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21 October 2019
Heroin-Dealing Jacksonville Pimp Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Forcing Five Victims to Engage in ProstitutionRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced Richard Anthony Moffett (31, Jacksonville) to 25 years in federal prison for using force, fraud, and coercion to cause multiple victims to engage in prostitution. The court will make a determination as to the amount of restitution Moffett owes to each of his five victims at a later date. Moffett had pleaded guilty on June 7, 2019.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in the middle of 2016, Moffett relocated from Ohio to Florida. He resided in various hotels in Jacksonville, where he met his first two victims, K.W. and K.D. Moffett began forcing K.W. to engage in prostitution, keeping all of her money, supplying her with drugs, and regularly beating her. Sometime in December 2016, Moffett began selling heroin to D.D., a third victim. D.D. began working for Moffett, providing commercial sex to others, and gave all of the money she made to Moffett. Moffett exploited D.D.’s heroin addiction to coerce her into engaging in commercial sex acts. A few months later, Moffett came to believe that D.D. had stolen $50 from him. Moffett pointed a pistol at D.D., who attempted to flee from the hotel room. K.W., who was present at the time, grabbed D.D. by the hair, and Moffett twice stomped D.D. on the head. D.D. ultimately escaped.
Around February 2017, Moffett met his fourth victim, S.B., when she began purchasing heroin from him. Moffett invited S.B. and K.D. to travel with him to Ohio, purportedly to meet his two newly-born children. Once in Ohio, Moffett informed S.B. and K.D. that they would need to engage in prostitution in order to make enough money to return to Florida. S.B. and K.D., lacking financial and transportation resources, did so. In March 2017, Moffett transported S.B. and K.D. back to Florida. After returning to Florida, K.D. told Moffett, as a ruse, that she had a commercial sex “date” coming to the hotel, and Moffett left the hotel. K.D. then phoned a friend who came to pick her up. Moffett attempted to coerce K.D. to return to him by calling her multiple times and leaving threatening messages.
Meanwhile, Moffett continued to force K.W. and S.B. to engage in commercial sex acts out of various hotels in Jacksonville. In April 2017, Moffett coerced a fifth victim, S.A., into working for him. S.A. had previously purchased heroin from Moffett and contacted him after she became homeless. Moffett took S.A. in, and, the next day, informed her she would need to engage in prostitution to pay her way. During the time that K.W., S.B., and S.A. were working under Moffett’s control, Moffett would withhold heroin from them so that they would get “dope sick” as a means of coercing them to engage in commercial sex “dates” at his direction. When S.B. informed Moffett that she wanted to leave, Moffett gave her a bill totaling approximately $3,000 that he claimed S.B. needed to pay him for drugs, food, and shelter, before she could leave. Moffett then forced the S.B. to have sex with him and locked her in a bathroom for an entire day as punishment. Ultimately, S.B. and S.A. were able to escape from Moffett when S.A. was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for a prostitution offense. S.A., who was so terrified of Moffett that she attempted to hide underneath the floor mat of the JSO patrol vehicle in which she was detained, informed detectives that Moffett was her “pimp.” During this time, S.B. was able to escape. Moffett continued to exploit K.W. until he was arrested by JSO in November 2017.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the State Attorney’s Office, Fourth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Cofer Taylor and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Wolfson.
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Possession and Cocaine Distribution ChargesRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS NIEVES-FELICIANO, 41, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven to drug and firearm offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 4, 2019, agents with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (“DRS”) arrived at Broad Street Liquors, located at 1949 Broad Street in Hartford, to conduct a routine permit/cigarette inspection. When they entered, Nieves-Feliciano, an employee of the store, was standing behind the counter. Nieves-Feliciano immediately concealed items, struggled with DRS agents, and eventually fled the store.
The DRS agents then contacted Hartford Police and a court-authorized search of the store revealed a loaded Kel-Tec, Model P11, 9mm semiautomatic pistol, approximately 45 grams of cocaine packaged for distribution and a quantity of marijuana packaged for distribution, all of which was located on or behind the store’s counter. A second 9mm pistol, a box of ammunition, approximately 112 grams of cocaine, approximately $13,000 in cash, and personal items and documents belonging to Nieves-Feliciano, were located in the basement of the store.
The search of the store also revealed several cigarette packs that had fraudulent tax stamps.
Nieves-Feliciano’s criminal history includes state felony convictions for narcotics, firearm, assault and robbery offenses.
It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Nieves-Feliciano pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. Judge Arterton scheduled sentencing for January 13, 2020.
Nieves-Feliciano has been detained since May 15, 2019, when he was arrested on a federal criminal complaint.
This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Northern Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes members of the Hartford Police Department, East Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction. The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services provided valuable assistance to the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Leaming.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
Hartford Drug Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 6 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANTONIO JOHNSON, also known as “Unk,” 42, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 78 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing heroin and fentanyl in Hartford.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force launched an investigation into an organization that was selling large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and other narcotics in Hartford. The investigation, which included approximately six months of court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical surveillance, revealed that members of the organization supplied distribution quantities of narcotics to several Hartford-area drug dealers, and used multiple locations in Hartford to process, store and distribute narcotics. Johnson assisted other members of the drug trafficking organization and also distributed narcotics to his own customers.
Johnson was intercepted during wiretapped conversations discussing the narcotics distribution enterprise, as well as illegal firearms activities.
Johnson and other members of the organization were arrested on July 19, 2018. On that date, investigators executed 10 search warrants and seized approximately 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin, approximately 500 grams of crack cocaine, 100 grams of cocaine, eight firearms, cash, and other evidence of narcotics trafficking activity.
On August 2, 2018, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Johnson and 15 co-defendants with various offenses.
On May 10, 2019, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine base (“crack”).
Johnson has been detained since his arrest.
Johnson has 28 prior convictions, including multiple felony convictions. In April 2004, he was sentenced in New Haven federal court to 27 months of imprisonment for passing more than $41,000 in counterfeit checks.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Windsor Locks and Willimantic Police Departments. Agencies assisting the investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Connecticut Department of Correction, and the East Hartford, New Britain, Newington and West Hartford Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey M. Stone.
Guatemalan National Man Sentenced for Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Guatemalan national man was sentenced to “time served” for the felony offense of Reentry of a Removed Alien, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Daniel Lopez-Ajqui, 26, has been in custody since June 11, 2019, over four months in federal custody. Lopez-Ajqui entered a guilty plea on September 16, 2019. After the sentencing, he was remanded to the Department of Homeland Security for possible removal from the United States. Stuart commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We have more than doubled our prosecutions of illegal reentry cases over the last two years,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “This was Lopez-Ajqui’s third illegal entry into the United States. We must put a stop to the revolving door.”
On June 11, 2019, Lopez-Ajqui was found in Elkview by members of ICE after they received information Lopez-Ajqui was working illegally in Elkview. ICE agents traveled to Elkview to confirm his legal status. The defendant admitted to agents that he was in the United States illegally. Lopez-Ajqui was arrested and ICE agents matched his fingerprints to previous removals from the United States. ICE agents further spoke to the defendant to confirm his identity. Lopez-Ajqui again admitted being in the United States illegally and had no identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States.
Fingerprinting matched Lopez-Ajqui to two prior removals from the United States in 2018 from Texas. In all prior removal hearings, Lopez-Ajqui was found by immigration judges to be in the United States illegally and he was deported to Guatemala. He had not obtained permission to legally enter the United States and had not sought legal status or citizenship. Lopez-Ajqui further admitted to ICE agents that he was a Guatemalan citizen.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecution.
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Fresno Residents Plead Guilty to Aiming a Laser at CHP AircraftRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Today Carlos Villa-Lozano, 31, and Paulina Silva Aguilar, 33, both of Fresno, Calif., entered guilty pleas to aiming the beam of a laser pointer at a California Highway Patrol aircraft, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to their plea agreements, on July 22, 2018, both Villa-Lozano and Silva used a dangerously bright green laser pointer, a Model 301, to strike a CHP fixed wing aircraft approximately 12 times. The laser strikes caused the CHP airmen to experience temporary blindness and disorientation. Villa-Lozano obstructed justice by materially misrepresenting to the FBI the nature of his involvement in the crime.
The Model 301 laser pointer has a prominent warning label that indicates that the laser is dangerous and should not be pointed at the eye. The Model 301 is advertised as emitting 500 milliwatts of power and having the ability to burn a match. According to the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates laser products, handheld laser devices are limited to 5 milliwatts output power. Lasers that emit more than 5 and up to 500 milliwatts of power are very dangerous and may cause permanent damage to the eye. Lasers pose a particular hazard to pilots, since sustained visual interference caused by lasers could interfere with the safe operation of the aircraft. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this year there have been 15.7 laser incidents per day involving aircraft in the United States.
