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Thursday 19 September 2019
Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography Outside of the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jeffrey H. Ernisse, 63, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for producing and possessing child pornography in 2015 and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in the Philippines between 2014 and 2015. U.S. District Court Judge Lynn S. Adelman of the Eastern District of Wisconsin ordered the sentence to run consecutive to a state sentence on which Ernisse has another three years to serve, and will be followed by ten years of supervised release.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin made the announcement.
According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, while law enforcement was investigating Ernisse for production of child pornography in Wisconsin, they discovered evidence of additional child pornography production from the Philippines on Ernisse’s digital devices. He traveled to the Philippines in June 2014 and married a woman he met on the internet. He sexually assaulted her four-year-old daughter and then recorded the sexual assaults on March 10, 2015 and April 17, 2015.
“Across the world, predators like Jeffrey Ernisse are exploiting children and sharing those despicable acts with others online. This case demonstrates our commitment to pursue justice against predators, wherever the case leads. We must use every tool available to confront child sex abuse,” stated U.S. Attorney Krueger.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the cooperation of the Sheboygan Police Department. Former Trial Attorney William M. Grady of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan J. Paulson of the Eastern District of Wisconsin prosecuted the case.
This investigation is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
West Hollywood Man Faces Federal Charges of Administering Methamphetamine to Victim Who Suffered Fatal OverdoseRead the Press Release
COMPLAINTLOS ANGELES – A West Hollywood man is being taken in to federal custody this afternoon after being charged in United States District Court with providing methamphetamine to a man who died after receiving the drug intravenously.
Edward Buck, 65, is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court later this afternoon. Buck was named in a federal criminal complaint filed last night that charges him with one count of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death.
The complaint alleges that Buck provided methamphetamine that directly resulted in the overdose death of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, who died in Buck’s apartment on July 27, 2017.
The criminal complaint further alleges that another man died in Buck’s apartment from a drug overdose earlier this year, and that Buck provided narcotics to a series of other men, one of whom suffered two overdoses several weeks ago.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
If convicted of the drug distribution offense alleged in the complaint, Buck would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life without parole.
Buck also faces charges, including operating a drug house, that were filed earlier this week by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The federal matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and is being conducted with the support of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Brittney M. Harris and Chelsea Norell of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
Violent Offender Sentenced for Illegally Re-entering United StatesRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas –A 43-year-old Mexican national with a prior felony conviction has been sentenced to federal prison for immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Julio Edgar Ruiz-Bautista pleaded guilty on July 19, 2019, to unlawful reentry by a deported alien and was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant on Sep. 18, 2019
According to information presented in court, on Feb. 22, 2019, Ruiz-Bautista was taken in to custody following an investigation by ICE Dallas Fugitive Operations Team 3. The investigation revealed Ruiz-Bautista had been previously removed from the United States on Oct. 3, 2017, following serving a five year sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Dallas County. Ruiz-Bautista was indicted on federal immigration violations on Mar. 20, 2019 and will be deported after serving this prison sentence.
“The judge’s sentence was, I would suspect, a result of the fact that this offender had a history of sexual assault of a child, and then continued to illegally re-enter this country,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown. “These are the types of offenders that make the immigration issue difficult for everyone.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William R. Tatum.
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Van Zandt County Man Guilty of Child Pornography ViolationsRead the Press Release
TYLER, Texas – A 58-year-old Wills Point, Texas man has pleaded guilty to child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
James Joseph Veeser pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography today before U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell.
According to information presented in court, between January 2016 and January 2019, Veeser received child pornography using the internet and a computer, including three videos containing child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Under federal statutes, Veeser faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison. These guidelines prescribed by Congress are provided here for information purposes, as the sentencings 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 U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan R. Jackson.
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Two Members of Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced to Five and Seven YearsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp today sentenced Dondi Kentrail Freeney (34, Sanford) to seven years and six months in federal prison, and Telvin Javon Williams (25, Sanford) to five years in federal prison, for their roles in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Freeney and Williams had pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019.
On August 9, 2019, a federal jury found Benjamin Greene Robinson (32, Daytona Beach) guilty for his role in this same conspiracy. A final conspirator, Antonio Toray Chandler (39, Belle Isle), has signed a plea agreement and is scheduled to appear in court on September 20, 2019.
According to court documents, and testimony and evidence presented during Robinson’s trial, in January 2016, the conspirators arranged for multiple shipments of cocaine to be sent through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from California to various addresses in Daytona and Sanford. During the investigation, the FBI and the USPS seized three packages of the packages, each containing two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside tubs of protein powder. Law enforcement identified five additional shipments that the conspirators had successfully shipped through the mail. In 2016, during the month of January, the conspirators were responsible for shipping 14 kilograms of cocaine through the mail, estimated to be worth of $490,000.
Freeney was involved in all aspects of the scheme, including arranging for payments and shipments and tracking down lost packages. Williams provided cash to Freeney and also received one of the 2-kilogram packages in Sanford.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Lake County Sherriff’s Office, and the Volusia Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
Three Tulsans Charged for Supplying Patients with Illegal Opioid PrescriptionsRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – A federal grand jury has indicted a Tulsa doctor and his two employees for conspiring to illegally distribute prescription opioids to patients, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested the trio this morning.
Dr. Christopher V. Moses, 66, Melisa D. Million, 49, and Kay Speir, 54, are charged with drug conspiracy and aiding and abetting each other to distribute Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Carisoprodol, Clonazepam, Morphine Sulfate, Hydrocodone, and Tramadol. In court filings, the United States alleged that three patients died as a result from opioids prescribed by Dr. Moses.
The defendants distributed the prescriptions from January 2010 to January 2018 at the Southside Medical Clinic in Tulsa. The indictment alleges that Dr. Moses prescribed highly addictive and often abused opioids to his patients without valid medical purpose or for reasons outside of his scope of practice and that Moses and Speir also illegally made pre-signed prescriptions for the medications available to patients when Moses was absent.
“The opioid epidemic has taken a deadly toll on communities across our nation, including here in Oklahoma. As alleged in the indictment, Dr. Moses and his co-conspirators operated a ‘pill mill’ through which they distributed highly addictive opioids without a medical purpose,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “In fact, the United States has sought detention for Dr. Moses in this case because, in part, we believe he presents a danger to our community here in Northern Oklahoma where his alleged illegal prescribing actions resulted in three people dying from opioid-related overdoses. Make no mistake, my office will vigorously prosecute unscrupulous doctors and their cohorts who enrich themselves by illegally distributing opioids.”
“The DEA is actively battling the opioid epidemic that we are facing as a nation,” said John P. Scott, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Oklahoma District. "DEA Tulsa is committed to combating the opioid problem in Northeast Oklahoma and recognizes the community impact the overprescribing of opioids plays in this epidemic. Hopefully these arrests will act as a reminder that the DEA will continue to investigate corrupt doctors, pharmacies, and/or manufacturers who illegally distribute these highly addictive drugs.”
The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick is prosecuting the case. AUSA McCormick serves as the lead attorney for the United States Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
South Carolina Man Is Sentenced to More Than Three Years for Involuntary Manslaughter After Causing Car Accident on the Blue Ridge Parkway That Left One Passenger DeadRead the Press Release
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray announced today that Zachary Jorden Childers, 22, of Gaffney, S.C., was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for involuntary manslaughter, after causing a car accident on the Blue Ridge Parkway that left one passenger dead. U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger presided over Childers’ sentencing.
Neal Labrie, Chief Ranger of the Blue Ridge Parkway, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on September 1, 2018, Childers traveled with several other individuals to North Carolina, to drive his modified Subaru WRX on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Childers’ vehicle was one of four similar cars to make the trip. Childers and his friends had modified their cars for both style and performance, and their intent was to test out their vehicles on the curvy, mountainous roads of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Childers had three passengers in his car, including the victim, a 16-year-old female.
According to court documents, both during the trip and while on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Childers operated his motor vehicle recklessly and well in excess of the posted legal speed limits, and passed other vehicles in no-passing zones. Court records show that at approximately 10:30 p.m., Childers was driving northbound on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County, when he attempted to pass a vehicle driven by one of his friends while driving approximately 80 miles-per-hour in a 45 miles-per-hour zone. As a result, Childers lost control of his vehicle, and his car skidded off the road, and flipped and rolled several times down a steep embankment. The victim was ejected from the vehicle and was later pronounced dead on the scene. According to court records, Childers’ driver’s license has been previously revoked due to numerous traffic violations, including reckless driving.
On February 27, 2019, Childers pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Childers will report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole.
The National Park Service led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Don Gast, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville, prosecuted the case.
South Bend, Indiana Man SentencedRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND - Nehemiah Felders, age 29, of South Bend, Indiana was sentenced before South Bend District Court Judge Robert L. Miller, Jr. for felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II.
Mr. Felders was sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in this case, a grand jury indicted Felders in September of 2018. A jury convicted him of possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony following a two-day trial held in in May 2019. Evidence at trial showed that a handgun was found on a couch when the Indiana State Police executed a search warrant in South Bend. Three Indiana State Police officers testified that Felders admitted possessing the handgun.
Mr. Felders has twice been previously convicted of felonies, and has been convicted of five misdemeanors.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with the assistance of the Indiana State Police. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Schaffer.
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Shreveport felon sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunitionRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Mark Anthony Crawford, 27, of Shreveport, was sentenced Wednesday by Chief U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for felon in possession of a firearm. Crawford previously pleaded guilty on August 29, 2019, for illegally possessing a pistol that was loaded with 31 bullets.
According to information presented in court, Shreveport police learned through a Crime Stoppers tip that Crawford was at a residence on Algonquin Trail armed with several weapons. After arriving at the residence, the officers found a Romarm/Cugir Mini Draco 7.62-caliber pistol under a bed loaded with 31 rounds of ammunition. Crawford admitted to police officers that he had purchased the firearm off the streets, and knew that as a convicted felon, he was restricted from possessing a firearm.
Crawford pleaded guilty to aggravated flight from an officer on November 8, 2010. Under federal law, felons are not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition.
