, entered a guilty plea to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Sentencing has been set for May 1, 2020, at 9:00 a.m., in United States District Court in Greeneville.
Chappell faces a term of up to 23 years in Federal prison, $500,000 in fines, and supervised release of three years.
As part of the written plea agreement, Chappell waived an indictment by a Federal Grand Jury and agreed to plead guilty to the aforementioned charges. Chappell admitted to using his position as controller to embezzle over $1 million from his former employer, Greentech Environmental, LLC, in Johnson City. Chappell began employment as controller in October 2015, and by July 2017, had devised a scheme where Greentech would falsely pay for his personal credit card purchases by showing the payments as purchases of inventory in Greentech’s books and records.
During the two year period, Chappell embezzled money by causing Greentech to pay for lavish lifestyle expenditures. Chappell’s luxury purchases included clothing, shoes, jewelry, meals, vacations, sports memorabilia, athletic and concert tickets, firearms, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, a hot tub, and significant charitable contributions. In addition to stealing from Greentech, Chappell filed false tax returns for calendar years 2017 and 2018 that failed to include income from the money stolen from his employer, resulting in additional income tax owed of over $350,000.
“The federal law enforcement agencies are to be congratulated for their detection, investigation and successful prosecution of this individual. The devastation caused by economic white collar crimes from embezzlement negatively impacts many people. Our office will continue in our efforts to uncover these crimes and prosecute the individuals responsible” said United States Attorney J. Douglas Overbey.
"The FBI is committed to investigate and pursue those who commit fraud for personal gain and we take that responsibility very seriously. We along with our law enforcement partners will continue to seek justice and hold accountable those who use illegal means and criminal behavior to take advantage of others” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico.
“IRS Criminal Investigation agents play an important role in fraud and embezzlement investigations due to complex financial transactions that can take time to unravel, “said Matthew D. Line, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Charlotte Field Office. “Mr. Chappell abused his position as controller and stole from his employer by embezzling company funds for personal gain. In addition to cheating his employer, Mr. Chappell hid these gains from the IRS and cheated taxpayers by failing to pay taxes on this ill-gotten income.”
The criminal information and plea agreement are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.
Mac D. Heavener, III, Assistant United States Attorney represented the United States.
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Former Federal Government Contract Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ronnie Simpkins, 67, a former government contract officer with the General Services Administration (GSA), pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he accepted bribes from government contractors from August 2011 to August 2017.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, and Eric D. Radwick, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, Office of Investigations.
Simpkins, of Lusby, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Simpkins faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $75,000. He also has agreed to pay approximately $12,108 in a forfeiture money judgement. The Honorable Trevor N. McFadden scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2020.
According to the government’s evidence, from 1989 until May 2019, Simpkins was employed by the General Services Administration (“GSA”) as a Contract Specialist, informally known as a Contracting Officer, in procurement related positions, and between August 2013 and May 2019, he worked as a Contract Specialist assigned to GSA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. As a Contract Specialist, Simpkins was deemed to be a public official as defined by 18 U.S.C. Section 201(a)(1), and as a senior Contract Specialist.
From February 2010 to August 2017, Simpkins was assigned to a sub-division of the Federal Acquisition Service, which oversees the administration of GSA Schedule 70 contracts. “Schedules” are long-term government-wide contracts with commercial companies that provide access to commercial products and services at fair and reasonable prices to the government. “Schedule 70 contracts” provide IT solutions, services, and software to federal, state, and local customer agencies. GSA pre-negotiates the vendors’ pricing, terms, and conditions, to streamline the acquisition process while at the same time providing the best value to the end user agency.
Company A was a corporation owned by Person 1 and Person 2 and was located in Northern Virginia. At times during the relevant time-period, the company’s website included a link entitled: “GSA Schedule,” which emphasized for prospective customers that the company was awarded a GSA Scheduled contract. Advertising its GSA Schedule status was seen as benefiting Company A when it sought contracting opportunities with other federal agencies, as those agencies may have considered Company A’s GSA status and GSA pricing in fashioning their own contracts.