This case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Villa-Lozano and Silva are scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 30, 2020. Villa-Lozano and Silva face a maximum statutory penalty of five 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.
Fresno Resident Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing Firearm After Ordering Machine Gun Parts from ChinaRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Eric Vang, 36, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, a Chinese distributer mailed a package to Vang that contained parts to convert a Glock handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. Following a search of Vang’s residence, federal agents found and seized several other firearms and several parts resembling silencers for those firearms. Vang is a previously convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Newman is prosecuting the case.
Vang is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on Jan. 27, 2020. Vang faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
Former state prison guard pleads guilty to smuggling methamphetamine and other drugs to inmatesRead the Press Release
ROME, GA. - Voltaire Peter Pierre, a former corrections officer at Hays State Prison, has pleaded guilty to smuggling methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana past prison security and into the hands of inmates in exchange for payments. Because Pierre stored the drugs at his family home before smuggling them into the prison, he also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on premises where a minor resides.
“Public service is a duty and a privilege, not an opportunity to leverage a position of trust for personal financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “As a former corrections officer, Pierre violated his oath to uphold the law, betrayed the community, and endangered his fellow officers and inmates. We will continue working with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ferret out and remove corrupt officials and to combat the flow of drugs and other contraband into our prisons.”
“Smuggling illegal contraband into a prison not only jeopardizes the safety of staff and inmates, it also fosters criminal activities inside and outside of the prison,” said the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, Chris Hacker. “Pierre not only violated his sworn oath, but betrayed every hard working corrections officer. The FBI will vigorously pursue any allegations of corruption in these facilities to ensure the safety of both staff and inmates.”
“The Georgia Department of Corrections maintains a zero tolerance policy for individuals who choose to ignore their oath and jeopardize our non-negotiable mission of public safety. We appreciate the support of our Federal partners in our efforts to see that justice is served on this former Officer,” said GDC Commissioner Timothy C. Ward. “The actions of this individual do not reflect the hundreds of Officers who are committed each and every day to ensuring the safety of the public and the safe operations of our facilities.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: Beginning in June 2018, and continuing until his arrest on October 1, 2018, Pierre smuggled methamphetamine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and tobacco into Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia, for distribution to inmates, many of whom were members of the Bloods criminal street gang. He coordinated with inmates and their associates outside prison to arrange drug drop-offs at motels and at his family’s home. After receiving the drugs, the defendant smuggled them into the prison in soup containers and other seemingly innocuous items. Inmates and their associates paid the defendant through a mobile payment app.
On October 2, 2019, Voltaire Peter Pierre, 39, of Norcross, Georgia, was charged via criminal information with (1) conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana and (2) possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on premises where a minor resides. Pierre pleaded guilty to both of those charges.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating this case in coordination with the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. Christian is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga
Former President of Private Tennis Academy Agrees to Plead Guilty in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – Martin Fox, the former president of a private tennis academy in Texas, will plead guilty in connection with his involvement in a scheme to use bribery to facilitate the admission of applicants to selective colleges and universities.
Fox, 62, of Houston, Texas, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guidelines, one year of supervised release, a fine and restitution.
In 2015, Fox introduced co-conspirator William “Rick” Singer to a tennis coach at the University of Texas (U-Texas), who facilitated the admission of a student to U-Texas as a purported athletic recruit in exchange for a bribe. In return for assisting with the bribe transaction, Singer paid Fox $100,000. Fox arranged additional similar bribes, on two occasions, with a varsity sports coach at the University of San Diego (USD). Specifically, in exchange for a bribe paid through Fox, the USD coach designated the son of one of Singer’s clients, who did not play the sport, as an athletic recruit for the team, thereby facilitating his admission to USD. Singer paid Fox $100,000 for arranging the bribe. In 2017, in exchange for the promise of another bribe, the varsity coach designated another student as a recruit to manage the coach’s team, thereby facilitating her admission to USD. Although the student ultimately decided not to attend USD, Singer paid the varsity coach $10,000 for his help.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
The charge of racketeering conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Former Executive Assistant Pleads Guilty in Connection with Embezzling over $3 MillionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former executive assistant of a Waltham-based technology company pleaded guilty today in connection with a fraud and embezzlement scheme that netted over $3 million.
Shivani Patel, 38, of Vineyard Haven, pleaded guilty to one count each of bank fraud, money laundering and filing false tax returns. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2020. According to the terms of the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 57 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine between $20,000 and $200,000, restitution and forfeiture.
As an executive assistant to the chief financial officer, Patel’s duties included retrieving incoming mail containing customer checks made payable to her employer, recording the checks into the payment system and depositing the checks into her employer’s bank account.
From at least February 2012 through July 2017, Patel embezzled approximately $3,076,369 from her then employer for her personal use. Specifically, in February 2012, Patel created a company with a name nearly identical to that of her then employer — using her employer’s name but just adding an “s” to the end — and opened a business banking account in the sham company’s name. Thereafter, Patel took customer checks payable to her employer from the mail, deposited those checks into the sham company’s bank account, and concealed her embezzlement by making false entries in her employer’s billing system. To disguise and conceal the nature of these funds, Patel funneled this money through multiple bank accounts.
In addition, Patel filed income tax returns for the tax years 2012 through 2016 in which she intentionally underreported her income by failing to disclose the money she had stolen from her employer.
The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, a fine of $1 million, restitution and forfeiture. The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years, three years of supervised release, a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, restitution and forfeiture. The charge of filing false tax returns provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $100,000, restitution and forfeiture. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. O’Connell of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Former Department of Justice Information Technology Specialist Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Robert Thomas Darenberg, 34, of Jacksonville, was sentenced today to forty-eight months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The Court ordered that
Darenberg pay $15,000.00 in restitution, serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, and register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Lawrence Keefe, United States
Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence this afternoon.In November 2018, law enforcement officers received information that Darenberg, then employed as an information technology specialist with the Middle District of Florida’s United States Attorney’s
Office, was in possession of child pornography. During the investigation, Darenberg was arrested on a criminal complaint and a federal search warrant was authorized resulting in the seizure of his personal computer and other digital media. A forensic review of Darenberg’s personal computer confirmed his attempts to encrypt and conceal files containing approximately 1,630 images of child pornography, including approximately 270 videos.“This information technology specialist thought he could outsmart law enforcement, but thanks to the hard work of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Northern District of Florida United States
Attorney’s Office, and HSI, he is facing the same consequences as every other criminal,” said HSI
Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.Added U.S. Attorney Keefe: “Those who possess child pornography enable and participate in a despicable practice that preys on the most innocent among us. There is a special place for that kind of deviant mind – and for this defendant, that place is federal prison.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Jason R. Coody.The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern
District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.Former CEO of Pimco Pleads Guilty in College Admissions CaseRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A California man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to using bribery and other forms of fraud to facilitate his children’s admission to the University of Southern California (USC) as purported athletic recruits.
Douglas Hodge, 61, of Laguna Beach, Calif., the former CEO of Pimco, pleaded guilty today to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Jan. 22, 2020.
Beginning in 2012, Hodge conspired with Rick Singer and others to pay a total of $525,000 to facilitate his younger daughter’s admission to USC as a purported soccer recruit and his son’s admission to USC as a purported football recruit. In September 2012, Singer sent high school transcripts for Hodge’s younger daughter to Laura Janke and Ali Khosroshahin, the coaches of the USC women’s soccer team. They fabricated a soccer profile for Hodge’s younger daughter, which was then submitted as part of her application to USC. In February 2013, a senior athletics administrator at USC, Donna Heinel, allegedly presented Hodge’s younger daughter to the USC subcommittee for athletic admissions – and based on the falsified soccer credentials – secured her admission to the university as a purported soccer recruit. On April 9, 2013, after Hodge’s younger daughter received a formal acceptance letter from USC, Hodge wired $150,000 to Singer’s for-profit college counseling business and $50,000 to Singer’s sham charity, Key Worldwide Foundation, to pay for the bribery scheme.
