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3 January 2018
Shotgun Tirate Results in 33 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announces that United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Willie Howard Ferguson on December 28, 2017 to 33 months in prison, for violation of 18 USC § 922(g)(1), Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
On May 25, 2017, deputies from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Edmond Marchand Road in Grand Bay, Alabama, because of reports of an armed individual at that location. When deputies arrived, witnesses informed them that Willie Howard Ferguson had been there, arguing and threatening people. Witnesses stated to deputies that Ferguson was armed with a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, and that he pointed it at the chest of one of the witnesses. Ferguson then discharged the shotgun into the air in an attempt to scare or intimidate others before fleeing.
While deputies gathered the statements of witnesses, Ferguson returned to the location. When witnesses recognized him, they yelled, “That’s him! That’s the one that fired the shotgun!”
Ferguson initially denied he was the one with the gun. The deputies showed him a video taken by one of the witnesses that captured his tirade. Then he admitted that he was, in fact, the one who had the shotgun and he fired it. Ferguson had previously been convicted in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, AL of the felony of Receiving Stolen Property in 2009.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile Field Office investigated this incident. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Baugh prosecuted the case for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
Shelton Attorney Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation OffenseRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PETER G. KRUZYNSKI, 51, of Shelton, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.
According to court documents and statements made in court, KRUZYNSKI used his mobile phone and text messaging to entice a male victim, who was under the age of 16, to engage in sexual activity. Specifically, KRUZYNSKI sent text messages to the victim asking him to come to KRUZYNSKI’s home, where KRUZYNSKI then engaged in sexual activity with the victim. In addition, on one occasion in December 2014, KRUZYNSKI used his phone to take photographs of the victim engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The victim was under the age of 18, and therefore a minor under federal law, at the time the photographs were taken.
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2018, at which time KRUZYNSKI faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
KRUZYNSKI was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on September 16, 2016. He has been in custody since October 24, 2016, when his bond was revoked for failing to comply with his release conditions.
KRUZYNSKI is also charged with related state offenses.
KRUZYNSKI is an attorney who had a law practice in Shelton. On December 15, 2016, he was suspended from the practice of law on an interim basis following his arrest in this case.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Shelton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Pittsburgh Man Charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl AnalogueRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Dontae Saunders has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for drug trafficking, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The indictment charges Saunders, age 28, of Pittsburgh, with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methoxyacetyl fentanyl on November 27, 2017.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pittsburgh Felon Charged with Illegal Gun PossessionRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – Brandin Gardner has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon while on federal supervised release following a prior heroin trafficking conviction, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.
The indictment charges Gardner, age 22, of Pittsburgh, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon from in and around August 2017 to on or about November 17, 2017.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a collaborative effort by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and communities to prevent, deter, and prosecute gun crime.
The United States Probation Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Pikeville Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Receiving Child PornographyRead the Press Release
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Pikeville man, Craig T. Anderson, 29, has been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, to be followed by a 25-year term of supervised release, for knowingly receiving child pornography.
On December 28, 2017, United States District Judge David L. Bunning formally sentenced Anderson, who must serve 85 percent of his federal prison sentence.
Anderson previously admitted in federal court that, in February of 2015, he knowingly received images of child pornography by accessing The Onion Router (TOR) network and saving child pornography images in his “TOR Browser” directory. A forensic examination of Anderson’s laptop computer revealed approximately 577 unique images of child pornography on his computer. The investigation was part of a nationwide operation conducted by the FBI. As a result of its investigation, the FBI obtained a search warrant for Anderson’s parents’ residence and seized his computer.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Amy Hess, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney David Marye.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Mailing Threatening Letter to a U.S. District Judge, Former U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney in North CarolinaRead the Press Release
A North Carolina convicted felon pleaded guilty today to mailing a threatening communication and retaliating against a federal official in the Western District of North Carolina.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge John A. Strong of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office and U.S. Marshal Kelly M. Nesbit of the U.S. Marshals Service made the announcement.
George Victor Stokes, 41, mailed a letter threatening to kill a U.S. District Court Judge, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Specifically, according to the Indictment, Stokes threatened to “blow” the head off of a U.S. District Court Judge. As a part of his guilty plea, Stokes admitted he sent the death threat as retaliation for the victims’ roles in the sentencing and prosecution of Stokes in a separate prior federal case.
A sentencing date has not yet been set.
FBI Charlotte and the U.S. Marshals Service for the Western District of North Carolina investigated the case. Trial Attorneys Matthew K. Hoff and Rachel E. Timm of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section are prosecuting the case.
Nigerian National Admits Role in Business E-Mail Compromise SchemeRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that ADEYEMI ODUFUYE, also known as “Micky,” “Micky Bricks,” “Yemi,” “GMB,” “Bawz,” and “Jefe,” 31, a citizen of Nigeria, pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to fraud and identity theft offenses stemming from a business e-mail compromise scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI has been investigating a business compromise scheme in which ODUFUYE and others targeted CEOs, CFOs, controllers and others at U.S. businesses using sophisticated cyber techniques to defraud the businesses of millions of dollars. As part of this scheme, in late 2015, ODUFUYE and others sent or caused to be sent dozens of e-mails to the controller of a company in Torrington, Connecticut. In the e-mails, ODUFUYE posed at the real CEO of the victim company and instructed the controller to send multiple wire transfers exceeding a total of $1 million from the company’s accounts to various individuals and purported entities. The company then sent five wire transfers totaling more than $500,000 to accounts in Virginia, Florida, Washington, D.C., and Hong Kong.
The investigation revealed that ODUFUYE and others controlled multiple e-mail and social media accounts used in the scheme and, in certain instances, sent e-mails and attachments containing malware to the intended recipients.
The investigation further revealed that ODUFUYE and others also targeted a company headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut, as part of this scheme.
To date, the FBI has identified 36 wire confirmations in e-mail accounts utilized by ODUFUYE and others from September 2015 to May 2016, totaling more than $1.6 million. This figure does not include the more than $500,000 in wire transfers from the victim company in Connecticut.
ODUFUYE pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of at least two years. Chief Judge Hall scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2018.
On December 19, 2016, ODUFUYE was arrested in the United Kingdom where he was a student at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. He was extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. and is detained.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Cyber Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.
U.S. Attorney Durham thanked the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police for their assistance in this case.
To contact the Connecticut Cyber Task Force, please call the FBI in New Haven at 203-777-6311.
New York man sentenced to more than 12 years for drug traffickingRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Derrick Sutton, of New York, New York, was sentenced today to 151 months incarceration for distributing cocaine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Sutton, age 31, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base” in August 2017. Sutton admitted to working with others to distribute crack cocaine in Monongalia County in March 2017.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.
New Orleans Man Sentenced to over 11 Years Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BRANDON SMITH, age 36, of New Orleans, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey sentenced SMITH to 139 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment.
According to court documents, on September 28, 2016, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested SMITH at a local hotel located on Chef Menteur Highway. SMITH was in possession of 13.6 grams of heroin and approximately $3,837.20 in cash. Additionally, inside of the vehicle driven by SMITH, agents found drug paraphernalia and a FN Herstal 5.7 x 28 caliber firearm with an extended magazine and a separate fully loaded handgun magazine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the FBI and DHS/HSI for investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracey Knight and Irene Gonzalez were in charge of the prosecution.
Muskegon Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Federal Prison for Firearm OffenseRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – DeAnthony Lyons, 21, of Muskegon, Michigan was sentenced to 90 months (seven and a half years) in federal prison for committing the offense of being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Birge announced today. In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker imposed a 3-year term of supervised release that will commence once Lyons is released from imprisonment.
Lyons pled guilty on September 13, 2017, to illegally possessing a .40 caliber handgun during the summer of 2017. The handgun was stolen, had an obliterated serial number, and was loaded. Lyons was arrested on July 27, 2017, after he ran from police while carrying the weapon in his hand. Lyons had previously been convicted of three felonies.
In its sentencing memorandum, the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that Lyons had a history of violence, including "two prior felonies for Assaulting, Resisting and Obstructing a Police Officer Causing Injury." The United States pointed out that given Lyons’ violent history, his "possession of a loaded firearm posed a significant risk to the community." His decision to run from police with a pistol in his hand created a particularly volatile situation that "could have very easily led to the loss of life by the pursuing officers, innocent bystanders, or even the defendant himself." The United States argued that a significant sentence was needed to protect the Muskegon community and deter others from similar criminal activity.
U.S. Attorney Birge stated: "My Office remains committed to combatting violence in the Muskegon area. The defendant’s sentence sends a clear message that gun violence will not be tolerated, and felons who choose to possess firearms will be severely punished."
The charges in this case are the result of a joint investigation by the Michigan State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office, the Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office, and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to combat violent crime in the Muskegon area.
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Midvale Man Indicted on Charges He Conveyed False Threats to Kill, Injure, or Intimidate Individuals; Also Threatened President Trump During Visit to UtahRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an 11-count indictment Wednesday afternoon charging Travis Luke Dominguez, age 33, of Midvale, Utah, with threats against the President, threats to injure others, and conveying false information.
The South Jordan Police Department and the FBI’s JTTF are investigating the case with substantial assistance from the Unified Police Department (UPD).
The indictment charges five counts of maliciously conveying false information in connection with the defendant’s use of the internet to convey false information concerning alleged attempts to kill, injure, and intimidate individuals at locations in South Jordan, Midvale, and Sandy. A South Jordan movie theater complex, a South Jordan bank, and a Midvale business were targets of the alleged threats in November and December. The indictment charges that in each incident, the defendant knew that the threat he was conveying was false.
Two counts in the indictment charge Dominguez with threats to take the life of President Trump while he was in Utah on Dec. 4, 2017. The indictment also includes a count alleging Dominguez transmitted a communication via internet to the Unified Police Department’s web tip line threatening to injure another. Specifically, the communication included a threat to injure police officers if they tried to stop him from killing the President.
