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Friday 26 October 2018
Rochester Man Arrested for His Role in Buffalo to Rochester Cocaine Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Seymour Miles, 24, of Rochester, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with the intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in April 2018, the DEA began an investigation into a cocaine distribution organization operating in Rochester and Buffalo, NY. During the course of the investigation, the defendant was identified as a member of this organization, which was responsible for the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine to a network of customers. Between September 24, 2018, and October 18, 2018, the DEA conducted three controlled purchases of cocaine from Miles.On October 25, 2018, the DEA arranged for a controlled purchase from the defendant in Rochester. Once he arrived at the specified location, Miles was arrested and law enforcement officers seized approximately 190 grams of suspected crack cocaine and approximately 60 grams of cocaine. A search warrant was subsequently executed at the defendant’s Paige Street residence during which officers recovered a loaded 9mm handgun and .22 caliber rifle, narcotic packaging materials, scales, crack cocaine packaged for distribution, and packaging materials containing suspected heroin residue.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division, and the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Simmons.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Queens Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Defrauding Mortgage Lending InstitutionsRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, James Bayfield was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano to 21 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Bayfield was also ordered to pay $184,651 in forfeiture. Bayfield, a self-described mortgage specialist, was convicted by a federal jury in January 2017 for his role in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, announced the sentencing.
“Bayfield has portrayed himself as a mortgage specialist, but now stands exposed as a convicted thief who used his knowledge of real estate transactions to carry out his fraudulent schemes against lending institutions,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “This Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those who commit mortgage fraud and enrich themselves at the expense of lenders left holding the loans.” Mr. Donoghue thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General; and the New York State Department of Financial Services for their hard work and dedication over the course of this multi-year investigation and prosecution.
Between September 2008 and May 2011, Bayfield and his co-conspirators caused mortgage loan applications with false information to be submitted to lending institutions, including Amtrust, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, in connection with the purchase of residential properties located in Brooklyn and Queens. These applications contained fraudulently inflated purchase prices and false information about the assets and income of the purported purchasers, many of whom were paid to act as straw purchasers. Bayfield and his co-conspirators also provided false down payment checks to make it appear as if the straw purchasers and other borrowers had made down payments on the properties.
To complete their scheme, Bayfield and his co-conspirators conducted simultaneous and secretive purchases and sales of the properties, sometimes called “flips,” at inflated prices. Ultimately, the lending institutions issued millions of dollars of mortgage loans secured by properties with inflated appraisal values, and many of these loans were placed into default status.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Pitluck, Mark E. Bini and Michael T. Keilty are in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
JAMES BAYFIELD
Age: 46
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-356 (S-1) (ENV)
Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force Targets Violent Offenders, Works with Community to Promote Public SafetyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A man with a history of drug and firearms convictions has been sentenced to 51 months in prison on a federal gun charge, marking the latest success of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a coordinated law enforcement effort to identify and address the most violent locations and offenders in the District of Columbia.
Jimmy Lee Johnson, Jr., 38, of Washington, D.C., earlier pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2018. Johnson was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on March 11, 2018, after officers recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol from his waistband. The arrest took place in an alleyway off the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE, in the Sixth Police District. That area has been a focus of the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort. Johnson had four prior convictions for drug and gun offenses and was on probation at the time of his arrest.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a Justice Department program that was revitalized and enhanced a year ago by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with federal and local partners in a multi-pronged approach that includes enforcement, crime prevention, re-entry programs, and community outreach.
“In just a year, Project Safe Neighborhoods already is making a difference in the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We are working with the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and other partners on investigations to get violent criminals, drug traffickers, and people with illegal guns off the streets. At the same time, we are working with the schools, social service agencies, and the community to break the cycle of violence.”
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.”
In the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office leads a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force that includes a wide array of representatives, including members from the Mayor’s Office; the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia; the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General; the District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department; the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the District of Columbia; the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency; the District of Columbia Public Schools; federal law enforcement agencies; the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA); the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System; community-based victim’s services; health care, mental health, and substance abuse providers; community groups; faith-based organizations, and public service agencies.
The task force meets on a monthly basis. In its first year, the task force identified two target enforcement areas in the Sixth and Seventh Police Districts. This work is led by the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section (VCNT) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a group of dedicated veteran prosecutors. The collaboration has produced an increased number of federal firearms cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
VCNT prosecutors also are working with the Crime Gun Intelligence Center of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to identify firearms forensic evidence exposing linkages among various violent crimes committed in the target enforcement areas. Additionally, they are teaming up with the Violent and Repeat Offender Unit (VROU) in the Superior Court Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The overall enforcement strategy draws on comprehensive crime gun tracing, field interrogations, social network analysis, violent offender lists, probation/parole sweeps, violent fugitive round-ups, criminal incident reviews, case screening protocols, and drug courts.
As part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, the U.S. Marshals Service, together with partner task force agencies, last spring pursued offenders in targeted neighborhoods from a list of approximately 100 cases. Throughout the initiative, U.S. Marshals from District Court and Superior Court worked alongside federal and local task force partners to arrest violent fugitives while strengthening relationships in the community. The efforts resulted in the closure of more than 80 federal felony warrants and several state criminal warrants.
The task force also has a subcommittee that focuses on crime prevention, re-entry, and community engagement. This subcommittee manages large-scale outreach events such as the annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” Youth Summit held annually in Wards 7 and 8, and Project Safe Neighborhoods grant awards. This year’s award is approximately $176,000 and will be directed to Ward 7 and Ward 8 through an upcoming competitive award process.
In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods efforts, has instituted a broad-based prevention, reentry, and community engagement strategy that draws on re-entry programs, clergy outreach, community engagement and outreach; community-building and crime awareness programs; juvenile outreach and school-based prevention, substance-abuse programs, and senior citizen outreach. The Office will be holding a Project Safe Neighborhoods Community Awareness Day at the Southern Avenue Metro Station from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2018. For more information, please contact External Affairs Specialist Melanie Howard at 202-252-6930.
Orlando Man Found Guilty of Firearm and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – A federal jury has found Willie Tom Johnson (29, Orlando) guilty of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 10, 2019.
Johnson was charged in a superseding indictment on September 26, 2018.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on January 26, 2018, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office conducted a stop of a vehicle with a license plate that had been reported stolen. Johnson, the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, fled on foot from officers, leaving behind approximately 135 grams of crack and powder cocaine, as well as a loaded firearm, a digital scale, and various other evidence. At the time, Johnson had a prior felony conviction and therefore was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
New York Man Sentenced for Heroin and Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announces the sentencing yesterday of LUIS J. COTTO, age 31, a resident of New York, for charges stemming from a heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon. Judge Lemmon sentenced COTTO to a total of (78) months in prison followed by (2) years of supervised release.
According to court documents, beginning in 2015 through 2016, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an investigation that revealed the existence of a drug trafficking ring operating in St. Rose and LaPlace, Louisiana. Agents learned that COTTO was a source of narcotics for members of this conspiracy, driving narcotics into Louisiana from Texas, where he had owned a residence as well.
Court documents also outline that, on August 7, 2016, COTTO was stopped for a traffic violation while headed southwest on Interstate 44 near Vinita, Oklahoma, by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Based on COTTO’S suspicious conduct, the trooper called a trained drug canine to conduct an open-air sniff of COTTO’S vehicle. The canine alerted to the presence of contraband in the car. State troopers searched the vehicle and found approximately $225,000.00 in U.S. currency wrapped in plastic in one of the door panels.
COTTO is one of the last defendants to be sentenced in this case. Four defendants, who were convicted after trial, Andre Staggers, Corey Session, Gregory London, Jr., and Leonard Morrison, will be sentenced by Judge Lemmon on November 8, 2018.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the conviction as the result of a coordinated effort of federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program. The DEA’s HIDTA Group #11, operating out of the New Orleans Field Division, includes members of the Louisiana State Police, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and other local agencies. U.S. Attorney Strasser extended his thanks to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for their assistance in this investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Payne, Brittany L. Reed, and David Howard Sinkman are in charge of the prosecution. Also assisting in the prosecution is Special Assistant United States Attorney Andre Gaudin, who is assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office to the DEA HIDTA Group.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison in St. Charles Parish-Based Narcotics ConspiracyRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announces the sentencing on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 of KIRK BALLARD, age 37, of New Orleans, by U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon.
According to court documents, BALLARD was a member of a narcotics distribution conspiracy based in St. Charles Parish that sold narcotics in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and other parishes near New Orleans. On August 23, 2015, BALLARD was pulled over by a Louisiana State Police (LSP) trooper for a traffic violation while travelling east on Interstate 10 in St. John the Baptist Parish. BALLARD said that he was returning home to New Orleans from Houston. An LSP K-9 positively alerted to the presence of narcotics in BALLARD’s car. Officers then searched the vehicle and found 9.8 pounds of marijuana (approximately 4.45 kilograms) and 1,956 tablets of methamphetamine (weighing approximately 473 grams).
BALLARD previously pleaded guilty to two counts of the Second Superseding Indictment: conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Lemmon sentenced BALLARD to a total of 10 years in prison. He also was sentenced to eight years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the conviction as the product of a coordinated effort between federal and state law enforcement authorities within the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program. The DEA’s HIDTA Group #11, operating out of the New Orleans Field Division, includes members of the Louisiana State Police, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and other local agencies.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Payne, Brittany L. Reed, and David Howard Sinkman. Also assisting in the prosecution is Special Assistant United States Attorney Andre Gaudin, who is assigned from the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office to the DEA HIDTA Group.
New Kensington Woman Charged with Copyright Infringement for Reproducing and Selling Copies of TV Shows and MoviesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Westmoreland County has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of copyright infringement, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The one-count indictment, returned on October 23, named Sherry Collingwood, 60, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment, from January 2014, and continuing thereafter until March 2017, the defendant willfully infringed the copyright of one or more copyrighted works, to include "Blue Bloods," "Vikings," "Dexter," "True Blood," "Breaking Bad," and "Californication," and other television shows and motion pictures that have been released for sale to the public, by reproducing and distributing for private financial gain, ten or more copies of one or more copyrighted works during a 180-day period, which copies have a total retail value of more than $2,500.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, three years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Navajo Man from Pinedale Pleads Guilty to Assault on a Federal Officer ChargeRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Elvis Lee Tom, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Pinedale, N.M., pled guilty today in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to an assault on a federal officer charge.
Tom was arrested on April 23, 2018, on a criminal complaint charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury. The complaint charged Tom with attacking a tribal officer of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety (NNDPS), on April 14, 2018, on the Navajo Indian Reservation by taking a Taser gun away from the officer and using the Taser gun on the officer while attempting to avoid arrest. According to the complaint, after the officer used the Taser gun on Tom, Tom struggled with the officer, gained control of the Taser gun, and deployed the Taser gun on the shoulder of the officer.
Tom was indicted on May 9, 2018, and was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, a Taser, with intent to do bodily harm and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The incitement charged Tom with committing the crimes on April 15, 2018, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County, N.M.
During today’s proceedings, Tom pled guilty to a felony information charging him with assaulting a federal officer. In entering the guilty plea, Tom admitted that on April 15, 2018, he assaulted an NNDPS officer while the officer was attempting to arrest him. Tom further admitted that he physically struggled with the officer as he attempted to take the officer’s Taser gun. After gaining control of the Taser gun, Tom admitted using it to stun the officer twice, causing the officer to suffer pain, bruising and abrasions.
At sentencing, Tom faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is prosecuting the case.
NY Man Arrested at Peace Bridge, Charged with Unlawfully Importing Marijuana He Legally Obtained from A Canadian Dispensary into the U.S.Read the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that David Dratch, 23, of Montgomery, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession of a controlled substance, importation of a controlled substance, and smuggling goods into the United States. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fne.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, on October 25, 2018, the defendant was encountered entering the United States from Canada at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry, and was referred for a secondary inspection. During his initial inspection, Dratch stated he did not have any drugs, weapons, or prohibited items.During the secondary inspection of the defendant’s vehicle, a canine search resulted in an alert to a trained odor on the glove compartment area. A search resulted in the discovery of six envelopes containing marijuana, two jars of marijuana resin, four additional packages containing THC-infused gummy worms, and a piece of paper with “118 George St.” and “289-396-8078” written on it. The address and number linked to the internet address “https://weedmaps.com/dispensaries/47483/about.” The website displayed MMJ Canada – Hamilton as well as various marijuana products for sale. The defendant was arrested at that time.
