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Tuesday 9 October 2018
Former KC Physician Sentenced for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Kansas City, Mo., physician was sentenced in federal court today for distributing child pornography over the internet.
Jeffrey A. Hassenflug, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to seven years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Hassenflug to 10 years of supervised release following incarceration. The court ordered Hassenflug to pay $15,000 in restitution to his victims, which has been paid in full.
Hassenflug, who pleaded guilty on April 25, 2018, was a resident physician in Kansas City, Mo., before moving to Texas in 2016, where he was employed as an emergency room physician.
Hassenflug admitted that he used peer-to-peer file-sharing software to download child pornography and to share child pornography over the internet. Investigators found 3,047 images of child pornography and 131 videos of child pornography (some as long as 48 minutes in length) on Hassenflug’s laptop computer and other electronic devices.
Hassenflug was identified during an online investigation by the FBI Kansas City Child Exploitation Task Force. A task force officer downloaded numerous files of child pornography from Hassenflug’s computer, including images and videos that depicted babies and toddlers being sexually abused.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the FBI.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Former Forest City Investment Adviser Sentenced to Nearly Fifteen Years in Federal Prison for Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
A North Iowa former investment adviser who stole over $2.4 million from his clients was sentenced on October 5, 2018, to 175 months in federal prison.
Darrell Smith, age 62, from Forest City, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 2017 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Smith’s nearly fifteen-year prison term follows a thirteen-month prison sentence that he received in 2016 for payroll tax fraud.
Smith’s admissions at the plea hearing, as well as evidence presented in other court proceedings, established that Smith was a broker and adviser for several investment firms. From 2010 to 2013, Smith caused withdrawals of over $2.4 million in funds from ten of his investment clients’ accounts without those clients’ knowledge or authorization. The funds were transferred to Energae, LP, a partnership Smith previously had formed with another individual to invest in different bio-energy companies. Smith then used those stolen funds to pay expenses related to the operation of Permeate Refining, LLC, which operated a now-defunct ethanol plant in Hopkinton, Iowa. In order to transfer funds from client accounts, Smith used authorizations purportedly signed by the client authorizing the withdrawal of funds from the investment account. He either forged his clients’ signatures on the authorizations or used pre-signed, blank authorization forms without the clients’ approval.
Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Smith was sentenced to 175 months’ imprisonment. He was ordered to make $1,056,909.68 in restitution to ten victims and ordered to pay costs of prosecution in the amount of $2,947.35. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
“This sentence brought to justice a shameless con artist who preyed on the elderly and others,” said U.S. Attorney Deegan. “Our office commends and thanks all of the outstanding investigators who worked on this very important case.”
“Postal Inspectors are committed to protecting the U.S. Mail and postal customers from these types of fraudulent schemes,” said Kevin Rho, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes Iowa. “The recent sentencing demonstrates the potential penalties for using the mail to further criminal activity, and it reflects the successful teamwork between the Postal Inspection Service and its federal law enforcement partners who worked together to bring justice to the victims in this case,” said Rho.
In sentencing Smith, Judge Reade noted that Smith was a skilled “con man” who used diversionary techniques, appeared to have an answer for everything, and “picked on” vulnerable investors, including the elderly. Judge Reade stressed that Smith’s sentence “brought on himself” Judge Reade increased Smith’s sentence on account of the fact that he obstructed justice while the case was pending. For example, Smith obstructed justice by enlisting the help of a relative in an attempt to dissuade one of his victims from seeking restitution and cooperating with the government in the case. While in jail awaiting sentencing, Smith also convinced a Dubuque man to loan him $25,000.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tim Vavricek and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Service Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-2030. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Former Erie County Democratic Party Chair Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Cause Foreign Campaign DonationRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y. – A former Erie County, New York Democratic party chair pleaded guilty today to conspiring to illegally cause a $25,000 campaign donation from a foreign source to a New York state official running for reelection.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. for the Western District of New York made the announcement.
G. Steven Pigeon, 58, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to an information charging him with conspiracy to cause a foreign donation in a state election in violation of federal law. Sentencing was set for January 25, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.
As part of his plea, Pigeon admitted that while working as a political consultant and lobbyist in Buffalo, he represented a foreign client, Company A. At the time, the CEO of Company A was Person A, a Canadian citizen. In early 2014, despite knowing that it was illegal to make a foreign donation to a state political campaign, Pigeon solicited Person A to make a $25,000 donation to the reelection campaign of a New York state elected official, Public Official A. The campaign rejected the donation from Person A because Person A was not a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States. Pigeon and Person A then agreed to cause the donation from Person A to be made through Person B, a permanent legal resident of the United States and an employee of Company A. On or about February 24, 2014, as directed by Person A, Person B made a $25,000 donation to Public Official A’s campaign. Pigeon and Person A knew that Person A would pay for, or reimburse, the donation. As a result of the $25,000 donation, Pigeon and Person A were granted entry to a fundraising event for Public Official A in New York City on February 26, 2014.
“Steven Pigeon undermined the transparency and integrity of the electoral process by funneling foreign money into a campaign,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting our electoral process and we will aggressively pursue those who seek to circumvent our campaign finance laws.”
“Transparency in political activity, including the disclosure of the sources of political contributions, is a necessary check on the power of money and a necessary ingredient for a healthy democracy,” said U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “Schemes such as this, which introduce obfuscation and secrecy into the political process, threaten our very democracy by endeavoring to use anonymity as a means of eliminating accountability.”
The plea is the result of an investigation by the FBI Buffalo Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gary Loeffert; the New York State Attorney General’s Office, under the direction of Barbara Underwood; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Edward Kennedy. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief John Keller of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno of the Western District of New York.
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Former Bank Employee Sentenced to 6 Months’ Probation for EmbezzlementRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to six months’ probation on her conviction of embezzlement by a bank employee, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose imposed the sentence on Robin Chiappetta, age 63, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
According to the indictment, from approximately February 2014, until approximately December 2016, Chiappetta, who was employed as an Assistant Branch Manager at First National Bank, embezzled funds belonging to and entrusted to the custody and care of the bank, resulting in a loss of $20,513.80.
Assistant United States Attorney Lee J. Karl prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Chiappetta.
Florence Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated that Trevor Winfield Evins, age 35, of Florence, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Florence to felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1). United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr., of Spartanburg, accepted the plea and will impose sentence after a pre-sentence report is prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that October 18, 2017, an officer with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling near Saluda Drive and Madison Avenue and attempted to stop Evins for a traffic violation. Evins fled leading police on a vehicle chase before eventually stopping his car and fleeing on foot. FCSO officers located Evins after a search of the area. A search of the car driven by Evins uncovered quantity amounts of marijuana and cocaine. A loaded 9mm pistol was found hidden in the engine compartment.
Evins is prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm or ammunition based upon prior convictions. Evins has a prior federal court conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and a state court conviction for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Evins faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and 3 years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Project CeaseFire is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a 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 the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Taylor of the Florence office handled the case.
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Federal Corrections Officer Indicted and Arrested for Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Anthony Robinson, 39, of Yazoo City, was arrested by FBI Agents this morning based on a one-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging him with accepting bribes, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst, Christopher Freeze, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation in Mississippi, and Robert A. Bourbon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), Miami Field Office.
According to the indictment, Robinson accepted bribes from inmates at the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex in exchange for bringing contraband into the prison for inmates.
Robinson will have his initial court appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Linda R. Anderson in Jackson tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. If convicted, Robinson faces up to 15 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI Jackson Division and the DOJ-OIG. The Federal Bureau of Prisons also assisted with the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Criminal Chief Patrick Lemon.
These charges are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Eddy County Woman Sentenced to Prison for Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Stephanie Murray, 30, of Loving, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 41 months in prison for her conviction on narcotics trafficking charges arising out of the sale of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent. Murray will be on supervised release for three years after completing her prison sentence.
Murray and her co-defendants, Jimmy Myers, 24, of Lockhart, Texas, and Jesus Sanchez, 31, of Carlsbad, N.M., were charged with methamphetamine trafficking offenses in an indictment filed on Dec. 13, 2017. The three-count indictment charged Murray, Myers and Sanchez with participating in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and distributing methamphetamine on April 28, 2017. It also charged Myers with distributing methamphetamine on May 18, 2017. According to the indictment, the defendants committed the crimes in Eddy County, N.M.
On June 7, 2018, Murray pled guilty to conspiracy and distributing methamphetamine. In entering the guilty plea, Murray admitted that on April 28, 2017, she provided methamphetamine to an individual who then distributed the methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement agent.
Myers previously entered a guilty plea on May 8, 2018, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison at sentencing. Myers is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10, 2018. Sanchez entered a guilty plea on June 12, 2018, and faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison at sentencing. Sanchez remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the New Mexico State Police. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Duquesne Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Mail, Packages from Pittsburgh Apartment BuildingsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Duquesne, PA, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy and mail theft, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Ron Matthew Sharp, 42, pleaded guilty to four counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that from February through May of 2018, Sharp, along with a co-defendant, entered multiple apartment buildings in the Shadyside and North Oakland areas of Pittsburgh, and opened United States Postal Service packages or other mail items that were not addressed to them, stole packages, and stole items from within packages that had been left at authorized mail depositories. Defendants then provided items they had stolen from the mail, including gift cards, to others, who redeemed the gift cards at various locations, including Giant Eagle and GETGO. Defendants also re-sold, and instructed others to attempt to re-sell, items defendants had stolen from the mail.
Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for February 13, 2019. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Sharp remains incarcerated pending the sentencing hearing.
Assistant United States Attorney Christy C. Wiegand is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Department of Homeland Security conducted the investigation leading to the prosecution of Ron Matthew Sharp.
Deltoine Scott Pleads Guilty to Felony Murder Related to May 2017 Loomis Armored Car Robbery, a Separate Robbery of a Brinks Armored Car in October 2015, and Lying to Federal Agents During 2017 InvestigationRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS –U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that DELTOINE SCOTT, age 25, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, armed bank robbery, use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, murder, and making false statements to federal law enforcement officers.
According to paperwork filed with the Court, SCOTT admitted to conspiring with JEROME KIEFFER and ARMSTEAD KIEFFER, who are father and son, to commit two armored car robberies, a 2015 robbery at the Chase Bank on N. Board and a 2017 attempted robbery at the Campus Federal Credit Union on Tulane. SCOTT admitted that he and JEROME KIEFFER spent several days planning the 2015 robbery and their getaway. The two men waited behind a hole they had cut in a wooden fence and jumped out with guns when they saw the guard move away from the armored car. The two then fled back through the hole and down an alley to where they had previously parked a getaway vehicle. SCOTT admitted that he and JEROME KIEFFER got the guns they used in the robbery from ARMSTEAD KIEFFER and that they returned to ARMSTEAD KIEFFER’s house immediately after the robbery to count the proceeds.
SCOTT also admitted his participation in the 2017 attempted robbery that resulted in the death of Loomis guard James McBride. SCOTT admitted that JEROME KIEFFER had rented an apartment that overlooked the scene of the attempted robbery and had approached SCOTT about committing another robbery after having seen an armored car servicing the ATMs that his apartment overlooked. SCOTT acknowledged that he and JEROME KIEFFER borrowed a distinctive black, white, and black truck from SCOTT’s grandfather on the day of the attempted robbery. He also admitted meeting with JEROME KIEFFER and ARMSTEAD KIEFFER to plan the robbery and that ARMSTEAD KIEFFER was the lookout. SCOTT acknowledged that he and Jerome KIEFFER ran down on the armored car while armed with handguns after ARMSTEAD KIEFFER, who was on the phone with JEROME KIEFFER, told them it was time to begin the robbery. Finally, SCOTT admitted that during an interview about a week after the robbery he lied to federal agents about having lost his phone and about his whereabouts on the day of the robbery.
For his role in the 2017 attempted robbery, SCOTT faces a penalty of any term of years up to life in prison. On the charges related to the 2015 robbery, SCOTT faces up to twenty-five years in prison, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least seven years up to life. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years. SCOTT faces up to five years in prison on each of the false statement counts. Sentencing is set before United States District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle on January 30, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys David Haller and Michael McMahon are in charge of the prosecution.
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Defense Contractor Agrees to Pay United States up to $7.8 Million to Settle False Claims Act InvestigationRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Arena Event Services, Inc., which does business as Arena Americas, has agreed to a settlement with the United States to resolve allegations that it wrongfully obtained small business set-aside contracts with the Department of Defense.
According to the settlement agreement, the United States contends that Arena Americas worked with Military Training Solutions, LLC (“MTS”) to obtain small business defense contracts that were supposed to be performed by MTS, but in reality were performed by Arena Americas. As a result of this scheme, which was perpetuated at Fort Stewart, Ga., and at other military installations across the United States, millions of dollars in defense contracts wrongfully were awarded to Arena Americas instead of legitimate small businesses.
“This settlement represents a dedicated effort to protect the taxpayers so we can be sure that those who do business with government agencies, particularly the military, do so entirely above board,” said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate any attempts to illegally exploit the system for a company’s personal advantage.”
Congress mandates that a certain amount of government contracts go to small businesses as a way to encourage small business growth. These contracts prohibit the small business from being affiliated with a non-small business, while also limiting the amount of work that can be subcontracted to a non-small business.
Through its investigation under the False Claims Act, the United States determined that Arena Americas paid MTS to bid on and obtain small business contracts that ultimately would be performed by Arena Americas. MTS previously entered into a settlement agreement with the United States to resolve its liability under the False Claims Act, and MTS owner Robert Obradovich pled guilty to one felony count of receiving unlawful kickbacks in a similar scheme.
“This issue was run to ground by the diligent efforts of our special agents along with our federal law enforcement partners," said Frank Robey, director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. “We are very pleased with this civil settlement agreement pertaining to AES. This should be a clear indicator to others who might try to manipulate government contracts and requirements: No matter how deep one tries to bury the evidence, we will find it.”
“This settlement is the result of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) commitment to ensuring that American tax dollars spent in support of Department of Defense programs and missions are protected from fraud throughout the procurement process,” said Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the DCIS Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and our partnering investigative agencies continue to work tirelessly to investigate the misuse and abuse of contracting methods that ultimately undermines the mission of our warfighters.”
“This settlement sends a strong message that lying to gain access to the Small Business Administration’s preferential contracting programs will be met with justice,” said SBA Office of Inspector General Eastern Region Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kupperbusch. “SBA’s preferential contracting programs are intended to promote the economy and grow and develop small businesses across the nation. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and hard work throughout this investigation.”
Christopher Pilkerton, General Counsel for the SBA, added, “The outcome in this case is the product of the enhanced enforcement efforts by federal agencies, such as the Small Business Administration, working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its Joint Procurement Fraud Strike Force, as well as other Federal law enforcement agencies to detect procurement fraud and prosecute those individuals and companies that engage in such activity. These efforts will continue to ensure appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.”