In addition to the threat to injure another associated with the President’s visit, there are three additional counts alleging the defendant used the UPD web tip line to transmit threats to injure another. The indictment alleges that on Dec. 16, Dec. 24, and Sunday (Dec. 31), the defendant transmitted threats to injure individuals at a movie complex in South Jordan. Sunday’s communication included a threat to harm police officers responding to the scene.
The threats generally involved an active shooter situation or the use of explosives.
Following the Sunday threat, Dominguez was observed in the area of the theater. A vehicle stop was executed by South Jordan police officers and he was taken into custody. Each count of the indictment carries a potential penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark K. Vincent in the U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
Mexico, Missouri Woman Pleads Guilty to Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Robyn Smith, 55, of Mexico, MO, pleaded guilty this morning to Credit Card fraud in connection with her embezzlement of more than $150,000 from the Mexico law firm at which she worked from 2011 to 2016.
Smith admitted stealing cash receipts and making unauthorized charges for her own benefit on the firm’s credit cards and using firm money to pay the bills. Smith appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr. today in St. Louis. Judge Limbaugh accepted her plea and set sentencing for April 4, 2018.
At sentencing, Smith faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Restitution for the victim is also mandatory.
The case was investigated by the Kirksville office of the FBI with assistance from the Audrain County Prosecutor’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSE MANUEL MAZON-DE DIOS, age 32, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Indictment charging him with illegal reentry of a removed alien.
U.S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt sentenced MAZON-DE DIOS to eleven months imprisonment, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Following completion of his sentence, MAZON-DE DIOS will be surrendered to the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.
According to court documents, MAZON-DE DIOS, reentered the United States after he was previously deported on April 5, 2013.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis was in charge of the prosecution.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Use of a Social Security NumberRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that ERNESTO CONTRERAS-REYES, age 43, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty today to illegal use of a Social Security Number.
CONTRERAS-REYES faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than five years, a fine of $250,000, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Additionally, CONTRERAS-REYES is subject to a period of supervised release after imprisonment of up to three years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Heroin Trafficking RingRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JULIO FLORES, 39, of Webster, Mass., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role in a heroin trafficking ring.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad targeted a New Haven-based heroin trafficking organization. The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics and physical and video surveillance, revealed that members of the organization regularly purchased bulk quantities of heroin from suppliers located in the Bronx, New York, and sold the heroin through a network of redistributors, including FLORES, in New Haven and elsewhere. FLORES distributed heroin in Massachusetts.
The investigation resulted in federal charges against 24 individuals.
FLORES was arrested on March 16, 2017. On that date, investigators seized $18,180 from a safe that he controlled.
On October 11, 2017, FLORES pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and distribution of, heroin.
The DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Hamden, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Shelton, Wallingford and Wilton Police Departments. The New Haven, East Haven and West Haven Police Departments, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, provided valuable assistance to the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Patrick F. Caruso.
Manchester Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Elizabeth Salinas-Roldan, 42, previously of Manchester, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between May and July 2016, the defendant arranged with others to distribute cocaine to a cooperating individual in transactions that were audio and video-recorded. The defendant was arrested in December of 2016.
Salinas-Roldan will be sentenced on April 12, 2018. She has been in custody since her arrest.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office works each day with our law enforcement partners to stop drug trafficking in our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “I commend the hard work of the law enforcement officers whose efforts resulted in this conviction.”
“This guilty plea not only exemplifies Ms. Salinas-Roldan's full acceptance of her criminal activity, but her role in fueling the flow of illegal narcotics right here in Manchester,” said Special Agent in Charge, Harold H. Shaw, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division (FBI). “The FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force will continue do everything in its power to address violence and gang activity within our communities, as well as stop the sale of illegal drugs and dangerous substances impacting our neighbors, families, and friends across the region.”
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which consists of FBI Special Agents and members of the Manchester Police Department, the Hudson Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, the Nashua Police Department, and the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Probation and Parole. It was also 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. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.
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Malden Woman Sentenced for Theft of Government BenefitsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Malden woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for collecting over $166,000 in government benefits by providing false information about her family.
Julie Mijal, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to one month in prison, two years of supervised release - with the first six months to be served in home confinement - and ordered to pay approximately $166,487 in restitution. In September 2017, Mijal pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of public money and three counts of making false statements.
Mijal has lived in Malden with her children and their father since at least 2003. During that time, Mijal and her children’s father owned a house together and used the same address on their driver’s licenses, tax returns and other records.
During those same years, however, Mijal collected needs-based Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits on behalf of her child by telling the Social Security Administration that her child only lived with her and a sibling, and not with the child’s father. Social Security uses the household’s total income to determine whether someone is eligible for SSI benefits. As a result, Social Security did not count the father’s income when determining whether Mijal’s child was eligible for benefits. Mijal collected $87,053 in SSI benefits that she would not have received if she had reported that her children’s father was also part of the household. In a similar manner, Mijal collected $47,745 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and $31,688 in MassHealth benefits by failing to disclose that her children’s father lived with them.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Suzanne M. Bump, State Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Maine Woman Sentenced to 57 Months for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
CONCORD, N.H. - Nicole Perry, 22, of Berwick, Maine, was sentenced in federal court to 57 months’ in prison for fentanyl trafficking, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 20, 2016, members of the Strafford County Drug Task Force conducted surveillance on a vehicle in which Perry was a passenger as it travelled from Gonic, New Hampshire to Lawrence, Massachusetts. As the car returned to New Hampshire, law enforcement officers conducted a motor vehicle stop on Route 16, just beyond the Dover tolls. Perry admitted that she had purchased drugs, which were concealed in her clothing. A later search revealed that Perry was in possession of approximately 116 grams of fentanyl.
In September of 2017, Perry pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Upon her release from federal prison, Perry will serve a period of three years of supervised release.
“Fentanyl continues to be the primary cause of the large number of deadly overdose deaths that are plaguing the Granite State,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley. “I commend the work of the law enforcement officers in this case who successfully prevented the distribution of a large quantity of this deadly drug. We will continue to work closely each day with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our state.”
This matter was investigated by the Strafford County Drug Task Force, including officers from the police departments of Dover and Rochester, NH, the Strafford County Sheriff’s Department, and the New Hampshire State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Davis and Shane B. Kelbley.
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Local Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that SIDNEY RAY COTTON, age 32, of Franklinton, Louisiana, pled guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on or about March 21, 2016, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, COTTON, who had been convicted of simple robbery in the Twenty-Second Judicial Court, did knowingly possess in and affecting interstate commerce a firearm, specifically, a Norinco, Model SKS, serial number H7224.
COTTON faces a maximum term of ten years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Kennedy is in charge of the prosecution.
Lawrence Man Sentenced to 22 Months in Prison for Falsifying Audio Recordings in Federal InvestigationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man who was working as a paid cooperator for the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with falsifying audio recordings in a federal investigation.
Erick Santiago-Then, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 22 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $10,124 in restitution to the IRS. In October 2017, Santiago-Then pleaded guilty to 10 counts of falsifying records in a federal investigation.
In February 2014, Santiago-Then was working as a paid cooperator for IRS-CI. As part of his work to uncover evidence against the perpetrators of a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, Santiago-Then was given IRS-CI funds and authorized to set up a controlled meeting with a perpetrator to purchase fraudulently-obtained tax refund checks. Instead, Santiago-Then set up a sham meeting with a cohort during which he obtained a list of personal identifying information rather than tax refund checks. Following the controlled meeting, and unbeknownst to IRS-CI, Santiago-Then split the IRS-CI funds with his cohort. Thereafter, Santiago-Then engineered several recorded phone calls during which his cohort posed as someone else and purportedly gave Santiago-Then the run around concerning the purported mix up regarding the tax refund checks.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Stephen A. Marks, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. DiSantis of Lelling’s Public Corruption Unit prosecuted the case.
Justice Department Announces Funding Opportunities for Tribal CommunitiesRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening of the grant solicitation period for comprehensive funding to federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and tribal consortia to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention.
The Department’s Fiscal Year 2018 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, or “CTAS,” posts today at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations. The solicitation contains details about available grants and describes how tribes, tribal consortia and Alaskan villages can apply for the funds.
The funding can be used to enhance law enforcement; bolster adult and juvenile justice systems; prevent and control juvenile delinquency; serve native victims of crimes such as child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and elder abuse; and support other efforts to combat crime.
“We’re proud to offer American Indian and Alaska Native communities opportunities to continue to improve public safety, better serve victims of crime, and strengthen criminal justice systems,” said Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand. “CTAS projects support Native American women, ensure tribal self-determination, and further our shared goals of safe and secure communities for American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.”
Applications for CTAS are submitted online through the Department’s Grants Management System. Applicants must register with the Grants Management System prior to submitting an application. The application deadline is 9:00 p.m. EST, March 20, 2018.
For the FY 2018 CTAS, applicants will submit a single application and select from any or all of the nine competitive grant programs referred to as “purpose areas.” This approach allows the Department’s grant-making components to consider the totality of a tribal nation’s overall public safety needs.
The nine purpose areas are:
- Public Safety and Community Policing
- Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning
- Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse
- Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program
- Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program
- Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities
- Comprehensive Tribal Victim Assistance Program
- Juvenile Justice Wellness Courts
- Tribal Youth Program
In an effort to provide guidance on the Fiscal Year 2018 CTAS, the Department is sponsoring a series of webinars to educate applicants on CTAS application requirements. For details, including how to register for these webinars, visit https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations for the webinar schedule.
Additionally, tribes and tribal consortia may also be eligible for non-tribal federal grant programs and are encouraged to explore other funding opportunities, which may be found at DOJ’s Tribal Justice and Safety website at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations or the www.grants.gov website.
CTAS is administered by the Department’s Offices of Justice Programs, Community Oriented Policing Services, and Violence Against Women.