During a search of recent text messages in Dratch's phone, a message to an individual identified as "Max" on the same day stated: “lol bro I just had 100mg edible and I got stopped by customs and now they're asking me so much (expletive).”
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was released.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Mobile County Woman Receives a Sentence of Five Years Probation for Filing False Tax Returns and Ordered to Pay $43,608 Restitution to the IRSRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Juanike Gulley, a 36 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $43,608.00 restitution to the IRS for conspiring to file false tax returns for others and filing a false tax return for herself.
On July 23, 2018, according to a factual statement Gulley signed in connection with her guilty plea to the tax crimes, during 2011 through 2015, Gulley and Demetrius Kidd operated G & K Tax Service. They conspired together to file false tax returns for their taxpayer customers. Specifically, Gulley and Kidd prepared, assisted in the preparation of or directed the preparation of tax returns for six taxpayer/customers.. The tax returns they prepared had fraudulent information about Schedule C expenses, education credits and earned income credits. This false information caused the IRS to issue tax refunds to the taxpayer/customers that were higher than they would have received thereby defrauding the IRS of approximately $43,608.00. Additionally, on April 7, 2016, Gulley, a Mobile, Alabama resident, prepared her own tax return for tax year 2013 and swore under penalty of perjury that the information in the returns was true and accurate, knowing at that time she did not believe the information to be true and knew the information was false. Specifically, she stated that her income was $36,690.00 when in truth and in fact, it was higher than she stated.
Special Agents of the IRS/Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney=s Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Mobile County Man Receives a Sentence of Five Years Probation for Filing False Tax Returns and Ordered to Pay $43,608 Restitution to the IRSRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Demetrius Kidd, a 37 year old resident of Mobile, Alabama was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $43,608.00 restitution to the IRS for conspiring to file false tax returns for others and filing a false tax return for himself.
On July 23, 2018, according to a factual statement Kidd signed in connection with his guilty plea to the tax crimes, during 2011 through 2015, Kidd and Juanikee Gulley operated G & K Tax Service. They conspired together to file false tax returns for their taxpayer customers. Specifically, Gulley and Kidd prepared, assisted in the preparation of or directed the preparation of tax returns for six taxpayer/customers. The tax returns they prepared had fraudulent information about Schedule C expenses, education credits and earned income credits. This false information caused the IRS to issue tax refunds to the taxpayer/customers that were higher than they would have received thereby defrauding the IRS of approximately $43,608.00. Additionally, on May 9, 2017, Kidd, a Mobile, Alabama resident, prepared his own tax return for tax year 2013 and swore under penalty of perjury that the information in the returns was true and accurate, knowing at that time he did not believe the information to be true and knew the information was false. Specifically, he stated that his income was $36,690 when in truth and in fact, it was higher than he stated.
Special Agents of the IRS/Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case and brought it to the U. S. Attorney=s Office for prosecution. The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant United States Attorney, Gina S. Vann.
Middletown Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Meth, Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EUGENE CARLIN, 58, of Middletown, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today in Hartford federal court to drug trafficking and tax offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on two occasions in July 2018, law enforcement made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Carlin. The investigation revealed that, for over a year, Carlin worked with others to distribute methamphetamine in the Middletown area.
The investigation further revealed that Carlin ran a tax preparation business from his home, and that he helped clients to prepare and file false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.
In 2007, Carlin was convicted in Hartford federal court of tax evasion, and aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. That matter also involved Carlin helping clients of his tax preparation business to file false returns. In August 2007, Carlin was sentenced to 12 months and one day of imprisonment, and six months of home confinement. He also agreed to refrain, permanently, from preparing tax returns for other people.
Today, Carlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson on January 16, 2019, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 43 years.
Carlin also has agreed to forfeit $100,000, which represents his proceeds from the sale of methamphetamine.
This matter is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Haven Task Force and Middletown Police Department, with the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The Task Force includes participants from the New Haven, Hamden, West Haven, North Haven, Branford, Ansonia, Meriden, Derby and Middletown Police Departments, the U.S. Marshals Service and the IRS – Criminal Investigation Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi M. Perry.
Mexican National Charged with Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that ELVA RAMIREZ-LAMBERTO, age 35, a citizen of Honduras, was charged yesterday in a one-count bill of information with illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of 8 U.S.C. ' 1326(a).
According to the bill of information, ELVA RAMIREZ-LAMBERTO reentered the United States on or about September 18, 2018, after having been previously removed therefrom on or about August 31, 2018.
If convicted, ELVA RAMIREZ-LAMBERTO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, one year supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.
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 the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is in charge of the prosecution.
Manchester Pizza Shop Owner Sentenced to 10 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute HeroinRead the Press Release
The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Marco Antonio Lam Peralta (also known as Tony Lam), 45, of South Londonderry, Vermont, was sentenced Tuesday to ten years of imprisonment following his conviction for conspiracy to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin. The sentencing followed Lam's guilty plea, as well as his unsuccessful effort to withdraw from his guilty plea. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III also ordered that Lam serve five years of supervised release following the completion of his prison sentence. Lam has been in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his March 2016 arrest.
Court records indicate that during the summer and fall of 2015 Lam conspired with his co-defendant Diego Mejia Paredes to ship large quantities of heroin from Guatemala, hidden in Guatemalan food supplement packaging, to various addresses in Southeastern, Vermont. In early October 2015 customs officials discovered more than 41 kilograms of heroin in one such shipment, addressed to a restaurant in Manchester Center, Vermont. Mejia arrived at the restaurant to take delivery of the shipment. While waiting for the heroin to arrive, Mejia spoke with Lam over the phone, and Lam called DHL, the shipping company used by the conspiracy to import the heroin.
Additional investigation led agents to conclude that this was the conspiracy's eighth shipment into Vermont in 2015. The previous shipments were sent to locations associated with Lam, including his pizza shop, Tony's New York Style Pizzeria in Bondville, as well as Lam's previous residence in Manchester, Vermont. Evidence also showed that Lam directed Mejia as to where to address several of these shipments, and Mejia directed Lam with regard to other aspects of the conspiracy.
Lam is a citizen of Guatemala. Court records reflect that he is likely to be removed from the United States following his prison sentence. In December 2017 Judge Sessions sentenced Lam's co-defendant Mejia Paredes to a 180 month term of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Vermont State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, with assistance from the Manchester, Vermont, Police Department.
Lam is represented by Mark Kaplan. The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher.
Man Who Abducted Son in Canada in 1987 Located and Arrested in ConnecticutRead the Press Release
A man who is alleged to have kidnapped his 21-month old son in Canada in 1987 was arrested this morning in Vernon, Connecticut.
U.S. Attorney John H. Durham, U.S. Marshal Brian J. Taylor, and Special Agent in Charge Christina D. Scaringi of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, made the announcement.
According to court documents and statements made in court, it is alleged that ALLAN MANN, JR., 66, abducted his 21-month-old son, Jermaine Allan Mann, on June 24, 1987, during a court-ordered visit in Toronto, Canada. Allan Mann, who has dual Canadian and Ghanaian citizenship, and his son subsequently entered the U.S. Allan Mann changed his name to HAILEE RANDOLPH DeSOUZA, changed the name of his son, and acquired counterfeit birth certificates for him and his son.
It is further alleged that DeSouza has most recently been residing in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) Section 8 subsidized housing in Vernon, Connecticut. In connection with his rental application to participate in HUD’s Section 8 program, DeSouza provided a birth certificate purportedly issued in 1985 by the State of Texas for his birth at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas, in 1957. The State of Texas has confirmed that the birth certificate is counterfeit and that no such birth of an individual bearing that name was recorded in the State of Texas.
Mann/DeSouza was arrested this morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with making false statements, and making false statements in HUD transactions. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and is detained.
The U.S. Marshals Service is working closely with Canadian law enforcement authorities, and Jermaine Allan Mann’s mother has been notified that her son has been identified and located.
“After taking his son away from his son’s mother, this defendant is alleged to have lived a lie for the last 31 years in violation of numerous U.S. laws,” said U.S. Attorney Durham. “We thank the many law enforcement agencies, in the U.S. and Canada, that have investigated this matter, worked hard to apprehend this fugitive, and finally provided some answers to a mother who has suffered with her son’s absence for far too long.”
“We are extremely ecstatic to have Allan Mann in custody and to bring closure to this kidnapping case after 31 years,” said U.S. Marshall Taylor.
“This is one of those rare cases that tugs at your heart strings,” said HUD-OIG Special Agent in Charge Scaringi. “Not only did we, working collectively, get this alleged bad actor off the street, but we played a role in reuniting an unjustly separated family.”
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services –Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General, Toronto Police Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Vernon Police Department. The Missing Children Society of Canada and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have provided critical assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Karwan and Hal Chen.
Man Pleads Guilty to Two Robberies at Gunpoint and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that STEPHAN MITCHEL THOMAS, age 22, of Holden, Louisiana, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 to federal firearms violations and Hobbs Act robberies in a seven-count indictment.
According to court documents, THOMAS and others robbed drug dealers at gunpoint on July 11, 2016 and on September 1, 2016. For this conduct, THOMAS pleaded guilty to two counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. On another occasion, THOMAS possessed a firearm silencer, a short-barrel rifle, and a sawed-off shotgun, without registering these firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
THOMAS faces, as to each count of Hobbs Act robbery, a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a fine of $250,000, three years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. As to the count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, THOMAS faces a minimum sentence of seven years up to a maximum term of imprisonment of life, consecutive to any other term of imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, five years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. As to each count of possessing unregistered firearms, THOMAS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of $10,000, three years supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for January 30, 2018.
U. S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Hammond Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria M. Carboni and Shirin Hakimzadeh.
Lynn Man Arrested in Multi-Million Dollar Lottery ScamRead the Press Release
BOSTON - A Lynn man was arrested today on tax fraud charges in connection with a “ten-percenting” scheme, in which he purchased millions of dollars’ worth of winning Massachusetts state lottery tickets at a discount in order to help the ticket holders avoid taxes on the winnings. In addition, two store owners have pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme.
Clarance Jones, 80, was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint unsealed today with conspiring to commit tax fraud and filing false tax returns. He was released on conditions following an initial appearance today in federal court in Boston.
Two conspirators previously charged by information have pleaded guilty. George Kinslieh, 68, was charged with one count of filing false tax returns. Kinslieh pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2018, before U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin, who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 4, 2019. Bhavna Patel, 44, was charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Patel pleaded guilty on Oct. 16, 2018, before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, who scheduled sentencing for Feb. 7, 2019.
The charging documents allege that from at least 2013 through 2015, Kinslieh and Patel, who were store owners, and others, purchased winning lottery tickets from the ticket holders for cash, at a discount to the value of the tickets, thereby allowing the ticket holders to avoid reporting the winnings on their tax returns – a scheme known as “ten-percenting.” Kinslieh and Patel gave the winning tickets to Jones, who presented them to the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission as his own, and collected the full winnings. Jones reported the winnings on his tax returns, but offset them with purported gambling losses. Jones and the store owners then shared the excess winnings.
It is alleged that for the tax years 2011 through 2017, Jones paid less than $16,000 in federal tax on a total of approximately $52,000 of reported income. During this period, Jones claimed that he was a professional gambler and that all of his winnings were offset by alleged gambling losses. Patel and Kinslieh did not report to the Internal Revenue Service or pay taxes on the income that they received from the ticket scheme.
The charge of conspiracy to commit tax fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross loss or gain, whichever is greater. The charge of filing a false tax return provides for a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $100,000. 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; Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement today. The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom of Lelling’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit is prosecuting the cases.
The details contained in the criminal complaint are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Calvin Dugan, age 30 of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced October 25, 2018, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 63 months in prison by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard, for possession of child pornography. In addition to his prison term, Dugan will be required to serve 10 years on supervised release and register as a sex offender.
In May 2017, New Zealand Digital Child Exploitation Team (NZDCET) observed individuals posting images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children using an internet website that allows users to create or enter online chatrooms. NZDCET investigators observed an individual, later identified as Dugan, posting videos and images of child pornography.