The Arena Americas settlement resulted from work of the Southern District of Georgia’s Procurement Fraud Task Force, which investigates fraud at military bases in the Southern District of Georgia. The Procurement Fraud Task Force previously has been responsible for numerous criminal prosecutions and civil settlements from fraud arising out of Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon, Hunter Army Air Field, and the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. If you have information about any individual or entity that you believe may be engaging in fraud at a military base, please contact Assistant United States Attorney J. Thomas Clarkson at 912-652-4422.
The claims resolved by the settlement agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
U.S. Attorney Bobby L. Christine commended the hard work and dedication of the United States’ investigatory team, which was led by Special Agent Bryan Cofer of the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Special Agent Randall Temples of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Special Agent Daniel Chase of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Command.
Assistant United States Attorneys J. Thomas Clarkson and Jonathan A. Porter represented the United States in this investigation and settlement.
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Dark Web Administrator Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A French national who was serving at times as an administrator and senior moderator on one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces was sentenced to 20 years in prison today, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder money.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Adolphus P. Wright of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. De Palma of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Gal Vallerius, aka “Oxymonster,” 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. in the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 28. Judge Scola sentenced Vallerius to serve 240 months in prison. Vallierius forfeited 99.98947177 bitcoin and 121.94805811 bitcoin cash.
According to the court record, including the agreed upon factual proffer, beginning in or around November 2013 a criminal online marketplace known as Dream Market began operating on the Tor “dark web” network. Dream Market was designed to promote and facilitate the anonymous sale of illegal items. In time, the Dream Market website became one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces. All of the items and services on Dream Market were offered for sale in exchange for Bitcoin and other peer-to-peer crypto-currencies.
According to the agreed upon factual proffer, Vallerius first participated in the conspiracy by becoming a vendor on Dream Market. As a vendor, he sold Oxycodone and Ritalin under the moniker “Oxymonster.” Shortly thereafter, Dream Market employed the defendant who acted at times as an administrator and senior moderator. In these positions, he played a role supporting the daily illicit transactions between buyers and vendors on Dream Market, such as trafficking in narcotics, and the laundering of illicit proceeds using virtual currencies, Dream Market’s tumblers and the dark web.
This investigation and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that, cooperatively, target the region’s drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused on combatting the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats.
The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
The investigation was conducted by DEA Miami Field Office and Paris Country Office, FBI Miami’s Cyber Task Force, IRS-CI Miami Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Miami and Atlanta Field Offices, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Field Operations Atlanta, U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Europol, Special Operations Division (SOD), Finnish National Police, Finnish International Judicial Administration of the Ministry of Justice, Dutch National Police, French Ministry of Justice and the Direction Interregionale de la Police Judiciaire as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan A. Gonzalez and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank R. Maderal of the Southern District of Florida.
Dark Web Administrator Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
A French national who was serving at times as an administrator and senior moderator on one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces was sentenced to 20 years in prison today, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to launder money.
U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Adolphus P. Wright of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of FBI Miami Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Michael J. De Palma of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Gal Vallerius, aka “Oxymonster,” 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. in the Southern District of Florida on Aug. 28. Judge Scola sentenced Vallerius to serve 240 months in prison. Vallierius forfeited 99.98947177 bitcoin and 121.94805811 bitcoin cash.
According to the court record, including the agreed upon factual proffer, beginning in or around November 2013 a criminal online marketplace known as Dream Market began operating on the Tor “dark web” network. Dream Market was designed to promote and facilitate the anonymous sale of illegal items. In time, the Dream Market website became one of the largest dark web criminal marketplaces. All of the items and services on Dream Market were offered for sale in exchange for Bitcoin and other peer-to-peer crypto-currencies.
According to the agreed upon factual proffer, Vallerius first participated in the conspiracy by becoming a vendor on Dream Market. As a vendor, he sold Oxycodone and Ritalin under the moniker “Oxymonster.” Shortly thereafter, Dream Market employed the defendant who acted at times as an administrator and senior moderator. In these positions, he played a role supporting the daily illicit transactions between buyers and vendors on Dream Market, such as trafficking in narcotics, and the laundering of illicit proceeds using virtual currencies, Dream Market’s tumblers and the dark web.
This investigation and prosecution was carried out by members of the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force. The South Florida HIDTA, established in 1990, is made up of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that, cooperatively, target the region’s drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The South Florida HIDTA is funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy which sponsors a variety of initiatives focused on combatting the nation’s illicit drug trafficking threats.
The prosecution is a result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate, and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
The investigation was conducted by DEA Miami Field Office and Paris Country Office, FBI Miami’s Cyber Task Force, IRS-CI Miami Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Miami and Atlanta Field Offices, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Field Operations Atlanta, U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Europol, Special Operations Division (SOD), Finnish National Police, Finnish International Judicial Administration of the Ministry of Justice, Dutch National Police, French Ministry of Justice and the Direction Interregionale de la Police Judiciaire as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan A. Gonzalez of the Southern District of Florida, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank R. Maderal of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS).
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Cottonwood Man Sentenced to over 145 Years for Shooting at Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Today, Jack Witt Voris, 47, of Cottonwood, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 1,750 months’ imprisonment. Voris was found guilty of six counts of assault on a federal officer and weapons offenses by a federal jury in Tucson on Feb. 15, 2018.
“As a society governed by laws, we cannot tolerate assaults on our law enforcement officers,” stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. “Our office is committed to prosecuting these cases, and we thank all of the agencies that assisted in this important investigation.”
The evidence at trial showed that on Oct. 28, 2016, law enforcement agents arrived at a Tucson hotel to serve an arrest warrant on Voris, who was armed with a handgun. Voris shot at the officers, but missed. After a five-hour standoff with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Voris eventually surrendered to law enforcement.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pima County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance provided by the Tucson Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The prosecution was handled by Matthew C. Cassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-2267-TUC-JGZ-DTF
RELEASE NUMBER: 2018-130_ Voris
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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.
Convicted Felon Sentenced for Possessing Four FirearmsRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. - A convicted felon was sentenced Tuesday to 77 months in federal prison for illegally possessing four firearms, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Matthew Lee Fleming, 28, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of firearms following felony convictions. He was on parole in a state district court case when law enforcement officers searched his home in Wichita. They found a 12-gauge shotgun, a .22 caliber rifle, a .40 caliber handgun and a .38 caliber pistol.
McAllister commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster for their work on the case.
Clark County Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Fraud Scheme Involving False Clean Energy CompanyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. – Isaac Benjamin Voss, 41, of Clark County, Washington, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison and three years’ supervised release for defrauding domestic and foreign investors who believed they were investing in a viable clean energy company.
According to court documents, in 2007, Voss made a deal with a Canadian scientist and entrepreneur to raise funds to support the development of a technology that would derive electricity and petroleum-equivalent fuels from any carbon bearing material. Over a four-year period beginning in 2011, Voss used his company, XFuels, as a vehicle for soliciting investments from individuals abroad and in Oregon, California, and Washington state.
Voss defrauded investors using elaborate marketing materials, including flyers, brochures and a website, containing false information about his company, the technology and the investment opportunity. He claimed that XFuels owned a commercial refinery in Canada and that another was being constructed in Washington state. The plants were said to be using the technology to produce "clean fuel, clean chemicals, [and] clean power from garbage, biomass, and plastic."
To reduce the perceived risk of the venture, Voss told investors that more than 90 percent of the project’s funding would come from other institutional and private lenders and that he had commissioned an independent, third-party feasibility study that guaranteed the project’s commercial viability. In reality, XFuels had not constructed any facilities and the only capital raised was from other individual investors in the U.S. and abroad. Moreover, the feasibility study relied solely on information provided by Voss himself and did not employ any commercially accepted methods to validate the technology.
On numerous occasions, Voss hosted foreign investment seminars during which he told investors that supporting XFuels, with a minimum $500,000 investment, would qualify them for American Employment-Based Fifth Category "EB-5" visas. Voss also falsely claimed he would hold foreign investment funds in escrow until the U.S. government had approved investors’ visa applications. The XFuels project did not qualify for the EB-5 program and all investors’ visa applications were denied, as a result.
Voss previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on March 8, 2018.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS and the Department of Homeland Security investigated this case. It is being prosecuted by Michelle H. Kerin and Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
City of Fort Lauderdale Department of Parks and Recreation Employee Arrested on Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
Two individuals, including a City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department employee, are charged with participating in a fraud conspiracy.
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Robert Lasky, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Rick Maglione, Chief, Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD), made the announcement.
Phillip Richard Peterson, 42, of Coral Springs, Florida, was charged in a 50-count indictment with theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, wire fraud and conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 666, 1343 and 1349. Peterson. Gino Joseph Ferraro, age 49, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was also charged in four counts in the indictment, with participating in the conspiracy and substantive counts of wire fraud. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Peterson on October 12, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. and Ferraro on October 17, 2018 at 11:00 a.m., before the U.S. Magistrate Judge in Fort Lauderdale.
The indictment alleges that between 2013 and 2017, Peterson, as a City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department employee used a credit card issued by the City of Fort Lauderdale to purchase various items from different merchants. Peterson had been issued the card in connection with his employment to allow him to make job related purchases, on behalf of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Peterson would purchase items using his City of Fort Lauderdale credit card, and then sell the items to a local pawn store. Each year between 2013 and 2017, Peterson allegedly stole more than $5,000 worth of merchandise in this manner.
The indictment further alleges that Peterson conspired with Ferraro to unjustly enrich themselves by charging the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department for volleyball court repairs and other items that were not completed or provided.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and FLPD in this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia R. Wood.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
California Resident Sentenced to 25 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Michael Gutierrez, 35, of Pomona, California, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.
According to documents filed in the case, Gutierrez contacted minor females in New Hampshire through social media and initiating conversations with the minor females through social media platforms. Gutierrez represented himself to be a 14-year-old female and used the usernames of “Chloe_is_Awesum,” “spamaccount.c” and “Doogteg.” Gutierrez persuaded the minor females to send him sexually explicit images. Gutierrez then demanded additional sexually explicit images from the minor females and threatened to distribute the images already provided if the minor females did not comply. Gutierrez collected the images in 2015 and 2016. In late 2016, a mother to one of the victims discovered the demands made by Gutierrez and reported them to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI’s investigation led to the identification of Gutierrez.
Gutierrez pleaded guilty to five counts of producing child pornography on June 12, 2018. After serving his prison sentence, Gutierrez will be on supervised release for 15 years.
“Safeguarding our state’s children is among the most important priorities of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “As this case shows, there are dangers that lurk on social media, where criminals use the anonymity of the internet to abuse the unwary. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to target predators whose horrific actions rob children of their innocence.”
“As a predator of children, Mr. Gutierrez deserves every single day of the sentence the court has imposed on him. He shamelessly coerced children into engaging in sexual activity and forced them to send him photos of that activity,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend individuals like him who choose to exploit and prey upon our children.”
“Homeland Security Investigations is encouraged by today’s sentencing,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston, Special Agent in Charge. “HSI Special Agents worked diligently to ensure that this individual, who exploited his victims through a series of disturbing and threatening methods, will not harm again. We abhor these actions and hope that this collaborative investigation and resulting sentence will help the victims in this case begin the healing process.”
The FBI, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, the Goffstown Police Department, the Milford Police Department, the New Boston Police Department, the Mont Vernon Police Department, and the Manchester Police Department all participated in the investigation of this case. Staff from the Hillsborough County Child Advocacy Center also assisted in the case. United States Attorneys Donald A. Feith and Helen White Fitzgibbon prosecuted the case.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Buffalo Man Sentenced for Running A Fraudulent Debt Collection SchemeRead 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 Shawn Sylvia, 35, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, was sentenced to serve 62 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The defendant was also ordered to pay $283,851.53 in restitution to victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that the defendant organized a scheme fraudulently to collect on non-existent debts and over-collect on debts that had been paid-in-full. Sylvia, or other individuals he managed, contacted eight victims via telephone purporting to be from organizations which included: American Mutual Holdings (AMH); Check Systems, LLC; Interstate Recovery Solutions; Apex Resolution Group; Interstate Check Registry; Miller and Flemming and Associates (MFA); Pasquale and Associates LLC; Checking Solutions; or Aries Resolution Group.
The defendant and others used strong-arm tactics including threats of arrest, jail, and lawsuits to convince victims to make payments toward what they were told were outstanding debts. Victims were directed to transfer money via MoneyGram and Western Union and to wire funds into bank accounts controlled by the defendant or his associates. Merchant accounts were established with two merchant processing companies in order to process credit card payments made by victims. In creating those merchant accounts, Sylvia and others made false representations to the payment processing companies claiming that the business entities they operated were engaging in legal services, investment services, and software sales. The payment processing companies suffered losses as a result of chargebacks of payments as a result of unauthorized and fraudulent charges.
Between May 2013 and August 2017, Sylvia and his associates fraudulently obtained a total of $342,303.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
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Bolivar Man Indicted for Meth TraffickingRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Bolivar, Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.
Jerod K. Eley, 36, was charged in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Sept. 18, 2018. That indictment was unsealed and made public following Eley’s arrest by the U.S. Marshal’s Service and his initial court appearance on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.
The federal indictment alleges that Eley possessed 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute on Aug. 16, 2018.
The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine L. Stockard. It was investigated by the St. Clair County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Atlantic County, New Jersey, Man Admits Three Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man today admitted his role in robbing the PNC Bank branch in Marlton, New Jersey, on Dec. 8, 2017, as well as two other bank robberies, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Matthew Burney, 44, of Brigantine, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph Rodriguez in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of bank robbery. During the plea hearing, Burney also admitted committing two additional bank robberies.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Burney entered the PNC Bank branch in Marlton while wearing a mask that covered the lower part of his face. He threatened to shoot the occupants if the alarm was activated. He pointed what appeared to be semi-automatic handgun at one of the tellers, threatened to shoot her, and demanded all the money from her cash drawer. After she gave him cash, he approached a second teller and demanded money from her. She complied, and Burney then fled the bank.
Burney also admitted robbing the Chase Bank in North Brunswick, New Jersey, on Feb. 28, 2017, and the Bank of America in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2017.
The bank robbery charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of either $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Trenton Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie; the Evesham Police Department, under the direction of Chief Christopher Chew; the Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department, under the direction of Robert Coulton, and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Gross of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Camden Branch.
Defense counsel: Christopher O’Malley Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden
Ashland Woman Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Stephanie Allard, 39, formerly of Ashland, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for drug trafficking.
According to court documents and statements made in court, an individual who was cooperating with the FBI purchased highly pure “ice” methamphetamine from Ms. Allard on three occasions in April and May of 2017. On May 19, 2017, the individual arranged a fentanyl purchase with Ms. Allard. The individual then travelled to her residence in Ashland and bought fentanyl from Ms. Allard’s husband, John Allard.
Allard previously pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl on June 4, 2018.