The ATF and Shreveport Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Sex Offender Sentenced to 24 Months of Imprisonment for Failing to RegisterRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of failure to register as a sex offender was sentenced on September 9, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Virgil Running Bear, age 46, was sentenced to 24 months of federal custody, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court documents, Running Bear was convicted of Sexual Abuse in the District of North Dakota. Judgment was entered on October 31, 2005. This conviction requires him to register as a sex offender for life. Since on or about December 25, 2017, Running Bear’s whereabouts were unknown until his arrest in Winner, South Dakota. His last known address was at a hotel in Rapid City, South Dakota, but that residence was vacated with no sign of Running Bear since December 25, 2017.
At the time of his arrest, he had absconded from the supervision of the United States Probation Office, as he has been serving a term of supervised release. Running Bear was found in the Winner, South Dakota, area using a fake name and residing at a house that had not been listed in an update to his sex offender registry. Running Bear knew of the requirement to update his sex offender registration, but he knowingly failed to do so.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.
Running Bear was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Separated U.S. Army Solider from Nacogdoches, TX, Sentenced to Federal Prison for Theft and Possession of Stolen Firearms on Fort BlissRead the Press Release
In El Paso today, a federal judge sentenced a 25–year-old separated U.S. Army soldier from Nacogdoches, TX, who still had access to Fort Bliss, to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for theft and possession of stolen firearms on Fort Bliss, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge David Guaderrama ordered that Christopher Darnell Harris be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.
On April 23, 2019, Harris pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of stolen firearms, once count of theft on Ft. Bliss, unlawful carrying of firearms on Ft. Bliss, and simple possession of marijuana while on Ft. Bliss.
By pleading guilty, Harris admitted that from April 2017 and June 2017, he entered two gymnasiums on post and stole items from inside the lockers of at least ten known service members, namely wallets and keys. Harris also used the stolen keys to break into vehicles and steal two handguns.
Agents with the Department of Defense Criminal Investigation Command investigated this case along with Military Police on Fort Bliss. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana Malia O’Reilly and Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg McDonald prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.
Sacramento Man Charged with Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Walter Ryan Keith, 41, of Fresno, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms and possession of a machine gun, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, after execution of a search warrant at his home on June 5, Keith was found in possession of 14 firearms and a machinegun conversion device. Keith is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Massey is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Keith faces 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), 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.
Rock Hill Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison in Child Pornography CaseRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina – United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Darrell Henry Adam, age 29, of Rock Hill, was sentenced to 300 months in federal prison for manufacturing child pornography.
Facts presented during the hearing showed that Adam recorded his sexual assault of a child. Adam then showed the video to a confidential witness he met through an online dating app. Adam indicated to the confidential witness that he had also provided methamphetamine to the child. After the confidential witness saw the recording, he called the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report the abuse. The York County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI responded to Adam’s residence that day. After questioning Adam, the investigators obtained a search warrant to look through the home and Adam's electronics. Investigators discovered hundreds of child pornography images and videos within Adam's electronic devices, including the abuse video described by the confidential witness. Adam was immediately arrested and has remained in custody during the prosecution of his case.
“The highest calling of the United States Attorney’s Office is to keep South Carolinians safe,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon. “In partnership with local, state, and federal law enforcement, we will relentlessly pursue those who harm our children. Thanks to the hard work of the York County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Attorney General’s Office, Darrell Adam has been brought to justice for the horrific crime he committed.”
"This sentence demonstrates the danger and depravity of these offenses. The immediate response and tremendous work of our personnel and our partners in the York County Sheriff's Office saved children from further harm. The FBI will remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate these matters, find those responsible and protect children," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Alphonso Norris.
The investigation was conducted by members of the York County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney T. DeWayne Pearson of the Columbia office. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Rochester Man Who Led Police on A Chase Pleads Guilty to Gun and Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Chucky Ellis, 22, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm with an altered or obliterated serial number. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassie Kocher, who is handling the case, stated that at approximately 9:40 p.m. on February 1, 2019, Rochester Police officers initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle the defendant was driving in the area of Clifford Avenue and Goodman Street in Rochester. During the traffic stop, Ellis drove away from the scene. He and an unidentified front passenger then fled the vehicle on foot in the area of Bay and Iroquois Streets. The defendant was apprehended in the area of 124 Parkside Drive in Rochester.
Officers searched Ellis and recovered a loaded .38 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number in his front right pocket. Officers also located a fanny pack that the defendant had discarded during the chase, which contained 19 vials of cocaine, 19 vials of marijuana, and $70 in cash.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief La’Ron Singletary, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division.
The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2019, at 9:15 a.m. before Judge Siragusa.
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Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Matthew MacLeod, 34, of Rochester, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 7, 2018, officers from the Rochester Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by MacLeod. During a later search of the vehicle, officers found multiple drugs, including cocaine and over 40 grams of fentanyl. MacLeod possessed the drugs with the intent to sell them. Officers also seized a firearm from the vehicle.
MacLeod is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2020.
“Armed drug dealers are a menace to the public,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “I am grateful for the work of the Rochester Police Department and the FBI in removing this threat from our streets. Close cooperation by law enforcement is essential to addressing the opioid crisis.”
"Each and every day, the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working hard targeting armed drug dealers like Mr. MacLeod, who illegally contribute to the opioid crisis that continues to devastate communities all over the Granite state. By finally accepting responsibility for his criminal conduct, he's one step closer to being held accountable for poisoning our streets with dangerous drugs and putting residents in harm's way," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rochester Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski.
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Rapid City Man Sentenced for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Luis Antonio Medina, age 26, was sentenced on September 13, 2019, to 77 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Medina was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2017. The conviction stems Medina and at least one other person distributing at least 50 grams, but less than 200 grams, of methamphetamine in Rapid City and elsewhere between 2016 and 2018.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.
Medina was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Qui Tam Lawsuit and Federal Investigation Result in $1.45 Million Settlement by Vaughan Regional Medical Center, a LifePoint Health Subsidiary, Integrity Emergency Care, Inc. and Selma, Alabama Physicians Phillip Alan Hicks and Sai S. NamburuRead the Press Release
United States (U.S.) Attorney Richard W. Moore, of the Southern District of Alabama, announces that Vaughan Regional Medical Center, a community hospital located in Selma, Alabama, along with emergency room physicians Dr. Phillip Alan Hicks and Dr. Sai S. Namburu, also of Selma, have agreed to pay $1.45 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act. Dr. Hicks, former Vaughan Chief of Staff and Director of Emergency Services, owned and operated Integrity Emergency Care, Inc., also a named and settling Defendant.
The allegations resolved by this settlement arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act by Dr. Samuel Clemmons. He alleged residents who were not fully licensed were independently covering shifts in the Vaughan Emergency Department (Vaughan ER Department). According to Dr. Clemmons, he communicated with Vaughan and LifePoint Health about the illegal use of these residents in the Vaughan Emergency Department, and no action was taken. The whistleblower will receive $275,000.00 of the recovered funds.
“The significance of this case highlights the responsibilities of medical professionals and healthcare administrators to protect their patients from harm, and to prevent fraud against any federal health insurance program during the performance of their duties,” said U.S. Attorney Richard W. Moore for the Southern District of Alabama. “The citizens of the Selma community are entitled to quality healthcare administered by fully licensed physicians, and actions taken to put patient care in jeopardy and to circumvent state and federal law will not be tolerated.”
Per the investigation by the U.S., from mid-2009 to March 31, 2012, residents were recruited from the UAB-Selma Family Medicine Residency Program to independently treat patients in Vaughan’s ER Department outside the course and scope of their residency program. The residents were not fully licensed and credentialed physicians, yet per the investigation, were paid $50 per hour cash along with licensed emergency room physicians who were also paid an extra $50 per hour to co-sign the residents’ charts. This illegal moonlighting was perpetuated by falsifying medical records and submitting false claims to Medicare as if the services were provided by licensed physicians.
“Patients expect treatment by fully qualified medical professionals, and taxpayers should never be paying for healthcare provided fraudulently by an unlicensed physician–as alleged in this case,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners in pursuit of those who would defraud government health programs and the individuals they serve.”
The investigation and litigation were conducted by the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The FCA claims settled are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao/als/. The case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Clemmons v. Vaughan Regional Medical Center, et al., Civil Action No. 2:14-cv-416-TFM-C (S.D. Ala.).Project Safe Neighborhoods Update: Three Appear in Federal Court on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that three defendants appeared in federal court this week on gun crimes.
Tristan Monroe Baldwin, 23, of Charleston, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Following his prison sentence, Baldwin must complete an in-patient drug treatment program as part of his three year term of supervised release. According to public court hearings and documents, on October 11, 2017, the pastor of Baber-Agee United Methodist Church entered a building on church property and found Baldwin, who had broken into the building through a window. Baldwin fled into the woods. Later the same day, Baldwin burglarized several vehicles on a property on Dutch Creek Road in Charleston, before the property owners’ dogs chased Baldwin away. Police investigators ultimately found Baldwin carrying a duffle bag that held a loaded .40 caliber pistol, a methamphetamine pipe, and various stolen items. Baldwin admitted to investigators that he had been heavily using methamphetamine for three years. As an unlawful drug user, Baldwin was federally prohibited from possessing a firearm. The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman handled the prosecution.
Melvin Peters, 32, of Charleston, pled guilty to prohibited possession of a firearm. Peters admitted that during a traffic stop near the Greyhound Bus Station in Charleston, he threw a Rossi Model 46102, .357 Magnum revolver underneath the car he was driving. Peters had a previous conviction of domestic battery. Peters faces up to ten years in prison when sentenced on December 11, 2019. The ATF and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.
Keanna Carter, of Charleston, pled guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Carter admitted that she possessed 251 oxycodone pills at her house with the intent to distribute them for money. Carter further admitted that she possessed firearms for the purpose of assisting her with the drug trafficking. Carter faces a minimum five year sentence in prison when sentenced on December 11, 2019. The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Arthur is handling the prosecution.
These cases are being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, 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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Pittsburgh Man on Supervised Release Sentenced to Nearly 3 Years in Prison for Drug SalesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months imprisonment and six years supervised release on his conviction of violating the federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. Bryant was also sentenced today in federal court to an additional 15 months’ imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release by, among other ways, selling illegal narcotics.
Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentences on Tory Bryant, age 32.