In December, 2017, HSI Omaha and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Dugan’s residence in Lincoln where cellular telephones and other computer storage media were seized for forensic analysis. When interviewed Dugan admitted to investigators that child pornography would be found on his devices. Forensic analysis revealed Dugan possessed more than 150 images of child pornography.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that on October 25, 2018, Cristian J. Richards, 28, of Lincoln, was sentenced to 10 years and one month (121 months) in federal prison for distribution of and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more methamphetamine. Richards was also sentenced to five years (60 months) in prison for carrying and possessing a firearm, during, and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. The sentence for the gun charge will be served consecutive to (after) the sentence for the drug offense. Following the prison terms, Richards will serve five years on supervised release.
On August 31, 2017, Richards was arrested by members of the Lincoln Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force after he was seen engaging in drug transactions. In Richards’s backpack, officers found at least 350 grams, (approximately 12 ½ ounces) of actual (pure) methamphetamine; a 9mm handgun; and $5,800 cash. Richards had an additional $3,041 cash on his person. As part of a plea agreement, Richards agreed to the forfeiture of $8,841 to the United States of America.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Leader of Chicago Street Gang and Several High-Ranking Members Charged with Multiple Murders After Joint Federal and State InvestigationRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A joint federal and state investigation has resulted in racketeering and murder charges against five alleged members of a Chicago street gang faction known as the Goonie Boss. The charges allege that Goonie members and their associates terrorized the Englewood neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side and were responsible for a total of eleven murders.
A federal racketeering indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges four of the alleged Goonie members with participating in a criminal organization that murdered its rivals, intimidated witnesses to crimes, and publicly boasted about their gang activities on social media. The federal racketeering indictment charges ten murders, six attempted murders, and two assaults. The four federal defendants are in custody, and their arraignments in federal court have not yet been scheduled.
A fifth Goonie member was charged in state court with committing the eleventh murder. He is in custody and will appear in Cook County Criminal Court at a later date.
The charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kimberly M. Foxx, Cook County State’s Attorney; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Eddie T. Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
Federal RICO Indictment
The federal indictment charges four Goonie members with racketeering conspiracy: ROMEO BLACKMAN, 22; TERRANCE SMITH, 22; JOLICIOUS TURMAN, 27; and NATHANIEL MCELROY, 21; all of Chicago. The indictment describes Blackman as the leader of the gang who personally oversaw and directed its illegal activities.
The federal charges allege that the Goonie gang has been involved in a longstanding, violent feud with several rival gang factions in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. During this conflict, Goonie members and their associates allegedly murdered and assaulted rivals, stole firearms to arm themselves, and violently prevented witnesses from cooperating with law enforcement. Goonie members posted comments, photographs and videos on the Facebook Live application, openly proclaiming their membership in the gang and boasting about its violent acts, the indictment states.
The federal indictment accuses the Goonie gang of committing ten murders in Chicago in furtherance of the gang’s activities:
- Turman allegedly murdered Kenneth Whittaker, 34, on July 1, 2016, near an elementary school in the 7400 block of South Morgan Street.
- Members of Goonie Boss allegedly murdered Gerald Bumper, 19, on June 30, 2016.
- Turman allegedly murdered Ramal Hicks, 34, on June 20, 2016, outside of a store in the 1500 block of West 69th Street.
- Blackman and McElroy allegedly murdered Gerald Sias, 38, on May 26, 2016, inside a barber shop in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street.
- Blackman allegedly murdered Davon Horace, 19, on Jan. 15, 2016, in the 7200 block of South May Street.
- Blackman allegedly murdered Andre Donner, 26, on Dec. 13, 2015, in the 7200 block of South May Street.
- Blackman and Smith allegedly murdered Krystal Jackson, 25, on Nov. 19, 2014, in the 6800 block of South Loomis Boulevard.
- Blackman and Smith allegedly murdered Stanley Bobo, 18, on Oct. 23, 2014, in the 1400 block of West 72nd Street.
- Blackman allegedly murdered Alonzo Williams, 24, on March 21, 2014, in the 1200 block of West 70th Street.
- Blackman allegedly murdered Johnathon Johnson, 21, on Jan. 22, 2014, in the 6900 block of South Racine Avenue.
Racketeering conspiracy generally carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty is possible for certain underlying racketeering activities, including certain murders charged in the indictment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Berry III of the Northern District of Illinois, and Cook County Assistant State’s Attorneys Yvette Loizon and Ethan Holland, who serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, represent the government in the federal case.
State Murder Charge
CHRISTIAN SIVELS, 19, of Chicago, is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of David Easley, 26, on May 21, 2016. Easley was shot and killed while walking in the 7000 block of South Carpenter Street in the Englewood neighborhood.
Sivels will appear at a later date in Cook County Criminal Court. The first-degree murder charge is punishable by a sentencing range of 45 years to life in prison. The People of the State of Illinois are represented by Assistant State’s Attorneys Michael Golden, Ethan Holland, Yvette Loizon and Maureen McCurry.
Other Charges as Part of Investigation
The joint federal and state investigation, which spanned multiple years, also resulted in separate charges against Blackman, McElroy and several other alleged Goonie members or associates for various firearm offenses:
In May 2017, Blackman and two others – RASHAD ANCHANDO and KEITH GULLENS – were charged in federal court with conspiring to steal firearms from a gun store in Streator, Ill. The trio allegedly stole a black Jeep Wrangler and used it in a smash-and-grab theft of 18 handguns, a rifle and a shotgun, according to the indictment in that case. Anchando, of Chicago, and Gullens, of Streator, Ill., pleaded guilty to their roles in the heist and were sentenced to prison terms of five years for Anchando and four years and six months for Gullens. Blackman has pleaded not guilty in that case and is awaiting trial.
In September 2017, McElroy and four others – CORNELIUS BATTLE, DALRICK DRAIN, REGINALD JOHNSON and LASHON MOORE – were indicted on federal firearms violations for allegedly conspiring to “straw purchase” handguns in Michigan and re-sell them in Chicago. Johnson, of Kalamazoo, Mich., pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license. He is awaiting sentencing. The four others have pleaded not guilty to the charges in that case and are awaiting trial.
In April 2018, convicted felon and Goonie member JAVONTE N. STOKES, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm. Stokes admitted possessing a loaded handgun in Calumet City, Ill., on March 17, 2017. Stokes was sentenced to six months in federal prison.
In March 2017, convicted felon and Goonie member QUINCY FERGUSON, of Waukegan, Ill., was charged in federal court with illegal possession of two rifles and two handguns in Waukegan. Ferguson pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
In August 2017, BRENT TURPIN, of Chicago, was charged in federal court with supplying ammunition and gun accessories to a suspected gang member who was a convicted felon. Turpin pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Four alleged Goonie members and associates are charged in state court with murder related to acts of violence alleged in the federal RICO indictment: TREVANTE REED, 18; LAMAR ISAAC, 35; KWANTE HUGHES, 21; and DEMARCO BENNETT, 22; all of Chicago. All defendants charged in state court are in law enforcement custody.
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The public is reminded that charges contain only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Leader of Massive Multi-State Moultrie Meth Ring Sentenced to 360 Months to Serve in A Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ALBANY-- United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Charles E. Peeler, announced Friday that Borris Fuller, age 41 of Moultrie, GA and four individuals involved in a Methamphetamine distribution ring were sentenced by the Honorable Leslie J. Abrams on Friday, October 26 in U.S. Federal Court in Albany. There have been a total of 21 sentencings this week related to the same illegal drug distribution ring.
Authorities estimate that the group was responsible for the distribution of more than 20 kilograms of the drug. From May until November 2016, an organization of 30 individuals distributed Methamphetamine in and around Moultrie, Georgia. According to court evidence, some of these transactions also occurred in Atlanta, GA and parts of Florida, including at the Georgia-Florida line. Mr. Fuller’s sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
“Methamphetamine destroys lives. It destroys the life of the user, the lives of the family members and it taxes law enforcement and health care providers. It is a poison in our communities,” said Charles E. Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “Since 2010, the number of meth overdose deaths has grown each and every year. Law enforcement is fighting as hard as they ever have. It is a fight worth fighting, and one we will win.”
“I salute the tireless efforts of more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and our committed prosecutorial team that contributed to bringing this meth distribution ring down.”
The following individuals were sentenced Friday:
- Borris Fuller age 41 of Moultrie, GA pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 360 months to serve, 10 years supervised release
- Shundrez Fuller age 21 of Tallahassee, FL, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 144 months, 5 years supervised release
- Walter Treanor age 36 of Pelham, GA, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 228 months to serve, 5 years supervised release
- Rebecca Lawrence age 47 of DeLeon Springs, FL, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to120 months, 5 years supervised release
- Leory Valdez age 33 of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 180 months, 10 years supervised release
The following individuals were sentenced Wednesday:
- Artaviouis Williams age 33, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 180 months to serve, 5 years supervised release
- Derrick Wright age 31, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 192 months to serve, 5 years supervised release
- Heather Crawford age 36, of Cecil, GA, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 96 months to serve, 5 years supervised release
- Cedric Butts age 29, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 200 months to serve, 5 years supervised release
- Shaquese McIntyre age 22, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine (Count 1), Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 2) and was sentenced to160 months to serve, 4 years supervised release
The following individuals were sentenced Monday and Tuesday:
- Marcus Andrews age 35, of Bristol, FL, pled guilty to Conspiracy to possess Meth with the Intent to Distribute and was sentenced to 145 months, 3 years supervised release
- Sharon Blackwell age 46, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 100 months, 5 years supervised release
- Samuel Butler age 56, of Crawford, FL, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 96 months, 5 years supervised release
- Michael Dampier age 45, of Doerun, GA, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 160 months to serve, 5 years supervised release and a $100 mandatory assessment
- Devin Dorminey age 23, of Lake City, FL, pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Drug User and was sentenced to 18 months, 3 years supervised release
- Leroy Haynes age 41, of Norman Park, GA, pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 180 months, 5 years supervised release
- Michael Kulak age 45, of DeLeon Springs, FL, pled guilty to Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises and was sentenced to 24 months, 3 years supervised release
- Stephanie McMurphy age 39, of Adel, GA, pled guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a school and was sentenced to 102 months to serve, 6 years supervised release and a $100 mandatory assessment
- Avery Norman, age 37, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Use of a Communication Device in Furtherance of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and was sentenced to 24 months, 1 year supervised release
- Cambrick Taylor, age 22, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises, and was sentenced to 12 months and day to serve, 2 years supervised release and a $100 mandatory assessment
- Melissa Valdez Williams, age 30, of Moultrie, GA, pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute controlled substances and was sentenced to 180 months, 5 years supervised release
The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Mid-South Narcotics Task Force, Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office, Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, Tift County Sheriff’s Office, Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Grady County Sheriff’s Office, Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Leon County Florida Sheriff’s Office, Volusia County Florida Bureau of Investigation and Moultrie Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Leah E. McEwen is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Justice Department selects Cleveland for strike force targeting drug trafficking and violent crimeRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein joined United States Attorney Justin Herdman, federal and local law enforcement officials today to announce a new strike force to target drug trafficking and violent crime in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force will bring together more than 200 local police, federal agents and prosecutors to work side-by-side to strengthen public safety. The strike force’s mission will be to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and their subsidiaries trafficking narcotics, weapons, humans and the proceeds of their crimes. Cooperative investigations will be focused on dissolving these organizations, their financial infrastructure, and the violence that accompanies their activities.
“This Strike Force brings our best federal and local law enforcement talents together in a united front to take the fight to the streets of Cleveland and to stop this drug-fueled violence in its tracks,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “It’s an honor to join U.S. Attorney Herdman, the city of Cleveland and the many federal and local law enforcement leaders partnering in this effort.”
“The Strike Force will increase sharing of intelligence so we can more quickly and effectively target drug trafficking organizations and the groups responsible for armed robberies, shootings and other violent crime in Cleveland and the outlying suburbs,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said.
The strike force will target violent street gangs involved in retaliatory homicides, carjackings, commercial robberies and other violent activities, as well as people and organizations involved in trafficking opioids, which has fueled the overdose epidemic plaguing Ohio. This includes focusing on interdicting packages containing drugs traveling via the U.S. mail, as well as investigations focused on online drug trafficking.
Participating agencies include: FBI, DEA, HSI, IRS, ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Border Patrol, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Independence Police Department. Several other area law enforcement agencies have agreed to participate in the Strike Force as well.
Police officers, agents and both federal and state prosecutors will work together in open workspace. Both the physical and organizational structure will lead to collaborative, centralized intelligence sharing. Wire rooms will also be located at the building so intelligence and information can be shared in real time.
