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Tuesday 2 October 2018
Harrison County man sentenced for drug distribution and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jordan T. Ratliff, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 92 months incarceration for methamphetamine distribution and firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Ratliff, age 26, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine,” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in April 2018. Ratliff admitted to distributing methamphetamine in December 2017 in Harrison County. Ratliff, who had previously been convicted of crimes in Monongalia County, admitted to having a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in February 2018 in Harrison County.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning 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 U.S. Attorney Traci M. Cook prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Bridgeport Police Department Mountain Highway Interdiction Team investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
Groveton Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Fentanyl Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
CONCORD – Norman Limoges, 51, of Groveton, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a fentanyl drug trafficking conspiracy, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, as a result of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, agents and task force officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned that on March 1, 2018, Limoges intended to travel from New Hampshire to a location in Lawrence, Massachusetts to purchase 180 grams of a controlled substance. Agents conducted surveillance in the area of the transaction and observed Limoges’s vehicle. The agents later alerted the New Hampshire State Police of their observations and described the vehicle to the troopers. The troopers subsequently stopped the vehicle in Londonderry, New Hampshire for a traffic violation.
The troopers identified Limoges as the driver of the vehicle. During a consent search of the vehicle, troopers found a bag containing approximately 180 grams of fentanyl in the center console. Limoges admitted to purchasing the 180 grams of fentanyl. He also admitted that he bought 80-100 grams of fentanyl on a monthly basis which he then re-sold in New Hampshire.
The investigation revealed that on February 24, 2018, the defendant also purchased approximately 135 grams of fentanyl from his source in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Limoges is scheduled to be sentenced on January 29th 2019.
“The transportation of fentanyl into New Hampshire poses a significant threat to the safety of our citizens” said U.S. Attorney Murray. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to stop interstate drug trafficking by arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating those who engage in this deadly practice.”
The case was a collaborative investigation that involved the DEA; the New Hampshire State Police; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Nashua Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police; the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office; the Essex County District Attorney’s Office; the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; United States Customs and Border Protection Boston Field Office; the United States Marshals Service; the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; the Manchester Police Department; the Lisbon Police Department; the Littleton Police Department; the Seabrook Police Department; the Haverhill (MA) Police Department; the Methuen (MA) Police Department; the Lowell (MA) Police Department; and the Maine State Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Georgiana L. Konesky, Seth R. Aframe and Debra M. Walsh.
This case was supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.
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Greenville Man Sentenced to Five Years on Child Porn ChargesRead the Press Release
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon stated today that Micah R. Vickery, age 37, of Greenville, was sentenced in federal court in Anderson, for possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain, of Anderson, sentenced Vickery to 5 years’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that law enforcement conducted a proactive investigation involving a file-sharing network used by individuals with an interest in child pornography. An undercover officer downloaded a video that Vickery had available for sharing.
A federal search warrant was obtained and executed. Electronic devices were seized and law enforcement found 900 images of child pornography. Vickery admitted to having a problem with all sorts of pornography and admitted to searching for and downloading child pornography. Agents found images of children under the age of 18, and some prepubescent, engaged in the lascivious display of the genitals and sexual activity.
The case was investigated by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Geneva Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Trebor Conolly, 36, of Geneva NY, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 151 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that between September 6, 2017, and September 26, 2017, the defendant received nine videos and four images of child pornography via a peer-to-peer file sharing program. Conolly saved the child pornography on a personal computer. The videos and images depicted minors under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct with adults. Some of the videos and images depicted the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. Conolly then distributed the videos over the internet by connecting to the peer-to-peer file sharing program.
Today’s sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.# # # #
Four California Men Charged with Conspiracy to Violate Federal Riots StatuteRead the Press Release
Charlottesville, VIRGINIA – Four California men, who flew from the west coast for the August 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville to engage in violent behavior, have been arrested on federal criminal complaints and charged with violating the federal riots statute and conspiracy. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Thomas Chadwick of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Richmond Division, and Captain Dave Cooper of the Virginia State Police made the announcement.
Early this morning, federal agents in California arrested Benjamin Drake Daley, 25, of Redondo Beach, Calif., Thomas Walter Gillen, 24, of Redondo Beach, Calif., Michael Paul Miselis, 29, of Lawndale, Calif., and Cole Evan White, 24, of Clayton, Calif. All four defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the federal riots statute and one count of violating the federal riots statute.
“This case should serve as another example of the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting the life, liberty, and civil rights of all our citizens,” United States Attorney Cullen stated today. “Any individual who has or plans to travel to this District with the intent to engage in acts of violence will be prosecuted and held accountable for those actions.”
“The events of August 2017 do not reflect the character and values of Virginia's communities. The impact is still felt by many. Law enforcement's job is to protect people from harm and to ensure violence like we saw during that time never happens again,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division Adam S. Lee. “It is important for communities like Charlottesville to remember who the good guys are - who is sworn to protect them - and support them in their mission. The FBI has worked extensively with Virginia State Police and our local partners to achieve justice for those injured during the rally. Their partnership is how we have arrived at this point in our investigations. I want to thank them and U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen and his team in the Western District for their expertise and professionalism.”
According to the criminal complaint and accompanying affidavit filed with the court today, Daley, Gillen, Miselis, White, and others, are members or associates of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), a militant white-supremacist organization based in Southern California. The four defendants traveled to Charlottesville for the August 2017 United the Right Rally with the intent to encourage, promote, incite, participate in, and commit violent acts in furtherance of a riot.
The complaints allege that Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White committed multiple acts of violence against counter-protestors at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, which in some cases resulted in serious injuries.
In addition, the complaint alleges that Daley, Gillen, Miselis, and White were present and participated in the torch-lit march that culminated in violence against students and counter protestors on the grounds of the University of Virginia on the night of August 11, 2017.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police. United States Attorney Cullen and Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh are prosecuting the case for the United States.
A criminal complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Police Lieutenant Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas ‐ A former lieutenant with the Edcouch Police Department (EPD) has been ordered to federal prison for drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Vicente Salinas, 43, of Elsa, pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2016, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.
Today, U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa ordered Salinas to serve 39 months in prison. In imposing the sentence, the court ruled Salinas abused his position of trust to facilitate the drug trafficking offense. Judge Hinojosa further noted that when police officers commit crimes, it effects the community more than just the impact of that one offense - it erodes the trust the community has with law enforcement. Salinas will also serve two years of supervised release.
On March 18, 2013, Salinas received information which led to the seizure of 15 bundles of cocaine. The drugs were stored at EPD for several days, but then transported to the Hidalgo County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Upon initial inspection, officers discovered four of the bundles contained blocks of wood.
Salinas admitted he had participated in the theft. He confessed he was part of a scheme to steal the bundles shortly after officers initially logged the 15 bundles into evidence. They were replaced with bundles containing the wood blocks so that no one would detect the theft.
Salinas was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS - Criminal Investigation conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation which was dubbed Operation Blue Shame. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz and Kristen Rees prosecuted the case.
Former Physician Assistant and Registered Nurse Plead Guilty to Conspiracy and Opioid Diversion ChargesRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Matthew Dows, age 39, and Robert Garofalo, age 31, both of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty on October 1, 2018, before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of obtaining controlled substances by deception.
According to David J. Freed, Dows, a Physician’s Assistant, and Garofalo, a Registered Nurse, conspired between February 2017 and March 2018 to obtain more than 7,470 medically unnecessary oxycodone pills and 1,620 medically unnecessary morphine pills.
A total of 67 prescriptions were issued by Dows for Garofalo and two other unidentified individuals without the other individuals’ knowledge or consent. Dows and Garafalo then filled all of the prescriptions at local pharmacies and converted the controlled substances to their own use.
Dows was terminated from his employment as a Physician Assistant at Pinnacle’s Health’s Fisher Road Office in Mechanicsburg on January 5, 2018. After Dows’ termination, he wrote 11 more prescriptions for oxycodone and morphine on counterfeit Pinnacle prescription forms. Under Pennsylvania law, a Physician Assistant may not legally write a prescription if he is not under the supervision of a physician.
The matter was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel is prosecuting the case.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Former Mountain Energy Manager Sentenced to Prison, Ordered to Pay $672K in Restitution for Defrauding Employer and Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH - A resident of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to one year and one day imprisonment, $672,387.67 in restitution and three years of supervised release on his conviction of mail fraud and tax evasion, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
Senior United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed sentence on Kevin C. Conklin, age 56.
In connection with sentencing, the court was advised that Conklin was employed by Mountain Energy Company, Ltd., an energy company headquartered in Aleppo Pennsylvania that operated oil and natural gas wells in the Western District of Pennsylvania. As part of his employment, Conklin oversaw the day-to-day operations of Mountain Energy and managed the financial matters of Mountain Energy.
From January 2008 through December 2012, Conklin engaged in a scheme to defraud Mountain Energy and fraudulently obtained thousands of dollars of Mountain Energy’s funds. As part of the fraudulent scheme, Conklin used checks drawn on Mountain Energy’s business bank account to pay for personal expenses, including payments for Conklin' s home, personal credit card bills, college tuition for his daughter, an engagement ring for his son and automobile payments for a personal vehicle. Conklin falsely recorded in the financial database of Mountain Energy, the payee information and purpose of the Mountain Energy’s checks used by Conklin for his personal expenses. As part of the scheme, Conklin concealed from Mountain Energy’s tax preparer and the Internal Revenue Service, the expenditure of Mountain Energy’s funds to pay for his personal expenses.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mary McKeen Houghton and Paul E. Hull prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Conklin.
Former CEO of the Freedom Fighters Foundation Convicted of Felony Gun TraffickingRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorney Andrew R. Haden (619) 546-6961
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 2, 2018
SAN DIEGO – Chad Clay Kipper, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom Fighters Foundation, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday, admitting to the unlicensed purchase and transportation of firearms.
According to court documents, in January 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) became aware of a private firing range in San Diego where individuals were reportedly firing fully automatic firearms in close proximity to a nearby neighborhood. A subsequent investigation revealed that Chad Clay Kipper was listed with the California Secretary of State as the Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom Fighters Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns the firing range.
Record checks into Kipper revealed that he had not registered any fully automatic weapons with the State of California. The checks also revealed that Kipper, a longtime resident of Carlsbad, had been purchasing firearms in Arizona and had then quickly resold several of them in California for a profit.
