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19 January 2017
President Obama Grants CommutationsRead the Press Release
Today, the President granted commutation of sentence to 330 individuals:
• Abdulmuntaqim Ad-Deen – Baltimore, MD
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; District of Maryland
Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (October 8, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Lesly Alexis – Boca Raton, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine powder and more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 384 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (July 29, 2003)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment.
• Gary J. Anderson – Barre, VT
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute MDMA; distribution of MDMA; District of Massachusetts
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 16, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 18, 2017.
• Terry Anderson – Mabank, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to launder money; Eastern District of Texas
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 1, 1997)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Kevin Lavon Andrews – Clearwater, FL
Offense: Carrying or possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 120 months' supervised release (February 11, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 156 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Daniel Ary, Jr. – Shreveport, LA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (March 6, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Demetrius S. Autery – Winter Haven, FL
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 4, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Connie Avalos – Menifee, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of Kentucky
Sentence: Life imprisonment (November 30, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 235 months, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Derrick L. Baines – Kansas City, MO
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 27, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Tonya Barney – Ivins, UT
Offense: Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; District of Utah
Sentence: 204 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 10, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• David Barren – Pittsburgh, PA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine; conspiracy to structure financial transactions; concealment money laundering (31 counts); structuring (two counts); money laundering – avoid reporting requirements (six counts); promotion money laundering (2 counts); money laundering over $10,000 (seven counts); District of Maryland
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (August 11, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Herman Barron, III – Brooklyn, NY
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 25, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Tony Barrow – New York, NY
Offense: Importation of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; District of Puerto Rico
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 4 years’ supervised release (November 16, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Senaca Bartlett – Chicago, IL
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”); Western District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 210 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 29, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Christopher Bass – Orlando, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 50 grams of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 10, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment.
• Damion Rurshe Bates – Kalamazoo, MI
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine); Western District of Michigan
Sentence: 210 months' imprisonment; 5 years' supervised release (February 22, 2010)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Todd Begley – Nashville, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Middle District of Tennessee
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (April 27, 1995)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Carolyn Ann Bell – Lawton, OK
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Western District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 21, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Curtis Bell – Miami, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine and aiding and abetting; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 22, 1995)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
- Henry P. Bennett, Jr. – Huger, SC
Offense: 1. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of
cocaine; attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine (three counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine (three counts); District of South Carolina
2. Supervised release violation; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 1. Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 18, 2008)
2. 33 months’ imprisonment (concurrent) (December 18, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 273 months' imprisonment.
• Dorian Lee Benoit – Lake Charles, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine base and marijuana; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 30, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Christopher Bernard – Shreveport, LA
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 30, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Elaine Beston – Great Falls, MT
Offense: Conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute; District of Montana
Sentence: 192 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 16, 2008); amended to 180 months' imprisonment (July 20, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• James Zell Bishop – Bay Minette, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 21, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Benjamin Blount – Oakdale, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 8, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Walter Bradberry – Mobile, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 28, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Alonzo F. Brooks – Asheville, NC
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 26, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Adrian R. Brown – Athens, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 15 kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride; conspiracy to knowingly conduct and attempt to conduct unlawful financial transactions affecting interstate commerce; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 12, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jerome Brown – Pittsburgh, PA
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 11, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Rodney Rodriguez Brown – Atmore, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 months’ supervised release (June 5, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Pamela Brownlee – Decatur, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine base (three counts); Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (December 19, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Thomas Burton – Plain Dealing, LA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of firearms during a drug trafficking crime; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 17, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment.
• Tiara Buskey – Pensacola, FL
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $500 fine (November 8, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Jeffrey Calhoun – Long Beach, CA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (two counts); Central District of California
Sentence: 264 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 8, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Willie Albert Cannon – Tampa, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); possession of a firearm; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 420 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 17, 1995); amended to 352 months’ imprisonment (June 12, 2001)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Jose Carmona – Philadelphia, PA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute heroin; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 10, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ramiro Cervantes – Blountsville, AL
Offense: Attempting to possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Northern District of Alabama
Sentence: 324 months' imprisonment; 120 months' supervised release; $2,000 fine (January 23, 2003)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 235 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• John Dennis Chapman – Piedmont, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine; conspiring to launder monetary instruments; Northern District of Georgia
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 4, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Raul Chavez – San Jose, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of California
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 60 months' supervised release (December 18, 2000)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment.
• Artrone Cheatham – Montgomery, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: 235 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 23, 2003)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Calvin Burkett Clark – Jefferson, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 13, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months’ imprisonment.
• Kenneth Clark – Calumet City, IL
Offense: Possession of cocaine base (crack) with the intent to distribute; Central District of Illinois
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 19, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment.
• Jeffrey Glynn Coleman – Milwaukee, WI
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of five kilograms of cocaine; Eastern District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 2, 2006); amend to 240 months' imprisonment (December 17, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Cassandra Collins – Jefferson, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (April 4, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ladarius Venice Cook – Florissant, MO
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (crack); felon in possession of a firearm; Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (June 28, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Cortez Cooper – Harvey, IL
Offense: 1. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to
distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Illinois
2. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; use of a telephone in the commission of a felony drug trafficking offense (two counts); possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Illinois
Sentence: 1. 120 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (January 29, 2004)
2. 240 months’ imprisonment (concurrent); eight years’ supervised release; $1,000 fine (August 2, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Trenton A. Copeland – Pensacola, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 23, 2012)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months’ imprisonment.
• John Timothy Cotton – Houston, TX
Offense: Continuing Criminal Enterprise; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (January 26, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Johnnie L. Cotton – Venice, IL
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Illinois
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $900 fine (August 15, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Timothy G. Craig – Greenville, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 292 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (March 8, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Japlin Cureton – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 8 years’ supervised release (September 29, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Steven Jermonte Cureton – Huntersville, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, cocaine, marijuana, and 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine a/k/a ecstasy; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 11, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Keith Adell Dancer – Waco, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine; Western District of Texas
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years’ supervised release; $3,000 fine (February 16, 1995)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Timothy Lashaun Dandridge – Midfield, AL
Offense: Unlawful distribution of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (three counts); unlawful possession with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; unlawful possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Alabama
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; 60 months’ supervised release (January 9, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Terrance H. Darby – Newark, NJ
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime; possession of a weapon by a convicted felon; District of New Jersey
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; four years' supervised release (April 3, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Emanuel Jurel Davidson – Columbus, OH
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Ohio
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $2,000 fine (June 2, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Shondu Maurice Dawson – Raleigh, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack) and more than 500 grams of cocaine; carried a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possess said firearm in furtherance of such drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 241 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 12, 2005); amended to 214 months' imprisonment (September 19, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Gary Allen Day – West Monroe, LA
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 11, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Maria Aide Delgado – Weslaco, TX
Offense: 1. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, 218.5 kilograms of marijuana (two counts); Southern District of Texas
2. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 1. 100 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release; $15,000 fine (October 10, 2007)
2. 240 months’ imprisonment (consecutive); 10 years’ supervised release (April 19, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence for conviction imposed in the Western District of Louisiana commuted to 110 months and unpaid balance of $15,000 fine imposed in the Southern District of Texas remitted when her sentence expires.
• Damon Andre Dill – Chester, PA
Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 322 months’ imprisonment; six years’ supervised release (September 5, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Qustion Dingle – Okeechobee, FL
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a quantity of crack cocaine; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 216 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (May 1, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of the $1,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Michael A. Douglas, Jr. – Lynchburg, VA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a substance containing cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Southern District of Indiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $1500 fine (April 25, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Dezmend Rashawn Doweary – Norfolk, VA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 22, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Lourdes Castro Duenas – Mangilao, Guam
Offense: Criminal conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine hydrochloride (ICE); possession of methamphetamine hydrochloride with intent to distribute; District of Guam
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 2, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Alton J. Easley – Kansas City, KS
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine; conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 2, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Keith Edgerson – Ann Arbor, MI
Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a stolen firearm; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Michigan
Sentence: 294 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (June 6, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Christopher Demetrius Elliott – Brandon, FL
Offense: Possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon; possession of marijuana; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 14, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Carla Grace Engler – Dubuque, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) within 1,000 feet of a protected location; attempting to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) within 1,000 feet of a protected location (two counts); possession of red phosphorus knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine; failure to appear on pretrial release; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 361 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 12, 2006); amended to 325 months’ imprisonment (March 21, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Michael Delevan Engles – Tulsa, OK
Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm (two counts); possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, and sentencing enhancement; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 420 months’ imprisonment; six years’ supervised release (February 24, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 270 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Travis J. Every – Harvey, LA
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (2 counts); distribution of less than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base; conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (September 3, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 175 months’ imprisonment.
• Paul S. Fields – Emmalena, KY
Offense: Manufacture of over 100 marijuana plants; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 188 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (July 26, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 10 years’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Linda Finch –Anniston, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Northern District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (April 1, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Carroll James Flowers – Galena, KS
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture or distribute more than one kilogram of methamphetamine; District of Kansas
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 19, 2002)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Chauncey Floyd – Spartanburg, SC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (August 26, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Lance Foster – Gary, IN
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine/aiding and abetting; Northern District of Indiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 15, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, and conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Stacy Dean Foster- Bethel, OK
Offense: Attempt to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; establishment of manufacturing operations; Eastern District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 352 months’ imprisonment; 4 years’ supervised release (June 13, 2006); amended to 295 months’ imprisonment (August 17, 2016)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Robert L. Franklin – Montgomery, AL
Offense: Engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting; distribution of cocaine base (2 counts); distribution of cocaine; carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking charge; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: Life plus 60 months’ imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 22, 1995)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment
• James Anthony Frink – Chadbourn, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack); distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and aiding and abetting (three counts); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 187 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $9,050 fine (January 7, 2008); amended to 180 months’ imprisonment (December 16, 2014)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017 and unpaid balance of the $9,050 fine remitted.
• Mike Fulton – Winterville, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of firearm by convicted felon; Middle District of Georgia
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (January 10, 2001) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Melvin Fudge – Grand Rapids, MI
Offense: Committing a drug trafficking offense within 1,000 feet of a school; Western District of Michigan
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $10,000 fine (October 28, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of the $10,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jose Luis Garcia – Gretna, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine (five counts); Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $25,000 fine (March 20, 1996)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 300 months' imprisonment and unpaid balance of $25,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Juan Garcia – Tyler, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana; aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute marijuana; witness tampering; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (September 28, 1999)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Raymond Garcia – Las Vegas, NV
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; District of Nevada
Sentence: 293 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 13, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Rene Garcia, Jr. – Independence, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Western District of Missouri
Sentence: 327 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release, $261,600 fine (September 3, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017 and unpaid balance of $261,600 fine remitted.
• Antonio Maurice Gardner – Temple, TX
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute at least five grams of “crack” cocaine, a Schedule II narcotic drug controlled substance, within 1,000 feet of a public school; aiding and abetting; Western District of Texas
Sentence: 235 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (August 4, 2006); $1,000 fine
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Reginald Stern Gardner – Mason City, IA
Offense: 1. Possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of cocaine base, cocaine, and marijuana after having previously been convicted of two felony drug offenses; Northern District of Iowa
2. Escape from custody; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 1. 360 months' imprisonment (consecutive); eight years' supervised release (May 12, 2004)
2. 24 months' imprisonment (May 12, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 234 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Gregory A. Garton – Casper, WY
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting; distribution of methamphetamine; felon in possession of a firearm; felon in possession of ammunition; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (three counts); District of Wyoming
Sentence: 900 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $2,200 fine (April 9, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment and unpaid balance of $2,200 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Dustin Gary – Philadelphia, PA
Offense: 1. Criminal conspiracy; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base(crack); felon in possession of a firearm; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
2. Possession of a prohibited object (marijuana) while in prison; District of New Jersey
Sentence 1. 292 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release, $1,500 fine
(September 12, 2002); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (July 8,
2008)
2. Six months’ imprisonment (consecutive) (October 17, 2011)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Robert Raymond Garza – Harlingen, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (January 30, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment.
• Tavaris Gay – Miami, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 200 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release; $5,000 fine (June 18, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 130 months’ imprisonment, and unpaid balance of $5,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Eric German – Haughton, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (December 15, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 324 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Daniel Gilliam – Columbia, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 222 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 28, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Troy Gilmore ─ Eutawville, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine and cocaine base; conspiracy to launder money; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (September 10, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Terry Glasscock – Lebanon, KY
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine; using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime or possessing a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of such crime; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 425 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 17, 1999)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 295 months' imprisonment.
• Earl Glenn, Jr. – Chester, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a quantity of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of crack cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 20, 2012)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 235 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Waymon Audra Goodley – Hillsboro, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; use of a communication facility to facilitate the commission of a drug felony (two counts); Eastern District of Texas
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 19, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017
• William Goodwill ─ Decatur, IL
Offense: Distribution of fifty or more grams of cocaine base; Central District of Illinois
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 20, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Robby Joe Goram –Eight Mile, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture methamphetamine; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 12, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 140 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• William Leonardo Graham – Essex, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; District of Maryland
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 6, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 300 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Wilbert Decosta Greaves – Jacksonville, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 60 months’ supervised release; $17,100 fine (January 4, 1996)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Charles Lee Green – Ville Platte, LA
Offense: Distribution of cocaine base (crack); Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (March 23, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Samuel Green – Wilmington, DE
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; felon in possession of firearms; District of Delaware
Sentence: 420 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (July 18, 1994); amended to 360 months’ imprisonment (June 12, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Vaughn Greene – Brooklyn, NY
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine and at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana; Northern District of Georgia
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 1, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire May 19, 2017.
• Stuart John Greger – Glennville, GA
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Southern District of Georgia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 7, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Tyrone Grimes – Inwood, NY
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana within 1,000 feet of a public elementary school; engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, convicted felon in possession of a gun; Eastern District of New York;
Sentence: 420 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 29, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Ricky Lee Groves – Smithfield, NC
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and aiding and abetting; trading food stamps for cocaine base and aiding and abetting (five counts); Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: Life imprisonment plus 60 months' imprisonment, five years' supervised release (February 16, 1995)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Thaddeas Kulani Thomas Hall – Waipahu, HI
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; District of Hawaii
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (June 16, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Forrest Hamm – Miami, FL
Offense: 1. Possession of contraband (marijuana) in a federal correctionalinstitution; District of New Jersey
2. Possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine; Middle District of Georgia
3. Supervised release violation; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 1. Two months' imprisonment (consecutive) (September 3, 2013)
2. 262 months' imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (February 5, 2004)
3. 30 months’ imprisonment (consecutive) (June 3, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Eddie Harley – Baltimore, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing cocaine, heroin, and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing cocaine; possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a mixture containing heroin; District of Maryland
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (January 21, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Monica Haro – Mission, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to commit money laundering; Western District of Texas
Sentence: 188 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release; $1,000 fine (November 12, 2009)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Anthony T. Harris – Murfreesboro, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine and some quantity of marijuana; distribution of 50 grams of crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of a protected area; Middle District of Tennessee
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 8, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Antone C. Harris – Indianapolis, IN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base; Southern District of Indiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment’ 10 years’ supervised release (September 8, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Brandon W. Harris – Mt. Vernon, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Southern District of Illinois
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $200 fine (May 3, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Clenneth J. Harris – Chattanooga, TN
Offense: Possession of 50 grams or more of cocaine base for distribution; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 6, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Efrem Zemblish Harris – Tulsa, OK
Offense: Conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine in excess of five kilograms, cocaine base in excess of 50 grams, and a quantity of marijuana, and sentencing enhancement; conspiracy to use telecommunication facilities to commit or facilitate acts constituting a felony and sentencing enhancement; conspiracy to establish or maintain a location for the purpose of storing or distributing controlled substances and sentencing enhancement; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; interstate travel in aid of racketeering; Northern District of Oklahoma
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (June 5, 2003)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment and unpaid balance of $5,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires.
