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2 October 2018
Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Prison for Cross Country Marijuana Trafficking Scheme that Supplied Local College CampusesRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH -A Nevada resident has been sentenced in federal court to 71 months’ imprisonment on his convictions of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Ryan Schanck, age 30, of Las Vegas, NV.
According to information presented to the court, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies conducted a multi-year investigation of the marijuana trafficking conspiracy of Schanck and his co-conspirators. From 2012 through 2017, Schanck and his co-conspirators arranged for marijuana to be supplied from the West Coast and mailed to the Pittsburgh area through the United States Postal Service. Schanck and his co-conspirators would then distribute the marijuana in the Western District of Pennsylvania, primarily on college campuses, such as Indiana University of Pennsylvania. During the operation of the conspiracy, Schanck conspired to distribute from 700 to 1000 kilograms of marijuana. He also conspired to launder approximately $258,404 in proceeds from marijuana trafficking.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Cercone stated that the sentence was sufficient, but not greater than necessary, to achieve the goals of sentencing.
Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Brady commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Indiana Borough Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Schanck. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Guy Bell, 29, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 120 months in prison for his conviction on drug trafficking and firearms charges. Bell will be on supervised release for six years after completing his prison sentence.
Bell was arrested on Aug. 16, 2017, on an indictment charging him with distributing methamphetamine near a school, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to the indictment, Bell committed the offenses on Nov. 2, 2016, in Dona Ana County, N.M. Bell was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because he previously has been convicted of larceny of a firearm and tampering with evidence.
On Jan. 25, 2018, Bell pled guilty to a felony information charging him with distribution of methamphetamine near a school, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and using and carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. In entering the guilty plea, Bell admitted that on Nov. 2, 2016, he facilitated the sale of approximately 27 grams of pure methamphetamine between an undercover law enforcement agent and his (Bell’s) source of supply, by driving the agent to the residence of the source of supply, which was located approximately 500 feet away from an elementary school. Bell also admitted carrying a loaded pistol during the drug transaction for his protection. Bell acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his status as a convicted felon.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Balla and Dustin Segovia of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Lake Charles felon sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing sawed-off shotgun, drugsRead the Press Release
LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Lake Charles man previously convicted of a felony was sentenced Monday to 120 months in prison for possessing a sawed-off shotgun in addition to other firearms and trafficking drugs.
Mark Washington, 46, of Lake Charles, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of possession of a shotgun with a barrel of less than 18 inches in length and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release. According to the June 5, 2018 guilty plea, members of the Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce responded to a report of drug activity at a home on April 18, 2017 at Hinton Drive in Lake Charles. Upon arriving at the scene, agents found Washington standing in the driveway of the residence near two men who were inside a car. Agents searched the residence and found one Sigarms Model 250 semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing 12 live rounds; one Glock Model 36, .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol containing a magazine with four live rounds; one sawed-off Stevens Model 940E, .410-gauge break-action shotgun; and one sawed-off 20-gauge break-action shotgun of unknown make and model. They also found loose synthetic marijuana on the television stand in the living room, and they located 936 pills, two pink plastic bags of synthetic marijuana, a cigarette pack containing a glass vile with drug residue, a cellophane baggie with five ecstasy pills and $1,145. Washington said he lived at the residence and had bought the guns on the street. Washington also admitted to being a convicted felon, and that he was not allowed to be around firearms.
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 ATF and Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog prosecuted the case.
Justice Department Awards Nearly $320 Million to Combat Opioid CrisisRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On the first day of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, the Department of Justice announced it has awarded almost $320 million to combat the opioid crisis in America. 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.
Rhode Island has been awarded a total of $3,734,564 by the Department of Justice to combat the opioid crisis.
- Rhode Island State Police has been awarded $800,000 to support the development of partnerships between first responders and treatment providers who will respond to overdose calls as a team.
- Rhode Island State Police has been awarded $1,000,000 to assist local and state agencies leverage information from a variety of public health and public safety data sources to analyze substance abuse issues and identify potential solutions from public health, treatment, and public safety perspectives.