The Strike Force will be jointly led by the FBI and DEA. The U.S. Attorney will serve as chair of Strike Force Executive Council.
“The creation of the Cleveland Strike Force is an exciting time for law enforcement and a valuable tool to help protect our citizens and hold criminals accountable,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. “Combining under one roof the unique skills, talents and capabilities of the participating agencies will enable us to better address the wide variety of significant drug and violent crime threats facing our community. The FBI is fully committed to help lead this critical new initiative with substantial resources, equipment and technology.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon said: “As a part of the Cleveland OCDETF Strike Force, we are committed to a long-term partnership that allows law enforcement to reduce the illegal drug supply by aggressively targeting criminal organizations operating throughout northern Ohio. Drug trafficking and violence go hand-in-hand, which is why federal, state and local law enforcement are making these dangerous drug trafficking organizations a top priority. By working with our partners, we are able to leverage resources that bring these violent individuals to justice and improve the safety of our communities. We are focused on the current opioid epidemic, but this initiative is ready to adapt to any future drug threat facing northern Ohio.”
“Crime, particularly violent crime, challenges our quality of life and affects our ability to create a great city with a sustainable future,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “The addition of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force will help us more effectively fight drug problems and violent crime.”
“Here in Northeast Ohio, we are fortunate to have strong and lasting law enforcement partnerships at the local, state and federal levels,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “The implementation of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force will further enhance our efforts to reduce drug trafficking and gun violence.”
The cost of the build-out, rent, equipment and support costs will be paid by the Justice Department. The Strike Force is expected to be operational by mid-2019.
Justice Department Selects Cleveland for Strike Force Targeting Drug Trafficking and Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein joined United States Attorney Justin Herdman, federal and local law enforcement officials today to announce a new strike force to target drug trafficking and violent crime in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force will bring together more than 200 local police, federal agents and prosecutors to work side-by-side to strengthen public safety. The strike force’s mission will be to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and their subsidiaries trafficking narcotics, weapons, humans and the proceeds of their crimes. Cooperative investigations will be focused on dissolving these organizations, their financial infrastructure, and the violence that accompanies their activities.
“This Strike Force brings our best federal and local law enforcement talents together in a united front to take the fight to the streets of Cleveland and to stop this drug-fueled violence in its tracks,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “It’s an honor to join U.S. Attorney Herdman, the city of Cleveland and the many federal and local law enforcement leaders partnering in this effort.”
“The Strike Force will increase sharing of intelligence so we can more quickly and effectively target drug trafficking organizations and the groups responsible for armed robberies, shootings and other violent crime in Cleveland and the outlying suburbs,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said.
The strike force will target violent street gangs involved in retaliatory homicides, carjackings, commercial robberies and other violent activities, as well as people and organizations involved in trafficking opioids, which has fueled the overdose epidemic plaguing Ohio. This includes focusing on interdicting packages containing drugs traveling via the U.S. mail, as well as investigations focused on online drug trafficking.
Participating agencies include: FBI, DEA, HSI, IRS, ATF, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Border Patrol, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Independence Police Department. Several other area law enforcement agencies have agreed to participate in the Strike Force as well.
Police officers, agents and both federal and state prosecutors will work together in open workspace. Both the physical and organizational structure will lead to collaborative, centralized intelligence sharing. Wire rooms will also be located at the building so intelligence and information can be shared in real time.
The Strike Force will be jointly led by the FBI and DEA. The U.S. Attorney will serve as chair of Strike Force Executive Council.
“The creation of the Cleveland Strike Force is an exciting time for law enforcement and a valuable tool to help protect our citizens and hold criminals accountable,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony. “Combining under one roof the unique skills, talents and capabilities of the participating agencies will enable us to better address the wide variety of significant drug and violent crime threats facing our community. The FBI is fully committed to help lead this critical new initiative with substantial resources, equipment and technology.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon said: “As a part of the Cleveland OCDETF Strike Force, we are committed to a long-term partnership that allows law enforcement to reduce the illegal drug supply by aggressively targeting criminal organizations operating throughout northern Ohio. Drug trafficking and violence go hand-in-hand, which is why federal, state and local law enforcement are making these dangerous drug trafficking organizations a top priority. By working with our partners, we are able to leverage resources that bring these violent individuals to justice and improve the safety of our communities. We are focused on the current opioid epidemic, but this initiative is ready to adapt to any future drug threat facing northern Ohio.”
“Crime, particularly violent crime, challenges our quality of life and affects our ability to create a great city with a sustainable future,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “The addition of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force will help us more effectively fight drug problems and violent crime.”
“Here in Northeast Ohio, we are fortunate to have strong and lasting law enforcement partnerships at the local, state and federal levels,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “The implementation of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force will further enhance our efforts to reduce drug trafficking and gun violence.”
The cost of the build-out, rent, equipment and support costs will be paid by the Justice Department. The Strike Force is expected to be operational by mid-2019.
Jason R. Dunn Sworn in as United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
DENVER -- Jason R. Dunn was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado this morning. Chief United States District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger administered the oath of office at the U.S. District Courthouse in Denver during a private ceremony witnessed by close family and senior staff. A formal investiture ceremony is being planned for a later date.
“It is an honor to lead the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Dunn. “Prosecuting federal crime and protecting the interests of the United States in federal court is critically important work. I look forward to working with the members of this great office to advance this mission, in collaboration with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners.”
U.S. Attorney Dunn was nominated by President Donald J. Trump on June 25, 2018, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 11, 2018. He replaces Robert “Bob” Troyer, who was acting and then U.S. Attorney for the past two years.
Prior to becoming the United States Attorney, Jason R. Dunn was a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, heading the political and regulatory law group. Before joining Brownstein Hyatt in 2007, he served the State of Colorado as Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Solicitor General under Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
Jamaican National Pled Guilty in Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire FraudRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced Wednesday, October 24, 2018 that ALEX SAUNDERS, age 26, a resident of Wylie, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to the Bill of Information filed on August 3, 2018, in or before August 2013, and continuing through December 2015, SAUNDERS and others operated a scheme to contact elderly individuals and people with diminished capacity who would be susceptible to being scammed. The scheme involved contacting victims by telephone through Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) and informing them they had won a lottery and needed to pay SAUNDERS and others monies by cash, check, wire, and other methods in order to claim their lottery winnings.
After receiving victims’ funds through United States mail, private mail carrier, or through an electronic transfer, SAUNDERS, and other co-conspirators known and unknown to the United States Attorney, with knowledge that the money they received was obtained through false and fraudulent pretenses, did knowingly and intentionally transfer the stolen money to bank accounts in Jamaica.
Co-conspirator Andre Bowyer, charged in case 16-96 “J” in the Eastern District of Louisiana, directed co-conspirator Debra Krom, charged in case 18-30 “R” in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and SAUNDERS and others residing in the United States, to open bank accounts in the United States for the purpose of receiving money from elderly victims and transferring the proceeds into Bowyer’s account in Jamaica. It was part of the scheme and artifice to defraud that on certain dates between August 2013 and December 2015, the defendant, SAUNDERS, Krom and others, conspired with Bowyer to accomplish the unlawful scheme of fooling elderly victims into believing they had won a sweepstakes, causing the victims to send money via the United States Postal Service or by wire transfer to SAUNDERS, Krom or others. Immediately after receiving the funds in the mail from the victims, SAUNDERS, Krom, and others transferred the ill-gotten proceeds from their accounts to Bowyer’s account in Jamaica.
SAUNDERS is scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 2019 before United States District Court Judge Susie Morgan. He faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, supervised release of up to 3 years, and a special assessment of $100.
U.S. Attorney Strasser commended special agents of the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.
Jamaican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge in Lottery Fraud/Extortion SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keniel Thomas, 29, a Jamaican national, pled guilty today to trying to extort money from a couple in Washington D.C., who he tried to trick into believing they won the Mega Millions lottery, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Thomas, also known as “David Morgan,” pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate communication with the intent to extort. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Thomas faces a likely range of 33 to 41 months in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Following completion of his prison term, he will face deportation proceedings. The Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell scheduled sentencing for Jan. 11, 2019.
According to the government’s evidence, Thomas, posing as “David Morgan,” placed a call on June 9, 2014 to a man who lived and worked in the District of Columbia. Thomas told the man that he was the head of Mega Millions and that the man was the winner of $15.5 million and a 2014 Mercedes Benz. Thomas told the man that the man needed to pay $50,000 to cover the taxes before the award was provided to him. He also told the man that he had information about his employment history. Shortly after the call, the man contacted the FBI.
The following day, the man placed a call to “David Morgan” that was recorded by the FBI. In it, Thomas again told the man that he worked for Mega Millions. This time, he said the man was the first-place winner of a prize valued at $72 million and that included a 2014 Mercedes Benz with a year of free insurance. Once again, Thomas said that the man needed to send $50,000 to him to cover the taxes on the prizes.
Over the course of the next month, Thomas made numerous calls to the man in attempts to get the money. He also reached the man’s wife and threatened violence if the money was not paid. Among other things, he claimed that he had done surveillance on the couple’s home.
An FBI investigation led to the identification of Thomas. A criminal complaint was filed against Thomas in July 2014. He was arrested on Dec. 18, 2017, after he traveled by plane from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. He has remained in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ephraim (Fry) Wernick. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Gorman and Kathryn L. Rakoczy, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Jacksonville Real Estate Investor Sentenced to Federal Prison for Passing More Than $250,000 in Fraudulent Treasury ChecksRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Neil Andre Butler (47, Jacksonville) to 15 months in federal prison for possessing and passing fraudulent government securities—specifically, four U.S. Treasury checks. Butler was found guilty on July 20, 2018, following a bench trial.
According to court documents, Butler was a real estate investor who borrowed funds to buy distressed properties, intending to refurbish and “flip” them for a profit. When his business began to fail, in an effort to stave off his creditors, Butler manufactured and mailed four fraudulent checks to his creditors. The checks totaled over $250,000 and were purportedly payable by the United States Treasury. Throughout the proceedings, Butler asserted various defenses associated with the so-called “Sovereign Citizen” movement, including denying that the court had jurisdiction over his case.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.
Indictment Charges New Orleans Man with Violations of Federal Gun Control ActRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that CHARLES BROWN, age 30, of New Orleans, was charged with one count of conspiring to make false statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm and one count of being felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the indictment, on or about July 27, 2018, CHARLES BROWN conspired with an individual to purchase a firearm by falsely representing the identity of the real purchaser of the firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371, 922(a)(6) and 924(a)(2). That same day, CHARLES BROWN, a convicted felon, possessed the firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections, 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(2).
U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that an Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, CHARLES BROWN faces, as to Count One of the Indictment, a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment. As to Count Two of the Indictment, the defendant face a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning
Head of Deadly Elmira Opioid Trafficking Organization Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Robert Ian Thatcher, 30, of Elmira, NY, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, U-47700 and 100 grams or more of furanyl fentanyl, before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr. The charge carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant, along with co-conspirator Maximillian Sams, ran a large-scale opioid manufacturing and trafficking organization in the Southern Tier of New York and northern Pennsylvania between 2015 and May 2017. As part of the conspiracy, Thatcher and Sams imported bulk quantities of furanyl fentanyl and U-47700 from overseas suppliers China. They ordered the furanyl fentanyl and U-47700 on what is known as “the dark web,” and used different people and addresses in New York and Pennsylvania to receive the shipments. The defendant and Sams purchased equipment and materials – including pill presses/mechanical tableting machines, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose magnesium stearate, and powdered food coloring – which they used to manufacture tens of thousands blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. The pills were made to look like legitimate 30 milligram Percocet pills.
At least two individuals – a female identified as B.S., and a male identified as C.H. – died after ingesting the blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. In addition, at least one individual – identified as J.M. – overdosed on more than one occasion after using the blue pills manufactured, but survived after being treated by first responders with Narcan.
Thatcher and Sams used residences at 604 South Lehigh Avenue in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and 665 Sawdey Road in Catlin, NY, to manufacture and process the pills for distribution. During the execution of a search warrant at the Sayre location on May 16, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, 244 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl, four long guns and ammunition. In addition, during the execution of a search warrant at the Catlin location on May 18, 2017, law enforcement agents recovered, among other things, materials used by the defendant and Sams to manufacture the pills for distribution. During the conspiracy, Thatcher also possessed several firearms at the Pennsylvania location and his residence in Elmira.