• Eric Harris – Philadelphia, PA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and marijuana; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (four counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession of cocaine and cocaine base with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 12 years' supervised release; $2,500 fine (January 19, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of $2,500 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Linwood Claude Harris, Jr. – Monroe, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Northern District of Georgia
Sentence: 250 months' imprisonment; 20 years' supervised release; $2,000 fine (February 10, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment.
• Shaun Kevin Harris – Sutton, WV
Offense: Cocaine conspiracy; aiding and abetting distribution of crack cocaine (two counts); distribution of crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Northern District of West Virginia
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (January 30, 2002)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Tyrone A. Harris – Spotsylvania, VA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 60 months’ supervised release (August 15, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Charles Harrison – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; District of Columbia
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years’ supervised release; $25,000 fine (July 21, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017 and unpaid balance of $25,000 fine remitted.
• Marlon R. Harrison – Savannah, GA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Georgia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 26, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Todd Lowell G. Haworth – Kina, ID
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; District of Idaho
Sentence: 276 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $2,000 fine (December 21, 2005); amended to 235 months' imprisonment (October 13, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Andre Haynes – Miami, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 202 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (January 25, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on October 16, 2017.
• Gregory Hearn – Kilgore, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 2, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Antonio Jeron Hemphill – Rock Hill, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 14, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Michael Henderson – Newark, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (December 24, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Walter Henry, III – Capitol Heights, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; aiding and abetting; unlawful possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin (two counts); District of Columbia
Sentence: Life imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (March 12, 2001)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Lejandra Deshawn Herman – Knoxville, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 2, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Domingo Hernandez – Ledgewood, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute controlled substance; unlawful transport of firearms; District of New Jersey
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (October 2, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment.
• Jackie Hernandez – Park Forest, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin; knowingly and intentionally used telephone in furtherance of a drug offense; Northern District of Indiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (October 23, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Keith Angelo Hernandez – Atlanta, GA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm during commission of a crime; Northern District of Georgia
Sentence: 322 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (January 25, 1996)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Ramiro Hernandez – Edinburg, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; Eastern District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $8,400 restitution (March 13, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Hassan Hills – Pensacola, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, 50 grams or more of cocaine base, and marijuana; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $1,500 fine (December 19, 2001)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Eric Hinton – Ypsilanti, MI
Offense: Distribution of a controlled substance (2 counts); Eastern District of Michigan
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (February 9, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Brian Douglas Hoggard – Coatesville, PA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack) and aiding and abetting (2 counts); Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 204 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $3,000 fine (March 27, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 19, 2018 and unpaid balance of the $5,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires.
• Lawrence Honore – New Orleans, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 28, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Charles Allen House – Garden Grove, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; Northern District of Texas
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 17, 1996)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Daniel Alfonso Jacobo – Cedar Rapids, IA
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture after a conviction for felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 10, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Walter Jenkins – Colorado Springs, CO
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of cocaine base and aiding and abetting; possession of firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; possession of firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime (second and subsequent conviction); District of Colorado
Sentence: 720 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 8, 2001)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 322 months' imprisonment
• Antwaine Tacoma Johnson – Littleton, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 183 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (December 11, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Dempsey Johnson – Kansas City, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute MDMA and cocaine base; Western District of Missouri
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 10, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 162 months’ imprisonment.
• Karmell Demetrius Johnson – Mobile, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; use, carry, or possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: Life plus 60 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 14, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Thomas Johnson – Miami, FL
Offense: Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine powder; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment, eight years' supervised release (September 29, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Antonio D. Jones – Nashville, TN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of firearms in relation to a drug trafficking offense; felon in possession of firearms; Middle District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life plus five years' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 15, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Kiwanis Miyo Jones – Clayton, AL
Offense: Controlled substance - sell, distribute, or dispense (4 counts); violent crime/drugs/guns; unlawful transport of firearms; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: Life plus 60 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 16, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 170 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ryan K. Jones – Ste. Genevieve, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; possess a listed chemical used to manufacture methamphetamine; Western District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 328 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (December 23, 2003); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (May 18, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Wayne Jordan – Morrisville, PA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; distribution of methamphetamine; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 1, 1998); amended to 324 months' imprisonment (January 29, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Bobby Dale Kelley – Coweta, OK
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; Northern District of Oklahoma
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $5,000 fine (March 17, 2005) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Kenneth Earl Kelley – Mossy Head, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 23, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Corey Kelly – Camden, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five grams of crack cocaine; distribution of crack cocaine (two counts); District of New Jersey
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 4 years’ supervised release; $2,000 fine (September 5, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• John Kelly – Monroe, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base with prior narcotics convictions; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 12, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Alfred William Kemfort – Maui, HI
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; District of Hawaii
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 17, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Douglas Kennedy – Hillside, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute narcotics; narcotics possession (three counts); possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime (two counts) possession of a weapon by a convicted felon (two counts); District of New Jersey
Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (August 21, 2008); amended to 480 months’ imprisonment (July 2, 2013)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Robert Ketchledge – Delano, PA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 195 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 10, 2007); amended to 180 months' imprisonment (April 4, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Alonzo King – Kansas City, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine following a prior felony drug conviction; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 26, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Moses King – North Charleston, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 26, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Wendell Dean Kopp – Billings, MT
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking offense (two counts); District of Montana
Sentence: Life plus five years’ imprisonment (October 21, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Allan Aquino Lafuente – Kapolei, HI
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; distribution of five or more grams of methamphetamine (two counts); distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; District of Hawaii
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $1,000 fine (September 14, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment, and unpaid balance of $1,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires.
• Dennis Chan Lai – San Francisco, CA
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute, aiding and abetting (31 counts); possession of illegal weapon (two counts); possession of weapon without serial numbers; Northern District of California
Sentence: Life plus 10 years’ imprisonment; five years’ parole (July 8, 1988)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Linnard O. Lawson – New Brighton, PA
Offense: 1. Felon in possession of a firearm; possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 5 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, commonly known as crack; Western District of Pennsylvania
2. Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Ohio
Sentence: 1. 120 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (August 26, 2009)
2. Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $5,000 fine (October 6, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment and unpaid balance of $5,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires.
• Wendell Layne – Soddy Daisy, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; obstruction of justice; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 3, 1997)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• James Marcus LeBlanc – Lake Charles, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; distribution of cocaine base (three counts); Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 120 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (January 14, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Tarry Cordell London – Mansfield, LA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (November 7, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Gilbert Lopez – Fayetteville, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; distribution of cocaine and aiding and abetting; conspiracy to launder drug proceeds; laundering of monetary instruments and aiding and abetting (14 counts); Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 13, 1993)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment
• James Keith Loveless – Pixley, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; District of Nebraska
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (June 30, 1997); amended to 292 months' imprisonment (December 17, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017
• James Lynch – Greenville, IN
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of methamphetamine (two counts); possession with intent to distribute in excess of five grams of methamphetamine; Southern District of Indiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 20, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Michael Anthony Mahan – Flint, MI
Offense: Distribution of an unspecified quantity of cocaine base (2 counts); possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine; Western District of Michigan
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (May 9, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017, and unpaid balance of the $5,000 fine remitted
• Larry Steven Malone – Bend, OR
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; manufacture methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; felon in possession of a firearm; District of Oregon
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (July 3, 1995); amended to 360 months' imprisonment (October 5, 2016)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Kenio Marshall – Snellville, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (January 11, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Crystal Dawn Mattern – Dilworth, MN
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance; District of North Dakota
Sentence: 228 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (May 5, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Valencia K. Matthews – Centralia, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine; distribution of less than five grams of crack cocaine; Southern District of Illinois
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $400 fine (June 28, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Johnny Ray McAtee – Dubuque, IA
Offense: Attempt to manufacture and aid and abet the manufacturing of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine (pure) after being convicted of one or more felony drug offenses; possession of pseudoephedrine, knowing the pseudoephedrine would be used to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of red phosphorous, knowing the red phosphorous would be used to manufacture methamphetamine; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 7, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Joseph McBride – Trenton, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine; carrying or possessing a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (July 12, 2002)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• John McCallum – Spring Valley, NY
Offense: Narcotics conspiracy; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); Southern District of New York
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 9, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• John McCauley – Chicago, IL
Offense: Distribution of 4.41 grams of cocaine after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; distribution and aid and abet the distribution of 3.61 grams of cocaine base and .76 grams of cocaine after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; distribution and aid and abet the distribution of .51 grams of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; distribution and aid and abet the distribution of 19.17 grams of cocaine base after having been previously convicted of a felony drug offense; failure to appear; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 366 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release; $2,150 restitution (April 2, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• James McCloud – Rochester, NY
Offense: Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of cocaine base; felon in possession of a firearm; Western District of New York
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release; $1,500 fine (June 20, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of $1,500 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jeffrey Preston McClung – Harrisonburg, VA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; distribution of marijuana; carry a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; money laundering; Western District of Virginia
Sentence: 410 months' imprisonment; 48 months' supervised release (July 10, 1998); amended to 387 months' imprisonment (March 23, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• John McCray, Sr. – East Saint Louis, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine base; distribution of heroin and cocaine base; Southern District of Illinois
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $750 fine (March 6, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• James McDade – Shreveport, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; conspiracy to commit laundering of monetary instruments; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 10, 2001)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment.
• Frederick McGary – Hammond, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 20, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Martin McGee – Beersheba Springs, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 202 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (November 9, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ezekial McLain – Albany, NY
Offense: Conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Northern District of New York
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 6, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Cartell Alexander McLemore – Milwaukee, WI
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; being a felon in possession of a firearm; being a felon in possession of ammunition; Eastern District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 26, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017
• Randy McMahan – Wellford, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; District of South Carolina
Sentence: Life plus 120 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (April 18, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Recco Salaves Meeks – Shelby, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 230 months and six days’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (September 26, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Deone Antonio Melvin – Upper Marlboro, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; money laundering conspiracy; distribution of cocaine; possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking (2 counts); felon in possession of a firearm; District of Maryland
Sentence: 540 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (September 26, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment.
• Luis Marin Mendoza-Esquivel – Riverside, CA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute, distribution, and aiding and abetting the distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture following a prior felony drug conviction; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 290 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (December 13, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Wayne Merrell – Dunlap, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 15, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Richard Glen Milburn – Limestone, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; attempt to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense (two counts); attempt to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana; attempt to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of an unregistered short barreled firearm; possessing contraband in prison; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 480 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (April 19, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Kristi Miller – Santa Maria, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 50 grams or more of methamphetamine actual or 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 6, 2011)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Timothy Wayne Miller – London, KY
Offense: 1. Conspiracy to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (4 counts); possession with intent to distribute oxycodone; carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Kentucky
2. Knowingly failed to appear; Eastern District of Kentucky
Sentence: 1. 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 8, 2004)
2. 120 months’ imprisonment (concurrent); three years’ supervised release (July 8, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Robert W. Mims – Pensacola, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (May 21, 2002)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ervin Mincey – Swainsboro, GA
Offense: Distribution of 27.72 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Georgia
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (January 17, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 210 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• James Edward Mitchell – Oxnard, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; District of Montana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (March 31, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Lewis Lynn Mitchell – Medical Lake, WA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; District of Montana
Sentence: 288 months’ imprisonment, eight years’ supervised release (August 2, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Terry Mitchell – Miami, FL
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; distribution of cocaine and aiding and abetting (two counts); carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: Life plus 60 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 22, 1995)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Emmett Alvin Monson – Rosedale, NY
Offense: Conspiracy: possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and heroin; possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride (two counts); possess with intent to distribute heroin (four counts); Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 8 years’ supervised release (September 20, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Richard Ruiz Montes ─ Escalon, CA
Offense: Conducting a continuing criminal enterprise; manufacture of marijuana and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute marijuana and aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute marijuana (two counts); Eastern District of California
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 60 months’ supervised release (November 21, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Anthony Lawayne Moon – Knoxville, TN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (September 28, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Larry D. Moon ─ Louisville, KY
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (2 counts); Western District of Kentucky
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 21, 1996); amended
- 360 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (September 24, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Sentra Moore – Montgomery, AL
Offense: Aiding and abetting possession to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; aiding and abetting possession to distribute 50 or more grams of cocaine base; aiding and abetting firearm/drug trafficking; Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (October 1, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Steven Rayford Moore – Sherman, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Texas
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $5,000 fine (June 26, 2001)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment and unpaid balance of the $5,000 fine remitted.
• Jeremy Jason Morefield – Shreveport, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (July 13, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Chico Untras Morgan – Opelika, AL
Offense: Distribution of a controlled substance (cocaine base); Middle District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 21, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, and conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Fred Lenard Morrison – Valdese, NC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine; simple possession of cocaine base; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 320 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 13, 1996)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• David Andrew Mortensen – Salt Lake City, UT
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of methamphetamine; District of Utah
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 60 months' supervised release (September 18, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Cory D. Mosby – Rock Island, IL
Offense: Possession of cocaine base (crack) with intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; felon in possession of firearms; Central District of Illinois
Sentence: 322 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release; $2,500 fine (August 17, 2007); amended to 300 months’ imprisonment (March 10, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 195 months’ imprisonment and unpaid balance of $2,500 fine remitted when his sentence expires.
• Leo Muhammad – Compton, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 21, 2005); amended to 292 months’ imprisonment (January 29, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment.
• Saeed Abdul Muhammad – Spotsylvania, VA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possess with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: Life imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (August 22, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 210 months' imprisonment
• Dottie Nixon – Lincolnton, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute a quantity of cocaine and cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; six years' supervised release (August 13, 2001); amended to 324 months' imprisonment (November 19, 2015)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Alonzo Norman, Jr. – Springfield, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and aiding and abetting; distribution of cocaine base; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (February 18, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Deon Christopher Nowell – Charleston, SC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 10, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Charles Lee Parker – Marietta, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Mississippi
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 25, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months' imprisonment.
• William Howard Penn, Jr. – Morgan City, LA
Offense: Narcotics, sell distribute or dispense, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute; narcotics – sell, distribute or dispense, possession with intent to distribute; racketeering, narcotics – interstate travel in aid of illegal activity; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 10, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Christopher Clayton Pfaff – Ottumwa, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 26, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Hope Aree Pinkerton – Alta, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine mixture and manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine actual after having been convicted of a prior felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 5, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Larry Blane Pittman – San Diego, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine; Western District of Kentucky
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (December 20, 2001)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Max Orvel Plumlee – Newport News, VA
Offense: Engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise; distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine (eight counts); use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime (two counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts); renting, leasing, and making premises available for storing and distributing cocaine; conspiracy; money laundering (five counts); engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity (four counts); Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: Life imprisonment plus 300 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (July 18, 1994)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Charles Edward Price – Vicksburg, MS
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Southern District of Mississippi
Sentence: 292 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release; $1,500 fine (June 3, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017 and unpaid balance of the $1,500 fine remitted.
• Calvin Pritchett ─ Cleveland, OH
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Ohio
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 30, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Tony Roger Pullings – Ocala, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine hydrochloride and cocaine base; distribution of cocaine (three counts); Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 14, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Dennis Ragland – Lincoln, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of controlled substances; distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances; felon in possession of a firearm; use and carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Alabama
Sentence: 330 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (November 29, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 210 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Sergio Ramirez – Des Moines, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; distribute methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 22, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 18, 2017.
• Alex Randell – Tallahassee, FL
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine base, conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 23, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Ernest Reagan ─ Knoxville, TN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; felon in possession of firearms; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 16, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months’ imprisonment, conditioned on upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Johnnie C. Reed – Spartanburg, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 7, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment
• Kristen Reed ─ Winchester, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 27, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Anthony Jaron Richardson – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (October 16, 2002)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Cory D. Rigmaiden – Fresno, TX
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 18, 2005)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Robert James Riley – Clackamas, OR
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute LSD; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: Life imprisonment (November 4, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2018.
