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Monday 19 November 2018
Wichita Man Sentenced in Case of Guns Stolen from Sheriff’s VehicleRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A Wichita man was sentenced Monday to 33 months in federal prison for concealing the theft of guns from a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office vehicle, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Justin Winger, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of misprision (failure to report a crime). In his plea, Winger admitted he was present when co-defendant Travis Keller broke into an undercover car and stole a 9 mm handgun, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 5.56 caliber rifle. Winger knew the co-defendant was a convicted felon who was prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms.
Co-defendant Travis Keller was sentenced to 57 months.
McAllister commended the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.
United States Attorney Addresses Latest Hate Crimes Statistics and Announces Upcoming Hate Crimes ForumRead the Press Release
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – November 19, 2018
SAN DIEGO, CA – Adam L. Braverman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, responded today to a recent report reflecting that the number of hate crime incidents reported to the FBI in 2017 increased approximately 17 percent nationwide and 15 percent in San Diego.
According to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s annual Hate Crimes Statistics report, law enforcement agencies reported double-digit increases nationally in hate incidents in 2017 compared to 2016. Compiling data from a newly increased number of reporting agencies nationwide, the UCR statistics also show a consistent increase in reported incidents in San Diego. In 2016, 35 reports of hate incidents were reported in San Diego, including 16 incidents motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry, and 7 incidents motivated by religion. In 2017, 41 incidents were reported, with race incidents increasing to 17 and incidents motivated by religion climbing to 12. Twelve incidents motivated by sexual orientation or gender were reported in both 2016 and 2017.
Outside of the city, the number of reported incidents in San Diego County slightly decreased from 18 (13 motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry; 1 motivated by religion; 4 motivated by sexual orientation) in 2016 to 14 (7 motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry; none motivated by religion; 7 motivated by sexual orientation) in 2017. No information was provided to the FBI regarding reported incidents in Imperial County.
“Hatred and violence on the basis of race, religion and sexual orientation have no place in our nation,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. “The United States has been a ‘shining city upon a hill’ because Americans appreciate that diversity makes us stronger as a people. Today, we mark the 155th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address and are reminded that we still have unfinished work. We will neither tolerate nor accept the actions of those who seek to weaken our bonds. We remain steadfast in our commitment to prosecuting those that commit crimes motivated by hate.”
“Bringing justice to victims of hate crimes is a priority for me,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Hate crimes are particularly hurtful in that they target vulnerable people who have historically suffered from prejudice and they cause a ripple effect of fear and anguish within entire communities around the victim. Through our hate crimes prosecutors and victim advocates, we stand ready to support and protect victims of hate crimes and to hold their abusers accountable.”
U.S. Attorney Braverman announced the second San Diego Regional Hate Crimes Coalition’s (SDRHCC) “Stop the Hate” Community Forum, scheduled for Wednesday, November 28, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. in Balboa Park’s Santa Fe Conference Room. Earlier this year, the SDRHCC hosted the first “Stop the Hate” Community Forum at the El Cajon Police Department and plans to host additional forums in the coming months. The SDRHCC, which began in 1997, is a coalition of non-governmental organizations, community-based groups, and law enforcement agencies that coordinate outreach, education, and responses regarding hate crimes and hate incidents in the San Diego area. The forum will include panels of prosecutors explaining legal rights and resources, community leaders discussing hate incidents and bullying, and victim-witness coordinators from state and federal agencies providing information for victims of hate incidents and crimes.
In addition to United States Attorney Braverman and John Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, speakers at the Community Forum will include representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, Border Angels, Islamic Center of San Diego, San Diego District Attorney’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The forum is open to the public. Plenty of free parking is available. Press availability will begin at 5:30.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Federal Law Enforcement-Sponsored Training on Prescription Drugs and Fentanyl for USVI Law EnforcementRead the Press Release
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Virgin Islands National Guard (VING) Counterdrug Unit sponsored a half-day of training today on prescription drug and Fentanyl abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. Over 40 law enforcement officers from 12 different local and federal law enforcement agencies participated in the training. Today’s training identified not only the hazards to the first responder community of being exposed to Fentanyl, but also resources available locally to support law enforcement, as well as potential gaps in traditional protective services for first responders. Instructors the Caribbean Region DEA Tactical Diversion Squad highlighted the problems with diversion of prescription drugs and the hazards of Fentanyl abuse.
Throughout the United States, Fentanyl is becoming a major issue for law enforcement, because it is highly toxic and hazardous. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse and has been associated with numerous drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl is oftentimes added to heroin to increase its potency, or can be promoted by illicit drug dealers as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico.
"Fentanyl abuse and prescription drug abuse are growing problems in the Caribbean region" Shappert said. "We are grateful that our law enforcement partners in the USVI are taking the initiative to get out in front of the problem."
For more information on Fentanyl and prescription drug abuse, please visit the DEA website.
Twenty Seven Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Union Members SentencedRead the Press Release
HAMMOND – Twenty Seven Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters were each sentenced after guilty pleas to one count of health care theft, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
According to the documents filed in this case, 27 members of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters filed false medical claims illegally requesting reimbursement of medical expenses from the union’s health care program. These 27 union members pled guilty to Health Care Theft and were ordered to pay restitution to the union health fund. The total amount ordered repaid was $531,422.68.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Both the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Employee Benefit Security Administration take health care fraud seriously. To be able to have restitution ordered in excess of $500,000 greatly enhances the reliability of these plans.”
“We will continue to work with the U.S. Department Labor’s Employee Benefit Security Administration and our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of employee benefit plans,” stated James Vanderberg, Special Agent-in-Charge, Chicago Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General.
“The Employee Benefits Security Administration will continue to investigate such crimes aggressively on behalf of workers nationwide as part of the Department’s mission to protect the rights of America’s workers,” said EBSA Regional Director Jeffrey A. Monhart, in Chicago.
These cases were investigated by the United States Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General and the Employee Benefits Security Administration and prosecuted by United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Indiana.
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Taiwanese Exchange Student Who Threatened to Shoot up School Sentenced on Federal Ammunition ChargeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that An-Tso Sun, 18, also known as “Edward Sun,” a Taiwanese exchange student, was sentenced today before United States District Judge Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro. Sun pleaded guilty to one count of being an alien in possession of ammunition in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Judge Quinones sentenced Sun to time served (approximately five and a half months) and required him to forfeit the ammunition in his possession. Additionally, Judge Quinones ordered that Sun be transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and removed from the United States. Under federal law, today’s conviction will operate as a permanent bar to re-entry to the United States.
Sun is a Taiwanese national who came to the United States in August 2017, on an F-1 visa to be a student at a high school in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. While attending school, he resided with a host family in Upper Darby. Beginning in October 2017, Sun visited a Philadelphia shooting range on multiple occasions, where he fired a variety of firearms, including semiautomatic rifles and shotguns. Over the next few months, Sun purchased hundreds of rounds of ammunition from online vendors and directed that they be shipped to his host family address. In January 2018, Sun purchased pistol components from multiple online vendors and assembled them to create a functioning homemade pistol.
On March 26, 2018, after the school bell rang at the end of the day, Sun made the following statement to a fellow student: “Hey, don’t come to school on May 1st. . . . I’m going to come here armed and shoot up the school. Just kidding.” That student reported the incident to school officials, who then alerted law enforcement officials. Upper Darby Police officers executed a search warrant at Sun’s residence and seized from Sun’s bedroom 20 rounds of 9mm Blazer Brass ammunition; a ballistic suit, including a vest, jacket and pants; a crossbow; seven arrows; and various firearm accessories and shooting equipment. Sun’s host-mother, “V.H.,” was later interviewed and explained that, prior to the search, she had removed a number of items from Sun’s bedroom, including bullets and firearm-related items, and given the items to an attorney. Law enforcement took possession of those items, which included, among other things, a homemade semiautomatic pistol, two AK-style 30-round magazines with ammunition, two AR-15-style 30-round magazines with ammunition, and numerous additional boxes of ammunition, totaling over 1,600 rounds.
Sun was arrested by Upper Darby police and charged with making terroristic threats. He pleaded guilty to that charge in early June 2018 and was sentenced to 4-23 months’ incarceration, with immediate parole and credit for time served. Sun was released into ICE custody and charged federally pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). On August 28, 2018, Sun entered a guilty plea to the federal charge.
“Federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania will continue to work together to prevent tragedy and combat terrorism and threats of violence,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “But it is parents and guardians who serve as the first line of defense in these kinds of situations involving children’s access to firearms. No child should be stockpiling an arsenal – or have any access to firearms or other dangerous weapons – without their parents’ or guardians’ knowledge. Every parent needs to be involved and actively aware of what is going on in their child’s life. It is their duty and obligation, not only to the child, but also to the community at large.”
“Children in this country deserve to feel safe while at school,” said Special Agent in Charge Marlon V. Miller, Homeland Security Investigations, Philadelphia Field Office. “Homeland Security Investigations will continue to work with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of our communities. Thanks to the quick response by law enforcement, a potential school tragedy was prevented.”
“Our region’s law enforcement community is uniquely strong with the ability to partner across jurisdictions and work together quickly and effectively when responding to crisis situations to protect our community. This strength is exemplified in the case of An Tso Sun. Armed with over a 1,000 rounds of ammunition, he threatened a mass shooting – an evil plot to cause mass harm and carnage that we believe he would have carried out, if not stopped,” said Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland. “As the result of the swift response of his classmates, school officials, and the Upper Darby Police Department, no one was harmed. Mr. Sun is now facing the severe consequences of his actions and deportation as a result of the efforts of United States Attorney McSwain and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.”
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of the Upper Darby Police Department and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah M. Wolfe.
Tahlequah Man Sentenced to 97 Months for Possession of Material Involving Sexual Exploitation of MinorsRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Eric Lynn Garman, age 35, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment, and 5 years supervised release for Possession Of Certain Material Involving The Sexual Exploitation Of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and 2252(b)(2). The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Indictment alleged that between on or about August 14, 2017 to on or about November 30, 2017, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did knowingly possess, attempt to possess and access with intent to view, matters which contained visual depictions, as that term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256(5), which said visual depictions involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as that term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2256(2)(A)-(B), and said visual depictions were of such sexually explicit conduct and had been transported in interstate commerce by computer.
United States Attorney Brian J. Kuester said, “The horrific acts committed against children by those that produce child pornography is made profitable by those that purchase, possess, and share it. The successful prosecution of Mr. Garman would not have been possible without the professional and thorough investigation conducted by the FBI. I commend the FBI for this investigation and its continued service to the people of the Eastern District of Oklahoma.”
FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Kathryn Peterson said, "This investigation reinforces the message that the victimization of children will not be tolerated by law enforcement. These terrible crimes inflict irreparable harm and trauma to young and vulnerable victims."
The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Edward Snow represented the United States. The defendant will remain in custody pending transportation to the designated federal facility at which the non-paroleable sentence will be served.
St. Louis Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to the U.S. NavyRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Stephen R. Fuller, 46, of St Louis, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the U.S. Navy review board and charged with evaluating his claims for disability and retirement benefits. Fuller admitted to making false statements today by fabricating deployments and exaggerating the length and circumstances of his prior deployments between 2016 and 2017 while stationed in St. Louis as a reservist. He appeared before Judge John A. Ross who accepted his plea and set his sentencing hearing for February 28, 2019.
The case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) - Economic Crimes Unit. Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
St. Louis County Man Indicted on Counerfeit SecuritiesRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Daniel Halford, 24, of St. Louis County, was indicted on November 15th of conspiring to make, utter, and possess counterfeit securities; three counts of possessing counterfeit securities, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm; and one count of possessing stolen mail.