On Monday, Kipper pleaded guilty to felony gun trafficking before U.S. District Judge Cynthia A. Bashant. In his plea agreement, Kipper admitted that he had falsely claimed to be an Arizona resident during 14 firearms purchases in Arizona during the year 2016. He also admitted to being the former Chief Executive Officer of the Freedom Fighters Foundation.
It is a federal crime to make material misrepresentations during the purchase of a firearm. Federal statutes also make it illegal to purchase and transport firearms from one state back to your state of residence, unless you are a licensed firearms dealer.
After pleading guilty, Kipper was sentenced and is now a convicted felon. As such, he is prohibited by both federal and state laws from ever possessing a firearm. As part of his guilty plea, Kipper also forfeited 16 firearms to the United States that he had unlawfully obtained or possessed. The list of forfeited firearms includes assault-style rifles and handguns.
“The Department of Justice takes federal firearms statute violations very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. “The trafficking of illegal guns in our communities is a threat to public safety and won’t be tolerated.”
“It is imperative individuals follow the federal firearms laws, to reduce the risk of public safety caused by firearms trafficking.” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bill McMullan. “The mission of ATF is to protect communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, and the illegal use and trafficking of firearms. As a result of this individual’s actions of lying and buying, he will never be allowed to legally own a gun.”
DEFENDANTS Case Number 18-CR-2460-BAS
Chad Clay Kipper Age: 34 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Unlicensed Transportation of Firearms – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(a)(3)
Maximum penalty: 5 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine
AGENCY
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
*This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime to 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.
Former Auditor Sentenced for Submitting Fraudulently Backdated Documents to the Securities and Exchange CommissionRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that TERRY JOHNSON, a former auditor and owner of a registered public accounting firm, was sentenced to five months’ imprisonment for falsifying records in an investigation within the jurisdiction of a federal agency. Specifically, JOHNSON submitted falsely backdated documents to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) during an SEC investigation into his auditing practices. In response to SEC document requests, JOHNSON sent unsigned versions of the documents at issue to two of the companies he had audited and obtained backdated signatures on them. JOHNSON then submitted the backdated documents to the SEC as though they were authentic, and later lied about his submission of these false documents during sworn SEC testimony. JOHNSON pled guilty on May 31, 2018.
According to the Information, SEC public filings, and statements made during the plea proceeding:
At all relevant times, JOHNSON owned and ran an accounting firm that ostensibly audited the financial statements of publicly traded companies’ financial statements in order to ascertain whether the statements were accurate, truthful, and complete in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). JOHNSON did so under the oversight of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), a non-profit corporation created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. JOHNSON was registered with the PCAOB.
Through his firm, JOHNSON audited several companies concerning their 2013 year-end financial statements, releasing audit reports for them in April 2014. In August 2014, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement sent a voluntary document request to JOHNSON, announcing that it was conducting a non-public fact finding inquiry and requesting that JOHNSON provide certain categories of backup documentation and work papers concerning his audits as part of that inquiry. In October 2014, the SEC issued a subpoena to JOHNSON, seeking substantially the same categories of documents, each of which was a critical part of the audit process.
JOHNSON provided documents responsive to the voluntary document request in September 2014 and additional documents responsive to both the voluntary request and the subpoena in November 2014. The documents were supposed to have been those generated or obtained in the course of producing the April 2014 audit reports. In truth, certain of the requested documentation did not exist. Rather than admit this to the SEC, upon receiving the SEC’s requests for documents, JOHNSON created certain of the requested documents, sent unsigned copies of the documents to officials at the relevant client companies, and requested that the documents be signed and backdated to a date consistent with JOHNSON having obtained the signed documents during the course of his relevant audit work. When JOHNSON received the signed and backdated documents, he submitted them to the SEC as though they were authentic.
In March 2015, JOHNSON, during sworn testimony before the SEC, lied repeatedly under oath concerning his submission of the backdated documents. Ultimately, the SEC inquiry resulted in an SEC order sanctioning JOHNSON for committing securities fraud and improper professional conduct. JOHNSON was assessed financial penalties and barred from appearing or practicing before the SEC as an accountant.
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In addition to the prison term, JOHNSON, 60, of Casselberry, Florida, was also sentenced to two years of supervised release.
Mr. Berman thanked the SEC and praised the investigative work of the SEC’s Office of the Inspector General and the Criminal Investigators of the United States Attorney’s Office.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Martin S. Bell is in charge of the prosecution.
Foreign National Pleads Guilty to Downloading Child Pornography from the Dark Web in Exchange for CryptocurrencyRead the Press Release
A Saudi Arabian national living in Arlington, Virginia pleaded guilty today to downloading child pornography through the dark web.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)’s Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
Ammar Atef Alahdali, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady of the Eastern District of Virginia. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 18.
According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Alahdali paid cryptocurrency to become a member of a website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography. This website operated over the dark web—i.e., it could only be accessed through special software that masks the user’s real internet protocol address. In 2017, he used this website to download more than 20 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including at least one video depicting sadistic sexual conduct.
HSI investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kyle P. Reynolds and William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Fong of the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Final Oregon Defendant Sentenced in Interstate Opioid Trafficking SchemeRead the Press Release
EUGENE, Ore. – Brett Allen McNeal, 37, of Grants Pass, Oregon, was sentenced today to three months in federal prison for distributing oxycodone as part of an interstate opioid-trafficking organization.
The organization was structured around Daniel Cham, a doctor practicing in La Puente, California, who would illegally provide prescriptions for oxycodone, hydrocodone, and other powerful medications in exchange money orders and cash. The narcotics were moved from Southern California through a network of redistributors for eventual sale in Oregon.
“At a time when the opioid crisis continues to worsen in Oregon, some medical providers aim to profit off addiction. The drug trafficking network that grew from Dr. Cham’s criminal activity contributed to the overdose deaths of two people, including a young woman here in Oregon” said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “This conduct is reprehensible. Criminal organizations who traffic opioids will be dismantled, person-by-person, until every last participant has been prosecuted.”
“Corrupt doctors and dealers who cash in on the opioid epidemic are fueling the cycle of dependence and addiction in our community. In doing so, they put lives at risk and make it that much more difficult for the most vulnerable to overcome the pull of these narcotics,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “This is a health care problem, a crime problem and a societal problem - and one that will take many partners working together to address fully.”
Cham would write prescriptions to individuals both known and unknown to him and to others he knew to be prolific drug dealers and addicts. He regularly sold prescriptions to John Bryden, an Oregon resident, who in turn would sell them to other co-conspirators, including Kevin Grimes, Marcela Cooper, and Austin Alderete, for distribution across Oregon.
McNeal purchased oxycodone from Alderete and sold it for a profit to end users. One of those end users, Jessica Morretti, died of an overdose on April 13, 2012. According to text messages on Moretti’s cell phone from the evening she overdosed, McNeal had provided her with five 30mg oxycodone pills the same day. An analysis of post-mortem toxicology reports indicated that the lethal amount of oxycodone in Moretti’s system could have come from multiple sources, including McNeal.
McNeal admitted to law enforcement that he had purchased 30mg oxycodone pills from Alderete on multiple occasions for $15-20 apiece. Alderete would at a times front McNeal up to 100 oxycodone pills.
McNeal is the sixth defendant overall and last prosecuted in Oregon to be sentenced for their role in the trafficking organization. Other sentenced defendants include:
- Daniel Cham, 49, of Covina, California – 160 months in prison and three years’ supervised release (sentenced in the Central District of California)
- Kevin Grimes, 46, of Calimesa, California – 37 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
- Austin Alderete, 32, no known residence – 21 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
- Maricela Ann Cooper, 27, of Central Point, Oregon – time served in prison and three years’ supervised release
- Laurie Ryan, 59, of Jackson County, Oregon – 18 months’ probation (sentenced in Jackson County Circuit Court)
Tracy Townsend, a high-level co-conspirator of Cham’s from California, remains at large. John Bryden died before being prosecuted.
McNeal previously pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with distribution of oxycodone in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Upon completion of his prison sentence, he will be on supervised release for three years.
This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Drug abuse affects communities across the nation, and opioid abuse continues to be particularly devastating. The CDC reports that from 1999 to 2016, more than 630,000 people have died from a drug overdoses. In 2016, 66% of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of injury or death in the United States. In Oregon, the total number of deaths related to drug use increased 11 percent between from 2013 to 2017, with 546 known drug related deaths last year.
If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, please call the Lines for Life substance abuse helpline at 1-800-923-4357 or visit www.linesforlife.org. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also text “RecoveryNow” to 839863 between 8am and 11pm PST daily.
Eagle Grove Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and possessed a firearm while distributing methamphetamine was sentenced on October 2, 2018, in federal court in Sioux City.
Joe Ramon Santillan, 46, from Eagle Grove, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on March 22, 2018. Santillan was previously convicted of a felony drug offense in California in 2008.
At the guilty plea hearing, Santillan admitted that from about February 2017 through November 2017, he distributed more than 1500 grams of mixed methamphetamine which contained more than 500 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine in the Hamilton, Webster, and Humboldt County areas of Iowa and particularly Eagle Grove and Webster City. On November 9, 2017, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Santillan’s residence in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Agents seized approximately one pound of methamphetamine in a bag along with packaging materials and a digital scale in Santillan’s bedroom and seven firearms, including two loaded handguns, two assault-style rifles, two other rifles and a shotgun. Agents also seized approximately $8,000 cash in Santillan’s pocket and $25,000 cash in a safe in his bedroom.
Santillan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Santillan was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Wright County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-3052. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Series of Thefts at Gyms and Movie TheaterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Leopold Badu, 43, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to six years in prison for incidents in which he stole credit cards and other items from lockers and bags at three gyms and a movie theater, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Badu pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of robbery, one count of second-degree burglary, and two counts of felony credit card fraud, stemming from four incidents over a five-month period. He was sentenced on Sept. 28, 2018, by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following his prison term, he is to be placed on three years of supervised release.
Badu was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in June 2018 and charged with multiple theft-related charges, mostly stemming from break-ins of lockers at various fitness centers. In his guilty plea, he admitted to four of the offenses. They included:
-Dec. 25, 2017: Badu sat next to a woman at a movie theater in the 700 block of Seventh Street NW, and removed a wallet from her bag without her knowledge. He then used her credit card for $150 in transactions at the concession stand.