• Jerry K. Roberson – St. Petersburg, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (December 15, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Samuel Roberts – Kinston, NC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (two counts), simple possession of cocaine base; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (August 31, 1998)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Charles Bernard Robinson – Raleigh, NC
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack); possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 322 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 5, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Gerald Robinson – Overland, MO
Offense: Conspiracy to possess pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine; possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine (two counts); Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: 220 months’ imprisonment; two years’ supervised release (December 14, 2006); amended to 177 months’ imprisonment (April 27, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Glenn Vincent Robinson – Stilwell, OK
Offense: Attempt to manufacture methamphetamine (two counts); possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense (two counts); Eastern District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 555 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (April 27, 2004); amended to 480 months’ imprisonment (July 21, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• John Robinson – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (April 1, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months’ imprisonment.
• Joseph E. Robinson – Tallulah, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base with prior narcotics conviction; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base with prior narcotics conviction (seven counts); Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 6, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Luther Lee Robinson – Greensboro, NC
Offense: Conspiracy: distributed cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 24, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• William Everett Robinson – Crestview, FL
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; convicted felon in possession of a firearm/armed career criminal; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: Life plus 60 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 10, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 18, 2017, conditioned upon enrollment in non-residential drug treatment (NRDAP).
• Juan Rodriguez ─ Edinburg, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Eastern District of New York
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 18, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Germaine Roebuck ─ Champaign, IL
Offense: Distribution of five or more grams of cocaine base (crack); Central District of Illinois
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (November 21, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Marvin G. Roland – Wauchula, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; use and carry a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 322 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release; $10,000 fine (July 12, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017 and unpaid balance of $10,000 fine remitted.
• Randolph Rolle ─ Miami, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack cocaine), 500 grams or more of cocaine and 100 grams or more of heroin; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 292 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (February 5, 2007); amended to 262 months’ imprisonment (December 31, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months, conditioned on enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jerrick Lamont Rorie – Marshville, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and five kilograms or more of cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 264 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 27, 2009); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (July 2, 2012)
Commutation grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Charlie Lee Ross, Jr. – Houston, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (six counts); Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $20,000 fine (January 25, 2001)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of $20,000 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ted Ross – Dallas, TX
Offense: Conspiracy; money laundering; felon in possession of a firearm; Northern District of Texas
Sentence: Life imprisonment; five years' supervised release (February 16, 1994)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Timnah Rudisill – Hendersonville, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 24, 2002)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Tyrone Sain – Memphis, TN
Offense: 1. Attempt to possess with intent to distribute approximately three kilograms of cocaine, a controlled substance; Western District of Tennessee
2. Possession of a controlled object, marijuana, in a federal correctional institution; Western District of Tennessee
Sentence: 1. 360 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (January 27, 1999)
2. Two months’ imprisonment (consecutive) (October 4, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Both prison sentences commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Dyron K. Sampson – Arcadia, LA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (April 9, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Jose Alfredo Sanchez, Jr. ─ Grafton, ND
Offense: Continuing criminal enterprise; District of North Dakota
- 240 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (March 29, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 210 months’ imprisonment.
• Helen Evette Sanders – Altamont, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 9, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ramon A. Santos – Providence, RI
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine; Northern District of Texas
Sentence: 260 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release; $25,000 fine (March 24, 2005); amended to 211 months' imprisonment (February 11, 2016)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months' imprisonment and unpaid balance of the $25,000 fine remitted.
• David M. Scates ─ Richmond, VA
Offense: Possession of cocaine, aiding and abetting; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aiding and abetting; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 293 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (April 23, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Joseph Schwartz – Philadelphia, PA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine; Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release; $500 fine (November 1, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Aaron A. Scott – Petersburg, VA
Offense: Distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a public school; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 188 months’ imprisonment; six years’ supervised release (April 21, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 18, 2017.
• Kenneth E. Scott ─ Scott City, MO
Offense: Possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine; felon in possession of a firearm; Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: 296 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (December 2, 2003); amended to 237 months’ imprisonment (March 17, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Stephen Scott – Worcester, MA
Offense: Possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute; unlawful possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; felon in possession of a firearm; District of Massachusetts
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 8, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Timothy Wayne Seabury- Satsuma, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine; attempt to manufacture methamphetamine; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 18, 2011)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 235 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Burnette Trione Shackleford ─ Georgetown, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and 5 kilograms or more of powder cocaine; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 264 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 14, 2007); amended to 212 months’ imprisonment (August 11, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Duane Sheffield – Augusta, GA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 8 years’ supervised release (June 18, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Michael William Shranklen – Ankeny, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 30, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 17, 2017.
• Jeremy Simmons – Chicago, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (mixture) and less than 500 grams of cocaine (mixture); distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (mixture) (four counts); Southern District of Indiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 16, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to 360 months’ imprisonment.
• Damenion Sims – Houston, TX
Offense: Possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 20, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment
• Willie Small – Denver, CO
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 13.382 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 13.323 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 26.295 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 6.457 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 26.764 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 26.866 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 23.484 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 32.756 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 54.174 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 26.356 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; distribution and possession with intent to distribute 14 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting (two counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute seven grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting (five counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute 27 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; use of a communication facility to conspire to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, aiding and abetting (13 counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute 3.5 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting (two counts); distribution and possession with intent to distribute 56 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute .244 grams of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; possession with intent to distribute 175 grams or more of cocaine base, aiding and abetting; money laundering, aiding and abetting; District of Colorado
Sentence: Life imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (April 21, 2004)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 300 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Bernard Gary Smith, Jr. – Warsaw, VA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine and to distribute marijuana; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 7, 2003)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Felicia Smith – Shreveport, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: 292 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 15, 2005); amended to 188 months’ imprisonment (January 4, 2017)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• John Wayne Smith – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 216 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (March 22, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Lawrence Smith – Immokalee, FL
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base, “crack cocaine”; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 235 months’ imprisonment; 4 years’ supervised release (January 22, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment.
• Nathaniel Smith, Jr. – Eden, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base crack; Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 8, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Ronald Benjamin Smith – Demopolis, AL
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking felony; Southern District of Alabama
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (January 11, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Teresa Smith – Baird, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; Northern District of Texas
Sentence: 309 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (August 24, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Anthony B. Southard – Youngstown, OH
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute approximately 100.3 grams of cocaine base; carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; Northern District of Ohio
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (June 27, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Thaddeus A. Speed – Kankakee, Illinois
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base (crack); possession of five grams of more of cocaine base (crack) with intent to distribute it; Central District of Illinois
Sentence: Life imprisonment (March 3, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 262 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Glen Alan Spicer – Dobson, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; possessed firearms in commerce after felony conviction; Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (September 11, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Michael Stacey – Charlotte, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (July 29, 2004) Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Jason L. Stewart – East Cleveland, OH
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base; Northern District of West Virginia
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (December 1, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Jubali Dushawn Stokes ─ Chicago, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute “crack” cocaine; Eastern District of Wisconsin
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; repayment of $2,010 of “buy money” as a condition of supervised release (March 4, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 120 months’ imprisonment and condition of supervised release requiring repayment of $2,010 of “buy money” is also commuted.
• Jonathan L. Stout – Memphis, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute over five grams of cocaine base; possession of over five grams of cocaine base with intent to distribute; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; Western District of Tennessee
Sentence: 1,200 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (December 14, 2004); amended to 300 months’ imprisonment; three years’ supervised release (August 22, 2008); amended to 292 months’ imprisonment (November 1, 2011)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment.
• Tyrone Sturdivant ─ Mason City, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and to distribute cocaine salt; distribution of cocaine salt (two counts); Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 348 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 26, 2006); amended to life imprisonment (May 3, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jorge Luis Suarez-Maya – Cabo Rojo, PR
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possess and carry a revolver during the commission of a drug trafficking crime; District of Puerto Rico
Sentence: Life plus 60 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (November 22, 1993)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Raymond Roger Surratt, Jr. – Shelby, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (October 31, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Andre Rashad Sutton – Chattanooga, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and cocaine hydrochloride; possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (May 21, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Lambert Dorell Sweat – Manning, SC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute a quantity of marijuana and cocaine; felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; District of South Carolina
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; six years’ supervised release (July 19, 2011)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Alan Sylvester – Jamaica, NY
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; District of Maryland
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 24, 2006); amended to 360 months’ imprisonment (August 3, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 260 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jeffrey Tate – Chapel Hill, NC
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (October 23, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Richard Len Taylor, Jr. – Deep Gap, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine; using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and aiding and abetting; Western District of North Carolina
Sentence: 322 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release, $10,142.86 restitution (August 9, 2005); amended to 300 months’ imprisonment (November 19, 2015)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Joshua John Terry – Chattanooga, TN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (March 20, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Charles Edward Thomas – Odessa, TX
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute more than five grams of crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; Western District of Texas
Sentence: 360 months' imprisonment; eight years' supervised release (November 30, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Elton F. Thomas – Ontario, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute in excess of 50 grams of cocaine base (“crack”); Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release (February 11, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Benjamin C. Thompkins, Jr. ─ Amelia, VA
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon; manufacture and possess with intent to distribute marijuana; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 6, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Anthony Dwayne Thompson – Los Angeles, CA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 19, 2004); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (June 21, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jerome Thompson – Kansas City, MO
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Western District of Missouri
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 20, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Wayne D. Thompson – Richmond, VA
Offense: Possess with intent to distribute cocaine base within one thousand feet of a school; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 300 months' imprisonment; 16 years' supervised release (December 10, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 220 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• William Thorne – Patterson, NJ
Offense: Distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of cocaine base; District of New Jersey
Sentence: 200 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (June 28, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• James Mark Thornton ─ Knoxville, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 327 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 10, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 240 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• William Tisdale – Greensboro, NC
Offense: Distributed cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (March 28, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jim L. Townsend – Memphis, TN
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine; possession with the intent to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting in same; Western District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment (October 23, 1992)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2018.
• Brosarick Ernesto Trammell – Roanoke, Alabama
Offense: Distribution of (50) fifty grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base “crack”; Northern District of Alabama
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (March 24, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• James Tranmer – Hackensack, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to import marijuana; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 420 months’ imprisonment; eight years’ supervised release (August 3, 1994)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Melvin Tucker – Chicago, IL
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base and to distribute cocaine salt after a conviction for a felony drug offense; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of 12.39 grams of cocaine base after a conviction for a felony drug offense; distribution and aiding and abetting the distribution of 16.83 grams of cocaine base after a conviction for a felony drug offense; Northern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 29, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• John Robinson Turner – Pensacola, FL
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Northern District of Florida
Sentence: 420 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (June 23, 1993)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Antonio Luna Valdez, Jr. – Weslaco, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, cocaine base and marihuana; Western District of Louisiana
Sentence: Life imprisonment (September 17, 2012)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 168 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Aldo Venegas – Pecos, TX
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; Western District of Texas
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 11, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Donald LeRoy Wagaman – Glenwood, IA
Offense: Manufacture in excess of 50 grams of methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 185 months’ imprisonment; four years’ supervised release (February 22, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Bernard A. Walker – Knoxville, TN
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (November 25, 2008)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Yakez Walker ─ Deerfield Beach, FL
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (June 25, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
- Eric Arthur Walton – Wheeling, WV
Offense: 1. Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute
marijuana; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; interstate transportation in aid of racketeering (2 counts); laundering of monetary instruments; aiding and abetting in the possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school; Northern District of West Virginia
2. Conspiracy to defraud U.S., to wit: corruptly endeavor to influence, intimidate, or impede a petit juror; attempt to influence a petit juror and aiding and abetting; Northern District of West Virginia
Sentence: 1. Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $20,000 fine (July 26, 1994)
2. 60 months’ imprisonment (consecutive); three years’ supervised release (June 2, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 387 months' imprisonment.
• Charles Ward – Martinsburg, WV
Offense: Aiding and abetting in the distribution of 28.7 grams of cocaine base; Northern District of West Virginia
Sentence: 200 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (September 28, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 151 months’ imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Jeffrey Ward – Memphis, TN
Offense: Possession and distribution of 57.9 grams cocaine base; possession and distribution of 70.2 grams cocaine base; Western District of Tennessee
Sentence: 262 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (July 2, 2004)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Timmy Don Ware – Oklahoma City, OK
Offense: Participation in racketeering activities; conspiracy to participate in a criminal racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin; possession with intent to distribute heroin (three counts); use of telephone to facilitate a conspiracy; Western District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 33 years’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (September 29, 1988)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Dan Russell Watson – Mediapolis, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture at least 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release, $4,959 restitution (May 28, 2009)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of the $4,959 restitution obligation remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Raymond Allen Watts – Hyattsville, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base commonly known as crack; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; District of Maryland
Sentence: 292 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 29, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 200 months’ imprisonment.
• Harold Lindsey Webster – Des Moines, IA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of cocaine base; Southern District of Iowa
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 25, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Donald Welch ─ Trenton, NJ
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilograms of cocaine; carrying or possessing a firearm during and relation to a drug trafficking crime; Middle District of Florida
Sentence: 300 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 12, 2002)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Derrick White – Schriever, LA
Offense: Distribution of 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (January 9, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 188 months’ imprisonment.
• Carlos Whitehead ─ St. Louis, MO
Offense: Manufacture and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; possession of heroin; possession of cocaine; possession of marijuana; Eastern District of Missouri
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (August 25, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Winston Wilkins – West Palm Beach, FL
Offense: Distribution of crack cocaine (2 counts); Southern District of Florida
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; 5 years’ supervised release; $15,000 fine (January 23, 1998)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of $15,000 fine remitted, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment.
• Glenn Williams – Raleigh, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack); Eastern District of North Carolina
Sentence: 480 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $17,050 fine (March 18, 1996)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Harry David Williams – Oklahoma City, OK
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; maintaining a residence to facilitate the distribution of methamphetamine, aiding and abetting; Western District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; six years’ supervised release (November 1, 2000)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Maurice Victor Williams – Oxon Hill, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of "crack" cocaine; Eastern District of Virginia
Sentence: 262 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (August 31, 2006)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 180 months' imprisonment, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Robert Lee Williams, III – High Point, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (November 12, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Marshall R. Wilson – Kansas City, KS
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; District of Kansas
Sentence: 180 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (December 20, 2010)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• William Wilson – Independence, LA
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base ("crack"); Eastern District of Louisiana
Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (February 15, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Gregory C. Womack – Oklahoma City, OK
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine; manufacturing methamphetamine; manufacturing methamphetamine, aiding and abetting; maintaining a place for the purpose of manufacturing methamphetamine, aiding and abetting; Western District of Oklahoma
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (January 26, 1999)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on July 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
• Marshane Woods ─ Mebane, NC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine hydrochloride and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (February 23, 2005)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months.
• Ayande Yearwood – Baltimore, MD
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine base; District of Maryland
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release; $17,500 fine (October 20, 2006)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019 and unpaid balance of $17,500 fine remitted when his sentence expires, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug abuse treatment, unpaid remainder of fine remitted.
• Antonio Antwain Young – Maryville, TN
Offense: Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: 180 months' imprisonment; five years' supervised release (May 29, 2007)Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Calvin Tyrone Young – Winston-Salem, NC
Offense: Conspiracy: Distribute crack; Middle District of North Carolina
Sentence: 360 months’ imprisonment; five years’ supervised release (May 15, 1997)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on May 19, 2017.
• Connie Jermaine Young ─ Spartanburg, SC
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine; Eastern District of Tennessee
Sentence: Life imprisonment (November 26, 2007)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in the residential drug treatment.
• Travis Demetrius Youngblood – Union Spring, AL
Offense: Conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base; Eastern District of Kentucky
Sentence: 240 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (March 12, 2008)
Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on January 19, 2019, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
- Henry P. Bennett, Jr. – Huger, SC
Pickens Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court for Possession of a Pipe BombRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Matthew Joseph Kelley, age 28, of Pickens, pled guilty this morning in federal court in Anderson for possession of a destructive device, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 5861. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Kelley faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Kelley was arrested on federal firearms charges on August 23, 2016, and has remained in custody since his federal arrest.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on that August 19, 2016, members of the United States Marshals Task Force and deputies from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, while attempting to serve an arrest warrant for an individual believed to be at a residence in Easley, came into contact with Kelley. When deputies arrived at the residence, several people were present and the owner allowed deputies to search the home. Deputies then received consent to search the belongings of other individuals at the home. When deputies searched a bag belonging to Kelley, they located a pipe bomb.