Today’s announcement is part of the DOJ’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Justice Department Announces Funding Opportunities for Tribal CommunitiesRead the Press Release
The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening of the grant solicitation period for comprehensive funding to federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and tribal consortia to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention.
The Department’s Fiscal Year 2018 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, or “CTAS,” posts today at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations. The solicitation contains details about available grants and describes how tribes, tribal consortia and Alaskan villages can apply for the funds.
The funding can be used to enhance law enforcement; bolster adult and juvenile justice systems; prevent and control juvenile delinquency; serve native victims of crimes such as child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and elder abuse; and support other efforts to combat crime.
“We’re proud to offer American Indian and Alaska Native communities opportunities to continue to improve public safety, better serve victims of crime, and strengthen criminal justice systems,” said Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand. “CTAS projects support Native American women, ensure tribal self-determination, and further our shared goals of safe and secure communities for American Indian and Alaska Native peoples.”
United States Attorney Trent Shores stated, “I am excited to see the Justice Department reaffirm its commitment to a strong partnership with tribal nations. These grants can benefit Oklahoma Tribes by helping to address public safety challenges, including violence against women and the opioid crisis. Given Oklahoma’s patchwork jurisdiction, I am confident that these funds could strengthen community policing programs in Indian Country as well as nearby non-Indian communities.”
Applications for CTAS are submitted online through the Department’s Grants Management System. Applicants must register with the Grants Management System prior to submitting an application. The application deadline is 8:00 p.m. CDT, March 20, 2018.
For the FY 2018 CTAS, applicants will submit a single application and select from any or all of the nine competitive grant programs referred to as “purpose areas.” This approach allows the Department’s grant-making components to consider the totality of a tribal nation’s overall public safety needs.
The nine purpose areas are:
• Public Safety and Community Policing
• Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning
• Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse
• Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program
• Violence Against Women Tribal Governments Program
• Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities
• Comprehensive Tribal Victim Assistance Program
• Juvenile Justice Wellness Courts
• Tribal Youth Program
In an effort to provide guidance on the Fiscal Year 2018 CTAS, the Department is sponsoring a series of webinars to educate applicants on CTAS application requirements. For details, including how to register for these webinars, visit https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations for the webinar schedule.
Additionally, tribes and tribal consortia may also be eligible for non-tribal federal grant programs and are encouraged to explore other funding opportunities, which may be found at DOJ’s Tribal Justice and Safety website at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/open-solicitations or the www.grants.gov website.
CTAS is administered by the Department’s Offices of Justice Programs, Community Oriented Policing Services, and Violence Against Women.
Today’s announcement is part of the DOJ’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Jefferson City Man Indicted for Child PornographyRead the Press Release
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Jefferson City, Mo., man has been indicted on charges related to child pornography.
Ben Joseph Hilkemeyer, 32, of Jefferson City, was charged in a two-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Jefferson City on Dec. 20, 2017. The indictment was unsealed today and made public upon Hilkemeyer’s arrest and initial court appearance. Hilkemeyer remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.
The federal indictment alleges that Hilkemeyer received and distributed child pornography from Jan. 29 to Sept. 7, 2017. The indictment also charges Hilkemeyer with being in possession of child pornography on Sept. 7, 2017.
According to court documents, Hilkemeyer possessed more than 50 videos depicting child abuse, including one video that was more than an hour and 37 minutes long, as well as more than 6,000 images of child abuse. These images and videos depict pornographic content of infants and toddlers, the depiction of sexual violence including the rape and molestation of infants and toddlers and bestiality images involving prepubescent children engaging in sexual activity with animals. The majority of the images and videos were located on a USB drive, which was hidden in a ski glove.
Larson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
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."
Franklin County Man Sentenced to 40 Years’ Imprisonment for Production of Child Pornography Involving an Infant and ToddlerRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Evan Matthew Lawbaugh, age 34, of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 40 years’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Sylvia H. Rambo for two counts of production of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Lawbaugh sexually assaulted a toddler boy and a four-year-old girl and recorded the assaults. Lawbaugh distributed videos depicting the assault on the toddler boy on the internet. Lawbaugh also possessed thousands of images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, includes images depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. Lawbaugh was previously convicted of possession of child pornography on April 8, 2015, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
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.”
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Daryl Bloom prosecuted the case.
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Four men indicted on firearms chargesRead the Press Release
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Four men have been arraigned this week after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Elkins on December 19, 2017 on illegal firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Joshua Neal Krieger, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, age 29, was indicted on one count of “Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm,” one count of “Conspiracy,” one count of “Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting Transfer of a NFA Firearm,” one count of “Out of State Delivery of a Firearm,” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.”
Glenn Eugene Oden, of Stevens City, Virginia, age 39, was indicted on one count of “Conspiracy,” one count of “Illegal Possession of a Firearm,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Transfer of a NFA firearm.”
Stephen Clark Krieger, age 66, and Thorn Ashton Guessford, age 25, both of Federalsburg, Maryland, were each indicted on one count of “Conspiracy.”
The crimes allegedly took place in Berkeley County and elsewhere, from May to July of 2017.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul T. Camilletti is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the West Virginia State Police are investigating.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.Former Executive Managing Director of Och-Ziff Capital Management Indicted for Defrauding Client and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
A former executive managing director of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (Och-Ziff), a New York-based hedge fund, was charged in an indictment unsealed today for his alleged participation in a scheme to defraud one of the hedge fund’s clients, a large charitable foundation, when recommending financial investments relating to the African mining sector.
Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Rohde of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office and Special Agent in Charge James D. Robnett of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) New York office made the announcement.
Michael Leslie Cohen, 46, of London, England was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit investment adviser fraud, one count of investment adviser fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements. The indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jury sitting in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 5, 2017, and relates to Cohen’s alleged conduct between 2008 and 2013.
The indictment alleges that, beginning in or about 2008, Cohen and his co-conspirators carried out a scheme to defraud an Och-Ziff client, a large charitable foundation. According to the indictment, Cohen violated his fiduciary duties to the charitable foundation by making material misrepresentations and concealing conflicts of interest in connection with a proposed investment in an African mining company. The indictment alleges, among other things, that Cohen failed to disclose to the charitable foundation that one of the sellers of the African mining company shares owed Cohen millions of dollars on a delinquent $18 million personal loan that Cohen had made to the seller to finance the purchase of a luxury yacht. The seller allegedly paid approximately $4 million of the African mining company share proceeds to Cohen in repayment of the personal yacht loan. Cohen did not disclose to the charitable foundation that he had a personal interest in the African mining company and that a portion of shares he controlled would be sold as part of the transaction, the indictment alleges.
In addition, the indictment alleges that in order to conceal his fraudulent scheme and self-dealing, Cohen conspired with others to cover up facts about the transaction after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began investigating Och-Ziff in 2011. Cohen and others allegedly engaged in a number of acts to obstruct investigations, including concocting a false, backdated letter and making false statements to federal agents and the SEC.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The FBI’s New York Field Office and IRS-CI’s New York office are investigating the case. Trial Attorney Gerald M. Moody Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Pitluck, James P. McDonald, a former Fraud Section trial attorney, and Jonathan P. Lax of the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter. The Department appreciates the significant cooperation and assistance provided by the SEC’s Boston Regional Office in this matter.
Former Executive Managing Director of Och-Ziff Capital Management Indicted for Defrauding Charitable Foundation and Obstructing JusticeRead the Press Release
A 10-count indictment was unsealed today, in federal court in Brooklyn, charging Michael Leslie Cohen, a former executive managing director of New York-based hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (“Och-Ziff”), for his alleged participation in a scheme to defraud one of the hedge fund’s clients, a large charitable foundation, when recommending financial investments relating to the African mining sector. Cohen is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit investment adviser fraud, one count of investment adviser fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and four counts of wire fraud. Cohen is also charged with conspiring to obstruct federal grand jury and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations and making false statements to federal agents. The indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jury sitting in Brooklyn, New York on October 5, 2017, and relates to Cohen’s alleged conduct between 2008 and 2013.
Bridget M. Rohde, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, William F. Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and James D. Robnett, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI), announced the charges.
“As alleged, Michael Cohen violated his fiduciary duties as an investment advisor, deceiving a charitable foundation, in order to enrich himself and his associates,” stated Acting United States Attorney Rohde. “The deceit continued when he learned that the U.S. government was investigating his activities, was confronted with evidence of the alleged crimes and responded with a cover-up. The charges announced today reflect this Office’s commitment, together with our law enforcement partners, to hold accountable those in the finance industry who defraud investors.” Ms. Rohde thanked the SEC, Boston Regional Office, for its significant cooperation and assistance during the investigation.
“As alleged, Cohen turned his back on his fiduciary duties, profiting from the investments of his clients, essentially double dipping at their expense. His further actions of obstructing justice and lying to federal agents speak to his blatant disregard for integrity and the rule of law,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney. “Today's indictment maintains our resolve to hold accountable those who engage in this type of corrupt and illegal activity.”
“Today’s indictment of Mr. Cohen, a former Managing Director of one of the largest hedge funds, alleges the misuse of his position of trust to deceive a charitable foundation,” stated IRS-CI Special Agent-in-Charge Robnett. “IRS-CI will continue to investigate executives who mislead investors and violate the public trust.”
The indictment alleges that, beginning in or about 2008, Cohen and his co-conspirators carried out a scheme to defraud a large charitable foundation and investor (the “Charitable Foundation”). Cohen violated his fiduciary duties to the Charitable Foundation by making material misrepresentations and omissions in connection with a proposed investment in shares of an African mining company. Through an Och-Ziff investment fund and joint venture overseen by the defendant, Cohen fraudulently induced the Charitable Foundation to consent to the purchase of shares in the African mining company without disclosing numerous conflicts of interest that existed in the transaction. Among other things, Cohen failed to disclose that one of the proposed sellers of the shares personally owed Cohen $18 million – for a loan used to finance a luxury yacht – and would use the proceeds from the sale of shares to partially repay his debt to Cohen. Cohen also failed to disclose that he personally controlled another portion of the shares in the African mining company that would be sold as part of the transaction.