-March 15, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 3100 block of 14th Street NW, and broke into a locker. He stole cash and three credit cards. He used the cards to make more than $2,000 in purchases.
-May 7, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 2400 block of M Street NW and took credit cards. He then made more than $2,000 in purchases.
-May 22, 2018: Badu entered the men’s locker room of a fitness center in the 1600 block of U Street NW and broke into a locker. He stole credit cards and $40 in cash. He made more than $2,000 in purchases on the credit cards.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivian E. Kim and Colleen Kukowski, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Possession ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Kavon D. Young, 28, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal firearms charge following his arrest in a traffic stop, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Young pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The Honorable Christopher R. Cooper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 14, 2018. Young faces an estimated range of 30 to 37 months in prison and up to three years of supervised release. The Court ordered him detained pending sentencing.
According to the government's evidence, on Feb. 16, 2018, at approximately 10 p.m., an MPD officer, operating in full uniform and in an unmarked police car, was patrolling the Sixth District. The officer saw Young operating a gold-colored Nissan Maxima traveling in the wrong direction on 53rd Street SE, which is a one-way street.
A few minutes later, while officers were searching for the vehicle, another MPD officer, in full uniform and in a marked police car, observed Young driving at the intersection of 60th and Clay Streets NE. When officers got behind the vehicle in attempt to initiate a traffic stop, Young sped out and turned onto 60th Street NE, which leads to a dead end in the 200 block of the street. Before officers approached or were able to give Young any verbal commands, he immediately jumped out of the vehicle, leaving the driver’s door wide open. Without any prompting from MPD officers, Young went to the ground laying on his stomach with his arms on either side of him. An officer asked, “Any weapons on you?” and he replied “na, it’s in the car.”
Inside the vehicle, the officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic firearm tucked in between the right side of the driver’s seat and the center console. The magazine had 16 rounds of ammunition, and an additional seven rounds of ammunition was found in the vehicle.
Young was barred from possessing a firearm because of prior convictions in the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md. In the District of Columbia, he was sentenced in 2016 for various firearms offenses. In Prince George’s County, he was sentenced in 2015 for a firearms offense and a vehicle theft charge.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked in the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias and Legal Intern Nikeesha D. Nath. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the case.
Department of Justice awards $1 million school violence reduction grantRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS - United States Attorney Josh Minkler is pleased to announce a $1 million U.S. Department of Justice grant issued through the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance to the Indiana State Department of Health. The grant focus is combatting school violence through School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training with state and local governments.
The grant goals include:
- Training school personnel and educating students to prevent student violence,
- The development and operation of an anonymous reporting system for school threats including mobile telephone applications, hotlines, and websites, and
- The development and operation of school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams that may include coordination with law enforcement agencies and school personnel as well as specialized training for school officials help to intervene and respond to individuals with mental health issues that could impact school safety.
Justice Department funding for the program is intended to support the improvement of school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to violent attacks, and mitigate risk exposure. Moreover, the goal is to prevent acts of violence.
According to U.S. Attorney Minkler, “We are currently experiencing a violent crime wave of epic proportions, and our schools are not immune. The Justice Department is pleased to partner with non-traditional and traditional partners like the Indiana State Department of Health, willing to illuminate the importance of school safety and reduce school violence through prevention and mental health training.”
As the Attorney General recognized, the violent crime rate in Indianapolis is more than 250% the national average and has been steadily increasing. Experts in mental health, violence prevention, public health, media studies, and law enforcement who gathered in February 2018 at the University of Pittsburgh, Center for Bioethics and Health Law, reported gun violence across the country to be “a public health problem . . . [and] a threat to every dimension of health . . .undermin[ing] physical, mental, and social well-being.”
“I’m grateful to the DOJ for this needed funding, which will allow Indiana to not only remain a national leader in school safety, but to address gaps and increase prevention efforts,” said Indiana State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “We must continue to tackle the problem of school violence from all angles, whether it’s hardening our schools, investing resources in preparedness and training or enhancing our mental health services, in order to keep our students, teachers and administrators safe.”
Department of Justice Announces over $70 Million to Support School Safety ProgramsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
The Barrington Public Schools has been awarded $55,342.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
The Providence Police Department has been award $250,000.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The Town of Smithfield has been awarded $454,063. The Town of West Warwick has been awarded $37,472.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Department of Justice Announces More than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores joined with the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident.
Recipients in the Northern District of Oklahoma include the Cherokee Nation, receiving $473,201, and the City of Fairland, receiving $55,842. Both were provided the funding for the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program.
Other funding recipients in Oklahoma include the Oklahoma State Board of Education, who received $249,684 for BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program and $148,661 for the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program. Durant Independent Schools in the Western District of Oklahoma also received $149,772 for the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“It is imperative that we work proactively to protect Oklahoma’s children from school violence. Law enforcement officials, teachers, administrators, and parents must be united in this difficult, but noble effort. Oklahoma schools should be safe havens for our children,” said U.S. Attorney Shores. “I am proud to announce that Oklahoma - and specifically northeastern Oklahoma entities - will be receiving Department of Justice grants to help prevent school violence. This funding is preventative in that it sets in place processes and equipment that will help stop potential tragedies from occurring. I am thankful to Attorney General Sessions and Community Oriented Policing Services Director Phil Keith for recognizing Oklahoma’s need for these grants.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident. These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
"President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind."
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $333,333 to the Maryland State Department of Education under the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and $200,000 to the Governor’s Office of Crime Control Prevention under the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program in the District of Maryland.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services was awarded $666,982 under the National Criminal History Improvement Program.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“We must do everything we can to keep our children safe in school,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “These funds are an investment in programs that prevent violence by providing training and support our state partners, crisis intervention teams, and first responders.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident. Two cities in the Eastern District of Tennessee received 2018 COPS School Violence Prevention Program Grants. The City of Knoxville received $240,345 and the City of Newport received $20,419.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“I am proud to announce the 2018 COPS School Violence Prevention Program funding for the City of Knoxville and the City of Newport,” said J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “This funding will allow each jurisdiction to increase school safety by providing more coordination and training for local law enforcement, as well as upgrading technology to help prevent acts of violence from occurring and improve response capabilities in the event of an emergency.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For additional information on today’s grant announcements visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Department of Justice Announces Corey Amundson to Head the Office of Professional ResponsibilityRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice today announced Corey Amundson as the head of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Corey Amundson has replaced Robin Ashton, who left the position after almost a decade of service in the Office of Professional Responsibility.
As the head of the OPR, Mr. Amundson will lead a component of the U.S. Department of Justice that investigates misconduct allegations against Department attorneys, immigration judges, and law enforcement agents. He is the fourth permanent head since the office was founded.
Mr. Amundson previously served as Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana and Acting Executive Director of the National Center for Disaster Fraud, an agency within the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He also advised multiple administrations as a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, Criminal Chiefs Working Group, and enforced standards of conduct as a supervisor for more than a decade, including as First Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Chief, Senior Deputy Criminal Chief, and Deputy Criminal Chief.
Mr. Amundson also served as lead counsel in more than 150 federal criminal matters at the district and appellate levels and has extensive courtroom experience successfully navigating complex prosecutions and trials, many involving misconduct by government officials and attorneys. He is the recipient of awards and commendations from the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the head of Criminal Investigations for the Internal Revenue Service, and the Inspectors General for the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Treasury (Tax Administration).
Mr. Amundson frequently lectures at the National Advocacy Center and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Louisiana State University Law Center teaching its corporate and white-collar crime course. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Amundson practiced in the private sector handling white-collar criminal matters, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Mr. Amundson received his J.D. from Emory University and his B.A. in political science and criminal justice from Indiana University.Department of Justice Grant Awards Announce More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
Awards in Kentucky include substantial grants to the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, the Kentucky State Police, Whitley County, and the City of Beattyville
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan, Jr. joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding, to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident. In Kentucky $200,000 was awarded to the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, $496,803 to the Kentucky State Police, $339,004 to Whitley County, and $358,485 to the City of Beattyville.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“The grant funds provided by the Department of Justice will assist our state and local partners in the Commonwealth,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “These funds evidence the Department’s strong commitment to helping find solutions to the problems associated with school violence.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr. joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $493,670 for the Iowa Department of Education.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
The grants announced today are in addition to a collaborative effort initiated in Northern Iowa following the tragic Parkland school shootings. Earlier this year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa convened a group of state and federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials, mental health providers, and school officials who have been meeting regularly to discuss how best to prevent and address school threats. One product of these meetings is a resource guide designed to help identify the various mental health and law enforcement tools that may be brought to bear to intervene and prevent violence. The resource guide is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and will be disseminated among schools, law enforcement, and other stakeholders in the Northern District of Iowa.
“Violence prevention and effective intervention strategies are critical to ensuring the safety of our communities and our schools,” said United States Attorney Deegan. “These grants are an investment in the safety of our children. The grants will enhance our ongoing efforts to help teachers and school administrators learn how to spot danger signs, prevent violence, and deal effectively with mental health issues that can lead to school violence.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Department of Justice today announced more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $398,345 for the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update its curriculum to better support training programs. When combined, these funds will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
"President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind."
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education will receive $249,684 through the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program and $148,661 through the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program. Oklahoma recipients outside the Western District of Oklahoma are the Durant Independent School District ($149,772 under the Mental Health Training Program), the Cherokee Nation ($473,201 under the COPS Office SVPP), and the City of Fairland ($55,842 under the COPS Office SVPP).
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health-related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Records SystemsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including $373,971 for the City of Waxhaw, N.C., and $13,892 for Yancey County in the Western District of North Carolina.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These combined grants will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“The safety of our students, faculty and staff in our District’s school systems is paramount. Nothing is more important to parents than knowing their children can learn in a safe environment, away from danger and out of harm’s way. The federal grants awarded to the City of Waxhaw and to Yancey County will help further school safety and enhance each school district’s existing violence prevention program,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident. In the Middle District of Florida, the following recipients were awarded funds – the Collier County Sheriff’s Office ($250,000); the Pasco County District School Board ($199,998); and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office ($127,250).