The United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force and the Pickens County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Kidnapping, Jewelry Store RobberyRead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TIMOTHY FORBES, 35, of Allentown, Pa., pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport federal court to federal charges stemming from his role in a violent kidnapping and jewelry store robbery in April 2013.
According to court documents and statements made in court, at approximately 9:00 p.m. on April 11, 2013, Kasam Hennix, William Davis, Christopher Gay and Jeffrey Houston, all of whom were wearing masks and gloves and two of whom were armed with handguns, broke into an apartment on Gravel Street in Meriden, Conn., bound four victims with duct tape and covered their heads with pillowcases, towels and jackets. Hennix, Davis, and Houston then forced two of the victims into a victim’s vehicle and drove to Lenox Jewelers in Fairfield, Conn., where the two victims worked. FORBES traveled to Fairfield in a separate vehicle, and Gay remained in the Meriden apartment to guard the two other victims.
After Hennix, Davis and Houston arrived at the Fairfield store, they stole jewelry, watches and loose diamonds with a total replacement value of more than $3 million. They then fled in the victim’s car, leaving the two victims bound inside the store. Hennix, Davis and Houston abandoned the victim’s vehicle and got into FORBES’ vehicle. One of the defendants called Gay to advise him that they had successfully carried out the robbery and that he should leave the apartment. The defendants then fled the state.
The five defendants were arrested in May 2013.
Investigators determined that FORBES, Houston and Gay had traveled from Pennsylvania to Connecticut on several occasions in the weeks prior to the robbery in order to track the victims’ movements between Lenox Jewelers in Fairfield and their residence in Meriden. In addition, FORBES and Gay placed a GPS on one of the victim’s vehicles in an effort to make it easier to track him.
FORBES pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping, one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford on April 13, 2017, at which time he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of seven years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.
Hennix, of Easton, Pa., Davis, of Allentown, Pa., Houston, of Allentown, and Gay, of the Bronx, N.Y., also pleaded guilty to federal charges. On April 17, 2015, Davis was sentenced to 176 months in prison; on January 27, 2016, Gay was sentenced to 102 months in prison, and, on February 8, 2016, Hennix was sentenced to 171 months of imprisonment. Houston awaits sentencing.
The defendants have been ordered to pay restitution of more than $3.1 million, and have forfeited gemstones, jewelry, watches, a vehicle, and more than $127,000 in cash seized from them at the time of their arrests.
FORBES has been involved in at least three other similar jewelry store robberies, including one that occurred in York, Pa., in July 2012. During that robbery, one of FORBES’ co-defendants shot the owner of the store, permanently disabling him. On March 23, 2016, FORBES was sentenced in the Middle District of Pennsylvania to 14 years of imprisonment for his role in that robbery.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fairfield Police Department and Meriden Police Department. U.S. Attorney Daly also acknowledged the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI in New York and Pennsylvania; the York, Allentown and Bethlehem Police Departments in Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Lee Dayton and Joseph Vizcarrondo.
Parkersburg man and woman sentenced to federal prison for heroin crimesRead the Press Release
Charleston, W.Va. – A man and woman from Parkersburg who were caught transporting heroin were sentenced to prison this week after being convicted of federal drug crimes, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. David J. Kerns, 27, and Katie M. Kerns, 26 (no relation), previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin. Katie Kerns was sentenced yesterday to two years and five months in federal prison. David Kerns was sentenced today to two years and eight months in federal prison.
On February 19, 2015, members of the West Virginia State Police stopped the vehicle that David Kerns and Katie Kerns were driving in Parkersburg. Troopers observed them cross from Ohio into West Virginia over the U.S. Route 50 “Dupont Bridge” as they were bringing heroin from Cincinnati. Troopers searched the vehicle and recovered approximately 10 ounces of heroin concealed in tubes of grease. At the plea hearing, the defendants admitted that David Kerns purchased the heroin for $20,000 from a source Katie Kerns introduced him to in Cincinnati.
This case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is handling the prosecution. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.
This prosecution is 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 pills and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
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Paradise Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Bret Allan Nichols, 32, of Paradise, today to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography to be followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The 30-year sentence is the maximum punishment allowed by the statute.
On June 18, 2015, Nichols pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. According to court documents, on December 12, 2012, law enforcement in the United States received a referral from the Danish National Police related to a video containing child pornography. Further investigation revealed that the video was made by a Florida couple running a business that used a computer to stream illicit sexual sessions at the request of customers. In August 2012, Nichols paid the Florida couple to produce child pornography and recorded it. A forensic search of Nichols’ computer seized during the subsequent search of his residence found multiple videos that Nichols had recorded of five additional child victims in Colombia and the Philippines.
The Florida couple were prosecuted in the Northern District of Florida and received sentences of 29.5 and 35 years in prison.
“Nichols committed horrendous crimes against multiple children, and the substantial sentence that the court imposed today reflects the seriousness of his crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Talbert. “Every child deserves a childhood safe from abuse like this. Our office is committed to protecting society, and particularly children, by prosecuting cases like this.”
This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney William Wong prosecuted the case.
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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet safety education.
Operation “REAL-TIME”: Spartanburg Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Frederick Jermaine Porter, age 27, of Spartanburg, pled guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Anderson to a felon in possession of a firearm indictment. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Porter, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Porter was arrested on federal firearms charges on September 19, 2016, and has remained in custody since his federal arrest.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on September 15, 2016, Spartanburg Police Department Investigators approached Porter as he walked down the street based on a tip that he would be in possession of a pistol inside a book bag. During the encounter, officers discovered a marijuana cigarette located on the ground by Porter and arrested him. Once arrested, officers searched the book bag and found a loaded .38 caliber revolver.
Porter was arrested federally as a part of “Operation Real-Time.” The goal of this program is to identify individuals for federal prosecution with significant criminal histories who continue to actively possess firearms in the Upstate community. In addition to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Real Time’s core partners include the Greenville Police Department; the Anderson Police Department; the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services; the South Carolina Highway Patrol; United States Probation; the Department of Homeland Security; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office; and, the United States Attorney’s Office. Since August of 2015, the initiative has resulted in the expedited federal prosecution of some 90 defendants and seizure of approximately 110 firearms as well as assorted ammunition from prohibited persons.
Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis and his office are crucial partners in this effort. "The Greenville County Sheriff's Office is committed to removing illegal weapons from violent offenders and are very glad to be a part of this program and will offer any assistance we can."
U.S. Attorney Beth Drake commended the partnership between the state and federal agencies that led to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Attorney’s Office adopting the case, “We work best when we work together. This ‘real time’ identification of high risk offenders is smart policing, and we welcome the opportunity to work alongside our state chiefs and sheriffs in taking violent repeat offenders out of our communities.”
The Spartanburg Police Department along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
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Operation "Real-Time": Greenville Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Giovonni Dequese Cecil, age 23, of Greenville, pled guilty this morning in federal court in Anderson to a felon in possession of a firearm indictment. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Cecil, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Cecil was arrested on federal firearms charges on June 16, 2016, and has remained in custody, detained without bond, since his federal arrest.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on June 14, 2016, members of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office responded to a call placed by Cecil from a local hotel room. Cecil relayed to a dispatcher that he was a convicted felon who had guns and drugs in his room and wanted a ride to another hotel. When the GCSO arrived at the hotel, Cecil invited them into his hotel room. Inside the room, responding deputies observed a shotgun and a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana. Deputies obtained a search warrant for the room and during their search located a 12-gauge shotgun, a .270 caliber rifle along with .40 caliber ammunition, .270 caliber ammunition, 12-gauge shotgun shells, .9mm ammunition, and a quantity of drugs.
Cecil was arrested federally as a part of "Operation Real-Time." The goal of this program is to identify individuals for federal prosecution with significant criminal histories who continue to actively possess firearms in the Upstate community. In addition to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Real Time's core partners include the Greenville Police Department; the Anderson Police Department; the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services; the South Carolina Highway Patrol; United States Probation; the Department of Homeland Security; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office; and, the United States Attorney's Office. Since August of 2015, the initiative has resulted in the expedited federal prosecution of some 90 defendants and seizure of approximately 110 firearms as well as assorted ammunition from prohibited persons.
Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis and his office are crucial partners in this effort. "The Greenville County Sheriff's Office is committed to removing illegal weapons from violent offenders and are very glad to be a part of this program and will offer any assistance we can."
U.S. Attorney Beth Drake commended the partnership between the state and federal agencies that led to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Attorney's Office adopting the case, "We work best when we work together. This 'real time' identification of high risk offenders is smart policing, and we welcome the opportunity to work alongside our state chiefs and sheriffs in taking violent repeat offenders out of our communities."
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.
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Operation "Real-Time": Greenville Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court on Gun ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Michael Lee Westbrook, age 40, of Greenville, pled guilty this morning in federal court in Anderson to a felon in possession of a firearm indictment. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Westbrook, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in federal prison. Westbrook was arrested on federal firearms charges on September 7, 2016, and has remained in custody, detained without bond, since his federal arrest.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on September 3, 2016, members of the Greenville County Sheriff's Office responded to a local residence in an attempt to locate Westbrook for a state probation violation. Upon their arrival, deputies located Westbrook located in the back yard and recovered a loaded Ruger .380 caliber pistol from his back pocket.
Westbrook was arrested federally as a part of "Operation Real-Time." The goal of this program is to identify individuals for federal prosecution with significant criminal histories who continue to actively possess firearms in the Upstate community. In addition to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Real Time's core partners include the Greenville Police Department, the Anderson Police Department; the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services; the South Carolina Highway Patrol; United States Probation; the Department of Homeland Security; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office; and the United States Attorney's Office. Since August of 2015, the initiative has resulted in the expedited federal prosecution of some 90 defendants and seizure of approximately 110 firearms as well as assorted ammunition from prohibited persons.
Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis and his office are crucial partners in this effort. "The Greenville County Sheriff's Office is committed to removing illegal weapons from violent offenders and are very glad to be a part of this program and will offer any assistance we can."
U.S. Attorney Beth Drake commended the partnership between the state and federal agencies that led to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Attorney's Office adopting the case, "We work best when we work together. This 'real time' identification of high risk offenders is smart policing, and we welcome the opportunity to work alongside our state chiefs and sheriffs in taking violent repeat offenders out of our communities."
The Greenville County Sheriff's Office along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.
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Olive Hill Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Olive Hill, Ky., man, who previously admitted that he possessed thousands of images and hundreds of videos containing child pornography, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.
Today, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning sentenced James Keith Wolfe, 55, for receipt of child pornography and also ordered him to serve a 20year term of supervised release following the completion of his sentence. Under federal law, Wolfe must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence.
Wolfe pleaded guilty in August of 2016 to a single count of receipt of child pornography.
In September of 2015, FBI and other law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at his Olive Hill residence, seizing several laptop computers, multiple thumb drives, and two Dell towers. Law Enforcement agents discovered that Wolfe’s computer and other electronic media contained more than 3,800 still images and 670 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The investigation began when authorities made a direct connection to Wolfe’s computer while he was using a peer to peer (P2P) file sharing network to download child pornography images.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Marye prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government.
North Carolina Man Indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a ChildRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a North Carolina man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for the sexual exploitation of a child in Joplin, Mo.
David Lee Perkins, 33, of Winston-Salem, N.C., was charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Perkins on Dec. 12, 2016.
The federal indictment alleges that Perkins crossed state lines to engage in a sexual act with a minor under the age of 12, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, from April 16, 2014, to Dec. 11, 2016. Perkins is also charged with using the child victim to produce child pornography and with receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Joplin police officers were dispatched to a Joplin, Mo., hotel where Perkins was staying on Dec. 11, 2016. A female acquaintance of Perkins told officers that she found several videos on an iPad of Perkins engaged in sexually explicit conduct with Jane Doe. Officers contacted Perkins in his hotel room and placed him under arrest.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Joplin, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, and the Newton, N.C., 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."
Nixa Woman Sentenced for $90 Million Fraud Scheme to Sell Counterfeit Cell Phone PartsRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nixa, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court today for selling more than $90 million worth of counterfeit cell phone components to hundreds of thousands of consumers over the Internet and at a Springfield, Mo., store.
Sherrie Householder, 59, of Nixa, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Householder to pay $8,866,069 in restitution.
On May 26, 2016, Householder pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering.
Householder managed and operated Flash Technology, LLC, also known as Flash Tech, a business that sold cell phone components (such as replacement screens, lithium batteries, weight scales, phone cases and internal circuitry) through numerous Internet retail sites and at a Springfield store. Flash Tech sold hundreds of thousands, and potentially millions of different cell phone parts shipped to consumers throughout the United States. According to court documents, more than $90 million in sales were made to hundreds of thousands of consumers from December 2012 to January 2016.
Householder represented that the cell phone components were manufactured by legitimate companies – including Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, Android, Dell, Blackberry, ASUS, Acer, Kindle, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Sony, ZTE and others. Although each part contained trademarks and markings that made it appear the legitimate holder of the trademark had manufactured the parts, and although Householder used the trademarks and logos of these companies on her Web sites, the components were actually counterfeit.
Wang “Frank” Luo, a Chinese citizen, owned Flash Tech, while Householder managed the company’s activities in the United States. Lou shipped the cell phone component parts to Householder. Nearly 5,000 international shipments were sent to Flash Tech from China.
According to court documents, Householder’s knowledge that a fraud was being perpetrated occurred during the last six months before law enforcement shut the operation down, when she began receiving seizure letters from Customs and Border Protection. Between August and December 2015, over a dozen shipments from Luo’s factory in China to Householder in Springfield were intercepted and inspected by CBP agents. After seizing each shipment, CBP issued a letter of notification informing Householder of the seizure due to confiscated counterfeit items. Even though she was informed that the items she received from Luo were counterfeit, she continued selling these counterfeit products. Between August 2015 and the execution of federal search warrants on Feb. 2, 2016, Householder sold approximately $8,860,000, in counterfeit cell phones and component parts.
When federal agents executed search warrants at Householder’s residence and Flash Tech’s business address, they seized over 100,000 cell phone and component parts. The counterfeit items seized by agents had a retail value of approximately $5.5 million and filled two large moving trucks.
Householder must forfeit to the government $556,938 seized from various PayPal, Amazon and bank accounts; numerous desktop and laptop computers, iPads, hard drives, computer and cell phone components; and a money judgment of $8,866,069.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISILRead the Press Release
Akhror Saidakhmetov, 21, a citizen of Kazakhstan and a resident of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office, Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office and Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the New York City Police Department. The plea took place before U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz, II.
“Akhror Saidakhmetov admitted that he conspired to provide material support to ISIL and that he was prepared to commit violence overseas or here in the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism. This case reflects our commitment to disrupting and holding accountable those who wish to wage violence on behalf of ISIL, either at home or abroad.”
“The defendant was committed to traveling to Syria to join ISIL or to conducting a domestic terror attack if unable to travel to Syria,” said U.S. Attorney Capers. “Thanks to the efforts of FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, we have prevented two local residents – Saidakhmetov and his codefendant Abdurasul Juraboev – from becoming foreign fighters in Syria or attacking victims here in the United States.”
“As we presented in our case, Akhror Saidakhmetov clearly expressed the desire to commit violence, either domestically or abroad, on behalf of a terrorist organization. His failure to carry out this desire is a testament to the tireless efforts of FBI New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Today’s guilty plea is further testament to the dedicated work on this case by agents and officers who encompass that task force,” said Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.
“Saidakhmetov made threats towards American law enforcement and attempted to join ISIL in its caustic jihad. Terrorism, and its threat to the homeland, is why HSI continues to be a leading contributor to the Joint Terrorism Task Force here in New York and across the country,” said Special-Agent-in-Charge Melendez. “We cannot allow extremists to terrorize our neighborhoods or make threats towards our men and women in blue.”
“This defendant pledged allegiance to ISIL, which has called on its followers to attack the United States and specifically New York City. The defendant also attempted to travel to Syria,” said Commissioner O’Neill. “This guilty plea is another example of the collaborative work of the members of the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force and the prosecutors of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.”