The indictment further alleges that in order to conceal his fraudulent scheme and self-dealing, Cohen conspired with others to cover up facts about the transaction after the SEC began an investigation of Och-Ziff in 2011. Cohen and others engaged in a number of acts to obstruct both the federal grand jury and SEC investigations, including concocting a false, backdated letter and making false statements to federal agents and the SEC.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Business and Securities Fraud Section and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant United States Attorneys David C. Pitluck, James P. McDonald and Jonathan P. Lax, and Trial Attorney Gerald M. Moody, Jr., are in charge of the prosecution. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter.
The Defendant:
MICHAEL LESLIE COHEN
Age: 46
Residence: London, England
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 17-CR-544 (NGG)
Former Executive Admits Guilt in Antitrust Conspiracy Affecting Water Treatment ChemicalsRead the Press Release
A former executive pleaded guilty today in the District of New Jersey for his role in a conspiracy to eliminate competition by rigging bids, allocating customers, and fixing the price for liquid aluminum sulfate sold to municipalities and pulp and paper companies in the United States.
Brian C. Steppig, former director of sales and marketing for a water treatment chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, admitted to agreeing with competitors, from approximately 2005 until February 2011, not to compete for contracts for liquid aluminum sulfate, a coagulant used by municipalities to treat drinking and waste water, and by pulp and paper companies in their manufacturing processes.
“Today’s result reflects the Antitrust Division’s ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who seek to corrupt the competitive process and cheat customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This offense was particularly egregious, counting among its victims cities and towns throughout the Southeastern United States that relied on the conspirators’ products to provide clean water to their residents.”
“The FBI is thorough in ensuring that anyone intent on corrupting our free market system is brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher of the FBI's Newark Division. “Corruption and collusion at any level in our society is unacceptable as it has such a negative impact on the consumer.”
According to court documents, Steppig and his co-conspirators agreed not to pursue each other’s historical customers. To carry out that agreement, Steppig and his co-conspirators discussed prices to be quoted to customers and submitted intentionally losing bids to favor the intended winner.
A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for individuals. The maximum fine for a Sherman Act charge may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
Including Steppig, two individuals and one company have pleaded guilty to charges arising out of this federal investigation of collusion in the liquid aluminum sulfate industry.
The investigation was conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office and the FBI’s New Jersey Office. Anyone with information regarding price fixing, bid rigging or customer allocation in the liquid aluminum sulfate industry should contact the Antitrust Division’s New York Office at 212-335-8000, call the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.
Five Maryland Men Indicted for Wire Fraud and Money LaunderingRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted five individuals on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment was returned on October 26, 2017, and unsealed upon the arrest of the defendants. The five individuals indicted are:
Aldrin Fon Fomukong, a/k/a “Albanky,” a/k/a “A.L.,” age 24, of Greenbelt, Maryland;
Nnkeng Amin, a/k/a “Rapone,” a/k/a “Arnold,” age 30, of Beltsville, Maryland;
Yanick Eyong age 26, of Bowie, Maryland;
Ishmail Ganda, a/k/a “Banker TD,” age 31, of College Park, Maryland; and
Izou Ere Digifa, a/k/a “Lzuo Digifa,” a/k/a “Mimi VA,” age 22, of Lynchburg, Virginia.
The indictment was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Watson of Homeland Security Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Brian Ebert of the United States Secret Service, Washington Field Office.
According to the indictment, between February 2016 and in or about July 2017, the defendants gained access to email accounts associated with the victims and sent false wiring instructions, causing the victims to wire millions of dollars into drop accounts set up by the defendants. The defendants then allegedly disbursed the money received from the victims into the drop accounts by, among other transactions, using wires to transfer money to other accounts, by initiating account transfers to other accounts at the same bank, by withdrawing sums of money, by obtaining cashier’s checks, and by writing checks to other individuals or entities.
Over the course of the conspiracy, the defendants stole or attempted to steal over $8.7 million from at least 11 victims.
Fomukong, Amin, Eyong, and Digifa remain detained. Ganda is released under the supervision of pretrial services.
Fomukong and Amin face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each of the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised HSI and Secret Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly O’Connell Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.
Felon Charged with Illegally Possessing Fentanyl Analogue and .40 Caliber PistolRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – James Folks has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh for methoxyacetyl fentanyl trafficking and firearm crimes, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today. The indictment charges Folks, age 44, of East Pittsburgh, with committing the following crimes on December 7, 2017: attempt to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of methoxyacetyl fentanyl and possession of a firearm after seven prior felony convictions.
“As President Trump has identified, the fight against the opioid and fentanyl epidemic is one of the top priorities of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania,” stated U.S. Attorney Brady. “Seven-times convicted felon James Folks attempted to import from overseas more than two pounds of a deadly form of fentanyl for distribution in Western Pennsylvania. This multi-agency investigation resulted in an indictment which demonstrates the resolve of this office to reduce violent crime and opioid trafficking by focusing on the district’s most dangerous criminals.”
“We’re using every law enforcement tool at our disposal to fight this epidemic in Pennsylvania and get the people peddling these poisons out of our communities,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “Thanks to strong law enforcement collaboration with U.S. Attorney Scott Brady and his office, fentanyl that could have devastated this community has been seized and the drug dealer responsible will face justice.”
According to a Criminal Complaint filed on December 7, 2017, Folks has an extensive criminal record involving drug trafficking and violent crimes. On December 6, 2017, Postal Inspection Service interdiction personnel in Pittsburgh intercepted an International Mail Express package from the Republic of Korea addressed to James Folks in Homestead, PA. The package was pulled from the mail stream for further investigation. On December 6, 2017, Homeland Security personnel opened the package in a controlled environment and found a powdery substance with an approximate weight of 1,058 grams. A field test indicated the substance contained a fentanyl analogue, a controlled substance, in a distribution amount. On December 7, 2017, at 8:45 a.m., Folks went to the Post Office to retrieve his parcel and departed the Post Office in his vehicle. Law enforcement officers arrested Folks when he parked in front of his residence with the parcel. A subsequent search of Folks’ home uncovered a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine, as well as drug trafficking paraphernalia, including an electronic money counter. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year to possess a firearm and ammunition. Because of his criminal record, Folks has been charged as an Armed Career Criminal.
The law provides for a minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment as an Armed Career Criminal and up to life and a fine of up to $20,250,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Unite to Combat Crimes Against ChildrenRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO-MDFL) last year charged 84 individuals as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative. Since 2006, this nationwide initiative has collectively marshaled federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims of abuse. Since the inception of the program, the Middle District of Florida has charged more than 1,000 individuals with child exploitation offenses.
“Child predators are using more cunning and persuasive techniques and technologies to lure and exploit innocent children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Muldrow. “The individuals who prey upon children are becoming bolder and more violent and must be stopped. As a community, we also must educate ourselves and raise awareness on how to best protect our children against these threats. We are thankful to the men and women who investigate, prosecute, and seek justice for these victims.”
In 2017, the USAO-MDFL, in partnership with numerous federal, state, and local agencies, brought charges against various individuals for traveling to engage in sexual conduct with minors, and for producing, advertising, distributing, receiving, possessing, soliciting, and accessing child pornography. In addition, the Office has prosecuted cases involving human trafficking where individuals, including minors, have been forced to commit commercial sex acts and engage in sex tourism. MDFL prosecutors also charged cases involving convicted sex offenders who failed to register with authorities as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
2017 MDFL PSC Case Highlights January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017
Fort Myers Division
U.S. v. William Lee – Lee produced a video of himself engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a child. On September 16, 2016, deputies responded to the victim’s residence in Lehigh Acres and made contact with the girl and her mother. The child’s mother provided Lee’s deactivated phone to the deputies. Pursuant to a search warrant, a forensic examination of the phone revealed two videos capturing Lee engaging in explicit conduct with the girl. Lee pleaded guilty to production and possession charges. On October 2, 2017, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
U.S. v. Jorge Guerrero-Torres – While residing with a family in Fort Myers, including four children, Guerrero-Torres used his cellphone to take sexually explicit photos of one of the children. Shortly after moving out, he became a person of interest in the disappearance of the child that he had photographed and attempted to flee the area. He was apprehended by law enforcement and the images were recovered from his discarded phone. A federal jury found Guerrero-Torres guilty of producing and possessing child pornography and, on August 14, 2017, he was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
U.S. v. Brian Author Thomas – During an FBI Task Force investigation, agents were able to download images and videos of child pornography from Thomas’s computer using a file sharing program. Agents executed a search warrant at his home and seized his laptop computer and cellphone. Forensic analyses of the electronic media revealed that from at least July 18, 2012, through March 30, 2016, Thomas had collected more than 6,000 images and 35 videos depicting young children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. His cellphone also contained videos that he had produced of a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. On February 23, 2017, Thomas pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. On August 7, 2017, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
U.S. v. Joseph Spradlin – An FBI Task Force officer was able to download images and videos of child pornography from Spradlin’s computer using a file-sharing network. A search warrant was executed at his residence and agents located more than 65,000 images and 668 videos of child pornography on four separate thumb drives. Further investigation revealed that Spradlin had produced child pornography images and videos of an 8-year-old girl on at least two occasions. He pleaded guilty to producing and possessing child pornography, and on March 20, 2017, he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Jacksonville Division
U.S. v. Chad Theodore Dillon – As part of an undercover investigation to identify users of an app who were attempting to entice and sexually exploit children, an agent from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement published a post purporting to be from a 13-year-old child. Within a few minutes, the agent received a private message from “Ice Whale,” that initiated a conversation between the two. “Ice Whale,” later identified as Dillon, repeatedly solicited the “child” for sexual acts. He also offered to have sex with the “child’s” 12-year-old “friend,” who he believed to be sleeping over at the “child’s” house. Dillon claimed that he had had sex with 12-year-olds a “couple times,” and he provided his cellphone number to the “child.” Dillon ultimately declined to meet the “child” for the sexual encounter they had previously discussed. However, further investigation revealed that Dillon had previously solicited a 13-year-old girl online to produce nude images of herself. During the execution of a search warrant, agents found chat messages revealing that Dillon had traveled to Georgia to have sex with a child, and had enticed another child to produce child pornography and to meet him for sex. Dillon pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. On September 6, 2017, he was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
U.S. v. Justin Laurence McKinley – McKinley, a Jacksonville resident, communicated online via a video streaming program with individuals in eastern Europe who molested young children for broadcast over the Internet. This sexual abuse was live-streamed to McKinley and others in the United States. Over a two-year period, McKinley paid the abusers more than $31,000 for these live “sex shows.” FBI agents executed a search warrant at McKinley’s home and seized computer media that contained, among other things, videos depicting the child sexual abuse that he had commissioned and paid for. The victims depicted in the videos ranged in age from a newborn to an 8-year-old child. Forensic analyses of McKinley’s computer media revealed that his external hard drive contained at least 613 videos and 6,846 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. McKinley pleaded guilty to advertising for child pornography and was sentenced on July 20, 2017, to 30 years federal in prison.