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
“We should take every step possible to guarantee our students a safe and secure place to learn – free from violence,” said U.S. Attorney Chapa Lopez. “These funds will assist our partners in creating and enhancing critical systems and procedures to reduce threats and violence in our schools.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders. This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
- BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
- The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
- The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
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Darby Man Convicted at Trial of Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Kareem Murphy, 36, of Darby, PA, was found guilty today by a jury of one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone.
On February 18, 2018, the Philadelphia Police Department responded to a house in Philadelphia after an officer heard the sound of a gunshot. As law enforcement arrived on the scene, the defendant fired another gunshot through the door of the house before fleeing the scene. Police officers arrested the defendant in a nearby alley. The defendant fired the gun within 1,000 feet of the Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School, and has previously been convicted of a felony and therefore was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
“The defendant fired a gun into a house and endangered everyone in the vicinity, even though he should never have had a gun in the first place because of his felony conviction,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Making matters worse, his crimes occurred near an elementary school, where any one of the neighborhood’s young students could have been struck. We are very lucky that no one was injured, and I am thankful that the jury held the defendant accountable for his actions.”
“ATF’s top priority is combating violent crime; one of the ways we accomplish that mission is by keeping firearms out of the hands of violent offenders,” said Donald Robinson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “This conviction is a perfect example of the collaborative effort between ATF, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Philadelphia Police Department in targeting violent offenders and protecting our communities.”
"The Project Safe Neighborhoods program is of tremendous benefit to local law enforcement here in Philadelphia,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross. “The arrest of Kareem Murphy, and the PSN collaborations that resulted in a successful prosecution, illustrate the tangible impact that strong collective effort among law enforcement agencies can have on promoting safety and enhancing quality of life in the communities we serve."
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Rue.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning 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.
Department of Justice Announces More Than $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme of Montana joined the Department of Justice today in announcing more than $70 million in grant funding to bolster school security, educate and train students and faculty, and support law enforcement officers and first responders who arrive on the scene of a school violence incident, including a state agency and a school district in Montana.
The Montana Office of Public Instruction will receive $497,479 from the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training program, while Arlee Public Schools will receive $148,938 from the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting program.
These grants are in addition to the funding to the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week, to expand and update their curriculum to better support training programs. These grants combined will better protect students, teachers, faculty, and first responders across the United States. Additionally, the Department is awarding more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems, which will help law enforcement and increase the effectiveness of background checks.
“President Trump and his administration will ensure the safety of every American school," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. "Earlier this year he signed into law the STOP School Violence Act, which provides grant funding to develop anonymous school threat reporting systems, to implement school building security measures, and to train students, school personnel, and law enforcement on how to prevent school violence. Today I am announcing $70 million in these grants to hundreds of cities and states across America. These grants will go a long way toward giving young people and their families both safety and peace of mind.”
U.S. Attorney Alme said, “We cannot expect our students to learn and reach their academic goals if they don’t feel safe. I am pleased to announce that Montana schools will be participating in this important grant funding stream to improve school safety.”
The Office of Justice Program’s (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) together are making more than 220 awards to jurisdictions across the country to help make schools more secure. The awards, granted through three funding streams, will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures and create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders.
This includes the support for existing crisis intervention teams and the creation of new ones.
• BJA’s STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program will provide 68 awards valued at more than $19 million. This funding supports training to create and operate threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and to develop technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of a mobile phone application, hotline, or website.
• The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA, will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises. This program will fund 85 awards at nearly $28 million.
• The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) will provide nearly $25 million to 91 jurisdictions for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.
The grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.
The Department also announced that it has awarded more than $64 million to state agencies to improve the completeness, quality, and accessibility of the nation’s criminal record systems. These grants are administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, part of OJP. Approximately $43 million in funding will be administered through the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), and nearly $21 million will be awarded under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program. These grant programs help states automate and upgrade records accessed by the firearms background check system. This year, at the direction of the Attorney General, the Department prioritized funding for projects that improve accessibility of criminal history records, domestic violence convictions, and information on persons who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental-health related reasons.
The Department is also investing over $1 million in research to better understand the factors behind mass shooting incidents. The grant awards, made by the Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), part of OJP, support scientific investigations that will examine factors that contribute to mass violence, identify any patterns in mass shootings, analyze psychological and social life histories of mass shooters and community-level predictors of mass violence, and will examine firearm purchasing patterns of known mass shooters in order to create a risk prediction tool.
For addition information on today’s grant announcements, visit www.bja.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
NOTE: The breakdown of the STOP School Violence Grants can be found here: STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program, STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, and COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program
Convicted Felon Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal Prison after a Child Found Sitting on Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – A local man has been sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for being a convicted a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. D. Michael Dunavant, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, on February 7, 2017, Memphis Police Department officers arrived at the 3700 block of Walsingham Drive to arrest Antonio White, 38, on an unrelated warrant. While in the front room of the home, officers noticed a young child sitting on a couch. Under the couch cushion on which the child was seated, officers discovered a loaded Glock .4o caliber pistol and approximately 7.4 grams of cocaine.
On October 1, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced White to 120 months in federal prison on each of the cocaine and firearms charges. These two sentences are to be served concurrently. Antonio White was a convicted felon at the time of the offense.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Under our PSN initiative, we focus on removing firearms from the hands of prohibited persons, and removing dangerous felons from our streets. Clearly, this prior felon has no hesitation in illegally possessing a firearm and cocaine in the presence of a child, and he will now be removed from our community for 10 years. We are FED UP. Gun Crime is Max Time."
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryce Phillips prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Cocaine Traffickers Sentenced to Prison TermsRead the Press Release
SAVANNAH, GA: Two cocaine dealers with lengthy criminal histories will spend more than a decade in prison after recent sentencing in federal court.
Anderson Holmes, 50, of Savannah, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison, and Ronnie Cope, 38, of Guyton, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison during sentencing Sept. 27 by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood. The two were sentenced after entering guilty pleas on charges of Conspiracy to Possess Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine. Both Holmes and Cope will be on supervised release for three years after their prison terms end; there is no parole in the federal system.
Holmes, whose criminal history spans more than 30 years and includes five prior felony convictions, and Cope, who has a criminal history of more than 19 years with four prior felony convictions, are among more than 30 defendants convicted in Operation Lazarus. This joint federal and state investigation determined that members of a drug trafficking organization were transporting cocaine, via tractor-trailer, to Savannah from Texas and elsewhere. Once the cocaine reached Savannah, the drug traffickers would distribute and sell the drugs throughout the Southern District of Georgia.
Operation Lazarus has sent dozens of convicted drug dealers to prison for conspiracy to traffic cocaine, including local minister Cedric Manior, sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, and Trevor Walker, sentenced to 144 months in prison. During the investigation, agents seized dozens of firearms, kilograms of cocaine and significant amounts of MDMA (“ecstasy”), marijuana and other controlled substances.
“These sentences should serve as a stern warning to illegal drug dealers,” said United States Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “Our law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are united in our determination to make our communities safer, and long prison sentences await those who would push poison for their own profit.”
“Drug traffickers who distribute illegal and dangerous drugs are a true menace to society,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These cocaine distributors will spend well-deserved time in prison. This investigation was a success because of the true spirit of cooperation that existed between all of the law enforcement agencies involved and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Operation Lazarus involved local and federal law enforcement and is being prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which includes members of the Chatham County Narcotics Team (CNT), the Savannah Police Department, the Chatham Sheriff’s Department, the Garden City Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service. The OCDETF program is the premier U.S. Department of Justice program utilized to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney E. Greg Gilluly Jr.
For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
Children’s Singer/Songwriter Sentenced to 82 Months in Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A music teacher and singer/songwriter who performed for children at synagogues, Jewish community centers, camps and conventions nationwide was sentenced today to 82 months in prison for receiving images of child sexual abuse, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Eric S. Komar, 47, of Hillsborough, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini to an information charging him with one count of receiving child pornography. Judge Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Between April 2017 and September 2017, Komar used an Internet based peer-to-peer file-sharing program to obtain images and videos that included images of prepubescent children being sexually abused as well as sadistic and masochistic images. Komar also admitted to law enforcement that he had become sexually aroused by a child in his presence on more than one occasion.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Komar to 10 years of supervised release and ordered that he register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie; members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson and County Chief of Detectives John W. Fodor; the Hillsborough Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief Darren Powell, and the N.J. Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Alfonzo Walsman and Leticia Vandehaar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: John H. Yauch Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark
California Man Pleads Guilty to Hacking Websites for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and the New York City ComptrollerRead the Press Release
Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that BILLY RIBEIRO ANDERSON, a/k/a “Anderson Albuquerque,” a/k/a “AlfabetoVirtual,” pled guilty today to two felony counts of computer fraud for obtaining unauthorized access to and committing defacements of the websites for the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York (“West Point”), and the Office of the New York City Comptroller (the “NYC Comptroller”). ANDERSON pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said: “Billy Anderson hacked the websites of the New York City Comptroller and West Point, one of the most prestigious military academies in the world. He has now pled guilty to those crimes and faces time in federal prison. This case demonstrates that those who seek to commit cyber intrusions of government websites will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to the allegations contained in the Information to which ANDERSON pled guilty and statements made at the plea proceeding:
Website defacements are acts of computer intrusion in which a hacker obtains unauthorized access to computers hosting Internet websites and then replaces the publicly available contents of the website with content generated by the hacker, thereby “defacing” the website. Hackers frequently claim responsibility for defacements by listing their online pseudonyms as part of the defaced content.
From 2015 through at least March 13, 2018, ANDERSON took responsibility for obtaining unauthorized access to, and committing more than 11,000 defacements of, various U.S. military, government, and business websites around the world under the online pseudonym “AlfabetoVirtual,” including websites for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and the NYC Comptroller.
On July 10, 2015, a website owned by the NYC Comptroller was defaced, and ANDERSON, using the online pseudonym “AlfabetoVirtual,” claimed responsibility for the intrusion and defacement. The contents of the NYC Comptroller website were modified to display the text “Hacked by AlfabetoVirtual,” “#FREEPALESTINE” and “#FREEGAZA.” The defacement was performed by exploiting security vulnerabilities associated with the version of a plugin being used on the website.