John Allard previously pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on September 8, 2018.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are dangerous drugs that are both causing significant damage to the health and safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “In order to protect the public, we will continue to coordinate with our law enforcement partners to identify, prosecute and incarcerate those who are responsible for selling illegal drugs in the Granite State.”
“We are not going to stand idly by and let more friends, family members and neighbors get addicted or die of drug overdoses,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “This case is a great example of the work being done by the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force to get dangerous substances off of our streets. Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to tackle the opioid crisis head on.”
This matter was investigated by the FBI New Hampshire Safe Streets Gang Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of the FBI, the New Hampshire State Police, New Hampshire Probation and Parole, and the police departments of Hudson, Manchester, and Nashua. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane B. Kelbley.
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Additional Federal Prosecutor Added to Paducah Office to Combat Drug Trafficking and Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
PADUCAH, Ky. – During a formal investiture and community event in Paducah, United States Attorney Russell M. Coleman announced today the full-time addition of Leigh Ann Dycus as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Paducah field office and reaffirmed his commitment to the Purchase and Pennyrile Regions through the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
““The Feds” are committed to being better partners to Purchase & Pennyrile area law enforcement in protecting Kentucky families,” stated U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “The president has emphasized that there are no fly-over areas of our country, and this dedication of federal resources to Paducah demonstrates that every region of our Commonwealth matters.”
The addition of a third full-time prosecutor in Paducah is part of a continued pledge to support federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in reducing criminal activity in all 53 counties of the Western District of Kentucky. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Paducah has never had sustained prosecutor staffing at this level. This allocation of resources is closely-tied to robust activity by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in the area and the recent announcement by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the first-time ever opening of an office in Paducah.
Dycus joins Assistant United States Attorney Seth Hancock, Branch Manager of the Paducah office, and Assistant United States Attorney Madison Sewell in prosecuting cases before U.S. District Judges, in United States District Courts, located in Paducah, Owensboro and Bowling Green.
As an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in McCracken County, Dycus specialized in violent sexual crimes, crimes against children and drug prosecutions. She was named Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney of the year in 2018. Dycus has served in the United States Attorney’s Office as a Special Assistant United States Attorney since May, 2018, prosecuting federal drug and gun offenders.
“Leigh Ann joined our office as an intern and later became a full-time prosecutor in 2014, during her time with us she became one of the top prosecutors in the office, and could always be counted on to do the right thing - no matter how difficult that might be,” McCracken County Commonwealth Attorney Dan Boaz said. “While she is moving to the United States Attorney’s Office I don’t feel like we’re losing her, because we have a strong partnership with our local U.S. Attorney’s Office; we work together to fight against violent crime and the massive influx of methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs coming into the community.”
“Way down here in the Purchase we are often paranoid, thinking that the rest of the state forgets we exist because of the distance involved,” said Justice Bill Cunningham, a former prosecutor who represents the Purchase region in the Kentucky Supreme Court. “It is reassuring to have U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman to provide the extra prosecutor for us. And, we are also grateful he picked a dandy in Leigh Ann Dycus.”
One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is a commitment to aggressively reduce violent crime across the country, including all 53 counties in the Western District through true partnerships with all levels of law enforcement. Recently a number of indictments were announced in Mayfield, Kentucky as part of the PSN program in an effort to crack down against violent criminal activity in Graves County.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
255 Arrested as a Part of Combined Law Enforcement Operation in North MississippiRead the Press Release
A month long joint federal, state, and local law enforcement initiative has resulted in the arrests of 255 individuals in North Mississippi on a variety of criminal charges, including homicide, assault, robbery, arson, drug distribution, illegal gun crimes and failure to register as a sex offender. “Operation Triple Beam,” a US Marshals led initiative brought together federal, state, and local law enforcement partners in an effort to reduce crime in North Mississippi by identifying and arresting violent fugitives, targeting violent gang activity and collecting intelligence to allow for the systematic removal of individuals who have committed and are committing crimes in North Mississippi.
In addition to the arrests, Operation Triple Beam resulted in the seizure of approximately $52,773 worth of narcotics, $50,565 cash, and 76 firearms as well as the recovery of 11 stolen vehicles. The announcement was made on Tuesday in Tupelo by Danny McKittrick, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Mississippi, and William C. Lamar, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, together with federal, state and local law enforcement partners.
Operation Triple Beam commenced on August 13, 2018, in Northeast Mississippi and concluded on September 14, 2018. As a part of the initiative, approximately 150 gang members were arrested or validated by law enforcement. In addition, almost 200 registered sex offenders living in areas of North-East Mississippi were checked for compliance with sex offender registration requirements. Compliance checks were also conducted on another 150 moderate and high-risk federal and state probationers.
The arrests, seizures and compliance checks occurring as part of the Operation Triple Beam initiative resulted from the combined efforts of more than 30 local law enforcement agencies across 13 counties in North Mississippi, along with State and Federal law enforcement partners.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised the collaboration and combined efforts of law enforcement that led to the success of this operation. “When law enforcement officers work together, we get results,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Again and again, law enforcement in North Mississippi has given the rest of this nation an example of what we can accomplish when we bring together the resources and expertise of our federal officers with the street level intelligence of our state and local partners. The arrest of more than 250 defendants—including multiple sex offenders—as part of Operation Triple Beam builds on the hundreds of arrests that our Deputy Marshals in North Mississippi have helped make over the last year in operations like this one. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Lamar, our outstanding Deputy Marshals, ATF, CBP, six state-level law enforcement agencies, 13 sheriffs, and eight Northeast Mississippi police departments for the roles that they played in these arrests.”
During the initiative, law enforcement agencies were able to utilize a mobile NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Unit) lab provided by ATF to check seized firearms and shell casings. As a result of these checks and the abilities of the NIBIN system to match spent shell casings to particular firearms, ATF generated 17 leads on unsolved gun crimes in Northeast Mississippi and beyond. Those leads will be utilized by law enforcement agencies in Mississippi and across the nation to help investigate unsolved gun crimes.
The use and sharing of investigative resources such as NIBIN and the multi-agency partnerships that were crucial to the success of Operation Triple Beam as a whole are key components of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the Department of Justice’s violence reduction initiative. PSN began in 2002 under President George W. Bush, continued under President Obama and was reinvigorated during President Trump’s administration. As with Operation Triple Beam, PSN focuses on reducing violent crime and making communities safer through partnerships and collaborative efforts between federal, state and local law enforcement and community partners. The PSN program in the Northern District of Mississippi, named MPACT (Mississippi Partners Alleviating Crime Together), has long been a priority for the US Attorney’s Office and a primary means of combatting violent gun crime. Although it originally focused in the areas of Clarksdale and Greenville, Mississippi, the program has been expanded in recent years to reach other areas of the District.
Operation Triple Beam was accomplished in partnership with the following agencies:
U.S. Marshal’s Service
U.S. Attorney’s Office
U.S. Probation
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Division
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms
Mississippi Bureau of Investigations
Mississippi Highway Patrol
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
Mississippi Attorney General’s Office
Mississippi Department of Corrections
Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Lee County Sheriff’s Department
Tupelo Police Department
Pontotoc Police Department
Pontotoc Sheriff’s Department
Union County Sheriff’s Department
Monroe County Sheriff’s Department
Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Department
Alcorn County Sheriff’s Department
Corinth Police Department
Booneville Police Department
Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department
Tate County Sheriff’s Department
Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department
Starkville Police Department
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department
Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Department
Panola County Sheriff’s Department
Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department
Fulton Police Department
Okolona Police Department
New Albany Police Department
Monday 8 October 2018
Media Advisory -- United States Attorney Mike Stuart and Law Enforcement Partners to Hold Press Conference on Tuesday, October 9thRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart will hold a press conference on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at 10:30am, to discuss collaborative efforts to address violent crime in Charleston.
WHO: United States Attorney Mike Stuart, Southern District of West Virginia
Mayor Danny Jones, City of Charleston
Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Miller
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Boshears, FBI
Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Gourley, DEA
Resident Agent in Charge Adam Black, ATF
Other Law Enforcement Officials
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 @ 10:30am
WHERE: Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse (front plaza)
300 Virginia Street, East
Charleston, WV
Follow us on Twitter: @SDWVNews and @USAttyStuart
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Saturday 6 October 2018
Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder for Joint Kidnapping, Torture, and Execution of Gender-Fluid Teen Kedarie JohnsonRead the Press Release
Jaron N. Purham was convicted yesterday of first-degree murder for his role in the kidnapping, torture, and execution of gender-fluid high school student Kedarie Johnson, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers. Purham’s co-defendant, Jorge Sanders-Galvez, was previously convicted of first-degree murder last year for his role in the killing, and his been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The killing rocked the small town of Burlington, Iowa, where Kedarie was a popular and well-loved member of the community.
Last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore authorized a federal hate-crimes prosecutor from the Civil Rights Division, Christopher J. Perras, to be cross-designated as a Special Assistant County Attorney to assist with the prosecutions of both defendants in this case. Prosecuting hate crimes and bringing perpetrators of these egregious crimes to justice is a top priority for this Justice Department.
“I am proud of the collaboration and hard work conducted in this case to bring two men to justice for their abhorrent actions,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. “The Justice Department will continue to work diligently to ensure that individuals are able to live free from acts of violence, no matter their gender identity, what they believe, or how they worship.”
“I am privileged to have fought for justice for Kedarie and those with alternate lifestyles,” said Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers. “Alongside my partners in the Iowa Attorney Generals Office Laura Roan and the U.S. Department of Justice Chris Perras with Sgt. Short and DCI Agent Matt George I am grateful that justice was served.”
The evidence at trial established that on the night of the murder, the defendants were pulling out of a grocery store parking lot when they noticed Kedarie Johnson walking down the street all by himself. Kedarie (who used male pronouns to refer to himself) sometimes dressed as a boy and went by his given name, and sometimes dressed as a girl and went by the name Kandiece. On the night of the murder, he was dressed in women’s clothing and presenting as female, and the defendants began to follow slowly behind him. Eventually, the defendants pulled up alongside Kedarie and flirted with him. They convinced Kedarie to get inside, and they drove him to a location where they often took young women to have sex with them. The physical evidence showed that, at the house, the defendants knocked Kedarie unconscious, stuffed a plastic bag down his throat, wrapped a makeshift gag around his mouth, and wrapped another plastic bag around his head. They then drove Kedarie to an alleyway. Forensic evidence established that at some point, Kedarie regained consciousness and began struggling violently to breathe. The defendants got out in the alleyway, threw Kedarie onto the ground, and shot him twice in the chest, one bullet embedding in his spine and the other piercing his heart. The defendants then doused Kedarie’s body in bleach to destroy any DNA evidence.
There were no eyewitnesses to the kidnapping or the murder, so Purham and Sanders-Galvez were convicted largely on the physical, electronic, and forensic evidence they left behind. Police found Kedarie’s backpack and sneakers at the defendants’ place, as well as a ripped bedsheet that matched fibers found on Kedarie’s body. When police located Purham, he was driving the car that had been seen on surveillance video following Kedarie shortly before his abduction and murder. When police searched the car, they found a .357 revolver, which a ballistics expert determined to be the murder weapon. Records from the Defendants’ cellphone and social media accounts established that Sanders-Galvez had purchased the murder weapon over Facebook a few months before the murder. Records also showed that the Defendants’ phones both went dead during the two-hour period in which they committed the crime; that the Defendants posted on Facebook, approximately one hour after the murder, that they were skipping town; and that the Defendants both searched the internet in the days following the murder for updates on the status of the homicide investigation.
The investigation was conducted by law enforcement officers from the Burlington (Iowa) Police Department and the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the FBI. Des Moines County Attorney Amy K. Beavers invited Iowa Assistant Attorney General Laura M. Roan, an experienced state murder prosecutor, and Trial Attorney Christopher J. Perras, a federal hate-crimes prosecutor from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, to assist with the prosecution.
Purham will be sentenced on Nov. 19. The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Friday 5 October 2018
Worcester Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy.
Adam Germano, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and to distributing methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Worcester. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman scheduled sentencing for Jan. 4, 2019. Germano was arrested in March 2017, and has been in custody since that time.
Germano admitted to shipping large quantities of methamphetamine into Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida, and to distributing methamphetamine to dealers and others in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in exchange for cash. In January 2017, Germano arranged for a package to be shipped via U.S. mail from Las Vegas to Worcester. The package was intercepted and found to contain more than two kilograms of approximately 97% pure methamphetamine. In March 2017, during a traffic stop in Concord, N.H., police located methamphetamine and a handgun hidden in the engine of the car that Germano was driving.
Germano faces a sentence of between 10 years and life in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $10 million. 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; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Police Departments in Merrimack and Concord, N.H. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Abely of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - An Alexandria, Virginia man pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography today in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement today.
Kerry Sipult, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography before Senior Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia. According to the Information to which Sipult pleaded guilty and to other facts he admitted to in his plea agreement, between Aug. 1, 2014 and Oct. 22, 2014, Sipult used a peer-to-peer program to download, and share, child pornography. As part of the investigation, the FBI seized Sipult’s computer and other electronic storage devices and recovered over 4,000 child pornography images and/or videos. Sipult was released from custody subject to electronic monitoring. Sipult is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 11.
The investigation was conducted by the Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, deputy U.S. Marshals, detectives from Arlington County Police, Fairfax County Police, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Prince William County Police, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department, Alexandria City Police, Virginia State Police and agents of various federal Office of Inspector Generals. Trial Attorney Ralph Paradiso of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Russell of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
United States Secures Judgment Forfeiting $396,589 Associated with Iranian Money Laundering EffortsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –The United States has secured a judgment in a civil action seeking the forfeiture of $396,589 associated with a United Arab Emirates-based company, Royal Pearls General Trading, that allegedly engaged in illegal business dealings involving a company in Iran, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Sean M. Cox, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois Field Office.
The judgment was entered on Oct. 4, 2018 by Judge Reggie B. Walton in a lawsuit filed in March 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In its complaint, the United States alleged that Royal Pearls General Trading (Royal Pearls) and its co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to illegally export specialized petroleum parts to end users in Iran, in violation of U.S. laws.
According to the complaint and pleadings in the case, the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Pearls is Iranian national Kambiz Rostamian, who is also the CEO of the Iranian company MKS International Group. The pleadings alleged that the products Royal Pearls attempted to procure with the forfeited funds -- highly specialized pieces of equipment used by large-scale petroleum operations -- were intended for an Iranian subsidiary of MKS International.