According to information presented to the court, on March 13, 2018, Bryant possessed with the intent to distribute a quantity of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, a quantity of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, and a quantity of crack cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance. An undercover officer arranged to make a purchase of narcotics from Bryant, and when the officers attempted to arrest Bryant at the scene of the arranged transaction, Bryant fled. The officers recovered the narcotics that Bryant intended to sell to the undercover officers on the path of Bryant’s flight.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Wilkinsburg Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Bryant.
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Nearly 32 Years in Federal Prison for Second Degree Murder and ArsonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Second Degree Murder and Arson was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Emery Arapahoe III, age 19, was sentenced on September 17, 2019, to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund on the Second Degree Murder charge. Arapahoe was also sentenced to 10 additional years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and another $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for the Arson charge, for a total of 31 years and 10 months.
Arapahoe was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019. During the early morning hours of October 16, 2017, Arapahoe stole a truck from a residence at Pine Ridge and drove to a trailer in Allen, South Dakota. Inside the trailer he observed the victim, Ray Waters, Jr., sleeping on a couch in the living room. Arapahoe picked up an axe and struck the victim multiple times in the head and neck, killing him. Arapahoe then went into one of the bedrooms in the trailer and started a fire with materials from that room. When Arapahoe fled from the house fire, he crashed the truck containing items from the homicide.
“This was an unimaginably violent crime, like something out of a horror movie,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “I am relieved for us all that this offender has been removed from society and committed to federal prison.”
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Ben Patterson prosecuted the case.
Arapahoe was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Palm Coast Felon Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Possessing Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida, – U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp today sentenced Robert Wells (37, Palm Coast) to 18 months in federal prison for possessing a loaded handgun and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Wells to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.
Wells was convicted on May 1, 2019, following a bench trial.
According to the stipulated facts and court documents, on the morning of February 3, 2018, a citizen contacted the Daytona Beach Police (DBPD) and reported that Wells was behaving suspiciously near her home and carrying a gun. DBPD identified Wells and, with the help of another citizen, determined that Wells had hidden the loaded firearm he had been carrying behind a trash can at a nearby shopping mall. Wells later admitted that he had come to Daytona Beach for drugs and had found the firearm. At the time of the incident, Wells had prior convictions for multiple felony offenses, including aggravated battery (2006); possession of cocaine (2008); battery on a law enforcement officer (2008); and resisting an officer with violence (2008).
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive and the Daytona Beach Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
North Texans Charged with Health Care Fraud ViolationsRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – Three North Texas residents have been indicted on health care fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Demetrius Cervantes, 44, of McKinney, Texas, Amanda Lowry, 39, of Sherman, Texas, and Lydia Henslee, 27, of Denison, Texas, were named in a federal indictment returned by a grand jury on Sep. 11, 2019. The defendants were each charged with conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer and conspiracy to unlawfully possess and use a means of identification
Cervantes, Lowry, and Henslee were indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 11, 2019. If convicted, they each face up to 15 years in federal prison.
The indictment was announced today during a press conference held in Dallas with Texas U.S. Attorneys and the Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. A total of 58 individuals across all four federal districts in Texas were charged for their alleged involvement in Medicare fraud schemes and networks of “pill mill” clinics resulting in $66 million in loss and 6.2 million pills. Of those charged, 16 were doctors or medical professionals, and 20 were charged for their role in diverting opioids.
According to the indictment, the defendants are alleged to have breached a health care provider’s electronic health record (EHR) system in order to steal protected health information and personally identifiable information belonging to patients of the provider. The information that was stolen from the provider was “repackaged” in the form of false and fraudulent physician orders and sold to durable medical equipment (DME) providers and contractors. Within approximately eight months, the defendants obtained more the $1.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the stolen information. The proceeds of the offenses were traced, and the following forfeitable assets were identified: a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover SC; a 2019 Dodge Durango; a 2018 Polaris RZR XP4 1000 EPS; a 2019 Can-Am Outlander 450; a 2019 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 W; a 2019 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 W; and a 2019 Karavan Sea-Doo Move.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and L. Frank Coan, Jr.
It is important to note that a complaint, arrest, or indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
North Carolina Man Charged with Defrauding Employer's Charity Matching Gift ProgramRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that STEVEN KENT STRANGE, 49, of Bailey, North Carolina, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with defrauding his employer’s charity matching gift program.
According to the criminal complaint, Strange is employed by Collins Aerospace, which is a business unit of United Technologies Corporation (“UTC”), based in Farmington, Connecticut. UTC has a Matching Gift Program, through which the company will match an employee donation, up to $25,000 annually, to a charity. In 2008, Strange established the Housing Development Foundation of North Carolina, Inc., and listed his residence at the principal office for the charity. Strange began working for Collins Aerospace in 2014.
The complaint alleges that, between approximately 2016 and June 2019, Strange defrauded UTC’s Matching Gift Program by submitting fraudulent records of donations, including fabricated cashiers checks, he and coworkers purportedly made to the Housing Development Foundation. Between 2017 and 2019, UTC transferred approximately $367,000 in matching funds to the Housing Development Foundation of North Carolina. A review of the foundation’s bank records reveal that a large portion of the foundation’s expenditures appears to be personal expenditures.
The complaint charges Strange with wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Strange appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Gates in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was released pending his court appearance in the District of Connecticut.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina for its assistance with yesterday’s arrest and court proceeding.
New York Man Is Sentenced to Six Years for Investment Scheme That Defrauded Retired Victims of More Than $440,000Read the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray announced today that Rudolph Carryl, 68, formerly of Oyster Bay, N.Y., was sentenced today to 74 months in prison and two years of supervised release for executing an investment scheme that defrauded retired victims of more than $440,000. U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. also ordered Carryl to pay $444,500 in restitution.
John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte Office joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to plea related documents and today’s sentencing hearing, Carryl held himself out as an investment advisor to his victims and operated Carryl Capital Management (CCM), an investment management firm with offices in New York City. CCM maintained a website that purported the firm adhered to rigorous risk control measures, and was dedicated to achieving the investment goals for its clients.
In or about February 2015, Carryl induced a victim identified as “M.G.” to hand over money which he promised to invest in stocks. Over the course of two years, M.G., who was Carryl’s childhood friend and a retired nurse living in North Carolina, wired more than $90,000 to an account controlled by Carryl, based on Carryl’s misrepresentations that M.G.’s money would be used to purchase stocks on M.G.’s behalf. Similarly, in or about May 2015, Carryl solicited victims “W.B.,” a retired, decorated United States Air Force veteran, and his wife “A.B.,” both of North Carolina, to invest approximately $350,000 in a purported investment fund that was managed by Carryl. To induce the retired couple to part with their money, Carryl claimed that he was a successful investment adviser who managed investments for the country of Saudi Arabia and that he was friends with wealthy celebrities.
According to court records, rather than invest the victims’ funds as promised, Carryl used the money to pay for personal and other expenses, to repay his other victims other misconduct, and to make substantial cash withdrawals.
Unbeknownst to his victims, Carryl was being investigated and ultimately was convicted of federal wire fraud charges related to a separate investment scheme at the same time he was defrauding his victims in North Carolina. Carryl was sentenced in August 2017 by a federal judge in New York to 12 months and one day in prison for the other fraud. After his sentencing but before he reported to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his sentence, Carryl continued to be in contact with W.B., assuring W.B. that his investments were doing ok, all the while failing to disclose any information about his conviction or his impending report date to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Carryl previously pleaded guilty to securities fraud, and he is currently detained. In sentencing Carryl today, Judge Cogburn emphasized the tremendous impact that Carryl’s “avarice and greed” had on his victims and the fact that Carryl continued to lie to his victims while being prosecuted in New York for his previous crime.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the FBI for leading the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorneys Daniel Ryan and William Bozin, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
In March 2019, U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray announced the Office’s Elder Justice Initiative, which aims to combat elder financial exploitation by expanding efforts to investigate and prosecute financial scams that target seniors; educate older adults on how to identify scams and avoid becoming victims of financial fraud; and promote greater coordination with law enforcement partners. For more information please visit: /usao-wdnc/elder-justice-initiative
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement of Union FundsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MARK DOUGLAS, age 72, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty on September 17, 2019 to a one-count bill of information for embezzlement of union funds before the Honorable Greg G. Guidry, announced U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2019.
According to court documents, between November 11, 2011 and January 17, 2015, DOUGLAS acted as President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1101. DOUGLAS was responsible for the local’s grievances with the Domino Sugar Company and running the day to day operations of the union.
Union officers were permitted to file “lost time” claims to be reimbursed for conducting union business. Lost time is generally taken for arbitrations, attorney visits, accountant visits, or negotiations with Domino Sugar Company. During his time as President, DOUGLAS filed fraudulent “lost time” claims with the union, totaling approximately $6,280.91.
DOUGLAS faces 5 years of imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the U.S Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards, in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney G. Dall Kammer, Supervisor, General Crimes.
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New Jersey Man Indicted for Terrorist Activities on Behalf of Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad OrganizationRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced that Alexei Saab, 42, of Morristown, New Jersey, also known as Ali Hassan Saab, Alex Saab, or Rachid, was charged today in a nine-count indictment for offenses related to his support for Hizballah and separate marriage-fraud offenses. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
“According to the allegations, while living in the United States, Saab served as an operative of Hizballah and conducted surveillance of possible target locations in order to help the foreign terrorist organization prepare for potential future attacks against the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “Such covert activities conducted on U.S. soil are a clear threat to our national security and I applaud the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and prosecution.”
“As a member of the Hizballah component that coordinates external terrorist attack planning, Alexei Saab allegedly used his training to scout possible targets throughout the U.S,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. “Even though Saab was a naturalized American citizen, his true allegiance was to Hizballah, the terrorist organization responsible for decades of terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds, including U.S. citizens and military personnel. Thankfully, Saab is now in federal custody, and faces significant prison time for his alleged crimes.”
“As alleged, Saab began his training with Hizballah operatives overseas and, while living in the U.S., surveilled multiple locations in major cities,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. “Today’s announcement highlights the persistent efforts of a sophisticated international terrorist organization to scout targets at home and abroad, identifying vulnerabilities, and gathering essential details useful for a future attack. In the city that never sleeps, neither do the FBI agents, detectives, and analysts who work on the JTTF to protect it, and because of their work, Saab’s future surveillances will be limited to a cell. We cannot do this work alone. I would like to thank the countless private security professionals who protect many of these sites, remind them to remain vigilant in order to make the enemy’s job more difficult, and I would ask the general public to continue to report suspicious activity to law enforcement like you have so many times in the past.”