After manufacturing the pills, the defendant and Sams would distribute them in large quantities to other co-conspirators – including Anthony Prettyman, Jesus Rivera, Terrance Washington, and Dwayne Banks, a/k/a Fizzle, a/k/a Fizz, who would then distribute the pills to various street-level customers in the Elmira area. Pills were also supplied to an individual in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. As part of the conspiracy, Sams used co-conspirator Anthony Prettyman to transport 5,330 blue pills containing furanyl fentanyl from Elmira to North Carolina in October 2016. On October 25, 2016, in North Carolina, deputies with the Iredell County (NC) Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Prettyman was traveling. During a subsequent search, the deputies recovered and seized a paint can with a false bottom containing the 5,330 blue pills from inside Prettyman’s vehicle.
In early 2017, Thatcher arranged for a package of furanyl fentanyl, that he ordered over the dark web, to be sent to co-conspirator Carlito Rios, Jr. On March 13, 2017, Customs and Border Protection officers at the John F. Kennedy International Airport Mail Branch in Queens, NY, examined a United States Postal Service package addressed to co-conspirator Rios at 1015 Oak Street in Elmira. The sender was listed as an entity in China. Upon inspection, the package was found to contain approximately 249 grams of furanyl fentanyl. The defendant and Sams intended to use the seized furanyl fentanyl to manufacture and distribute additional quantities of the blue pills.
To date, 13 members and associates of the defendant’s opioid manufacturing and trafficking operation have been convicted of federal narcotics offenses. Each of those defendants is awaiting sentencing. In addition, an Elmira resident, Isaiah McLaurin, was convicted in September 2017 of witness tampering, after he made threats on Facebook against an individual working with the Drug Enforcement Administration during the investigation. Chief Judge Geraci sentenced McLaurin to 57 months in federal prison.
“This defendant and his co-conspirators may have thought they could elude law enforcement detection by purchasing supplies through the so-called ‘dark web,’ but as this investigation showed, that is clearly not the case,” said U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Whether these criminals choose to pedal their deadly poison in urban, suburban, or rural areas, we will track you down and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. The opioid epidemic has taken far too many lives, but thanks to the efforts of many, including law enforcement, health officials, and treatment and prevention organizations, we are starting to stem this deadly tide.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rochester Resident Office and Scranton PA Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division; the New York State Police, Community Narcotics Enforcement Team Southern Tier, under the direction of Major Mary Clark and Lieutenant Kevin P. Sucher; the Elmira Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Kane; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict, New York Field Division; the Pennsylvania State Police, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Robert Evanchick; the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Christopher J. Moss; the Iredell, NC County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Darren E. Campbell, and Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Unit, under the direction of Director Brian Manaher. Additional assistance was provided by the Northeast Regional Laboratory.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 7, 2019, at 3:00 p.m. before Chief Judge Geraci.
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Hancock County addiction center co-owner admits to illegally selling suboxoneRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Eric Drake, of Weirton, West Virginia, has admitted to illegally distributing controlled substances, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Drake, age 48, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of a Controlled Substance.” Drake admitted to selling suboxone in Hancock County in May 2016.
Drake was co-owner of an addiction treatment center, Advance Healthcare, Inc., located at 3300 West Street in Weirton.
Drake faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah E. Wagner and Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the WV Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Fraud Division; the WV Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the Office of Ohio Attorney General Health Care Fraud; the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation; the Hancock-Brook-Weirton Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Greater Harrison County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office; and the Weirton Police Department investigated.
These charges are the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) under the Attorney General-led Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS)/Special Operations Division (SOD) Project Clean Sweep. This initiative seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in “hot spot” areas previously identified by the Attorney General of the United States, thereby reducing drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths, and identify wholesale distribution networks and sources of supply operating nationally and internationally.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
Ghana Native Indicted for $5 Million Romance Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Ghana native residing in Dumfries, Va., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his role in wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies as part of a more than $5 million romance fraud scheme.
Henry N. Asomani, 33, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged in a six-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Asomani’s arrest and initial court appearance. Asomani remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
According to the indictment, 13 victims lost a total of $5,075,569 in the wire fraud conspiracy over an approximately two-year period from Sept. 15, 2015, to Oct. 17, 2017. Asomani allegedly received a total of $2,993,354 from victims across the United States, including three victims in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Unknown co-conspirators targeted individuals through online dating websites with various romance frauds, the indictment says. The unknown co-conspirators impersonated individuals who were involved in businesses overseas. They convinced the victims that they needed funds to help with moving gold from a foreign country, orphanage expenses, and school and travel expenses. The co-conspirators told the victims they would share the profits when the gold was returned to the United States. In fact, none of the victims received any profit or received any gold from the co-conspirators.
For example, one victim who resides in Lee’s Summit, Mo., set up a profile on ChristianMingle.com following the death of her husband to brain cancer. In October 2015, an individual claiming to be “Larry B. White” initiated contact with her. Following numerous conversations by email and telephone, “White” convinced the victim to invest in a Ghana gold mine. “White” promised a 40 percent return on the investment of money. From November 2015 through January 2016, under the direction of “White,” the victim sent funds to multiple entities by check and wire totaling approximately $3,292,000. Of that amount, the indictment says, $2,292,000 was transferred to accounts controlled by Asomani. To date, the victim has not received any money or gold profits from “White.”
Another victim, who resides in Leawood, Kan., met “George Bill Parker” on Facebook. “Parker” convinced the victim to send funds for gold-related expenses, such as legal fees, customs, storage, farm-related expenses and ransom. “Parker” promised he would pay the victim back with money or gold. This victim had a total loss of approximately $800,000. Of that amount, the indictment says, the victim sent approximately $220,700 to accounts controlled by Asomani.
A third victim, who resides in Kansas City, Mo., met “Bradley Fischer” on ChristianMingle.com. “Fischer” convinced the victim to send funds for school expenses, travel expenses and to start a new life in Kansas City. On July 19, 2017, the victim wired $24,000 to Asomani’s bank account. “Fischer” promised to pay the victim back when he got to Kansas City. To date, the victim has received $1,000 back from “Fischer.”
Other victims reside in New Jersey, Alaska, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Kansas and Iowa.
According to the indictment, Asomani wired $1,789,416 from his bank accounts in the United States to bank accounts in Ghana. He spent approximately $342,278 on auto purchases and auto- or shipping-related expenses. Asomani shipped 18 vehicles to Ghana, having a declared value of approximately $284,190.
The federal indictment charges Asomani with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering.
The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Asomani to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of his alleged violation, including $2,993,354 and a 2019 silver Lexus NX300.
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. Attorneys Paul S. Becker and Stacey Perkins Rock. It was investigated by the FBI.
Fugitive from Justice in Possession of Firearms Sentenced to 10 MonthsRead the Press Release
PHOENIX – This week, Ryan Smith Hagel, 31, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 10 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Hagel had previously pleaded guilty to one count of fugitive from justice in possession of a firearm.
On Nov. 18, 2017, Hagel was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for speeding in La Paz County. Hagel initially denied possessing any firearms, despite being armed. Six additional firearms were located inside the vehicle, along with 2,889 rounds of ammunition, bulletproof vests, and other tactical gear. Hagel had an outstanding felony warrant from 2008 in a Maricopa County case involving theft of a vehicle.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, and the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was handled by Lisa E. Jennis, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR 18-00273-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-140_ Hagel
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 140 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
FORT WAYNE – Rasheed Stukes, age 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Theresa Springmann after pleading guilty to bank robbery along with using a dangerous weapon during such act, announced U.S. Attorney Kirsch.
Stukes was sentenced to 140 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on April 11 2016, Stukes and two co-defendants attempted to rob a bank. During the course of the attempted robbery, a dangerous weapon was used causing injury to another person. A person was also forced to accompany the robbers against the consent of that person.
This case was investigated by the FBI and Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Miller Lowery.
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Former Wichita Police Officer Sentenced for Not Reporting Illegal GamblingRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A former Wichita police officer was sentenced Friday to a year on supervised probation for failing to report what he knew about illegal poker games, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Bruce Mackey, 46, Goddard, Kan., pleaded guilty to one felony count of misprision of a felony. Mackey admitted that while he was a police officer he knew and did not report individuals who were conducting a gambling business. During an illegal poker game in February 2014, Mackey confirmed for organizers of the game that one of the gamblers was a Wichita police officer, after organizers of the game attempted to identify that person.
McAllister commended the Wichita Police Department, the FBI, Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst for their work on the case.
Former Teacher and Police Officer Sent to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Brunswick, GA – A former high school teacher and police officer has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for paying a 16-year-old boy for sex.
Tracy Wayne Crosby, 42 of Waycross, was sentenced Oct. 27 by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 128 months in prison for one count of sex trafficking of a minor, said Southern District U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. There is no parole in the federal system. In addition, Crosby will be required to register as a sex offender and, after completing his incarceration, will be on supervised release for 20 years.
During hearings in the case, the evidence revealed that up until he was arrested in this case, Crosby was the criminal justice teacher at Ware County High School and a part-time police officer with Pierce County. Crosby used his cell phone to communicate with a 16-year-old boy online and agreed to meet with the boy to have sex in exchange for $30. Camden County law enforcement immediately responded and arrested Crosby while he was with the boy. Crosby admitted to federal agents that he had sex with the boy more than once and that he arranged to have sex with the boy online.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in connection with the Camden County Sheriff Office and the Ware County Sheriff’s Office.
“Crosby abused his positions of trust and betrayed his oath to protect our children,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Anyone who pays to have sex with children will be brought to justice and will face substantial time in federal prison. The United States continues its relentless work to protect our most precious and vulnerable citizens. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rescue children and put traffickers and customers behind bars.”
“Sexual exploitation steals the innocence of children, and the criminals who engage in these acts often inflict life-long trauma on their victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Nick S. Annan of the Atlanta field office of Homeland Security Investigations. “HSI is committed to investigating child exploitation cases as one of its highest priorities, and we deeply appreciate the efforts of our U.S. Attorney partners in this case to ensure this defendant will no longer be able to pose harm to children in Georgia, or anywhere else, for many years.”
Anyone who suspects instances of child sexual exploitation is encouraged to call 1-800-843-5678, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with HSI, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies.
Assistant United States Attorney Tania D. Groover prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Final Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance on Board a Vessel Following Apprehension of a Go-Fast Vessel Carrying Multiple Kilos of MarijuanaRead the Press Release
St. Croix, USVI – Roman Jose Aguilera Gig, 39, of Venezuela, pled guilty on October 26, 2018, in District Court to one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance on Board a Vessel, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced.
This federal offense carries a possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison, a maximum fine of up to $5,000,000 dollars, and a term of supervised release of at least 2 years. Sentencing is set for February 27, 2019.
According to court documents, on May 8, 2017, at approximately 3:45 p.m., a patrol aircraft associated with the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South located a northbound go-fast vessel (GFV) approximately 105 nautical miles west of Martinique traveling at a speed of 25 knots. The vessel was located in a known drug trafficking route. It had five outboard engines and contained multiple fuel barrels and suspicious packages visible on deck. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley was directed to intercept the vessel. Upon arrival, the crew of the GFV were observed tossing the suspicious packages and fuel barrels overboard. Ultimately, the crew of the Cutter Donald Horsley recovered 8 bound packages, which contained approximately 162 kilograms (357 pounds) of marijuana. The defendant was one of seven Venezuelan national crew members onboard the GFV.
Gig is now the final and seventh defendant to enter a guilty plea. Co-defendant Juan Rodriguez previously entered a guilty plea on August 13, 2018. Co-defendants Jesus Garcia and Jhoan Gomez entered a guilty plea on August 15, 2018. Co-defendants Felix Gomez and Rosauro Morao entered a guilty plea on August 22, 2018. Co-defendant Manual Rodriguez entered a guilty plea on September 20, 2018.
The Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley is a 154-foot Fast Response Cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The case was investigated by the United States Coast Guard and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel H. Huston.