These transactions would have required a license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The international wiring of U.S. dollars into the United States to promote this sale violated U.S. money laundering laws. OFAC designated Royal Pearls in February 2017 for acting on behalf of MKS International. According to the designation, MKS has procured components for Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The complaint alleged that Royal Pearls laundered $396,589 in 2014 and 2015 to a U.S. company, through an intermediary company that was acting on behalf of Royal Pearls, in an attempt to procure the specialized equipment. The pleadings highlight multiple indications that Royal Pearls was a shell company operating on behalf of MKS International. For example, the complaint notes that the registration information of one of the Royal Pearls websites indicates that its address was “4th Floor, N014 Tehran, Tehran, IR 19937, Dubai, AE 1116,” which appears to be an Iranian address falsely made to look like an address in the United Arab Emirates. The pleadings also state that a MKS International subsidiary in Iran indicated that it was selling items similar to those Royal Pearls attempted to illegally procure with the forfeited funds.
“The judgment in this case shows there will be consequences for those who scheme to violate our nation’s export laws,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will use every tool at our disposal to enforce these laws and protect our nation’s security.”
“This case is an outstanding example of how law enforcement works throughout the United States to bring justice against a foreign business operation that violates our nation’s export laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Cox.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is captioned United States of America v. $396,589 In U.S. Funds Associated With Royal Pearls General Trading.
This case has been investigated by the FBI’s Springfield, Ill. Field Office. Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Brian P. Hudak, and Ari B. Redbord, former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, and Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, represented the government.
United States Attorney’s Office Participates in ADA Workshop for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing CommunityRead the Press Release
North Charleston, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that the United States Attorney’s Office continued its firm commitment to upholding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Sneed served as a presenter during an ADA Workshop for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
The event was sponsored by the South Carolina Association of the Deaf, Inc. (SCAD). SCAD is the statewide non-profit organization that focuses on promoting equal treatment toward deaf and hard of hearing citizens in education, employment, legislation, healthcare, and other fields pertaining to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing citizens of South Carolina. Mrs. Anita M. Steichen-McDaniel, SCAD’s Executive Director, was the lead organizer of the event. This event was held at the Whitfield Center at Charleston Southern University on Saturday, September 29, 2018. AUSA Sneed provided an overview of federal disability laws and focused on those aspects of the ADA of greatest interest to members of the deaf and hard of hearing community.
The ADA requires that covered entities (state and local governments; businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public) communicate effectively with people who have communication disabilities. The goal is to ensure that communication with people with these disabilities is equally effective as communication with people without disabilities.
U.S. Attorney Lydon stated that community outreach efforts such as this continue the U.S. Attorney’s and DOJ’s long standing commitment to Project Civic Access, which is a wide-ranging effort to ensure that counties, cities, towns, and villages comply with the ADA by eliminating physical and communication barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. The training also demonstrates the U.S. Attorney’s ongoing support of DOJ’s Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, which is an initiative that includes effective communication for people who are deaf or have hearing loss, physical access to medical care for people with mobility disabilities, and equal access to treatment for people who have HIV/AIDS.
In addition to the ADA, the DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina enforces federal civil rights laws, including the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Civil remedies under these statutes include monetary penalties, injunctions, civil judgments and more.
To learn more about the ADA and other laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities, log on to the DOJ’s ADA website https://www.ada.gov/ or call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD). The U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Program webpages are located at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/civil-rights.
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United States Attorney William M. McSwain Announces Progress in Making Our Communities Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain joins the Department of Justice and other United States Attorneys across the country in commemorating the one year anniversary of the reinvigoration and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction strategy. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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 responsible to community needs.”
Over the past year, the Eastern District has successfully prosecuted many instances of violent crime and has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to share information and make neighborhoods safer places to live and work.
Enforcement Action through Prosecution of Violent Offenders
A central focus of the PSN strategy is to work with local law enforcement in the nine counties we serve to ensure federal efforts are focused on prosecuting the most violent offenders. Our collaboration has yielded the desired results, and the following three cases serve as excellent examples of our enforcement efforts:
- On October 2, 2018, Kareem Murphy, of Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was convicted after a jury trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone. Murphy fired a gun into a home located less than 1,000 feet away from Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School – the school Murphy attended as a student. As U.S. Attorney McSwain observed when the jury returned its verdict, “The defendant endangered the lives of everyone in the vicinity, even though he should have never had a gun in the first place because of his felony conviction. We are very lucky no one was hurt.”
- On August 6, 2018, Koren Jones, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 35 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to two armed robberies, one attempted robbery, and related firearms offenses – all over the course of a two-day violent crime spree in November 2016. Jones’ two armed robberies were committed at local grocery stores, and the attempted armed robbery occurred at a deli in the same neighborhood. As U.S. Attorney McSwain explained after the sentencing, “By seeking and obtaining a significant prison sentence in this case, we made the neighborhoods Jones terrorized safer today than yesterday.”
- On January 26, 2018, Herick Jaramillo, of Bethlehem, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, was charged with six counts of armed robbery. In May 2018, he pleaded guilty to robbing the same gas station six times over a two-month period. He remains incarcerated and awaits sentencing.
Law Enforcement Partnerships with Pennsylvania State and Local Agencies
In the six months since U.S. Attorney McSwain took office, he has prioritized strengthening the Office’s partnerships with local and state law enforcement partners. During his first few months in office, U.S. Attorney McSwain traveled to each of the nine counties that make up the Eastern District of Pennsylvania – many of them several times – meeting with the district attorneys as well as several local police chiefs and other law enforcement agencies to share information and ideas about how to serve the community.
Additionally, the Eastern District has participated in multiple targeted working groups to address specific areas of particular concern in the community. For example, in February 2018, the Office formed the Opioid Law Enforcement Task Force. Since 2017, the Office has also participated in Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force to provide assistance with investigating cases involving firearms charges, many of which end up being prosecuted at the state level.
"The Project Safe Neighborhoods program is a prime example of a productive partnership between local, state, and federal governments, all working in the interest of public safety,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “I applaud all of our partners on this one-year anniversary of the PSN re-launch. Collaborative efforts by our law enforcement partners such as this are key to keeping our communities safe."
"The Philadelphia Police Department recognizes that a successful violent crime prevention strategy must be comprehensive, evidence based, measurable, and include partnerships among law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard J. Ross, Jr. “The Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program captures each of these necessary ingredients for success. We are fortunate to have been part of the 2017 program re-launch, and join our partners in celebrating its one year anniversary."
“Every resident in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania deserves to live in a safe community,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “And under my leadership, my Office will continue to aggressively pursue that goal. We will work together, fight harder, and use every tool we can to hold violent criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the law. That is what PSN is all about.”
Law Enforcement Partnerships with Federal Agencies
Fostering relationships with our federal law enforcement partners has been a related area of focus. In particular, the Office’s work with FBI and ATF has contributed to our success in prosecuting violent crime.
“We are proud be a part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative alongside all of our many local, state and federal partners,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Don Robinson. “The public deserves to live peacefully in their communities without the threat of violence.
"Combating violent crime is one of the FBI's highest priorities," said Michael T. Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division. "We're committed to this initiative and our productive partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office and our law enforcement colleagues. Together, we’ll keep working to make everybody's neighborhood safer—corner by corner, block by block."
Community Outreach
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The PSN Call-In Program consists of regular, face-to-face call-ins of individuals who were recently released from state custody. The Call-In program ensures connections to critical assistance and support to the returning offenders.
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The STAR Re-entry Court program, which started over a decade ago under the Bush Administration, has continuously been viewed as the leading prisoner re-entry program in the federal system. STAR is a partnership between U.S. Probation, U.S. District Court, the Federal Community Defender Office, and our Office. Together, our team provides intensive supervision and resources to individuals who are returning home to Philadelphia from federal prison and are at high risk of recidivism for violent crime.
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The Eastern District’s Mental Health Court was selected this past year as a pilot program for Congress’ 21st Century Cures Act. Just last month, our Office participated in a two-day training session with other federal judicial districts with similar programs, to share ideas and learn about best practices for successfully implementing the program.
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Later this month, Relapse Prevention Court will launch in the Eastern District, and the Office will be a key contributor in identifying participants for this program. The goal of Relapse Prevention Court is to maximize opportunities for long-term recovery from substance use and to facilitate successful completion of the participant’s term of supervised release.
Improvements to Community Safety
The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive years of increases in violent crime, the nationwide violent crime rate is now trending in the right direction and began to decline in the first year of the Trump Administration – decreasing by approximately one percent in 2017. The nationwide homicide rate showed a similar decrease, by nearly one and a half percent in 2017. The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our renewed efforts are continuing to pay off.
- On October 2, 2018, Kareem Murphy, of Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was convicted after a jury trial of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone. Murphy fired a gun into a home located less than 1,000 feet away from Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School – the school Murphy attended as a student. As U.S. Attorney McSwain observed when the jury returned its verdict, “The defendant endangered the lives of everyone in the vicinity, even though he should have never had a gun in the first place because of his felony conviction. We are very lucky no one was hurt.”
United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue Announces Project Safe Neighborhoods Achievements on the One-Year Anniversary of the Revitalization of the ProgramRead the Press Release
One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s nationwide violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and to develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally-based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Sessions said in marking the anniversary. “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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives and restore safety to our communities.”
“Over the past year, the Eastern District of New York has arrested and prosecuted dozens of gang members, gun traffickers and other violent offenders who have committed hundreds of serious crimes in our District. The charged crimes include racketeering, murders, aggravated assaults, armed robberies, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and the possession of firearms by convicted felons and illegal aliens. These prosecutions are a testament to the Project Safe Neighborhoods targeted enforcement strategies, which we have pursued with our federal and local law enforcement partners,” stated United States Attorney Donoghue. “We and our partners remain completely committed to identifying those who are most responsible for violence in our District and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law, while continuing to support vital outreach programs for young people at risk.”
The PSN efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York over the last year include:
MS-13 Enforcement
Over the last year, this Office has continued its decade-long enforcement efforts against the MS-13 street gang. For example, in 2018, more than two dozen Long Island MS-13 gang members were charged in a single superseding indictment with racketeering offenses, including 16 murders and numerous attempted murders. Additional racketeering charges were brought against other Long Island MS-13 defendants in additional indictments throughout the year. Numerous defendants, including juvenile defendants, have already pleaded guilty to serious charges, including several murders. The investigations that led to those indictments were conducted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Long Island Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department (NCSD), the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) and other partners.Also, in August of 2018, four MS-13 gang members were charged with murder conspiracy and attempted murder in Queens. Those MS-13 defendants are charged with aiding and abetting co-conspirators who shot and paralyzed a 16-year-old suspected rival gang member. The investigation was conducted with the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Forces in Queens and on Long Island, which includes the FBI, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and other partners.
Coney Island Gang Enforcement
The Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section has increased its enforcement efforts in the Coney Island area. The number of shooting victims in the NYPD’s 60th Precinct is down 70 percent year-to-date, and the number of shooting incidents is down 66 percent year-to-date, according to the NYPD.
In June 2018, a Brooklyn gang member was convicted of racketeering and two murders. The defendant, a member of the Coney Island-based Rival Impact gang, gunned down the victims in a gang war with the Thirty-O gang. The investigation was conducted with the FBI and the NYPD.
In November 2017, five members of a Coney Island street gang were indicted for murder, racketeering conspiracy and unlawful use of firearms. Three of the defendants are charged with a fatal shooting outside the Mermaid Houses in Brooklyn. The investigation was conducted with the FBI, the New York City Department of Investigation and the NYPD.
Other Street Gang Enforcement
In April 2018, four 18th Street gang members and associates were indicted for murder conspiracy and the murder of an MS-13 gang rival in Queens. The investigation was conducted with the Queens County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI’s New York Metro Safe Streets Task Force, including the NYPD.
Also in April 2018, a Long Island Bloods gang member was indicted for murder and racketeering. The defendant is charged with fatally shooting a victim at the Illusions Gentlemen’s Club in Deer Park. The investigation was conducted with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI’s Long Island Gang Task Force, which includes the FBI, the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD), the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD), the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department (NCSD), the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) and other partners.
In March 2018, three members and associates of the 18th Street gang were indicted for the murder of a fellow gang member they suspected of being an informant. The defendants video recorded the murder and mutilation of the victim before burying the corpse in Turkey Point State Forest in Saugerties, New York. A fourth defendant is charged with helping a co-defendant evade capture by law enforcement authorities after the murder. The investigation was conducted with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.
Since October of 2017, the Office has prosecuted over more than two dozen felon in possession of a weapon cases and more than 30 Hobbs Act robbery cases.
Firearms Trafficking Enforcement
In September 2018, two defendants were arrested for trafficking firearms from Virginia to Queens and Long Island. The defendants are charged with selling an assault rifle, high-caliber handguns and several other firearms. The investigation was conducted with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBI and the NCPD.
In June 2018, three defendants were arrested for trafficking firearms from Virginia to New York. The defendants allegedly used Facebook to market and sell firearms illegally obtained by straw purchasers. The investigation was conducted with the ATF and the NYPD.
Additional Federal Prosecutors Assigned
In June 2018, Attorney General Sessions announced 311 new Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) positions throughout the country. This was the largest increase in AUSAs in decades and, as part of that increase, the Attorney General allocated nine new prosecutors to the EDNY to focus on violent crime, civil enforcement and immigration crimes.
In addition, in January 2018, Attorney General Sessions selected the EDNY to receive two new AUSA positions to combat violent crime on Long Island. The two additional federal prosecutors enhanced the Office’s ability to prosecute violent crimes committed by members and associates of MS-13 and other violent gangs such as the Crips, Bloods, Latin Kings, 18th Street gang and Outlaw motorcycle gangs, all of which have a significant presence in the district.
Community Partnerships and Grants
PSN funding has also been made available to provide direct support to local law enforcement agencies as well as prevention, education and awareness programs for at-risk young people and parents. Presentations regarding gang awareness, internet safety and monitoring your child’s electronic devices all provide students and parents with necessary tools to more effectively avoid the dangers of violent crime.
In September 2018, a federal award of $1,036,044 was granted to Suffolk County to oversee and implement various violent crime reduction strategies in Suffolk County, Nassau County and throughout the district. Resources will be dedicated to enforcement and prevention efforts including, but not limited to, funding for prosecutors and police, providing technical training, promoting community outreach efforts and supporting existing gun and gang violence reduction programs.
In addition, in October 2017, the Justice Department awarded a $500,000 grant to the Suffolk County Police Department for a violent gang and gun crime reduction program. The grant supported enforcement strategies targeting individuals responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime and expanded community outreach programs for at-risk youth.
Charges in complaints and indictments are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
Northern District of New York United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith said, “Every neighborhood should be a safe place. We are completely committed to the continued implementation of the revitalized Project Safe Neighborhoods to achieve that goal. It takes effective collaboration with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and other community agencies to curtail violent crime, and the drug, gun, and gang crimes that beget violence. Working together, we offer help for those who want a better life and a safer community, and the full breadth and force of federal and state law, including applicable mandatory minimum sentences, for those who persist with violence.”