The indictment alleges that between August 17, 2018 and October 23, 2018, Halford on multiple occasions produced counterfeit checks for the purpose of passing them at stores in the St. Louis area. The checks were drawn on both non-existent and actual accounts. One of the actual accounts Halford attempted to use belonged to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. Halford had been arrested with counterfeit security making implements several times in rooms at different hotels in the metropolitan area. In the latest of these arrests, occurring at the Hollywood Casino Hotel, Halford was found to be in possession of a firearm having been previously convicted of a felony offense.
If convicted, Halford faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000. Restitution to the victim is also mandatory. In determining the actual sentences, a Judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Maryland Heights Police Department, Breckinridge Hills Police Department and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. John Ware is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s office.
As is always the case, charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Scranton Man Charged with Producing and Transporting Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Lawrence Stone, age 63, of Scranton, was indicted on November 13, 2018, by a federal grand jury on charges of production and transportation of child pornography. The case was unsealed following Stone’s arrest.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, the grand jury alleges that Stone committed the production of child pornography offense between 2010 and 2014, and committed the transportation of child pornography offense on September 3, 2018, in Lackawanna County. The indictment alleges that Stone persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, and later transported child pornography by using a means and facility of interstate commerce.
The charges stem from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Scranton Police. Assistant United States Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
The maximum penalty under federal law for the production of child pornography charge is 30 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The maximum penalty for the transportation of child pornography charge is 20 years’ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. There is also a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment for the production of child pornography charge, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment for the transportation of child pornography charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Romanian Man Sentenced for Illegal Re-entry into United StatesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Gabriel Vasile Lincan, age 47, and a citizen of Romania, was sentenced today to time served (47 days in jail), for illegal re-entry into the United States.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Robert N. Garcia, Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.
Lincan was arrested by Border Patrol Agents in Champlain, New York, after he was caught entering the United States from Canada without inspection on October 3, 2018. Lincan had previously been removed from the United States to Romania on September 1, 2017. Lincan admitted that he returned to the United States without permission following the September 2017 removal.
Following the sentencing, Lincan was remanded to the custody of the Department of Homeland Security, for removal proceedings.
When Lincan entered the United States, he did so with his son, Gabriel Diego Constantin. Constantin, age 20, also a citizen of Romania, was convicted of the misdemeanor offense of entry without inspection on October 11, 2018 and sentenced to 23 days in jail.
This case was investigated by Border Patrol and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Repeat Offender Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Domestic ViolenceRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of LANDON CONAN KINGBIRD, 34, to 46 months in prison for one count of domestic assault by a habitual offender. KINGBIRD, who pleaded guilty on March 26, 2018, was sentenced on November 14, 2018, before Judge Joan N. Ericksen, in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on June 14, 2017, a female victim, Victim A, was taken to the Red Lake Indian Health Services Hospital, suffering from a stab wound to the leg and laceration on her forehead. Upon meeting with responding officers, Victim A informed officers that while sitting in her car, KINGBIRD stabbed her in her leg and struck her in the face splitting her forehand and causing her to receive stiches and medical attention. KINGBIRD denied stabbing Victim A, a former domestic partner, but admitted striking her in the face.
Before this assault on Victim A, KINGBIRD had been convicted on at least two prior occasions of serious violent felonies against an intimate partner. Once, in 2007 in Roseau County District Court, for 3rd Degree Assault against his then-girlfriend, and in April, 2013, in Beltrami County District Court for Domestic Assault – By Strangulation against Victim A.
The case was investigated by the Red Lake Department of Public Safety and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Hudleston prosecuted the case.
Defendant Information:
Landon Conan Kingbird, 34
Red Lake, Minn.
Convicted:
- Domestic Assault By An Habitual Offender, 1 count
Sentenced:
- 46 months
- 3 years supervised release
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Recording Artist and Performer Tekashi 6ix 9ine and Five Other Members and Associates of Violent New York City Gang Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Racketeering and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Angel M. Melendez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Ashan M. Benedict, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (“ATF”), and James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), announced the unsealing today of an Indictment charging six members and associates of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, also known as “Nine Trey,” with racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses.
Five defendants were taken into custody last night and today; they will be presented and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman later today. A sixth defendant is in state custody and will be transferred to federal custody. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “As alleged in the indictment, this gang, which included platinum-selling rap artist Tekashi 6ix 9ine, wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence. Showing reckless indifference to others’ safety, members of the gang were allegedly involved in robberies and shootings, including a shooting inside the crowded Barclay’s Center, and a shooting in which an innocent bystander was hit. Thanks to the extraordinary work of HSI, ATF, and the NYPD, the defendants will now face justice in federal court.”
HSI Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez said: “Members of Nine Trey, who wielded firearms and pushed highly addictive drugs onto New York City streets, allegedly showed an unprecedented level of violence this year, and for that they are now facing multiple charges, including an incident in which an innocent bystander was shot. This criminal enterprise has no business in our city, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that Nine Trey crew members, including the more well-known ‘Tekashi 6ix 9ine,’ are in a place where they cannot inflict further violence on our communities.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict said: “ATF stands firmly at the frontline in the fight against violent crime. The individuals charged today with racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses are members and associates of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, also known as ‘Nine Trey.’ The members and associates of this street gang engaged in violent robberies, assaults, and shootings. The ATF/ NYPD Joint Firearms Task Force, with members from HSI, Federal Probation, NYS Parole and NYC Department of Correction, work tirelessly alongside their other law enforcement partners to rid the streets of individuals that spread violence and endanger their fellow citizens. I would like to thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their work in prosecuting in the case.”
As alleged in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court[1]:
Nine Trey was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including shootings, robberies, and assaults in and around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Members and associates of Nine Trey engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to promote the standing and reputation of Nine Trey, and to protect the gang’s narcotics business. Members and associates of Nine Trey enriched themselves by committing robberies and selling drugs, such as heroin, fentanyl, furanly fentanyl, MDMA, dibutylone, and marijuana.
The Indictment charges JAMEL JONES, a/k/a “Mel Murda,” KIFANO JORDAN, a/k/a “Shotti,” JENSEL BUTLER, a/k/a “Ish,” DANIEL HERNANDEZ, a/k/a “Tekashi 6ix 9ine,” FUGUAN LOVICK, a/k/a “Fu Banga,” and FAHEEM WALTER, a/k/a “Crippy,” with racketeering and firearms offenses. Count One of the Indictment charges JONES, JORDAN, BUTLER, HERNANDEZ, and WALTER with participating in a racketeering conspiracy for their criminal involvement in Nine Trey. Count Two charges JONES, JORDAN, BUTLER, HERNANDEZ, and WALTER with using and carrying firearms, which were brandished and discharged, in connection with the racketeering conspiracy. Counts Three through Five charge JONES, JORDAN, BUTLER, HERNANDEZ, and WALTER with participating in a gunpoint robbery in the vicinity of West 40th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan on or about April 3, 2018. Counts Six and Seven charge LOVICK with shooting at rivals of Nine Trey in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on or about April 21, 2018. Count Eight charges JORDAN, BUTLER, HERNANDEZ, and WALTER with agreeing to shoot an individual who had shown disrespect to Nine Trey, resulting in an innocent bystander being shot, in the vicinity of Fulton Street and Utica Avenue in Brooklyn on or about July 16, 2018.
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Charts containing the names, charges, and maximum penalties for the defendants are set forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of HSI, ATF, and the NYPD. He also thanked the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Correction’s Intelligence Bureau for their assistance in the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Longyear, Jacob Warren, Jonathan Rebold, and Sebastian Swett are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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COUNT
CHARGE
DEFENDANTS
MAX. PENALTIES
1
Racketeering conspiracy
18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
JAMEL JONES (age 38)
KIFANO JORDAN (age 36)
JENSEL BUTLER (age 36)
DANIEL HERNANDEZ (age 22)
FAHEEM WALTER (age 29)
20 years in prison
2
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence, which was discharged
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
JAMEL JONES
KIFANO JORDAN
JENSEL BUTLER
DANIEL HERNANDEZ
FAHEEM WALTER
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison as to JONES; mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison as to the other defendants
3
Violent crime in aid of racketeering (April 3, 2018)
18 U.S.C. § 1959
KIFANO JORDAN
JENSEL BUTLER
DANIEL HERNANDEZ
FAHEEM WALTER
20 years in prison
4
Violent crime in aid of racketeering (April 3, 2018)
18 U.S.C. § 1959
KIFANO JORDAN
JENSEL BUTLER
DANIEL HERNANDEZ
FAHEEM WALTER
3 years in prison
5
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence, which was brandished
18 U.S.C. § 924(c)
KIFANO JORDAN
JENSEL BUTLER
DANIEL HERNANDEZ
FAHEEM WALTER
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 7 years in prison
6
Violent crime in aid of racketeering (April 21, 2018)
18 U.S.C. § 1959
FUGUAN LOVICK (age 40)
20 years in prison
7
Using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to, or possessing a firearm in furtherance of, a crime of violence, which was discharged
18 U.S.C. § 924(c )
FUGUAN LOVICK
Life in prison
Mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison
8
Violent crime in aid of racketeering (July 16, 2018)
KIFANO JORDAN
JENSEL BUTLER
DANIEL HERNANDEZ
FAHEEM WALTER
3 years in prison
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment constitutes only allegations, and every fact described herein should be treated as an allegation.
Queens Immigration Attorney Found Guilty of Operating Asylum Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ANDREEA DUMITRU, a/k/a “Andreea Dumitru Parcalaboiu,” an immigration attorney based in Queens, New York, was found guilty today in Manhattan federal court of asylum fraud, making false statements to immigration authorities, and aggravated identity theft following a two-week trial before United States District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Andreea Dumitru, an immigration attorney, scammed the asylum program, which was designed to provide safe harbor for the world’s most vulnerable people. She will now serve time in prison for her crimes.”
According to the Superseding Indictment, other filings in Manhattan federal court, and the evidence presented at trial:
Between March 27, 2013, and 2017, DUMITRU operated a scheme to submit fraudulent I-589 Forms in connection with applications for asylum. Specifically, DUMITRU submitted over 100 applications in which she knowingly made false statements and representations about, among other things, the applicants’ personal narratives of alleged persecution, criminal histories, and travel histories. DUMITRU deliberately fabricated detailed personal stories of purported mistreatment of her clients, forged her clients’ signatures, and falsely notarized affidavits.
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DUMITRU, 43, of Queens, NY, was convicted of one count of asylum fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, one count of making false statements, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison. The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of Homeland Security Investigations and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review for their assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Alison G. Moe, and Robert B. Sobelman are in charge of the prosecution.
Pulling A Gun Out During an Argument Lands Godfrey Man Back in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Brenden T. Cepaitas, 31, of Godfrey, Illinois, was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm while on federal supervised release. United States District Judge David R. Herndon sentenced Cepaitas to a total of 58 months in federal prison for the offense, to be followed by 30 months of supervised release.
Court proceedings revealed that in the early morning hours of August 4, 2017, officers with the Alton, Illinois Police Department responded to a 911 call at the Riverside Bar & Grill. According to witnesses, Cepaitas was involved in a minor verbal altercation with another patron at the bar, after which Cepaitas went outside and retrieved a handgun from his car. He then brandished the gun and threatened another individual. Surveillance video recovered during the investigation shows Cepaitas reentering the bar with the handgun in his hand and then going into the restaurant’s bathroom as the police arrived on scene. Officers searched the bathroom and found a loaded Glock 42 handgun in the trash can.
A trace on the gun showed that it had been stolen during an August 28, 2014 residential burglary in Granite City, Illinois. There was no evidence implicating Cepaitas in the burglary.