“I would like to thank the efforts of the investigators and our Counter-Terrorism law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to assemble the case that prevents this individual from caring out his plans,” said NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “This case sends a clear message of deterrence to all those who plot to promote violence here in the U.S. and abroad.”
According to the Indictment and Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:
Hizballah is a Lebanon-based Shia Islamic organization with political, social, and terrorist components. Hizballah was founded in the 1980s with support from Iran after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and its mission includes establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon. Since Hizballah’s formation, the organization has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds, including United States citizens and military personnel. In 1997, the U.S. Department of State designated Hizballah a Foreign Terrorist Organization, pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and it remains so designated today. In 2001, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, the U.S. Department of Treasury designated Hizballah a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. In 2010, State Department officials described Hizballah as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world, and a continued security threat to the United States.
The Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), which is also known as the External Security Organization and “910,” is a component of Hizballah responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence, and terrorist activities on behalf of Hizballah outside of Lebanon. In July 2012, an IJO operative detonated explosives on a bus transporting Israeli tourists in the vicinity of an airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed six people and injured 32 others. Law enforcement authorities have disrupted several other IJO attack-planning operations around the world, including the arrest of an IJO operative surveilling Israeli targets in Cyprus in 2012, the seizure of bomb-making precursor chemicals in Thailand in 2012, and a seizure of similar chemicals in May 2015 in connection with the arrest of another IJO operative. In June 2017, two IJO operatives were arrested in the United States and charged with terrorism-related offenses in the Southern District of New York. In May 2019, a jury convicted one of those two IJO operatives on all counts.
Saab joined Hizballah in 1996. Saab’s first Hizballah operation occurred in Lebanon, where he was tasked with observing and reporting on the movements of Israeli and Southern Lebanese Army soldiers in Yaroun, Lebanon. Among other things, Saab reported on patrol schedules and formations, procedures at security checkpoints, and the vehicles used by soldiers.
In approximately 1999, Saab attended his first Hizballah training. The training focused on the use of firearms, and Saab handled and fired an AK-47, an M16 rifle, and a pistol, and threw grenades. In 2000, Saab transitioned to membership in Hizballah’s unit responsible for external operations, the IJO, and he then received extensive training in IJO tradecraft, weapons, and military tactics, including how to construct bombs and other explosive devices. In 2004 and 2005, Saab attended explosives training in Lebanon during which he received detailed instruction in, among other things, triggering mechanisms, explosive substances, detonators, and the assembly of circuits.
In 2000, Saab lawfully entered the United States using a Lebanese passport. In 2005, Saab applied for naturalized citizenship and falsely affirmed, under penalty of perjury, that he had never been “a member of or in any way associated with . . . a terrorist organization.” In August 2008, Saab became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
While living in the United States, Saab remained an IJO operative, continued to receive military training in Lebanon, and conducted numerous operations for the IJO. For example, Saab surveilled dozens of locations in New York City—including the United Nations headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and local airports, tunnels, and bridges—and provided detailed information on these locations, including photographs, to the IJO. In particular, Saab focused on the structural weaknesses of locations he surveilled in order to determine how a future attack could cause the most destruction. Saab’s reporting to the IJO included the materials used to construct a particular target, how close in proximity one could get to a target, and site weaknesses or “soft spots” that the IJO could exploit if it attacked a target in the future. Saab conducted similar intelligence gathering in a variety of American cities. The FBI recovered photographs from Saab’s electronic devices reflecting his surveillance activities, including photographs of New York City landmarks.
In addition to his attack-planning activities in the United States, Saab conducted operations abroad. For example, Saab attempted to murder a man he later understood to be a suspected Israeli spy. Saab pointed a firearm at the individual at close range and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not fire. Saab also conducted intelligence-gathering for Hizballah in Istanbul, Turkey.
Finally, unrelated to his IJO activities, in July 2012, Saab married another individual (CC-1) so that CC-1 could apply for naturalized citizenship in the United States based on their marriage. On March 13, 2015, Saab and CC-1 jointly filed a petition seeking to obtain naturalized citizenship for CC-1. In doing so, Saab and CC-1 falsely claimed under penalty of perjury that their marriage was “not for the purpose of procuring an immigration benefit.”
Saab is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; receiving military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a sentence of 10 years in prison or a fine; conspiracy to receive military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization to facilitate an act of international terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; marriage fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years; citizenship application fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years; naturalization fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years; and making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD. They also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Krouse and Jason A. Richman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Bridget Behling and Alexandra Hughes of the Counterterrorism Section.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
New Haven Man Convicted Following 4-Day Jury TrialRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Adonnis Carswell, age 34, of New Haven, Indiana was found guilty by a jury on 4 counts as charged in a Superseding Indictment; maintaining a drug involved premises, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
U.S. District Court Judge Holly A. Brady, presided over this four day jury trial.
According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2017, a search warrant was executed on a residence in New Haven, Indiana where Carswell lived. During the search agents found numerous firearms, to include a Smith and Wesson pistol, a Scorpion Pistol and a rifle which contained a 100 round drum magazine, 124 rounds of ammunition, over 60 grams of heroin, along with other indicia of drug distribution (packaging, scales, and over $25,000 in cash). While agents were executing the search warrant, Carswell attempted to bribe an agent by offering the agent money to dispose of heroin, which did not happen.
Carswell’s sentencing will be set at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with the Indiana State Police with the assistance of the New Haven Police Department as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Geller and Sarah Nokes.
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New Britain Woman Admits Role in Counterfeit Check Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LILIBETH PEREZ, 20, of New Britain, pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to a conspiracy charge related to her role in a counterfeit check bank fraud scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately December 2017 and December 2018, Perez and others obtained access to bank accounts in the name of other individuals, deposited counterfeit checks into those accounts, and withdrew money from the accounts before the banks discovered the checks to be counterfeit. The investigation revealed that Perez and others obtained access to the bank accounts by recruiting individuals through social media and persuading the individuals to share their account information, including debit cards and associated PIN numbers.
Perez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years. She is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on January 3, 2020.
Perez was arrested on a criminal complaint on January 9, 2019. She is released on a $100,000 bond.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Pierpont, Jr.
Nebraska Man Charged with Bank RobberyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Omaha, Nebraska, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Bank Robbery.
Ferris Valentine, age 53, was indicted on August 6, 2019. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on September 9, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 25 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on or about November 15, 2016, Valentine aided and abetted by another person, took and attempted to take money belonging to the First National Bank located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and assaulted and put in jeopardy the life of another person by the use of a firearm.
The charge is merely an accusation and Valentine is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey C. Clapper and Jeremy R. Jehangiri are prosecuting the case.
Valentine was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial, which has been set for November 12, 2019.
NDTX Round-Up September 19, 2019Read the Press Release
SENTENCING – Noe Pineda-Castro, Junior
On September 12, Noe Pineda-Castro, Junior, 23 was sentenced to 7 years and 5 months in federal custody for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine. Court documents reflect that the defendant engaged in this conspiracy from on or about January 20, 2017, to on or about October 17, 2017. The Defendant was illegally in the United States at the time of his arrest. The case is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.
SENTENCING – Claudia Gomez Lara
On September 9, Claudia Marcela Gomez-Lara, 33 was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in federal custody conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Court documents reflect on or about January 9, 2019, the defendant delivered approximately 668 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine in exchange for $3,700.00 at a Home Depot parking lot in Balch Springs, Texas. The Defendant was illegally in the United States at the time of her arrest. The case an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case that was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dallas Police Department, the Balch Springs Police Department, and the Criminal Investigations Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The case was prosecuted by AUSA George Leal.
SENTENCING – Juan Carlos Macedo-Benitez
On September 12, Juan Carlos Macedo-Benitez was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months in federal custody for illegal reentry after removal from the United States. Macedo-Benitez was originally removed from the United States in April 2017. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cathy Richardson.
SENTENCING – Jon Anthony Terry
On September 11, Jon Anthony Terry was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography. Terry was found in possession of several child pornography files, and admitted to sexually abusing one of the children who was residing with him at the time of the arrest. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Ozark Arkansas Police Department. AUSA Camilla Sparks prosecuted the case as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative. To learn more about this case, click here.
SENTENCING – Asif Ali
On September 11, Asif Ali, 48, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Ali emailed various investors with fraudulent documents that showed wire transfers from several organizations. He repeated this scheme multiple times from 2009 to 2017, collecting over 3 million dollars, claiming to use this money to further the business interests of a fraudulent limousine company. This case was prosecuted by AUSA David Jarvis and investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation Dallas Field Office.
GUILTY PLEA – Ciera Washington
On September 12, Ciera Washington pled guilty to robbery. Washington served as a get-away driver in the robbery of a Valero Gas Station in Mesquite, Texas. Her co-defendants threatened the store owner at gunpoint and stole cash and tobacco products. The Mesquite Police Department was able to track a device in the stolen currency to find the trio. Upon discovery, Washington led the police on a high-speed chase. After crashing the car, Washington was arrested by the police. The stolen goods were found in the vehicle. Washington faces a sentence of up to 20 in federal custody. This case was prosecuted by AUSA Cara Pierce and AUSA Rachael Jones.
Monroeville Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years for Armed CarjackingRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Marcus Antoine Bivins, 30, of Monroeville, Alabama, was sentenced in federal court on two charges—carjacking and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Bivins pled guilty to the charges in May of 2019.