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
In the Northern District of New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office works with federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the New York State Police; and sheriff’s offices, municipal and tribal police departments, and state prosecutors throughout our 32 county area, collaborating to curtail crimes of violence and associated drug, gang, and gun activity, and to prosecute those who commit such crimes in the most effective forum. Among others, these have included:
- United States v. Charles Tan: On June 22, 2018, the defendant pled guilty to the federal crime of receiving a firearm in interstate commerce intending to use it in the commission of a felony. The defendant admitted: that he paid another person to purchase a shotgun for him; that he knew the “straw purchaser” would have to lie to do so; and that he intended to use the shotgun to shoot his father. The defendant’s father was shot and killed in Rochester, New York, in June of 2015 and state murder charges against the defendant were dismissed following a mistrial. ATF and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation. The defendant will be sentenced on November 19, 2018.
- United States v. Emmanuel Philippe, ATF and the Saratoga Springs (New York) Police Department investigated the defendant’s possession of 35 bags of cocaine base (crack), packaging material, and equipment for drug distribution, a loaded assault rifle and over 200 rounds of ammunition when his car was stopped. The defendant was convicted following a jury trial, and he will be sentenced on December 6, 2018.
- United States v. Jose Fontanez, Onic Martinez, Omar Dejesus, Dalmary Morales and Juan Suarez, ATF investigated the October 22, 2017 theft of more than 50 firearms from a federally licensed dealer in Glenville, New York. Five persons were charged with committing the burglary and transporting and/or storing the stolen firearms. The defendants have all pled guilty to charges related to the theft or possession of stolen firearms. Omar DeJesus, Dalmary Morales, Jose Fontanez and Juan Suarez will be sentenced on December 17, 2018. Onic Martinez will be sentenced on December 13, 2018.
- United States v. Alfred Laquann “Merc” Thomas, after state court charges were dismissed due to uncooperative witnesses, Thomas pled guilty to the federal charge of possessing ammunition as a convicted felon and was sentenced to 115 months in prison. The sentence was an upward departure based on the fact that Thomas possessed the ammunition while taking part in a drive-by shooting of an occupied house in Syracuse. During his sentencing hearing, the court also heard evidence that Thomas had admitted to agents that he had committed an unrelated murder for which he had been tried and acquitted in state court. The sentence was affirmed on appeal in May 2018. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Syracuse Police Department.
Community Partnerships
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York participates in local partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement agencies to combat violence, drug abuse, and promote offenders’ successful reentry into society following their release from federal prison. These include:
- Anti-gang violence/focused deterrence “call-in’ meetings with at risk youth as part of “Syracuse Truce,” “Utica Save Our Streets,” “Albany Violence Eradication,” and “Schenectady Strong.” Since 2012, U.S. Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhood grants have provided $1.2 million dollars for anti-violence law enforcement actions and community engagement activities in Syracuse.
- Intensive Reentry Court, through which selected offenders, including former gang members, returning from prison participate in a highly structured federal court-based program to reintroduce them into society with the skills, habits, training, and support to avoid a return to the criminal justice system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office participates with Federal Judges, U.S. Probation Officers, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office in this rigorous program that has continued over the past decade in Syracuse and Albany.
- Anti-drug abuse efforts: The United States Attorney’s Office has partnered with community coalitions, school districts, civic and religious organizations, colleges and universities, local, county and state agencies to present over 70 community outreach programs to promote prevention and education in the midst of the opioids epidemic. Many of the programs have featured screenings of “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict,” coupled with guest speakers, panels comprised of health professionals, first responders, law enforcement, addicts in recovery, and parents of overdose victims, and information about community resources. These activities complement our continuing work in conjunction with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in the investigation, interdiction, and prosecution of drug traffickers that are among the core missions of the United States Attorney’s Office and the United States Department of Justice.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser Announces Progress in Making Our Communities Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS - One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
Here in New Orleans, our PSN partners have worked diligently to strengthen relationships among federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices (state and federal) to streamline communications, investigations and prosecutions. As an example, ATF agents are assigned to each NOPD district in an effort to increase case referrals and information sharing. Furthermore, several commanders of NOPD, along with representatives of ATF, FBI, DEA, USMS, USAO, the OPDAO, gather on a bi-weekly basis to discuss problems within the PSN target area, suspects and gangs, ongoing investigations and strategic enforcement efforts, and to hold each partner accountable for its role in these efforts. Furthermore, the PSN coordinator from the USAO meets with NOPD detectives and Orleans Parish assistant district attorneys to discuss ongoing gang and violent crime investigations and to determine courses of action, including which prosecutor’s office will be handling the long-term gang/violent crime prosecutions and how the other office can assist.
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
- Enforcement strategy:
- The United States Attorney’s Office continuously collaborates with Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, the New Orleans Police Department, and federal law enforcement, including FBI, ATF, DEA, and USMS to address violence in the New Orleans Metropolitan Area.
- Bi-weekly meetings with the above partners to discuss ongoing investigations and strategies and to determine progress.
- Assignment of ATF special agents to each NOPD district to maximize information-sharing, streamline case referrals and build partnerships.
Community Partnerships
- Community Engagement and Prevention:
- Re-entry collaboration; School programs to reduce violence, such as Project L.E.A.D., promotion of the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence national program, participation in the United States Probation & Parole Office and U.S. Attorney’s Office, EDLA Boss for a Day Program, and participation in National Night Out Against Violence; NOPD bicycle giveaway to children in the most high-risk areas; Coffee with the Community; and Community Peace Walks.
Improvements to Community Safety
- The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
- The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
- Here in New Orleans, our information from the first six months of 2018 shows that we should have the same shared optimism we have nationwide. Homicides have decreased by 6.1%, when compared to the first six months of 2017. Additionally our rate for armed robberies decreased by 14.5% from the first six months of 2018, when compared to the first six months in 2017.
- Those numbers reflect real impacts that our strategies are having, which makes us hopeful about the future and the continued effects we can have on reducing violent crime in the streets of New Orleans. We recognize we still have a lot of work before us and we are invested and committed to making our community a better and safer place.
The United States Attorney, Peter G. Strasser, would like to thank our dedicated partners invested in PSN, specifically, the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Probation and Parole, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshal Service, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and our community members.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
- Enforcement strategy:
U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe Neighborhoods and PSN Grant FundingRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- One year ago today, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
The Department of Justice has also announced that the Middle District of North Carolina will receive $298,143 in PSN grant funding to strengthen PSN programs in this district.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
“Over the past year, the data shows that PSN has contributed to a decrease in violent crime. Our local partners in each PSN site deserve tremendous credit. Where PSN is implemented properly, it has benefitted entire communities by identifying and punishing the most violent offenders and reducing the number of re-offenders by assisting persons released from prison to become productive members of society. The $300,000 grant will really help strengthen and expand our PSN programs,” U.S. Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin said.
Improvements to Community Safety
• The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
• The preliminary information DOJ has for 2018 gives reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
As of October 1, 2018, the Middle District of North Carolina has PSN programs in the following locations:
• Cabarrus County
• Davidson County
• Lee County
• Greensboro
• High Point
• Rockingham County
• Rowan County
• Winston-Salem
Several additional PSN sites are being developed in the Middle District of North Carolina.
History of The Middle District of North Carolina’s Pioneering Efforts in PSN
Some of the seeds of what became Project Safe Neighborhoods were first planted and took root here in the Middle District of North Carolina. In the late 1990’s, the Piedmont Triad was the site of a pioneering project in data-driven violence reductions efforts, starting in High Point, and then spreading to Winston-Salem and Greensboro by 2000. Principles of that initiative were incorporated into the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Project SAFE Neighborhoods gun and gang violence reduction strategy in 2001. Part of the strategy is the use of notification meetings, where repeat offenders on state supervision are called in and hear a two-part message: (1) stop the victimization and violence or you will be the focus of special attention for prosecution, and (2) partners in the community can offer assistance and services to those choosing to live within the law. Over 5,600 persons have been called in and heard that message in over 350 notification meetings in the Middle District of North Carolina since this program’s inception. There has been 20%-60% reduction in re-offending rates by those who go through notification, according to long-time research PSN partner, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Since 2001, across the Middle District, more than 50 law enforcement agencies have worked with nearly 200 community resource agencies using PSN strategies to reduce violent gun and gang crime.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
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U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Throughout the past year, the U.S Attorney’s Office has partnered with numerous law enforcement entities to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
“This U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to place the safety and security of our communities at the forefront of its enforcement efforts,” stated U.S. Attorney Kenji M. Price. “In collaboration with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we are working to rid communities in Hawaii of drug dealers and violent offenders. We are strategically focusing our resources on high crime areas, and using the many tools available to federal, state, and local law enforcement to strike a substantial blow to those who endanger our communities through violence. Our message is clear – criminals will not find refuge in Hawaii.”
Enforcement Actions
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, numerous individuals were charged in the District of Hawaii with federal crimes that involve violence (including firearms offenses) or illegal drugs. Law enforcement officers have seized multiple firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, in addition to significant quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.
Here are two examples of our enforcement efforts:
- Beginning August 29, 2018, a joint enforcement initiative between Honolulu Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals who were charged with distribution of narcotics within 1,000 feet of Aala Park, a frequented playground in Honolulu.
- On August 30, 2018, Shane Durante pled guilty to conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Durante admitted that he imported multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine from the mainland. Durante’s supplier, Eugene Lee, also pled guilty, and admitted that he had shipped multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Durante on Oahu. Law enforcement recovered 2,411.60 grams of pure methamphetamine, as well as two firearms and ammunition.
As demonstrated by the above, our law enforcement community is working diligently to protect our communities from the scourge of violence and drug addiction.
Improvements to Community Safety
Nationwide, the law enforcement community’s efforts are also bearing fruit, and importantly, reversing a recent trend of rising violent crime rates. Notably, the FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
This data reveals what we in the law enforcement community know: by working together, side-by-side, to carry out a comprehensive crime-reduction initiative, we can reduce violent crime and keep our communities safe. We will continue to build upon our efforts to combat violent crime and drug abuse in our communities by enforcing the law, and look for effective ways to prevent crime by forging strong partnerships with governmental and non-governmental entities dedicated to crime-prevention. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Harrington Announces Progress in Making Our Communities Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, observed that one year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community, including locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
In support of the Department’s PSN programs throughout the country, on October 3rd the Attorney General announced awards of nearly $28 million in grant funding to combat violent crime through PSN and another $3 million for training and technical assistance to develop and implement violent crime reduction strategies and enhance services and resources for victims of violent crime. Over the past year, the Department has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make American neighborhoods safer.
The grants announced on October 3rd build on Attorney General Sessions’ commitment to reducing violent crime in America, as directed by President Trump’s February 2017 Executive Order. The Department has distributed additional resources and built up strong partnerships with local law enforcement in communities plagued by violent crime. Since the announcement of the reinvigoration of the PSN program in October 2017, the Department of Justice has increased the number of federal prosecutors focused on violent crime by over 300, directed its resources to improving cooperation between federal and local law enforcement agencies, restored local control of police agencies by reining in excessive use of consent decrees, reformed civil asset forfeiture and restored asset-sharing with state and local law enforcement, and helped fund over 800 hundred officers in police departments across America.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
Through the enhanced PSN, the Department is targeting the most violent criminals in the most violent areas, utilizing policing tools that did not exist even a few years ago. Tools like crime gun intelligence centers (CGIC), which combine intelligence from gunshot detection systems, ballistics, gun tracing, and good old-fashioned police work, help to develop real-time leads on the “trafficker sand trigger pullers” who are fueling the violence in their communities. By using modern technologies and cutting-edge police work, the Justice Department is deploying resources strategically to provide the greatest return on our community-based anti-violence efforts.
United States Attorneys across the country are implementing Attorney General Sessions’ reinvigorated PSN Program by developing and tailoring violent crime reduction approaches specific to the challenges and the unique resources of their respective Judicial Districts.
- In general, every PSN program incorporates these elements:
- Leadership by the United States Attorney to convene all partners;
- Partnerships with the community and at all levels of law enforcement;
- Targeted enforcement efforts that:
- utilize the full range of available data, methods, and technologies to identify the offenders that are driving violent crime rates in the most violent locations in the district; and
- ensure prosecution of those offenders in the federal, state, local, or tribal system – whichever provides the most certain and appropriate sanction;
- Prevention of additional violence through efforts such as:
- ensuring public awareness of the violent crime reduction strategy and results;
- communicating directly with offenders about the consequences of their violent behaviors; and
- supporting local crime prevention and offender reentry efforts;
- Accountability for results based on outcomes (reduction in violent crime), not merely outputs (numbers of investigations or prosecutions).
The United States Attorneys are using powerful federal laws against the criminals driving the violent crime in their communities. In fiscal year 2018, the Department brought cases against more violent criminals than ever before—increasing by approximately 15 percent than the Department’s previous record set just last year. Additionally, in 2018 the Department set another record by charging approximately 20 percent more criminals with federal firearms offenses than it had in 2017, which is the most in the Department’s history.
United States Attorney Joseph H. Harrington said, “Project Safe Neighborhoods continues to be a priority in the Eastern District of Washington as we work to partner with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for violent crime in the District and pursue criminal prosecution. Throughout the past year, the United States Attorney’s Office has worked with its law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime. As part of the United States Attorney’s Office’s commitment to the PSN program, prosecutorial resources have been repurposed and enhanced to assist in the enforcement efforts to make our communities safer.”
In the Eastern District of Washington, the PSN program primarily targets gang-related gun violence, crimes of domestic violence in which a firearm is involved, and armed career criminals – those that have multiple drug-trafficking and/or violent felony convictions. The PSN program, however, is not limited to firearm-related offenses. As drug-trafficking activity has long been recognized as a “neighborhood” safety concern, Eastern District of Washington’s PSN program also focuses on disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations and the local street dealers distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and opioid-based pills. As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, the following examples highlight some of the PSN activities in the Eastern District of Washington during the past year:
Apprehension of Violent Offenders with Outstanding Washington State Warrants:
- In June 2018, the U.S. Marshal Service partnered with local law enforcement, including the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (“PNVOTF”), which is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, to conduct “Operation Hopscotch.” The operation, conducted over an eight-day period, resulted in the apprehension and arrests of 55 individuals in the District (concentrating on Grant, Chelan and Douglas Counties) with outstanding warrants for violent felonies and/or sex offenses. Many of the arrested individuals had extensive criminal histories that included violence, drug-trafficking, and possession of weapons.
Enforcement of Federal Statutes:
- During the first three quarters of 2018, approximately 80 persons were charged with Federal firearm-rated offenses. Many of these persons were also charged with drug-trafficking offenses. The types of offenses charged include being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm, being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm, making a false statement in the process of attempting to purchase a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense, and possession of a machine gun or other destructive device.