According to previous court filings, Saidakhmetov became keenly interested in traveling to ISIL-controlled territories in order to wage violent jihad. In August 2014, he made the following online posting referencing a video containing footage of multiple individuals pledging allegiance to ISIL and showing mass executions by ISIL of Iraqi forces captured during ISIL’s takeover of Mosul, Iraq: “Allohu Akbar I was very happy after reading this, my eyes joyful so much victory.”
During the fall and winter of 2014-2015, Saidakhmetov and codefendant Abdurasul Juraboev made plans to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of ISIL. In one recorded conversation, Saidakhmetov remarked that if he was unable to travel to Syria, he would purchase a machine gun and shoot police officers in the U.S. The defendants’ efforts to travel culminated in Saidakhmetov’s arrest on Feb, 25, 2015 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, while attempting to board a flight for Turkey. Juraboev was also arrested on the same day. At the time of Juraboev’s arrest, he had already purchased a ticket for a flight to Turkey. Juraboev pleaded guilty in August 2016 to conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and is awaiting sentencing.
At sentencing, Saidakhmetov faces up to 15 years in prison.
The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the National Security & Cybercrime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Solomon, Douglas M. Pravda, Peter W. Baldwin and David K. Kessler of the Eastern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Steven Ward of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Role in $2.89 Million Stolen Identity Refund SchemeRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man today admitted his role in a scheme to obtain stolen identity information and use it to file phony tax returns with the IRS, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Yerfri Castillo, 26, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds, one count of theft of government funds, and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January 2013 through May 2015, Castillo conspired with Jhan Luis Mejia Marcelino, 27, Odanys Orlando Rojas, a/k/a “El Fuerte,” 39, both of Bronx, and others to use stolen identities to commit tax refund fraud. Castillo admitted that he and others obtained stolen personal identifying information, including names and Social Security numbers, of victims located in New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. Afterwards, Castillo used the information to file fraudulent federal tax returns. Castillo also admitted that, once they received the refunds, he converted checks to cash or other proceeds for his own benefit.
Altogether, the conspiracy caused losses of over $2.89 million to the U.S. Treasury.
The conspiracy offense is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. The theft of government funds count is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Both counts are punishable by a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss resulting from the offense. The aggravated identity fraud charge is punishable by a mandatory two-year sentence to be served consecutively to any other term imposed. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2017.
Both Mejia and Rojas pleaded guilty to their roles in September 2016 and await sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge James V. Buthorn; special agents of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Monica Weyler; and special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine K. Lou of the Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Edgar L. Fankbonner Esq.
New Hartford Company to Pay $200K Fine for Failing to Report Clean Air Act Violations to EPARead the Press Release
Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Tyler Amon, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division for New England, announced that SCP MANAGEMENT, LLC, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to one count of failing to notify or report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as required under the Clean Air Act. Following SCP MANAGEMENT’s guilty plea, Judge Underhill immediately imposed sentence and ordered the company to pay a $200,000 fine.
According to court documents and statement made in court, Syntac Coated Products, LLC (“Old Syntac”) operated a manufacturing facility located at 29 Industrial Park Road in New Hartford from 2007 until April 19, 2013, when it sold all of its assets, including its trade name to Syntac Coated Products, LLC (“New Syntac”). Since April 19, 2013, Old Syntac has continued to exist under the name of SCP MANAGEMENT, LLC.
Old Syntac designed and manufactured specialty adhesive films for various applications used in the automotive, electronics and medical industries. In its manufacturing process, the company used three adhesive coating lines. When operating, those coating lines emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which were also hazardous air pollutants that are suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. Beginning in 2008, the company controlled its emissions of VOCs and hazardous air pollutants from its coating lines with two catalytic oxidizers. Catalytic oxidizers produce chemical reactions that generate heat and promote the oxidation of VOCs to carbon dioxide and water. The company replaced its catalytic oxidizers with a regenerative thermal oxidizer in April 2013.
The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to create a list of the important categories of stationary sources of air pollution, and to establish federal standards of performance for new sources within these categories. These New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) apply to newly constructed sources or those that undergo major upgrades or modifications. As required under the NSPS, Old Syntac performed an initial performance test on each catalytic oxidizer in 2008 to demonstrate that VOC emissions from its coating lines were captured and properly controlled. Following the performance tests, the company was required to monitor, record and report the gas temperature upstream and downstream of each incinerator catalyst bed continuously during coating operations in order to demonstrate that the incinerator continued to function properly over time. Every six months, the company was required to submit a report to the EPA that identified any three-hour periods during which the average temperature difference across the catalyst bed in each of its catalytic oxidizers was less than 80 percent of the average temperature difference of the device during the performance test. If no such three-hour periods occurred during the reporting period, the company was required to say so in the report.
Between 2008 and April 2013, Old Syntac used paper temperature charts to record the upstream and downstream temperatures of its catalytic oxidizers during coating operations. Each day, a new temperature chart was installed and the chart for the previous day was removed, reviewed and preserved. On numerous occasions the temperature charts showed that the temperature difference across the catalyst bed was less than 80 percent of the average temperature difference of the device during the performance test. The company also performed tests of its catalyst blocks that indicated the catalysts were likely not destroying all of the VOCs emitted during its production processes. The company failed to file any reports with the EPA, as required under the Clean Air Act, regarding the temperature readings of the oxidizers. Had it done so, EPA could have investigated the company’s compliance further and required additional performance testing.
In addition to paying a $200,000 criminal fine, SCP MANAGEMENT will make a Community Service Payment of $200,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will use the funds for projects and initiatives benefitting air quality in Connecticut. Additionally, SCP MANAGEMENT has acknowledged that, on one or more occasions between 2008 and April 2013, Old Syntac had the potential to emit hazardous air pollutants in excess of “major source” thresholds. Because of the EPA’s “Once In, Always In” policy concerning major sources of air pollutants, New Syntac or any successor entity will be filing an application for a permit under Title V of the Clean Air Act, which will subject the company to heightened regulatory and reporting requirements going forward.
“When Syntac noticed its catalytic oxidizers may not be functioning properly, it failed to report that information to the EPA,” said U.S. Attorney Daly. “A report would have triggered a regulatory review. Not reporting resulted in a criminal investigation. Hopefully, this prosecution will serve as a warning to corporations that if they ignore signs they are polluting the air we breathe, they risk federal prosecution.”
“To protect the surrounding community, the EPA relied on SCP Management to report on the hazardous air pollutants emitted from their Connecticut facility,” said EPA Special Agent in Charge Amon. “The company knowingly failed to report information that showed its emission control equipment was not operating properly, avoided regulatory oversight under the Clean Air Act and garnered an unfair economic benefit over its competitors.”
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarala V. Nagala and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Kenyon.
Multiple Life Sentences Handed Down in Bradenton Gang ProsecutionRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich this week sentenced six individuals for their roles in wide-ranging racketeering and drug distribution conspiracies that involved seven murders, three kidnappings, multiple firearms and drug offenses, and related criminal conduct. The defendants were found guilty on September 8, 2016, following a three-month jury trial.
U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, James Trusty, Chief of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, and Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Tampa Field Office, made the announcement.
Nathaniel Harris (25), a/k/a “Popo,” was sentenced to four life terms for the murders of Demetrius Cunningham and Calvin Barnes, and racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracy. In addition, he was sentenced to consecutive terms ranging from 10 to 25 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, armed kidnapping, and drug and firearms offenses.
Napoleon Harris (32), a/k/a “Pole,” was sentenced to three life terms for the murder of Demetrius Cunningham, racketeering, and drug conspiracy. He was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Charlie Green (30), aka “Mr. 30N32,” was sentenced to five life terms for the murders of Joseph Evans and Ceola Lazier, racketeering, drug conspiracy, and armed kidnapping.
Jerry Green (30), a/k/a “Jerk,” was sentenced to four life terms for the murders of Ceola Lazier and Carlos Jurado, racketeering, and drug conspiracy.
Deonte Martin (27), a/k/a “Tang,” was sentenced to three life terms for the murder of Brenton Coleman, racketeering, and drug trafficking conspiracy. He also received additional sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years for firearms and drug charges.
Corey Harris (26), aka “James,” was sentenced to 120 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and distribution of crack cocaine.
Nathaniel Harris and Napoleon Harris were also ordered to pay $8,000 restitution to the family of Demetrius Cunningham.
According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants were members of a racketeering enterprise that controlled illicit drug distribution and committed murders for hire in and around Bradenton. From about 2006 through 2014, the defendants were responsible for murdering seven individuals, including one victim who was gunned down at a community center in front of hundreds of children and their parents. The racketeering enterprise attempted to murder an eighth individual who survived, but is now paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. The enterprise maintained a number of so-called “trap houses” that were used to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, MDMA, oxycodone and marijuana, and used extreme violence to collect drug debts and enforce its control of the drug trafficking in its territory. The enterprise also used threats of violence to prevent members of the community from testifying against its members.
“The sentences handed down this week were just in light of the scars these defendants inflicted on their community. Our thoughts remain with the families of the murdered victims,” stated U.S. Attorney Bentley. “The Department of Justice, working closely with our partners at all levels of law enforcement, will continue to use every available resource to protect vulnerable communities from the scourge of violent crime. We are deeply committed to dismantling violent criminal organizations.”
“A key component of ATF’s mission is reducing violent crime. These sentences represent a fulfillment of a promise that ATF made to this community to stand by them and we will continue to stand by them,” stated Special Agent in Charge Daryl McCrary of ATF-Tampa Division. “We appreciate the cooperation of our federal, state and local partners to this bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
Twelve enterprise members and co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, firearms, and other offenses in connection with this case.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Florida investigated the case, with assistance from other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Murray, Natalie Adams and Walter “Terry” Furr of the Middle District of Florida, and Trial Attorney Marty Woelfle of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $50 Million Settlement with Walgreens for Paying Kickbacks to Induce Beneficiaries of Government Healthcare Programs to Fill Their Prescriptions at Walgreens’ PharmaciesRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), and Craig Rupert, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General (“DoD-OIG”), announced today a $50 million settlement in a civil fraud lawsuit against WALGREEN CO. (“WALGREENS”), a nationwide retail pharmacy chain that owns and operates thousands of retail pharmacies throughout the United States. The settlement resolves claims that WALGREENS violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) and False Claims Act (“FCA”) by enrolling hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries of government healthcare programs (“government beneficiaries”) in its Prescription Savings Club program (“PSC program”). Specifically, the Government’s Complaint alleges that Walgreens violated the AKS and FCA by providing government beneficiaries with discounts and other monetary incentives under the PSC program, in order to induce them to patronize WALGREENS’ pharmacies for all of their prescription drug needs. The Complaint further alleges that WALGREENS understood that allowing government beneficiaries to participate in the PSC program was a violation of the AKS, but that it nevertheless marketed the program to government beneficiaries and paid its employees bonuses for each customer they enrolled in the program, without verifying whether the customers were government beneficiaries. The settlement will also resolve numerous state law civil fraud claims.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Paul Oetken has approved a settlement agreement to resolve the Government’s claims against WALGREENS. Under the settlement, WALGREENS is required to pay approximately $46.21 million to the United States and has admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Government’s Complaint. Further, as part of the settlement, WALGREENS will pay approximately $3.79 million to resolve the state law civil fraud claims.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Recognizing that it was a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute to enroll government beneficiaries in its discount program, Walgreens nonetheless marketed the program to government beneficiaries and incentivized its employees to enroll customers in the program, regardless of whether they were government beneficiaries. As a result, Walgreens ended up unlawfully enrolling hundreds of thousands of government beneficiaries. With today’s settlement, Walgreens is being made to pay $50 million and has admitted to its conduct.”
HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert said: “The sheer scope of this nationwide kickback scheme is shocking. Walgreens admits to having paid bonuses to employees for enrolling customers in its prescriptions savings program without verifying whether the customers were Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries, despite stated company policy against enrolling such beneficiaries based on federal statutes. Today’s settlement is a message to other retailers that there will be consequences for such conduct.”
DoD-OIG Special Agent in Charge Craig Rupert said: “This settlement is evidence of the continuing efforts of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute significant threats to the DoD health care system. DCIS will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of fraud and abuse harmful to U.S. taxpayers and the Department of Defense.”
As alleged in the Complaint and set forth in the parties’ Settlement Agreement, both of which have been filed in Manhattan federal court:
WALGREENS launched the PSC program in 2007. Throughout the period January 2007 through December 2010, the PSC program provided members with discounts on thousands of brand-name and generic drugs, as well as a 10 percent rebate on all WALGREENS’ branded products, including household products, baby-care products, most grocery items, and non-prescription medications. WALGREENS intended these lower drug prices and other monetary benefits to be an inducement to its existing and potential customers to cause them to patronize WALGREENS for all of their pharmacy needs. WALGREENS hoped that by offering these significant benefits to its customers, it would prevent them from taking their pharmacy business to WALGREENS’ competitors.
WALGREENS recognized that allowing government beneficiaries to participate in the PSC program would violate the AKS. Specifically, WALGREENS recognized that the features of the PSC program that made it attractive to its customers generally would constitute an illegal kickback when provided to government beneficiaries, as such features would induce government beneficiaries to patronize WALGREENS for all of their prescription medication needs, including those paid for in whole or in part by government healthcare programs. Accordingly, WALGREENS consistently maintained in its published materials regarding the PSC program that government beneficiaries were ineligible to participate in the program.
Notwithstanding WALGREENS’ understanding that allowing government beneficiaries to participate in the PSC program would violate the AKS, WALGREENS consistently marketed the PSC program to government beneficiaries. WALGREENS also incentivized its employees to enroll customers in the PSC program, regardless of whether they were government beneficiaries. For example, from May 2008 through August 2010, WALGREENS paid its employees from $1 to $5 for each customer they enrolled in the PSC program. In making these incentive payments, WALGREENS did not check whether the customers who had been enrolled were government beneficiaries.
Consequently, during the period January 2007 through December 2010, WALGREENS enrolled hundreds of thousands of government beneficiaries in the PSC program. These government beneficiaries included beneficiaries of the Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs. Thereafter, from January 2011 through December 2015, while WALGREENS’ internal company policy continued to preclude the enrollment of government beneficiaries in the PSC program, WALGREENS continued to enroll such beneficiaries in the program.
As part of the settlement, WALGREENS admitted, acknowledged, and accepted responsibility for the following conduct:
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During the period January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2010, WALGREENS’ published materials regarding the PSC program stated that persons receiving benefits from the Medicare and Medicaid programs were not eligible to participate in the PSC program.
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In October 2007, WALGREENS identified approximately 13,000 PSC program members who it had determined were beneficiaries of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and it removed those individuals from the PSC program. In an internal news release informing its employees of this removal, WALGREENS stated that “any customer who ha[d] any type of 3rd party coverage with a Medicare or Medicaid plan was removed from the [Prescription] Savings Club database,” and that “th[is] removal was necessary to comply with State/Federal regulations.”
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Subsequent to October 2007 and continuing through December 31, 2010, internal WALGREENS documents reflect that its stated policy to exclude Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries from the PSC program was based on, among other things, the prohibition on offering inducements to beneficiaries of government healthcare programs reflected in the federal AKS and corresponding state anti-kickback laws.
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Notwithstanding its stated policy to exclude Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries from the PSC program, subsequent to October 2007 and continuing through December 31, 2010, WALGREENS enrolled hundreds of thousands of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in the PSC program.
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Between November 2007 and December 31, 2010, WALGREENS also enrolled more than 10,000 TRICARE beneficiaries in the PSC program.
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Prior to December 31, 2010, pharmacists at WALGREENS’ stores nationwide made tens of thousands of notations in WALGREENS’ internal customer database reflecting that specific Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE beneficiaries had been enrolled in the PSC program and were using the PSC program to purchase some of their prescription drugs.
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At various times between November 2007 and December 31, 2010, WALGREENS paid its employees a bonus of between $1 and $5 for each customer they enrolled in the PSC program. When paying these bonuses, WALGREENS did not verify that the customers its employees had enrolled in the PSC program were not government beneficiaries.