On October 4, 2016, a website for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point was defaced, and ANDERSON, using the online pseudonym “AlfabetoVirtual,” claimed responsibility for the intrusion and defacement. The content of the Combating Terrorism Center website was modified to display the text “Hacked by AlfabetoVirtual.” The defacement was performed by an unauthorized administrative account that exploited a known cross-site script vulnerability, thereby enabling ANDERSON to bypass access controls and target an internal Combating Terrorism Center website address.
ANDERSON also committed unauthorized intrusions of thousands of web servers located around the world by surreptitiously installing malicious code on victim web servers that provided ANDERSON with administrative rights to the victimized web servers, thereby enabling ANDERSON to commit defacements and to maintain persistent unauthorized access to the victimized web servers.
* * *
ANDERSON, 41, of Torrance, California, pled guilty to two counts of computer fraud for causing damage to a protected computer, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing before Judge Swain is scheduled for February 13, 2019, at 2:00pm.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. Mr. Berman also thanked the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command and the Brazilian Federal Police Cyber Crime Unit for their assistance with the investigation.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Sagar K. Ravi is in charge of the prosecution.
CPA Sentenced for Role in Racketeering EnterpriseRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Andrew Young (619) 546-7981, Benjamin J. Katz (619) 546-9604 and Mark W. Pletcher (619) 546-9714
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 2, 2018
SAN DIEGO – Luke Fairfield, a San Diego-based Certified Public Accountant, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for his role in the criminal enterprise led by former USC football player Owen Hanson – an international drug trafficking, gambling, and money laundering organization known as “ODOG.”
Hanson operated ODOG in the United States, Central and South America, and Australia from 2012 to 2016, trafficking in thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA (also known as “ecstasy”), and other illegal drugs in wholesale and retail quantities. The ODOG enterprise also operated a vast illegal gambling network focused on high-stakes wagers placed on sporting events. To carry out its gambling operation, the ODOG enterprise employed numerous bookies and money runners, and in the event a customer did not pay his gambling debt, the ODOG enterprise employed enforcers to threaten, intimidate, and injure its own customers in order to force compliance.
As Fairfield admitted when pleading guilty in March of 2017, his role in the ODOG enterprise included laundering money, aiding in the creation of shell companies to hide ODOG’s criminal proceeds, and training ODOG money runners on methods and tactics to hide the enterprise’s activities from law enforcement and banks. On one occasion, Fairfield personally transferred proceeds of Hanson’s Australian drug trafficking to the United States using an alias and fake identification. Fairfield also worked with Hanson to track the collection of debts from bookies and gamblers who owed the ODOG enterprise hundreds of thousands of dollars from illegal bookmaking.
Because of this conviction, Fairfield is no longer licensed as a CPA. The defendant, who is free on bond, was ordered to surrender on November 9, 2018.
“Transnational racketeering organizations like Hanson’s are a threat to the safety and security of our communities, and we are committed to prosecuting the corrupt professionals, like Fairfield, who use their specialized skills to help criminal organizations,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman.
“Money laundering is the grease that allows the wheels of Transnational Criminal Organizations to turn,” said John Brown, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office. “Today’s sentencing of Fairfield sends a clear message that business professionals who facilitate the finances of these organizations not only risk losing their professional licenses but also face the prospect of time in prison. This conviction would not have been possible without the significant contributions of the Internal Revenue Service and the New South Wales Police Force.”
Fairfield is the last of 22 defendants charged in the case to be sentenced. The case arose out of a joint investigation by FBI, DEA, and the New South Wales (Australia) Police Force in conjunction with the New South Wales Crime Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew P. Young, Benjamin Katz and Mark W. Pletcher are prosecuting the case, with assistance from DOJ’s Office of International Affairs.
DEFENDANTS Case Number 15-CR-2310-WQH
Owen Hanson Age: 34
Luke Fairfield Age: 40
Kenny Hilinski Age: 39
Giovanni Brandolino Age: 42
Daniel Portley-Hanks Age: 70
Jack Rissell Age: 50
Derek Loville Age: 48
Chalie D’Agostino Age: 52
Marlyn Villareal Age: 32
Dylan Anderson Age: 34
Tim Bryan Age: 48
Jim Muse Age: 53
Jeff Bellandi aka “Jazzy” Age: 50
Curtis Chen Age: 33
James Duley Age: 41
Dee Foxx Age: 35
Khalid Petras Age: 55
Rahul Bhagat Age: 31
David Kipper Age: 35
Todd Oldham Age: 32
Daniel Ortega Age: 42
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Racketeering Conspiracy to Conduct RICO Enterprise Affairs, 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
Maximum penalty: 20 years in prison, fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, forfeiture of any property obtained or operated by RICO enterprise, 3 years’ supervised release.
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation – San Diego Field Office
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
Internal Revenue Service – San Diego
Australian Crime Commission
New South Wales Police Force
New South Wales Crime Commission
CEO of Encrypted Communications Company Pleads Guilty to Operating a Criminal Enterprise that Facilitated the Transnational Distribution of NarcoticsRead the Press Release
Assistant U. S. Attorneys Andrew Young (619) 546-7981, Mark W. Pletcher (619) 546-9714 and Benjamin J. Katz (619) 546-9604
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – October 2, 2018
SAN DIEGO – Vincent Ramos, the chief executive of Canada-based Phantom Secure, pleaded guilty today to leading a criminal enterprise that facilitated the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics through the sale and service of encrypted communications devices.
In his plea agreement, Ramos admitted that he and his co-conspirators facilitated the distribution of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine to locations around the world including in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Thailand and Europe by supplying narcotics traffickers with Phantom Secure encrypted communications devices designed to thwart law enforcement. To keep the communications out of the reach of law enforcement, Ramos and others maintained Phantom Secure servers in Panama and Hong Kong, used virtual proxy servers to disguise the physical location of its servers, and remotely deleted or “wiped” devices seized by law enforcement. Ramos and his co-conspirators required a personal reference from an existing client to obtain a Phantom Secure device. And Ramos used digital currencies, including Bitcoin, to facilitate financial transactions for Phantom Secure to protect users’ anonymity and launder proceeds from Phantom Secure. Ramos admitted that at least 450 kilograms of cocaine were distributed using Phantom Secure devices.
As part of his guilty plea, Ramos agreed to an $80 million forfeiture money judgment as well as the forfeiture of tens of millions of dollars in identified assets, ranging from bank accounts worldwide, to houses, to a Lamborghini, to cryptocurrency accounts, to gold coins. In addition, Ramos agreed to forfeit the server licenses and over 150 domains which were being used to operate the infrastructure of the Phantom Secure network, enabling it to send and receive encrypted messages for criminals.
“The Phantom Secure encrypted communication service was designed with one purpose – to provide drug traffickers and other violent criminals with a secure means by which to communicate openly about criminal activity without fear of detection by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. “As a result of this investigation, Phantom Secure has been dismantled and its CEO Vincent Ramos now faces a significant prison sentence. The United States will investigate and prosecute anyone who provides support, in any form, to criminal organizations, including those who try to help criminal organizations ‘go dark’ on law enforcement.”
“Today’s guilty plea of Phantom Secure’s CEO, Vincent Ramos, is a significant strike against transnational organized crime,” said John Brown, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office. “The FBI and our international law enforcement partners have demonstrated that we will not be deterred by those who exploit encryption to benefit criminal organizations and assist in evading law enforcement. With this case, we have successfully shut down the communication network of dangerous criminals who operated across the globe.”
Ramos’s co-defendants - Kim Augustus Rodd, Younes Nasri, Michael Gamboa and Christopher Poquiz – remain international fugitives, charged with participating in and aiding and abetting a racketeering enterprise and conspiring to import and distribute controlled substances around the world. All have been charged with Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962 and Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841 and 846.
Ramos is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2018 before U.S. District Judge Sentencing was set for December 17 before Judge Hayes
This case was investigated by FBI San Diego. In addition to our foreign law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office further recognizes the support and assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Customs and Border Protection; the Department of Homeland Security; Seattle and Las Vegas field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Washington State Police Department; the City of Bellingham, Washington Police Department; the City of Blaine, Washington Police Department; and the Canada Border Services Agency, among others, without whose help this prosecution could not have been possible.
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations and enterprises.
DEFENDANT Case Number 18CR1404-WQH
Vincent Ramos (1) Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
aka “CEO”
aka “Business”
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Racketeering Conspiracy (RICO Conspiracy), in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d)
Maximum Penalty: 20 years prison
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Drug Enforcement Administration
Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs
Australian Federal Police
New South Wales Police (Australia)
New South Wales Crime Commission (Australia)
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
International Assistance Group, Department of Justice, Canada
Branford Man Sentenced to Prison for Selling Stolen Goods OnlineRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM REIDELL, 42, of Branford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to three months of imprisonment, followed by six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release, for his role in a large-scale fencing operation. Judge Shea ordered REIDELL to perform 150 hours of community service while on supervised release.
According to the evidence presented during the trial of REIDELL and his co-defendant, George J. Connelly, Jr., Connelly and another co-defendant, Paul Muzyka, operated a licensed secondhand store, Ace Amusements, located at 42 Kimberly Avenue in New Haven. At Ace Amusements, Connelly and Muzyka knowingly purchased stolen property from “boosters,” who typically were shoplifters with opioid addictions. The boosters stole the goods from retail stores such as Home Depot, Target, CVS, and Lowe’s, and sold the goods at Ace Amusements for approximately one-third of their retail prices. Connelly and Muzyka then resold the stolen goods at Ace Amusements, and also online at websites such as eBay. Connelly and Muzyka also sold property to resellers, including REIDELL, who then resold the property online using online websites.
The trial evidence showed at least $1.5 million in sales on eBay from 2007 to 2016 by individuals, including REIDELL, who purchased stolen items at Ace Amusements to resell online.
On May 23, 2018, REIDELL was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and one count of interstate transport of stolen property. Connelly was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property, and two counts of interstate transport of stolen property.
On March 16, 2018, Muzyka, of North Haven, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit the interstate transport of stolen property and one count of interstate transport of stolen property.
REIDELL, who is released on a $100,000 bond, was ordered to report to prison on December 3, 2018.