At the time of his arrest, Cepaitas was on federal supervised release for a 2014 conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A petition to revoke his supervised release was promptly filed after his arrest, and a federal indictment was returned against him on August 23, 2017. Cepaitas pleaded guilty to the charges on April 23, 2018, and agreed not to contest forfeiture of the gun.
The case was investigated by the Alton Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hoell.
Protecting Houses of Worship Training Held in Winterville, NC Helping to Mark 25th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration ActRead the Press Release
WINTERVILLE – Last week marked the 25th Anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), an important law protecting one of our most fundamental freedoms. The RFRA was approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, passing the House unanimously and approved 97 to 3 in the Senate, and signed into law by President Clinton. The RFRA ensures that our foundational freedom of religious liberty is protected: the right to believe, worship, and practice our faiths according to the dictates of our consciences. See more about the RFRA here.
In an effort to protect the right to worship in peace – on Thursday, November 15, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina (USAO-EDNC) joined law enforcement and local area houses of worship in presenting training to security personnel from diverse faith communities on how to protect religious institutions and houses of worship from violence. The one-day Protecting Houses of Worship Seminar was held at Covenant Church in Winterville, NC, and was attended by approximately 100 people. This training was the second of its kind presented by the USAO-EDNC this year (more here).
United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., opened the training, remarking, “The fight to preserve the free exercise of religion as a constitutional principle goes on today in our courts and in our public squares as we struggle to determine the parameters of that ‘freedom.’ But, the free exercise of our Faith as a social reality is under threat today from those who would introduce violence into our houses of worship and who would impede our rights through fear and intimidation.” United States Attorney Higdon continued, “In this difficult environment it is important that we work together to search for ways to ensure a greater level of security at houses of worship all across this country. And we in the United States Department of Justice want to partner with you and with our federal, state and local law enforcement to help equip you with the tools best designed to prepare you to deal with the security issues that may come your way.”
Through presentations and panel discussions, participants learned about security awareness for places of worship, as well as the various means by which law enforcement provides support to protecting houses of worship. Attendees heard from members of the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office and Greenville Police Department during this training. In order to foster continued discussion among the attendees, representatives of local area houses of worship participated in a panel during which they discussed their particular experiences managing security for their respective house of worship.
This training was designed to support one of the Department of Justice priorities to ensure that all Americans feel free to worship in a place of their choosing without the fear of violence or intimidation.
Plymouth Man Sentenced to Prison for Cyberstalking CampaignRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Plymouth man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for anonymously stalking three women by text message and social media, including one woman he stalked throughout the 14-months they dated.
Joseph Kukstis, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release, during which his computer and internet use will be subject to permission and monitoring. The Court deferred the issue of restitution until a hearing scheduled for Dec. 6, 2018. In August 2018, Kukstis pleaded guilty to three counts of stalking by electronic means. He was arrested and charged in April 2018 and has been in federal custody since.
From August 2015 until February 2018, Kukstis targeted a woman he was dating through an anonymous harassment campaign, whereby he sent the victim hundreds of degrading text messages, many of which urged her to kill herself, and threatened that her harasser would come to her home. Kukstis also sent private, intimate pictures of the victim to her friends and acquaintances through a “spoofed” Instagram account he created in her name. In addition, Kukstis harassed men who he believed were romantically involved with the woman. Kukstis also attempted to obtain unauthorized access to the victim’s social media accounts. In addition, Kukstis sent himself harassing messages that he then shared with the victim, purportedly as proof to her that he, too, was a victim of the stalking. In January 2018, Kukstis sent an e-mail from an account in his own name to the victim, saying: “it was me the entire time, I hate myself for it.”
In connection with his plea, Kukstis admitted to cyberstalking four other girlfriends and acquaintances. These included a friend from elementary school who he attempted to drive apart from her then boyfriend. Kukstis sent the victim anonymous text messages stating that she was fat, worthless, and that she should kill herself.
Kukstis also cyberstalked another woman with whom he was in a romantic relationship. In early 2013, Kukstis texted the victim and her friends from anonymous phone numbers, calling her names and harassing her. He also attempted to access the victim’s email and social media accounts. The victim obtained a civil restraining order against Kukstis in February 2013.
In 2014, Kukstis was in a romantic relationship with another woman who he texted posing as her childhood crush and solicited intimate pictures of her. When she complied, Kukstis (posing as the childhood crush) threatened to tell Kukstis about this “betrayal” if she didn’t confess herself. In November 2014, as a result of these and similar encounters, the victim ended her relationship with Kukstis and obtained a civil restraining order against him. Kukstis repeatedly violated the restraining order by contacting and anonymously harassing the victim.
In November 2017, Kukstis began messaging with another woman via Instagram, Snapchat, and text message. He sent the victim anonymous text messages through Pinger, including messages in which he posed as the victim’s ex-boyfriend, against whom she had a civil restraining order. When the victim confronted Kukstis for impersonating her ex-boyfriend, Kukstis responded in a text messages stating: “You’re fat this was funny you suck;” “Glad your day is ruined;” and “Kill yourself [Jane Doe C].”
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto of Lelling’s Cybercrime Unit prosecuted the case.
Pittsford Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Unlawful Purchase of Shotgun Used to Kill His FatherRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Charles J. Tan, age 23, of Pittsford, New York, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison in connection with the unlawful purchase of a shotgun that was used to murder his father in 2015, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)-New York Field Division; and Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter. Tan was also sentenced to serve a 3-year term of supervised release following his release from incarceration.
On June 22, 2018, Tan pled guilty to three federal felonies: receiving a firearm with intent to use it to commit a felony, causing another to make a false written statement to a federal firearms dealer, and causing another to make a false record required by law to be kept by a federal firearms dealer. In doing so, Tan admitted that in February 2015, he caused a fellow Cornell University student to make an unlawful “straw purchase” of a 12-gauge shotgun for him from the Walmart in Cortland, New York. Tan, a Canadian citizen, acknowledged that he falsely told the fellow student that he needed the firearm for hunting, when his actual intent was that it be used to shoot his father. In February 2015, the defendant’s father, Liang “Jim” Tan, was shot to death in his home in Pittsford. Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputies found him seated at his desk in his study, shot multiple times at close range by a 12-gauge shotgun. The state murder trial of Charles Tan in Monroe County Court ended on October 8, 2015 in a hung jury and the case was later dismissed by the presiding state court judge in November 2015. The federal investigation found evidence that just prior to the murder of his father, Charles Tan emptied a bank account and told friends he would be leaving Cornell University.
United States Attorney Jaquith said, “Justice has finally been done in this case. Charles Tan went to great lengths to obtain a shotgun in Cortland with lies about the actual purchaser and intended use and planned to leave college and flee the country. He drove three hours to Rochester, visited friends for four hours, and then went home, where he found his father working at his home computer in his slippers and gunned him down, savagely shooting him three times in the chest and face. The sentence to imprisonment for 20 years reflects the finding by the court that Tan obtained the shotgun to commit this premeditated murder. Justice was secured through great work by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.”
ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan M. Benedict said, “Combatting the flow of illegal firearms into our communities lies at the heart of ATF’s mission to protect the public from violent crime. In this case, an unlawfully purchased firearm was used to commit a heinous crime that will scar a family and community forever. Today’s sentencing sends a message that ATF and its partners at each and every level are committed to protecting the public from violence and will leave no stone unturned to pursue and aggressively prosecute those who seek to spread violence in their community.”
"The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is grateful to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York, especially Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher," said Monroe County Undersheriff Korey Brown. “Her efforts were able to bring justice to Charlie Tan for his involvement in the murder of his father, Jim Tan."
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Monroe County (New York) Sheriff’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa M. Fletcher and Miroslav Lovric.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Life Plus 207 Years’ Imprisonment for Violent Crime SpreeRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that Khalil Smith a/k/a “Lil,” 35, of Philadelphia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg to life plus 207 years’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively. Smith was found guilty by a jury in January 2017, of committing a series of horrifying crimes, including armed home invasion robberies, carjackings, a kidnapping, and related firearms offenses—all over the course of an approximate 20-month period, from October 2012 to April 2014.
Smith was a leader of an extremely violent criminal organization of 20 individuals. As part of their conspiracy, they planned to commit armed robberies and kidnappings. Their goal was to steal drugs, drug proceeds, and other items of value, or obtain ransom for the release of their kidnapping victims. Members of the conspiracy conducted surveillance of their victims and tracked their victims using GPS devices. Smith and the others also used police scanners to monitor police radio during the commission of their crimes to evade detection and apprehension by law enforcement.
Members of the organization also used firearms and/or brute physical force to facilitate the commission of the robberies, kidnappings and carjackings, specifically to threaten, intimidate, and subdue the victims. They also occasionally dressed as police officers as a means to fool their victims. They shot and threatened to shoot their victims and physically restrained them with handcuffs, zip ties, electrical cords, and shoelaces and held them captive, at times, for several hours. They even went so far as to waterboard and pour boiling water on the genitals of some of their victims.
“Motivated by his desire for drugs, money, and power, Khalil Smith was a ringleader of a ruthless, violent gang,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “This crew resorted to torture, extreme violence, intimidation, and even impersonation of law enforcement to dominate their victims and terrorize our community. Because of the dedicated work of prosecutors and law enforcement working this case, Smith will now spend the rest of his life where he belongs – in a prison cell. The facts of this case are an excellent example of why violent crime is a priority for my Office and the Department of Justice.”
“A key component of ATF’s mission is to combat and reduce violent crime. The life sentence that was handed down today is another victory in the battle against violent crime for ATF, our law enforcement partners, and more importantly, the citizens of Philadelphia,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Donald Robinson. “This sentence sends a very strong message to these home invasion crews that are preying on our communities. We appreciate the cooperation of our federal, state and local partners to this bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the ATF, the Philadelphia Police Department and various other local police departments throughout the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Salvatore L. Astolfi and Jeanine Linehan.
Pennsylvania Man Charged with Transporting Stolen Electronics Across State LinesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Pennsylvania man was charged in federal court in Worcester today in connection with transporting stolen electronics across state lines. Defendant allegedly broke into Target stores in Easton and Westborough, Mass, and in Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Elijah Aiken, 35, of Allentown, Penn., was charged with one count of conspiring to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce and two counts of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Aiken appeared in federal court in Worcester today and was ordered detained.
From December 2014 until February 2015, Aiken allegedly conspired with others to break into numerous Target retail stores during early morning hours, usually by using portable blow torches to cut through the metal loading-dock doors at the rear of the stores. Once inside the Target stores, Aiken and his co-conspirators stole electronic devices valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, including cellular phones and computer tablets. Aiken and his co-conspirator successfully burglarized Target stores in Easton and Westborough, Mass., as well as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Aiken transported the stolen electronics across state lines in order to sell them to buyers located in New York.
The charge of interstate transportation of stolen goods, provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution in an amount determined by the court. The charge of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution as determined by the court. 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 and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg A. Friedholm of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Pakistani Man Sentenced to Eight Months for Violating Terms of Release Under SupervisionRead the Press Release
Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank announced that Zafar Iqbal-Khan, 46, previously of Pakistan, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison to eight months in prison for failure to comply with the terms of release under supervision. The defendant pled guilty on June 8, 2018.
According to court records, in 1999, Khan, a citizen of Pakistan, entered the United States as a non-immigrant visitor. He was required to depart by February 2000, but never did. In September 2005, he was ordered removed by an immigration judge. In December 2006, January 2009, and June 2015, he was released from immigration custody after executing Orders of Supervision that required him to not commit any crimes. On February 23, 2018, Khan pled guilty in a Maine district court to operating under the influence, operating a vehicle without a license, failure to appear in court, and forgery.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Ohio Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Ohio resident has been sentenced in federal court to 10 years in prison followed by eight years supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Christopher Butler, 32, of Twinsburg, Ohio.