Felon Arrested on Drug and Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051Buffalo, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Felix M. Velazquez, 42, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute 28 or more grams of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $1,000,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth T. Molisani, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in June 2018, the Lackawanna Police Department Narcotics Unit began investigating the narcotics trafficking activities of the defendant, a mid-level street cocaine distributor who has a large customer base in the Buffalo area. Velazquez allegedly conducted his distribution activities through his cellular phone, and at his apartment on Weyand Avenue in Buffalo.On August 14, 2018, Lackawanna and Buffalo police officers executed a search warrant at the residence and seized $ 42,955 in cash, approximately six ounces of suspected cocaine, and one firearm, a loaded .380 pistol. Officers also seized two digital scales commonly used to weigh cocaine, and plastic baggies commonly used to package cocaine.
In September 2011, Velazquez was convicted in federal court of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and sentenced to 12 months in prison. As a result, the defendant is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The defendant made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was released.
The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Lackawanna Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Michel; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Byron Lockwood; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge James J. Hunt, New York Field Division.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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Federal judge approves injunction permanently barring Akron doctor from prescribing opioids or practicing medicineRead the Press Release
A federal judge today approved an injunction permanently barring an Akron doctor from prescribing opioids or practicing medicine, the Department of Justice announced today.
United States District Judge Sara Lioi entered the consent decree and permanent injunction against Dr. Michael P. Tricaso.
According to a complaint filed by the United States on August 15, Tricaso, an osteopath who operated the Better Living Clinic of Akron, illegally prescribed controlled substances from April through August. The substances included Oxycodone, an opiate that normally is used to treat pain but that is highly addictive and can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses. The complaint described various meetings that Tricaso had with two confidential sources to whom Tricaso illegally prescribed and sold the controlled substances. According to the complaint, Tricaso conducted transactions with the confidential sources in a hotel parking lot, where he wrote prescriptions and also directly sold the sources controlled substances. The complaint further alleged that Tricaso prescribed dangerous opioid painkillers and steroids without any legitimate medical purpose. The government asked the court in the complaint to prohibit Tricaso from dispensing, distributing, or prescribing controlled substances.
On August 17, Judge Lioi issued a temporary restraining order that temporarily barred Tricaso from issuing additional controlled substance prescriptions. Shortly thereafter, after being served with the federal lawsuit, Tricaso voluntarily surrendered to federal officials his legal authority to prescribe controlled substances under the CSA. Moreover, Tricaso permanently surrendered to Ohio officials his license to practice osteopathic medicine.
On August 22, Attorney General Sessions, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Justin Herdman, and other Department officials announced the first ever civil injunctions under the Controlled Substances Act, against doctors Tricaso and Gerber. Pursuant to President Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand, the Justice Department’s Prescription Interdiction & Litigation (PIL) Task Force aggressively deploys and coordinates all available criminal and civil law enforcement tools to reverse the tide of opioid overdoses in the United States. The temporary restraining orders for Tricaso and Gerber resulted from the PIL Task Force’s efforts.
“The opioid crisis that we are facing today is the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said Assistant Attorney General Joseph H. Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “For the first time, the Department of Justice is going to court to use civil injunctions to stop the spread of opioids to our communities. Today's injunction means that this doctor — who allegedly sold and prescribed dangerous opioids without a legitimate medical purpose —no longer presents a risk of harm to patients or the community. ”
“Some drug dealers work on street corners, others operate from a doctor’s office,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman for the Northern District of Ohio. “Tricaso illegally prescribed painkillers and other drugs for no legitimate medical purpose. Putting so-called physicians like these out of business is one of several steps we are taking to turn the tide on the opioid and drug crisis that has caused so much death and heartbreak in our community.”
The consent decree entered by Judge Lioi, and agreed to by Tricaso and the United States, permanently bars Tricaso from dispensing, prescribing, or distributing any controlled substances. Tricaso has also agreed never to reapply for privileges under the CSA to prescribe or dispense controlled substances, and he has agreed never to apply for a license to practice osteopathic medicine anywhere in the United States.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio and the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch as part of the Justice Department’s Prescription Interdiction and Litigation (PIL) Task Force.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh.
Father and Son Sentenced to Prison for Armed Robbery Spree in 2017Read the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A father and son who stole nearly $10,000 during eight armed robberies, including two credit unions, in 2017, were sentenced today to federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson for the District of Nevada.
Jeffrey Alan James, 53, and his son, Jessy Stewart James, 24, both of Las Vegas, each pleaded guilty in April to seven counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of Bank Robbery. Jeffrey James was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Jessy James was sentenced to two years in prison. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II, sentenced each defendant to five years of supervised release.
From January 19, 2017, to February 16, 2017, the father-son duo robbed six smoke shops and two credit unions at gunpoint. They stole a total of approximately $10,000 and Marlboro cigarettes. During the Silver State Schools Credit Union robbery, Jeffrey James pointed a BB gun revolver in the direction of a teller’s head. Meanwhile, Jessy James placed a suitcase on the counter and told another teller that if she followed their instructions she would not get shot. They stole approximately $4,000. The final robbery occurred at the America First Credit Union where Jessy James threatened a teller with a BB gun and presented a note that read, “This is a robbery, not a joke.” Jeffrey James acted as a getaway driver. They stole approximately $4,207.
Jeffrey James has previously been convicted in the District of Nevada for committing a string of bank and credit union robberies in Las Vegas. In a separate case, he was also previously convicted in state court in Las Vegas, Nevada, for committing a gunpoint robbery of a bar.
The case was investigated by the Henderson Police Department, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns prosecuted the case.
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East Bay Resident Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to the FBIRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Moses Orozco pleaded guilty today to making false statements to federal investigators, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The plea was accepted by the Honorable Susan Illston, U.S. District Judge.
According to the plea agreement, Orozco, 23, of Pittsburg, Calif., admitted he knowingly made false statements to the FBI earlier this year when he claimed two people were planning a high school shooting in the East Bay.
On March 27, 2018, Orozco called the FBI Public Access Line and falsely told FBI personnel that his ex-girlfriend and her brother were planning a mass shooting. Orozco stated in the call that the brother recently had been acting “weird,” that he said he wanted to commit a shooting “anywhere there was a massive amount of people,” and that he asked, “Have you ever wanted to do a mass shooting?” Orozco also claimed he had photographs of the brother with guns and text messages that were exchanged between his ex-girlfriend and her brother in which the two planned a mass shooting.
Further, on March 28, 2018, Orozco repeated much of the same story to an FBI Task Force Officer during an interview. Orozco stated that his former girlfriend and her brother were planning a mass school shooting at an undisclosed location; that the brother recently told Orozco he (the brother) wanted to conduct a school shooting; that the brother showed Orozco digital photos of himself with guns and a text message thread with his sister in which they were making plans for the shooting; that the brother said, “something big was about to happen,” and that Orozco should watch the evening news; and that Orozco believed a mass school shooting was in the execution phase.
Then, on March 29 and 31, 2018, Orozco provided to law enforcement authorities additional details about the alleged mass shooting threat. For example, Orozco told the FBI that his ex-girlfriend’s brother stated, “I’m not going to tell you when I’m going to do it because you’ll call the cops.” Orozco also showed an officer from the Antioch Police Department a text thread that Orozco claimed was from his ex-girlfriend.
The ruse came to an end on April 3, 2018. On that day, Orozco met with FBI agents and, during the interview, admitted he lied about the school shooting threats. Orozco also admitted he lied when he called the Public Access Line to report the school shooting threat and that he fabricated the text messages. Orozco told the agents that he was upset about his breakup with his ex-girlfriend and that he reported the threat to “get back at her.”
On September 6, 2018, a grand jury indicted Orozco, charging him with three counts of making false statements to an agency of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). Today, Orozco pleaded guilty to all three charges.
Judge Illston scheduled Orozco’s sentencing for February 8, 2019. The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. Additional fines, forfeitures, restitution, and special assessments also may be imposed. However, any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lee is prosecuting the case with assistance from Sarah Lamparelli and Kim Richardson. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.
Drug Trafficking Organization Indicted on Dozens of Drug and Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
WAYCROSS, GA: Eleven people have been indicted on federal charges for importing and trafficking methamphetamine throughout southeast Georgia.
The 17-count, 20-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury charges the defendants in a longstanding conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine, a deadly and highly addictive stimulant, in Laurens, Ware, Telfair, Dodge, Bacon and Coffee counties, said Southern District United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. Multiple firearms were seized during the operation, and several of the defendants are charged with possession of a firearm while trafficking drugs.
Charged in the federal indictment are:
Enio Camacho-Pineda (31, Atlanta Area)
a/k/a “Tony,” a/k/a “Tony Montana”;
Ricardo Santana-Hernandez, (31, Mexico)
a/k/a “Richard Hernandez,” a/k/a “Armond,” a/k/a “Armani”;
Donna Bazemore, (45, McRae, Georgia);
a/k/a “Donna Spivey,”, a/k/a “Dirty D”;
Enrique Lopez, (44, Douglas, Georgia)
a/k/a “Ricky”;
Eugene Wright, (52, Millwood, Georgia)
a/k/a “Burt”;
Cristian Jesus Martinez, (19, Mexico);
Angela Hurst, (38, Douglas, Georgia);
Kristel Merritt, (43, Douglas, Georgia);
Ryan Bland, (32, Jacksonville, Georgia);
Angie McCoy, (24, Douglas, Georgia);
a/k/a “Angie Woods”; and,
Kenneth Woodrow Mancil, (53, Sylvania, Georgia)
With the exception of Wright, who is a fugitive, all of the defendants are under arrest and have been ordered detained until trial. Most of them have holds against them because they are facing deportation as illegal aliens, have pending state charges, and/or were on probation or parole at the time they committed the offenses. If convicted, all of the defendants face a statutory minimum punishment of 20 years to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This case is an outstanding example of local, state, and federal agencies working together to identify and dismantle a criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “There is a growing threat that methamphetamine trafficking will increase as crackdowns succeed against illegal opioids, but our law enforcement and prosecutors will slam the prison door on those who would distribute this poison in our communities.”
ATF Resident Agent in Charge Tim Graden said, “ATF is proud of the relationships that we have with the community and all of our law enforcement partners. This investigation is another example of the success that we can accomplish by working together. Reducing violent crime is ATF’s goal, and taking armed drug traffickers off the street is one of many methods that ATF uses to accomplish our mission.
“The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has partnered with local and federal partners to cripple drug trafficking networks operating throughout the state,” said GBI Special Agent in Charge Jamie Jones. “This should be a wake-up call to the traffickers that they are not immune from detection just because they operate in rural areas.”
“We appreciate our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners whose combined efforts have resulted in the dismantling of a dangerous and far-reaching criminal drug trafficking network, seemingly intent on setting up shop in rural Telfair County,” said Sheriff Chris Steverson. “I am thankful for the support provided in this case by the GBI, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I look forward to similar operations in the future.”
Ware County Sheriff Randy Royal added, “I have always valued and appreciated the close-knit partnerships between our agency and our federal and state partners. The seamless takedown operation using Ware County Sheriff's personnel, Georgia State Patrol, and federal agents was a true testament to what can be accomplished when all of law enforcement works together in the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation.”
A criminal indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case was investigated as an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case, which is a United States Department of Justice initiative designed to dismantle large drug trafficking organizations who operate in multiple jurisdictions. This case also falls under the United States Department of Justice initiative Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to coordinate law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in order to remove violent crime from communities. The case was investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Ware County and Coffee County sheriff’s offices, with assistance from the United States Marshal’s Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John Harper and Greg Gilluly.
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
District Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Role in 2007 Murder Near Anacostia Metro StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kadeem Quarles, 27, formerly of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the murder of man during a carjacking in November 2007 at the Anacostia Metro station, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Quarles pled guilty in April 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison term of 16 to 20 years. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced Quarles accordingly on Oct. 25, 2018. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
Quarles is among four people who pled guilty to charges related to the slaying of Timothy Spicer, 25, on Nov. 17, 2007 near the Anacostia Metro station in Southeast Washington. All four defendants are from Washington, D.C.
According to the government’s evidence, Mr. Spicer went to the Metro station to meet a young woman at approximately 9:15 p.m. He was driving a Chevrolet Caprice with specially equipped chrome rims. Mr. Spicer briefly parked at the station, and the young woman got into the vehicle and directed him to drive a very short distance onto nearby Shannon Place SE.