Significant Federal Sentences for Drug-Trafficking and Firearm Offenses:
- Additionally, throughout this past year, a number of PSN investigations and prosecutions for drug trafficking, firearm, and violent offenses have resulted in significant and impactful sentences:
- Daniel Woolem, a resident of Moxee, Washington, was prosecuted and found guilty, after a jury trial, of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine. In February 2018, Woolem was sentenced to approximately 20 years in federal prison.
- Cameron C. Butler, formerly of Broward County, Florida, was prosecuted for possession of an unregistered destructive device (a Molotov cocktail), interstate stalking, and possession of child pornography. In March 2018, Butler was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.
- Jose Martin Aguilar, a resident of Pasco, Washington, was prosecuted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In March 2018, Aguilar was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison.
- Miles Barton Nichols, a resident of Pasco Washington, was prosecuted and found guilty, after two jury trials, of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. In March 2018, Nichols was sentenced to a mandatory life term in federal prison.
- Jared Ryan Marcum, a resident of Pasco, Washington, was prosecuted for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. In May 2018, Marcum was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
- Johnny Andres Asuncion, III, a resident of Yakima, Washington, was prosecuted and found guilty, after a jury trial, of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In May 2018, based on his extensive criminal history, Asuncion was sentenced to a mandatory life term in federal prison.
- Joseph Trevino, a resident of Malott, Washington, was prosecuted for domestic assault by a habitual offender. In June 2018, Trevino was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
- Joey Alan Yamada, a resident of Spokane, Washington, was arrested on drug-trafficking and firearm possession charges and prosecuted possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. In July 2018, Yamada was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
- Angel Abel Campos, a resident of Toppenish, Washington, and a Sureno gang member, was prosecuted for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and participating in the discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. In August 2018, Campos was sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison.
- Michael G. Painter, a resident of Spokane, Washington, was prosecuted for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. In August 2018, Painter was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Educational/Preventative Partnerships:
- As part of the EDWA PSN program, the USAO has joined forces with the Firearm Crime Enforcement Committee (FACE). This program presents information to convicted felons in area prisons. An Assistant U.S. Attorney, United States Probation Officers, Washington State Department of Corrections Officers, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm Agents and others meet with felons who have been pre-screened as likely qualifying for the Armed Career Penalty if convicted of a subsequent firearms violation. For the prisoners who are nearing release, the FACE panel presents information regarding penalties that will be imposed for subsequent convictions. The panel also provides resources to help these prisoners make decisions that will keep them from returning to prison.
These examples of PSN activities in the Eastern District of Washington reflect the symbiotic partnerships that exist among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, as well as local communities, to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
The Department has already started to observe positive signs of progress under PSN nationwide. The FBI’s Crime in the United States Report for 2017 reflects that the troubling increases in violent crime from 2015 and 2016 are beginning to reverse. The report estimates that the nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent. The preliminary information for 2018 gives reason for optimism that the PSN efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago. PSN is working.
Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods at https://www.justice.gov/psn.
- In general, every PSN program incorporates these elements:
U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Portland, Maine: One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
“PSN is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
U.S. Attorney Frank said, “Since 2002, PSN Maine has been a highly effective, anti-violence initiative through which my office has fostered significant partnerships with state and local law enforcement and community stakeholders.” As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalization of the PSN program, here are some highlights of our PSN efforts over the past year.
Grant Award
The Bureau of Justice Assistance recently announced that a grant award of about $126,800 was made to the Maine Department of Public Safety to fund programs within the PSN Maine’s mission. A request for proposals is expected to be made this fall. Selected grantees will receive funding to support two to three year grants.
Community Partnerships
With the reinvigoration of PSN Maine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office formalized a strong partnership with state prosecutors’ offices and local law enforcement through the creation of a liaison program. Each district attorney’s office in Maine has been assigned a federal prosecutor to serve as a liaison for purposes of case referral and collaboration on violent crime reduction strategies.
Enforcement Actions
- On May 16, 2018, Erick Adams, 40 of Taftville, Connecticut was sentenced to 25 years in prison for distributing crack, cocaine and heroin, and being an armed career criminal in possession of firearms. The investigation was conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the Biddeford Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/connecticut-man-sentenced-25-years-drug-conspiracy-and-illegal-possession-firearms
- On April 26, 2018, Michael Gaudette, 36, of Hiram, Maine was sentenced 100 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. On May 10, 2017, the Maine State Police seized from Gaudette three assault rifles, a shotgun and a handgun, three of which were loaded. Gaudette had prior felony convictions for attempted robbery, burglary, escape, possession of narcotics and conspiring to deliver articles to prisoners. The investigation was conducted by the Maine State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/hiram-man-sentenced-more-eight-years-being-felon-possession-firearms
- On January 18, 2018, Jonathan Gardiner, 31, of Glenburn, Maine was sentenced to 100 months in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms. On November 13, 2014, Penobscot County Sherriff’s Office deputies went to Gardiner’s Glenburn residence in response to the discharge of a firearm. Gardiner fled from the deputies and disposed of a 9 mm pistol. Deputies seized a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun hidden above Gardiner’s bedroom. Gardiner had prior felony convictions for burglary, aggravated assault, theft by unlawful use of property and drug trafficking. The investigation was conducted by the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the ATF, and the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory. Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/glenburn-man-sentenced-100-months-prison-unlawfully-possessing-firearms
Improvements to Community Safety
- The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by about one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
- Preliminary information for 2018 gives reason for optimism. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of PSN, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
U.S. Attorney Dunavant Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Under the leadership and direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Justice has stepped up prosecutions of weapons offenses, bringing 8,403 such cases in the first 10 months of fiscal year 2018, a 22.5 percent increase from the previous year.
Since in office, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant has made prosecution of gun crimes in the federal system a top priority. Under its violence reduction strategy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee has dramatically increased the number of firearms prosecutions filed, and seeks significant sentences on firearms offenses because guns are a common denominator in many violent crimes, including murder, robbery, drug trafficking and aggravated assault.
"Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results," Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the
unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities."
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a proven violent crime reduction strategy that works, and is now reinvigorated with additional resources and commitment from our partners at the ATF, Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Since October 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has increased the number of federal firearms cases filed by over 47 percent, and the number of defendants charged with firearms offenses has increased over 61 percent. These efforts provide targeted prosecution of the worst-of-the-worst offenders to enhance public safety in Memphis and West Tennessee by removing guns from the hands of dangerous people and removing violent offenders from our communities."
Enforcement Actions
Currently, the 13-member PSN Task Force, which is the investigative component of the local PSN initiative, is comprised of personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. The success of this collaborative law enforcement effort is recognized nationally, with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies from Alabama, Mississippi, the District of Columbia and Tennessee frequently visiting the task force to adopt its practices.
The Task Force not only investigates firearm possession by prohibited persons; it also investigates individuals buying and selling firearms to/from convicted felons. The Task Force engages in proactive and reactive investigations of convicted felons suspected of possessing firearms, as well as firearm suppliers that are conducting illegal transactions.
Here are some highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
- Ladarius Porter, 27 of Memphis, was sentenced in July 2018, to 15 years imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
- Tommy Earl Champion Jr, a/k/a/ "Duct Tape"29 of Jackson, Tennessee, was sentenced in September 2018, to 30 years’ incarceration for participating in racketeering conspiracy and for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
- Robert Hutchinson, Jr., 45 was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Community Partnerships
Reentry education and assistance is an important part of the PSN initiative and vital to ensuring communities are safer when those incarcerated return home. Since 2011, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of U.S. Probation continues to participate in monthly Reentry Court sessions. In addition, staff also meets monthly to discuss issues with clients at a halfway house prior who will be transitioning back into the Western District of Tennessee. Through these reentry services, we further our commitment to providing individuals with the necessary tools to make a permanent lifestyle change that will benefit themselves and the community.
Improvements to Community Safety
The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that after two consecutive historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
In the first six months of 2018, Memphis and unincorporated parts of Shelby County reported 2,405 gun crimes, which represents a 15.3 percent decrease from the same period in 2017, when 2,840 such crimes were reported.
The reduction in reported crimes with guns is consistent with the reduction in reported violent crimes. During the first eight months of this year, reported violent crimes involving firearms were down 17.6 percent in the City of Memphis and countywide, compared to last year. The reduction occurred in all major categories of violent crimes committed with firearms – murders (down 6.4%), business robberies (down 35.1%) and aggravated assaults (down 20.8%).
"These sustained decreases in reported gun crimes and all major violent gun crime categories are encouraging, and shows that our return to proven enforcement policies under PSN is working. Putting the right people in prison incapacitates the most violent offenders, upholds the rule of law, deters criminal conduct with a strong message of significant consequences, and makes us all safer," said U.S. Attorney Dunavant.
Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods https://www.justice.gov/psn
- Ladarius Porter, 27 of Memphis, was sentenced in July 2018, to 15 years imprisonment for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. Attorney Canova Announces 2018 Highlights of Project Safe Neighborhoods to Promote Safe Communities in Northern FloridaRead the Press Release
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, federal, state and local law enforcement are collaborating to identify the most violent criminals and the most violent areas within our communities and are using all their collective resources to make our neighborhoods safer. As part of this strategy, PSN also partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
U.S. Attorney Canova said: “We are committed to pursuing public safety in the Northern District of Florida through prosecutions of violent criminals, collaborations with other law enforcement agencies and the community, and outreach, such as the BLAST Program, which encourages students to build positive relationships with local law enforcement officers and become law-abiding citizens.”
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year in the 23 counties of the Northern District of Florida that runs from Pensacola in the west to Gainesville in the east:
Enforcement Actions
Gun Violence Task Forces: the Gun Violence Initiative in Tallahassee and the Gun Crimes Response Team in Pensacola are comprised of investigators and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, State Attorneys’ Offices, ATF, DEA, FBI, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, county sheriffs’ offices, and local police departments. The task forces meet regularly to share intelligence and discuss ongoing investigations to: strategically identify areas where violent crimes are being committed, identify the persons responsible for committing those crimes, and ensure that adequate resources are being deployed to investigate and prosecute those individuals.
New Violent Crime AUSAs: To increase the safety of our communities, the Department of Justice added new federal prosecutor positions around the country. The NDFL was allocated two new Assistant United States Attorneys to work on reducing violent crime and supporting the NDFL’s PSN program. One prosecutor will be placed in Tallahassee and the other in Pensacola. Read more.
Violent Crime Cases:
In August 2018, a Gainesville man was sentenced to 327 months in prison for abducting a young woman attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and forcing her into sex trafficking through violent methods. Read more.
In August 2018, Deshawn Wilder, a convicted felon from Tallahassee, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for burglarizing a federal firearms licensee.
In August 2018, Robert Wayne Cornwell from Perry, Florida, was sentenced to 96 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cornwell had a violent criminal history that included solicitation to commit murder. Within a month of being released from prison, he started dealing methamphetamine. During a traffic stop for suspected DUI, he attempted to flee after failing a field sobriety test. During a struggle with officers, he attempted to grab an officer’s service pistol from the holster. He was eventually restrained and taken into custody.
In February 2018, a Pensacola convicted felon was sentenced to 147 months in prison for armed carjacking. Read more.
In December 2017, a former correctional officer from Bay County, Florida, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for assaulting an inmate, resulting in bodily injury. The government presented evidence that, during his career as a correctional officer, Walker had assaulted at least four inmates. In this case, the testimony demonstrated that Walker sprayed the inmate with a chemical agent and then struck him repeatedly, resulting in a fractured nose and head wound, which required several staples. In an attempt to establish that he had acted in self-defense, Walker planted a homemade weapon or “shank.” Read more.
In November 2017, a Pensacola armed career criminal was sentenced to 224 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for violating his federal supervised release. He had been convicted previously of crimes dating back to 1987, including first degree robbery, grand theft auto, aggravated assault, and second degree murder. Read more.
In October 2017, a Niceville convicted felon was sentenced to 135 months in prison for burglarizing a federal firearms licensed dealer. Officials recovered dozens of firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and multiple pieces of tactical equipment, including a gas mask that were all stolen. Read more.
Community Partnerships
BLAST Program: The BLAST Program offers approximately 50 high school students per event an opportunity to meet representatives of the criminal justice community and ask them questions, share their perceptions of law enforcement, and interact with officers in a familiar setting. Officers provide students with their perspective on responding to dangerous or uncertain circumstances and the importance of remaining calm and following the officers’ directions in these situations. The schedule includes discussion sessions, during which students have a chance to participate in role-play with law enforcement officers.
Tallahassee Public Safety Collective: The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a member of the Tallahassee Public Safety Collective, a group of local law enforcement leaders and key community partners working collaboratively to stem community violence and address the factors leading to criminal activity. The Collective stresses collaboration, intelligence sharing, and citizen partnerships to improve public safety.
Second Chance Employer Summits: The U.S. Attorney’s Office has hosted several events, in collaboration with state, federal, and non-governmental partners, to discuss benefits and challenges of hiring formerly incarcerated individuals. Former inmates who now have successful careers also shared their reentry experiences.
Improvements to Community Safety
- The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
- The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
U.S. Attorney Brady Announces Charges Against 7 Russian Military HackersRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today that seven Russians were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges relating to a criminal hacking campaign that included the theft and public dissemination of private medical records of 250 athletes, including U.S. Olympic athletes. According to the indictment, the Russian hackers targeted the athletes and major anti-doping organizations in retaliation for a ban on Russian athletes due to Russia’s state sponsored doping program. The Russian hacking also targeted western Pennsylvania employees of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, as well as an organization and laboratory investigating Russia’s alleged use of chemical weapons.
According to the indictment, the defendants are all members of a Russian military intelligence agency based in Moscow known as the GRU:
Aleksei Sergeyevich Morenets
Evgenii Mikhaylovich Serebriakov
Ivan Sergeyevich Yermakov
Artem Andreyevich Malyshev
Dmitriy Sergeyevich Badin
Oleg Mikhaylovich Sotnikov
Alexey Valerevich Minin
All seven defendants are charged with conspiracy to illegally access and cause damage to computers in the United States and elsewhere, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy. All except Sotnikov and and Minin are also charged with aggravated identity theft. Finally, Yermakov is charged with multiple counts of wire fraud for attempting to hack into the personal email accounts of employees of Westinghouse.
The targets of the hacking activity included:
• Westinghouse Electric Corporation based outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
• the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado;
• the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), headquartered in Montreal, Canada;
• the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), headquartered in Ottawa, Canada;
• the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), headquartered in Monaco;
• The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS/CAS), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland;
• the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland;
• the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an organization headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, investigating the use of chemical weapons in Syria and the March 2018 poisoning of a former GRU officer in the United Kingdom with a chemical nerve agent; and
• the Spiez Swiss Chemical Laboratory located in Spiez, Switzerland, an accredited laboratory of the OPCW that analyzed the chemical agent connected to the poisonings of a former GRU officer and others in the United Kingdom.