According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, Bivins admitted that on January 2, 2018, he and another man were in a GMC Yukon driven by the victim. Bivins was directing the victim where to go, ostensibly to pick up the other man’s truck. Bivins told the victim to drive down a dirt road that Bivins said led to his grandmother’s house, but was in fact a dead end. At the end of the road, Bivins pulled a pistol and pointed it at the victim’s head. The victim heard a click, which was Bivins pulling the trigger. The gun did not fire. The victim tried to escape from the car, and found the doors were locked. The second man tried to put a nylon cooler over the victim’s head, but ultimately the victim escaped the car. As he ran through the woods, the victim heard several shots. The victim found help and reported the incident to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The next day, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a wreck involving the GMC Yukon taken from the victim. At the scene of the wreck were Bivins and the other man, who both complained that they needed medical attention. Deputies asked Bivins if he was armed, and Bivins claimed he was not. However, during the process of treating Bivins, medical personnel in the ambulance found a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol between his legs. The other man was interviewed and corroborated the victim’s account of Bivins taking the vehicle at gunpoint and shooting at the victim as he ran away. The second man said he and Bivins used the victim’s Yukon to attempt to burglarize businesses, including by ramming the car into the wall of one business. The man reported he and Bivins had wrecked the Yukon in a confrontation with another subject.
United States District Court Judge William H. Steele imposed a sentence of 177 months imprisonment, consisting of 57 months on the carjacking charge and 120 months on the gun charge, ordering that they run consecutively. Bivins will serve a term of 5 years on supervised release upon the completion of his sentence, during which he will undergo drug and alcohol abuse treatment and mental health treatment. Bivins was not ordered to pay a fine, but the judge ordered that he pay the victim of the carjacking $6,425 in restitution. Bivins was also ordered to pay $100 in special assessments. Bivins faces pending charges in Monroe County Circuit Court for murder and robbery first degree.
The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Mobridge Woman Indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Mobridge, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Shanna Michelle Pleets, age 40, was indicted on July 16, 2019. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes on September 16, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 40 years in federal prison and/or a $5,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that beginning at a time unknown, but no later than March 1, 2018, and continuing to June 17, 2018, Pleets knowingly and intentionally, combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed with persons to knowingly and intentionally distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
The charge is merely an accusation and Pleets is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Pleets was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Missouri, Colorado Residents Plead Guilty to $1.7 Million Marijuana ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five Missouri residents and two Colorado residents have pleaded guilty to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute more than $1.7 million of marijuana that was mailed from Colorado to Missouri.
Christopher E. Buckingham, 42, of Versailles, Missouri, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to participating in the conspiracy from Aug. 28, 2015, to July 10, 2018.
Co-defendants Natalie J. McNeil, 34, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; her brother, Tanner L. McNeil, 29, of Denver, Colorado; and Benjamin T. Parker, 29, also of Denver, also have pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Additionally, they have pleaded guilty to their roles in a related money-laundering conspiracy.
In separate but related cases, Eva N. Johnston, 44, Brian E. McIntyre, 25, and Brian C. Miller, 29, all of Kansas City, Missouri, have pleaded guilty to their roles in the marijuana-trafficking conspiracy.
Tanner McNeil and Parker shipped the marijuana to co-conspirators in Missouri for further distribution. The marijuana was shipped in sealed packages inside plastic protein containers, and each shipment usually contained between four to six pounds. A total of 121 packages (484 to 726 pounds of marijuana) were shipped during the conspiracy.
Natalie McNeil deposited cash in structured amounts (to avoid federal transaction reporting requirements) in the bank accounts of Tanner McNeil and Parker. The cash deposits were made in bank branches in Missouri then withdrawn shortly afterward by Tanner McNeil and Parker at bank branches in Colorado.
A total of $1,769,244 in deposits of drug proceeds were made in Missouri, with $1,033,788 being made into Tanner McNeil’s bank account and $735,456 being made into Parker’s bank account. Investigators determined that $1,295,063 of the deposited drug proceeds were withdrawn by Tanner McNeil and Parker in Colorado shortly after the deposits were made in Missouri. They knew that these financial transactions were conducted in order promote illegal marijuana trafficking, were designed at least in part to conceal the nature, location, and source of the proceeds of the illegal marijuana trafficking, and were designed at least in part to avoid financial transaction reporting requirements under state or federal law.
Buckingham admitted today that he received four packages that contained a total of 16 to 24 pounds of marijuana.
Under federal statutes, Buckingham is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Tanner and Natalie McNeil and Parker are each subject to a sentence of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jess E. Michaelsen and Ashleigh A. Ragner. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Minnesota Man Sentenced for Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon and Drug UserRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Staples, Minnesota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Felon and Drug User was sentenced on September 9, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Mark Schmidt, age 54, was sentenced to 5 months in federal prison, followed by 5 months of home confinement, 2 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Schmidt was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 23, 2019. He pled guilty on June 19, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on December 5, 2018, where Schmidt, a convicted felon and user of marijuana, was stopped while driving on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation and knowingly possessed a .357 Magnum caliber revolver and twenty-three rounds of ammunition.
Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity. Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers. It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Corson County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Schmidt was ordered to report to his designated prison on October 1, 2019.
Millinocket Man Sentenced to Two Years for Theft of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Randolph Bourgoin, III, 32, of Millinocket, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Lance E. Walker to two years in prison and three years of supervised release for theft of a firearm from a federally licensed dealer. He was also ordered to pay $430 in restitution. Bourgoin pleaded guilty on April 3, 2019.
According to court records, on November 27, 2018, Bourgoin stole the firearm from a display case at a gun dealer in Milo. The theft was caught on surveillance video, and Bourgoin later admitted to the theft.
The case was investigated by the Milo Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
McKeesport Sex Offender Admits to Coercing a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity and Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A former resident of McKeesport, PA, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Scott Joseph Payne, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of each of the above-described offenses before Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. In addition to the guilty plea, Payne accepted responsibility for two additional counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and three counts of production of images depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on June 10, 2017, Payne, while pretending to be a teenage female, engaged in an Internet conversation with a 12-year-old male using a chatting application known as "KIK", during which Payne persuaded the minor victim to produce and share still images and videos of the minor engaging in sex acts. The court was further informed that evidence established that Payne engaged in similar communications with a 15-year-old male in New Jersey and a 16-year-old male in Louisiana, and was in possession of sexually explicit photographs and videos of the three minor victims when law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at his residence on June 19, 2017. Payne has a 2012 conviction involving sexual abuse of children and possession of child pornography for which he was serving a term of probation at the time of his arrest and for which he was required to register as a Megan’s Law sex offender.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for February 20, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Payne remains under detention pending the resolution of the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Western Pennsylvania Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Bloomfield, New Jersey Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Payne.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Massive Takedown Targets East County Drug Trafficking NetworksRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – September 19, 2019
SAN DIEGO – Eight indictments were unsealed today in San Diego federal court charging 85 members of drug distribution networks linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, with federal drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses.
During the coordinated takedown that began early this morning, investigators executed over a dozen search warrants and seized approximately four pounds of methamphetamine and two firearms. As of today at 1 p.m., 47 of the 85 defendants are either in federal or state custody. Authorities are continuing to search for 38 defendants. Many of the defendants are scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow.
According to the indictments and other publicly filed court documents, this year-long investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service targeted multiple San Diego-based drug distribution and money laundering networks led respectively by Juan Carlos OCHOA, Rene VALDEZ Jr., Ramon CASTILLO, Michael WRIGHT, Alfonso ARROYO, Douglas BOWEN, Samuel BECERRA, and Javier VERGARA. These affiliated networks supplied multi-kilogram quantities of controlled substances (primarily methamphetamine and heroin but also fentanyl) to dozens of subdistributors located throughout Southern California. These networks were also responsible for laundering tens of thousands of dollars in narcotics proceeds back to Sinaloa Cartel-associated drug traffickers in Mexico. During this investigation, agents coordinated seizures of narcotics and drug proceeds throughout San Diego County and across the United States.
To avoid detection by law enforcement, the defendants also utilized various encrypted communication services like Signal and WhatsApp to communicate among themselves. Despite their sophisticated efforts, law enforcement penetrated this network with a variety of investigative techniques, including physical surveillance, obtaining phone records, financial documents, tracking warrants on telephones and vehicles, and undercover agents. Over the course of the investigation, agents obtained dozens of search warrants and conducted a 10-month-long federal wiretap to track the communications and the location of the defendants. In conjunction with the wiretaps, agents ultimately seized approximately 175 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl tied to these networks, approximately $50,000 in cash, multiple firearms, and a 2020 Cadillac Escalade (valued at over $115,000).
“Today we sent a message to drug traffickers in our community. If you sell drugs in San Diego, we will find you and prosecute you to the full extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “I want to congratulate the outstanding federal, state, and local law enforcement cooperation that has resulted in this highly successful investigation. This case represents yet another critical strike against the Sinaloa Cartel and its U.S.-based networks.”
“Today’s operation was about community care taking,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Karen Flowers. “We took criminals off the street in South County who were selling drugs and committing violent crimes - robberies - home invasions - identity theft - fraud - and other property crimes. The void left is an opportunity for the communities in South County to exhale and breathe in fresh air. Freedom is priceless. Today South County is free to live without a criminal undertone which eroded their daily quality of life.”
“A significant portion of the indictments unsealed today are alleged money laundering conspiracy violations and the asset forfeiture allegations,” stated Assistant Special Agent in Charge Johnathan Smith. “Multiple defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering violations, a charge which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20-years imprisonment. These are serious crimes that come with serious time.”
This case was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Narcotics Task Force (NTF) and the Internal Revenue Service. The NTF is a DEA-led task force comprised of federal and local law enforcement from the DEA, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSD), the San Diego Police Department (SDPD), United States Border Patrol (USBP), and the San Diego County Probation Office. Agents and officers from the United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons also provided vital assistance for the investigation. Attorneys from the Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations, Electronic Surveillance Unit, likewise provided critical work as part of the investigative team.