- Family Service of Rhode Island and Comprehensive Community Action Program have each been awarded $750,000 to expand programs to provide services to children and youth who are victimized as a result of the opioid crisis.
- The Rhode Island Superior Court’s Adult Drug Court diversion program for nonviolent first-time drug offenders has been awarded $434,564.
"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 Takeback Day. Red Ribbon Week takes place every year between October 23-31 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 Takeback 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 FY 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 Department’s Office of Justice Programs (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)
- Help prosecutors develop strategies to address violent crime caused by illegal opioid distribution and abuse
- Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program ($162 Million)
- 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)
- 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)
- Help children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis, including training and technical assistance
- Drug Courts ($81.2 Million)
- 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)
- 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)
- Development of new tools to enforce the law, ensure public safety, prevent and control crime, and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice
OJP 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.
NOTE: A breakdown of the grants can be found here.
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Justice Department Awards Nearly $320 Million to Combat Opioid Addiction CrisisRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – To mark the beginning of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams joined the Department of Justice in announcing grant awards of nearly $320 million to combat the opioid crisis in America. The awards will directly help those most impacted by the deadliest drug crisis in American history, including crime victims, children, families and first responders.
"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."
"The opioid addiction crisis cannot be solved by any one agency or jurisdiction. It requires a coordinated effort of governments, law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and individual citizens, working together to solve problems, big and small," said U.S. Attorney Williams. "These awards are an important step in the right direction and will expand the reach of innovative programs across the state."
Approximately $6.3 million of the $320 million awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will support local governments and a professional consortium in Oregon. A complete breakdown of the grant funding can be found here.
Summary of Oregon Awards
Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program ($162 million awarded)
Helps jurisdictions plan and implement programs aimed at reducing opioid abuse and mitigating its impact on crime victims
Marion County – $1,399,562
Clackamas County – $900,000
Helping Children and Youth Impacted by Opioids ($46.6 million awarded)
Helps children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis
Clackamas County – $1,000,999
Drug Courts ($81.2 million awarded)
Assists adult, juvenile and family drug courts and veterans treatment courts
City of Beaverton – $500,000
Washington County – $945,454
Lane County – $550,000
Northwest Professional Consortium Inc. – $856,308
Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program ($17 million awarded)
Addresses the dramatic increase in deaths and backlogs of seized drugs resulting from the crisis
Washington County – $156,000
Two important anti-drug events occur in October: Red Ribbon Week and National Prescription Drug Takeback Day. Red Ribbon Week, October 23-31, 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 gives Americans and easy and anonymous way to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, helping to prevent overdose deaths and drug addictions before they start.
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 fentanyl. 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.
OJP 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.
Justice Department Awards Nearly $320 Million in Grants to Combat Opioid Crisis in AmericaRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and the Department of Justice announced it has awarded nearly $320 million in federal grants to combat the opioid epidemic. A total of approximately $5.3 million was awarded to Nevada to assist in implementation efforts to respond to, treat, and support those impacted by the opioid epidemic. 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.
"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."
The approximately $320 million awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will be distributed in order to maximize effectiveness across the country. In the District of Nevada, the following recipients will receive grant funding:
The Nevada State Board of Pharmacy will receive $633,733, for improving prescriber enrollment and use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), integrating PDMP data with other data sets to identify geographic areas of concern, doctor shopping, and problematic prescribing, supporting interstate data sharing of PDMP data, and improving the analytics available based on PDMP data.
The Reno Police Department will receive $997,701, to support public safety, behavioral health, and public health information-sharing partnerships.
The Foundation for Positively Kids, Inc. will receive $746,937, the Children’s Cabinet, Inc. will receive $749,763, and the Washoe County Human Services Agency will receive $745,564, to help expand programs to provide services to children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis.
The City of Henderson will receive $299,880, to support the enhancement of fully operational drug courts that incorporate the evidence-based principles included in the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ Adult Drug Courts Best Practice Standards.
The Judiciary Courts of the State of Nevada-Reno Municipal Court will receive $277,237, to implement a new Veterans Treatment Court, which would link veterans with services, benefits and program providers, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Service Organizations, and volunteer veteran mentors.
The Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada, will receive $874,097, to support family drug court programs for juveniles in the justice system with substance abuse problems, specifically those related to opioid abuse, as well as those with co-occurring mental health disorders.
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.
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. A comprehensive list of grant awardees may be found here.
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Justice Department Awards More Than $70 Million Dollars to Support Local School Safety Efforts NationwideRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced that the Department of Justice has awarded a total of $1,370,418 in grant funding to the Minneapolis Public School District, Hennepin County, and to the City of Duluth to support school safety efforts. 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.
“When we send our children to school, a place intended to be full of opportunity for learning and development, safety is paramount,” said U.S. Attorney MacDonald. “This is the first year funding has been awarded under the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 and I am grateful to see these dollars directly supporting our children’s ability to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”
The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) awarded the funds through three funding streams. The grants will provide new technology for reporting systems and other threat deterrent measures; create school safety training and education programs for school administrators, staff, students, and first responders; and support crisis intervention teams.
For additional information on these grants, visit: www.ojp.gov or www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Awards: 1
FY 2018 STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program: funding will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises.
- Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis) - $219,740
- Hennepin County – $500,000
FY 2018 STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program: 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.- Special School District No. 1 (Minneapolis) - $181,928
FY 2018 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program: funding is 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 City of Duluth - $468,750
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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600
1 No funding awarded under the STOP School Violence Act may be used for the provision of a firearm to any person or training in the use of a firearm.
Justice Department Announces over $70 Million to Support School Safety and $64 Million to Improve State Criminal Record SystemsRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – United States Attorney Dayle Elieson 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 Nevada, the Nevada Department of Education was awarded $1 million and the Lincoln County School District was awarded $13,846.
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.”
“Students should not fear going to school,” said U.S. Attorney Elieson. “These grants reflect the Department of Justice’s commitment to safe and secure learning environments for our students. The STOP School Violence grants will improve school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and prevent acts of violence.”
The Nevada Department of Education will receive $500,000 to address the development and operation of school threat assessment and crisis intervention teams and the development of technology for local or regional anonymous reporting systems. This technology may be in the form of an app, hotline, or website. The proposed technology solutions may be those that could be used during an incident to assist in securing the safety of those involved, to include sharing information with first responders.
The Nevada Department of Education will receive $500,000 and the Lincoln County School District will receive $13,856, to address the training of school personnel and students, to include specialized training for school officials in responding to related mental health crises.
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 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. 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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Jury Convicts Career Criminal on Drug, Firearm CountsRead the Press Release
COLUMBUS: Charles E. Peeler, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announces that Rodney Burke, age 56, of Mauk, Georgia, was found guilty by a jury this afternoon of one count of Possession With Intent to Distribute more than 50 grams of Methamphetamine, and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Mr. Burke’s conviction after a two-day trial on both counts in his indictment follows a multi-agency undercover drug surveillance operation involving the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Dangerous career criminals will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia,” said United States Attorney Charles E. Peeler. “Mr. Burke has a lengthy criminal record, and his conviction proves that our citizen jurors also do not tolerate behavior that endangers the safety of our communities in Middle Georgia. Thanks to the dedicated work of our law enforcement agencies, an armed career criminal is off the streets tonight.”
For Count One, Mr. Burke faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, up to life imprisonment, a maximum fine of $8 million, plus a supervised release of at least 8 years. Count One is enhanced because of Mr. Burke’s prior convictions for felony drug trafficking offenses. For Count Two, Mr. Burke faces a mandatory 15 years, up to life imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to 3 years of supervised release. Count Two is enhanced because Mr. Burke is considered an Armed Career Criminal due to a combination of at least three prior convictions for crimes of violence and/or serious drug offenses.
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.
This case was investigated by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Crawford Seals is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Questions regarding this case should be addressed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, at
478-731-1824 or [email protected].Joplin Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Sexual ExploitationRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Gary Stewart, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On May 21, 2018, Stewart pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.