In January 2015, Singer e-mailed two falsified athletic profiles of Hodge’s son created by Janke—one relating for football, the other for tennis—to Hodge and instructed Hodge to e-mail them to the senior athletic director at USC. In February 2015, Hodge’s son was approved by the USC subcommittee for athletic admissions based on the falsified football credentials after being presented by the senior athletic director. In March 2015, Hodge mailed the athletic director a $75,000 check made payable to USC “Womens Athletic Board,” a fund she controlled, after Hodge’s son was formally accepted to USC. In April 2015, Hodge wired $125,000 to Singer’s business and $125,000 to Singer’s sham charity to pay for the bribery scheme.
Case information, including the status of each defendant, charging documents and plea agreements are available here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/investigations-college-admissions-and-testing-bribery-scheme.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric S. Rosen, Justin D. O’Connell, Leslie A. Wright and Kristen A. Kearney of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit are prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the court documents are allegations and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Downstate Man Sentenced for His Role in Identity Theft ScamRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Michael Wright, 56, of New York, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The defendant was also ordered to pay $57,300 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Cantil, who handled the case, stated that between December 2016 and September 2018, the defendant conspired with Jeriel Slay, Angela Slay, Sirr Wright, and others to defraud multiple victims. As a part of their scheme, Jeriel and Angela Slay, who are siblings, stole the identities of unsuspecting individuals and created fictitious Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), with company names indicating ownership by the victims. The defendants then opened bank accounts under the names of the LLCs and fraudulently transferred money from a victim’s actual bank account to the LLC bank account.
For example, Jeriel Slay fraudulently obtained Victim 1’s name, address, birthdate, social security number, and other information, and then opened an LLC, and a bank account in the name of the fraudulent LLC. Jeriel Slay then contacted Victim 1’s legitimate financial institution and transferred money from Victim 1’s legitimate account via wire transfer to the fraudulent LLC bank account. Jeriel Slay, using device-making equipment, then created fraudulent driver’s licenses, fraudulent utility bills, and other identification documents in the name of Victim 1. The fraudulent driver’s license had Victim 1’s information but Michael Wright’s, image on the card. Using these fraudulent identification documents, defendant Wright went to the bank that serviced the fraudulent LLC bank account and withdrew the funds from that fraudulent account. Wright executed this scheme against approximately 10 victims, one of whom resides in the Western District of New York. The financial loss totaled $161,100.
Jeriel Slay, Angela Slay, and Sirr Wright were all previously convicted and are awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Buffalo Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
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Department of Justice to Publish Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Comply Fully with DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005Read the Press Release
The Department of Justice today issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would restore to the Attorney General the authority vested in him by the bipartisan DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 to authorize and direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect DNA samples from the non-United States persons it detains. Once implemented, this rule will facilitate federal, state, and local crime reduction and investigation efforts.
“The proposed rule change would help to save lives and bring criminals to justice by restoring the authority of the Attorney General to authorize and direct the collection of DNA from non-United States persons detained at the border and the interior by DHS, with the ultimate goal of reducing victimization of innocent citizens,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “Today’s proposed rule change is a lawful exercise of the Attorney General’s authority, provided by Congress, to collect DNA samples from non-United States persons who are properly detained under the authority of the United States.”
As a result of this rule change, the Department of Justice will ensure that all federal agencies—including DHS—are in full compliance with the bipartisan DNA Fingerprint Act, which was a component of a larger legislative package that passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote of 415 to four and the Senate by Unanimous Consent. The DNA Fingerprint Act provided the Attorney General with the exclusive authority to draft regulations to authorize and direct any federal agency to “collect DNA samples from individuals who are arrested, facing charges, or convicted or from non-United States persons who are detained under the authority of the United States.” 24 U.S.C. § 40702(a)(1)(A).
On Dec. 10, 2008, the Department of Justice published in the Federal Register a final rule implementing the collection of DNA samples under the DNA Fingerprint Act. That rule included a provision at 28 C.F.R. § 28.12(b)(4) that permitted DHS to exempt itself from collecting DNA samples from its non-United States citizen detainees by consulting with the Attorney General. Today’s proposed rule change would eliminate that exception, and restore to the Attorney General the plenary authority to authorize and direct federal agencies’ DNA collection efforts that Congress vested in him on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis in the DNA Fingerprint Act.
Since Congress’ passage of the bipartisan DNA Fingerprint Act, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has built a high-throughput DNA sample processing infrastructure through its Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The CODIS database is a vital tool for federal, state, and local law enforcement investigations. All fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and federal law enforcement participate in the national sharing of DNA profiles through CODIS. The FBI also has consistently reduced the operational burden for individual federal agencies to collect DNA through technological enhancements.
In advance of this rule change, the Department of Justice and DHS have been working collaboratively to initiate a pilot program for the collection of DNA from non-U.S. persons detained by DHS. As with all other DNA samples that federal agencies collect under the authority of the bipartisan DNA Fingerprint Act, the DNA samples that DHS collects from its non-United States person detainees will be entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The FBI’s laboratory has the capacity to handle the increased input from DHS, and its capabilities can be scaled up to meet additional capacity. The FBI will provide DHS with the DNA collection kits, analyze the samples, and ensure that law enforcement agencies use the results in accordance with the FBI’s stringent CODIS privacy requirements.
Department of Justice awards more than $85.3 million in grants to address school violenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“Preventing school violence is critically important. We are appreciative that the Department of Justice provided the additional resources to schools in the Eastern District of Kentucky,” said Robert M. Duncan Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “These resources will help ensure a safe and secure learning environment for students and ultimately make schools and communities safer.”
The grants award more than $1.7 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in the Eastern District of Kentucky. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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Department of Justice Awards more than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“The safety and security of our citizens, especially our children, is one of the most important duties we have in government, and this funding will go a long way in helping these schools prevent future violence and protect our kids from violent acts. I applaud the Department for investing in our educational institutions and giving administrators and teachers the tools they need in order to safeguard our future generations,” said U.S. Attorney Hurst.
The grants award more than $544,000 in funding to prevent violence in schools in the Southern District of Mississippi. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Pearl River County School District:
The Pearl River County School District received $143,285 under BJA’s STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program. This program is designed to provide multi-disciplinary training programs to school personnel and students (including volunteers, counselors, coaches and school resource officers) with the intent to prevent and respond to mental health crises that may precipitate violent attacks on school grounds. The training will address critical issues such as bullying, addiction and interpersonal violence through education sessions in consultation with school violence researchers, licensed mental health professionals, social workers, teachers, principals and other school personnel.
Long Beach and Petal School Districts:
The Long Beach School District received $374,834 and the Petal School District received $26,550 under the COPS’ School Violence Prevention Program. This funding is intended to improve school safety through violence prevention, through coordination with law enforcement, training for local law enforcements officers to prevent student violence, metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures, technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency, and other measures to improve school security.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
Department of Justice Awards More than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security — including funding to educate and train students and faculty — and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
The 2018 STOP School Violence Act authorized the Department of Justice to create a series of grant award programs under a School Violence Prevention Program. This year, the Department made 215 awards to schools, districts and other jurisdictions throughout the United States.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
More details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, can be found here.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
The grants award more than $1.25 million in funding to prevent violence in Maine schools. The following school administrative units received funding under the School Violence Prevention Program of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office):
Awardee
Amount of Award
School Administrative District 15
(Gray, New Gloucester)
$494,850
Regional School Unit No. 52
(Greene, Leeds, Turner)
$324,108
Sanford School Department
$216,221
School Administrative District 30
(Lee, Springfield, Webster, Winn)
$181,767
Regional School Unit No. 38
(Manchester, Mount Vernon, Readfield, Wayne)
$40,500
“These grants to Maine schools will assist local districts in preventing violence in schools and enhancing the safety of Maine schoolchildren, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank said. “The Department of Justice, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, are committed to working with our local partners to ensure schools are safe places in which to learn. In particular, we believe that current best practice is the use of multi-disciplinary teams to assess and respond to school threats.”
President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the COPS Office.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the COPS Office manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than 85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“The US Attorney’s office continues to support all efforts to create safe environments for students, faculty, and staff,” said U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey of the Eastern District of Tennessee. “Our office is pleased to announce these federal resources will be put to use within our district, and I am confident they will be used to improve school security and add to our community’s collective peace of mind.”
The grants award more than $470,000 in funding to prevent violence in schools in the Eastern District of Tennessee. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit here.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School Violence: Oklahoma Schools Awarded $2.5 Million in FundingRead the Press Release
Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident. In Oklahoma, the grants award more than $2.5 million in funding to prevent violence in schools.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“Our schools should be safe havens where children can go to learn free from fear of evildoers. Moreover, parents should not have to fear for the safety of their children while at school. I’m proud the Department of Justice is helping to make Oklahoma schools safer. The Oklahoma Department of Education will receive more than $2.5 million in critical funds to enhance mental health services, training, and technology to safeguard our children,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Oklahoma’s children, teachers, school administrators and staff should know the United States Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice are committed to ensuring their safety.”