On October 1, 2018, Connelly was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and was ordered to forfeit an interest of $86,220.85 in a house he owns on Tuttle Drive in New Haven, $10,338.68 that was seized from his and Ace Amusements’ bank accounts, and $13,078.67 in cash that was seized from his person and from various locations inside Ace Amusements on January 25, 2016.
Muzyka is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Connecticut State Police, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the New Haven, North Haven, Milford, West Haven, Wallingford, Hamden and Orange Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Pierpont, Jr. and David T. Huang.
Benjamin Joel Brooks Sentenced to Serve Ten Years in Prison for Armed Robbery of Morristown PharmacyRead the Press Release
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On October 2, 2018, Benjamin Joel Brooks, 40, of Newport, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable R. Leon Jordan, U.S. District Judge, to serve ten years in federal prison. Upon his release from prison, he will be supervised by U.S. Probation for five years. Brooks pleaded guilty in March 2018 to armed robbery of a pharmacy and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during the robbery.
In October 2017, Brooks entered the East End Pharmacy in Morristown, Tennessee, with his face and head covered, wearing a sweatshirt, and brandishing a small silver handgun. He demanded the pharmacy staff give him various opioid narcotics.
Officers with the Morristown Police Department and Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the pharmacy within minutes of the robbery and set up a perimeter. A K9 officer helped apprehend Brooks, who was found a short distance away, hiding in a thicket of Kudzu vines along railroad tracks directly behind the pharmacy. His capture was recorded on an officer-worn body camera. The K9 recovered some of the clothing Brooks wore during the robbery. Some of the pills that were stolen from the pharmacy were also recovered.
Three pharmacy employees and one customer were present during the robbery. The pharmacist and a customer identified the handgun as a small silver pistol, which was later recovered by officers with the Morristown Police Department.
Randy Hurley, 47, of Newport, Tennessee, was charged with aiding and abetting Brooks in this robbery. He is set to enter a plea of guilty to these charges at 10:00 a.m., October 11, 2018, in U.S. District Court, Greeneville.
Agencies involved in this investigation included the Morristown Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Reeves represented the United States in court proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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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Beauregard Parish men sentenced for roles in Dequincy bank robberyRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that two men from Singer were sentenced Monday for robbing a DeQuincy bank of nearly $16,000.
Gordon Scott Cooper, 56, of Singer Louisiana, was sentenced to 84 months in prison and Chad Allen Cooper, 39, also of Singer, was sentenced to 48 months in prison for one count of bank robbery. They were also sentenced to five years of supervised release and were ordered to pay $15,899 restitution. United States District Judge Robert G. James presided over the hearing. According to the guilty pleas, Gordon Cooper entered a bank in DeQuincy, Louisiana, with an air-powered BB gun that looked like an automatic pistol and stole $15,999 from two teller drawers. Police later learned that a maroon Honda Pilot had been seen in the area prior to the robbery and that the driver had been seen acting suspiciously. Police located Chad Cooper who is Gordon Cooper’s nephew and found BBs and a CO2 cartridge for the air pistol used in the robbery. Chad Cooper admitted to assisting in the robbery and directed officers on how to find his uncle. At Gordon Cooper’s residence, police located the Honda Pilot, a plastic bag containing money, and a pair of tennis shoes that Gordon Cooper identified as the ones worn in the robbery.
The FBI and the Dequincy Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Ayo prosecuted the case.
Bay Area Man Sentenced to over 17 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO –Douglas Pippert was sentenced to 210 months in prison for production of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The sentence was handed down today by U.S. District Judge Vince G. Chhabria
Pippert, 49, formerly of Montana, pleaded guilty to the charge on June 19, 2018. According to his plea agreement, Pippert admitted he produced pornographic images of at least two minor victims while they were unconscious. Pippert engaged in sexual acts with one of the minors, while he was conscious and unconscious, and recorded the molestation. Both of the minors would sometimes stay at Pippert’s home. Pippert also developed the persona of a minor female on Facebook in order to trick teenage boys into sending him images of their genitals.
According to documents filed by the federal government, law enforcement agents discovered approximately 400,000 images and 50 hours of videos involving child pornography on Pippert’s electronic devices.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chhabria sentenced Pippert to a ten-year term of supervised release. Pippert currently is in federal custody and will begin serving his sentence immediately.
Assistant United States Attorneys Neal C. Hong and Meredith B. Osborn are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kimberly Richardson. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Fort Bragg Police Department.
Bank Branch Manager and Bank Customer Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering at East West BankRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against an East West Bank branch manager and a bank customer who conspired to launder over $25,000 in cash by converting the currency into cashier’s checks.
Vivian Tat, 54, of Hacienda Heights, who is a vice president at East West Bank, as well as the manager of the San Gabriel branch, and Ruimin Zhao, 48, of Temple City, each were convicted Friday evening of one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. Additionally, Tat was convicted of two counts of causing a false statement in a bank record.
The guilty verdict were the result of a conspiracy in which Tat, Zhao and Zhao’s husband – Raymond Tan, 62, of Temple City – laundered cash through East West Bank’s San Gabriel branch.
The evidence presented during a week-long trial showed that Tat, Zhao and Tan led an informant into the bank’s conference room, where the informant provided $25,500 in cash that was then laundered into three “clean” cashier’s checks issued off of the account of a bank client.
However, what Tat, Zhao and Tan did not know was that the informant, working as part of a long-running money laundering investigation dubbed Operation “Phantom Bank,” was wearing a secret recording device. Throughout the transaction, Tat, Zhao and Tan made clear their knowledge that money laundering was illegal, but they nevertheless completed the transaction.
To cover their tracks, Tat facilitated false entries to be made in East West Bank’s records, which made it appear that this transaction was legitimate.
Tat and Zhao are scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright in February 2019, at which time each defendant will face up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering conspiracy. Additionally, Tat will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for each of the false statement charges.
Tan previously pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and money laundering in this case and in two other cases brought as part of Operation Phantom Bank.
Six separate indictments arose out of Operation Phantom Bank. With the recent convictions of Tat and Zhao, a total of nine defendants have been convicted, and 16 defendants are pending trial.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP).
The case against Tat and Zhao was tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Karen I. Meyer and Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
Athens Resident Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Firearm in Furtherance of Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
ATHENS: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Jamarcus Huff, age 29, of Athens, Georgia, pled guilty on October 2, 2018 to Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime before U.S. District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Athens, Georgia.
In entering his plea, Mr. Huff admitted that officers with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) executed a search warrant at his house after a confidential informant had bought drugs there on multiple occasions. Inside the house, ACCPD officers found crack cocaine, and a loaded Ruger, 9mm handgun. Mr. Huff waived his Miranda rights and admitted to selling crack cocaine. He later admitted to possessing the handgun in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Mr. Huff faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of not less than five (5) years and not more than life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000.00, or both, and a term of supervised release of five (5) years.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning 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.
The case was investigated by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Leary is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Athens Resident Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Crack CocaineRead the Press Release
ATHENS: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Patrick O’Neal Kennedy, age 42, of Athens, Georgia, pled guilty on October 2, 2018 to Distribution of Cocaine Base before U.S. District Court Judge Hugh Lawson in Athens, Georgia.
In entering his plea, Mr. Kennedy admitted that on March 23, 2018, he sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant working on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in exchange for $600. The sale of crack cocaine was recorded with an audio/video device worn by the confidential informant. Mr. Kennedy has prior felony convictions for Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (2017), Possession of Cocaine (2014), and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (2006).
Mr. Kennedy faces a term of imprisonment of not more than twenty (20) years, a $1,000,000 fine, or both, and at least three (3) years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Leary is prosecuting the case for the United States.
Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.
Anchorage Group Indicted on Federal Kidnapping and Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced that five Anchorage residents have been indicted on federal kidnapping and drug trafficking charges, among other offenses, in connection with the August 2017 beating and placing of a victim into a dog kennel.
Macauther Christmas Vaifanua, 29, Faamanu Junior Vaifanua, 28, Jeffrey Jeremey Ahvan, 30, Rex Faiva Faumui, 25, and Tamole Tierra Pattijo Lauina, 22, all from Anchorage, were named in the recently unsealed federal indictment. Macauther and Faamanu Vaifanua have both been charged with kidnapping, drug trafficking conspiracy, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy. Jeffrey Ahvan and Rex Faumui have been charged with kidnapping, and Lauina has been charged with being an accessory after the fact. All are currently in custody, and are expected to have their arraignment hearings scheduled for this week.
According to the federal indictment, between Jan. 1, 2015 and Aug. 15, 2017, Macauther Vaifanua and Faamanu Vaifanua allegedly conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, quantities of heroin and methamphetamine, all while brandishing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking activities. Furthermore, on Aug. 13, 2017, Macauther Vaifanua, Faamanu Vaifanua, Jeffrey Ahvan, and Rex Faumui allegedly kidnapped and severely assaulted “Victim A,” due to a conflict arising within their drug trafficking relationship and a disputed debt.
Specifically, as alleged in state court documents, on Aug. 13, 2017, the victim was lured into a garage where he was forcibly bound and gagged, and then severely beaten by an aluminum baseball bat, a broom stick, and stomps to the head. The victim was then put inside of a black metal dog kennel, while still bound and gagged. After threatening a person, at gunpoint, in the nearby area to back his pickup truck to the garage door, the four defendants then placed the kennel into the back of the truck, with the victim still inside the kennel. The driver was allegedly held at gunpoint and was told to leave and never be seen again. The victim was then dropped off at the hospital, where he was brought in for emergency treatment for fractures to his face and skull, which required brain surgery.
The federal indictment further alleges that Tamole Lauina provided aid and assistance to Macauther and Faamanu Vaifanua in order to prevent their arrest for the crimes alleged.
If convicted, the law provides a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the kidnapping charge; a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for the drug trafficking conspiracy charge; a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years up to life in prison, and a fine of $250,000 for brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking conspiracy; and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for being an accessory after the fact. Under the federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
The Anchorage Police Department (APD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan A. Collins and Adam Alexander.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning 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.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
19 Local Crips Gang Members Charged in Racketeering Conspiracy that Includes Five MurdersRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged 19 Columbus men associated with a local Crips gang in a racketeering conspiracy that includes five murders, multiple attempted murders and other violent and drug-trafficking crimes. The indictment was returned in Columbus on September 27 and 15 of the defendants are in custody today.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Trevor Velinor, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, United States Marshal Pete Tobin and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien announced the charges.