U.S. v. Wilfrido C. Baldera – In March 2016, detectives from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office began investigating possible child exploitation offenses after they had identified an IP address that was a prolific sharer of child pornography. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) obtained a search warrant for the address associated with the IP address, Baldera’s residence. Baldera admitted that he had viewed and downloaded child pornography and acknowledged his attraction to young girls. He told agents that he had visited Walmart to look at girls between the ages of 8 and 16 who “put it out there” for sexual arousal, before going home to his wife and described it as being better than going to a strip club. A forensic review of Baldera’s devices revealed videos and photographs that he had produced depicting him raping a 10-year-old girl. Baldera pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and, on October 4, 2017, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. He also faces capital sexual battery charges filed by the State Attorney’s Office in Jacksonville.
U.S. v. Andrew Ryan Leslie – Leslie was an information technology specialist and part-time babysitter in Middleburg, Florida. During an investigation by ICE-HSI into websites known to host images and videos depicting child pornography, Leslie was identified as a member of one of the sites. When law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at his residence, Leslie had a two-year-old child in bed with him, who the agents then rescued. A digital camera located next to Leslie’s bed had an SD card containing a series of images depicting Leslie engaged in sexual acts with two different children. Several of the images were of the child that had been in bed with Leslie that morning. Other images depicted a different child, who was less than a year old, being sexually abused by Leslie. Forensic analyses of Leslie’s other digital media items revealed that he had produced, received, distributed, and possessed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Leslie pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography. His sentencing is set for January 30, 2018, where he faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 60 years, in federal prison.
U.S. v. Kyle Adam Kirby – Kirby was a sergeant with the Live Oak Police Department (LOPD). Following an undercover online child exploitation investigation, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Kirby’s home. They also consensually obtained his patrol car computer and an LOPD desktop computer that he had used. During the investigation, Kirby unsuccessfully solicited another officer to delete evidence from the desktop computer. A forensic examiner recovered several deleted thumbnail images of child pornography from the computers, including images of two children that Kirby had produced using hidden cameras. After using his patrol car computer to access and share videos of child pornography, Kirby used a wiping program in an attempt to delete the evidence. On December 7, 2017, a federal jury found Kirby guilty of producing, attempting to produce, possessing, and accessing child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2018. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to 120 years, in federal prison.
Ocala Division
U.S. v. Thomas Edward Abney, Jr. – Abney used his cellphone to produce pornographic images of a two-year-old relative, which he then traded online for other child pornography images. In June 2017, Abney communicated with an undercover agent using an Internet messaging service and claimed that he had performed oral sex on the same child. He sent the agent a link to an 11-minute video depicting child pornography. After his arrest, Abney admitted that he had used his cellphone to produce, distribute, receive, and possess child pornography, including the images of a relative. Abney pleaded guilty to producing and transporting child pornography and will be sentenced in January 2018. Due to his prior state convictions for qualifying child sex offenses, he faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years, up to 90 years, in federal prison.
Orlando Division
U.S. v. Meinrad Kopp – Between April and June 2017, Kopp communicated via the “dark web” with a law enforcement officer, posing as the father of a 13-year-old child, about engaging in sadistic sexual activities with the child. He stated that he wanted to humiliate and inflict severe pain on the child for his sexual gratification by treating her like a dog and torturing her with certain instruments he intended to bring with him. According to Kopp, he had previously beaten an 11-year-old child using a leather belt. On June 16, 2017, Kopp flew to Orlando and was arrested. Inside his luggage, he had packed weights, clamps, rope, tape, a bottle brush, and a flashlight that he intended to use on the minor, along with a camera to record his activities. Kopp pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and was sentenced on December 13, 2017, to life in federal prison.
U.S. v. Billy Leon Dyer – Between June 2016 and February 2017, Dyer induced at least three teenage girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct so that he could produce child pornography. He paid the girls, who were between 14 and 15 years old, $140-$200 each time he had sex with them. Sometimes, he gave them drugs in exchange for sex. Agents discovered Dyer’s conduct after he discussed the details during jail calls that he made to adult inmates at the Brevard County Jail. In March 2017, law enforcement officers conducted an undercover operation using an undercover officer posing as an adult woman online. The “woman” said that she was unable to have sex with Dyer, but referred her 15-year-old cousin. Dyer told the “woman” that he would pay her a $40 finder’s fee for referring her “cousin,” and that he would pay her “cousin” $150 to have sex with him. When Dyer arrived to meet the “cousin,” agents arrested him. On his phone, computer, and thumb drive, agents located more than 170 images depicting the teen girls that Dyer had engaged in sex with at his house. Dyer pleaded guilty to producing images depicting child pornography and on December 20, 2017, he was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison. He was also ordered to forfeit his residence and the vehicle that he had used during the offense.
U.S. v. Jamie P. Esposito – Esposito sexually abused a 7-year-old child once or twice a month over an 18 to 24 month period and chronicled it with photos and videos that he then shared with several individuals online. When agents executed a search warrant at Esposito’s home, they found more than 2,700 images of child pornography, including the images and videos that he had produced. In July 2016, Esposito brought the child to Tampa to be sexually abused by Richmond McDonald and Shauna Boselli, who were later separately charged in Tampa. Esposito took photos and video of the abuse. On August 15, 2017, Esposito was sentenced to 75 years in federal prison for producing child pornography.
U.S. v. Michael Michalak – During the course of several months, Michalak sent links to thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography to an FBI agent who was acting in an undercover capacity on social media. The victims in the images and videos included infants, toddlers, and other young children. Michalak had also sexually assaulted several children, including a preschooler, prior to the commission of these offenses. Michalak pleaded guilty to transporting and distributing child pornography. On February 23, 2017, he was sentenced to 36 years and 8 months in federal prison.
Tampa Division
U.S. v. Richmond McDonald and Shauna Boselli – This couple engaged in abusive sexual activity with a 7-year-old child, with the consent and in the presence of the child’s relative. McDonald and Boselli met the relative, Jamie P. Esposito online and engaged in explicit conversations regarding sexual acts with the child. Esposito brought the child to Tampa to meet McDonald and Boselli. After spending time at the zoo and taking the child for ice cream, McDonald and Boselli sexually abused the child at their Tampa home while Esposito watched. Two days later, McDonald and Boselli met Esposito and the child at their hotel, where the couple continued the sexual abuse. A search of McDonald and Boselli’s residence revealed more than 1,300 images and videos of child pornography, including some with the child victim that Esposito had taken. McDonald and Boselli pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. They were sentenced to life imprisonment and 40 years in federal prison, respectively. Esposito was charged with producing child pornography in the Orlando Division and was sentenced to 75 years in federal prison (see above).
U.S. v. Nathan Madsen – Madsen requested and negotiated a price to have sex with a 14-year-old girl, took steps to verify the minor’s existence, and met with and paid an undercover agent to have sex with her. During a search of Madsen’s electronic devices following his arrest, agents discovered that he had persuaded a 16-year-old girl to produce and transmit explicit images and videos, some of which depicted violent, sadistic, or masochistic conduct, for him. Madsen pleaded guilty to enticing a child to produce child pornography and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison.
U.S. v. David Paul Lynch – According to evidence presented during trial, Lynch traveled to the Philippines regularly between 2005 and 2016 to have sex with children and make recordings of the abuse. Prior to his trips, he communicated online with “facilitators” in the Philippines to locate children to exploit. He produced child pornography of at least three Filipino children on these visits, and he solicited child pornography via email of a fourth. In December 2016, Lynch was arrested in San Francisco while attempting to board a flight to the Philippines. Simultaneously, FBI agents executed a search at his home in Venice, Florida, and located dozens of self-produced images and videos of child pornography accumulated during his trips abroad. In October 2017, a federal jury found Lynch guilty of eight counts of production of child pornography, two counts of sex tourism, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 14, 2018. He faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for each production count, up to 30 years’ imprisonment for each travel count, a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, for receiving child pornography, and up to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography.
U.S. v. Robert Ware – According to court documents, in December 2011, Ware produced three images of child pornography depicting “E.F.,” who was 18 months old at the time, and sent them to an individual in New York. The investigation of Ware began after law enforcement agents in New York discovered the images of “E.F.” on another defendant’s phone and traced them to Ware. “E.F.’s” mother reported that Ware, a relative, had babysat for the victim during the time the photos were taken. She also recognized the bedding in two of the images as matching that in Ware’s bedroom. Ware pleaded guilty on December 20, 2017, to producing child pornography. His sentencing date has not yet been set. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison.