President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
Those receiving the funding in Oklahoma are:
COPS’ School Violence Prevention Program
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma (Northern District of Oklahoma): $67,425
Oklahoma City Public Schools: $500,000
BJA’s STOP School Violence Technology and Threat Assessment Solutions for Safer Schools Program
-Rural area or small county with a population fewer than 100,000
Stillwell Public Schools: $149, 975
-Anonymous Reporting:
Norman Public Schools: $100,000
Oklahoma State Department of Education: $250,000
-State School Safety Centers
Oklahoma State Department of Education: $996,855
BJA’s STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program
-State with population fewer than 5 million
Oklahoma State Department of Education: $498,997
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
North Carolina Agencies and Schools Awarded More than 5 Million in Funding
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“Preventing violence in our schools is critical to the safety and security of all of our communities,” said Robert J. Higdon, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “These funds authorized by the Department of Justice will be used to better prepare school faculty, students and law enforcement to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats.”
The grants award more than $5 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in North Carolina. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“The Central Falls school district works hard every day to ensure students have a safe environment where they can thrive,” noted United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman. “This grant will provide monies for additional tools and resources for increased safety and coordination with law enforcement.”
The grants award more than $337,000 in funding to prevent violence in schools in Central Falls. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Roanoke, VIRGINIA – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“There is nothing more important than the safety of our children,” U.S. Attorney Thomas T. Cullen stated today. “I am thrilled that the Winchester Public Schools have received this generous grant and will use these funds to make their facilities even more secure.”
The grants award more than $480,000 to the Winchester Public Schools in the Western District of Virginia to prevent violence in schools. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, joined the Department of Justice in announcing it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Students should feel safe in their school and classrooms. These federal grants will provide monies for additional tools and resources for increased safety and coordination with law enforcement. We are grateful to the Department of Justice for providing the Washington Granger School District 204 and Benton County Sheriff’s Office the resources to protect and support our students.”
The grants award more than $481,955 in funding to prevent violence in schools in the Eastern District of Washington. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security — including funding to educate and train students and faculty — and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“The DOJ’s latest grant award will help keep violence out of the classrooms and off campuses,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada. “We continue to work with our partners to improve school safety through violence prevention training and funding for improving school safety measures.”
The Carson City School District received a COPS’ School Violence Prevention Program grant award of $190,803 to prevent violence and support school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement; training for law enforcement; deterrent measures such as metal detectors, locks, and lighting; and notification technology. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV.
Today’s award announcement comes after the Department of Justice announced more than $70 million to support school safety and $64 million to improve state criminal record systems last year. Of the 2018 award, Nevada received more than $500,000.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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Department of Justice Announces Forfeiture of North Korean Cargo VesselRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced the entry of a judgment of forfeiture regarding the M/V Wise Honest (the “Wise Honest”), a 17,061-ton, single-hull bulk carrier ship registered in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”). The Wise Honest, one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers, was used to illicitly ship coal from North Korea and to deliver heavy machinery back to the DPRK. Payments for maintenance, equipment and improvements of the Wise Honest were made in U.S. dollars through unwitting U.S. banks. This conduct violates longstanding U.S. law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“This order of forfeiture sinks the Wise Honest’s career as one of North Korea’s largest sanctions-busting vessels,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “The Department of Justice will continue to pursue other property used to violate U.S. and international sanctions, around the globe, with the cooperation of our international partners.”
“Today’s judgment of forfeiture finalizes the U.S. government’s seizure of the Wise Honest and officially takes this North Korean vessel out of commission,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York. “It will no longer be used to further a criminal scheme. Using the full set of tools at our disposal, we will continue to investigate and prosecute attempts to evade U.S. sanctions, including by the North Korean regime.”
According to documents filed in Manhattan federal court:
Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (NKSPEA), the DPRK and individuals or entities that the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has determined are involved in the facilitation of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) are prohibited from engaging in transactions with U.S. persons, involving U.S.-origin goods, or using the U.S. financial system. The United Nations Security Council has similarly prohibited the provision of goods, technology, and services to North Korea, and the sale, supply, or transfer of coal from North Korea.
From at least November 2016 through April 2018, the Wise Honest was used by Korea Songi Shipping Company, an affiliate of Korea Songi General Trading Corporation, to export coal from North Korea to foreign purchasers and import machinery to North Korea (the “Korea Songi Scheme”). On June 1, 2017, OFAC designated Songi Trading Company pursuant to Executive 13722 for its involvement in the sale, supply, or transfer of coal from North Korea. OFAC also determined Songi Trading Company was a subordinate of the Korean People’s Army.
On or about March 14, 2018, the Wise Honest was loaded with coal in Nampo, North Korea. On or about April 2, 2018, foreign maritime authorities intercepted and detained the Wise Honest. Maritime regulations require vessels like the Wise Honest engaged in international voyages to operate an automatic identification system (AIS) capable of providing information about the vessel to other ships and coastal authorities. However, despite its March 2018 voyage from North Korea, the Wise Honest had not broadcast an AIS signal since Aug. 4, 2017.
Participants in the Korea Songi Scheme attempted to conceal the Wise Honest’s DPRK affiliation by falsely listing different countries for the Wise Honest’s nationality and the origin of the illicit coal in shipping documentation.
In connection with Korea Songi Scheme, Kwon Chol Nam, one of Korea Songi Shipping Company’s Representatives, paid for numerous improvements, equipment purchases, and service expenditures for the Wise Honest in U.S. dollars through U.S. financial institutions. Such transfers constitute a provision of services, and longstanding U.S. law prohibits banks from providing such services to North Korean parties. Payments totaling more than $750,000 were transmitted through accounts at a U.S. financial institution in connection with the March 2018 shipment of coal on board the Wise Honest.
On May 9, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a civil forfeiture complaint against the Wise Honest, which had previously been seized pursuant to a warrant issued in the Southern District of New York. Today’s judgment of forfeiture, which was ordered by the Honorable P. Kevin Castel of the Southern District of New York, confirms the U.S. Government’s ownership of the Wise Honest.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and its New York Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, and thanked the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Office of International Affairs; the United States Coast Guard; and the Department of State for their assistance.
Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Berman also thanked Fred and Cindy Warmbier, the parents of the late Otto Warmbier, for their willingness voluntarily to withdraw their claim in the action in order to facilitate the forfeiture of the Wise Honest.
The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Denton, Jr. and Benet J. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Christian Ford of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Department of Justice Awards More than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Southern District of Florida Awarded More Than $3.4 Million in Funding for Safer Schools
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“We must protect our children and stop the scourge of violence in schools,” stated U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida “The millions of dollars in grant money that is being awarded to South Florida schools will help us to identify the threats, encourage reporting of potential dangers, provide critical health services and enhance school safety. We are grateful to the Department for providing the Palm Beach County School District, Broward Sheriff’s Office, the School Boards of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police Department, and countless other deserving communities with the resources needed to help support and protect our youth.”
The grants award more than $3.4 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in the Southern District of Florida. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“We are grateful for these additional resources to prevent school violence,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “We are confident that our partners will utilize them to the best of their ability in keeping our schools and students safe from harm.”
The grants award more than $4.1 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in Middle District of Florida. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
Schools in District of New Jersey Awarded $4.29 Million in Funding
NEWARK, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Justice today announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security – including funding to educate and train students and faculty – and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,” Attorney General William P. Barr said. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
“This funding will enable the state and local educators and law enforcement personnel develop programs to address the problem of violence in our schools,” U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, District of New Jersey, said. “In addition to helping prepare us to respond to these incidents, the funding will empower law enforcement to develop tools to identify potential threats and intervene before violence occurs.”
The grants award more than $4.29 million in funding to prevent violence in schools in the District of New Jersey. President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
• Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools; • Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures; • Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves; • Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications; • Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats; • Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
• Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.For more details about these individual award programs, including the awards in the District of New Jersey, visit: Fact Sheet.
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at OJP.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit COPS.
Department of Justice Awards More Than $85.3 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
The grants award $1,626,347 in funding to three schools in the District of Montana to prevent violence. Schools receiving the grants are the University of Montana, $1 million; Polson School District #23, $476,347; and Browning Public School District 9, $150,000.