According to the indictment, the men are members and associates of the Trevitt and Atcheson Crips gang known as T&A.
T&A
The gang derived its name from Trevitt and Atcheson streets in the King-Lincoln District of Columbus, where its members predominantly reside.
The boundaries of the gang’s territory are marked by Mt. Vernon Avenue to the south, Leonard Avenue to the north, Taylor Avenue to the east and St. Clair Avenue to the west.
The criminal organization included various subgroups, including, Atcheson Crip Gangsters (ACG), Catch A Body (CAB), Kwamie Gang (KMG), Waun Gang, Family Over Everything (FOE), Go Gang, On The Family (OTF) Toe Tag, and Go Crazy.
T&A identifies with the national Crip gang, adopting the traditional colors, symbols, culture, codes and enemies of the Crip gang. Its local rival Blood gangs include, but are not limited to, the Easthaven Bloods, Poindexter Thug Life (PTL) and the Milo Bloods.
T&A members marked the gang’s territory with graffiti and themselves with common tattoos. Members also produced songs to boast of the gang’s existence, communicate their violent methods and threaten non-members and rival gang members. These songs were posted on various social networking sites used by the T&A members.
Those charged include:
Name
Also Known As
Age
Dominique Bryant
Doggy
26
Charles Carson
23
Jonathan Dantzler
Jesus
26
Terrell Hansard
T Body
21
Andrew Harris
Drip
30
Eric Henderson, Jr.
Lil Go, Little E
19
Eric Henderson, Sr.
Easy
39
Michael Henderson
Bang
20
Steve Henderson, Jr.
Big Go, Tana
25
Brandon Martin
Gunner
26
Lee Devine McCrae
Capone
22
Shawn Nelms
Mook
25
Terrance Pyfrom
Tee
21
Donovan Reed
Don Don
26
Deswan Robinson
Dezzy
25
Thomas Seals
Bhomo
24
Derrick Thornton
Fresh
29
Marcus Walton
Ox, Wax
35
Michael Watson
Sossa
25
The Indictment
The seven-count indictment alleges:
Beginning in June 2010, T&A members and associates conspired in a racketeering enterprise and engaged in murders, attempted murders, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, witness tampering, robbery, assault and other crimes within the Southern District of Ohio and elsewhere.
The gang controlled the neighborhood through intimidation, fear and violence. Gang members were expected to retaliate with acts of violence when their members and associates were disrespected, threatened, intimidated or subjected to acts of violence.
Specifically, co-conspirators are charged with five murders.
On July 1, 2012 in the area of 431 Ellison Street, Dantzler and Nelms shot and killed Franky Tention.
On March 15, 2013, Martin, Nelms and Robinson shot and murdered William Moore, a rival gang member.
Michael Henderson and Watson shot and killed Marvin Ector on December 23, 2013, on East 5th Avenue.
On January 24, 2015, Carson shot and murdered Quincy Story.
Hansard was involved in the murder of Deaonte Fisher on March 4, 2016.
Additionally, from June 14, 2010 until March 15, 2017, the indictment details at least 26 separate incidences in which T&A gang members attempted to murder more individuals by shooting at them.
Co-conspirators also threatened and/or intimidated witnesses, using violence or the threat of violence to deter them from providing information to law enforcement and to enforce a “no snitching” code.
Defendants distributed cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana. They also used “trap houses” in other individuals’ names to store and sell narcotics.
T&A members used the drug proceeds to purchase firearms to use in gang wars in Columbus. They often traveled to Huntington, W.Va, Portsmouth, Ohio and Chillicothe, Ohio (among other locations) to sell and purchase drugs and guns.
Each of the defendants faces life in prison. Carson, Dantzler, Hansard, Martin, Nelms, Robinson and Watson are charged with murder in aid of racketeering, a crime that could make them eligible for the death penalty.
“Violent gangs seek to dominate and control neighborhoods in Columbus and in cities across America—but we're fighting back,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. “Under the Department of Justice's crime reduction strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods, we work with state and local law enforcement to target the most violent criminals in the most violent areas. In 2017 we prosecuted more violent criminals than in any year on record—and this past fiscal year we broke our own record. Today we take our next step of indicting 19 alleged gang members from the King-Lincoln neighborhood who are facing potential life sentences. The indictment alleges multiple murders and attempted murders. I want to thank the ATF, FBI, the Marshals Service, Columbus Police, and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien for their hard work and I especially want to thank AUSAs Kevin Kelley, Noah Litton, and David DeVillers. This case is a perfect example of what PSN is all about.”
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
# # #
18th Street Gang Member Sentenced for Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Salvadoran national was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for being an alien in possession of a firearm.
Roberto Portillo, aka “Mysterio,” 24, a Salvadoran national previously residing in Chelsea, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to one year and one day in prison. Portillo will face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In June 2018, Portillo pleaded guilty to one count of being an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The case arose from an investigation into the criminal activities of 18th Street gang members. According to court documents, Portillo is a member of 18th Street, a violent gang that has engaged in a long-running feud with MS-13. On Jan. 13, 2018, law enforcement officers were investigating drug dealing in East Somerville when they saw three people inside a gray Honda Accord purchase drugs. After confirming the drug sale, law enforcement stopped the car and frisked the front passenger, later identified as Portillo, and found a silver semi-automatic pistol with an obliterated serial number loaded with five rounds of .25 caliber CBC ammunition in his pocket. A subsequent review of immigration databases revealed that Portillo had not legally entered the country, making him an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Somerville Police Chief David Fallon made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Moran of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
Monday 1 October 2018
Wichita Man to Remain in Jail on Federal Firearm ChargeRead the Press Release
WICHITA, KAN. – A convicted felon who lives in Wichita will remain in jail pending trial on a federal firearm charge, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said Monday.
Justin Mashaney, 29, Wichita, Kan., appeared in federal court Monday for a hearing on whether he would be released pending trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer granted the government’s motion to keep him in jail. Mashaney is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, law enforcement officers were investigating the murder of Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Kunze by Cody Greeson when they encountered Mashaney. They were investigating information they received that Mashaney and Greeson had been committing crimes together. Greeson and Deputy Kunze died Sept. 16 in an exchange of fire.
If convicted, Mashaney faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Barnett is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
U.S. Attorney, Justice Department announce grant to Western District of Louisiana to fight opioidsRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – On the first day of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph and the Department of Justice announced that a half a million-dollar grant has been awarded to the St. Mary Parish government drug court to aid in the battle against opioid abuse.
The grant is included in $320 million in grants the Department of Justice has issued to combat the opioid crisis across the United States. The unprecedented funding will directly help those most impacted by the deadliest drug crisis in American history, including crime victims, children, families and first responders. In St. Mary Parish, the $500,000 will be used for the improvement, enhancement or expansion of drug court services. The grants are provided to agencies within the Western District of Louisiana through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
Drug courts have been demonstrated to reduce recidivism and substance abuse among high risk, high need participants and increase their likelihood of successful rehabilitation. These courts integrate evidence-based substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in judicially supervised court settings.
“Fighting the opioid epidemic is more than just about making arrests,” Joseph stated. “The Department of Justice supports drug courts and programs that aim to treat and address the underlying addiction left in the aftermath of opioid use. Through a multi-faceted approach, we can reduce damage caused by these dangerous drugs. I want to thank the Justice Department for making these funds available to the citizens of St. Mary Parish.”
“President Trump has made ending the opioid crisis a priority for this administration, and under his leadership, the Department of Justice has taken historic action,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Today we are announcing our next steps: investing $320 million into all three parts of the President’s comprehensive plan to end the epidemic: prevention, treatment and enforcement. We are attacking this crisis from every angle—and we will not let up until we bring it to an end.”
In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, an increase from the 64,000 overdose deaths in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of these deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl and its analogues. October marks two important anti-drug events: Red Ribbon Week and National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Red Ribbon Week takes place every year between October 23 to 31 and encourages students, parents, schools and communities to promote drug-free lifestyles. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 27 aims to provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent overdose deaths and drug addictions before they start. DOJ expanded on DEA’s Drug Take Back Days and collected more than 2.7 million pounds of expired or unused prescription drugs since April 2017.
The Attorney General has been resolute in the fight against the drug crisis in America. The Department assigned more than 300 federal prosecutors to U.S. Attorneys’ offices and hired more than 400 DEA task force officers, announced the formation of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge, a new program to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas, and created a new data analytics program called the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit to assist 12 prosecutors sent to drug “hot spot districts.” In addition, the Department charged more than 3,000 defendants with trafficking in heroin, fentanyl, or prescription drugs in fiscal year 2017, announced the first-ever indictments of Chinese nationals for fentanyl trafficking, and scheduled variants of fentanyl to prevent illicit drug labs from circumventing the law. In addition, DOJ executed the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action charging more than 600 defendants and proposed rules consistent with President Trump’s “Safe Prescribing Plan,” requiring a reduction of ten percent in 2019 in manufacturing quotas. The Department dismantled AlphaBay, the largest criminal marketplace on the Internet and has already generated prosecutions in the fight against online drug trafficking through the Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement Team (J-CODE).
The approximately $320 million awarded by the OJP will be distributed in order to maximize effectiveness over the country. A breakdown of the grant funding can be found here.
- Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime and Opioid Abuse ($2.8 Million) to help prosecutors develop strategies to address violent crime caused by illegal opioid distribution and abuse.
- Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program ($162 Million) to help jurisdictions plan and implement programs aimed at reducing opioid abuse and mitigating its impact on crime victims, including training and technical assistance.
- Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program ($5.9 Million) to address the treatment needs of people using opioids under the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program.
- Helping Children and Youth Impacted by Opioids ($46.6 Million) to help children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis, including training and technical assistance.
- Drug Courts ($81.2 Million) to assist adult, juvenile, and family drug courts and veterans treatment courts, including training and technical assistance.
- Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program ($17 Million) to address the dramatic increase in deaths and the backlogs of seized drugs as a result of the opioid crisis.
- Opioid-Related Research for Criminal Justice Purposes ($4.1 Million) to develop of new tools to enforce the law, ensure public safety, prevent and control crime, and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.