According to information presented to the court, from in and around January 2016, and continuing thereafter to in and around September 2016 in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, Butler conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
Assistant United States Attorney Amy L. Johnston prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the OCDETF task force headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and comprised of members drawn from the FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Street Task Force including the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Wilkinsburg Police Department, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, and the Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Christopher Butler. Substantial assistance was provided by FBI San Juan, Puerto Rico (St. Thomas Resident Agency, U.S. Virgin Islands) and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Numerous other FBI field offices, including Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and Atlanta, in addition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, also assisted with this investigation. The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
This investigation which utilized Title III wiretap intercepts and other investigative techniques that established the existence of a several overlapping and interrelated drug distribution networks with tentacles in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern District of Michigan and the District of the Virgin Islands. The FBI Greater Pittsburgh Safe Streets Task Force’s focus began in early 2015 on a drug trafficking organization operating on Pittsburgh’s North Side and thereafter they were able to track drug suppliers beyond the borders of the aforementioned districts and across the Caribbean Sea.
November Grand JuryRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced the federal Grand Jury for the District of Nebraska has returned 19 indictments charging 21 defendants. Indictments are charging documents that contain one or more individual counts that are merely accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
* Ashley Brown, age 31, is charged with false statements on an application to the Lincoln Housing Authority on or about October 9, 2012. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 years term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jeremy Lyle Deen, age 33, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) on or about August 31, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is Life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine, NLT 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Daniel Diaz-Martinez, a/k/a Reynaldo Manuel Florez, a/k/a Roberto Ramirez-Gonzalez, age 64, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges the defendant with illegal reentry after deportation on or about October 17, 2018, following an aggravated felony conviction. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with use of an identification document not lawfully issued on or about August 2, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges the defendant with misuse of a social security number on or about August 2, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges the defendant with use of an identification document not lawfully issued on or about September 25, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges the defendant with misuse of a social security number on or about September 25, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges the defendant with aggravated identity theft from on or about September 25, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Alec Ramsey Eiland, age 19, is charged in a two-count Indictment with Cyberstalking between on or about September 1, 2018 and on or about November 8, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 5 years imprisonment on each count, a $250,000 fine on each count, a 3-year term of supervised release on each count, and a $100 special assessment on each count.
* Devron D. Franklin, age 30, is charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges the defendant with Robbery by force from an employee at Quick Trip on or about June 13, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with discharging a firearm on or about June 13, 2018. The possible penalty if convicted is 10 years to Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges the defendant with Robbery by force from an employee at Reynoldson’s Shell Station on or about April 15, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges the defendant with brandishing a firearm on or about April 15, 2018. The possible penalty if convicted is 7 years to Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges the defendant with Robbery by force from an employee at Shopper’s Express on or about December 14, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges the defendant with brandishing a firearm on or about December 14, 2017. The possible penalty if convicted is 7 years to Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* David Gamso, age 26, is charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture on or about October 27, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 40 years imprisonment, $5,000,000 fine, 4-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Lawrence Henderson, age 49, of Salt Lake City, Georgia, and Kendall Miller, age 24, of Warren, Ohio, are charged with possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, and marijuana on or about August 28, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is Life imprisonment, $10,000,000 fine, 5-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Alejandro Ibarra-Mendez, age 26, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation from on or about November 8, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jonathan Edward Landry, a/k/a Jackson Wolfie, age 21, is charged with alien in possession of a firearm from on or about September 6, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Orlando Marcelino Ramirez, age 22, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation from on or about June 17, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Edgar Javier Maya Elvira, age 37, of Lexington, Nebraska, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation following a felony conviction on or about October 18, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 10 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Roberto Maya Soto, age 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation from on or about November 8, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Delonta McKnight, age 26, is charged in a two-count Indictment. Count I charges the defendant with Bank Robbery taking US currency by force from an employee at Two Rivers Bank, in the amount of $135,469.00 on or about May 8, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with brandishing a firearm on or about May 8, 2018. The possible penalty if convicted is 7 years to Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Amir M. Muhammad, age 53, is charged in a six-count Indictment. Count I charges the defendant with carjacking on or about October 5, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 15 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count II charges the defendant with brandishing a firearm on or about October 5, 2018. The possible penalty if convicted is 7 years to Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count III charges the defendant with Robbery by force from an employee at Juice Stop on or about October 3, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count IV charges the defendant with brandishing a firearm on or about October 3, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is Life imprisonment consecutive, a $250,000 fine, a 5 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count V charges the defendant with Robbery taking personal property by force from an employee at P.L. Jewelers on or about October 1, 2017. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Count VI charges the defendant with Robbery by force from an employee at Max I. Walker on or about September 21, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Daewoo Robertson, age 18, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Billy Adell, III, age 19, of Indianapolis, Indiana, are charged in a three-count Indictment. Count I charges the defendants with Robbery taking prescription drugs by force from an employee at CVS Pharmacy on or about October 28, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment each, a $250,000 fineeach, a 3 year term of supervised release each, and a $100 special assessment each. Count II charges the defendants with brandishing a firearm on or about October 28, 2018. The possible penalty if convicted is 7 years to Life imprisonment consecutive each, a $250,000 fine each, a 5 year term of supervised release each, and a $100 special assessment each. Count III charges the defendants with Robbery taking prescription drugs from CVS Pharmacy registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration by force from on or about October 28, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 3 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. There is also an allegation to forfeit a Glock 23 40 caliber firearm and one magazine round seized on or about October 28, 2018.
* Jason Michael Siemer, age 44, is charged in a sixteen-count Indictment. Counts 1-13 charges the defendant with Wire Fraud on or about December 17, 2014, and continuing through at least on or about November 22, 2016. The Indictment alleges Siemer defrauded financial institutions of payments causing losses of $9,700,000. The maximum possible penalty if convicted of Counts 1-13 is 20 years imprisonment for each count, a $250,000 fine for each count, a 3-year term of supervised release for each count, and a $100 special assessment for each count. Counts 14-15 charges the defendant with false statement on loan and credit applications, beginning or around April 21, 2015 and in or around April 29, 2016. The maximum possible penalty if convicted of Counts 14-15 is 30 years imprisonment for each count, a $1,000,000 fine for each count, a 5-year term of supervised release for each count, and a $100 special assessment for each count. Count 16 charges the defendant with money laundering, beginning or around February 23, 2015. The maximum possible penalty if convicted of Counts 16 is 10 years imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, a 3-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Terrell B. Sullivan, age 55, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine between on or about January 1, 2017 and on or about August 30, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is Life imprisonment, $20,000,000 fine, NLT 10 year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Roberto Vasquez Marquez, age 34, of Omaha, Nebraska, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation from on or about September 24, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
* Jose Vazquez-Vazquez, age 29, is charged with illegal reentry after deportation from on or about November 8, 2018. The maximum possible penalty if convicted is 2 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a 1-year term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
North Carolina Car Broker Sentenced to Prison for Ponzi-like Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH- A former North Carolina resident has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release on his conviction of wire fraud, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Chief United States District Judge Joy Flowers Conti imposed the sentence on David Charles Smith, 44, of Denver, North Carolina.
According to information presented to the court, Smith, who operated a business named DCS Auto Consulting that acted as a broker for the sale of high-end vehicles, devised a scheme to defraud his customers. Smith ultimately used DCS Auto Consulting much like a Ponzi scheme in which Smith, through a series of misrepresentations, solicited and obtain money from vehicle purchasers. Smith would then fraudulently use the monies from the vehicle purchasers to repay other customers who had previously provided Smith with money to purchase vehicles, or to purchase vehicles that Smith intended to sell to other customers. As a result of Smith’s illegal activities, a Murrysville business suffered a loss of $270,000, and Smith was ordered to pay $339,000 in restitution.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Smith.
North Branford Man Charged with Distributing Heroin and FentanylRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging SCOTT MATHEWS, 34, of North Branford, with one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl.
The indictment was returned on November 7, 2018. Mathews appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah A. L. Merriam in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, and was released on a $100,000 bond.
This matter stems from an investigation into the overdose death of a 39-year-old man at a hotel in Meriden in November 2017.
The indictment alleges that, on November 8, 2017, Mathews distributed heroin and fentanyl.
If convicted of this charge, Matthews faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Meriden Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth.
New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery ConspiracyRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced Friday, November 16, 2018 that JONATHAN BAHAM, age 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty as charged to conspiring to commit bank robbery with a firearm of the Whitney Bank on South Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 27, 2017, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 2113(a) and (d).
On the morning of Wednesday, September 27, 2017, members of the New Orleans Police Department responded to a complaint of an active burglary occurring in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Police entered the residence, and discovered BAHAM and his two co-defendants inside of the residence. Law enforcement officers also located a loaded Harrington and Richardson “Pardner” Pump 12 gauge shotgun and a Taurus .38 caliber revolver handgun in the residence, as well as homemade ski masks.
Following a lawful arrest, BAHAM admitted to law enforcement that he had agreed to rob the Whitney Bank with his co-defendants. BAHAM agreed to serve as a lookout during the robbery, and admitted that the three perpetrators were about to leave the burglarized residence to go rob the bank with a gun when the police arrived.
Conspiracy to commit bank robbery with a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in the Bureau of Prisons, a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. The Court will sentence BAHAM on February 21, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Crime Task Force and officers with the New Orleans Police Department’s Second District. Assistant U.S. Attorney Myles Ranier is handling the prosecution.
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New Jersey Heroin Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of East Orange, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of felony heroin trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Marvin Anthony pleaded guilty to the sole count of the indictment before Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that, in March of 2018, the defendant brought 475 "bricks" of heroin to Western Pennsylvania from out of state in order to sell them. A "brick" is a common street term for a group of 50 stamp bags containing opiates, such as heroin, meaning that the defendant brought nearly 24,000 stamp bags with him. The prosecutor noted that the lab determined that the heroin in the stamp bags weighed 430 grams.
Judge Ambrose scheduled sentencing for March 26, 2019 at 11 a.m. Because the government filed a document detailing the defendant’s prior felony drug conviction, the law provides for a total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of up to $8,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Rather than incarcerate the defendant at the time of his plea, Judge Ambrose agreed to permit the defendant to turn himself in to United States Marshals on January 2, 2019 following a scheduled surgery. At that point, Anthony is expected to remain in custody until the conclusion of his sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Ross E. Lenhardt, a federal prosecutor in the Major Crimes Section, is the lead prosecutor for this case on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Anthony, with the valuable assistance of many different federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies including the Canonsburg Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Monessen Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
New DEA Office in Traverse City, MichiganRead the Press Release
Partnership with the Michigan State Police
DETROIT – On Monday, November 19, 2018, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit Field Division, announced the opening of the Traverse City Post of Duty. This new post of duty will allow the DEA to better serve Michigan by identifying, disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations and their subsidiary organizations operating in the northern Michigan area. Also announced, was the DEA’s partnership with the Michigan State Police Traverse Narcotics Team (T.N.T.).
The DEA currently has 222 domestic offices in 23 Divisions throughout the United States, and 90 foreign offices in 69 countries. Today’s announcement will mark the 223rd domestic office, located in Traverse City, Michigan. The Traverse City Post of Duty is the seventh DEA office in Michigan and will be overseen by an Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Grand Rapids, and ultimately the Detroit Division Office.