“We are pleased that the University of Montana, along with the Polson and Browning public school districts, will be receiving these funds to improve safety. Keeping our schools prepared to respond to potential threats is important to providing a safe environment where students, faculty and staff can do what they should do in school, focus on learning,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
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Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Fentanyl at Veterans Affairs Facility in Bath, NYRead 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 Nolan Rogers, 32, of Lisbon, CT, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson to possession of fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, and a fine of up to $100,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was a resident at the Bath, NY Veterans Affairs Medical Center. On March 3, 2019, Rogers returned to the facility after a trip home to Connecticut, when he encountered a VA Police officer. During a pat-down, 20 small bags were removed by the officer from the defendant’s pocket, and Rogers told the officer that the bags contained fentanyl. Laboratory testing confirmed that the substance was fentanyl.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Criminal Investigations Division, Northeast Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Sean J. Smith; and the Bath Veterans Affairs Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Day. Assistance was also provided by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James L. Allard; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 11, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Payson.
Computer Programmer Pleads Guilty in Cyberattack Threat CaseRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita computer programmer pleaded guilty today to threatening cyberattacks against two web sites that posted criticism of Wichita lawyer Brad Pistotnik, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
David Dorsett, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of making extortionate threats via the internet. In his plea, Dorsett admitted he contacted Pistotnik in September 2014 offering reputation management services. Pistotnik met with Dorsett and showed him postings on the internet that Pistotnik wanted removed, including a Kansas Supreme Court disciplinary opinion for Pistotnik and a negative consumer review. Email communications between Dorsett and Pistotnik showed Postnik saying, “Any luck removing that bad website I showed you?” and “tell me how we get rid of it.”
Dorsett sent a barrage of emails to two web sites, leagle.com and RipoffReport.com demanding they remove information critical of Pistotnik. The emails read in part, “If you don’t remove it we will begin targeting your advertisers and explain that this will stop happening to them once they pull their ads…” Dorsett billed Pistotnik for sending the threats and Pistotnik paid him by check the same day.
Co-defendant Pistotnik was sentenced last week to pay a $375,000 fine and $55,200 in restitution.
Dorsett’s sentencing is set for Jan. 6. He faces a penalty of up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count.
McAllister commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
Colorado to Receive over $1 Million in Grants to Address School ViolenceRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that the Department of Justice has awarded over $1 million in grants – one to the State of Colorado and the other to the Hayden (Craig, Colorado) School District, to address school violence. The awards come as part of the Department’s larger announcement that it had awarded more than $85.3 million to bolster school security—including funding to educate and train students and faculty—and support first responders who arrive on the scene of a school shooting or other violent incident.
“The Department of Justice continues to recognize the importance of providing funds to proactively address school shootings,” said U.S. Attorney Dunn. “Students should feel safe in their school and in their classrooms. This grant is an important step to making sure they feel safe and are safe.”
“These federal resources will help to prevent school violence and give our students the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive,’ said Attorney General William P. Barr. “By training faculty, students and first responders, and by improving school security measures, we can make schools and their communities safer.”
In Colorado, two agencies received grant money:
- Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management received $999,987 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) program called STOP School Violence which would directly help schools by providing school administrators, staff, students and first responders with the ability to use threat assessments, crisis intervention teams, and anonymous reporting technology.
- Hayden School District RE1 (West of Craig) received $43,868 from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for School Violence Prevention
President Trump signed the STOP School Violence Act into law in March 2018, authorizing grants that are designed to improve threat assessments, train students and faculty to provide tips and leads, and prepare law enforcement officers and emergency professionals to respond to school shootings and other violent incidents. The grant programs are managed by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance, within the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services manage the programs and administer the grants, which include funds to:
- Develop school threat assessment teams and pursue technological solutions to improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools;
- Implement or improve school safety measures, including coordination with law enforcement, as well as the use of metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures;
- Train law enforcement to help deter student violence against others and themselves;
- Improve notification to first responders through implementation of technology that expedites emergency notifications;
- Develop and operate anonymous reporting systems to encourage safe reporting of potential school threats;
- Train school officials to intervene when mentally ill individuals threaten school safety; and
- Provide training and technical assistance to schools and other awardees in helping implement these programs.
For more details about these individual award programs, as well as listings of individual 2019 awardees, visit https://go.usa.gov/xVJuV
About the Office of Justice Programs:
The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal justice system. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
About the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services:
The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 130,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
- Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management received $999,987 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) program called STOP School Violence which would directly help schools by providing school administrators, staff, students and first responders with the ability to use threat assessments, crisis intervention teams, and anonymous reporting technology.
Chinese National Sentenced to 37 Months in Federal Prison for Trafficking Counterfeit iPhones from Hong KongRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—Quan Jiang, 30, a Chinese national and former engineering student at Linn Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, was sentenced today to 37 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for trafficking fake and altered Apple iPhones.
According to court documents, between January 1, 2016, and February 1, 2018, Jiang would regularly receive packages containing between 20 and 30 counterfeit iPhones from associates in Hong Kong. Using various assumed names, Jiang would submit each iPhone to Apple in person or online for a warranty replacement; he would then ship the genuine replacement devices he received back to China for resale. In exchange for his service, Jiang’s associate would pay Jiang’s mother, also residing in China, who would in turn deposit the money into Jiang’s bank account.
Jiang’s scheme first came to the attention of law enforcement on April 20, 2017, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized a shipment of 28 iPhone 6 devices en route to Jiang in Corvallis, Oregon. Later, on October 23, 2017, CBP seized a similar shipment of 25 iPhone 7 Plus devices addressed to Jiang. In both instances, CBP sent Jiang a notice of seizure, indicating that Apple representatives had confirmed the phones were counterfeit. Nevertheless, three more shipments—each with 29 iPhones—were seized by CBP in November 2017.
Jiang later admitted to investigators that he knew the devices were counterfeit and that it was illegal to submit them to Apple as genuine products still under warranty. In just over two years, Jiang imported more than 2,000 inoperable counterfeit iPhones. He ultimately obtained approximately 1,500 genuine replacement iPhones, each with an approximate resale value of $600.
On April 25, 2018, Jiang pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) and prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Catonsville Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Sexual Exploitation of Children and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Bilal Mohammad Siddiqui, age 22, of Catonsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty on October 18, 2019 to federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and cyberstalking.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Melissa R. Hyatt of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to his guilty plea, between April 2017 and August 2018, Siddiqui used the Internet-based communication services LiveMe, Snapchat, Kik, and FaceTime to coerce at least six minor females, ages 8 to 14, into creating and sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Siddiqui also attempted to sexually extort one of those victims, a sixth-grader. When she refused to produce additional sexually explicit videos of herself, he sent images and videos that she had previously shared with him to her sixth-grade classmates and friends.
Prior to September 2017, Siddiqui created an account on LiveMe, a mobile application that allowed users to stream live video over the internet and simultaneously chat with viewers. Siddiqui’s account included an anonymous username and a photograph of a young boy as his profile picture, so that other users would not realize he was an adult male. One of the users misled by Siddiqui was Jane Doe 1, an 8-year-old female.
On September 28, 2017, Jane Doe 1 was using LiveMe to broadcast a video of herself exercising in her pajamas. Siddiqui was among several LiveMe users watching the broadcast. When a number of those viewers asked Jane Doe 1 to show them her underwear, she refused, and eventually terminated the broadcast. Not long after, however, Jane Doe 1 began streaming a new LiveMe broadcast, and a number of her earlier broadcast viewers—including Siddiqui—followed her to the new broadcast. During the new broadcast, Jane Doe 1 told her viewers that she was 13 years old. Again, they enticed her to undress and expose herself. While she initially refused their requests, Jane Doe 1 eventually did what Siddiqui and other viewers asked, undressing and exposing her genitals to the camera.
Toward the end of Jane Doe 1’s broadcast, Siddiqui persuaded her to end her live stream and to contact him privately. They communicated via FaceTime, and during these video chats, Jane Doe 1 again told Siddiqui that she was 13 years old. He nonetheless instructed her to remove her shirt, pants, and underwear, then instructed Jane Doe 1 to use a marker to write “B-1-L-A-L”—his first name—on her skin next to her genitalia. He also instructed her to send him pictures of herself and her genitalia via text message. She complied with his instruction and sent Siddiqui at least one picture of herself.
After viewers of Jane Doe 1’s LiveMe broadcast reported the public conduct described above to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, law enforcement identified Siddiqui as the person who persuaded Jane Doe 1 to chat privately and obtained a search warrant for his residence. On September 5, 2018, officers executed the search warrant and located the cellphone that Siddiqui used to communicate with Jane Doe 1.