The young woman had previously entered into an agreement with Quarles and three other people to rob Mr. Spicer of his vehicle and personal belongings. Quarles was the alleged mastermind of the scheme. The plan called for the woman to lure Mr. Spicer to the station and then direct him to Shannon Place. Two of the other people were to take up a position at a bus stop near the station to keep a look-out for Mr. Spicer and for the police. The plan called for Quarles and accomplice Maurice Blakey to rob Mr. Spicer. Blakey was armed with a gun.
Once Mr. Spicer’s car moved onto Shannon Place, the young woman exited the vehicle and Quarles and Blakey forced their way inside, with Quarles in the back seat and Blakey in the front passenger seat. When Mr. Spicer resisted the carjacking and began to struggle, Blakey shot him in the back. Mr. Spicer exited the vehicle and ran past the two look-outs into the Metro station. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injures.
Blakey, 27, pled guilty to second degree murder while armed and was sentenced in February 2018 to a 22-year prison term. The two look-outs – Joseph Minor and Randolph Williams – also pled guilty. Minor, 27, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and was sentenced in June 2018 to an 8 ½-year prison term, to run consecutively to a 47-year prison term that he is serving for another murder. Williams, 27, pled guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and will be sentenced next year.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the work of those who assisted with the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and San Lane
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kendra Briggs, Melissa Price and Michael T. Truscott, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Prohibiting Ohio Doctor from Prescribing OpioidsRead the Press Release
A federal judge in Akron, Ohio, today approved an injunction permanently barring an Ohio doctor from prescribing opioids or practicing medicine, the Department of Justice announced today. United States District Judge Sara Lioi entered the consent decree and permanent injunction against Dr. Michael P. Tricaso.
According to a complaint filed by the United States on August 15, Tricaso, an osteopath who operated the Better Living Clinic of Akron, illegally prescribed controlled substances from April through August. The substances included Oxycodone, an opiate that normally is used to treat pain but that is highly addictive and can cause respiratory distress and death when taken in high doses. The complaint described various meetings that Tricaso had with two confidential sources to whom Tricaso illegally prescribed and sold the controlled substances. According to the complaint, Tricaso conducted transactions with the confidential sources in a hotel parking lot, where he wrote prescriptions and also directly sold the sources controlled substances. The complaint further alleged that Tricaso prescribed dangerous opioid painkillers and steroids without any legitimate medical purpose. The government asked the court in the complaint to prohibit Tricaso from dispensing, distributing, or prescribing controlled substances.
On August 17, Judge Lioi issued a temporary restraining order that temporarily barred Tricaso from issuing additional controlled substance prescriptions. Shortly thereafter, after being served with the federal lawsuit, Tricaso voluntarily surrendered to federal officials his legal authority to prescribe controlled substances under the CSA. Moreover, Tricaso permanently surrendered to Ohio officials his license to practice osteopathic medicine.
On August 22, Attorney General Sessions, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Justin Herdman, and other Department officials announced the first ever civil injunctions under the Controlled Substances Act, against doctors Tricaso and Gerber. Pursuant to President Trump’s Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand, the Justice Department’s Prescription Interdiction & Litigation (PIL) Task Force aggressively deploys and coordinates all available criminal and civil law enforcement tools to reverse the tide of opioid overdoses in the United States. The temporary restraining orders for Tricaso and Gerber resulted from the PIL Task Force’s efforts.
“The opioid crisis that we are facing today is the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said Assistant Attorney General Joseph H. Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “For the first time, the Department of Justice is going to court to use civil injunctions to stop the spread of opioids to our communities. Today's injunction means that this doctor — who allegedly sold and prescribed dangerous opioids without a legitimate medical purpose —no longer presents a risk of harm to patients or the community. ”
“Some drug dealers work on street corners, others operate from a doctor’s office,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman for the Northern District of Ohio. “Tricaso illegally prescribed painkillers and other drugs for no legitimate medical purpose. Putting so-called physicians like these out of business is one of several steps we are taking to turn the tide on the opioid and drug crisis that has caused so much death and heartbreak in our community.”
The consent decree entered by Judge Lioi, and agreed to by Tricaso and the United States, permanently bars Tricaso from dispensing, prescribing, or distributing any controlled substances. Tricaso has also agreed never to reapply for privileges under the CSA to prescribe or dispense controlled substances, and he has agreed never to apply for a license to practice osteopathic medicine anywhere in the United States.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio and the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch as part of the Justice Department’s Prescription Interdiction and Litigation (PIL) Task Force.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh.
Detroit Police Officer Indicted for Participation in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Detroit Police Officer Christopher Staton, 51, of Detroit, with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of making a false statement to a special agent of the FBI, United States Attorney Matthew Schneider announced.
Schneider was joined in the announcement by Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Timothy Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent in Charge Manny Muriel, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation and Chief James Craig, Detroit Police Department.
According to the Indictment, beginning in 2012, and continuing through 2017, Officer Staton conspired with ten other members of a drug trafficking organization to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. The indictment further alleges that Staton agreed to help by providing members of the conspiracy with sensitive law enforcement information, including about a co-conspirator’s arrest and about vehicles’ registrations. Staton was also charged with lying to FBI agents about his disclosure of this information.
“Detroit Police Officers are outstanding public servants, and the corrupt actions of just this one defendant should not undermine the public’s overall trust in law enforcement,” United States Attorney Matthew Schneider said. “Given the magnitude of the opioid crisis, the allegations are especially troubling that this defendant was actively helping drug dealers evade police detection and distribute large quantities of poisonous drugs.”
“The Detroit Police Department is a long standing partner in our efforts to protect the community from drug traffickers and its related violence,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Plancon. “The indictment of this single officer in no way diminishes the hard work provided by so many Detroit Police Officers on a daily basis. This indicted officer willingly contributed to the destruction that drug trafficking brings to our neighborhoods. Make no mistake, when any officer crosses the line and becomes a drug trafficker or co-conspirator, the DEA and our law enforcement partners will be relentless in bringing them to justice.”
“When an officer of the law violates the community’s trust and breaks his or her oath to protect and serve, the FBI will ensure they answer for their crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater, Detroit Division of the FBI. “Today’s indictment reflects an individual officer’s betrayal of his oath and his fellow officers. It should not take away from the outstanding work conducted every day by the men and women of the Detroit Police Department.”
“We are disappointed in the actions of Officer Christopher Staton, as they have left a stain on our department,” said Chief of Police James Craig. “However, the actions of this officer does not reflect the values of our department and the men and women who serve honorably in keeping our communities safe. Our focus has been and will continue to be building trust and combating the existence of illegal activity within our communities.”
Staton faces up to life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000,000 for the drug conspiracy count, and up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for the false statement count.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Cares and Mitra Jafary-Hariri.
Department of Veterans Affairs Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery, Fraud, and Obstruction in $2 Million Scheme Involving Program for Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
A former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official pleaded guilty to demanding and receiving bribes from three for-profit schools in exchange for enrolling disabled military veterans in those schools and facilitating over $2 million in payments from the VA using the veterans’ federal benefits.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.
James King, 63, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to an Information alleging one count of honest services and money/property wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of falsifying records to obstruct an administrative investigation. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia, who set sentencing for Jan. 15, 2019. King is the fourth individual to plead guilty as part of this investigation. In April, Albert Poawui and Sombo Kanneh pleaded guilty to bribing and conspiring to bribe King, respectively. In July, Michelle Stevens pleaded guilty to bribing King.
“For years, James King and his criminal associates defrauded an important VA program that provides education services to military veterans who served our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who seek to illegally enrich themselves at the expense of programs intended to help our brave servicemembers.”
“James King took advantage of his position with the VA by participating in a scam that took money from programs meant to help our disabled military veterans find jobs and enhance their education,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “This investigation shows that we will do everything we can to ensure that taxpayer money intended for our veterans is put to its proper use, not siphoned off by the people and organizations who are entrusted with helping them.”
“King tried to use his position to enrich himself at the expense of veterans who have honorably served our country,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DeSarno. “This guilty plea makes it perfectly clear that such activity by anyone affiliated with the U.S. government will not be tolerated. The FBI will work closely with our partners to continue to aggressively investigate allegations of corruption.”
“King’s plea is a win for VA and our veterans,” said Kim Lampkins, Special Agent in Charge of the VA-OIG Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “It sends a clear message that VA OIG is dedicated to prosecuting those that take advantage of VA programs that are intended to help our veterans and their families.”
According to King’s admissions made in connection with his plea, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services. VR&E program counselors advise veterans under their supervision which schools to attend and facilitate payments to those schools for veterans’ tuition and necessary supplies.
From 2015 through 2017, King, using his position as a VR&E program counselor, demanded and received cash bribes from the owners of Atius Technology Institute (Atius), Eelon Training Academy (Eelon), and School A, a school purporting to specialize in physical security classes. King facilitated over $2 million in payments to Atius, over $83,000 to Eelon, and over $340,000 to School A, all in furtherance of King’s separate agreements with the respective school owners to commit bribery and defraud the VA. King agreed with Poawui and Stevens that they would each pay him, in cash, seven percent of the money they received from the VA in exchange for King steering veterans to their schools and facilitating VA payments. King similarly accepted cash payments from the owner of School A, who is identified as Person A in the Information, in exchange for the same official acts.
In order to maximize the profits from their fraud, all three school owners sent King and other VA officials false information about the education being provided to veterans, and King facilitated payments to all three schools knowing this information was false. King also admitted to repeatedly lying to veterans under his supervision in order to convince them to attend Atius, Eelon, or School A. For example, King falsely instructed one veteran that, unless he attended School A, his VR&E program benefits would “lapse.” King insisted that this veteran enroll in School A despite the veteran’s protests that he could not engage in physical security work due to a physical disability, and despite the fact that the veteran had enrolled in the VR&E program to pursue his dream of becoming a baker.
In early 2017, the VA initiated a fact-finding inquiry into Atius based on complaints by students as to the quality of education at the school. In August 2017, after King became aware of the inquiry, he created a falsified site visit report and instructed Poawui to send it to another VA official, all in an effort to obstruct the VA’s inquiry into Atius. In January 2018, after Poawui had begun to cooperate with the government in its investigation, King attempted to convince Poawui to lie to the grand jury about the purpose of the bribe payments.
King’s plea is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and current Fraud Section Trial Attorney Sonali D. Patel, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou and Paralegal Josh Fein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia also assisted with the investigation.
Department of Veterans Affairs Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery, Fraud, and Obstruction in $2 Million Scheme Involving Program for Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official pled guilty today to demanding and receiving bribes from three for-profit schools in exchange for enrolling disabled military veterans in those schools and facilitating over $2 million in payments from the VA using the veterans’ federal benefits.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.
James King, 63, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to an Information alleging one count of honest services and money/property wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of falsifying records to obstruct an administrative investigation. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia, who set sentencing for Jan. 15, 2019.
King is the fourth individual to plead guilty as part of this investigation. In April, Albert Poawui and Sombo Kanneh pleaded guilty to bribing and conspiring to bribe King, respectively. In July, Michelle Stevens pleaded guilty to bribing King.
“For years, James King and his criminal associates defrauded an important VA program that provides education services to military veterans who served our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who seek to illegally enrich themselves at the expense of programs intended to help our brave servicemembers.”
“James King took advantage of his position with the VA by participating in a scam that took money from programs meant to help our disabled military veterans find jobs and enhance their education,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “This investigation shows that we will do everything we can to ensure that taxpayer money intended for our veterans is put to its proper use, not siphoned off by the people and organizations who are entrusted with helping them.”
“King tried to use his position to enrich himself at the expense of veterans who have honorably served our country,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DeSarno. “This guilty plea makes it perfectly clear that such activity by anyone affiliated with the U.S. government will not be tolerated. The FBI will work closely with our partners to continue to aggressively investigate allegations of corruption.”
“King’s plea is a win for VA and our veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Lampkins of the VA-OIG Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “It sends a clear message that VA OIG is dedicated to prosecuting those that take advantage of VA programs that are intended to help our veterans and their families.”
According to King’s admissions made in connection with his plea, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services. VR&E program counselors advise veterans under their supervision which schools to attend and facilitate payments to those schools for veterans’ tuition and necessary supplies.