To maintain a GSA Schedule contract, Company A was required to have annual sales in excess of $25,000. GSA Schedule contracts are subject to cancellation if sales levels are not met. The annual sales requirement can be waived by the GSA Administrative Contracting Officer (“ACO”) for good cause after communicating with the contract vendor. If the contract vendor can demonstrate that it has potential, pending or unreported sales, the ACO normally will allow the contract to continue and withdraw the contract cancellation. In addition, contractors, such as Company A, are required to pay an Industrial Funding Fee (“IFF”) of 0.75% of all Schedule sales. The IFF is a fee to cover GSA’s cost of operating the Federal Supply Schedules program.
Simpkins administered and oversaw Company A’s GSA contracts for years, beginning on or about June 3, 2009, while Company A held a GSA contract, and continuing through August 2017 when GSA awarded Company A with a replacement contract. Simpkins’ duties included executing contract modifications and ensuring contract compliance. Company A maintained its GSA Schedule contract despite reporting no sales and not paying any IFFs since 2006.
Beginning in or around August 2011, and continuing through in or around August 2017, Simpkins received and agreed to receive from Person 1 and Person 2 things of value, including cash, meals, and furniture, in return for, when the opportunity arose, using his official position at GSA to help Company A through the performance of official action, aiding in the commission of a fraud on the United States, and acting or failing to act in violation of his official duty.
Simpkins met Person 1 and/or Person 2 over a dozen times at various restaurants in Northern Virginia, at Person 1 and Person 2’s residence, and other places, often outside of normal GSA business hours and on weekends. As Simpkins admitted to law enforcement, Person 1 and Person 2 paid for meals during their meetings at restaurants. During some of their meetings (Simpkins estimated 15 times), Simpkins accepted cash payments totaling approximately “thousands of dollars into the teens.” After receiving the cash, Simpkins often deposited some or all of it into his Navy Federal Credit Union account. During the relevant period, Simpkins deposited $9,750.00 in cash into that account, consisting of the cash payments he accepted from Person 1 and Person 2. In July of 2016, Simpkins also accepted furniture paid for by Person 1 and/or Person 2, valued at $2,358.91. Between the cash payments and furniture, not including meals paid for by Person 1 and/or Person 2, Simpkins admits to accepting at least $12,108.91 in things of value from Person 1 and Person 2.
In exchange for these things of value, oftentimes soon before or after the meetings with Person 1 and Person 2, Simpkins took official action and/or provided improper assistance to benefit Company A’s GSA Schedule contracts. Specifically, Simpkins recommended and signed Company A’s contracts with GSA, even though Company A failed to meet program requirements; willfully neglected to notify GSA, as he was obligated to do, when Company A’s contract under his supervision no longer met program requirements; and advised Company A about ways to avoid contract cancellation despite failing to meet GSA’s program requirements.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Radwick, commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and GSA Office of Inspector General. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Amanda Rohde and Quiana Dunn-Gordon, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simmonds, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case.
Former Employee of NASA Contractor Convicted for Substituting Foreign Materials for Domestic Materials to Be Used by NASARead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Seongchan “Steven” Yun (32, Redondo Beach, CA) guilty of providing a false document to a federal agency. Yun faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 2, 2020.
Yun was indicted on March 13, 2019.
According to evidence presented at trial, Yun was an employee at CBOL Corporation, a company that provided parts and materials to the aerospace industry, including NASA. In the summer of 2014, Yun handled a contract that required CBOL to provide stainless steel tubing to carry hypergolic fuel (rocket fuel) for use in support of NASA’s Space Launch System/Orion project at Kennedy Space Center. The contract required that the steel tubing originate from the United States. During the procurement, Yun received steel tubing originating from China. Instead of replacing the tubing with materials from the United States, Yun covered up the foreign origin of the parts on documentation that accompanied the parts. He then caused the steel tubing to be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center, and later prepared a certification falsely certifying that the steel tubing conformed to all of NASA’s requirements. The steel tubing ultimately failed materials testing conducted by NASA regarding its suitability for use in NASA’s fueling programs.
“The NASA Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate those who undermine and defraud NASA efforts to build the SLS launch vehicle and it’s systems,” said Special Agent in Charge John Corbett, Central Field Office. “This jury verdict serves as a staunch reminder that such conduct will not be tolerated.”
This case was investigated by the NASA – Office of Inspector General and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs Jr.