U.S. v. Paul Fabrizio Solis – In February 2017, undercover FBI agents located a user, later identified as Solis, who was sharing numerous images of child pornography on a file-sharing network. During the execution of a search warrant, agents learned that Solis had taken explicit photographs of a 5-year-old that had been entrusted to Solis’s care by a longtime family friend. Solis kept the photos on a thumb drive in a locked safe in his home. In addition to these images, Solis had more than 4,000 videos and images of child pornography on his laptop computer. Solis pleaded guilty in November 2017 and will be sentenced in February 2018. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for producing and possessing child pornography.
District Man Sentenced to 29 Years in Prison for Murder and Drug OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malik Hough, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 29 years in prison on murder and narcotics charges, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Hough pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree murder while armed with a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed with a firearm. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence between 17 and 29 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant to the upper end of the agreed range, in accordance with the Government’s recommendation.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Bartnoff called Hough’s actions “inexplicable” and noted that he was on pretrial release for the drug case when he committed the murder. She also noted that there was no justification for the defendant’s actions and that the victim was shot in the back. She added: “What we can’t have in this city is people who have a beef with each other shooting each other. There has to be another way.”
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 19, 2016, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Hough took off in unprovoked flight, on foot, from several officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) near the 900 block of Varney Street SE. The officers apprehended him in the rear alley of the 900 block of Varney Street SE a few minutes later. Officers canvassed the area and found two items on the ground nearby: a 9mm firearm, loaded with a single round, and a 9mm magazine loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition. DNA testing on the firearm showed that Hough’s DNA was on the firearm. Officers also recovered from Hough’s person on the scene numerous, empty, small baggies. A subsequent search at the Seventh District Station, and testing by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, revealed that Hough had 6.8 grams of cocaine on him as well. During his plea, Hough acknowledged possessing the firearm, the empty zips, and the cocaine at the same time, and admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine.
After being arrested for those offenses on Nov. 19, 2016, and charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hough was released by the Court on Nov. 23, 2016, with conditions including that he wear a GPS tracking anklet and not possess any firearms.
The murder took place roughly a month later. At approximately 1:20 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2016, Herbert Dowtin, 22, was walking in the 800 block of Xenia Street SE. Hough, who knew Mr. Dowtin and had previously argued with him, walked up behind Mr. Dowtin and fired 10 shots at him, hitting him eight times. These gunshot wounds caused the death of Mr. Dowtin later that day. Hough then fled, discarding the 9mm firearm under some black fabric fencing approximately two blocks away. The firearm was recovered with the assistance of a gun dog and later was ballistically matched to the shell casings found at the scene. DNA testing on the firearm showed that the defendant was one of the people whose DNA was on the firearm. Hough was wearing his pretrial GPS anklet at the time of the murder, but later cut that anklet off in an attempt to evade prosecution. Hough was arrested on Jan. 6, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.
During his plea, Hough acknowledged that Mr. Dowtin was unarmed when he shot him and that Hough was not acting in self-defense.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, the Seventh Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. She also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen and Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; and former Intern Julia Banegas. Finally, she commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bruckmann and Marybeth Manfreda, who investigated and prosecuted the cases.
Deer Lodge Man Sentenced in Drug Trafficking CaseRead the Press Release
HELENA—On Wednesday, January 3, 2018, United States District Court Judge Sam Haddon sentenced Chase Ryan Storlie, 33, of Deer Lodge, Montana, to 360 months in prison, 5 years’ supervised release, and a $100 surcharge for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Storlie was part of a conspiracy to distribute up to 20 pounds of methamphetamine through Deer Lodge, Montana, each month between January 2016 and January 2017. Members of the conspiracy, including Storlie, possessed firearms in connection with the drug trafficking crimes.
Other members of the conspiracy included Jeff Allen Trask, Hector Ricardo Gonzalez, and Christian Jesus Ruiz. The court previously sentenced Trask to 54 months imprisonment; Gonzalez to 260 months; and Ruiz to 60 months.
The conspiracy ended on January 24, 2017, when the authorities arrested Gonzalez and Ruiz in Mineral County, Montana, in possession of 20 pounds of methamphetamine and two handguns. The methamphetamine was destined for Storlie in Deer Lodge.
The charges against Storlie and his codefendants are the result of an investigation by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigations, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Helena Police Department, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, the Powell County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case.
United States Attorney Kurt Alme explained, “This case is an important part of our Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which is focused on reducing violent crime in Montana. Storlie and his co-defendants were distributing enormous amounts of drugs, enough to supply south central Montana with approximately 870,000 individual doses of methamphetamine. As with so many of our drug crimes, Storlie and his co-conspirators possessed firearms in connection with their drug trafficking. Anytime you combine such large amounts of drugs with guns, violence and addiction will result.” Alme also praised the collaborative work of the law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the case.
Columbus man pleads guilty to federal drug crimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Columbus man who was caught selling heroin in Huntington in 2016 pleaded guilty today to a federal drug charge, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Traemone Khalil Miller, 22, entered his guilty plea to distribution of heroin and fentanyl.
On July 27, 2016, a confidential informant arranged to purchase heroin from Miller at the Marcum Terrace apartment complex in Huntington. The informant, accompanied by an undercover agent, traveled to that area where the informant met with Miller and others in an apartment. Miller then distributed what he represented to be heroin to the informant. A forensic chemist later analyzed the substance and confirmed it to be heroin mixed with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid which is anywhere from 25 to 50 times more potent that heroin.
As part of his plea, Miller also admitted that he arranged an additional drug deal with the informant involving heroin mixed with fentanyl on August 3, 2016, and further helped facilitate the informant’s purchase of a firearm on August 25, 2016.
Miller faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on April 2, 2018.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District. This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in the United States by networking existing local programs targeting gun crime.
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Business Agent Sentenced for $3 Million Tax FraudRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A Glen Allen man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for a tax fraud conspiracy that caused a loss to the IRS of over $3 million.
According to court documents, Edward R. Prestes, 48, was a bookkeeper who operated a conspiracy to evade paying income and employment taxes to the IRS for laborers working for various construction companies by paying such laborers more than $9.1 million “under the table.” From 2011 through 2013, Prestes was an agent for Virginia American Contractors, LLC; Elson Contractors, LLC; Proactive Services, LLC; Positive Solutions, LLC; and Service Contractors, LLC. These nominee corporations all used the same mailing address: a post office box in Glen Allen. However, each nominee corporation had a separate bank account in which Prestes was an authorized signatory.
According to the court documents, after various construction companies made regular payments to the nominee corporations, Prestes would then distribute the funds from the nominee corporations to the laborers. Prestes would make these payments to laborers by both cash and check, and would not withhold any income or employment taxes, issue Forms W-2 or 1099 to the laborers, or file quarterly returns or yearly income tax returns for the nominee corporations, as required by law. At the end of each year, the construction companies issued IRS Forms 1099 to the nominee corporations and deducted the payments.
According to the court documents, from 2011 through 2013, the construction companies paid over $9.2 million to the nominee corporations. Prestes then paid the laborers approximately $2.8 million in cash and $6.3 million in checks. Prestes kept as a commission approximately two to three percent of the funds he received from the construction companies. As a result of this conspiracy, the IRS lost over $3 million in employment and income taxes.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-114.
Buffalo Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Commit Access Device FraudRead the Press Release
CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX: (716) 551-3051BUFFALO, N.Y.— U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Randy Jarrett, 45 of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to 21 months incarceration followed by three years supervised release. Jarrett was also ordered to pay approximately $291,000 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryEllen Kresse, who handled the case, stated that between July and December, 2013, the defendant conspired with others, including Ricky Butler, Tamika Favors, and Catherine Jarrett, fraudulently to obtain and use unauthorized access devices, namely credit cards, without the knowledge or authorization of the true account holders. Co-conspirator Ricky Butler used the true account holder’s personal identifying information and account access information to contact financial institutions and have new or replacement credit cards issued to addresses in the Western District of New York. During the course of the fraudulent scheme, 17 unauthorized credit cards were mailed to properties which were owned and/or controlled by Randy Jarrett and his mother, Catherine Jarrett. Those credit cards were used by the defendant and the other conspirators to make, and to attempt to make, purchases at Walmart stores and other retail establishments totaling over $330,000.
Tamika Favors and Catherine Jarrett have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing. Ricky Butler is scheduled for trial beginning in February of 2018.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of acting Inspector-in-Charge Ray Moss of the Boston Division; and the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Lewis Robinson.Bridgeport Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl to Overdose VictimRead the Press Release
John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that PERRY DESHAZO, also known as “Hov” and “Amafia Hov,” 27, of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jeffery A. Meyer in New Haven to one count of distribution of heroin and fentanyl.
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, on December 2, 2016, at approximately 1:35 a.m., Bridgeport Police responded to St. Vincent’s Medical Center after a report of a suspicious death. Hospital staff told officers that a 40-year old female had been dropped off at the hospital and was dead upon arrival.
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 fentanyl, heroin and alcohol.”
The investigation, which included witness interviews and analysis of cell phone records and social media sites, revealed that DESHAZO supplied the narcotics consumed by the victim shortly before her death.
Judge Meyer scheduled sentencing for March 27, 2018, at which time DESHAZO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
DESHAZO has been detained since his arrest on July 17, 2017.
This matter is being investigated by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis and Peter Markle.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to failure to register as a sex offender.
Harris Taubman, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender before U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf, who scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2018.
Taubman is required to register as a Level 2 sex offender in Massachusetts based on a 2009 federal conviction for possession and receipt of child pornography. Taubman last registered his address in September 2016; in March 2017, law enforcement discovered that Taubman had left that address in January 2017 and thereafter failed to update his registration with the Sex Offender Registry Board.