The full-time presence of DEA personnel in northern Michigan will enhance partnerships with law enforcement agencies throughout the region and increase the service we provide to our communities. Personnel assigned to the DEA Traverse City Post of Duty will coordinate with Federal, state and local investigators to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, violent drug trafficking organizations, firearms trafficking organizations, and their subsidiary organizations, which operate throughout northern Michigan, the United States, and the world.
The DEA also announced the partnership with the Michigan State Police Traverse Narcotics Team (T.N.T.), which consists of the Michigan State Police; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office; Antrim County Sheriff’s Office; Benzie County Sheriff’s Office; Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office; Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Office; Wexford County Sheriff’s Office; Missaukee County Sheriff’s Office; Osceola County Sheriff’s Office; Traverse City Police and the Army National Guard, collaborating to combat drug trafficking and vice-related crimes. This long-term collaboration with the Traverse Narcotics Team will provide Federal resources to northern Michigan law enforcement agencies, including training and reimbursements for investigative expenses and overtime. In addition, law enforcement agencies will be able to share intelligence that benefits investigations around the globe, as well as those in our own backyard. The Traverse City Post of Duty is co1located with the Michigan State Police Traverse Narcotics Team.
“The current opioid epidemic is a priority for DEA, however, this partnership allows us to adapt to any future drug threat facing northern Michigan,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon. “We will leverage the full resources of the DEA and our partners to ensure drug traffickers are aware that their criminal actions will not be tolerated.”
The objective of the DEA is simple, bringing those individuals who violate Federal drug laws to justice. The incredible work our agents and officers perform on a daily basis is tough and vital to the safety and quality of life for those living and visiting northern Michigan.
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Murfreesboro Dentist and Former Practice Administrator Facing Federal Healthcare Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – November 19, 2018 – Richard N. Schott, 51, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Kendra L. Glenn, 43, of Hartwell, Georgia, and formerly of Murfreesboro, are facing federal healthcare fraud charges for operating a scheme to defraud healthcare benefit programs, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. Schott surrendered to U.S. Marshals in Nashville last week and Glenn was arrested at her home in Georgia this morning by FBI agents. Schott is charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and Glenn is facing seven counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy.
According to the charging documents, Schott is a licensed dentist who owns and operates Dental Excellence, a dental practice with three locations in Murfreesboro and one location in Lebanon, Tennessee. Kendra Glenn was employed by Dental Excellence and served as the Practice Administrator.
The charging documents allege that between November 2013 and January 2018, Schott and Glenn caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to healthcare benefit programs, including Delta Dental, Cigna, TennCare and DentaQuest, TennCare’s dental benefits program administrator. The fraudulent claims included billing for dental work that had not been completed or performed at all; falsifying dates of service to appear to comply with benefit programs’ timeframe and preauthorization requirements; falsifying claims to appear that services had been rendered by a benefits program credentialed dentist; falsifying supporting documents and adding false narratives to support the upcoding of claims; and others, including continuing to submit false claims after being advised by insurance companies that audits had determined a pattern of false claims and that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was conducting a criminal investigation into the company’s billing practices.
The charges further allege that Schott and Glenn took steps to conceal the fraud by discouraging employees from questioning billing practices; instructing employees to lie if questioned by insurance companies; and disciplining and even firing employees who questioned the legality of the billing practices. The allegations also include that Schott and Glenn used the proceeds from the fraudulent scheme for their own personal use and that Glenn was paid bonuses based on the amount of money collected from the fraudulent scheme.
If convicted, Schott and Glenn face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn W. Booth and Byron Jones.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Moss Point Man Pleads Guilty to Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Dale Ricardo Easterling, 43, of Moss Point, Mississippi, pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr. to conspiring to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi.
On July 13, 2018, a Louisiana State Trooper stopped a car driven by Easterling traveling east bound on Interstate 10. The trooper searched the car and found a hidden compartment with seven kilograms of cocaine. Easterling admitted that he was taking the cocaine back to Moss Point for further distribution. He also admitted that this was not his first trip back to Moss Point with cocaine.
On the same day, FBI Safe Streets Task Force agents executed a search warrant at Easterling’s home and found ammunition, over 500 grams of marijuana brownies, 1.5 kilograms of marijuana, 833 grams of Fentanyl, 5 grams of heroin, and 99 pills made to look like oxycodone, but actually containing fentanyl and acetaminophen, a dangerous and sometimes deadly combination.
Easterling will be sentenced on February 14, 2019, by Judge Guirola, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, and the Louisiana State Police. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.
More Than 40 Defendants Linked to Notorious White Supremacist Street Gang IndictedRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: More than 40 associates of the notorious Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang have been indicted on federal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms possession throughout eastern Georgia and beyond.
A 93-page, 83-count federal grand jury indictment unsealed Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court in Savannah lists the charges against 43 men and women for a multitude of offenses involving trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Federal, state and local agencies cooperated in the investigation dubbed Operation Vanilla Gorilla.
The indictment alleges that the narcotics-trafficking conspiracy began as early as 2015 and continued until the present, operating in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Emmanuel, Evans, and Tattnall Counties, in the Southern District of Georgia, and elsewhere. Members of the conspiracy associated with the Ghost Face Gangsters, a violent, white supremacist street gang operated largely from inside prisons, and with other criminal street gangs to aid in the distribution of controlled substances, for protection, and to promote a climate of fear.
Operation Vanilla Gorilla represents one of the largest takedowns of Ghost Face Gangsters associates to date, and follows the March 2018 arrests of 23 gang members in the Northern District of Georgia on federal charges, and multiple arrests in October 2018 on state charges in Spalding County, Ga.
Charges against the defendants in Operation Vanilla Gorilla include:
- 25 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute;
- 18 counts alleging the unlawful distribution of controlled substances;
- 25 counts alleging prohibited persons (drug users and/or felons) in possession of firearms and/or ammunition;
- One count alleging the unlawful possession of a prohibited weapon – a sawed-off rifle;
- One count alleging the possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number;
- 10 counts alleging the possession of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana, and prescription pills; and,
- 2 counts alleging the possession of counterfeit currency.
The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of 23 firearms that were seized during this operation. The following defendants were indicted, all of them facing potential sentences of up to life in prison:
David McCloskey, 47, a/k/a “Larchmont,” of Augusta, Ga.;
Mike Penfield, 54, Pooler, Ga.;
Nick Penfield, a/k/a/ “Picnic,” 22, Pooler, Ga.;
Cody Penfield, 28, Savannah, Ga.;
Adam Cushman, a/k/a “Cush,” 39, Savannah, Ga.;
Devon Aines, a/k/a “Devon Johnson,” 32, Garden City, Ga.;
Trevor Aines, a/k/a “Sticks,” 29, Garden City, Ga.;
Avery Wiggins, 43, Guyton, Ga.;
Tyler Shuman, 25, Pembroke, Ga.;
Aaron McCarthy, a/k/a “Mustang Aaron,” 40, Pooler, Ga.;
Darren J. Driggers, a/k/a “eBay,” a/k/a “DJ,” 26, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
Crystal Wilson, 36, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
Cody Eubanks, 26, Pooler, Ga.;
Robert Fuller, a/k/a “Robbie,” 39, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
Baby Dwayne Garrison, 55, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
Jennifer J. Grooms, 36, Ellabell, Ga.;
Marcus Logan-Greco, 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
Brandon Chapman, 25, Savannah, Ga.;
Ronald A. Smith, 39, Newington, Ga.;
Kenneth I. Jenks, a/k/a “Juno,” 40, Savannah, Ga.;
Daniel Fleming, a/k/a “Baby Boy,” 32, Savannah, Ga.;
Andrew P. Campos, a/k/a “Chubs,” 28, Richmond Hill, Ga.;
Rodney Rose, 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
Cody Tracy, a/k/a “Cojack,” 33, Guyton, Ga.;
Joshua Mcnelly, 25, Savannah, Ga.;
Cynthia Miracle, 48, Ellabell, Ga.;
Dillon Myrick, a/k/a “Country Crack,” 31, Savannah, Ga.;
Amberly Knight, a/k/a “Tina Tinker,” 26, Savannah, Ga.;
Keri Ann-Marie Lewis, 28, Savannah, Ga.;
Waylon Jesse Hodges, 41, Pembroke, Ga.;
Christine Loggins, 43, Rockledge, Ga.;
William Frank Davis, a/k/a “Nitty,” 31, Guyton, Ga.;
Joseph Britt Carter, a/k/a “Crack,” 29, Savannah, Ga.;
Maurice L. Graham, a/k/a “Moe,” 45, Savannah, Ga.;
Meagan M. James, a/k/a “Meagan M. Cooke,” “Amanda Gail Page,” and “MJ,” 35, Alto, Ga.;
Shawn Hadden, a/k/a “Shorty,” 42, Bloomingdale, Ga.;
Christopher Hendrix, a/k/a “Hot Boy,” “Irish,” and “Conor Murphy,” 40, Helena, Ga.;
Elizabeth Kitchens, a/k/a “Liz,” 38, Tybee Island, Ga.;
Kerri Neely, 27, Savannah, Ga.;
David Rahn, 41, Savannah, Ga.;
Miranda Burnsed, a/k/a “Miranda Harralson,” 32, Pembroke, Ga.;
Patrick Kennally, a/k/a “Shifty,” 39, Bloomingdale, Ga.; and,
Kimberlin Johnson, 24, Rincon, Ga.
Of the 43 defendants charged, 41 are now in custody awaiting further court proceedings.
“When I was sworn in as the United States Attorney, I pledged that we would make neighborhoods safer and work hard to dismantle criminal street gangs,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “As this indictment demonstrates, we will coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement to identify criminal organizations; we will target them; and we will dismantle them. The Ghost Face Gangsters is a gang that started in Georgia prisons. It has spread to the free world. It is my goal to end the gang where it started.”
Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) Director Everett Ragan said, “The Ghost Face Gangsters are no strangers to CNT and have been targeted in several recent high-profile CNT cases. This is a dangerous gang that promotes violence and profits from poisoning our communities. CNT understands that working investigations collectively with our law enforcement partners maximizes the impact, puts more criminals away, and is an overall win for the citizens we are sworn to protect.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Field Division said, “The mission of DEA is unwavering: We relentlessly pursue drug traffickers. This organization distributed dangerous drugs (methamphetamine and heroin) that caused immeasurable damage to communities in the Southern District of Georgia. This indictment is an example of how the law enforcement community and the U.S. Attorney’s Office work together to remove such criminals from our streets.”
“Without the phenomenal character and competence of the agents leading the investigation, this outcome would not have been possible,” said Tim Graden, Resident Agent in Charge of the Savannah Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “ATF’s Savannah Field Office and our law enforcement partners targeted focus on investigating criminal organizations and violent offenders has resulted in numerous successful prosecutions like this operation. The success of these investigations are easily substantiated by the reduction in violent crime and the increased community confidence in the areas where these criminals once committed their crimes.”
This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), the Georgia Department of Corrections Intelligence Division, the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Bloomingdale Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys E. Greg Gilluly, Jr. and Frank Pennington.
A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Missoula man sentenced for firearms, probation violationRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced that Missoula resident William Dale Newhoff, Jr. was sentenced on Nov. 16, 2018 to a total of 69 months in prison for probation and firearms violations after law enforcement officers arrested him following a high-speed chase.
Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced Newhoff, 36, to 51 months and to three years supervised release for his conviction on being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Judge Christensen ordered the sentence to be consecutive to an 18-month prison sentenced imposed earlier in the day by U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy.
Judge Molloy sentenced Newhoff to 18 months in prison after he revoked Newhoff’s supervised release in two earlier cases in which he was convicted of two firearms violations in one case and of escape in a second case.