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Prior to December 31, 2010, WALGREENS did not have effective mechanisms in place to block government beneficiaries from enrolling in the PSC program or to monitor adequately whether government beneficiaries had been allowed to enroll in the PSC program, to ensure compliance with its stated policy to exclude such beneficiaries from the PSC program. As a result, hundreds of thousands of government beneficiaries were enrolled in the PSC program.
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Subsequent to December 31, 2010, and continuing through December 31, 2015, WALGREENS’ internal company policy continued to preclude the enrollment of government beneficiaries in the PSC program, and WALGREENS continued to enroll such beneficiaries in the program.
In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had previously been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
* * *
Mr. Bharara thanked HHS’s Office of the Inspector General, DOD’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Units for Illinois and New York for their investigative efforts and assistance with the case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Harwood is in charge of the case.
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Man Sentenced to Prison for Bribery Involving the City of BettendorfRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, IA - On January 18, 2017, Robert L. Budd, Jr., heather Jean Reekrage 73, of Bettendorf, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to four months in prison for conspiracy to bribe a public official and four months for bribery of a public official, the sentences to run concurrently, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Budd was fined $25,000, was ordered to serve a two-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment, and to pay $200 in special assessments to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
On May 20, 2016, Budd pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. As part of a written plea agreement, Budd admitted he was a manager at Brown Traffic Products, Inc. (BTP) in Davenport, Iowa, and he approved and made payments to Robert Webster, the Bettendorf City Electrician, for travel, meals, drinks, entertainment, and other expenses, including tickets to NASCAR events and trips to business conferences.
Budd also admitted on March 27, 2009, he reimbursed Webster for a trip by writing a check to Webster’s wife for $2,700, which was deposited into the Websters’ credit union account. Budd admitted this and other payments were made in an effort to influence Webster to continue doing business with BTP, and to reward him for conducting business with BTP.
In July of 2016, Robert Webster, former Bettendorf City Electrician, pleaded guilty to three felony counts. He is presently scheduled to be sentenced on March 16, 2017, in Davenport.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the cooperation of the City of Bettendorf. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
Learn more about this release by contacing Rachel J. Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at [email protected]
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Man Indicted for Enticing Missing Teen for Illicit SexRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a man previously charged with attempting to entice a missing Springfield, Mo., teenager to engage in illicit sexual activity has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Dominic Keith Pearson, 25, no known address, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. The federal indictment replaces a criminal complaint that was filed against Pearson on Jan. 11, 2017.
The indictment contains the same charge as the original criminal complaint, alleging that Pearson attempted to entice a minor to engage in illicit sex.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the complaint, the 13-year-old child victim – identified in court documents as “Jane Doe” – was reported missing from her home in Springfield on Jan. 8, 2017. Investigators found a series of messages between Pearson and Jane Doe on a cell phone, the affidavit says, indicating that Pearson was traveling to meet Jane Doe.
On Jan. 10, 2017, Pearson and Jane Doe were located in a truckers lounge at Petro Truck Stop off Interstate 70 near Oak Grove, Mo. Both Pearson and Jane Doe had luggage with them in the lounge.
Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the FBI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Oak Grove, 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."
Magellan Pipeline Settles Alleged Clean Water Act Violations Related to Spills in Texas, Nebraska and KansasRead the Press Release
The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P., for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act related to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel spills in Texas City, Texas, Nemaha, Neb. and El Dorado, Kan. Magellan has agreed to complete approximately $16 million of injunctive relief across its 11,000-mile pipeline system and pay a $2 million civil penalty.
“This settlement holds Magellan accountable for multiple petroleum fuel pipeline spills that impacted waterways in three states,” said John C. Cruden, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The terms of the agreement require Magellan to improve training of its staff and monitoring of its pipeline system’s integrity, and increase public transparency about leaks and responses.”
“Fuel spills have real and lasting impacts on clean water for communities,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Companies need to take the necessary precautions to make sure fuel is transported safely and responsibly. This settlement puts in place important pipeline safety and spill prevention measures that make this industry safer for communities.”
According to a complaint and consent decree filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Okla.-based Magellan is responsible for spilling a combined total of approximately 5,177 barrels of petroleum products in three separate incidents. The complaint alleges that Magellan was responsible for the following illegal discharges:
- On Feb. 24, 2011, a Magellan owned 18-inch refined petroleum products pipeline ruptured in an area north of Texas City, Texas, and spilled approximately 482 barrels of gasoline. The spill impacted a local watercourse known as Pierre Bayou.
- On Dec. 10, 2011, two of Magellan’s refined petroleum products pipelines were struck by a third-party who was operating heavy machinery while attempting to clear a hedgerow in an agricultural field near the town of Nemaha, Neb. The strikes resulted in the spilling of approximately 650 barrels of diesel fuel from one line, and approximately 655 barrels of jet fuel and 1,529 barrels of gasoline from the other. The spills impacted a local watercourse know as Jarvis Creek. Cleanup efforts are still underway and will be completed as part of the proposed consent decree.
- On May 4, 2015, a Magellan owned 10-inch refined petroleum products pipeline ruptured near the City of El Dorado, Kan., and spilled approximately 1,861 barrels of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel form that spill impacted a local watercourse known as Constant Creek.
The consent decree requires Magellan to: (1) complete an ongoing spill cleanup effort in Nebraska; (2) institute an enhanced annual training program for its third-party damage prevention staff; (3) update and enhance company information resources concerning selective seam corrosion; (4) update its integrity management plan; and (5) create a publicly-accessible web page that will report information about certain types of pipeline releases and Magellan’s responses to them.
The requirement to create a publically-accessible web page directly supports EPA’s Next Generation Compliance efforts to expand transparency.
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. Information on how to comment on the consent decree will be available on the Department of Justice’s website: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
To learn more about this settlement:
www.epa.gov/enforcement/magellan-pipeline-company-lp-clean-water-act-settlement
Liberty County Man Sentenced to 35 years for Child Exploitation ViolationsRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas — A 40-year-old Daisetta, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Steven Wayne Robinson pleaded guilty on Sep. 1, 2016, to two counts of production of child pornography and was sentenced to a total of 420 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.
According to information presented in court, Robinson persuaded, induced, and coerced three children to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing videos or visual depictions of that conduct. Homeland Security Investigations conducted an online undercover operation targeting Robinson and other child predators, and Robinson sent ten videos to the undercover operation that depicted himself engaging in sexual acts with children known to him. One victim was less than one-year-old, a second victim was six years of age, and a third victim was only eight years old. Robinson forced each of them to engage in sexual acts with him. Further investigation by the office of Homeland Security revealed that Robinson at one point offered to give another suspected child predator access to one of the children in exchange for money to be paid to Robinson. Homeland Security working with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office took Robinson into custody before Robinson could act on those intentions. Robinson was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 4, 2015.
“For the victims of child abuse, we pray for their healing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “These cases are heart wrenching for all involved, the child advocates, the families, the investigators, the prosecutors and the courts; I applaud their resilience and fortitude in bringing Steven Robinson to justice. For Robinson, he deserves all the punishment ordered, and for those out there that choose to do these despicable acts, law enforcement will be knocking at your door and justice will be swift.”
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods.
Leader of Stolen U.S. Treasury Check Ring SentencedRead the Press Release
ATLANTA – Milton Minter a/k/a White Boi has been sentenced as one of the leaders of a group that stole over $10 million in U.S. Treasury checks and cashed them at Walmart and Kroger stores using fake identifications.
“Minter was one of the leaders of a theft ring responsible for stealing over 6,000 checks,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “When criminals steal Treasury checks, they victimize senior citizens, the disabled, and veterans who depend on these funds for their well-being.”
“The success of this investigation is a directly attributable to the other federal agencies that partnered with the Secret Service to bring this ring to justice," said Kenneth Cronin, Special Agent in Charge of the U. S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. "It is immensely satisfying to see those who prey on the vulnerable among us punished.”
“As a result of coordinated investigative efforts, the sentence handed down in this case will send a clear message to mail thieves that you will be vigorously pursued and brought to justice. I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by the Stolen Treasury Check Task Force, which resulted in the arrest and prosecution of this individual and the other co-defendants in this case,” said Paul D. Mezzanotte, Acting U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge of the Charlotte Division. “An important part of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service mission is to ensure public trust in the mail and to defend the nation’s mail system from illicit financial gain.”
“Social Security payments are intended to benefit some of our most vulnerable citizens, including seniors and the disabled, so leading a scheme to steal millions of dollars in government checks is an intolerable offense,” said Margaret Moore-Jackson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Social Security Office of the Inspector General’s Atlanta Field Division. “The SSA OIG is committed to working with the Stolen Treasury Check Task Force to detect and investigate government check theft, and we thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Northern Georgia for prosecuting this significant case.”
“The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General takes allegations of mail theft seriously and vigorously investigate these matters to protect the overall integrity of the Postal Service,” said Special Agent in Charge Paul L. Bowman.
Robert A. Bourbon, Special Agent in Charge of the DOJ OIG’s Miami Field Office said, “The DOJ OIG very much appreciates the diligent efforts of our fellow law enforcement agencies in bringing this matter to such a successful conclusion.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court: Milton Minter a/k/a White Boi, received stolen U.S. Treasury checks that were taken from the U.S. Mail before reaching their intended recipients. The stolen checks included tax refunds, Social Security benefits, and veteran’s disability checks. After receiving the checks, Minter provided them to check cashers who negotiated the stolen checks, mainly at Walmart and Kroger stores. The check cashers used fake driver’s licenses to pose as the check payees and forged the payees’ names on the back of the checks. They also used others’ Social Security numbers to cash the checks.
In an effort to avoid detection, they traveled to different states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky, Iowa, Louisiana, and Tennessee, to cash the stolen checks. The ring was responsible for cashing over 6,000 stolen U.S. Treasury checks worth over $10 million.
The indictment in this case charged Minter along with 15 other defendants. The indictment alleges that another leader of the group, Maurice Shuler a/k/a Fred, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, also received stolen U.S. Treasury checks and provided them to check cashers. The remaining defendants are alleged to have worked with Minter and Shuler and cashed checks as part of the scheme. To date, eight of the other 15 defendants have pleaded guilty. Seven of those defendants have been sentenced so far, to jail terms spanning from two to seven years.
Minter, 32, of Riverdale, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. to 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $75,000 fine. He was convicted of theft of government money and aggravated identity theft after pleading guilty on May 31, 2016.
This case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service; United States Postal Inspection Service; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General; and Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Christopher C. Bly are prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Las Vegas Sands Corporation Agrees to Pay Nearly $7 Million Penalty to Resolve FCPA Charges Related to China and MacaoRead the Press Release
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (Sands), a Nevada-based gaming and resort company, agreed to pay a $6.96 million criminal penalty to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with business transactions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Macao.
Acting Assistant Attorney General David Bitkower of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI’s Las Vegas, Nevada, Field Office made the announcement.
According to admissions by Sands made in connection with the resolution, certain Sands executives knowingly and willfully failed to implement a system of internal accounting controls to adequately ensure the legitimacy of payments to a business consultant who assisted Sands in promoting its brand in Macao and the PRC, and to prevent the false recording of those payments in its books and records. Sands continued to make payments to the consultant despite warnings from its finance staff and an outside auditor that the business consultant had failed to account for portions of these funds. In addition, Sands terminated the finance department employee who raised concerns about the payments.
In total, from 2006 through 2009, Sands paid approximately $5.8 million to the business consultant without any discernable legitimate business purpose, it admitted.
Sands entered into a non-prosecution agreement and has agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct described in the agreement, including of individuals, to enhance its compliance program, and to report to the department on the implementation of its enhanced compliance program.
Pursuant to the non-prosecution agreement, Sands will pay a $6.96 million criminal penalty, which reflects a 25-percent reduction off the bottom of the applicable U.S. Sentencing Guidelines fine range. The department reached this resolution based on a number of factors, including the nature and seriousness of the internal controls violations, and the fact that Sands fully cooperated in the investigation and fully remediated. Sands’ cooperation included conducting a thorough internal investigation and voluntarily collecting, analyzing and organizing voluminous evidence and information for the government in response to requests, including translating key documents.
Sands no longer employs or is affiliated with any of the individuals implicated in the conduct described in the agreement, and it engaged in extensive remedial measures, including revamping and expanding its compliance and audit functions and programs and making significant personnel changes, such as the retention of new leaders of its legal, compliance, internal audit and financial gatekeeper functions.
In related proceedings, on April 7, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a cease and desist order against Sands, whereby Sands agreed to pay a civil penalty of approximately $9 million.
The FBI’s Las Vegas field office investigated the case, and the case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney David M. Fuhr of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The department appreciates the cooperation and assistance provided by the SEC, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs in this matter.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all FCPA matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
Las Vegas Sands NPAKoerber Charged with Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, Tax Evasion, and Fraud in the Offer and Sale of Securities in 18-Count Indictment Returned by Federal Grand JuryRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY – A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment Wednesday afternoon charging Claud R. Koerber aka Rick Koerber with violations of federal law in connection with an alleged fraudulent investment scheme.
Koerber, age 43, faces four counts of fraud in the offer and sale of securities, 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering, and two counts of tax evasion.
"In reinitiating this prosecution, the United States brings a case that the community deserves to have determined on its merits. Our intent is to press this matter to such a resolution. We seek a speedy public trial, without undue delay, where a jury of his peers can fairly assess the evidence against the defendant," U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today.
The indictment alleges that Koerber was involved with several businesses in Utah. He exercised almost complete control over Founders Capital, which received investment money, sometimes termed as loans, from victims of the alleged fraud scheme described in the indictment. The indictment alleges Koerber was also involved with Founders Capital, Franklin Squires Investments, and Franklin Squires Companies.
According to the indictment, which is attached to this press release, from about 2004 to about Dec. 31, 2008, Koerber devised a fraud investment scheme to obtain money through false pretenses, representations, and promises. Koerber used the United States mails, interstate wire transmissions, and interstate commerce to execute the scheme, the indictment alleges.
The indictment alleges that Koerber used investors’ money for purposes not disclosed to many investors or potential investors, such as for Koerber’s personal housing, other personal expenses, expensive automobiles, investments into restaurants, and unsecured loans to other businesses and entities.
The indictment alleges that in order to convince earlier investors that their funds were earning money and to convince potential investors that the program was working and earning money, Koerber operated the businesses of Founders Capital and related entities as a “Ponzi scheme.” According to the indictment, Koerber used money placed with Founders Capital to make interest payments to earlier investors to create the false impression that the businesses were profitable, that investments were safe, secure, and that interest was being paid.
The indictment alleges that at no time during the operation of the investment scheme did Founders Capital or Franklin Squires entities operated by Koerber make a yearly profit. Koerber, by means of his misrepresentations and omissions, obtained approximately $100 million in investor funds, the indictment alleges. More than $50 million of the investor funds were used to make Ponzi payments to other investors. When Founders Capital stopped making payments to investors in 2007, investors lost approximately $47 million, according to the indictment.
Despite the fact that neither Founders Capital nor Franklin Squires made a profit in 2005, 2006, or 2007, the indictment alleges that Koerber falsely stated in an article distributed to investors and potential investors that in 2005, the Franklin Squires Companies did $111 million in revenue and in 2006 Franklin Squires and the businesses in which Franklin Squires had a substantial interest generated revenues in excess of $500 million.
A summons will be issued to Koerber to appear on the charges. The potential maximum penalty for each count of fraud in the offer and sale of securities is five years. Each wire fraud count carries a potential penalty of 20 years. The money laundering counts, which allege Koerber used criminally derived money to purchase expensive cars in excess of $200,000 each, carry potential 10-year sentences. The two tax evasion counts have potential penalties of five years. The tax counts allege Koerber had taxable income of in excess of $600,000 in tax year 2005 and taxable income in excess of $300,000 in tax year 2006 and failed to file an income tax return with the IRS.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah and investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI.
Kenner Woman and Construction Company Sentenced for Labor Violations and False StatementsRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that KATIA MURILLO COSTA, age 42, of Kenner, was sentenced today after previously pleading guilty to violating provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Her company, KLV OPERATIONS LLC (“KLV”), was also sentenced after previously pleading guilty to violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and to having representatives make false statements to federal agents.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced COSTA and KLV to five years of probation. The parties were both ordered to pay approximately $58,000 to the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour division so the agency can pay back wages to former KLV employees.