This case is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
The United States is represented in court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton, and Mario J. Peia.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defendant Information
19-cr-3624-CAB Indictment - Click HERE
Defendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3624-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Juan Carlos Ochoa
El Cajon, CA
2
Belinda Maria Menke
El Cajon, CA
3
Oscar Clemente-Perez
El Cajon, CA
4
Anton Dockery
El Cajon, CA
5
Amira Novelo-Torres
Tijuana, MX
6
Guillermo Castellano
El Cajon, CA
7
Monica Alcantar
El Cajon, CA
8
Alberto Frayre
Chula Vista, CA
9
Ivan Rodriguez
El Cajon, CA
10
Brian Perin
San Diego, CA
11
Edward DiBartola
San Diego, CA
12
Juanita Ortiz
El Cajon, CA
13
Lorena Torres
El Cajon, CA
14
Marcus Dewayne Caldwell
San Diego, CA
15
Candace Marie Spears
San Diego, CA
16
Eduardo Lerma
El Cajon, CA
17
Gene Fitzgerald
San Diego, CA
18
Melissa Young
San Diego, CA
19
Jessie Avina
El Cajon, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3625-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3625-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Alfonso Arroyo
San Diego, CA
2
James Anthony Tate
San Diego, CA
3
Alice Chairez
San Diego, CA
4
Zena Marie Gonzalez
San Diego, CA
5
Steven Geiss
San Diego, CA
6
Tommy Diego Duenas
San Diego, CA
7
Josephina Hernandez
San Diego, CA
8
Kajlid Jafar Wilks
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3626-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3626-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Samuel Becerra
San Diego, CA
2
Gabrielle Logue
San Diego, CA
3
Kelly Daniels
San Diego, CA
4
Larry Meisner
San Diego, CA
5
Walter Kuttner
Spring Valley, CA
6
Kelly Jean Kelly
San Diego, CA
7
Kurt Roiz
San Diego, CA
8
Rodolfo Andrade
Chula Vista, CA
9
Alfredo Gomez
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3627-CAB Inictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3627-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Douglas Bowen
San Diego, CA
2
Erick Cifuentes
San Diego, CA
3
John Bordwell Jr.
San Diego, CA
4
Raya Jaye Kimball
San Diego, CA
5
Stephen Robert Chavez
San Diego, CA
6
Robert David Houser
San Diego, CA
7
Justin Scott Baker
San Diego, CA
8
Janette Lee Taylor
San Diego, CA
9
Emilio Vanegas
San Diego, CA
10
Christopher Nobis
San Diego, CA
11
Maximino Padilla
San Diego, CA
12
Erika Marlene Ramirez-Ramirez
San Diego, CA
13
Heaven Rapp
San Diego, CA
14
Shelley Marie Cobb
San Diego, CA
15
Sarrah Jean Kent
San Diego, CA
16
David Hopkins
San Diego, CA
17
Matthew Bogan
San Diego, CA
18
Emily Uscanga
San Diego, CA
19
Michael Bowen
Colorado Springs, CA
20
Edson Garcia
San Diego, CA
21
Brandon Brooks
San Diego, CA
22
Raheem Jackson
San Diego, CA
23
Heather Kieley
San Diego, CA
24
Yvette Romero
San Diego, CA
25
Bobby Lee Crisp
San Diego, CA
26
Dario Navarro
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Felon in Possession of a Firearm (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1))
Importation of a Controlled Substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 952, 960 and 963)
Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3628-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3628-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Ramon Castillo
San Diego, CA
2
Samuel Jones
San Diego, CA
3
Julio Noriega
San Diego, CA
4
Johanna Trujillo
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3629-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3629-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Rene Valdez Jr.
San Diego, CA
2
Araceli S. Lomeli
San Diego, CA
3
David Valdez
San Diego, CA
4
Robert Tate Allen
San Diego, CA
5
Sergio Eduardo Gutierrez Martinez
Tijuana, MX
6
Milton Perez Cruz
Tijuana, MX
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3630-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3630-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Javier Vergara
San Diego, CA
2
Raul Alonso Varela-Ruiz
San Diego, CA
3
Michelangelo Becerra
San Diego, CA
4
Candice Harrington
San Diego, CA
5
Amanda Bitticks
San Diego, CA
6
Eduardo Pardo
San Diego, CA
7
Rose Velasquez
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
19-cr-3631-CAB Indictment - Click HEREDefendants Criminal Case No: 19-cr-3631-CAB
Defendant Number
Name
Hometown
1
Michael Wright
San Diego, CA
2
Rhiannon Hiller
San Diego, CA
3
Michael Branch
San Diego, CA
4
Bryan Carlton
San Diego, CA
5
Charles Moore
San Diego, CA
6
Sara Syverson
San Diego, CA
Summary of Charges
Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances (21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846)
Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2) and (h))
Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges, term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison, $10 million fine and a lifetime of supervised release. For money laundering charges, term of custody up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, and three years of supervised release.
AGENCIES
Drug Enforcement Administration, Narcotics Task Force
Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
United States Marshals Service
United States Border Patrol
United States Secret Service
United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Federal Bureau of Prisons
San Diego Police Department
El Cajon Police Department
Chula Vista Police Department
San Diego County Probation Office
San Diego County District Attorney’s Office
Department of Justice, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
Department of Justice, Office of Enforcement Operations
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado
Maryland Residents Facing Federal Charges for Stealing over $820,000 in V.A. Benefits Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Angela Marie Farr, a/k/a Angela Pace, Angela Mullins, and Angela Biggs, age 33, of Leonardtown, Maryland; Michael Vincent Pace, age 39, of Leonardtown, Maryland, and Mary Francis Biggs, age 62, of Lexington Park, Maryland with conspiracy and theft of government property. Farr was also charged with aggravated identity theft and social security fraud.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office Kim R. Lampkins for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General; and Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General.
The five-count indictment alleges that Farr served as the organizer of a conspiracy in which she submitted false and fraudulent documents to the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) claiming that Farr, her then-husband, Michael Pace, and her father, Individual 1, were homebound and required full-time assistance and disability compensation. Farr’s mother, Mary Biggs, conspired with Farr to file fraudulent documents on behalf of Individual 1, and, when Farr so exaggerated Individual 1’s disabilities that the VA determined that Individual 1 could not handle his own finances, appointed Biggs as Individual 1’s fiduciary.
Angela Marie Farr was a member of the United States Navy from August 2, 2005 to April 19, 2007. On October 6, 2009, Farr received a service-connected disability rating of 70% based on fraudulent documentation she submitted, which purported that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from an incident in which she was raped by another serviceman. Farr admitted to local law enforcement to fabricating the incident. Farr also claimed to the VA that she suffered a traumatic brain injury from an on-duty car accident, which was also determined to be a fabrication. Ultimately, the VA increased Farr’s service-connected disability rating to 100% based on additional fraudulent documentation she submitted. As a result, Farr received approximately $390,000 from the VA to which she was not entitled.
Farr is also charged with stealing the identity of a physician identified in the indictment as “Doctor 1” when she submitted forged documents to the VA purportedly authored by that physician. Farr is also charged with social security fraud for fraudulently receiving $35,000 in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for her claimed disabilities.
Michael Vincent Pace was a member of the United States Army from August 30, 2001, to February 2, 2002, and from January 4, 2005, to June 2, 2006, as well as the United States Army National Guard from May 22, 2007, to October 28, 2007. Pace and Farr were married from 2008 until they divorced on December 5, 2017. Pace was deemed to be 100% disabled by the VA, based on fraudulent medical documentation submitted to the VA. Despite claiming to be profoundly disabled, Pace also received a Caregiver Assistance stipend from the VA exceeding $2,500 per month for purportedly caring for Farr. As a result, Pace received approximately $274,000 from the VA to which he was not entitled.
Mary Francis Biggs was Farr’s mother, and the wife of Individual 1. Individual 1 was a member of the United States Navy from January 29, 1974, to January 31, 1997, and is Farr’s father. Individual 1 received a 100% service-connected disability rating by the VA based on fraudulent documentation Farr and Biggs submitted on his behalf.
On July 5, 2017, the VA determined, based on fraudulent documentation, that Individual 1 was not capable of managing his finances because of his purported disabilities, and appointed Biggs as Individual 1’s fiduciary. As such, Biggs was responsible for the receipt and expenditure of Individual 1’s fraudulently obtained VA benefits funds. As a result, Biggs and Individual 1 received approximately $156,000 in disability compensation and SMC to which they were not entitled. Biggs conspired with Farr to hide from the VA the fact that Individual 1 was capable of working, and was in fact actively employed.
Farr, Pace, and Individual 1 purported to be wheelchair-bound and to require in-home nursing to accomplish everyday tasks due to their claimed service-connected injures. However, during the period they were purportedly disabled, Farr operated a social media marketing company based in Leonardtown, Maryland, Pace raised his three children and regularly exercised at a local CrossFit gym, and Individual 1 was employed as a division head at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Maryland.
If convicted, Farr faces a mandatory minimum of 2 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; Biggs and Pace face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the VA-OIG and the SSA-OIG for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davio, who is prosecuting the case.
# # #
Many felon sent to federal prison for drug and firearm chargesRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that Jakey P. Sepulvado, 26, of Shreveport, was sentenced Wednesday by Chief U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. to 130 months in prison for illegally possessing drugs and a firearm.
Sepulvado pleaded guilty on June 13, 2019, to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to information presented in court, DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s deputies observed Sepulvado make a traffic violation on October 2, 2018, and attempted to stop his vehicle. Instead of stopping, Sepulvado sped away, wrecked the car and fled on foot, but was later located and arrested. When the deputies searched his clothing and vehicle, they found methamphetamine and a Taurus, Model 85, .38-caliber revolver and eight rounds of ammunition.
Sepulvado has a prior felony conviction for attempted simple robbery. Under federal law, felons are not allowed to possess firearms and ammunition.
The DEA, ATF and DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leon H. Whitten and Earl M. Campbell prosecuted the case.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Project Safe Neighborhoods 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.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Indictment of New Jersey Man for Terrorist Activities on Behalf of Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad OrganizationRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the Police Department for the City of New York (“NYPD”), announced that ALEXEI SAAB, a/k/a “Ali Hassan Saab,” a/k/a “Alex Saab,” a/k/a “Rachid,” was charged today in a nine-count Indictment for offenses related to his support for Hizballah and separate marriage-fraud offenses. SAAB was arrested July 9, 2019, in New York, New York, pursuant to a criminal complaint, and remains detained. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As a member of the Hizballah component that coordinates external terrorist attack planning, Alexei Saab allegedly used his training to scout possible targets throughout the U.S. Even though Saab was a naturalized American citizen, his true allegiance was to Hizballah, the terrorist organization responsible for decades of terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds, including U.S. citizens and military personnel. Thankfully, Saab is now in federal custody, and faces significant prison time for his alleged crimes.”
Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said: “According to the allegations, while living in the United States, Saab served as an operative of Hizballah and conducted surveillance of possible target locations in order to help the foreign terrorist organization prepare for potential future attacks against the United States. Such covert activities conducted on U.S. soil are a clear threat to our national security and I applaud the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation and prosecution.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “As alleged, Saab began his training with Hizballah operatives overseas and, while living in the U.S., surveilled multiple locations in major cities. Today’s announcement highlights the persistent efforts of a sophisticated international terrorist organization to scout targets at home and abroad, identifying vulnerabilities, and gathering essential details useful for a future attack. In the city that never sleeps, neither do the FBI agents, detectives, and analysts who work on the JTTF to protect it, and because of their work, Saab’s future surveillances will be limited to a cell. We cannot do this work alone. I would like to thank the countless private security professionals who protect many of these sites, remind them to remain vigilant in order to make the enemy’s job more difficult, and I would ask the general public to continue to report suspicious activity to law enforcement like you have so many times in the past.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill said: “Saab operated in the streets of New York as a covert operative for Hizballah, gathering intelligence and sizing up targets for potential attacks on US soil. This case brings us another important piece of the puzzle in our long term investigations into the terrorist groups targeting New York City. I commend the teamwork of the NYPD detectives, FBI agents and all the partner agencies in the Joint Terrorism Task Force”.
According to the Indictment and Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
Hizballah is a Lebanon-based Shia Islamic organization with political, social, and terrorist components. Hizballah was founded in the 1980s with support from Iran after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, and its mission includes establishing a fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon. Since Hizballah’s formation, the organization has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks that have killed hundreds, including United States citizens and military personnel. In 1997, the U.S. Department of State designated Hizballah a Foreign Terrorist Organization, pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and it remains so designated today. In 2001, pursuant to Executive Order 13224, the U.S. Department of Treasury designated Hizballah a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. In 2010, State Department officials described Hizballah as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world, and a continued security threat to the United States.
The Islamic Jihad Organization (“IJO”), which is also known as the External Security Organization and “910,” is a component of Hizballah responsible for the planning and coordination of intelligence, counterintelligence, and terrorist activities on behalf of Hizballah outside of Lebanon. In July 2012, an IJO operative detonated explosives on a bus transporting Israeli tourists in the vicinity of an airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed six people and injured 32 others. Law enforcement authorities have disrupted several other IJO attack-planning operations around the world, including the arrest of an IJO operative surveilling Israeli targets in Cyprus in 2012, the seizure of bomb-making precursor chemicals in Thailand in 2012, and a seizure of similar chemicals in May 2015 in connection with the arrest of another IJO operative. In June 2017, two IJO operatives were arrested in the United States and charged with terrorism-related offenses in the Southern District of New York. In May 2019, a jury convicted one of those two IJO operatives on all counts.
SAAB joined Hizballah in 1996. SAAB’s first Hizballah operation occurred in Lebanon, where he was tasked with observing and reporting on the movements of Israeli and Southern Lebanese Army soldiers in Yaroun, Lebanon. Among other things, SAAB reported on patrol schedules and formations, procedures at security checkpoints, and the vehicles used by soldiers.
In approximately 1999, SAAB attended his first Hizballah training. The training focused on the use of firearms, and SAAB handled and fired an AK-47, an M16 rifle, and a pistol, and threw grenades. In 2000, SAAB transitioned to membership in Hizballah’s unit responsible for external operations, the IJO, and he then received extensive training in IJO tradecraft, weapons, and military tactics, including how to construct and detonate bombs and other explosive devices. In 2004 and 2005, Saab attended explosives training in Lebanon during which he received detailed instruction in, among other things, triggering mechanisms, explosive substances, detonators, and the assembly of circuits.
In 2000, SAAB lawfully entered the United States using a Lebanese passport. In 2005, SAAB applied for naturalized citizenship and falsely affirmed, under penalty of perjury, that he had never been “a member of or in any way associated with . . . a terrorist organization.” In August 2008, SAAB became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
While living in the United States, SAAB remained an IJO operative, continued to receive military training in Lebanon, and conducted numerous operations for the IJO. For example, SAAB surveilled dozens of locations in New York City – including the United Nations headquarters, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and local airports, tunnels, and bridges – and provided detailed information on these locations, including photographs, to the IJO. In particular, SAAB focused on the structural weaknesses of locations he surveilled in order to determine how a future attack could cause the most destruction. SAAB’s reporting to the IJO included the materials used to construct a particular target, how close in proximity one could get to a target, and site weaknesses or “soft spots” that the IJO could exploit if it attacked a target in the future. SAAB conducted similar intelligence gathering in a variety of large American cities, including Washington, D.C. The FBI recovered photographs from SAAB’s electronic devices reflecting his surveillance activities, including photographs of New York City landmarks.
In addition to his attack-planning activities in the United States, SAAB conducted operations abroad. For example, SAAB attempted to murder a man he later understood to be a suspected Israeli spy. SAAB pointed a firearm at the individual at close range and pulled the trigger twice, but the firearm did not fire. SAAB also conducted intelligence-gathering for Hizballah in Istanbul, Turkey.
Finally, unrelated to his IJO activities, in July 2012, SAAB married another individual (“CC-1”) so that CC-1 could apply for naturalized citizenship in the United States based on their marriage. On March 13, 2015, SAAB and CC-1 jointly filed a petition seeking to obtain naturalized citizenship for CC-1. In doing so, SAAB and CC-1 falsely claimed under penalty of perjury that their marriage was “not for the purpose of procuring an immigration benefit.”
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SAAB, 42, of Morristown, New Jersey, is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; receiving military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a sentence of 10 years in prison or a fine; conspiracy to receive military-type training from a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization to facilitate an act of international terrorism, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison; marriage fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years; citizenship application fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years; naturalization fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years; and making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Berman and Mr. Demers praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD. They also thanked the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division as well as the Attorney General’s Hezbollah Financing and Narcoterrorism Team.
This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael K. Krouse and Jason A. Richman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Bridget Behling and Alexandra Hughes of the Counterterrorism Section.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and Indictment and the description of the Complaint and Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Darrius Weekly, 25, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing cocaine base, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between September 17, 2018 and November 7, 2018, law enforcement officers made five separate controlled purchases of cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine) from Weekly in and around Manchester.
Weekly is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2020.
“Crack cocaine endangers the health and safety of our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We are committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to stop the distribution of this dangerous substance in the Granite State.”
This matter was investigated by the Manchester Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
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Manchester Man Guilty of Lying to Federal Law Enforcement During InterviewRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian C. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a jury in New Haven has found FAREED AHMED KHAN, 61, of Manchester, guilty of making a false statement during an interview with federal law enforcement. A trial before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer began on September 16 and the jury returned its verdict this morning.
According to the evidence presented during the trial, Khan was born in Pakistan and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in February 2003. Khan was a member of the Islamic Circle of North America (“ICNA”) and was responsible for collecting cash and check donations to ICNA for its various charitable events. In 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation learned that, over the course of approximately eight years, Khan received more than $200,000 in cash deposits into his bank account. Investigators also learned that Khan was transacting with an individual in Pakistan who was arranging for third parties to deposit cash into Khan’s account to fund medical equipment purchases for the individual in Pakistan. Khan then collected the purchased medical equipment, repackaged the items, and shipped them to Pakistan.
On June 26, 2015, the FBI interviewed Khan. During the interview, Khan made multiple false statements, including that he was not affiliated with ICNA, did not know anyone from ICNA, had never collected charitable donations for ICNA, and that the only packages he had ever sent to Pakistan were to his sister and brother and contained clothing.
On October 13, 2015, investigators conducted court-authorized search of Khan’s residence and seized numerous items related to Khan’s role in ICNA. In addition, a search of Khan’s cellular phone revealed WhatsApp messages between Khan and his associate in Pakistan detailing Khan’s involvement in multiple shipments of medical equipment to Pakistan.
At sentencing, Khan faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
Khan is released on a $50,000 bond.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Air Marshal Service, and Manchester Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and Rahul Kale, with the assistance of Trial Attorneys Troy Edwards and David Cora of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Man Sentenced for Heroin TraffickingRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Fredericksburg man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for distributing heroin and fentanyl over a 14-month period.
According to court documents, Aaron J. Talley, 34, conspired with several others to distribute heroin in the Fredericksburg area from January 2018 until March 2019. Federal agents from the FBI, in partnership with the Fredericksburg Police Department, conducted an undercover investigation into Talley’s heroin distribution ring. During 2018, law enforcement working in an undercover capacity set up multiple purchases of heroin from Talley and his associates. In all, the task force conducted 20 undercover buys of heroin, many samples of which, although relatively small in weight, also contained fentanyl.
For sentencing purposes, Talley admitted to distributing between 80–100 grams of heroin as part of the conspiracy. Moreover, for purposes of the federal sentencing guidelines, Talley was determined to be a career offender and a leader or organizer of the conspiracy. As such, the advisory guideline range was substantially increased.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, and David W. Nye, Chief of Fredericksburg Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Duffey prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-66.
Man Pleads Guilty to Investment Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man pleaded guilty today to charges of mail fraud and acting as an unregistered commodity pool operator, both stemming from his execution of an investment fraud scheme he operated for nearly a decade.
According to court documents, Leonard J. Cipolla, 71, was the founder, owner, and operator of Tate Street Trading, Inc. in Richmond. Between 2009 and 2019, Cipolla solicited more than $7 million in investment funds from more than 30 individuals located in Virginia, New York, and Washington, D.C. Cipolla convinced these individuals to provide him with their savings by assuring the investors that he was a highly experienced, highly successful trader in commodity futures and options. Cipolla promised his investors that he could guarantee them significant fixed rates of return on their investments, and that Cipolla’s management fee would be drawn only from the profits that Cipolla made over and above each investor’s promised rate of return. He also assured investors that Cipolla was qualified to manage tax-deferred retirement accounts, and that he would roll the investor’s existing Individual Retirement Account (IRA) into a Tate Street-managed, tax-deferred IRA. As time passed, Cipolla provided many of his investors with account statements that purported to show the investor’s principal was safely intact, and growing at the promised rate of return.