Former Coraopolis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl that Resulted in the Death of a Moon Twp. WomanRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – A former resident of Coraopolis, PA, was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed six years of supervised release for distribution of fentanyl, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Cleo Maurice Bronaugh, age 42, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. Bronaugh acknowledged as part of his guilty plea that the fentanyl he distributed resulted in the death of a Moon Township woman. Bronaugh has been detained since his initial appearance in federal court and will continue to remain detained pending his placement in the Bureau of Prisons.
According to information presented to the court, on March 5, 2017, Bronaugh delivered a quantity of fentanyl to an individual identified as L.T. in Moon Township, PA. Bronaugh attempted to warn L.T. and her family members of the potency of the fentanyl he distributed to her by leaving numerous phone messages. However, these messages did not reach L.T. in time and she ingested the fentanyl without any of the defendant’s warnings. L.T. was discovered by her family members the next day. The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner later determined that L.T.’s death was due to fentanyl toxicity.
Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Moon Township Police, the Allegheny County Police, the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner and the Drug Enforcement Agency conducted the investigation that led to the Indictment in this case.
Former College Professor Sentenced to 10 Years for Enticement of A MinorRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Michael Edwin Dorcas, 56, of Huntersville, N.C., was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for enticement of a minor, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. also ordered Dorcas to serve 30 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and today’s court proceedings, on January 29, 2016, Dorcas befriended a 12-year-old female online and began chatting with her. Over the course of their communication, Dorcas – who knew the victim was 12 years old– suggested they communicate via video chat. Dorcas led the minor to believe that he was a 15-year-old male, and convinced the minor to use her web cam, which allowed him to see her. Dorcas lied to the minor, telling her that his video cam was not working, and instead sent her pictures of a teenage male claiming it was him. Court records show that during their exchange, Dorcas convinced the minor to expose herself by removing articles of clothing.
On April 7, 2016, agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) executed a search warrant at Dorcas’ residence, and seized electronic devices. A forensic examination of the devices revealed that, in addition to the 12-year-old victim, Dorcas had chatted with other minors as well.
Dorcas pleaded guilty on February 28, 2019, to enticement of a minor. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence upon designation of a federal facility. Federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray commended the SBI for their investigation of this case and thanked Homeland Security Investigations for the assistance.
Assistant United States Attorney Cortney Randall, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Former Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Ann Arbor VA Hospital Arraigned on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
A former certified registered nurse anesthetist was arraigned today on an Indictment charging her with fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, including several opioids, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider announced today.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Gregg Hirstein of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and Special Agent in Charge Keith W. Martin of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Field Division.
Charged in the indictment is Elizabeth A. Prophitt, CRNA, 38, of Saline, who previously worked at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor.
As alleged in the Indictment, Prophitt utilized her position as a surgical nurse aesthesis to retrieved vials of controlled substance medications from hospital dispensing machines for purported use on patients. The purpose of obtaining these controlled substances was not for the legitimate treatment of patients, but rather for her own personal consumption and/or drug diversion.
It is alleged that Prophitt would retrieve medications on days when she was unscheduled to work or after normal working hours; retrieve medications for patients that were not on her surgery service; retrieve medications for surgeries that had been cancelled or had already been completed; retrieve more medication than required for a patient’s surgery and keep the unused portions; and falsify “waste” records to keep any unused medication instead of properly returning or disposing of the controlled substances. Prophitt exploited her knowledge of her employer’s internal controls to obtain these controlled substances, which would go unnoticed. From July 2018 to February 2019, she accessed more than 2200 vials of controlled substances such as fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine and midazolam, which were believed to be obtained by fraud, misrepresentation and deceit.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of a drug charges alleged in the Indictment, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of imprisonment of four years for each count of the Indictment, and a maximum fine of $250,000.
The case is being investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General and the DEA; and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brandy R. McMillion. McMillion serves as the District’s Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Prosecutor as well as the Deputy-Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit. The Opioid Fraud Abuse and Detection Unit is a Department of Justice initiative designating twelve special prosecutors across the country to focus on prosecuting medical professionals that are contributing to the nation’s opioid crisis.
Former CEO of Israeli Company Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Orchestrating Major International Binary Options Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
The former CEO of the Israel-based company Yukom Communications, a purported sales and marketing company, was sentenced to 22 years in prison today for orchestrating a scheme to defraud investors who had purchased more than $100 million in financial instruments known as “binary options.”