U.S. Attorney Shappert Announces Enhanced Efforts to Make our Communities Safer through Project Safe NeighborhoodsRead the Press Release
"Reducing violent crime and enhancing public safety are primary goals of the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in the Virgin Islands", U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced today. "On the one-year anniversary of the re-energized Project Safe Neighborhoods, we are moving forward with renewed energy to investigate and prosecute violent crime, even as we celebrate the hard work and dedication of our community and law enforcement PSN partners."
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 that has proven effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, community 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.
Here in the Territory, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) has collaborated with federal and territorial law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to re-focus on violent crime prosecutions, to increase training opportunities, to enhance partnerships, and to develop new strategies designed to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Ongoing communication and dialog are important components of the strategy.
"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 examples of the revitalized PSN program, Shappert pointed to significant examples of collaboration that are designed to improve public safety:
Enforcement Actions:
• An ongoing case-screening process between the USAO and the Virgin Islands Attorney General’s Office to identify the most appropriate forum for criminal prosecution of cases that impact our communities;
• A strong emphasis on federal prosecution of firearms cases to prevent additional acts of violence. In July, for example, defendants on St. Croix were sentenced to federal prison for mailing a pistol and an AR-15 lower receiver through the U.S. mails and for possession of a firearm associated with a planned robbery. Other federal firearms prosecutions have focused on the use of firearms in the commission of violent felonies, such as robbery, and the apprehension of individuals who are prohibited under federal law from carrying a firearm, such as convicted felons.
• Systematic investigation and prosecution of criminal groups—conspiracies, crews, and gangs—that use violence for monetary gain. Following the violent robbery of the Gems and Gold Corner jewelry store in St. Thomas, three of the perpetrators were convicted in a January of 2018 jury trial in federal court. Five other members of the conspiracy entered guilty pleas, one on a separately filed bill of information. Members of the conspiracy received significant federal sentences and were ordered to pay restitution.
• Recognizing the strong nexus between violent crime and narcotics trafficking, federal law enforcement in the USVI have re-doubled their efforts to apprehend drug smugglers in the Territory. These efforts have led to recent drug seizures on vessels and at the airport. In September of 2018, for example, approximately 36 kilograms of cocaine were seized at the Cyril E. King Airport on a single day.
Recent Training Opportunities for Federal and Territorial Law Enforcement:
• March 2018: discovery training for law enforcement to ensure professional investigation and prosecution of criminal cases, consistent with legal and constitutional requirements.
• May 2018: asset forfeiture and victim issues training to support efforts to "take the profit out of crime" and to ensure that law enforcement is sensitive to victim-related issues in criminal cases.
• Ongoing roll-call trainings for VIPD personnel by federal prosecutors and agents on timely legal issues.
• September 2018: "The Blue Campaign", a DHS-USAO collaboration to train law enforcement and community members on how to identify human trafficking. Classes for law enforcement also included training on how to investigate and prosecute these crimes.
Community Outreach:
• PSN-sponsored community discussions at Public Housing meetings.
• Law enforcement and federal prosecutor presentations at local schools.
• Radio presentations to discuss public safety issues.
• Community meetings and a round-table discussion of human trafficking issues.
Despite these efforts, the violent crime rate in the Territory remains high. A recent PBS News Hour for 2016, the international gun-related deaths per capita statistics place the U.S. Virgin Islands seventh in the world if the USVI were treated as its own country. "We all agree that the violent-crime rate for the Territory is unacceptable," Shappert said. "We have our work cut out for us. Working together, we will develop and strengthen the necessary relationships that will enable us to create safer communities."
Learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods.
U.S. Attorney Announces Progress in Making Our Communities Safer Through Project Safe Neighborhoods in FresnoRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — 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 nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. The PSN strategy empowers each district to develop targeted, localized violent crime reduction strategies, tailoring solutions to each individual community. PSN has been proven to reduce violent crime since it was launched in 2001, and the revitalized version has been enhanced with new technologies and a redoubling of efforts to strengthen partnerships with local communities.
“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 Scott stated: “Our office has a strong track record of working with our federal, state and local partners to prosecute cases aimed at reducing violent crime in our communities. We have developed a model that targets the most violent street gangs plaguing counties in our district, and we have focused on stemming the tide of illegal firearms flowing into our communities, prosecuting those who manufacture, distribute, and possess those weapons. We have deployed this strategy in the Counties of Fresno, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Kern, Solano and Tulare, and we are working to spread this model throughout the district. Project Safe Neighborhoods is alive and well in the Eastern District of California.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office works regularly with District Attorney’s Offices in Fresno, Sacramento, Kern, Stanislaus, Solano, and Tulare Counties, and partners with local law enforcement and federal agencies to target drivers of violence in those communities, including gang members and those who inject illegal firearms into the hands of criminals. This team collects and analyzes statistical and anecdotal data to refine the targeted use of pooled resources. Since the revitalization of PSN in October 2017, more than 110 defendants have been indicted federally for charges arising from PSN investigations in Fresno, Kern, Merced, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties. In 2018, a total of 35 PSN defendants were sentenced to between two and 15 years in prison.
Project Safe Neighborhoods has helped to reinvigorate existing partnerships in our district, which has a history of successful collaborations with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Those collaborations have resulted in several large-scale, long-term, multidefendant gang cases, with many arrests, guilty pleas, and sentencings occurring over the past year. Below are examples.
- Operation Blue Inferno (Fresno) — 21 defendants were charged with offenses including murder, kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, as well as a drug trafficking conspiracy.
- Operation Dog Track (Fresno) — The defendants were charged with various racketeering, human trafficking, fraud and firearms offenses in U.S. v. James York, et al. All 17 defendants have pleaded guilty, and 11 have been sentenced, receiving sentences of up to 10 years in prison.
- Operation Alpha Dog (Fresno) — The 2017 investigation into Fresno criminal street gangs resulted in federal charges against 18 defendants and state charges against at least 14 defendants. The various charges include drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic illegally in firearms, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
- Operation Blind Mice (Kern)— A multi-agency investigation of Bakersfield’s West Side Crips gang resulted in federal indictments against 11 gang members or associates as well as state charges against approximately 30 individuals for crimes ranging from burglary to murder.
- Operation Downward Dog — Two defendants from this operation were in court last week: Christopher Martinez Jr. pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy, and Randy Seja was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Both were members of the Bulldogs criminal street gang and ranking members of the related Malos Hechos motorcycle gang.
- Operation Red Sol (Tulare) – The final defendant, Fabian Magana, from this Tulare County operation targeting Nortenos and associates, was sentenced in November 2017. The investigation resulted in 6 federal indictments and convictions on drug trafficking and firearms charges, and a substantial number more state charges. All 6 defendants have been sentenced with sentences up to 15 years imprisonment.
Additionally, Project Safe Neighborhoods has targeted individuals engaged in a number of firearms offenses, including armed robbery, felons in possession of firearms and firearms trafficking. Some of those cases are highlighted below. - Javier Alonso Beltran and Ulises Medina were members of a conspiracy that committed a series of armed robberies of gas stations, convenience stores, and liquor stores in Tulare and Kern counties from May 19, 2016, until July 22, 2017.
- On April 5, 2018, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging seven Tennessee and California residents with various firearms offenses. Firearms purchased in Tennessee were shipped to California where they were offered for sale.
- On March 8, 2018, Turlock residents Miguel Rosas and Francisco Rosas were charged with dealing in firearms without a license with regard to the sale of 24 firearms, including a multiple AR-15 style rifles, a short barrel shotgun, a short barrel rifle, bulletproof vests and ammunition. Jaime Arellano, of Fresno, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
- On March 8, 2018, Jovan Escalante of Fresno, was indicted for maliciously damaging a building by fire. Escalante allegedly threw multiple Molotov cocktails (ignited bottles of gasoline) at an apartment complex in Fresno, causing fire damage to the apartment and a car parked at the apartment complex.
- On June 4, 2018, Luvell Ronell Blinks, a two time convicted felon and East Side Crips gang member, was sentenced to five years in prison for possession of a loaded .357‑caliber Smith and Wesson revolver and a loaded handgun.
In addition to prosecutions, the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in Fresno and Bakersfield supports law enforcement, clergy and community groups working to reduce gun violence. This is critical, as the goal of PSN is not to merely manage or punish crime but to make every district safer through community partnerships.
In Fresno, the HOPE Coalition does a monthly block party where food/groceries are given away, bicycles for kids are given away, and free food and entertainment are provided. The location of the block parties are typically ones where a shooting has occurred and the residents may be too fearful to come out of their houses. The block party tries to bring the neighborhood together. The HOPE Coalition also organizes special events to give away backpacks, Christmas presents & Easter baskets. They are currently working on hosting evening community forums at Southeast Schools.
The Bakersfield Safe Streets Partnership also does occasional block parties with other non-profit organizations, as well as, partnering with Kern County Superintendent of Schools for various youth trainings – Youth Mental Health First Aid & Youth Mentoring. They also do an annual Stop the Violence March.
Bakersfield also hosts meetings in which law enforcement, clergy, social service organization, medical providers, and the community come together to talk to individuals who are involved in gangs or are at risk for becoming involved in gangs in an effort to provide alternatives to choosing that path.
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 1 percent in 2017, while the nationwide homicide rate decreased by nearly 1.5 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 5 percent in those cities in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period a year ago.
- In the city of Fresno, one area in which PSN partnerships are strong, statistics from the Fresno Police Department show a decline in violent crime, including murders and shootings since 2017. As of September 3, 2018, in the city of Fresno, there is a 34 percent reduction in murders, a 24 percent reduction in gang-related murders, a 29 percent reduction in shootings, a 27 percent reduction in gang-related shootings, and a 12 percent 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.
Two Fort Thompson Men Charged with Firearm ChargesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two Fort Thompson, South Dakota, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Felon in Possession of Firearm.
Jacob Hawk Wing, age 24, and Craig Ross, age 29, were indicted on September 11, 2018. Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on September 28, 2018, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on July 29, 2018, Hawk Wing and Ross did knowingly possess, receive, conceal, store, barter, sell, and dispose of a stolen firearm. At the time Hawk Wing and Ross possessed the firearm, Ross had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of one year.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 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.
The charges are merely accusations and Hawk Wing and Ross are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Crow Creek Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley is prosecuting the case.
Hawk Wing and Ross were both remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.