In reality, Cipolla pooled his investors’ savings as soon as those individuals’ personal checks, IRA roll-overs, and wires were deposited into his bank accounts. Cipolla used only a fraction of those pooled investment funds to trade in the futures market, and he ultimately lost nearly the entire amount of investor funds that he actually invested. Cipolla further dissipated the remainder of his investors’ savings on unauthorized expenses, to include making payments to earlier investors, and paying his own personal expenses.
Cipolla pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and unregistered commodity pool operator and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 28, 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, David W. Archey, Special Agent In Charge of the Richmond Field Office, and Peter R. Rendina, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Martin and Thomas Garnett are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Virginia State Corporation Commission Division of Securities provided significant assistance during this investigation.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-126.
Media AdvisoryRead the Press Release
WHEN: Friday, September 20, 2019 at 1:00pm
WHERE: Vance County Courthouse
156 Church Street
Henderson, North Carolina
Re: USMS Roundup – Operation 310
RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office announces a press conference to discuss the recently completed fugitive roundup in Vance County that has taken place over the last week, called Operation 310. Coordinated by the United States Marshals Service, in partnership with multiple law enforcement agencies including those listed below, these roundup resulted in the arrest of over 25 fugitives in Vance County and the seizure of numerous firearms and U.S. Currency. More information and details about the results of this operation will be provided during the press conference.
The federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that took part in Operation 310 included: United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Probation Office, Henderson Police Department, North Carolina Department of Public Safety, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.
In addition to United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. and United States Marshal Michael East, it is anticipated members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies will be present at this event, along with the District Attorney for Vance County, Michael Waters.
Man from Santa Fe County Faces Federal Charges of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firerarm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Rufino Jody Martinez, 40, of Santa Fe County, N.M., made an initial appearance in federal court today on a criminal complaint charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The charges against Martinez are the result of an FBI-led multi-agency effort to reduce violent crime in northern New Mexico communities. U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge James C. Langenberg of the FBI Albuquerque Division, New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson, and Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza announced the results of the multi-agency collaboration today in a series of press releases.
“Reducing violent crime in America is one of the Department of Justice’s highest priorities,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect the safety of New Mexicans by dismantling the violent criminal organizations that are responsible for so much of the violence in our communities, jails, and prisons.”
“The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners for years to weaken and eventually eliminate this violent prison gang, arresting approximately 160 of its members and associates,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Langenberg. “This latest arrest should send a clear message that those who plot to undermine the security of our communities and correctional system will be held accountable.”
“Today’s operation should make citizens of New Mexico proud in that many law enforcement agencies worked together for a common goal; to eliminate violent career criminals from our communities,” said New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson. “80 New Mexico State Police officers were assigned to take part in today’s successful operation. The New Mexico State Police is excited to be part of the Violent Crimes Task Force. New Mexico State Police will continue to work together with law enforcement partners and conduct proactive police operations, targeting the most dangerous criminals in New Mexico. The New Mexico State Police is committed to addressing the concerns of New Mexicans impacted by crime.”
“Working in collaboration with local and federal law enforcement agencies is an important aspect of public safety, said Sheriff Mendoza. “This operation and arrest is a collaborative effort to enforce current state and federal gun laws to ensure that those who unlawfully posses firearms and terrorize our communities will be brought to justice.” According to the criminal complaint, Martinez allegedly committed this offense on October 24, 2018. The complaint alleges Martinez went to a residence in Cuarteles, N.M., where he shot another man in the groin. The victim drove himself to the hospital and received medical attention following the shooting. Martinez allegedly also possessed additional ammunition at his home on this date. Martinez was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition based on previous felony convictions for aggravated battery, battery upon a police officer, attempted robbery, and possession of controlled substances.
Martinez is currently in custody awaiting trial. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the charged offense. A complaint is only an accusation. A criminal defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Albuquerque office of the FBI investigated this case with the New Mexico State Police, New Mexico Corrections Department, and Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Las Cruces Branch Office are prosecuting the case as part of the OCDETF Program, a nationwide Department of Justice program that combines the resources and unique expertise of federal agencies, along with their local counterparts, in a coordinated effort to disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations.
Man from Las Vegas, N.m. Faces Federal Charges of Cocaine Possession and RobberyRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Gary Coca, 46, of Las Vegas, N.M., appeared in federal court in Albuquerque today on a federal complaint charging him with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and robbery by interference with commerce by threats or violence.
The charges against Coca are the result of an FBI-led multi-agency effort to reduce violent crime in northern New Mexico communities. U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge James C. Langenberg of the FBI Albuquerque Division, New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson, Las Vegas (New Mexico) Police Chief David T. Bibb, and Richard Flores, District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District of New Mexico, announced the results of the multi-agency collaboration today in a series of press releases.
“Reducing violent crime in America is one of the Department of Justice’s highest priorities,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Federici. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to protect the safety of New Mexicans by dismantling the violent criminal organizations that are responsible for so much of the violence in our communities, jails, and prisons.”
“The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners for years to weaken and eventually eliminate this violent prison gang, arresting approximately 160 of its members and associates,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Langenberg. “This latest arrest should send a clear message that those who plot to undermine the security of our communities and correctional system will be held accountable.”
“Today’s operation should make citizens of New Mexico proud in that many law enforcement agencies worked together for a common goal; to eliminate violent career criminals from our communities,” said New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson. “80 New Mexico State Police officers were assigned to take part in today’s successful operation. The New Mexico State Police is excited to be part of the Violent Crimes Task Force. New Mexico State Police will continue to work together with law enforcement partners and conduct proactive police operations, targeting the most dangerous criminals in New Mexico. The New Mexico State Police is committed to addressing the concerns of New Mexicans impacted by crime.”
“I’ve often said that when different agencies work in a collaborated effort, great things can happen,” said District Attorney Flores. “I am very thankful to the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI for spearheading this operation. It’s helped in making our community that much safer.”
According to the criminal complaint, police in Las Vegas, N.M., stopped Coca for driving erratically on May 2, 2019. Coca and a passenger allegedly ran from the vehicle and officers chased after them. During the chase, Coca allegedly took off his jacket and left it behind as he jumped a fence. Coca got away, but police located his jacket and searched it. They allegedly found a plastic bag containing about 13.5 grams of crack cocaine and a digital scale.
According to the criminal complaint, Coca allegedly went into a home improvement store in Albuquerque on August 7, 2019. He allegedly selected about $1003 worth of merchandise and went to leave the store without paying. When security tried to stop Coca, he allegedly pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at a store employee. Coca got away in his car. Police officers from the Pueblo of Sandia arrested Coca on August 14, 2019.
Coca is currently in custody pending trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug and robbery offenses. A complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Albuquerque Office of the FBI investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department, Las Vegas Police Department, Sandia Police Department, and New Mexico State Police, with assistance from the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Armijo and Randy Castellano are prosecuting the case.
Local Man Guilty of Escaping from CustodyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 37-year-old resident of Houston has entered a guilty plea to federal charges stemming from his escape from custody, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Anthony Brown Jr. was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2009 and has been in custody since that time.
On April 8, 2019, Brown was placed in a local half-way house to complete that sentence. A few weeks later, during a regular accountability check, officials discovered he was missing. They discovered he did not have permission to leave or absence himself from custody and opened a fugitive investigation.
Authorities conducted a stop May 3 near Pinemont street on U.S. highway 290 after a vehicle had committed a traffic violation. Brown was driving. They immediately discovered who he was and took him into custody.
During the search of his vehicle, officers found a semi-automatic handgun hidden behind the glove box.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Brown faces up to five more years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation and arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Porto prosecuted the case.
Leader of New Jersey Gang and Associate Charged with Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl in Prison, Resulting in Inmate OverdoseRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Two Hudson County men were charged for their alleged roles in trafficking heroin and fentanyl into a New Jersey state prison, which resulted in an inmate’s overdose, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Noel Salgado, 39, a/k/a “Kuko,” and Rodgerick Garrett, 38, a/k/a “50,” a/k/a “Fif,” a/k/a “Boo,” both of Jersey City, New Jersey, were each charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, which resulted in serious bodily injury to a person. Both men are scheduled to appear Sept. 30, 2019, for arraignment before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti.
According to the indictment, other documents filed in this case, and statements made in court:
Salgado is the leader of the “Loyal Hoody Gang” subset of the Neighborhood Rolling 20 Bloods, a nationwide street gang. While incarcerated as an inmate at Bayside State Prison, Salgado directed other gang members and associates to provide narcotics proceeds to him and his associates and to smuggle narcotics and other contraband into prison.
On Oct. 17, 2015, Salgado called Garrett from prison to arrange for the purchase and smuggling into the prison of heroin and fentanyl. A third conspirator picked up the narcotics from Garrett and smuggled them to Salgado on Oct. 18, 2015. The following day, an inmate to whom Salgado had distributed the narcotics was found unresponsive in his cell suffering from a drug overdose. The inmate only regained consciousness after medical personnel administered an opiate antidote to revive the inmate, who was hospitalized for two days following his overdose.
The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, which resulted in serious bodily injury, carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $1 million fine. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents with the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, and investigators with the N.J. Department of Corrections, Special Investigations Division, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Marcus O. Hicks, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Amore and Elaine K. Lou of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possession of 65 Firearms Stolen from A Gun ShowRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A trade show worker who pleaded guilty to stealing 65 firearms (including machine guns and silencers) from the 2019 Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show in Las Vegas was sentenced today to two years in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich of the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Ray Roundtree of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Jamikko Foster, 27, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in June 2019, to one count of theft of a firearm from a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) and one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. United States District Judge Richard F. Boulware II presided over the sentencing hearing.
Foster admitted that, from January 20 to 29, 2019, he stole 65 firearms and suppressors (known as “silencers”) from four separate FFLs at the SHOT show. Among the 65 stolen firearms were 18 handguns, six rifles, three machine guns, one short barreled rifle, and 35 suppressors. On February 11, 2019, after the investigation identified Foster as one of the suspects in the theft, police obtained and executed search warrants for Foster’s residence and vehicle. During the execution of the warrants, all the stolen firearms (and all but two suppressors) were recovered.
Co-defendant Eduardo Limon, 28, pleaded guilty to the charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 24, 2019.
The case was investigated by ATF’s Las Vegas Field Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter S. Levitt prosecuted the case.
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