Lee Elbaz, 38, a citizen of Israel, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the District of Maryland. On Aug. 7, 2019, after a three-week jury trial, Elbaz was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud.
“This defendant targeted and defrauded thousands of victims, looting monies from retirees, veterans and other individuals, many of whom lost their entire savings,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence demonstrates that criminals who defraud U.S. investors will face serious consequences, no matter where in the world they commit their crimes.”
“Financial criminals like Elbaz and her co-conspirators are interested in one thing: taking money out of the pockets of unsuspecting investors for their own benefit. The FBI is dedicated to identifying and investigating fraud, no matter where the criminals are located, or how long it takes,” said Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington’s Field Office. “I’d like to thank our partners in this investigation, specifically the Israeli Police, and to encourage anyone who may have information about binary options fraud to come forward and report it to the FBI.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, Elbaz and her co-conspirators fraudulently sold and marketed binary options to investors located in the United States and throughout the world through two websites, known as BinaryBook and BigOption. The evidence showed that in her role as CEO of Yukom, Elbaz, along with her co-conspirators and subordinates, misled investors using BinaryBook and BigOption by falsely claiming to represent the interests of investors when, in fact, the owners of BinaryBook and BigOption profited when investors lost money; by misrepresenting the suitability of and expected return on investments through BinaryBook and BigOption; by providing investors with false names and qualifications and falsely claiming to be working from London; and by misrepresenting whether and how investors could withdraw funds from their accounts.
Representatives of BinaryBook and BigOption, working under Elbaz’s supervision, misrepresented the terms of so-called “bonuses,” “risk free trades” and “insured trades,” and deceptively used these supposed benefits in a manner that in fact harmed investors, the evidence showed.
Five co-conspirators who worked for Elbaz, including Liora Welles, Shira Uzan, Yair Hadar, Austin Smith, and Lissa Mel, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, and have been sentenced. Welles, Uzan, Hadar, and Smith all cooperated against Elbaz and testified at her trial in July 2019. In addition, an indictment charging an additional 15 of Elbaz’s alleged co-conspirators was unsealed in November 2019.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated this case. Principal Assistant Chief Henry Van Dyck and Assistant Chiefs L. Rush Atkinson and Caitlin R. Cottingham of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant Chief Tracee Plowell and Trial Attorney Ankush Khardori of the Fraud Section previously prosecuted the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission also provided assistance in this investigation.
Individuals who believe that they may be a victim in this case should visit the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness website for more information at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/lee-elbaz.
This investigation is ongoing.
Felon Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a GunRead the Press Release
Ira Lee Wilkins, 38, of Tulsa, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for being a felon in possession of a Hi-Point C9 9 mm pistol and associated ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.
Chief U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell sentenced Wilkins to 70 months in federal prison.
“Felons are prohibited from possessing firearms, period. No ifs, ands, or buts. A central focus of our Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative is prosecuting felons who possess guns because they pose a threat to the security of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “I commend the combined effort of law enforcement and Assistant U.S. Attorneys to ensure that fellow Oklahomans are safe.”
In May 2019, a local business contacted authorities after a disturbance involving the defendant. Officers from the Tulsa Police Department answered the call and discovered that Wilkins had outstanding warrants and was previously convicted of multiple felonies. Upon his arrest, officers found the loaded pistol in his front pants’ pocket.
The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Proctor and Shannon Cozzoni prosecuted the case.
Felon Sentenced for Possessing Firearm and Shooting at Police OfficersRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Quentin Bryant, 32, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 60 months in prison today for felon in possession of a firearm. He appeared in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry.
According to court documents, on July 18, 2018, officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call for an individual armed with a firearm in the 4400 block of West Pine. Officers observed Bryant and approached him. He began to run. During the foot pursuit, Bryant discharged his firearm at the officers who were required to return fire in defense of themselves and for the safety of the public. The foot pursuit ended when Bryant reach a dead end and threw his nine millimeter handgun to the ground.