According to court documents, an individual contacted the Joplin, Mo., Police Department on Dec. 27, 2016, regarding sexually explicit photographs being exchanged between his 16-year-old daughter and Stewart. The daughter was interviewed and said she and Stewart had engaged in sexual activity on several occasions. She also informed the interviewer that she and Stewart communicated via text messages, and that he asked her to send sexually explicit images of herself, which she did. Stewart also sent sexually explicit photos of himself to the victim.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Justice Department Awards Almost $320 Million to Combat Opioid CrisisRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS – In the first week of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, the Department of Justice announced that it is awarding almost $320 million in new grants to combat the opioid crisis in America. 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.
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that of the $320 million awarded, the South Dakota Department of Health, through the South Dakota Board of Pharmacy, is scheduled to receive $749,972 to help strengthen its Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe was awarded $497,379 for an Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant.
"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."
“This is much needed, mission-critical funding to combat the opioid crisis in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “It will be put to good use.”
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 Takeback Day. Red Ribbon Week takes place every year between October 23-31 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 Takeback 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 FY 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 Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will be distributed in order to maximize effectiveness over the country. A breakdown of the grants can be found here.
- Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime and Opioid Abuse ($2.8 Million)
- Help prosecutors develop strategies to address violent crime caused by illegal opioid distribution and abuse
- Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program ($162 Million)
- 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)
- 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)
- Help children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis, including training and technical assistance
- Drug Courts ($81.2 Million)
- 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)
- 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)
- Development of new tools to enforce the law, ensure public safety, prevent and control crime, and ensure fair and impartial administration of justice
OJP 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.
- Innovative Prosecution Solutions for Combating Violent Crime and Opioid Abuse ($2.8 Million)
Indiana, PA Career Criminal Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Second Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, PA – A former resident of Indiana, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 84 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his convictions on a federal narcotics charge, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
United States District Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Walter Porter, age 46. Porter was detained after his initial appearance and will remain detained as he begins to serve his sentence. Porter was on federal supervised release for a drug crime when he committed the offense he was sentenced for today.
According to information presented to the court, On April 14, 2016, Walter Porter was stopped in a maroon Hyundai Elantra. Mr. Porter was seated next to a green bag. Inside the green bag, Indiana Police found a bag of a white material within a Big Puncture Seal Tire Repair hideaway can. The Pennsylvania State lab tested the substance and revealed that it was approximately 3 grams of a crack cocaine, Scheduled II controlled substance.
Porter had a previous state conviction for an armed robbery and a prior felony federal cocaine trafficking conviction. As a result, he faced sentencing as a Career Offender.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy M. Lanni is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Indiana Borough Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
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.
Huntsville Woman Arrested for Distributing Fentanyl That Caused a DeathRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM – Federal agents today arrested a Huntsville woman for distributing the synthetic opioid fentanyl that resulted in a death, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton.
DEA agents arrested ASHLEY DANIELLE SMITH, 30, at her Huntsville apartment on a one-count federal indictment charging her with distributing fentanyl on Nov. 15, 2017, that resulted in the death of a 25-year old male. The grand jury returned the indictment against Smith on Sept. 26.
“The Department of Justice has marshaled forces to fight the opioid crisis that continues to claim lives and ravage families in America,” Town said. “Fentanyl is lethal in minute doses, and as dealers add it to more and more drugs, it is causing both fatal and non-fatal overdoses. Our message to the drug dealers could not be more clear...cause an overdose and go to federal prison.”
“A very small amount of fentanyl is a lethal dose, whether it is ingested or absorbed through the skin. It is important that the public is aware of the danger of this powerful and potentially lethal drug,” Hamilton said. “DEA is committed to working with our local and federal law enforcement partners, investigating and arresting those who distribute this dangerous drug, especially when that distribution results in a death,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton.
The penalty for distributing a controlled substance that results in death is 20 years to life in prison and a maximum $1 million fine.