Failing to register as a sex offender carries a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and John Gibbons, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts, made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Bergen County, New Jersey, Man Pleads Guilty to Violent North Jersey CarjackingRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Waldwick, New Jersey, man today admitted carjacking a taxi and striking the victim on the head with a beer bottle, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Arlyn Jowany Carrasco Cruz, 27, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of carjacking.According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 2016, Cruz and at least five others forcibly took a 2008 Dodge Caravan from a taxicab driver. Cruz and the others forced the taxicab driver into the back of the vehicle and took over driving. As they drove toward Waldwick, Cruz struck the victim in the head with a beer bottle before being let out of the cab.
After dropping Cruz off, the others continued driving the cab to New York, and one individual caused further serious bodily injury to the victim by slicing his throat with a knife before leaving him on the side of the New York State Thruway near Woodbury, New York. The taxicab driver survived.
The carjacking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 25 years in prison. Cruz’s sentencing is scheduled for April 11, 2018.
Four other men have pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the carjacking, subsequent kidnapping, and an earlier bar robbery in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Guillermo Carrillo-Iraheta, 20, and Juan Chiliseo-Vega, 21, both of Suffern, New York, were sentenced to 150 and 168 months in prison, respectively. Wilbur Jonathon Barahona, 22, or Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Jostin Reyes, 22, also of Walwick, New Jersey, await sentencing.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal, and the Ridgewood and Hawthorne Police Departments with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elaine K. Lou and Karen D. Stringer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Susan C. Cassell Esq., Ridgewood, New Jersey
Banker Shaun Hayes Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
St. Louis, MO – Shaun R. Hayes, 58, of Frontenac, pled guilty today to participating in a scheme to defraud Excel Bank and to profit from illegal insider loans. He appeared before United States District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2018.
Excel Bank was a federally insured bank with main offices in Sedalia, Missouri. Hayes held a controlling stock interest in the bank which, by 2009, had opened a Loan Production Office (LPO) in Clayton. Hayes controlled the loan activities at the LPO. At Hayes’s direction the commercial and residential real estate lending at Excel Bank increased dramatically through the operation of the LPO. Hayes admitted that many of the loans made through the LPO were substandard and placed the bank at risk. He also admitted that he engaged in unlawful self-dealing by causing loans to be made which directly benefitted him and his associates while concealing his interest in the loans. Hayes admitted that he helped set up a loan at Excel Bank to a straw party and caused some $906,000.00 of the proceeds of that loan to be paid to Centrue Bank to pay off a loan he and his business associate, Michael Litz, had guaranteed for their entity McKnight Man I LLC. Hayes admitted that his interest in the loan was concealed from bank officials and he and Litz made no payments to Excel Bank. Court documents made part of the guilty plea record show that Hayes assisted in causing Excel Bank to make millions of dollars in loans to straw parties in order to cover the delinquent and substandard loans of Eighteen Investments at other banks. According to the charges, Excel Bank lost substantial amounts on these loans.
Hayes also admitted that he and Litz shared in the proceeds of another insider loan at Excel Bank in which Hayes’s and Litz’s interests were concealed. In April, 2009, they each received approximately $300,000.00 from the proceeds of a loan made to Rolling Hills Apartments LLC which operates an apartment complex in north county. They caused Excel Bank to loan much more than was needed by the apartment complex in order to create a pool of money for them. Hayes and Litz structured the payout through several entities so as to insure that their interests were concealed.
"Shaun Hayes exploited Excel Bank when he knowingly issued millions of dollars in bad loans," said Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn of the FBI St. Louis Division. "When banks fail, we all pay."
Bank regulators closed Excel Bank in October, 2012, and Simmons Bank succeeded it.
Hayes pled guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of misapplication of Excel Bank funds, both federal felonies. The maximum punishment for each count is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000.00.
Litz is scheduled to go to trial in January 22, 2017 on the superseding indictment charging both him and Hayes. As is always the case, charges do not constitute proof of guilt and every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Finance Agency Office of Inspector General, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General and the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Baltimore Business Owner Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Food Stamp FraudRead the Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact ELIZABETH MORSE
www.justice.gov/usao/md at (410) 209-4885
Baltimore, Maryland – On January 2, 2018, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Kassem Mohammad Hafeed, age 53, of Baltimore, Maryland to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for food stamp and wire fraud. Judge Bennett also ordered Hafeed to pay restitution in the amount of $1,532,642.
The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Bethanne M. Dinkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Inspector General.
According to Hafeed’s plea agreement and findings made during the sentencing hearing, in October 2010, Hafeed incorporated his business, Yemen Grocery and was licensed to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as an authorized retailer. In order to participate in SNAP as an authorized retailer, businesses must certify that they understood and agreed that "trade[ing] cash for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits “is a "violation" of SNAP regulations. In order to receive SNAP reimbursements, authorized retailers were required to establish a single authorized bank account, approved by FNS, into which SNAP benefits from legitimate transactions would be deposited.
Between October 2010 and August 2016, Hafeed redeemed SNAP benefits in exchange for cash in violation of the program rules and regulations. Hafeed fraudulently redeemed the full amount of the SNAP benefits charged on the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and deposited the money into his bank accounts. Typically, Hafeed paid the individual who had presented the EBT card approximately half of the value of the amount he/she had debited in cash.
As a result of these unlawful cash transactions, Hafeed received between $1.5 million and $3.5 million in SNAP deposits for food sales that never actually occurred or were substantially inflated.
Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning praised the FBI and USDA’s Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Delaney who prosecuted the case.
Attorney General Sessions Appoints 17 Current and Former Federal Prosecutors as Interim United States AttorneysRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of 17 federal prosecutors as Interim United States Attorneys pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546. In a number of United States Attorney’s Offices across the country, First Assistant United States Attorneys are currently serving as Acting United States Attorneys under the Vacancies Reform Act. However, on Jan. 4, 2018, some of those Acting United States Attorneys will have served the maximum amount of time permitted under the Act. The appointments announced by the Attorney General today fill these vacancies.
“United States Attorneys lead federal prosecutions across this country, taking deadly drugs and criminals off of our streets and protecting the safety of law-abiding people, as well as representing the United States in civil litigation.” said Attorney General Sessions. “As a former U.S. Attorney myself, I have seen firsthand the impact that these prosecutors have and it is critical to have U.S. Attorneys in place during this time of rising violent crime, a staggering increase in homicides, and an unprecedented drug crisis."
“That is why, today, I am appointing 17 current and former federal prosecutors to serve as U.S. Attorneys on an interim basis. Each has excellent prosecution skills and the temperament necessary to succeed in this critical role—and they have already proven that with a number of accomplishments on behalf of the American people. I want to thank them for stepping up to take this difficult but noble job. I also want to thank those First Assistant United States Attorneys who temporarily stepped up to lead their offices as Acting U.S. Attorneys and who are now returning to their roles as First Assistants.”
The Attorney General has appointed the following individuals to serve as Interim United States Attorneys: Shawn Anderson – Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
Geoffrey Berman – Southern District of New York
Gregory Brooker – District of Minnesota
Craig Carpenito – District of New Jersey
Stephen Dambruch – District of Rhode Island
Richard Donoghue – Eastern District of New York
Dayle Elieson – District of Nevada
Duane Evans – Eastern District of Louisiana
Timothy Garrison – Western District of Missouri
Nick Hanna – Central District of California
Joseph Harrington – Eastern District of Washington
Grant Jaquith – Northern District of New York
Maria Chapa Lopez – Middle District of Florida
Kenji Price – District of Hawaii
Matthew Schneider – Eastern District of Michigan
Gretchen Shappert – District of the Virgin Islands
Alexander Van Hook – Western District of LouisianaAttorney General Jeff Sessions Selects Northern District of Illinois to Receive Three New Assistant U.S. Attorney Positions to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Attorney General Jeff Sessions has selected the Northern District of Illinois to receive additional resources for the fight against violent crime. The Northern District of Illinois will receive three additional Assistant U.S. Attorney positions to focus exclusively on violent crime. Nationally, 40 new federal prosecutors will be assigned to 27 districts throughout the United States.
“Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice,” said Attorney General Sessions. “I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime. Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys. I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results. To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."
“We welcome the additional resources,” said John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. “Our Assistant U.S. Attorneys work tirelessly to prosecute violent offenders and reduce violent crime in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois, and these new positions will strengthen those efforts."
Under the Attorney General’s re-allocation, the Northern District of Illinois and the District of Maryland received the highest number of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions.
New AUSA Positions by District
Northern District of Alabama - 1
Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
Northern District of California - 2
Southern District of California - 1
District of Connecticut - 1
District of Columbia - 1
Central District of Illinois - 1
Northern District of Illinois - 3
Southern District of Indiana - 1
Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
District of Maryland - 3
Western District of Michigan - 1
Eastern District of Missouri - 2
Western District of Missouri - 1
District of Nevada - 2
District of New Mexico - 1
Eastern District of New York - 2
Western District of New York - 1
Northern District of Ohio - 2
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
Middle District of Tennessee - 2
Western District of Tennessee - 2
Eastern District of Texas - 1
Northern District of Texas - 1Attorney General Jeff Sessions Selects District of Columbia to Receive Additional Prosecutor to Help Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions has selected the District of Columbia to receive additional resources for the fight against violent crime. The district will receive an additional Assistant U.S. Attorney to focus exclusively on violent crime, one of 40 new federal prosecutors in 27 selected locations throughout the United States.
“Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice. I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime,” said Attorney General Sessions. "Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys. I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results. To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."
“These extra resources will help us focus on the most violent areas and offenders in the District of Columbia while still meeting our many other responsibilities,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We are grateful for the Attorney General’s support and look forward to getting our reinforcements to work on behalf of the citizens of the District of Columbia.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other law enforcement partners on a Justice Department initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) that is expected to generate additional cases focusing on violent crime. Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to a coordinated law enforcement approach and identifying and addressing the most violent locations in the District of Columbia and the offenders.