“This case is another example of the everyday dangers the men and women of law enforcement face and the incredible courage and bravery they display day-in and day-out, said United States Attorney Jeff Jensen after today’s sentencing. “You have a choice when it comes to a gun. Pick it up or put it down. We want you to put it down. If you do, you save your life and the lives of others, including kids. If you don’t, you will be aggressively prosecuted federally. In the last year, this office has doubled the number of federal prosecutions of individuals who refused to put down the gun. Today’s sentence is another example of those efforts,” Jensen continued.
This case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Mehan is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal Jury Finds South Charleston Man Guilty of Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A federal jury convicted Paul William Martin, 34, of South Charleston, yesterday after a two-day trial, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. The jury found Martin guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm on October 12, 2018.
“Martin had a laundry list of previous state and federal felony convictions,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Achieving convictions in felon in possession cases is critical to public safety by keeping guns out of the wrong hands. I want to thank the investigators and my prosecutors for their exemplary work in this case.”
Martin was previously indicted on being a felon in possession of a firearm due to previous convictions for possession of a stolen vehicle, forgery, daytime burglary, and fraudulent use of an access device in Kanawha County, West Virginia. Martin also had a previous federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Southern District of West Virginia. At trial, evidence revealed Jason Buzzard had picked up Martin at the Sheetz gas station in order to sell him firearms. Martin and Buzzard were stopped by officers with the South Charleston Police Department, who were able to locate and recover a .25 semi-automatic handgun and a .22 caliber revolver.
Buzzard pled guilty on September 23, 2019, and faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on January 6, 2020. Martin faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on March 11, 2020.
The investigation was conducted by the South Charleston Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the trial. Assistant United States Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner and Andrew Tessman handled the prosecution.
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Fairbanks Woman Charged for Firearm Offenses and Attempted Credit Union RobberyRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that Tiffany Jamil Flenaugh, 29, of Fairbanks, has been named in two separate federal indictments for crimes including attempted credit union robbery, receipt of a firearm while under felony indictment, and possession of a stolen firearm. Flenaugh is currently in custody in Fairbanks, and is awaiting her first court appearance on the charges.
The federal indictment alleges that, on Nov. 19, 2019, Flenaugh was in possession of a stolen firearm, while knowingly under indictment by the State of Alaska for multiple felony offenses. Specifically, according to state court documents, Flenaugh allegedly stole a firearm from the Rabinowitz Courthouse in Fairbanks, which was being used as evidence for a trial in which Flenaugh was the defendant. It is alleged that Flenaugh then fled the courthouse with the firearm, a Taurus 450 Titanium .45 caliber revolver. Flenaugh was apprehended by officers with the Fairbanks Police Department shortly after, and the firearm was located in a nearby park.
A separate federal indictment alleges that, on Sept. 3, 2019, Flenaugh attempted to rob the Spirit of Alaska Federal Credit Union in Fairbanks.
If convicted of the firearm offenses, Flenaugh faces a maximum of up to ten years in federal prison for the most serious charges alleged. If Flenaugh is convicted of attempted credit union robbery, she faces a maximum of up to 20 years in federal prison. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Fairbanks Police Department (FPD) and the Alaska State Troopers (AST) conducted the investigation leading to the charges against Flenaugh for her alleged firearm offenses. The FBI and FPD conducted the investigation leading to the charge against Flenaugh for attempted credit union robbery. Both cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan D. Tansey.
The charges in the indictments are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ex-Hampton Police Detective Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A former Hampton police detective pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, Deangelo Freeman, 31 conspired with local drug dealers while he was a detective in the Special Investigations Unit of the Hampton Police Division. Specifically, Freeman was associated with a number of individuals who were selling large quantities of cocaine. These individuals included Alex Burnett who owned 9Rounds Gym in Hampton Town Center. Freeman admitted to providing information to Burnett about an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Freeman learned of this information while serving as a narcotics detective and participating in the investigation of Burnett. The information provided by Freeman included the identity of a confidential informant. Freeman provided the information to compromise the investigation and to help Burnett’s drug distribution activities.
Freeman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison when sentenced on April 23, 2020. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; and Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, made the announcement. after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Krask accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric M. Hurt is prosecuting the case.
The Hampton Police Division has fully cooperated and provided significant assistance with this investigation. The Idaho State Police provided assistance with the arrest of Freeman in Idaho.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:17-cr-111.