DEA investigated the case in partnership with the Huntsville Police Department and the Madison County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Becher Sr. is prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Houston Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Racketeering Schemes that Involved the Attempted Capital Murder of State District Judge Julie KocurekRead the Press Release
In Austin today, a federal judge sentenced 31-year-old Chimene Hamilton Onyeri to life in federal prison for his leadership role in carrying out fraud and racketeering schemes that involved the attempted capital murder of State District Court Judge Julie Kocurek in November of 2015.
That announcement was made by U.S. Attorney John F. Bash; Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore; FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Goss, Houston Field Office; Austin Police Chief Brian Manley; and, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, Houston Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ordered Onyeri to pay $178,374.41 restitution.
“Today’s life sentence for Mr. Onyeri was about more than obtaining a measure of justice for Judge Kocurek—although we certainly did that. It was also about safeguarding the integrity of our judicial system. This office, along with our federal, state, and local law-enforcement partners, will be absolutely relentless in pursuing those who attack or threaten judges or court staff. Impartial, fearless judges are key to the rule of law. Today the rule of law was vindicated,” stated U.S. Attorney Bash.
On April 26, 2018, a jury convicted Onyeri of one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of aggravated identity theft, and six counts of witness tampering.
Evidence presented during trial revealed that from January 2012 to November 2015, Onyeri, 28-year-old Marcellus Antoine Burgin of Cypress, TX, and 26-year-old Rasul Kareem Scott of Marrero, LA, all conspired to commit various fraudulent schemes for financial gain in Austin, Houston, the state of Louisiana and surrounding areas. Schemes included converting stolen debit card numbers obtained from skimming devices into cash, and Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF), through the use of the U.S. Mail. Their racketeering enterprise involved mail fraud, bribery of a public official, wire fraud, document fraud, access device fraud, money laundering and attempted murder.
According to testimony, when the existence of the criminal enterprise was threatened, Onyeri responded with violence. On the night of November 6, 2015, Onyeri attempted to murder State District Court Judge Julie Kocurek, whom Onyeri believed was going to sentence him to prison, by shooting Judge Kocurek while she sat in her car outside her home in Austin. As a result of the incident, Kocurek suffered serious bodily injury from multiple gunshots and resulting shrapnel.
Testimony also revealed that in September 2016, Onyeri attempted to contact six witnesses by smuggling a note out of the Travis County Jail and corruptly persuade them not to talk about Onyeri’s criminal activities to investigators in this case.
“I have watched Judge Kocurek and her family handle this ordeal with courage and grace. At long last, they see justice,” stated Travis County District Attorney Moore. “I commend Dayna Blazey from my office and AUSA Gregg Sofer, along with the host of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, for their tireless efforts to reach this conclusion.”
“Today’s sentencing should send a clear message to those who threaten, injure or kill members of the judiciary – you will not escape the consequences of your actions. Justice will be served and you will be held accountable,” stated FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs. “It was an honor and privilege to work with Austin Police Department, and our law enforcement partners, to bring justice for a brave jurist and dedicated public servant whose life was changed forever by the defendant’s brazen and violent actions.
“Today’s sentencing proves that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our local, state, and federal partners, will vigorously pursue individuals that attempt to circumvent justice,” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Gonzalez.
“Thank you to all of our state, local and federal partners that helped bring justice for Judge Julie Kocurek against Chimene Hamilton Onyeri,” said APD Assistant Chief Joseph Chacon. “We respect the jury verdict in this case and the Court’s sentencing decision today. We hope Onyeri’s sentence continues to bring healing to Judge Kocurek and her family.”
Burgin and Scott both entered guilty pleas prior to jury selection. Burgin and Scott each pleaded guilty to the RICO conspiracy charge. Both remain in federal custody awaiting sentencing scheduled for sentencing at 9:00am on November 13, 2018, in Austin before Judge Yeakel.
The FBI, IRS-CI, USPIS, U.S. Secret Service, Austin Police Department and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office investigated this case. The 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in (Calcasieu Parish) Lake Charles, Louisiana; Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office; U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Texas and the Eastern District of Louisiana; the U.S. Marshals Service; Travis County Sheriff’s Office; and, the Houston Police Department provided valuable assistance during this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Dayna L. Blazey of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office are prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.