Although the violent crime rate in the District of Columbia has generally declined since 2015, law enforcement continues to identify specific groups of violent offenders and “hot spot” areas within the city that correlate with significant violent crime. The hiring of an additional prosecutor will enable the U.S. Attorney’s Office to sharpen its focus on offenders in those hot spots and investigate and charge a wide range of offenses, including federal firearm offenses, Hobbs Act robberies, homicides, and racketeering conspiracies. The prosecutor will work with the Office’s Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
In addition to the District of Columbia, Attorney General Sessions has announced that each of these jurisdictions will receive additional prosecutors:
Northern District of Alabama - 1
Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
Northern District of California - 2
Southern District of California - 1
District of Connecticut - 1
Central District of Illinois - 1
Northern District of Illinois - 3
Southern District of Indiana - 1
Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
District of Maryland - 3
Western District of Michigan - 1
Eastern District of Missouri - 2
Western District of Missouri - 1
District of Nevada - 2
District of New Mexico - 1
Eastern District of New York - 2
Western District of New York - 1
Northern District of Ohio - 2
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
Middle District of Tennessee - 2
Western District of Tennessee - 2
Eastern District of Texas - 1
Northern District of Texas - 1
Southern District of Texas - 2
Western District of Texas - 1
Eastern District of Wisconsin – 2Attorney General Jeff Sessions Selects District of Nevada to Receive Two New Assistant United States Attorney Positions to Combat Violent CrimeRead the Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Attorney General Jeff Sessions has selected the District of Nevada to receive two additional Assistant United States Attorneys to focus exclusively on violent crime. The District of Nevada was selected as one of 27 districts throughout the United States to receive additional resources for the fight against violent crime.
“Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice. I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding next year because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime,” said Attorney General Sessions. "Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys. I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results. To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce today that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will hire two new Assistant U.S. Attorneys to join our dedicated team in reducing violent crime in Nevada. The new prosecutors will work closely with law enforcement partner agencies to reduce violent crime and to remove dangerous offenders from our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Steven W. Myhre.
More information on the locations of those 40 Assistant United States Attorneys and violent crime task forces is below:
AUSA Breakdown by District
Northern District of Alabama - 1
Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
Northern District of California - 2
Southern District of California - 1
District of Connecticut - 1
District of Columbia - 1
Central District of Illinois - 1
Northern District of Illinois - 3
Southern District of Indiana - 1
Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
District of Maryland - 3
Western District of Michigan - 1
Eastern District of Missouri - 2
Western District of Missouri - 1
District of Nevada - 2
District of New Mexico - 1
Eastern District of New York - 2
Western District of New York - 1
Northern District of Ohio - 2
Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
Middle District of Tennessee - 2
Western District of Tennessee - 2
Eastern District of Texas - 1
Northern District of Texas - 1
Southern District of Texas - 2
Western District of Texas - 1
Eastern District of Wisconsin – 2Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide commitment by the Department of Justice to reduce gun and gang crime in America by networking local programs and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit www.justice.gov/usao-nv.
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Stephen Dambruch Interim United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of Stephen G. Dambruch as Interim United States Attorney pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment will take effect on January 5, 2018.
As the top federal law enforcement officer in Rhode Island, Mr. Dambruch will continue to focus on reducing violent crime in the District through the Department of Justice’s crime reduction strategy – Project Safe Neighborhoods – and leading coordinated federal, state and local law enforcement efforts to address the opioid crisis across Rhode Island.
“For decades, Stephen Dambruch has prosecuted criminals in Rhode Island,” said Attorney General Sessions. “He has successfully taken illegal guns and drugs off of our streets, and has worked significant public corruption matters. As Interim U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island, he will continue to have a positive impact on the community.”
A career prosecutor, Mr. Dambruch was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in January 2004. Mr. Dambruch was named Criminal Division Chief in February 2007 and First Assistant United States Attorney in January 2014.
Prior to his beginning his tenure with the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Dambruch served as a state prosecutor with the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for over sixteen years, including appointments as Chief of the Narcotics Prosecution Unit, Chief Prosecutor for Kent, Newport and Washington Counties, and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Mr. Dambruch is a 1982 graduate of Providence College. He received his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1985.
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Richard P. Donoghue as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New YorkRead the Press Release
Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of Richard P. Donoghue as Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment will take effect on January 5, 2018.
“When I became Attorney General, President Trump gave me clear orders to go after MS-13,” stated United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Since then, this Department of Justice has been relentless, arresting hundreds of MS-13 members from Los Angeles to Long Island. Today, I am appointing someone as Interim United States Attorney for Eastern District of New York who has tremendous experience prosecuting MS-13: Richard Donoghue. As a federal prosecutor for more than a decade—including as Criminal Chief of that office—he has been involved in the prosecution of gang members, terrorists, and corrupt public officials. Every MS-13 member in Long Island should know, Richard Donoghue will use all the tools at his disposal to get criminals off our streets.”
From 2000 to 2011, Mr. Donoghue served as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (USAO EDNY), where he held positions including Chief of the Criminal Division and Chief of the Long Island Criminal Division. As an AUSA, he investigated and prosecuted a wide array of cases, including MS-13 racketeering cases and other violent crime, white collar crime, public integrity offenses, and drug trafficking. While at the USAO EDNY, Mr. Donoghue received the following awards: the New York City Bar Association’s Henry L. Stimson Medal (2007 awarded annually to outstanding AUSAs), and the Eastern District Association’s Charles E. Rose Award (2009, awarded annually to outstanding AUSAs). From 1993 to 2000, Mr. Donoghue served on active duty in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, where he held positions including Military Magistrate Judge, Prosecutor, Defense Counsel and Contract Litigator, and from 1993 through 1995, Mr. Donoghue served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Mr. Donoghue has received the following military awards: a Meritorious Service Medal (awarded twice – January 2000, January 1999), an Army Commendation Medal (awarded twice – December 1996, January 1996), an Army Achievement Medal (December 1993), and a Humanitarian Service Medal (October 1997). Mr. Donoghue is currently the Chief Litigation Counsel for CA Technologies, where he oversees the company’s litigation matters worldwide. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Hofstra University and his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law.
Upon the appointment of Mr. Donoghue as Interim United States Attorney, Acting United States Attorney Bridget M. Rohde will resume her role as First Assistant United States Attorney.Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Nicola T. Hanna as Interim United States Attorney for the Central District of CaliforniaRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of Nicola T. Hanna as Interim United States Attorney.
The appointment of Mr. Hanna, which will take effect on Friday, is being made pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.”
“Nick Hanna has earned the respect of California’s legal community as both a defense attorney and as a prosecutor. He spent more than seven years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Justice Department taking on drug traffickers and other criminals,” said Attorney General Sessions. “Now Nick will continue that great work as Interim United States Attorney for the Central District of California. With his expertise and his outstanding record, the people of California can be confident in his leadership.”
Mr. Hanna is currently a partner at the Irvine office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles from 1990 to 1994, where he prosecuted major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, as well as violent and economic crimes. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Hanna served as an Assistant United States Attorney in San Diego, where he focused on investigating and prosecuting international drug cartels.
Mr. Hanna received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University.
When Mr. Hanna becomes the Interim United States Attorney on Friday, Acting United States Attorney Sandra R. Brown will resume her role as the First Assistant United States Attorney.
The Central District of California includes the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Maria Chapa Lopez as Interim United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of Maria Chapa Lopez as Interim United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment will take effect on January 5, 2018.
“With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said Attorney General Sessions. “I am appointing today, as Interim U.S. Attorney, someone with a lot of experience taking dangerous drugs off of our streets. Maria Chapa Lopez has secured convictions of Columbian cocaine smugglers, Tampa crack dealers, and doctors and pharmacists overprescribing and illegally dispensing opioids. This is incredible work and I am convinced it has saved lives. She will undoubtedly keep up this good work as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.”
Ms. Chapa Lopez has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the MDFL for the past 16 years, from April 2000 to April 2016, prosecuting transnational drug trafficking organizations, complex domestic narcotics trafficking cases, large-scale money laundering cases, and complex opioid cases. From April 2016 to the present, Ms. Chapa Lopez has been the DOJ Deputy Attaché in the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Ms. Chapa Lopez received her B.A. from the University of Texas, her J.D. from South Texas College of Law, and her L.L.M. from the Judge Advocate General’s School, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Upon the appointment of Ms. Chapa Lopez as Interim United States Attorney, Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow will resume his role as First Assistant United States Attorney.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Appoints Kenji Price as Interim United States AttorneyRead the Press Release
HONOLULU -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions today announced the appointment of Kenji Price as Interim United States Attorney pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, which provides that “the Attorney General may appoint a United States Attorney for the district in which the office of United States Attorney is vacant.” This appointment will take effect on January 5, 2018.
“Kenji Price is a former Army Ranger with two Bronze stars, and a former federal prosecutor who worked organized crime, public corruption, and international drug trafficking cases—including against the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Attorney General Sessions. “He will bring this outstanding background to the job of Interim U.S. Attorney for Hawaii. I am confident he will excel in this role as he has in every other.”
Mr. Price grew up in Hawaii and is currently a director at Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, where his practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and commercial litigation. Prior to joining Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing, Mr. Price was a Partner and Of Counsel at Carlsmith Ball LLP, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mr. Price previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where he prosecuted a variety of cases involving domestic and international narcotics trafficking and other federal offenses. He clerked for the Honorable Kent A. Jordan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Honorable Robert B. Kugler of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Mr. Price completed his undergraduate studies at Gonzaga University, and obtained his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Army for approximately four years, during which he served as a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Upon the appointment of Mr. Price as Interim United States Attorney, Acting United States Attorney Elliot Enoki will resume his role as First Assistant United States Attorney.