From 2015 through 2017, King, using his position as a VR&E program counselor, demanded and received cash bribes from the owners of Atius Technology Institute (Atius), Eelon Training Academy (Eelon), and a school identified in documents as “School A,” a school purporting to specialize in physical security classes. King facilitated over $2 million in payments to Atius, over $83,000 to Eelon, and over $340,000 to “School A,” all in furtherance of King’s separate agreements with the respective school owners to commit bribery and defraud the VA. King agreed with Poawui and Stevens that they would each pay him, in cash, seven percent of the money they received from the VA in exchange for King steering veterans to their schools and facilitating VA payments. King similarly accepted cash payments from the owner of School A, who is identified as Person A in the Information, in exchange for the same official acts.
In order to maximize the profits from their fraud, all three school owners sent King and other VA officials false information about the education being provided to veterans, and King facilitated payments to all three schools knowing this information was false. King also admitted to repeatedly lying to veterans under his supervision in order to convince them to attend Atius, Eelon, or School A. For example, King falsely instructed one veteran that, unless he attended School A, his VR&E program benefits would “lapse.” King insisted that this veteran enroll in School A despite the veteran’s protests that he could not engage in physical security work due to a physical disability, and despite the fact that the veteran had enrolled in the VR&E program to pursue his dream of becoming a baker.
In early 2017, the VA initiated a fact-finding inquiry into Atius based on complaints by students as to the quality of education at the school. In August 2017, after King became aware of the inquiry, he created a falsified site visit report and instructed Poawui to send it to another VA official, all in an effort to obstruct the VA’s inquiry into Atius. In January 2018, after Poawui had begun to cooperate with the government in its investigation, King attempted to convince Poawui to lie to the grand jury about the purpose of the bribe payments.
King’s plea is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and current Fraud Section Trial Attorney Sonali D. Patel, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou and Paralegal Josh Fein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia also assisted with the investigation.
Department of Justice and Department of Interior team up for major expansion of tribal access to national crime information databasesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON— The Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior announced a dramatic expansion of a key program that provides tribes with access to national crime information databases.
The Blackfeet Indian Nation, based in Browning, is among 25 tribes that will be new to the Justice Department’s Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP). The program not only provides access to national criminal databases but also enables tribes to enter and track information about missing persons.
Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said, “We are pleased that the Blackfeet Nation has been selected for expansion of the Tribal Access Program. The program will allow the Blackfeet Tribal Police and other tribal departments to enter information about missing persons into the national missing persons database, enter updates about each person and learn of updates from law enforcement across the country.”
“This will be a big step toward ensuring that missing persons, particularly Blackfeet women and children, are found, and that the Tribe has the most up to date information about missing members,” said Alme, who also is vice chair of the Attorney General’s Native American Issues Subcommittee.
Blackfeet Chairman Tim Davis said, “Having real time access to the TAP program and criminal information readily available to tribal law enforcement agencies provides the assurance that our residents are better served and protected. Indian communities who have sadly experienced so many injustices for so long are now being afforded justice on a more timely and effective scale.”
The Blackfeet tribe will be Montana’s second tribe to join the TAP program. The Fort Peck Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation, based in Poplar, currently participate in the program.
By the end of 2019, the Justice Department will expand the number of TAP participating tribes by more than 50 percent—from 47 tribes to 72 tribes.
TAP allows tribes access to information in several national databases through the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Systems network, including the National Crime Information Center and other databases.
TAP enhances tribal efforts to register sex offenders pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act; have access to orders of protection enforced nationwide; protect children; keep firearms away from prohibited persons; improve the safety of public housing; and allow tribes to enter their arrests and convictions into national databases.
The program also provides tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for both criminal and civil purposes.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) will fund the instillation of TAP Kiosks at three locations where the BIA-Office of Indian Services (BIA-OIS) deliver direct social services by the end of 2019. The Interior Department aims to expand TAP access at all 28 BIA-Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) operated law enforcement agencies and detention service centers. These BIA locations will provide some degree of access to TAP for services delivered to more than 50 tribal communities that currently do not have any direct access.
“Access to information is vital to effective law enforcement,” said Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Chairman of the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues. “The Tribal Access Program will enhance and improve the ability of tribal law enforcement officers to serve their communities.”
The Native American Issues Subcommittee (NAIS) is comprised of United States Attorneys with Indian Country in their federal districts. They advise the Attorney General regarding the development and implementation of policies pertaining to justice in Indian Country. The NAIS identified ‘increased law enforcement resources’ as one of four priority areas to improve justice services in Indian Country. Support for and increased dissemination of the TAP was unanimously supported by the US Attorneys at a recent NAIS meeting in Indian Country in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
For more information on TAP, visit: www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap
For more information about the Justice Department’s work on tribal justice and public safety issues, visit: www.justice.gov/tribal
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Department of Justice Honors National Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
October 25, 2018 – In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with Acting Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Katherine Sullivan and other senior Justice officials today to discuss the Violence Against Women Act’s (VAWA) essential focus on criminal justice responses to domestic violence. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein also announced new OVW funding for the department’s Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) program.
“There is no place in our society for domestic violence, and holding perpetrators accountable and providing services to victims is a critical part of the Department’s response,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “During this National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I encourage law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and other criminal justice professionals to speak out about domestic violence and redouble efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. I am especially pleased to announce new funding to support four new Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, whose collaboration across the tribal and federal jurisdictional landscape is a model for effective prosecution of violence against women.”
Joseph H. Harrington, said, “This new grant from the DOJ Office on Violence Against Women will bolster our ongoing efforts to bring to justice those who commit such crimes. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, is, and will continue to be, committed to aggressively prosecuting domestic violence assaults that occur within the areas under Federal jurisdiction, including the Indian reservations in the District. We will continue working closely with the Colville Tribe and supporting investigations and prosecutions of Indian Country cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. This new SAUSA position will give us additional resources to prosecute those who commit such acts to the fullest extent of the law. This Grant underscores the Department of Justice’s commitment to keeping our citizens safe.”
OVW’s Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorneys (Tribal SAUSAs) Program is another Department initiative supporting innovative prosecutorial collaborations. These prosecutors bring cases in both tribal and federal courts, and help ensure that tribal and federal authorities have a seamless response in prosecuting cases under their jurisdiction. In OVW’s pilot project, Tribal SAUSAs reported a wide range of successes, including prosecution of cases that otherwise may not have been brought.
Today, OVW is announcing new Tribal SAUSA Program awards of $437,500 each to the following four tribes:
• Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Washington);
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (Arizona);
• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Oregon); and
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota).
Commemorated in the United States since 1987, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month educates the public, commemorates and honors victims and survivors, and connects service providers across the country. President Trump has continued the tradition of issuing a presidential proclamation to recognize October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Strengthening criminal justice is the core component of VAWA, and Acting Director Sullivan pointed to the Improving the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program (ICJR) as the “backbone of VAWA.” ICJR helps communities investigate and prosecute these crimes and keep violent criminals off the street. Since 1997, OVW has made 1,655 ICJR grant awards totaling over $847 million. In fiscal year 2018, OVW made 54 ICJR awards totaling $32.6 million.
This funding has supported justice responses including dedicated police and prosecution units, specialized courts, and offender monitoring in 538 communities. For example, Fairfax County in Virginia uses ICJR funding to support a specialized prosecutor for domestic violence and stalking cases and to monitor the enforcement of civil protective orders.
ICJR also funds unique collaborative approaches, such as Family Justice Centers – “one stop shops” housing police, prosecution, and victim services in one place – and multidisciplinary teams that decrease domestic violence homicides. Since 2012 OVW has awarded over $24 million in ICJR funding to reduce domestic violence homicide, including pilot sites, nationwide training, and research. This includes six awards totaling $3,299,977 for fiscal year 2018.
Many victims also face substance abuse issues, and may struggle to access the justice system and get the protection they need. OVW is today announcing an award of $450,000 to the Alliance for HOPE International to train Family Justice Centers to address this complex challenge. The Alliance for HOPE International will partner with the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health.
VAWA was first authorized in 1994 and focused on strengthening the criminal justice response to domestic violence. VAWA was reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and 2013, and each reauthorization included expansions such as addressing elder abuse, combatting stalking, and serving victims of sex trafficking in Indian Country. More information about VAWA is available at www.justice.gov/ovw/legislation.
Department of Justice Honors National Domestic Violence Awareness MonthRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS – In conjunction with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that the Rosebud Sioux Tribe will be awarded funding for a new Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to help prosecute domestic violence, and other violent crimes, on the reservation.
The announcement came at a meeting where Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with Acting Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Katherine Sullivan, and other senior Justice officials, to discuss the Violence Against Women Act’s (VAWA) essential focus on criminal justice responses to domestic violence. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein also announced new OVW funding for the department’s Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney program.
“There is no place in society for domestic violence and the Department of Justice is committed to holding perpetrators accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “We are pleased to be partnering with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in adding a new Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who will be able to prosecute these important cases both in federal and tribal court. This is a true force multiplier that will continue to build bridges and promote cooperation between governments and have a lasting impact in our collective mission to stamp out domestic violence wherever it exists.”
OVW’s Tribal Special Assistant United States Attorneys (Tribal SAUSAs) Program is another Department initiative supporting innovative prosecutorial collaborations. These prosecutors bring cases in both tribal and federal courts, and help ensure that tribal and federal authorities have a seamless response in prosecuting cases under their jurisdiction. In OVW’s pilot project, Tribal SAUSAs reported a wide range of successes, including prosecution of cases that otherwise may not have been brought.
OVW announced new Tribal SAUSA Program awards of $437,500 each to the following four tribes:
• Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (Arizona);
• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Oregon);
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota); and
• Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Washington).
Commemorated in the United States since 1987, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month educates the public, commemorates and honors victims and survivors, and connects service providers across the country. President Trump has continued the tradition of issuing a presidential proclamation to recognize October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Strengthening criminal justice is the core component of VAWA, and Acting Director Sullivan pointed to the Improving the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program (ICJR) as the “backbone of VAWA.” ICJR helps communities investigate and prosecute these crimes and keep violent criminals off the street. Since 1997, OVW has made 1,655 ICJR grant awards totaling over $847 million. In fiscal year 2018, OVW made 54 ICJR awards totaling $32.6 million.
This funding has supported justice responses including dedicated police and prosecution units, specialized courts, and offender monitoring in 538 communities. For example, Fairfax County in Virginia uses ICJR funding to support a specialized prosecutor for domestic violence and stalking cases and to monitor the enforcement of civil protective orders.
ICJR also funds unique collaborative approaches, such as Family Justice Centers – “one stop shops” housing police, prosecution, and victim services in one place – and multidisciplinary teams that decrease domestic violence homicides. Since 2012 OVW has awarded over $24 million in ICJR funding to reduce domestic violence homicide, including pilot sites, nationwide training, and research. This includes six awards totaling $3,299,977 for fiscal year 2018.
Many victims also face substance abuse issues, and may struggle to access the justice system and get the protection they need. OVW is today announcing an award of $450,000 to the Alliance for HOPE International to train Family Justice Centers to address this complex challenge. The Alliance for HOPE International will partner with the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health.
VAWA was first authorized in 1994 and focused on strengthening the criminal justice response to domestic violence. VAWA was reauthorized in 2000, 2005, and 2013, and each reauthorization included expansions such as addressing elder abuse, combatting stalking, and serving victims of sex trafficking in Indian Country. More information about VAWA is available at www.justice.gov/ovw/legislation.
Correctional Officer at Federal Transfer Center Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Smuggling ContrabandRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – GABRIEL ORTIZ, 36, of Oklahoma City, pleaded guilty yesterday to accepting bribes in return for smuggling contraband into the Federal Transfer Center, announced Robert J. Troester of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma.
On October 2, 2018, Ortiz was charged in a one-count information with bribery by a public official. Ortiz worked as a senior correctional officer at the Federal Transfer Center (FTC), a correctional facility located in Oklahoma City and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The FTC houses inmates ranging from maximum security to minimum security and primarily serves as a transfer hub for inmates moving from one BOP facility to another.
As part of his job, Ortiz was responsible for supervising inmates to ensure the safety and security of the FTC. In particular, Ortiz was responsible for searching inmates and inmate housing units to prevent the introduction of contraband into the facility. According to the information, from June 2018 until September 3, 2018, Ortiz solicited and accepted monetary payments in exchange for smuggling contraband, including marijuana, synthetic marijuana (known as "K2"), Suboxone, and tobacco, into the FTC for inmates.
At his plea hearing today, Ortiz admitted that he accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the FTC. At sentencing, Ortiz faces up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. United States District Judge Robin J. Cauthron will sentence Ortiz on January 24, 2019. This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry is prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.