In January 2018, Newhoff was a federal fugitive. The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office located Newhoff in East Missoula on Jan. 30, 2018 and notified the U.S. Marshal’s Service. After a high-speed chase and extensive search, law enforcement officers arrested Newhoff in a trailer house in Missoula County. When officers found Newhoff standing behind a door, he was holding a 9mm pistol and had ammunition in his jacket pocket. He was arrested without incident.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson prosecuted the firearms case, which was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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Michigan man admits to oxycodone distributionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Christopher Lloyd, of Detroit, Michigan, has admitted to an oxycodone distribution charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Lloyd, also known as “Red,” age 33, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Distribution of Oxycodone.” Lloyd admitted to selling oxycodone in November 2015 in Monongalia County.
Lloyd faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crime Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Mexican National Pleads Not Guilty to Returning to the United States Following DeportationRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Miguel Lopez-Castillo, 34, a Mexican national, pleaded not guilty on November 15, 2018, in United States District Court in Burlington to a charge that he was found in the United States after having been previously deported. U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy ordered that Lopez-Castillo be detained pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to the indictment, Lopez-Castillo has twice been deported from the United States: first in 2008 and again in 2012. In late May 2018, agents with the Department of Homeland Security learned that Lopez-Castillo had at some point returned to the United States illegally, without having obtained authorization from the Attorney General to do so. At the time of his indictment this past August, Lopez-Castillo was in the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections following his arrest in Burlington. That state case ended on November 15, 2018, with Lopez-Castillo’s guilty plea and time-served sentence. Agents then took the defendant into federal custody.
The United States Attorney emphasizes that the charge in the indictment is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty.
If convicted, Lopez-Castillo faces up to two years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence would be determined with reference to federal sentencing guidelines.
Lopez-Castillo is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Barclay Johnson. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.
Maryland man sentenced for counterfeit chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Barry Eugene Dragovich, of Cumberland, Maryland, was sentenced today to 36 months incarceration for a counterfeit charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Dragovich, age 40, pled guilty to one count of “Uttering Counterfeit Obligations and Securities” in July 2018. Dragovich admitted to passing counterfeit bills in May 2017 in Harrison County.
Dragovich was also ordered to pay $1,920 in restitution for the crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The United States Secret Service and the Clarksburg Police Department investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Criminal Charges Against Société Générale S.A. for Violations of the Trading with the Enemy ActRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James D. Robnett, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), and Mark Bialek, Inspector General, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“IG-FRB/CFPB”), announced criminal charges against Société Générale S.A. (“SG” or the “Bank”) consisting of a one-count felony information charging SG with conspiring to violate the Trading with the Enemy Act (“TWEA”) and the Cuban Asset Control Regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Cuban Regulations”) for SG’s role in processing billions of dollars of U.S. dollar transactions using the U.S. financial system, in connection with credit facilities involving Cuba (the “Cuban Credit Facilities”). The case is assigned to United States District Judge P. Kevin Castel.
Mr. Berman also announced an agreement (the “Agreement”) under which SG agreed to accept responsibility for its conduct by stipulating to the accuracy of an extensive Statement of Facts, pay penalties totaling $1,340,165,000 to federal and state prosecutors and regulators, refrain from all future criminal conduct, and implement remedial measures as required by its regulators. Assuming SG’s continued compliance with the Agreement, the Government has agreed to defer prosecution for a period of three years, after which time the Government will seek to dismiss the charges. The $1.34 billion in penalties represents the second largest penalty ever imposed on a financial institution for violations of U.S. economic sanctions.
The penalty shall be collected, in part, through SG’s forfeiture to the United States of $717,200,000 in a civil forfeiture action also filed today. Of that amount, one-half shall be transferred to the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, pursuant to the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act. In addition, SG has reached separate agreements with the New York County District Attorney’s Office (“DANY”), United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (collectively the “Federal Reserve”), and the New York State Department of Financial Services (“DFS”), under which it shall pay additional penalties of $622,965,000 as follows: $162,800,000 to DANY; $53,900,000 to OFAC; $81,265,000 to the Federal Reserve; and $325,000,000 to DFS.
The Government entered into this resolution due, in part, to SG’s acceptance and acknowledgement of responsibility under the laws of the United States for its conduct, as exhibited by its undertaking of a thorough internal investigation, collecting and producing voluminous evidence located in other countries to the full extent permitted under applicable laws and regulations, and its enhancement of its compliance program and sanctions-related internal controls both before and after it became the subject of a U.S. law enforcement investigation. These factors and SG’s willingness to enter into the commitments set forth in the Agreement, along with all other relevant factors and considerations, collectively weighed in favor of deferral of prosecution, and outweighed in this particular case SG’s failure to self-report all of its violations of United States sanctions laws in a timely manner, as described below.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Today, Société Générale has admitted its willful violations of U.S. sanctions laws – and longtime concealment of those violations – which resulted in billions of dollars of illicit funds flowing through the U.S. financial system. With today’s resolution, the Bank has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct and demonstrated its commitment to remedying these failures and enhancing its compliance programs and internal controls. Other banks should take heed: Enforcement of U.S. sanctions laws is, and will continue to be, a top priority of this Office and our partner agencies.”
IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge James D. Robnett said: “Today, Société Générale is being held accountable for illegal transactions made through the U.S. financial system on behalf of entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions. Sanctions enforcement is of vital importance to our national security and the integrity of our financial system. IRS-CI will continue to work closely with partner law enforcement agencies, federal regulators and prosecutors to ensure compliance with federal banking laws to promote integrity across financial institutions worldwide.”
FRB/CFPB Inspector General Mark Bialek said: “As today’s agreement makes clear, Société Générale’s knowing and willful violation of U.S. economic sanctions through structuring and concealment has resulted in an agreement to pay over $1.3 billion in monetary penalties. I commend our agents in New York and their law enforcement partners for their hard work, along with the coordination of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Federal Reserve Board, which resulted in this outcome.”
According to the documents filed today in Manhattan federal court:
SG’s Operation of U.S. Dollar Credit Facilities to Finance Cuban Business
From approximately 2004 through 2010, SG, in contravention of U.S. sanctions laws, operated 21 credit facilities that provided significant money flow to Cuban banks, entities controlled by Cuba, and Cuban and foreign corporations for business conducted in Cuba; those facilities (the “Cuban Credit Facilities”) involved substantial U.S.-cleared payments through U.S. financial institutions, in violation of TWEA and the Cuban Regulations. In total, during this time period, SG engaged in more than 2,500 sanctions-violating transactions through U.S. financial institutions, causing those U.S. financial institutions to process close to $13 billion in transactions that otherwise should have been rejected, blocked, or stopped for investigation pursuant to regulations promulgated by OFAC. The majority of these transactions and most of the total value involved a U.S. dollar credit facility designed to finance oil transactions between a Dutch commodities trading firm and a Cuban corporation with a state monopoly on the production and refining of crude oil in Cuba.
SG avoided detection, in part, by making inaccurate or incomplete notations on payment messages that accompanied these sanctions-violating transactions. Indeed, the SG department that managed many of the Cuban Credit Facilities engaged in a deliberate practice of concealing the Cuban nexus of U.S. dollar payments that were made in connection with those facilities. For example, SG routed approximately 500 U.S. dollar-denominated payments through a particular Spanish bank in order to disguise the fact that the transactions violated U.S. sanctions, and employees were instructed to omit any references to Cuba or Cuban entities from the messages that accompanied the fund transfers.
In late 2004, SG began to reconsider its Cuba business in light of U.S. enforcement actions, and began to shift away from U.S. dollar transactions involving Cuba to avoid U.S. scrutiny and possible penalties. In a December 1, 2004, email, a senior leader of SG’s global Group Compliance Department expressed concern to a top executive in the SG group responsible for liaising with SG’s regulators that (1) “any discovery of breach” regarding Cuba “attracts the most stringent punishment,” and (2) U.S. authorities, including “criminal authorities,” were focusing on U.S. dollar payments that had been sent through U.S. banks. Several days later, the same senior leader of Group Compliance, after being alerted to a U.S. dollar transaction between SG Canada and an exporter of goods to Cuba in connection with which “[n]o reference to Cuba is made to [the Canadian bank],” emailed several members of SG’s senior management, noting that “we have lived with the OFAC list for some time and have developed various methods of avoiding it,” and asked whether “given the new regulatory scrutiny in the US on USD payments do we remain satisfied with those methods?”
In mid- to late-December 2004, as a result of these concerns, SG’s top management determined that U.S. dollar transactions in connection with the Cuban Credit Facilities should be eliminated as quickly as possible, but still permitted continued U.S. dollar transactions in the interim. Despite the decision in 2004 to wind down U.S. dollar transactions for the Cuban Credit Facilities, as well as the Bank’s overall Cuban exposure, SG continued to engage in such transactions for almost six more years, until October 2010. The conduct continued despite the ongoing awareness of SG’s Group Compliance, and despite awareness by the participants of ongoing U.S. sanctions enforcement actions. In October 2010, as the last of the Cuban Credit Facilities was being replaced with a non-U.S. dollar facility at the insistence of a senior leader of SG’s Group Sanctions Compliance function, SG sent payment instructions directing that the final $600,000 arrangement fee be paid in U.S. dollars, but “not to mention any reference to [Cuban Corporation] within the references of this settlement.” From 2005 to 2010, SG conducted a total of 1,921 U.S. dollar transactions that violated TWEA and the Cuban Regulations, with a total value of approximately $10.3 billion.
SG’s Failure to Disclose Its Wrongdoing in a Timely Manner
Despite the awareness of both SG’s senior management and Group Compliance that SG had engaged in this unlawful conduct, SG did not disclose its conduct to OFAC or any other U.S. regulator or law enforcement agency until well after the commencement of the Government’s investigation.
This investigation was triggered by the blocking by other U.S. financial institutions, in March 2012, of two transactions that SG processed on behalf of a Sudanese sanctioned entity, and a subsequent February 2013 voluntary disclosure by SG regarding $22.8 million in transactions with the Sudanese entity and a small number of transactions with other sanctioned entities that violated U.S. sanctions. The Bank did not, however, disclose the existence of the Cuban Credit Facilities at that time, but rather did so only in October 2014, after SG performed a detailed forensic analysis based on the scope of investigation required by the Government and the other investigating agencies.
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Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and The Office of Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He also thanked the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the New York State Department of Financial Services, and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for their assistance with this matter. The New York County District Attorney’s Office also conducted its own investigation alongside the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on this investigation.
The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Wilson and Benet J. Kearney are in charge of the prosecution.
MS-13 Member Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A member of MS-13’s Eastside Loco Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for RICO conspiracy.
Erick Argueta Larios, a/k/a “Lobo,” 33, a Salvadoran national illegally residing in the U.S., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release. In February 2018, Larios and two other MS-13 members, Herzzon Sandoval, a/k/a “Casper,” 36, and Edwin Guzman, a/k/a “Playa,” 32, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. A fourth MS-13 member, Cesar Martinez, a/k/a “Cheche,” 37, was convicted at the same trial of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
MS-13 was identified as a violent transnational criminal organization whose branches, or “cliques,” operate throughout the United States, including in Massachusetts. MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, specifically against rival gang members, to gain membership in and be promoted within the gang. Guzman and Sandoval were the leaders, also known as the “first word,” and “second word,” of the ESLS clique in Massachusetts.
On Sept. 20, 2015, Joel Martinez, a/k/a “Animal,” murdered a 15-year-old boy in East Boston. On Jan. 8, 2016, as a reward for the 2015 murder, Joel Martinez was promoted by the gang to “homeboy” status with a 13-second beat-in by other MS-13 members at an ESLS meeting that Guzman, Sandoval, Martinez, and Argueta Larios attended.