Houston Heroin Distributor Convicted after Taking over Family Drug Trafficking BusinessRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A Mexican national has entered a guilty plea to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
Victor Manuel Morales-Moreno, 35, admitted to conspiring to distribute heroin to street level dealers and users for more than two years.
According to court records, Morales relocated to Houston from California to take over a heroin trafficking ring following the arrests and incarceration of his relatives Jose Herrera-Alvarado and Pedro Herrera-Alvarado. The Herrera-Alvarado brothers pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and later sentenced to life in federal prison.
Erasto Aguirre-Suarez, 52, a Mexican national, also pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. He admitted he moved to Texas with Morales-Moreno to assist him in the daily operations of the heroin business. A third co-defendant, Valentin Anthony Cardenas, 35, of Houston, previously entered his plea possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2019 before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen. At that time, Morales-Moreno face a minimum of 10 years and up to life imprisonment as well as a possible $10 million maximum fine.
They have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey N. MacDonald is prosecuting the case.
Honduran National Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States and Selling Drugs Near A SchoolRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Olvin Didier Centeno-Gamez was sentenced to 84 months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation and possessing with intent to distribute drugs within 1000 feet of a school, announced U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin. The sentence was handed down today by the Honorable Susan Illston, U.S. District Judge.
Centeno-Gamez, 36, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty to the crimes on June 22, 2016. In pleading guilty, Centeno-Gamez admitted that on April 18, 2018, he was in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and in possession of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine that he intended to distribute. At the time of his arrest, Centeno-Gamez was within 1000 feet of a local elementary school. Centeno-Gamez further admitted he illegally re-entered the United States after having been deported on five previous occasions between 2009 and 2017.
A federal grand jury indicted Centeno-Gamez on May 17, 2018, charging him with three counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a school, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 860(a), and one count of illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1326(a) and (b)(2). Centeno-Gamez pleaded guilty to all counts in the indictment.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston ordered Centeno-Gamez to serve a six-year period of supervised release. Centeno-Gamez is currently in custody and will begin serving his sentence immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Boome is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuck. The prosecution is the result of an investigation led by HSI with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Hartford Man Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison for Selling Heroin and Fentanyl to Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOSE GONZALEZ, also known as “Montana,” “Beat Montana” and “Carl Montana,” 22, of Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three months of home confinement and four years of supervised release, for selling heroin and fentanyl to an East Hartford overdose victim.
This matter stems from an ongoing statewide initiative targeting narcotics dealers who distribute heroin, fentanyl or opioids that cause death or serious injury to users.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 10:30 a.m., on April 26, 2017, East Hartford Police and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to a residence on Main Street in East Hartford on a report of an unconscious male who was not breathing. First responders located a 20-year-old male on the couch in the living room and pronounced him deceased. At the scene, investigators located and collected drug paraphernalia, several empty wax baggies, and the victim’s cellphone.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner subsequently determined that the victim’s death was caused by “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of alprazolam, fentanyl and heroin.”
The investigation, which included witness interviews and analysis of the victim’s cellphone, revealed that the victim traveled to Hartford the night before his death and purchased heroin/fentanyl from GONZALEZ. Analysis of another individual’s cellphone revealed that GONZALEZ sold heroin and fentanyl from at least December 2016 through April 2017.
GONZALEZ has been detained since his arrest on a federal criminal complaint on November 30, 2017. On May 22, 2018, he pleaded guilty to one count possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin and fentanyl.
This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force and the East Hartford and Monroe Police Departments. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis. The DEA Task Force includes participants from the Bristol, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, Willimantic and Windsor Locks Police Departments, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Harrison County man sentenced for firearms chargeRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Wayne Wiles, Jr., of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 84 months incarceration for a firearms charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Wiles, age 31, pled guilty to one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in May 2018. Wiles, having previously been convicted of three felonies, admitted to having a 9mm pistol, a .380-caliber pistol, and .243 caliber rifle in January 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 Sarah E. Wagner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
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.
* * *
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
###
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
# # #
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