According to court documents, in November 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”), a department or agency of the United States, began investigating whether KLV was paying its employees proper overtime and minimum wage pay in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. The investigation disclosed that the defendants, KLV and COSTA, failed to pay 47 employees overtime and minimum wage. In addition, representatives of KLV submitted materially false and fraudulent payroll and timesheet records to the DOL, in an effort to make representatives of the DOL believe that KLV was complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of Investigators with the DOL Wage and Hour Division, and Special Agents with the DOL, Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman was in charge of the prosecution.
KC Tax Preparer Indicted for False ClaimsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., tax preparer has been indicted by a federal grand jury for making false claims for refunds.
Virginia Marie Hayes, 32, of Kansas City, was charged in a 25-count indictment that was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. The indictment was unsealed and made public following her arrest and initial court appearance.
The federal indictment alleges that Hayes, the owner of KC Tax Professionals, LLC, filed fraudulent tax returns that claimed refunds to which the individuals were not entitled. Hayes is charged with 25 counts of making false claims to a government agency for tax returns filed in 2012 and 2013.
Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Casey. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to $1.2 Million Oxycodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a $1.2 million conspiracy to distribute oxycodone that was obtained by using forged and fraudulent prescriptions.
Robert G. Joy, also known as “Bear,” 34, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to the charge contained in a Feb. 2, 2016, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Joy admitted that he participated in a conspiracy from June 2013 to January 2016 to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, oxycodone. Conspirators obtained prescription-quality paper commonly used by authorized health care providers to write prescriptions. They also obtained the DEA registration numbers of health care providers, which they used to prepare fraudulent prescriptions for oxycodone.
Conspirators took the false prescriptions to pharmacies in Kansas City metropolitan area. They commonly sold the oxycodone 30mg pills for between $15 to $25 per pill.
Joy was arrested with co-defendant Katherine E. Beaven, 33, of Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 26, 2013. Kansas City Police Department detectives stopped the vehicle Joy was driving. Officers found an orange pill bottle in the car that contained 34 oxycodone pills, which was marked as a prescription in another person’s name. Officers also found a three-ring binder that contained a dozen forged prescriptions for oxycodone as well as blank sheets of prescription-quality paper.
Joy is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in this case. Beaven, Timothy D. Kroenke, 27, Nicholas Destefano, 38, and Jermaine C. Brooks, 29, all of Kansas City, Mo., Christopher J. Neale, 27, of Harrisonville, Mo.; and Thomas Poindexter, 42, of Olathe, Kan., have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Co-defendants Michelle C. Newton, 46, and Felicita A. San Miguel, also known as “Cassandra Jasso,” “Susan Hernandez,” and “Sarah Buckner,” 38, both of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.
Under federal statutes, Joy is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Joy must also forfeit to the government a $1.2 million money judgment, which represents the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the police departments of Riverside, Blue Springs, Independence, Kearney, Odessa, Nevada, Higginsville, Drexel Lee’s Summit and Butler.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera Has Arrived in the United StatesRead the Press Release
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases including “El Chapo,” has arrived in the United States to face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel.
Guzman Loera is charged in six separate indictments throughout the United States; however, the indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York contains a provision that he must first enter the United States in that district to preserve the Eastern District of New York indictment. As such, Guzman Loera landed at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York.The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Mexico for their extensive cooperation and assistance in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States.
Additional details regarding the time and place of Guzman Loera’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court are forthcoming.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera Has Arrived in the United StatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases including “El Chapo,” has arrived in the United States to face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the Sinaloa Cartel.
Guzman Loera is charged in six separate indictments throughout the United States; however, the indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York contains a provision that he must first enter the United States in that district to preserve the Eastern District of New York indictment. As such, Guzman Loera landed at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York.
The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Mexico for their extensive cooperation and assistance in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States.
Additional details regarding the time and place of Guzman Loera’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court are forthcoming.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera Extradited to United StatesRead the Press Release
Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases including “El Chapo,” has been extradited and is en route to the United States to face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the “Sinaloa Cartel.”
Guzman Loera is charged in six separate indictments throughout the United States.
The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Mexico for their extensive cooperation and assistance in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States.
Additional details regarding the time and place of Guzman Loera’s initial presentation in court are forthcoming.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera Extradited to United StatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, known by various aliases including “El Chapo,” has been extradited and is en route to the United States to face criminal charges in connection with his leadership of the Mexican organized crime syndicate known as the “Sinaloa Cartel.”
Guzman Loera is charged in six separate indictments throughout the United States.
The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Mexico for their extensive cooperation and assistance in securing the extradition of Guzman Loera to the United States.
Additional details regarding the time and place of Guzman Loera’s initial presentation in court are forthcoming.
Jackson County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine OffensesRead the Press Release
On January 18, 2017, Kyle E. Easterly, 30, of Murphysboro, was sentenced to federal prison for methamphetamine offenses, Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today.
Easterly, who had previously pled guilty to a second superseding indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of pseudoephedrine knowing that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, was sentenced to 235 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and was fined $700.00. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Easterly was involved with numerous other persons in the manufacture of methamphetamine and the distribution of ice in Jackson and Perry Counties. Ice is methamphetamine which has a purity level of at least 80%. At sentencing, the district court found that Easterly was responsible for the possession of 48 grams of pseudoephedrine and the distribution of 1,134 grams of ice. Because Easterly had twice been convicted of felony domestic battery offenses, he was classified and sentenced as a Career Offender. Co-defendant Charles W. Yearian was previously sentenced to 144 months of imprisonment for his involvement in the drug offenses. Four co-defendants have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing in this case. One co-defendant has pled not guilty and is awaiting a February 27, 2017, jury trial.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Murphysboro Police Department. The Union County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, DuQuoin Police Department, and Jackson County States Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation.
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Investment Manager Arrested on Fraud and Misappropriation Charges in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar SwindleRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A Connecticut investment manager has been arrested for allegedly operating a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that swindled approximately 30 individuals, including victims who reside in the Chicago area.
ALVIN WILKINSON, the founder of Chicago Index Partners LP and Wilkinson Financial Opportunity Fund LP, both based in Sharon, Conn., persuaded approximately 30 individuals to invest approximately $13 million in his funds, according to an indictment returned in federal court in Chicago. Wilkinson’s marketing materials to potential investors noted his prior affiliation with the Chicago Board Options Exchange, where he previously served as a Director. Instead of investing the funds as promised to clients, Wilkinson used the victims’ money to cover personal expenses and to pay earlier investors through Ponzi-type payments, the indictment states.
The indictment was returned Tuesday and ordered unsealed after Wilkinson’s arrest Wednesday morning in Connecticut. The indictment charges Wilkinson, 58, of Sharon, Conn., with three counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud. A court date in Chicago has not yet been scheduled.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of $13 million in cash, as well as a property in Sharon, Conn.
The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which previously filed a civil enforcement lawsuit against Wilkinson, provided valuable assistance.
According to the indictment, Wilkinson was the sole officer of his funds and had exclusive authority to manage their operations. Investors in the funds included Wilkinson’s friends, acquaintances and former colleagues. Wilkinson claimed he would trade a portfolio of financial instruments on their behalf, including options and futures, and that his trading strategy made money regardless of market conditions. In reality, Wilkinson did not maintain any trading accounts for the funds, and he did not use investor funds to trade in options and futures, according to the indictment.
The fraud scheme alleged in the indictment began no later than 1999 and continued until at least May 2016.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each count of the indictment is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Eichenseer.
Wilkinson IndictmentInformation Technology Chief and Consultant Charged with Multimillion-Dollar False Invoicing SchemeRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Philip R. Bartlett, Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”), announced today the filing of a criminal complaint charging ENRICO RUBANO, a/k/a “Rick Rubano,” and SHIVANAND MAHARAJ with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a false invoicing scheme that defrauded health and retirement funds (the “Funds”) of millions of dollars. As alleged, over a period of six years, RUBANO, MAHARAJ, and their co-conspirators generated hundreds of invoices for work they had not performed, which RUBANO, in his role as co-head of information technology for the Funds, approved for payment. RUBANO and MAHARAJ were arrested this morning, and will be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, Enrico Rubano used his position as the co-head of IT for a health and retirement benefit fund to perpetrate a scheme to falsely invoice millions of dollars from the fund for consulting work never actually performed. Rubano allegedly had the fund make payments based on hundreds of fake invoices to Shivanand Maharaj’s company, not for IT work actually done by that company, but really in exchange for alleged kickback payments to Rubano. Money that should have gone to help pay retirement and health care benefits were instead allegedly diverted to Rubano and Maharaj.”
USPIS Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett said: “These defendants devised a scheme to falsely bill their client for work that was never performed by allegedly using an ‘inside’ employee to approve bogus invoices. They went one step too far when they decided to use the US Mail to facilitate their criminal misdeeds. Postal Inspectors will resolutely pursue fraudsters who use the U.S. mail to facilitate fraud schemes.”
According to the Complaint[1]:
From 2008 through October 2015, RUBANO was the co-head of information technology for the Funds and had the authority to approve the payment of invoices from third-party vendors. Beginning in 2009, and continuing through 2015, RUBANO, MAHARAJ, and others devised a scheme in which companies they owned or controlled submitted to the Funds invoices for millions of dollars in information technology services that were never performed or that had, in fact, been performed by employees of the Funds or other vendors. RUBANO, in his position as co-head of information technology, approved these fraudulent invoices, and received kickbacks from MAHARAJ and other co-conspirators. Between 2009 and 2015, RUBANO, MAHARAJ, and their co-conspirators falsely billed and fraudulently received from the Funds at least approximately $3.4 million.
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RUBANO, 48, of Tappan, New York, and MAHARAJ, 36, of Cresskill, New Jersey, were arrested this morning in Tappan, New York, and Cresskill, New Jersey, respectively. RUBANO and MAHARAJ are each charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the efforts of the USPIS in this investigation. He added that the investigation is continuing.
This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Podolsky and Jacob Warren are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Indictment Alleges Child Pornography Production, DistributionRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – Jay Gaccione, 39, of Westerly, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence today on a nine-count federal indictment returned on Tuesday charging him with production, distribution and possession of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that on at least six occasions between April 14, 2014, and April 24, 2016, Gaccione persuaded and coerced minor children to engage in sexually explicit conduct which was electronically recorded.
The indictment and arraignment of Gaccione on six (6) counts of production of child pornography, one (1) count of distribution of child pornography, and two (2) counts of possession of child pornography are announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for New England; and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.
On November 4, 2016, as part an on-going investigation, HSI agents and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed court authorized search warrants at Gaccione’s residence and seized, among other items, electronic and digital storage devices. Gaccione was arrested on November 4, 2016, and ordered detained on a federal criminal complaint charging him with the production and possession of child pornography.
An extensive forensic examination of the electronic devices seized and additional information developed by law enforcement since Gaccione’s arrest resulted in additional charges contained in the federal indictment.
An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton.
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Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
email: [email protected]
on Twitter @USAO_RI
Houston Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Deandre Marqui Gray (42, Houston, Texas) to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He pleaded guilty on November 2, 2016.
According to court documents, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating Gray in December 2014, after seizing $104,000 and $18,000 from his drug associates. Those seizures led to the arrest of several individuals in the Middle District of Florida. A cooperating defendant (“CD”) relayed to DEA agents that he had been receiving cocaine from Gray, beginning in late 2014. According to the CD, he and others would travel to Houston, Texas to meet with Gray and then transport the cocaine back to Bradenton, Florida. The CD was paying Gray approximately $31,000 per kilogram to Gray. The money that was seized in December 2014 was intended to be used to purchase kilograms of cocaine from Gray. From September 2014 through May 2015, Gray was responsible for the transportation of 50 kilograms of cocaine from Texas to the Middle District of Florida.
This case was investigated by the DEA. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shauna S. Hale.
Heroin Dealer Arrested in Loudoun County Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – George Eric Stevens, 33, of Jamaica, New York, pleaded guilty today to charges his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin.
According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Stevens obtained heroin from a source of supply in New York. Instead of distributing it locally, he traveled to Loudoun County where he believed distribution would be more lucrative. Stevens was arrested on Nov. 16, 2016, in Loudoun County with approximately 170 grams of heroin that he intended to distribute.
Stevens was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 8, 2016, with conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing detectable amount of heroin. Stevens faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on April 21. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County Sheriff; and Gregory C. Brown, Leesburg Chief of Police, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Peters is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:16-cr-281.
Head of North Idaho Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Launder MoneyRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – Loren Michelle Toelle, 52, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho pleaded guilty yesterday conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to launder money, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Toelle was indicted by a federal grand Jury in Coeur d'Alene on January 20, 2016.
In court, Loren admitted to being the head of a drug trafficking organization which distributed 3000 (80 mg) oxycodone pills, 1000 (30) milligram oxycodone pills, 1,500 grams of heroin and 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine in the District of Idaho and elsewhere. She also admitted to renting or causing to be rented apartments and storage units in Spokane, Washington, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Williston, North Dakota and Fargo, North Dakota which were used to hold controlled substance or where co-conspirators stayed when selling controlled substances. Toelle admitted that she and her co-defendants’ received and deposited, into various accounts, currency totaling at least $1,466.611.31 of which Toelle personally received and deposited at least $538,777.86.
Toelle is the ninth of 11 defendants to plead guilty in connection to the conspiracy. In addition to pleading guilty, Toelle agreed to forfeit any interest she has in real property, jewelry, and cash held by herself or co-conspirators, as outlined in the indictment.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances is punishable by at least 5 years and up to 40 years in prison, a $5,000,000 fine and at least 4 years supervised released after release from prison. Conspiracy to launder money is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $500,000 and up to 5 years of supervised release after release from prison.
Sentencing is set for May 2, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.
“I am very proud of the efforts of the men and women from all the various law enforcement agencies who worked tirelessly on this case to dismantle the Loren Toelle drug trafficking organization,” Olson stated. “Their efforts demonstrate that, in Idaho, we will bring to justice those who seek to poison communities with dangerous, addictive drugs.”
The case was investigated by CDA Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Kootenai County Sheriff, North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF), Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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.
Greenville Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court for Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Benjamin Marcel Wright, age 23, of Greenville, pled guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Anderson for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Wright faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum of life in federal prison. Wright was arrested on federal firearms charges on September 15, 2016, and has remained in custody since his federal arrest. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on September 11, 2016, Greenville Police Officers were conducting foot patrol at a closed city park when they encountered Wright and a female engaged in physical activity. When officers conducted a search of Wright, they recovered a loaded .9mm pistol from his pants, and drugs from a nearby vehicle.
The Greenville Police Department along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
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Greenville Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court for Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Benjamin Marcel Wright, age 23, of Greenville, pled guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Anderson for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c). United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Wright faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum of life in federal prison. Wright was arrested on federal firearms charges on September 15, 2016, and has remained in custody since his federal arrest. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on September 11, 2016, Greenville Police Officers were conducting foot patrol at a closed city park when they encountered Wright and a female engaged in physical activity. When officers conducted a search of Wright, they recovered a loaded .9mm pistol from his pants, and drugs from a nearby vehicle.
The Greenville Police Department along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.
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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Escape ChargeRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Stacey Haynes (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated that Santonio Dwayne Ramsey, age 26, of Appling, Georgia, plead guilty in federal court to escape, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 751(a). Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie of Columbia accepted the plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented in court established that on the evening of July 19, 2016, the Alston Wilkes Society Residential Re-Entry Center, a contracted Federal Bureau of Prisons halfway house facility in Columbia, conducted a routine head count and found Ramsey absent. Ramsey, who had recently been transferred to the halfway house facility from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Williamsburg, South Carolina, was serving the remainder of a federal sentence stemming from a 2010 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in the Southern District of Georgia. After determining that Ramsey was not in a local hospital or detention center, the Federal Bureau of Prisons declared him to be in escape status, notified the United States Marshals Service, and a federal escape charge was obtained. Ramsey was arrested on state charges stemming from a domestic issue on November 2, 2016, in Columbia County, Georgia. After initially providing deputies a fake name, deputies determined Ramsey's true identity and the outstanding federal escape charge from South Carolina.