In May 2018, Joel Martinez was sentenced to 40 years in prison and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy involving murder. In October 2018, Sandoval was sentenced to 20 years in prison and two years of supervised release. In November 2018, Guzman was sentenced to 16 years in prison and three years of supervised release. Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 28, 2018.
Argueta Larios was one of 49 defendants convicted as part of this case. All nine defendants who went to trial were convicted and 40 others pleaded guilty. In all, 16 defendants, including Joel Martinez, were found to have committed or knowingly participated in murders.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Commissioner Thomas Turco of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections; Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Thompkins; Suffolk County District Attorney John P. Pappas; Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Boston Police Commissioner William Gross; Chelsea Police Chief Brian A. Kyes; Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie; Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary; Revere Police Chief James Guido; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement today. The U.S. Marshals Service has provided crucial assistance with the case.
Los Angeles Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles woman who called herself “The Most Hated Hoe in L.A.” on social media pleaded guilty today to a federal sex trafficking offense and admitted she used the Internet to solicit minors to engage in commercial sex acts.
Melanie Denae Williams, 23, who used the moniker “Pretty Hoe” on social media platforms, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. She entered her plea before United States District Judge George H. Wu.
As a result of today’s guilty plea, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and will be required to pay restitution to her victims.
According to her plea agreement, Williams abused a woman she had recruited through social media to work as a prostitute. In one incident detailed in court documents, Williams ordered the victim to strip off her clothes, then Williams threw bleach on her and beat her with her hands and a broomstick. Williams also forced the victim to get Williams’ name tattooed on her face, confiscated the victim’s belongings and identity documents, and continually threatened to kill the victim if she left Williams, according to an affidavit filed in this case.
Williams also posted social media videos of her physically beating and using firearms to threaten young women, the affidavit states.
Williams also admitted in the plea agreement to using the Internet to recruit two minors to engage in commercial sex acts. Williams would then retain the proceeds from the minors’ sex acts for her own benefit.
Judge Wu scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 28.
The investigation into Williams was conducted by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, which included agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lana Morton-Owens and Joseph Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Long Island Gang Leader Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment for Shooting Two Rivals in HempsteadRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Alton Gore, also known as “A-Murder,” the leader of the Outlaws street gang, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco to 15 years’ imprisonment following his April 6, 2018 guilty plea to assault in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), announced the sentence.
“Gore earned today’s sentence by blindly shooting into a house, permanently disabling one man and injuring another,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “Violence in the name of a street gang jeopardizes the safety of the entire community and will not be tolerated. We will continue working tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to rid Long Island of the Outlaws and every other street gang.”
“Violent street gangs endanger public safety and paralyze communities through fear and intimidation,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Gore showed a flagrant disregard for the safety of others in opening fire on that home – two rival gang members were shot, one gravely injured, and his reckless actions could have endangered the lives of many others. The FBI’s Long Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force will continue to pursue justice for gang members who act outside the boundaries of the law.”
“The sentence of Defendant Gore is a clear example of how these violent crimes will not be tolerated in Nassau County,” stated NCPD Commissioner Ryder. “These street rival gangs exiting their violence place our residents and communities in harm’s way and injured two others. It is a testament of the hard work of dedicated professionals that the combined effort of law enforcement was able to bring this defendant to justice to further show that he will be punished for his actions.”
On September 11, 2013, Outlaws gang member Pedro Merchant shot and killed 17-year-old Dante Quinones in Hempstead over gang allegiances. Following Quinones’ murder, Gore led Outlaws members in a year-long gang war between the Outlaws and the Bloods, which included multiple shootings. On September 14, 2014, Gore and two Outlaws members staked out a house in Hempstead where Bloods members were watching a boxing match. Gore and his co-conspirators opened fire into the house, hitting one gang member in the leg and a second gang member in the head, causing him to lose an eye.
This Office has prosecuted six members and associates of the Outlaws and six members of the Bloods for their participation in this violent gang war. To date, the following individuals have been sentenced or pled guilty:
- Pedro Merchant, a member of the Outlaws in Hempstead, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the September 11, 2013 firearm-related murder of Dante Quinones.
- Everett Brown, an associate of the Outlaws, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence for his role in one of three shootings of rivals’ homes committed by the gang on August 19, 2014.
- Philip Saunders, a member of the Bloods, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment following his guilty plea to discharging a firearm during a crime of violence for his role in a May 9, 2014 assault of a rival gang member.
- Khalil Brown and Naree Barnes, members of the Bloods, were each sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment following their guilty pleas to discharging firearms during a crime of violence for shooting at a rival gang member on October 21, 2014.
- Billy McLen, a member of the Bloods, pled guilty to attempted murder in-aid-of racketeering and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and is awaiting sentence. When sentenced, McLen faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life.
- Jonathan Mayzick, a member of the Bloods charged with racketeering, conspiracy to murder and assault rival gang members with dangerous weapons and attempted murder and attempted assault with dangerous weapons, is awaiting trial.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Boeckmann, Christopher Caffarone and Michael Maffei are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendants:
ALTON GORE (also known as “A-Murder”)
Age: 27
Hempstead, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 16-CR-322 (S-1) (JFB)
Lee's Summit Couple Among 13 Indicted for $62 Million Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., couple are among 13 defendants who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a $62 million conspiracy to distribute more than 2,000 kilograms of cocaine, and a money laundering conspiracy.
Howard Christian Walters, also known as “Chris,” 41, and his wife, Nina Walter, 37, both of Lee’s Summit; Louis Walker, 47, of Richmond, Mo.; Jose Luis Armendariz-Rascon, also known as “Uncle” or “Rambo,” 38, and Jesus Salvador Campoy-Estrada, also known as “Chava” or “Chavita,” 24, both citizens of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Kan.; Franciso Gastelum-Valdez, 51, of Overland Park, Kan.; Miguel Armendariz-Rascon, 30, a citizen of Mexico residing in Olathe, Kan.; Mark High, 52, and Antonio Starks-Fewell, 33, both of Springfield, Mo.; Otilio Zaragoza-Navarrette, 62, a Mexican national and lawful permanent resident, and Pamela Salais, 30, and her sister, Luisa Maria Salais, 28, all of El Paso, Texas; Armando Rosales, Jr., 29, of San Elizario, Texas; were charged in a 20-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of most of the defendants.
Howard Walters is the owner of L & H Auto Sales in Kansas City, Mo.
The federal indictment alleges that Howard Walters, Jose Armendariz-Rascon, Campoy-Estrada, High, Starks-Fewell, Miguel Armendariz-Rascon, Zaragoza-Navarrett, Rosales, Pamela Salais and Luisa Salais participated in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine from October 2013 to Nov. 15, 2018.
In addition to the conspiracy, Howard Walters is charged with seven counts of distributing cocaine. Howard Walters also is charged with Campoy-Estrada, High and Starks-Fewell in one count of aiding and abetting the possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and in one count of aiding and abetting the possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.
The federal indictment alleges that Howard and Nina Walters, Campoy-Estrada, Gastelum-Valdez and Walker participated in a money-laundering conspiracy during the same timeframe, from October 2013 to Nov. 15, 2018.
In addition to the money-laundering conspiracy, Howard Walters is charged with three counts of money laundering for allegedly purchasing a 2017 Dodge Ram pickup truck and a 2013 Suzuki motorcycle, and the lease of a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS550, with the proceeds of drug trafficking. Howard Walters and Walker also are charged together in one count of money laundering for allegedly purchasing a 2011 Porsche Panamera with the proceeds of drug trafficking.
Campoy-Estrada is also charged with two counts of money laundering for the alleged purchase of a residence and of a 2011 Cadillac Escalade with the proceeds of drug trafficking.
Howard and Nina Walters also are charged together in one count of money laundering. Nina Walters is also charged with one count of money laundering.
Gastelum-Valdez is also charged with two counts of money laundering related to the alleged purchase of a residential property with the proceeds of drug trafficking.
The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations, which would require Jose Armendariz-Rascon to forfeit at least $62.4 million, which was received in exchange for the unlawful distribution of cocaine (based on a sale price of $30,000 per kilogram of cocaine and distribution of no less than 10 kilograms of cocaine per week for a period of at least four years).
Several defendants would also be required to forfeit to the government four residential properties, including Howard and Nina Walters’s residence in Lee’s Summit and Campoy-Estrada’s residence in Kansas City. Howard Walters, Campoy-Estrada, High, Starks-Fewell, Miguel Armendariz-Rascon, Zaragoza-Navarrett, Rosales, Pamela Salais and Luisa Salais would be required to forfeit to the government a money judgment in the amount of the proceeds received in exchange for the unlawful distribution of cocaine.
The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Smith. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Lee’s Summit, Mo., Police Department.
Lancaster Man Pleads to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Jamarcus Dontaye Patterson, age 35, of Lancaster, plead guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Chief United States District Judge Terry L. Wooten of Columbia accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the United States Probation Office.
Evidence presented in court established that on July 13, 2018, deputies with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Plyler and Duke Streets after receiving a call that Jarmarcus Patterson had pointed a firearm at someone. Deputies observed Patterson, who had outstanding state warrants at the time, walking down Plyler Street. When deputies approached, Patterson fled on foot, was apprehended shortly thereafter and deputies recovered a loaded Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol. Patterson was arrested on state charges and thereafter, a federal arrest warrant and complaint was issued.
Patterson is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon his prior state convictions. Patterson has the following prior convictions: 2002 conviction for assault and battery with intent to kill, wherein he shot someone in the leg; 2013 conviction for burglary 2nd degree, where he and a co-defendant allegedly were armed during a burglary in which a two-month old child was held at gunpoint; 2013 conviction for attempted strong arm robbery; and 2013 conviction for accessory before the fact to a felony. At the time of the current offense, Patterson was on state bond for a December 24, 2017, weapon charge.
Patterson faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a crime reduction strategy originally launched in 2001 that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Turning the tide of rising violent crime in America is a top priority for the Department of Justice, which has reinstituted PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.
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Kingston Springs Man Indicted for Mid-State Pharmacy RobberiesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – November 19, 2018 – Gary Ginnings, 44, of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury and charged with two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, one attempted Hobbs Act Robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. Ginnings was arrested this morning by FBI agents and officers from the Metro Nashville Police Department and the Dickson County Sheriff’s Department. He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later today.
According to the indictment, on April 12, 2018, Ginnings attempted to rob the Bridgestone Pharmacy in Antioch, Tennessee while brandishing a firearm. On the same day, Ginnings robbed the Good Shepard Pharmacy in Antioch and took bottles of hydroxychloroquine, a prescription medication.
The indictment also alleges that on April 18, 2018, Ginnings, while armed with a firearm, robbed the pharmacist at Fred’s Pharmacy in Whitebluff, Tennessee. During this robbery, Ginnings obtained 3,280 oxycodone pills.
If convicted, Ginnings faces up to life in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI; the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department; and the White Bluff Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Montminy and Van Vincent are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Kansas Business Owner Sentenced for Making False Statement on Tax ReturnRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A man who owned businesses in Topeka, Olathe and Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced today to 12 months and a day for falsifying a tax return, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said. In addition, he was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.
Fernando Tapia, 47, Eudora, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement on a tax return. Tapia owned meat markets in Topeka, Olathe and at two locations in Kansas City, Kan., as well as two more in Missouri. In a tax return for 2010, Tapia reported receiving $1,991 in income from a category of income that included partnership income. In fact, he received approximately $120,000 in income from that category.
McAllister commended the Internal Revenue Service and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton for their work on the case.