Siddiqui was present during the search, waived his Miranda rights, and voluntarily agreed to be interviewed by law enforcement. He admitted that the phone was his, that it was passcode-protected, that he had used LiveMe on the phone, and that he created the fake LiveMe profile using a photograph of a former classmate to disguise his identity. He admitted that he used his fake LiveMe account to communicate with Jane Doe 1, and later admitted—after initially denying—that he communicated privately with Jane Doe 1 through FaceTime, including instructing her to write his name next to her genitalia, and that he instructed her to send him nude images of herself via text message, believing Jane Doe 1 was 13 years old.
While Siddiqui was being interviewed, law enforcement conducted an on-scene forensic review of the phone and discovered evidence that he had also sexually exploited Jane Doe 2, a 9-year-old female. When officers asked Siddiqui about Jane Doe 2, he admitted that he created videos of her and estimated that there were ten videos of Jane Doe 2 engaging in sexually explicit conduct saved on his phone. Siddiqui explained that he began communicating with Jane Doe 2 in August 2018 using Snapchat, and continued as recently as September 3, 2018—two days before the search warrant execution. He explained that he captured the videos depicting this conduct by using his phone’s screen recording function, and that he believed Jane Doe 2 was 11 or 12 years old.
Finally, law enforcement asked Siddiqui whether he had engaged in similar conduct with any other children using mobile applications. He responded that he caused more than 10 but fewer than 50 minor females to do sexual things on video and that he derived sexual gratification from it.
Following Siddiqui’s interview, law enforcement sought and obtained records associated with online accounts controlled and used by Siddiqui. Those records showed that Siddiqui had coerced Jane Doe 4, an 11-year-old sixth-grader, into producing and sending him a nude image and nude videos of herself. Siddiqui began communicating with Jane Doe 4 on September 15, 2017, and told her that he was 15 years old and lived in her town. Within days, he had convinced Jane Doe 4 that they were in a relationship, and she revealed the name of the middle school that she was attending.
On October 4, 2017, however, Siddiqui began demanding that Jane Doe 4 send him sexually explicit images of her genitals, and threatened to send one of the videos of Jane Doe 4 to her classmates, friends, and family if she did not produce and send further videos of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Siddiqui specifically told Jane Doe 4, “Don’t play games with me .... I’ll expose u [right now] and ruin your life.” Jane Doe 4 begged him not to follow through on his threats and sent him additional explicit videos. After she sent the videos, Siddiqui told Jane Doe 4 that it was “too late” because he had already sent them to her friends.
On October 7, 2017, Jane Doe 4 tried to end her relationship with Siddiqui through a conversation on Snapchat. Siddiqui reacted to Jane Doe 4’s attempt by demanding that she immediately produce videos of herself engaging in sexually explicit conduct. After she refused, Siddiqui sent one image and two videos—all of which depicted Jane Doe 4 nude—to two unidentified Snapchat users. On October 12, 2017, a classmate of Jane Doe 4 alerted her middle school guidance counselor that images of Jane Doe 4 were being circulated. School administrators conducted a brief investigation to ensure the images had been deleted but did not contact law enforcement.
Electronic evidence further revealed that, between April 2017 and September 2018, Siddiqui used Snapchat and Kik to entice three additional minors, an 11-year-old, a 12-year-old, and a 14-year-old, to produce and send him sexually explicit images and videos. In each instance, he lied about his real age to persuade these minors to send him such materials.
Siddiqui and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to between 15 and 30 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for January 24, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey J. Izant and Paul E. Budlow, who are prosecuting the case.
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California Resident Sentenced to Prison for Selling Fraudulent Financial Instruments and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
Kenneth Taylor, a California resident, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $90,000 in victim restitution for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and $1,100,774 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for tax fraud, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter. The Honorable Jon S. Tigar, United States District Court Judge, imposed the sentence.
On March 1, 2019, Taylor pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return and to conspiring with codefendants Sharon Ringgenberg and Craig Scott to commit wire fraud. Taylor admitted that from 2009 through 2012, he conspired with his codefendants to sell to customers fraudulent standby letters of credit and proof of funds statements for submission to banks. These financial instruments were fraudulent because they reported false client creditworthiness and client balances that exceeded Success Bullion USA, LLC’s (SBUSA) assets.
The fraudulent financial instruments were issued by SBUSA, an entity for which Taylor established a website, and which falsely purported to be an authorized U.S. subsidiary of a large Hong Kong financial institution. The fraudulent financial instruments were transmitted to banks by Centerlink LLC, another entity Taylor controlled, in a format that rendered the instruments unenforceable. Taylor sent proceeds he received through SBUSA and Centerlink to an account in Belize that he controlled. Taylor admitted that he received more than $3 million from the scheme, and that his false returns caused a tax loss of more than $550,000.
Taylor’s co-conspirators, Ringgenberg and Scott, each pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 6, 2019.
In addition to the prison term and restitution, Judge Tigar also sentenced Taylor to three years of supervised release.
Assistant United States Attorney Colin Sampson and Tax Division Trial Attorney Charles A. O’Reilly are prosecuting the case. This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
California Man Sentenced to more than 15 Years for 16 Pounds of MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A California man arrested in Kansas with 16 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Edgar Santiago, 31, Adelanto, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped his car near Liberal in Seward County. In the side quarter panels of the trunk, troopers found 16 pounds of methamphetamine. Accompanying him in the car were his 5-year-old daughter his wife. His wife also has been charged.
McAllister commended the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst for their work on the case.
Buffalo Woman Going to Prison for Structuring Financial TransactionsRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Chanetel Garnett, 33, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of structuring transactions, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that between August 8, 2016, and September 6, 2017, the defendant failed properly to report the deposit of more than $100,000 in a 12-month period into numerous Bank of America accounts. Over the 12 months, Garnett traveled to multiple Bank of America branch locations in the Buffalo area and made 165 cash deposits totaling $1,313,270. The defendant conducted as many as eight transactions at separate Bank of America branches in a single day. Garnett did so in order to evade reporting requirements regarding cash deposits in amounts of $10,000 or more.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Jonathan D. Larsen, Special Agent-in-Charge; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ray Donovan, New York Field Division; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Timothy Howard; and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood.
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Buffalo Man Indicted for Being A Felon in Possession of AmmunitionRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Shelby Holcomb, 31, of Buffalo, NY, with being a felon in possession of ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Bish, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, on June 12, 2019, investigators executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and recovered, among other things, 119 rounds of various caliber ammunition.
Holcomb was previously convicted of Robbery in Erie County Court in May 2007, and as a result, he is legally prohibited from possessing ammunition.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John B. Devito, New York Field Division; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; and the New York State Department of Parole.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Brockton Man Sentenced to Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brockton man was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in federal court in Boston for heroin trafficking.
Ozair Pereira, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In May 2019, Pereira pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
During an investigation in the fall of 2018, agents intercepted telephone calls between Djuna Goncalves and multiple individuals, including Pereira, which revealed that Goncalves allegedly worked with others to distribute large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana from a base of operations at 12 Addison Avenue in Brockton. During the intercepted calls, Pereira ordered heroin from Goncalves, and agents observed Goncalves deliver the drugs to Pereira in Brockton.
Periera was indicted, along with Goncalves, and eight other defendants on Dec. 12, 2018, in a wide ranging drug conspiracy. Periera is the second defendant in this case to be sentenced.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintended of the Massachusetts State Police; Brockton Police Chief John Crowley; and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl and Alathea Porter of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.
Bridgeport Woman Sentenced for Distributing Heroin and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Derrica Pitts, 25, of Bridgeport, Nebraska, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison by Senior United States District Judge Laurie Smith Camp for possession with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine. In addition to her prison term, Pitts will serve three years of supervised release following her release from prison.
On February 27, 2019, law enforcement set up a purchase of an ounce of heroin and an ounce of methamphetamine in Sidney, Nebraska, with Pitts. She agreed to sell the heroin and methamphetamine for $1,350 and was then arrested.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
Baltimore Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Possession of A FirearmRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Christopher Lovelace, a/k/a Fat Chris, age 41, of Baltimore, Maryland, to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As part of his guilty plea, Lovelace admitted to possessing fentanyl, as well as the gun.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Rob Cekada of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur stated, “All too often, guns and drugs go hand in hand—and both are killers. Along with our local, state, and federal partners, we are committed to getting both off of our streets and to reducing violent crime in our neighborhoods. Christopher Lovelace brought both a gun and fentanyl to our streets, and now faces the reality of six years spent in a federal prison with no suspended sentences and no parole––ever.”