Ramsey faces a statutory maximum of five (5) years imprisonment and/or a fine of $250,000 on the escape charge. The case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.
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Gang Associate Sentenced for Disclosing Private Hospital Information of Victims and Witnesses in Gang-Related ShootingRead the Press Release
A Detroit man was sentenced to four years in prison yesterday for witness tampering for disclosing personal identification information of shooting victims and their family members to a leader of a street gang. The case was the result of work by the Detroit One partnership of local, state and federal law enforcement.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General David Bitkower of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Robin Shoemaker of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief James Craig of the Detroit Police Department.
Jamerio Clark, 28, of Detroit, pleaded guilty on September 27, 2016, to tampering with a witness, victim or informant before U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson in Detroit. He is the eighth person to be sentenced in this case, part of the Detroit One partnership of local, state and federal law enforcement.
According to admissions made by the Vice Lord gang members who have pleaded guilty in this case, the Vice Lords is a national gang engaged in a variety of crimes, and Vice Lords’ leaders are located in both Chicago and Detroit. As admitted in the plea agreements, members of the Vice Lords, including Antonio Clark, were searching for two brothers who had attempted to leave the gang as part of a plan to “violate” the brothers for their perceived infractions against the gang. to admissions, on May 7, 2015, they and others met at a Vice Lord member’s house to discuss their plan and collect firearms, including an AK-47 assault rifle, and then traveled in multiple cars to the intended victims’ house. After a brief confrontation with the brothers’ family members, Antonio Clark opened fire with an AK-47, firing at the family more than two dozen times and hitting the brothers, their mother and 15-year-old sister. All of the victims survived the shooting.
Jamerio Clark admitted that from May 8, 2015, through at least January 2016, he was employed at a medical facility where he had access to a private database that contained personally identifiable health information for anyone who had been treated at a Detroit Medical Center facility. At his brother’s request and while employed at the medical facility, Jamerio Clark accessed this database on at least 15 occasions to search for three Vice Lords shooting victims. According to the plea agreement, Jamerio Clark then provided to Antonio Clark information, including dates of birth, phone numbers, addresses and information pertaining to relatives of these individuals. Jamerio Clark admitted that he knew his brother wanted this information to locate these individuals and prevent them from cooperating in the investigation and prosecution of the shooting.
Seven gang members have already been sentenced in this case and received the following terms of imprisonment:
Antonio Clark, 27, of Detroit – 20 years
Aramis Wilson, 26, of Detroit – 12 years, 6 months
Tyrone Price, 27, of Detroit – 11 years, 8 months
Dion Robinson, 38, of Detroit – 10 years, 1 month
Jonathan Kinchen, 24, of Detroit – 10 years
Kojuan Lee, 20, of Detroit – 8 years, 1 month
Kirshean Nelson, 20, of Detroit – 3 years
“The Detroit One partners are working to dismantle violent street gangs that commit gun violence because of the harm it causes to our residents and our neighborhoods,” McQuade said. “Our community will not tolerate gun violence as a method to resolve disputes.”
The arrests and convictions in this case are, in part, the result of the Detroit One Initiative, a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime in Detroit. Through the lead efforts of the Comprehensive Violence Reduction Partnership Task Force, which consists of representatives of the ATF, Detroit Police Department, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections and the FBI, law enforcement authorities linked various acts of violence in Detroit to the Vice Lords street gang, and identified the leaders and key members of the gang.
Another defendant, Burney Everett, 27, of Detroit, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 8, 2017. The sentencing date for the final defendant, Kenneth Smith, has yet been set.
This case is being investigated by the ATF, FBI, and Detroit Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Graveline and Mark Bilkovic of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.
Gaffney Man Enters Guilty Plea in Federal Court to Charges of Using Explosive DevicesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Jeffrey Dean Daily, age 44, of Gaffney, pled guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Anderson to use of an explosive device to damage a building, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 844(i). United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Daily faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on October 1, 2014, Daily used an explosive device to damage the Chesnee Car Wash, and on July 6, 2015, he used an explosive device to damage the Oasis Car Wash in Gaffney. On July 17, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Daily’s residence and found components like those used in the two explosions at the carwashes. Agents also recovered an intact homemade explosive device located in his truck.
The Chesnee Police Department, Gaffney Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, SLED, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Max Cauthen in the Greenville U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
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Fountain Inn Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Lance Crick (864) 282-2100
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Beth Drake stated today that Christopher Taggart, age 56, of Fountain Inn, pled guilty today in federal court in Anderson, to possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A. United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain of Anderson accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report, which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that law enforcement received a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited that Taggart had attempted to download two images that contained child pornography. Taggart was approached by law enforcement and his computer was searched. A forensic exam of his computer revealed 136 images and two videos of child pornography.
Ms. Drake stated the maximum penalty Taggart can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 20 years, plus a special assessment of $100.
The case was investigated by agents of U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins of the Greenville office handled the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Former UPS Employee Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former United Parcel Service (UPS) employee pleaded guilty on Jan. 17, 2017, in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with his role in a cocaine trafficking organization that shipped cocaine, secreted in UPS packages, from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts.
Jorge Carrasquillo-Ortiz, 41, of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted distribution of 500 grams of cocaine. U.S. District Court Senior Judge Rya Zobel scheduled sentencing for April 13, 2017.
Carrasquillo-Ortiz, a UPS employee in Puerto Rico, worked on behalf of a drug trafficking organization that shipped cocaine laden packages from Puerto Rico to Massachusetts via UPS. Carrasquillo-Ortiz was paid $1,200 for each kilogram of cocaine that he shipped on behalf of the drug trafficking organization. In June 2016, a cooperating witness began placing recorded telephone calls to Carrasquillo-Ortiz in which they made plans for a six-kilogram shipment. The telephone calls culminated in the delivery of a box containing six kilograms of “sham” cocaine to Carrasquillo-Ortiz in Puerto Rico. Carrasquillo-Ortiz snuck the package through UPS security, and it was placed on a UPS airplane, where it was delivered to Massachusetts. Carrasquillo-Ortiz then called back the cooperating witness, expecting payment for his services; instead, Carrasquillo-Ortiz was arrested at his home in August 2016.
The narcotics charge provides for a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and no greater than 40 years in prison, a minimum of three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney William D. Weinreb; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. Rosen of Weinreb’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.
Former U.S. Probation Officer Sentenced for Obstruction of InvestigationRead the Press Release
HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that United States District Court Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner sentenced Rachel Lynn Howze, age 30, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to a split sentence of five months’ imprisonment and five months’ home confinement for obstructing an official federal proceeding while serving as a U.S. Probation Officer in Pittsburgh.
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Howze was charged in a criminal information filed in June 2016, with attempting to obstruct, influence, and impede an investigation by intentionally disclosing to unauthorized persons the existence of a state criminal investigation involving an individual under federal supervised release.
Howze, while employed as a Federal Probation Officer in the Western District of Pennsylvania, used her position to access confidential computer files related to an ongoing state heroin trafficking investigation. The individual cooperating with state law enforcement and the target of the state investigation were both under federal supervised release and the federal probation office possessed information about the state investigation in its system of records. Howze alerted the target’s sister about the existence of the criminal investigation. Based on the information Howze provided, the target and his accomplices were able to identify the informant and agreed that the informant “had to go.”
Howze is no longer employed by the U.S. Probation Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case because the defendant was an employee under the supervision of the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh at the time of the criminal activity.
This investigation was conducted by the Pittsburgh Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph J. Terz prosecuted the case.
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Former Resident of Medford Lake, NJ and Beaufort, SC Accused of Threatening President Obama’s Life on FacebookRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA - An indictment[1] was filed today charging William Peterman, Jr., formerly of Medford Lake, NJ and more recently of Beaufort, SC, with threatening to kill President Barack Obama. According to the indictment, on January 10, 2017, posted on his Facebook page that he “will kill” President Barack Obama.
With the increased use of various forms of social media comes increased online threats that vary in nature. Law enforcement agencies as a whole, take such online based threats seriously and they can easily evolve into federal criminal charges for those individuals making them. Threats against the President of the United States and others that the United States Secret Service is statutorily authorized to protect is the Secret Service’s number one investigative priority. “This case and the resulting indictment demonstrates the Secret Service’s proactive stance investigating threats against those we are sworn to protect,” said James Henry, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Philadelphia Field Office. “When brought to our attention - whether in person, electronically or written, the Secret Service takes every threat very seriously.”
If convicted, Peterman faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a possible $250,000 fine, a period of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Burlington County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office, and the Mercer County (NJ) Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anita Eve.
[1] An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Former Portfolio Manager Stefan Lumiere Convicted on All Counts in Manhattan Federal CourtRead the Press Release
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that STEFAN LUMIERE, a former portfolio manager at Visium Asset Management, was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, securities fraud, and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to mismark securities held in a particular fund from 2011 to 2013 in order to overstate the net asset value (“NAV”) of the fund that was reported to investors on a monthly basis. LUMIERE was convicted following a six-day jury trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “In a swift verdict, a federal jury convicted Stefan Lumiere, a former portfolio manager at Visium, of securities and wire fraud. For years, Lumiere mismarked securities in his portfolio, using sham broker quotes and fake purchase prices to vastly overstate the value of his fund. The securities Lumiere traded may have been complex, but his criminal scheme was simple: lie and make up numbers to make more money. As the verdict reflects, the jury quickly saw Lumiere’s conduct for what it was, criminal fraud.”
According to the allegations in the charging documents and statements made in court proceedings:
Visium Asset Management
At all relevant times, Visium Asset Management (“Visium”) managed hedge funds specializing in healthcare-related investments. Visium managed a credit fund (the “Credit Fund”), which operated from in or about 2009 until in or about September 2013, and invested primarily in debt instruments issued by healthcare companies.
The Scheme to Mismark Securities
From June 2011 through September 2013, LUMIERE and others participated in a scheme to defraud the Credit Fund’s investors and potential investors by deceptively mismarking each month the value of certain securities held by the Credit Fund. The objective of the scheme was two-fold: (1) to inflate the Credit Fund’s NAV; and (2) to mislead investors about the liquidity of the Credit Fund’s holdings. Visium assessed performance fees to be paid by investors each year based on the Credit Fund’s profits and losses. LUMIERE’s mismarking was in violation of Visium’s internal valuation procedures and contrary to Visium’s representations to investors. The effect of the scheme was to overstate the Credit Fund’s NAV, often by tens of millions of dollars as calculated at the end of each month to investors.
In order to carry out the scheme, LUMIERE and others solicited, obtained, and relied on false and fraudulent price quotes from employees of broker-dealers in order to improperly override prices calculated by the Credit Fund’s administrator and artificially inflate the Credit Fund’s NAV each month. For each month-end valuation, LUMIERE and others would begin by reviewing an inventory of the Credit Fund’s investments and proposed valuations for each prepared by the Credit Fund’s administrator and Visium’s back office. LUMIERE and others would then identify those relatively illiquid securities as to which they disagreed with or disliked the proposed price, and create a list reflecting the prices at which they wanted each security to be marked for month-end valuation purposes. That price was often significantly higher or lower than the price available from public price data. LUMIERE and others would then contact one or two “friendly” brokers and dictate to the friendly brokers the price quotes that they needed. The brokers would then parrot back the price quotes from their Bloomberg email account, giving the price quotes the appearance that they had come from an independent broker, and thus were in compliance with the Credit Fund’s pricing methodology. The friendly brokers’ sham quotes were then submitted to Visium’s accounting department as purportedly independent bases for that security’s valuation, for the eventual submission to the Credit Fund’s administrator.
By obtaining these sham quotes, LUMIERE and others caused a number of the Credit Fund’s securities to be misclassified in order to mislead investors about the liquidity of the securities (i.e., how actively traded the securities were). Specifically, for a number of illiquid bonds, LUMIERE and others fraudulently caused Visium to assign a classification that led investors to believe that the bonds were relatively liquid, when in fact they were entirely illiquid. This was done contrary to disclosures to investors about the Credit Fund’s percentage of illiquid investments, in order to induce investors to invest in or keep their money in the Credit Fund.
As another method to carry out the scheme, LUMIERE purchased additional quantities of certain securities – in which the Credit Fund had an established position – at a deceptively inflated price, markedly higher than the prevailing market was offering that security, in a practice known as “painting the tape.” The inflated price was then reported to Visium’s accounting department for NAV purposes. In both cases – the sham broker quotes and the inflated purchase prices – it was LUMIERE’s intent to increase the price of certain securities in order to inflate the Credit Fund’s month-end valuation.
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LUMIERE, 46, of New York, New York, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, which also carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The charges also carry a maximum fine of $5 million, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the work of the FBI, and thanked the SEC for its assistance.
This case was brought in connection with the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The task force was established to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has filed over 18,000 financial fraud cases against more than 25,000 defendants. For more information on the task force, please visit www.StopFraud.gov.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian McGinley, Damian Williams, and Joshua A. Naftalis are in charge of the prosecution.
Former Office Manager Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Stealing at Least $340,000 from EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bianca Bush-Bronson, 38, the former office manager for a consulting and lobbying firm, has been sentenced to three years in prison for a scheme in which she embezzled more than $340,000 from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Bush-Bronson, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in April 2016 to a charge of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced on Jan. 18, 2017, by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Following her prison term, Bush-Bronson will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also is subject to a restitution order that will be imposed later by the Court.
According to the government’s evidence, Bush-Bronson worked from April 2011 to October 2012 for a business identified in court documents as “Company A,” a consulting and lobbying firm in the District of Columbia. She maintained responsibility for the company’s day-to-day financial operations, including preparing checks, depositing funds, performing reconciliation of funds in bank accounts, and serving as a point of contact with the bank.
From June 2011 through October 2012, according to the government’s evidence, Bush-Bronson issued checks drawn on the company’s account to herself, to cash, and to third parties for her own benefit. To conceal this activity, she made false entries in internal books and records. In total, she issued at least $80,000 in checks in this manner, using the money for, among other things, a down payment on a car, a mortgage payment, and a payment to her dentist.
Bush-Bronson also used the company’s credit card to make at least $260,000 in unauthorized purchases for her own personal use at various retailers, including a jewelry store, department stores, and a salon, as well as for restaurants, airline tickets, and hotel stays. Finally, she received $1,470 in parking benefits without authorization.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Abbate commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Tasha Harris, Legal Assistant Angela Lawrence, and former Paralegal Specialist Heather Sales. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle A. Zamarin and David A. Last, who prosecuted the case.
First of Loren Toelle Drug Trafficking Organization SentencedRead the Press Release
COEUR D'ALENE – Geena Lauren Milho, 25, of Williston, North Dakota was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court to 36 months in prison followed by 3 years supervised release for conspiracy to distribute heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Milho to forfeit any interest she has in cash and real estate from the drug proceeds. Milho pleaded guilty to the charge on September 13, 2016.
According to the court records, Milho did not join the organization, which was in operation from 2009 to February of 2016, until 2015. She assisted her girlfriend, Augustine Jackson (Loren Toelle’s daughter) with deliveries of controlled substances and helped transport money back to the organization. Milho had no prior criminal convictions. Jackson, 32, of Williston, North Dakota, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine on October 19, 2016, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene.
“This case is an excellent example of multi-agency and multi-state cooperation by law enforcement,” Olson stated. “This drug organization moved oxycodone pills, heroin and other controlled substances through Idaho and other states. The dismantling of this organization is an important step in community safety.”
The case was investigated by CDA Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Kootenai County Sheriff, North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF), Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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.
Federal Prison Chaplain Guilty of BriberyRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 42-year-old federal prison chaplain has pleaded guilty to bribery in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Eric S. Patrick, of Nederland, Texas, pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with bribery of a public official today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn.
According to information presented in court, in July 2015, investigators at the U.S. Penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas seized two gallon bags of tobacco and rolling papers from inmates at the prison. An investigation revealed that Patrick, while employed by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as a chaplain at the prison, was smuggling tobacco and cigarettes into the prison for inmates. To facilitate the scheme, Patrick set up several scam post office boxes and charged inmates $1,500 in each instance.
Under federal statutes, Patrick faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress and is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Department of Justice – Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Craft.