United States Attorney Scott W. Brady emphasized his office’s focus on bringing justice to the victims of these crimes. "Through the tireless efforts and investigative work by our office and the FBI, we have exposed and charged an expansive criminal conspiracy of targeted cyber-attacks across three continents and seven countries. These cyber-attacks were designed to steal individuals’ and organizations’ most sensitive secrets and data. We want the hundreds of victims of these Russian hackers to know that we will do everything we can to hold these criminals accountable for their crimes. State actors who target US citizens and companies are no different than any other criminal: they will be investigated, prosecuted and held accountable for their actions."
"Malicious cyber hackers will not be allowed to undermine, retaliate against or expose sensitive information that damages the reputations of innocent victims," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones. "This type of behavior is simply unacceptable. These charges show the world the FBI has a robust cyber investigative team and Pittsburgh is an essential part of it. We also want to thank our international partners, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Dutch Intelligence Service (the MIVD), for their support and coordination to ensure the safety of our people and networks."
The criminal hacking operation was conducted from an identified GRU Unit in Moscow, and by GRU members who traveled around the world to hack into nearby computers through "close access" operations. The indictment describes how the conspirators conducted several "on site" operations: in Rio De Janiero during and prior to the 2016 Olympic games, which compromised the email account of a USADA official; in Lausanne, Switzerland, resulting in the theft of login credentials from a CCES official; and, at The Hague in April 2018, in an attempt to hack into networks at OPCW. These on site operations often involved targeting Wi-Fi networks used by victim organizations or their personnel, including hotel Wi-Fi, in an effort to gain unauthorized access to the victims’ computer networks.
The defendants stole data from WADA, USADA, CCES, TAS/CAS, IAAF and FIFA which contained sensitive, private medical information for 250 athletes from 30 countries. They then released the data publicly, often in misleading ways, masquerading as the "Fancy Bears Hack Team" on the websites fancybear.net, fancybear.org and other social media accounts, as part of a misinformation campaign. The defendants’ intent was to unfairly damage the reputations of competitive athletes and to retaliate against international anti-doping officials who had exposed the Russian state-sponsored doping program. As part of this prosecution, the United States has seized the websites fancybear.net and fancybear.org and is seeking their forfeiture.
Defendants Morenets, Serebriakov, Malyshev and Badin face maximum penalties of 49 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.25 million. Defendants Sotkinov and Minin face maximum penalties of 45 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. Defendant Yermakov, who is the sole defendant charged in five wire fraud counts, faces a maximum sentence of 149 years imprisonment and a fine of $2.5 million. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
U.S. Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Divisions, as well as the Cyber Unit at FBI Headquarters and the FBI Legal Attaches around the world, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Government of the Netherlands, including the Dutch Intelligence Service (the MIVD) and the Dutch prosecutor’s office Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General, and the U.K.’s National Security and Intelligence Agencies.
If you believe you are a victim in this case and would like to opt-in to receive notifications or if you have any questions about your rights, please contact the Victim Witness Coordinator at 412- 894-7400 or through our website (https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/vw/us-v-Aleksei- Sergeyevich-Morenets).
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis Announces Progress in Making our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
BOISE – One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN focuses federal, state and local enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
“We have the greatest impact by directing our resources on the most violent people and places in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis. “Law enforcement partnerships are identifying those who drive violent crime and are bringing them to justice. My office is committed to using all available tools to help fight against violent crime in Idaho.”
Idaho’s PSN program has been successful because of the enforcement efforts at all levels of government. “Federal prosecutions of violent offenders are but one piece of our PSN program,” U.S. Attorney Davis said. “Capable county prosecutors across Idaho are successfully prosecuting violent offenders at a remarkable rate. Together, we are working toward the common goal of reducing violent crime.”
Strong, lasting partnerships at all levels of law enforcement led to two very successful enforcement programs in the Treasure Valley. Approximately thirteen years ago, the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force was created. “Metro,” as it is known, is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, Boise Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. Metro works in conjunction with the Treasure Valley Partnership’s Gang Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA). The Gang SAUSA is a Canyon County deputy prosecutor who is cross-deputized to prosecute cases in federal court. The Gang SAUSA focuses on working with Metro and prosecuting violent offenders and gang members in federal court. Through these combined efforts, a large number of guns are removed from the community and dangerous offenders are removed from our streets.
The Gang SAUSA program was so successful that, in 2016, the Eastern Idaho Partnership created a similar program in eastern Idaho. That program has been well received by federal, state and local law enforcement in southern and eastern Idaho. “We think it’s a model program for jurisdictions similar to Idaho,” Davis said.
“I wish you could see our PSN task force meetings,” said Davis. “At the table with me are representatives from the state Attorney General’s Office, the Ada and Canyon County Prosecutor’s Offices, sheriffs, police chiefs, the Idaho Department of Correction, and the Twin Falls police. We are all working toward the same goal using our unique resources to do so.”
Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Davis, federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement have identified methods of overcoming common hurdles to combating violent crime. To make those ideas a reality, the U.S. Attorney’s Office created committees to address specific subject matters. Together, federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement will identify ways to root out Idaho’s most violent offenders, as well as methods of relaying the harms of violence and guns to our local communities.
Also, Idaho’s PSN program continues to conduct community outreach and law enforcement training. In January of this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted a training on the Characteristics of Armed Persons for local law enforcement. In addition to providing key information to law enforcement on how to identify armed persons, these trainings strengthened relationships between federal, state, and local law enforcement–a key component of PSN. The office also works to enhance the safety of refugees in our community by training those who serve refugees in Idaho, including resettlement agencies, on combating violent crimes and civil rights violations.
Finally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is excited to announce that the University of Idaho will join its PSN program to administer funds allocated by Congress to serve the PSN goals, which funds will go to state and local law enforcement. These funds will be used to help make Idaho a safer place.
“PSN is a great program with a proven track record for making Idaho a safer place,” Davis said.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in October 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Two Men Plead Guilty to Brazen Capitol Hill Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Arturo Gray, 23, of Capitol Heights, Md., and Twon Brown, 24, of Washington D.C., have pled guilty to charges stemming from an armed robbery of a pharmacy last year on Capitol Hill, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Gray and Brown pled guilty on Oct. 4, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to robbery while armed. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of five years of incarceration. Brown also pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in an unrelated case. That plea calls for an additional one year of incarceration. The Honorable Jennifer A. Di Toro scheduled sentencing for Nov. 30, 2018.
According to a factual proffer submitted at the plea hearing and the government’s evidence, the robbery took place at approximately 2:20 p.m. on May 5, 2017, at a pharmacy in the 300 block of East Capitol Street NE. Brown and Gray entered the pharmacy together with another individual. Brown brandished a firearm and pointed it at employees and customers while Gray guarded the door and shouted commands at the employees.
As the crime continued, Brown and another individual jumped over the counter and took prescription medications from the store while holding the employees at gunpoint. Brown, Gray, and the third individual then fled the establishment together. Video footage from inside the store helped to identify the defendants. Subsequently, law enforcement recovered text messages between the conspirators which showed them discussing their plans for the robbery. Further electronic evidence showed Gray searching on the Internet for the pharmacy in advance of the robbery and using Google Maps to navigate to the location.
Gray was arrested on Oct. 16, 2017 and Brown was arrested on May 28, 2018. The defendants were indicted on Oct. 3, 2018, on 22 counts relating to the robbery and pled guilty the following day. This case was set to go to trial on Nov. 1, 2018 before the defendants pled guilty to the lead charge of the indictment.
In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI's Washington Field Office, and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle, Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyse Constantinide and Louis Manzo, who investigated, indicted and prosecuted the matter.
Two Local Women Plead Guilty to Federal ChargesRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that BRITTANY THEOPHILE, age 30, and RACHELLE KELSON, age 25, both of the greater New Orleans area, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, to charges relating to their use of a telephone to commit, cause or facilitate the commission of a crime (an attempt to introduce controlled substances into the Orleans Parish Prison).
As stated in the Factual Basis, ELTON WILLIAMS, an inmate at the Orleans Justice Center jail, solicited the assistance of his relative, CIBONEY PARKER (a civilian employee of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office), and two friends, THEOPHILE and KELSON, to smuggle drugs into the jail. THEOPHILE and KELSON provided the drugs, including marijuana, heroin, and Tramadol, to PARKER during her work shift. The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Division became aware of the plan through audio and visual surveillance and detained PARKER before she could gain access to WILLIAMS. WILLIAMS and PARKER are scheduled for trial on December 10, 2018 before District Judge Jolivette Brown.
THEOPHILE and KELSON each face a maximum term of imprisonment of four (4) years, are subject to a fine of up to $250,000, and, upon release, they will serve a one year term of supervised release. Sentencing before Judge Brown is scheduled for December 13, 2018 for THEOPHILE and January 3, 2019 for KELSON.
U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser praised the work of the FBI and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Investigative Service Bureau. Assistant United States Attorney Tracey Knight is in charge of this prosecution.
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Two Intelligence Officials and A Business Owner Indicted for Bid RiggingRead the Press Release
DENVER – Three individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on a variety of charges relating to procurement fraud and unlawfully disclosing and obtaining bid information concerning a contract estimated to be worth almost $1.5 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the National Security Agency (NSA), and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) announced.
During times relevant to the indictment, Kevin Kuciapinski, age 43, was an active duty U.S. Air Force Major working at the NRO. Randolph Stimac, age 61, was an employee of the NSA. Both were stationed at the Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado on Buckley Air Force Base. The third defendant, Mykhael Kuciapinski, age 51, was the owner and CEO of Company G, a company that attempted to do business with the U.S. Government. She was also the wife of Kevin Kuciapinski through July 2015.
According to the Indictment, beginning on August 1, 2013, and continuing through November 24, 2015, the defendants conspired with each other to unlawfully obtain and disclose source selection information prior to the award for services related to a contract for services related to NSA, a category of intelligence that involves the collection, processing, and dissemination of foreign communications in order to obtain foreign intelligence necessary to the national defense, national security, or the conduct of the foreign affairs of the United States. The alleged plan and purpose of the conspiracy was for Kevin Kuciapinski and Randolph Stimac to provide a competitive advantage to defendant Mykhael Kuciapinski’s bid or proposal by providing her information and source selection information for the contract in question.
This case was investigated by the NRO Office of the Inspector General, NSA, Defense Criminal Investigative Services, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation.
The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Sibert.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Three U.S. Attorneys Announce Progress in Making Alabama Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
MONTGOMERY – One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
“In late 2017, Montgomery needed help. Too many people were illegally carrying guns, too many people were being shot, too many people were living in fear,” stated Louis V. Franklin, Sr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. “PSN was the perfect program to help Montgomery. So, we joined with our federal, state and local partners and focused on the worst of the worst violent criminals in Montgomery. We had a goal to reduce violent crime in Montgomery, and we saw results. By May of 2018, we saw an almost 16% decline in violent crime in Montgomery. This PSN partnership will continue to see Montgomery through this violent crime crisis. We have an obligation to our community and we will fulfill that obligation.”
“Because of PSN and the leadership of our Attorney General, never before have our law enforcement partnerships been so robust,” stated Jay E. Town, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. “Never before have we prosecuted so many defendants, especially violent criminals, in federal court, where sentences do not suffer the sanctuary of parole. Never before has there been the commitment to resources by the Department of Justice at every level of law enforcement to aggressively address violent crime. Federal prison beds are being filled by our worst offenders, and our neighborhoods are safer than ever before.”
“Most Alabamians are benefiting from a much safer Alabama as a direct result of the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions,” stated Richard W. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Law enforcement officers have been empowered to do what they do best and the violent crime rate in many of our communities is going down. Aggressive efforts to take the “trigger pullers” who terrorize neighborhoods off the street makes sense and makes Alabama a safer place to live. Violent crime rates, however, are still too high and we are not resting on the good results that we have seen over the past two years. The American people have been clear about their desire to have a safer country. We are starting to deliver on the promise that President Trump made to make that a reality.”
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
- Federal, state, and local agencies tackled the violent crime problem in Montgomery by vigorously pursuing illegal firearm prosecutions. From January to April of 2018, the USAO concentrated on indicting Montgomery firearm cases. Additionally, Operation Triple Beam[1] kicked off and saturated law enforcement in those areas in Montgomery with the largest number of shootings. As a result of these partnerships and the re-invigorated PSN program, in May of this year the violent crime rate dropped in Montgomery by almost 16%.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District has formed an array of task forces and partnerships that have seen impressive results. The Northern District office has formed Public Safety Task Forces in Huntsville and Birmingham, both designed to target the worst offenders and repeat offenders who have besieged those great cities too long. The office also formed the Prosecutor-to-Prosecutor Program, or “P3”, where District Attorneys from around the Northern District are given training and direct lines of communication to federal prosecutors so that state charges can be removed to federal court where the sentence does not suffer the sanction of parole. We have dramatically increased our federal presence in every community, every county, and every corner of the Northern District.
- This summer, a three-month operation focused on reducing violent crime in Selma and the Gulf Coast region resulted in federal charges against 24 defendants, with about 50 guns seized. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama joined with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to interrupt the pattern of federal firearms violations.
- Focused enforcement efforts throughout the Southern District are bringing armed criminals to justice in federal court, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 192 cases with 205 defendants with federal gun crimes in the past 12 months.
Community Partnerships
- In order to increase illegal firearm prosecutions in Montgomery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office joined with the Montgomery Police Department to organize training for each Montgomery Police officer, starting with patrol. The PSN coordinator and the Law Enforcement Coordinator met officers at rollcall at 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. until all officers were trained. The USAO has now expanded that project to other Middle District counties.
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions designated Birmingham as one of the nations’ few Public Safety Partnership communities where the Department of Justice infuses resources to the city and creates a platform for all levels of law enforcement to join forces to reduce violent criminal activity in the metropolitan area. Never before has there been the level of inter-agency cooperation that now exists in Birmingham. The Northern District office has taken that formula and expanded it around the Northern District, especially to include Anniston and Tuscaloosa. Not only are traditional members of law enforcement at the table, but also community leaders, City Hall, non-profits, and other groups with the sole interest of making neighborhoods safe again.
- In the Southern District, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued its Bridging the Gap program, a successful partnership with the FBI, the Mobile Police Department, community leaders, and school systems to reach out to ninth-grade students about demonstrating the proper conduct youth and law enforcement should expect from one another during a law enforcement encounter. This program, developed in Mobile, was implemented nationwide by all 56 FBI field offices.
- U.S. Attorney Richard Moore and his staff have been actively involved in the Selma area, coordinating with community organizations, community leaders, law enforcement, faith-based organizations, and the public to develop prevention and enforcement priorities, and to establish a long-term presence in the community.
Improvements to Community Safety
- The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
- The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
- As stated above, due to the enhanced partnerships created by the re-invigorated PSN program, the violent crime rate in Montgomery decreased in May by almost 16%.