According to Lovelace’s plea agreement, on August 25, 2018, a Baltimore Police Officer was observing the 600 block of East 38th Street in northern Baltimore. The officer saw a woman walk up to the intersection of East 38th Street and Old York Road, and hand money to Lovelace. Lovelace then walked away from the woman, towards a dark-colored GMC Yukon, and retrieved something from the front of the car. He walked back towards the woman, and handed something to her. The officer recognized this exchange as a drug transaction, and called in other officers to arrest Lovelace, the woman, and to secure any relevant evidence.
After Lovelace was placed under arrest, officers found U.S. currency, gelcaps containing a white powdery substance, and the keys to the GMC Yukon on his person. During the search of the GMC Yukon, they found a loaded pistol and a clear plastic bag that contained gelcaps containing a white powdery substance, matching the ones found on Lovelace’s person.
Laboratory tests revealed that the gelcaps found on Lovelace during the search contained fentanyl.
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. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Loveland and Sandra Wilkinson, who are prosecuting the case.
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Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge for Possession of FentanylRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Devron Lasha Young, Jr., age 22, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute approximately 75 grams of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl—enough to kill 37,500 people. Young was charged in federal court as part of a federal-state initiative announced in December 2018 to combat the fentanyl crisis in Maryland.
Under this new initiative, titled the “Synthetic Opioid Surge,” or “SOS” for short, every arrest involving distribution of fentanyl made by law enforcement in Baltimore is reviewed jointly by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine whether the case will be handled in the state or federal system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will prosecute more cases involving fentanyl as a result of this new program. The use of federal resources and statutes, which carry significant terms of imprisonment, is necessary to prosecute those individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety in distributing lethal doses of fentanyl.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Assistant Special Agent in Charge Don A. Hibbert of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Local, state, and federal law enforcement partners in Baltimore City are teaming up to arrest and prosecute those who peddle the deadly poison of fentanyl on our streets and in our neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “As a result of our combined efforts, Devron Young now faces federal prison time, where there are no suspended sentences and no parole, ever. We must do everything we can to reduce overdose deaths from this drug and from all opioids.”
According to his guilty plea, on February 22, 2019, Young hailed an illegal taxi at the intersection of North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue in northwest Baltimore, the location of an openair drug market. Young offered the driver $10 to drive him a few blocks away, wait while he went into a building, and drive him back to the corner of North and Pennsylvania. Shortly after Young entered the vehicle, a Baltimore police officer stopped the car for a traffic violation. The officer asked the driver and Young where they were going. Young answered that the driver was a friend from school and that she was giving him a ride home. Neither statement was true.
When the officer asked the driver for her license and registration, she stated that they were in her wallet, which was located in a bag behind the driver’s seat. With the officer’s permission, she retrieved the bag. The officer saw that, aside from the driver’s wallet and some personal items, the bag contained only children’s diapers. The driver then returned the bag to the rear driver-side floor.
The driver produced a learner’s permit, but Young was unable to provide any form of identification. Young provided his personal information to the officer, who then advised Young and the driver that he was going to tow the vehicle because it was unregistered and uninsured. The officer returned to his vehicle to run law enforcement database inquiries on the driver and Young.
While the officer was in his patrol car, he observed Young reaching toward the rear passenger floor. The officer walked back to the vehicle and asked the driver to step out. He asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, and the driver told him there was not, then consented without hesitation to a search of the vehicle.
While the driver stayed outside the vehicle, the officer radioed for backup, and returned to the car to speak with Young. The officer asked Young if he had anything illegal on his person, which Young denied. Young then agreed to the officer’s request to perform a protective pat-down outside the vehicle. However, when the officer opened the door, Young tried to run away. Before Young could escape, the officer grabbed Young and placed Young under arrest.
Once Young was in custody, the officer searched the vehicle. He discovered that the bag had been moved to the middle of the vehicle’s back row. The officer seized the bag and noticed that, on top of the diapers, there was now a brown plastic bag that had not been there before. The brown plastic bag contained 30 separate packs holding a total of 752 capsules. The BPD Laboratory Section subsequently analyzed the capsules and determined that each contained both fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.
Young and the government have agreed that, if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Young will be sentenced to five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake has scheduled sentencing for January 17, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the DEA and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation and thanked Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and her office for their assistance. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey J. Izant, who is prosecuting the case.
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Atlanta Woman Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to File False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
An Atlanta, Georgia, woman was sentenced today to 56 months in prison for her role in a scheme to file false federal tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and United States Attorney Byung J. Pak for the Northern District of Georgia.
According to documents and information provided to the Court, between January 2010 and April 2014, Tiffany Lewis and her co-conspirators filed more than 5,000 false federal tax returns, many of which used stolen personal identifiable information. In total, Lewis was responsible for filing returns that claimed more than $11.9 million, and which caused the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to issue more than $3.7 million in fraudulent refunds.
After directing the fraudulent refunds into bank accounts they controlled, Lewis and her co-conspirators used checks and debit cards to withdraw cash or pay personal expenses. Later, when Lewis was interviewed by a Special Agent of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, Lewis lied about her involvement in the fraud scheme.
"Identity thieves have figured out that if they can steal Social Security numbers, they can file false returns with us," said Thomas J. Holloman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigations, Atlanta Field Office. “Stealing identities and filing false tax returns is a serious crime that hurts innocent taxpayers. Today’s sentence should serve as a strong warning to those who are considering similar conduct. Law enforcement is serious about investigating these crimes and holding to account those who would defraud the government.”
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones ordered Lewis to serve a term of three years of supervised release and to pay restitution to the United States in the amount of $3,799,991.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Pak commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys David B. Zisserson and Sean Beaty of the Tax Division, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey A. Brown, who prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division’s enforcement efforts can be found on the division’s website.
Armenian National Pleads Guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court for His Role in Visa Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Hrachya Atoyan pleaded guilty to conspiring with the operator of a Queens-based non-profit organization, Big Apple Music Awards Foundation Inc. (BAMA), to bring Armenian nationals illegally into the United States, and to committing visa fraud. The guilty plea was entered before United States Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Todd J. Brown, Director, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), announced the guilty plea.
“Atoyan’s guilty plea brings down the curtain on an elaborate visa fraud scheme to falsely portray applicants as artists and entertainers in order to circumvent our country’s P-3 visa program,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue.
“Exploiting the P-3 non-immigrant visa classification system for culturally unique artist and entertainers makes a mockery out of the legitimate performers for whom that visa was intended,” stated Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “We will work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to rid the system of fraudsters, like Mr. Atoyan and his co-conspirators, who seek to take advantage of and profit from our immigration system.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service builds strong teams overseas and in the United States to protect the integrity of all U.S. visas and travel documents -- especially those, like the P-3 visa, which allow for entertainers to visit the United States to perform in culturally unique events and deepen our understanding of different cultures,” stated DSS Director Brown. “DSS values our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world to prevent and jointly combat U.S. passport and visa fraud. Deterring, detecting and investigating U.S. passport and visa fraud is essential to safeguarding our national security.”
Between January 2013 and December 2014, Atoyan and Stella Boyadjian, the operator of BAMA, engaged in a widespread visa fraud scheme to bring foreign nationals illegally into the United States by falsely representing to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that they were members of a traditional Armenian performance group and thus qualified for P-3 visas as “culturally unique” artists or entertainers.
In furtherance of the scheme, the conspirators solicited foreign nationals and, in exchange for fees of up to $10,000, prepared and filed fraudulent P-3 visa applications. The conspirators acquired fraudulent documentation to support the applications, including fake dance certificates and staged photo sessions where the foreign nationals wore Armenian dance costumes to make it appear as though they were traditional Armenian musicians, singers and performers.
When sentenced, Atoyan faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment. Boyadjian pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring aliens unlawfully into the United States, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft in March 2019, and also awaits sentencing.
This case was investigated by the DSS Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Division, with assistance from the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security, Center Fraud Detection Operations, Vermont.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Gopstein and Trial Attorney Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.
The Defendant:
HRACHYA ATOYAN
Age: 32
Glendale, CaliforniaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 18-CR-57 (MKB)
Armenian Citizen Pleads Guilty for His Role in For-Profit U.S. Visa Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A man residing in Glendale, California, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to unlawfully bring in aliens and visa fraud for his role in a multi-year visa fraud scheme that brought Armenian citizens into the United States for profit.