Hammond Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Latin King Racketeering Conspiracy Including Murder of Innocent VictimRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Anton James, Jr., 22, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge Simon to 28 years imprisonment following his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit racketeering activity for his role and participation in the Latin Kings street gang, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
U.S. Attorney Kirsch said, “Mr. James, through his gang activities, terrorized the streets of Northwest Indiana. The 28 year sentence reflects the seriousness of these crimes. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and the community to investigate and prosecute gangs.”
At sentencing, James was found to have committed the October 28, 2014, murder of Martin Hurtado, Sr., of Hammond, Indiana, in furtherance of the Latin Kings. Hurtado, an innocent victim who was not a gang member, was outside his residence working on his car when he was gunned down by James in an effort to further James’ standing and prestige in the Latin King street gang. According to documents in this case, James was involved with the Latin Kings from approximately 2011 - 2015. During his involvement with the Latin Kings, he conspired to distribute between 5 and 15 kilograms of cocaine. He patrolled Latin King controlled territory in Hammond, Indiana, in furtherance of the gang while armed with a firearm with an extended magazine. On another occasion, he shot an entire magazine worth of bullets at a residence of a rival Latin Counts member. On another occasion, James shot at rival Spanish Gangster Disciples members outside of a convenience store in Hammond.
Enforcement actions and partnerships related to violent gangs are part of our Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. The program brings 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. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff’s Department and Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents. The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, has also provided assistance. The Latin King case is being prosecuted by Northern District of Indiana Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Nozick, Dean R. Lanter, and Joseph A. Cooley, formerly of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Guatemalan Man Charged with Transfer of False Identification DocumentRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that MARIO ARGUETA-CHUN, age 40, a native of Guatemala, was charged Friday, November 16, 2018 in a one-count bill of information with unlawfully transferring a false identification document, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028(a)(2).
According to court documents, on July 6, 2018, ARGUETA-CHUN knowingly transferred a fraudulent Social Security card that appeared to have been issued by the United States.
If convicted, ARGUETA-CHUN faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years, a fine of $250,000, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that a bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Grand Ledge Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Kevin Scott Konen, 52, of Grand Ledge, Michigan, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of children, and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Gordon J. Quist has yet to be scheduled. At sentencing, Konen will face a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and a combined maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment, restitution, fines, and other penalties.
Konen used various persona and schemes on social media to cause and attempt to cause minors to take sexually explicit images of themselves. Konen used the alias "Jenny Mays" on Facebook and other social media and pretended to be a high school girl and befriended girls and boys. Using the "Jenny Mays" alias, Konen manipulated minors and then encouraged them to take sexually explicit images of themselves. Konen also used the alias of "Alyssa Pietrzak" to contact minors. Using this persona, Konen aggressively extorted minors and demanded that they send him sexual images or "Alyssa Pietrzak" would send compromising pictures to the victim’s family and friends. Another ruse involved directing the victims to contact "Denny Ha" who could help the victims remove their pictures from internet websites, but to do so "Denny Ha" needed user names and passwords for their accounts. Once he had access to the accounts, Konen would search the victims’ accounts for compromising pictures.
Konen operated this scheme from 2011 to 2018 and had communications with numerous minors in Eaton County, Michigan, and others outside the state. Persons who believe that they or someone they know may have been a victim of this scheme should call the FBI at (313) 965- 4540.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, Michigan State Police, and the Grand Ledge Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru.
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Georgia Man Charged with Social Security and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Georgia man will appear in federal court in Springfield today to face charges connected with his submission of a fraudulent application for employment at a Western Massachusetts hospital.
Fabrizio I. Pluchino, a/k/a “Fabrizio Pulchino,” 55, of Atlanta, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Oct. 25, 2018, on one count of using a falsely obtained Social Security number and one count of wire fraud. Pluchino will appear in federal court in Springfield today at 2:00 p.m.
According to the indictment that was unsealed today, Pluchino was assigned a Social Security number in 1988 and subsequently falsely obtained two additional Social Security numbers in 1991 and 2000, respectively. Around November 2013, Pluchino used one of his falsely obtained Social Security numbers on pre-employment documents when he applied to be a Cardiac Surgical Technologist at a Western Massachusetts hospital. He also falsely represented his work history and provided two false employment references. As a result, the hospital hired Pluchino for the position and paid Pluchino more than $190,000 in wages during his employment.
The charge of use of a falsely obtained Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fourth Defendant Convicted in June by a St. Croix Federal Jury is Sentenced to 10 Years for Conspiracy and Attempted Possession of CocaineRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Jean Carlos Vega-Arizmendi, age 27, of Puerto Rico, was sentenced on Friday to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, by District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis, announced United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert. Judge Lewis also sentenced Vega-Arizmendi to five years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a fine of $2,000.000 and a special assessment of $300.00.
On June 26, 2018, a federal jury convicted Vega-Arizmendi along with five co-defendants on cocaine-related charges. Evidence at trial revealed that the organization planned for the retrieval of over 300 kilograms of cocaine during the period of the conspiracy. Approximately 223 kilograms of cocaine were actually distributed by the drug organization. Law enforcement efforts to interdict the drug shipments were successful, beginning in 2015. Between December 13 and 15, 2014, Vega-Arizmendi assisted others in attempts to retrieve 30 kilograms of cocaine mid-sea. Vega-Arizmendi functioned as a boat operator. In May 2015, he bought a gas tank for a boat in St. Croix that was to be used to retrieve a load of cocaine. The boat flipped and was never taken out to sea. During the summer of 2015, Vega-Arizmendi and others also attempted to retrieve a 70 kilogram load of cocaine and transport it into Culebra. Vega-Arizmendi functioned as the look-out person during that episode.
Fourteen individuals were originally charged as part of the drug trafficking organization. Prior to trial, six defendants entered guilty pleas and were sentenced. Of the six that were convicted on June 26, 2018, four have been sentenced and two are awaiting sentence.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alphonso G. Andrews, Jr. and Everard E. Potter.
Fort Worth Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Hulen Mall ArsonRead the Press Release
A Fort Worth Man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for the May 2018 Hulen Mall arson, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
In July, Craig Michael Tezeno, 46, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty to igniting several Molotov cocktails inside two department stores in Fort Worth’s Hulen Mall.
According to court documents, Tezeno admits he lit a rag stuffed into a glass bottle filled with gasoline and placed it on the floor of Dillard’s department store on May 11. Later that same day, he lit a similar device inside a Sears. He returned to the same Sears a week later and ignited a third device, hoping to start a fire and damage the store.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Arson Investigations Unit, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, and FBI Task Force Officers from the Tarrant County Sherriff’s Office, the Arlington Police Department, the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer prosecuted the case.
Former Norwalk Resident Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S. after Being DeportedRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MIGUEL ANGEL ARCOS-VASQUEZ, also known as “Dimas Fernando Herrarte,” 27, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 12 months and one day of imprisonment for illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported. Arcos-Vasquez is a citizen of Guatemala last residing in Norwalk.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in November 2011, Arcos-Vasquez attempted to enter the U.S. at the Mexican border using the identity of a Mexican citizen. He was denied entry into the U.S. and returned by foot to Mexico.
In March 2014, Arcos-Vasquez was arrested by the Stratford Police Department for a burglary offense. In April 2014, he also was charged with failure to appear. He was not encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at this time.
In approximately 2015, Arcos-Vasquez returned to Guatemala voluntarily. In January 2016, he attempted to enter the U.S. three times through Texas, but was removed to Mexico after each attempt.
On January 24, 2017, Arcos-Vasquez was arrested by the Stamford Police Department on charges of threatening in the first degree. On January 27, 2017, under the name of Dimas Herrarte-Ramirez, he was charged by the Norwalk Police Department with sale of a hallucinogen/narcotic and criminal possession of a firearm. He has been detained since that time, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified.
On October 19, 2017, Arcos-Vasquez was sentenced in state court to five years of incarceration, execution suspended after two years. His state prison term is scheduled to expire in January 2019.
Judge Hall ordered Arcos-Vasquez to begin serving his federal sentence upon his release from state prison.
On August 17, 2018, Arcos-Vasquez pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah R. Slater.
Former L.A. County Deputy Sheriff Sentenced to 17½ Years in Prison for Scheming to Escort Large Amounts of Narcotics for $250,000Read the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was sentenced today to 210 months in federal prison for participating in an interstate drug trafficking conspiracy in which the deputy agreed to use his role as a law enforcement officer to ensure that narcotics were successfully transported.
Kenneth Collins, 51, of Chino, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered the defendant to pay $38,000 in restitution.
In August, Collins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Collins, who separated from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in late February, admitted to conspiring with at least two other individuals to accept cash payments in exchange for distributing large amounts of controlled substances. Collins also admitted to actively preventing the legitimate efforts of state and local law enforcement in exchange for cash payments up to $250,000.
“For years, former deputy Collins abused the trust of the people of Los Angeles County as a corrupt law enforcement officer motivated by greed,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “In public, he was sworn to uphold the law, but in private he was a gun-for-hire willing to help drug smugglers in exchange for getting his cut of the dirty profits.”
“Today’s sentencing is a sober warning that those in a position of public trust will not be allowed to abuse their authority as a law enforcement officer,” said Assistant Director in Charge Paul Delacourt of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Former deputy Collins betrayed the public’s trust by placing a higher priority on satisfying his personal greed rather than ensuring the safety of our communities he was sworn to protect.”
As part of an undercover operation, FBI special agents arrested Collins and his two co-defendants in January after they arrived in Pasadena to provide security to transport nearly 45 pounds of cocaine and more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine to Las Vegas. Previously, Collins had negotiated a cash payment of $250,000 for his escort services. What Collins didn’t know at the time was that he had entered into an agreement with an undercover FBI agent posing as the partner of a wealthy investor financing a drug trafficking operation.
Collins admitted that he and his co-defendants provided security in November 2017 for a Pasadena-to-Las Vegas shipment of what he believed was six kilograms methamphetamine, as well as marijuana and counterfeit cigarettes. Collins received $25,000 in cash for his team’s security services that day.
Collins justified the high fees for his services by telling the undercover agent “we’re cops” and “all of our transports make it through.” During one meeting with the undercover agent, Collins displayed his Sheriff’s Department badge and firearm as proof that he was a law enforcement officer, thereby rendering his services more valuable to drug traffickers.
The undercover agent bought two pounds of marijuana from Collins for $6,000 in October 2017 as a “test run.” If the “test run” sale went well, Collins offered to sell up to $4 million of marijuana every month to the undercover agent, claiming he had a “connection” through which he could secure up to one ton of marijuana every month, according to court documents.
In recorded negotiations with the undercover agent, Collins also offered to intimidate and physically assault people in exchange for cash, court documents said. “I fix problems,” Collins bragged. “I make a lot of things go away.” Collins even claimed to have recently set someone’s “$85,000 Cadillac truck on fire” for one of his other criminal “clients.”
When he pleaded guilty, Collins also admitted that, in an entirely separate encounter, where he again corruptly used his law enforcement position, he illegally seized approximately $160,000 in cash from a vehicle after conducting an unlawful traffic stop. Prior to the stop, Collins was aware there would be a large amount of cash in the vehicle and never reported the stop or the cash seizure to the LASD.
In his plea agreement, Collins further acknowledged that he used to be an instructor at the Emerging Leaders Academy, a life-skills class where LASD deputies were supposed to mentor adult ex-offenders to help them reintegrate into society. It was through the academy that Collins first met his co-defendant Grant Valencia, a student at the time.
Two co-defendants in this case – David Easter and Grant Valencia – each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Valencia has been sentenced. Easter’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 8.
The case against Collins and his co-defendants was investigated by the FBI, with cooperation from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.