- The Northern District of Alabama has prosecuted more defendants in the past two years than in any two-year period in over a decade. Now, more than ever, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to target our worst offenders in the highest crime areas so that those neighborhoods can be returned to their rightful owners...the law-abiding citizens who live there. Recognizing that incarceration alone will not solve all problems with crime, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to work with community leaders from around the Northern District to provide opportunities and prevention programs that will not only prevent future criminal behavior, but make such behavior unnecessary in the first place.
- Statistics from the Mobile Police Department show that focused enforcement efforts are paying off. From January 1 through the end of September, violent crime decreased by 1.7%, and includes a 34.4% reduction in criminal homicides and a 9.4% reduction in robberies.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
[1] Operation Triple Beam was led by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force and focused on street level crime, gang-related crime, undercover narcotics operations, traffic stop enforcement, and a warrant service in identified high-crime districts.
Three U.S. Attorneys Announce Progress in Making Alabama Safer Through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
Montgomery AL--One year ago, the Department of Justice announced the revitalization and enhancement of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which Attorney General Sessions has made the centerpiece of the Department’s violent crime reduction strategy. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Throughout the past year, we have partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Jeff 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. I have empowered our United States Attorneys to focus enforcement efforts against the most violent criminals in their districts, and directed that they work together with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners to develop tailored solutions to the unique violent crime problems they face. Each United States Attorney has prioritized the PSN program, and I am confident that it will continue to reduce crime, save lives, and restore safety to our communities.”
“In late 2017, Montgomery needed help. Too many people were illegally carrying guns, too many people were being shot, too many people were living in fear,” stated Louis V. Franklin, Sr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. “PSN was the perfect program to help Montgomery. So, we joined with our federal, state and local partners and focused on the worst of the worst violent criminals in Montgomery. We had a goal to reduce violent crime in Montgomery, and we saw results. By May of 2018, we saw an almost 16% decline in violent crime in Montgomery. This PSN partnership will continue to see Montgomery through this violent crime crisis. We have an obligation to our community and we will fulfill that obligation.”
“Because of PSN and the leadership of our Attorney General, never before have our law enforcement partnerships been so robust,” stated Jay E. Town, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. “Never before have we prosecuted so many defendants, especially violent criminals, in federal court, where sentences do not suffer the sanctuary of parole. Never before has there been the commitment to resources by the Department of Justice at every level of law enforcement to aggressively address violent crime. Federal prison beds are being filled by our worst offenders, and our neighborhoods are safer than ever before.”
“Most Alabamians are benefiting from a much safer Alabama as a direct result of the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions,” stated Richard W. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. “Law enforcement officers have been empowered to do what they do best and the violent crime rate in many of our communities is going down. Aggressive efforts to take the “trigger pullers” who terrorize neighborhoods off the street makes sense and makes Alabama a safer place to live. Violent crime rates, however, are still too high and we are not resting on the good results that we have seen over the past two years. The American people have been clear about their desire to have a safer country. We are starting to deliver on the promise that President Trump made to make that a reality.”
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the revitalized PSN program, here are some of the highlights of our PSN actions over the past year:
Enforcement Actions
- Federal, state, and local agencies tackled the violent crime problem in Montgomery by vigorously pursuing illegal firearm prosecutions. From January to April of 2018, the USAO concentrated on indicting Montgomery firearm cases. Additionally, Operation Triple Beam[1] kicked off and saturated law enforcement in those areas in Montgomery with the largest number of shootings. As a result of these partnerships and the re-invigorated PSN program, in May of this year the violent crime rate dropped in Montgomery by almost 16%.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District has formed an array of task forces and partnerships that have seen impressive results. The Northern District office has formed Public Safety Task Forces in Huntsville and Birmingham, both designed to target the worst offenders and repeat offenders who have besieged those great cities too long. The office also formed the Prosecutor-to-Prosecutor Program, or “P3”, where District Attorneys from around the Northern District are given training and direct lines of communication to federal prosecutors so that state charges can be removed to federal court where the sentence does not suffer the sanction of parole. We have dramatically increased our federal presence in every community, every county, and every corner of the Northern District.
- This summer, a three-month operation focused on reducing violent crime in Selma and the Gulf Coast region resulted in federal charges against 24 defendants, with about 50 guns seized. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama joined with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to interrupt the pattern of federal firearms violations.
- Focused enforcement efforts throughout the Southern District are bringing armed criminals to justice in federal court, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 192 cases with 205 defendants with federal gun crimes in the past 12 months.
Community Partnerships
- In order to increase illegal firearm prosecutions in Montgomery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office joined with the Montgomery Police Department to organize training for each Montgomery Police officer, starting with patrol. The PSN coordinator and the Law Enforcement Coordinator met officers at rollcall at 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. until all officers were trained. The USAO has now expanded that project to other Middle District counties.
- Attorney General Jeff Sessions designated Birmingham as one of the nations’ few Public Safety Partnership communities where the Department of Justice infuses resources to the city and creates a platform for all levels of law enforcement to join forces to reduce violent criminal activity in the metropolitan area. Never before has there been the level of inter-agency cooperation that now exists in Birmingham. The Northern District office has taken that formula and expanded it around the Northern District, especially to include Anniston and Tuscaloosa. Not only are traditional members of law enforcement at the table, but also community leaders, City Hall, non-profits, and other groups with the sole interest of making neighborhoods safe again.
- In the Southern District, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has continued its Bridging the Gap program, a successful partnership with the FBI, the Mobile Police Department, community leaders, and school systems to reach out to ninth-grade students about demonstrating the proper conduct youth and law enforcement should expect from one another during a law enforcement encounter. This program, developed in Mobile, was implemented nationwide by all 56 FBI field offices.
- U.S. Attorney Richard Moore and his staff have been actively involved in the Selma area, coordinating with community organizations, community leaders, law enforcement, faith-based organizations, and the public to develop prevention and enforcement priorities, and to establish a long-term presence in the community.
Improvements to Community Safety
- The FBI’s official crime data for 2017 reflects that, after two consecutive, historic increases in violent crime, in the first year of the Trump Administration the nationwide violent crime rate began to decline. The nationwide violent crime rate decreased by approximately one percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly one and a half percent.
- The preliminary information we have for 2018 gives us reason for optimism that our efforts are continuing to pay off. Public data from 60 major cities show that violent crime was down by nearly five percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
- As stated above, due to the enhanced partnerships created by the re-invigorated PSN program, the violent crime rate in Montgomery decreased in May by almost 16%.
- The Northern District of Alabama has prosecuted more defendants in the past two years than in any two-year period in over a decade. Now, more than ever, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to target our worst offenders in the highest crime areas so that those neighborhoods can be returned to their rightful owners...the law-abiding citizens who live there. Recognizing that incarceration alone will not solve all problems with crime, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to work with community leaders from around the Northern District to provide opportunities and prevention programs that will not only prevent future criminal behavior, but make such behavior unnecessary in the first place.
- Statistics from the Mobile Police Department show that focused enforcement efforts are paying off. From January 1 through the end of September, violent crime decreased by 1.7%, and includes a 34.4% reduction in criminal homicides and a 9.4% reduction in robberies.
These enforcement actions and partnerships are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
[1] Operation Triple Beam was led by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force and focused on street level crime, gang-related crime, undercover narcotics operations, traffic stop enforcement, and a warrant service in identified high-crime districts.
Three Illegal Aliens Plead Guilty to Unlawfully Reentering After Prior RemovalRead the Press Release
Gulfport, Miss. – Daniel Martinez-Rodriguez, 42, Jorge Rios-Juaquin, 41, and Anastacio Compean-Galicia, 37, all illegal aliens from Mexico, pled guilty this week before U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola, Jr., to the federal crime of unlawful reentry by an alien after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, and Mr. Trey Lund, Acting Field Office Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations in New Orleans. Martinez-Rodriguez pled guilty yesterday, while Rios-Juaquin and Compean-Galicia pled guilty on Wednesday.
All three men are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Guirola on January 3, 2019. Each man faces up to 2 years imprisonment, not more than 1 year supervised release, and a maximum $250,000 fine. Each also faces being removed from the United States by the Department of Homeland Security following the completion of any prison sentence.
"We will remain vigilant in enforcing and prosecuting those who wantonly violate our immigration laws, especially aliens like these who violate our other criminal laws, as their actions put us, our families, and our fellow citizens in danger. I commend the resilience and determination of our local officers, ICE agents and prosecutors in bringing these individuals to justice before they truly harm others," said U.S. Attorney Hurst.
On May 23, 2018, Martinez-Rodriguez was encountered by ICE officers in Bay St. Louis while conducting fugitive operations. Department of Homeland Security computerized record checks using Martinez-Rodriguez’s fingerprints revealed that Martinez-Rodriguez was born in Mexico and had been previously arrested and convicted in the City of Waveland in 2015 for Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Martinez-Rodriquez was physically removed by ICE to Mexico in 2017.
On May 22, 2018, Rios-Juaquin was arrested by the Gulfport Police Department, and on May 30, 2018, he was convicted of the misdemeanor offense of providing False Identification to a Law Enforcement Officer. Thereafter, ICE officers arrested Rios-Juaquin and Homeland
Security records revealed that Rios-Juaquin had been previously arrested by the Biloxi Police Department and was physically removed by ICE from the United States to Mexico in 2011. However, he returned to the United States and again was lawfully removed to Mexico in September 2014, after another arrest by the Gulfport Police Department. The following month, Rios-Juaquin returned to the United States and was removed again from Texas to Mexico in October 2014. Thereafter, Rios-Juaquin returned again in 2015, and after another arrest by the Gulfport Police Department, he was lawfully removed again from the United States to Mexico in November 2015. After his removal in 2015, Rios-Juaquin unlawfully returned again and was convicted in August 2017, in the Circuit Court of Harrison County, of a felony offense (Taking a Vehicle) and served approximately 1 year in state prison.
On May 22, 2018, Compean-Galicia, using the name of Orlando Martinez, was taken into custody by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department for Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Careless Driving, and Driving With No Driver’s License. On May 24, 2018, Compean-Galicia was arrested by ICE and was positively identified through computerized record revealing he had been lawfully ordered removed by a United States Immigration Judge in 2010, after being convicted of DUI in Gulfport Municipal Court in Harrison County. Records verified that he was physically removed from the United States to Mexico in 2010. However, Compean-Galicia returned to the United States in 2013 and was arrested again for DUI in Gautier, MS. Thereafter, records document that his order of removal was reinstated, and he was physically removed again from the United States to Mexico in 2014.
U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the Department of Homeland Security, Enforcement and Removal Operations, the City of Waveland Police Department, the City of Gulfport Police Department, the City of Biloxi Police Department, the City of Gautier Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Departments of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris is the prosecutor for each of the three cases.
Three Area Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for 2015 Slaying in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Three men were sentenced today to decades in prison on felony murder and other charges stemming from the slaying of a man during a home invasion in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Joseph Barbour, 38, Willie Glover, Jr., 40, and Charles McRae, 66, were found guilty by a jury on July 17, 2018, of murder, first-degree burglary while armed, and related offenses, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Today, the Honorable Craig Iscoe sentenced Barbour to 40 years in prison, Glover to 38 years, and McRae to a 38 ½-year term of incarceration. Barbour and McRae are from Washington, D.C., and Glover is from Forestville, Md.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of the killing, Dec. 21, 2015, the victim, Lenard Wills, was with a group of people in an apartment in the 700 block of 24th Street NE. His girlfriend was making dinner for the group when she got into a verbal argument with McRae. McRae left the apartment and came back a short time later with Barbour and Glover. One of the occupants let McRae into the apartment and, as he entered, Barbour and Glover came in behind him, wearing masks and carrying guns.
All three told the people in the apartment to get down and shut up. Barbour and Glover immediately went to Mr. Wills, who was seated at a table in the living room, and started pistol-whipping him, demanding money and drugs. McRae held down one of the occupants and punched another who tried to flee. He then pounded on the bathroom door demanding that Mr. Wills’ girlfriend come out, and punched her when she did. A struggle between Mr. Wills, Barbour and Glover ensued, during which one of the guns went off and broke apart. At some point during the struggle, Mr. Wills stabbed Barbour and Glover. McRae then came over to assist. Mr. Wills, 50, was stabbed multiple times and all three defendants fled the apartment. Mr. Wills was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital.
Bleeding heavily, Barbour fled across the courtyard and a basketball court to his girlfriend’s apartment building. Later, while canvassing along the blood trail, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department recovered a knife in a trash can as well as Barbour’s cell phone on the basketball court. Glover, meanwhile, drove himself to an area hospital. McRae met up with several of the apartment’s occupants at a bus stop while police were canvassing the scene and told them, among other things, that what happened in the apartment was not meant for them and that if he had the gun, he would have shot Mr. Wills.
Barbour and Glover were arrested within days of the murder, and McRae was arrested in March 2016. All have been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentences, 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. They acknowledged the efforts of those who assisted with the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and Daniel Lenerz; former Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity, Alesha Matthews, Stephanie Gilbert, and Kelly Blakeney; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia, Leif Hickling, and Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan, and Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest and Richard Barker, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Texas Man Found Guilty by Federal Jury of Drug Conspiracy and TraffickingRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – Yesterday, after a three-day trial, a federal jury in Jackson, Mississippi, found Kevin Lawrence, 44, of Houston, Texas, guilty of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute, and use of a communication facility to commit the crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Hurst and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge J. Derryle Smith.
On March 24, 2013, DEA seized approximately 262 pounds of marijuana at local truck stop in Jackson, Mississippi, from Kendrick Applewhite and Steven Davison. Through the course of the investigation, agents learned that Kevin Lawrence had ordered the marijuana and coordinated the pickup of the marijuana with Applewhite and Davison.
On September 20, 2018, Applewhite and Davison pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. They are scheduled to be sentenced on December 21, 2018 by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III, and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Judge Jordan, who also presided over the Lawrence case, will sentence Lawrence on January 18, 2019. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the DEA Jackson District Office, DEA Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chris Wansley and John Meynardie.
Tennessee Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Passing Counterfeit Securities of an OrganizationRead the Press Release
Fayetteville, AR – Duane (DAK) Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Jason Jerrell Smith, age 34, of Germantown, Tennessee was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in federal Prison followed by three years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution (the amount of restitution will be determined at a later date by the courts) for one count of Passing Counterfeit Securities of an Organization. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.
According to court records, in June of 2017, Smith was visiting Rogers and Bentonville, Arkansas, and announced that he was running for President of the United States and falsely represented himself as “Joshua Gaters.” During his visit to Northwest Arkansas, Smith wrote and passed a counterfeit check on a local bank in the name of “Gaters and Lester Realty Group.” The check, written in the amount of $22,212.00, was alleged to be for the lease of office space. No such checking account existed with the bank.
Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2018 and entered a guilty plea in April 2018.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, the Bentonville Police Department, and the Rogers Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Amy Driver prosecuted the case for the United States.