Hrachya Atoyan, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket J. Bulsara in the Eastern District of New York. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2020, before U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie. According to the indictment, Atoyan allegedly participated in a transnational network of co-conspirators who engaged in a widespread visa fraud scheme to bring Armenian citizens into the United States by fraudulently claiming to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that the Armenians were members of performance groups, and thus qualified for P-3 “Culturally Unique Artist” visas.
“Exploiting the P-3 non-immigrant visa classification system for culturally unique artist and entertainers makes a mockery out of the legitimate performers for whom that visa was intended,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “We will work hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to rid the system of fraudsters, like Mr. Atoyan and his co-conspirators, who seek to take advantage of and profit from our immigration system.”
“Atoyan’s guilty plea brings down the curtain on an elaborate visa fraud scheme to falsely portray applicants as artists and entertainers in order to circumvent our country’s P-3 visa program,” said U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue of the Eastern District of New York.
“The Diplomatic Security Service builds strong teams overseas and in the United States to protect the integrity of all U.S. visas and travel documents – especially those, like the P-3 visa, which allow for entertainers to visit the United States to perform in culturally unique events and deepen our understanding of different cultures,” said Todd J. Brown, Director of the Diplomatic Security Service. “DSS values our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world to prevent and jointly combat U.S. passport and visa fraud. Deterring, detecting, and investigating U.S. passport and visa fraud is essential to safeguarding our national security.”
“The elaborate scheme devised in this case demonstrates just how far criminals will go to cheat our already generous immigration system,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “This transnational criminal conspiracy was taken down thanks to the hard work of officers with USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security directorate and our valued law enforcement partners. Thank you for bringing these perpetrators to justice.”
The P-3 nonimmigrant visa classification allows foreign nationals to temporarily travel to the United States to perform, teach or coach as artists or entertainers, under a program that is culturally unique. A U.S. employer or sponsoring organization is required to submit a USCIS Form I-129 Petition for a Non-Immigrant Worker, along with supporting documentation, attesting that the performances in the United States are culturally unique.
In February 2018, Stella Boyadjian of Rego Park, New York; Atoyan; and Diana Grigoryan, aka “Dina Akopovna,” 42, of the Republic of Armenia were charged in a 15-count indictment with visa fraud and with conspiracy to: defraud the United States, commit visa fraud, and illegally bring aliens into the United States. Boyadjian and Grigoryan were also charged with related money laundering charges, and Boyadjian was charged with aggravated identity theft. Boyadjian previously pleaded guilty on March 4, 2019 in the Eastern District of New York.
As alleged in the indictment, Boyadjian ran a non-profit organization called Big Apple Music Awards Foundation (BAMA) based in Rego Park, New York. Boyadjian used the Big Apple Music Awards Foundation as well as formal and informal music industry contacts in the United States and Armenia to perpetuate the scheme. Atoyan, Boyadjian, and others solicited Armenian citizens who wanted to come to the United States and charged them between $3,000 and $10,000 to be included on the Form I-129 Petitions. Boyadjian and other associates in Armenia then acquired fraudulent performer certificates and organized staged photo sessions where the aliens wore traditional Armenian folk outfits to make it appear as though they were traditional Armenian performers. After being trained how to defeat U.S. visa interviews, the individual aliens presented these certificates and photos to U.S. consular officers during their visa interviews. Once the Armenians entered the United States, some would pay Boyadjian and her associates additional money to be included in another fraudulent petition asking for P-3 visa extensions. As alleged in the indictment, Atoyan himself came to the United States on a P-3 visa obtained in connection with a Form I-129 submitted by BAMA.
This case was a joint investigation by the DSS’s Criminal Fraud Investigations and Overseas Criminal Investigations Division with assistance from the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security, Center Fraud Detection Operations - Vermont. Trial Attorney Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gopstein of the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Announcement by U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn on the Charging of Former Westminster Police Officer Curtis ArganbrightRead the Press Release
DENVER – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced today that former Westminster Police Officer Curtis Arganbright has been charged with violating a woman’s civil rights by having nonconsensual sex with her while she was in his police custody. Arganbright was convicted by the State of Colorado in 2018 based on the same incident. He ultimately pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and official misconduct and was sentenced to 90 days in county jail. He now faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of the new federal charge.
The federal investigation was conducted by the Denver Field Office of the FBI. Arganbright was charged by Information in U.S. District Court in Denver. He appeared at today’s hearing and waived his right to indictment. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
The charge contained in the Information is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
19 October 2019
Colombian Dentist Arrested for Illegally Practicing His Profession in Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – United States Magistrate Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé authorized a complaint charging Juan Carlos Pérez-Camacho, 43, a Colombian national for offering dental services without a license to practice dentistry in the U.S. Pérez-Camacho was arrested in Carolina for misusing his visa to perform dentistry work, as well as causing the prescription drug Xylocaine to be misbranded as he was not a practitioner licensed to practice medicine in Puerto Rico, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working together with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA), Office of Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS), U.S. and Customs and Border Protection (CPB), and the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD), working under the Caribbean Anti-Money Laundering Alliance (CMLA), conducted the investigation the spurred the arrest of Pérez-Camacho.
According to the criminal complaint Pérez-Camacho, a national of Colombia, has been illegally practicing dentistry in Puerto Rico since approximately 2018. The charging document also alleges that he provided cosmetic dental services to multiple patients as an unlicensed individual and that he violated the terms of his non-immigrant visa for illegally working in the U.S.
Pérez-Camacho was charged with violations to Title 18, United States Code (USC), sections 1001 (false statements) and 1546 (fraud and misuse of visa, permits, and other documents; and Title 21, USC, Section 331(k), 352(f)(1), 353(b)(1), and 333 (a)(1) and (2), misbranding.
Special Litigation Counsel José Ruiz-Santiago is in charge of the prosecution of the case. The defendant was transferred to Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting the outcome of his case.
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18 October 2019
Wetzel County man admits to drug chargeRead the Press Release
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Wesley A. Ebbert, of New Martinsville, West Virginia, has admitted to selling drugs near a playground, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ebbert, age 31, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine in Proximity to a Protected Location.” Ebbert admitted to selling methamphetamine near Bruce Park playground in Wetzel County in May 2019.
Ebbert faces up to 40 years incarceration and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided.
Two Felons Plead Guilty to Federal Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two felons pled guilty to federal gun crimes, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Both men pled guilty to being felons in possession of a firearm.
Kevin Washington, 49, of St. Albans, admitted that on September 17, 2017, an officer with the St. Albans Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle he was operating. At the time of the stop, Washington possessed a 9mm Taurus pistol in the seatback pocket of the vehicle. Washington knew he was prohibited from possessing any firearms due to his 1993 burglary conviction in Virginia. He has not had his rights to possess firearms restored. Washington faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on January 22, 2020. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the St. Albans Police Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.
David Moore, 40, of Beckley, admitted that on April 1, 2017, a Raleigh County Sheriff’s Deputy pulled him over near the Beckley by-pass. At the time of the stop, the officer saw a firearm in the back seat area of Moore’s car. Moore admitted to the deputy that he possessed the Sig Sauer P522, .22 caliber semi-automatic firearm found in the car. Moore further admitted that he knew it was illegal for him to possess a firearm because he was a convicted felon and was not supposed to possess any firearms. Moore faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on February 13, 2020. The ATF and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is handling the prosecution. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing.
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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Two East Tennessee Doctors Plead Guilty to Opioid OffensesRead the Press Release
Two Tennessee doctors each pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Doug Overbey of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI’s Knoxville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and Director David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
Samuel Mcgaha, M.D., of Sevierville, Tennessee, and Frank McNiel, M.D., of Knoxville, Tennessee, each pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. The charges stem from Mcgaha’s and McNiel’s roles in prescribing high doses of opioids with no medical legitimacy – McNiel from his home. From 2015 until March 2018, Mcgaha and McNiel prescribed 212,226 and 59,712 opioid pills, respectively. During this period, Mcgaha admittedly wrote opioid prescriptions that exceeded Centers for Disease Control guidelines and prescribed opioids even when patients tested positive for non-prescribed prescriptions and illicit substances. McNiel admittedly wrote opioid prescriptions without evaluating patients and without obtaining medical records that would have justified the prescription of opioids. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 26, 2020, before the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Louis Manzo of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Svolto of the Eastern District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Individuals who believe that they may be a victim in this case should visit the Fraud Section’s Victim Witness website for more information.