Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
21 October 2015
Maquoketa Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Trafficking in Black Rhino HornsRead the Press Release
A man who illegally bought and transported black rhino horns from Oregon to Iowa was sentenced in federal court yesterday to more than two years in federal prison.
James Hess, age 39, from Maquoketa, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 13, 2015, guilty plea to one count of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking in certain wildlife, including wildlife determined to be endangered under the Endangered Species Act. All species of black rhinos are endangered and it is illegal to traffic in black rhino horns across state lines.
In a plea agreement, Hess, who is a taxidermist, admitted that he contacted an individual in Oregon trying to sell a pair of black rhino horns online. Hess reached an agreement with the seller in Oregon and personally traveled to Oregon to get the horns. Hess told the seller he was reselling the horns to an individual living in Oregon. Hess presented the seller with an Oregon driver’s license purporting to be for the buyer of the horns. In reality, that individual had no involvement in the deal. After getting the horns, Hess shipped them back to Iowa and then gave them to Wade Steffen, a Texas resident, who shipped the horns to California. Steffen gave Hess a portion of the profit Steffen expected to make from selling the horns in California.
Rhinoceros are herbivores of prehistoric origin and among the largest remaining mega-fauna on earth. They have no known predators other than humans. All species of rhinoceros are protected under United States and international law, and black rhinoceros are endangered. Since 1976, trade in rhinoceros horn has been regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty signed by 180 countries around the world to protect fish, wildlife and plants that are or may become imperiled due to the demands of international markets. Nevertheless, the demand for rhinoceros horn and black market prices have skyrocketed in recent years due to the value that some cultures have placed on ornamental carvings, good luck charms or alleged medicinal purposes, leading to a decimation of global rhinoceros populations. As a result, rhino populations have declined by more than 90 percent since 1970. South Africa, for example, has witnessed a rapid escalation in poaching, rising from 13 in 2007 to 668 in 2012.
The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, Kevin W. Techau, stated, “This office is committed to protecting the environment and natural resources of our country and world. Cases like this one are important steps in curbing the market for black rhino horns and ensuring the survival of the species across the world.”
“This conviction and sentencing demonstrates the resolve of the U.S, Fish and Wildlife service to eliminate the illegal trade of Rhino horns in the United States,” said Edward Grace, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. “Illegal wildlife trafficking is not just a problem in faraway countries but as demonstrated by this investigation can be found here in the heartland of America. The goal of "Operation Crash" is to eliminate this illegal market in the United State so that Rhino do not become extinct and continue to be a species that survives in the wild.”
Hess was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. During the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Reade stated of Hess that “by his actions he helped establish a market for these black rhino horns and that’s a serious offense against the planet.” Hess was sentenced to twenty-seven months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) as a part of “Operation Crash,” a nationwide effort to investigate and prosecute those involved in the black market trade of endangered rhino horns. “Operation Crash” is a continuing investigation by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service, with assistance from other federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/. The case file number is 15-CR-41.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Lyman Man Sentenced to over a Year for Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
Contact: Halsey B. Frank
Assistant United States Attorney
Tel: (207) 780-3257Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Mark J. LaPierre, 55, of Lyman, Maine, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Jon D. Levy to one year and one day in prison and two years of supervised release for social security fraud. He was also ordered to pay $38,212 in restitution. LaPierre pleaded guilty on April 22, 2015.
According to court documents, after LaPierre’s father’s death, LaPierre’s mother received Social Security survivor benefits. When LaPierre’s mother died in November of 2010, those survivor’s benefits continued to be deposited into LaPierre’s and his mother’s joint account at Biddeford Savings Bank. LaPierre did not notify the Social Security Administration of his mother’s death or that survivor benefits continued to be deposited into the joint account. LaPierre used the benefits to pay his own personal bills and expenses. On April 4, 2014, the Social Security Tele-Service Center in Boston, Massachusetts received an anonymous tip about the fraud and terminated the survivor benefits.
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Levy observed that LaPierre’s crime was a serious offense that continued for 3½ years and netted significant money. It was a negative influence on others. A sentence of imprisonment was necessary to deter him and others in the public who might be similarly inclined.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.Lusby Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography and Related ChargesRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Jose Antonio Jaramillo, age 53, of Lusby, Maryland, with production, receipt and possession of child pornography, coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, and transmission of obscene material to a minor. The criminal complaint was issued on October 20, 2015, and unsealed today.
The charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Clark E. Settles of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations Washington D.C.; Calvert County Sheriff Mike Evans; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, from approximately May 2014 through July 2015, Jaramillo, posing as a minor male approximately 12 to 17 years old, “Tommy James,” a/k/a “Thomas James Jones” and “Thomas James,” used social media to communicate with as many as 20 minor female victims. Jaramillo allegedly utilized several photographs to establish the “Tommy James” persona and either posted them on the “Tommy James” social media account or sent them to the minor females he communicated with online. According to the affidavit, Jaramillo, using the “Tommy James” persona, engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minor females and/or induced them to produce sexually explicit images and videos and transmit those images to Jaramillo. The complaint alleges that during some of his conversations with the victims Jaramillo also transmitted sexually explicit photographs to the victims.
Jaramillo faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison for production of child pornography; a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison for receipt of child pornography; 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography; a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity; and 10 years in prison for transmitting obscene material to a minor. An initial appearance was held today at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Schulze in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Jaramillo was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 4:00 p.m.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
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.justice.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "resources" tab on the left of the page.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended HSI Baltimore and Washington, D.C, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ray D. McKenzie and Kristi N. O’Malley, who are prosecuting the case.
Leon Man Arraigned on Charges of Illegal Distribution of A Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
The following named individuals have been charged with a federal crime or crimes by the return of an indictment by the Grand Jury. A grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury Indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. United States Sentencing Guidelines may be considered, upon conviction, by the sentencing court. Federal prison sentences are non-parolable.
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that GEORGE WILLIAM RUSSELL, age 38, of Leon, Oklahoma was arraigned in federal court today on charges of Illegal Distribution of a Controlled Substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).
The Criminal Complaint alleges that on or about May 29, 2015, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma, GEORGE WILLIAM RUSSELL did knowingly and intentionally commit the crime of Distribution of a Controlled Substance.
The charges arose from a joint investigation by the Ardmore Police Department, Carter County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, presided over the hearing. The defendant was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshal Service.
The statutory range of punishment is not less than up to 20 years imprisonment, up to $1,000,000.00 fine or both.
First Assistant United States Attorney Doug Horn represented the United States.
Law Enforcement Rounds up Members of Birmingham-based Heroin and Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- Federal and local law enforcement today arrested 16 of 24 defendants indicted in September as part of a multi-million dollar conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, mainly within Jefferson County. U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Veronica Hyman-Pillot and Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale announced the charges and arrests.
Today's arrests bring to 23 the number of people either arrested or served with notice to appear as a result of the nearly three-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation into the Birmingham-based drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The man accused as the leader of the organization, PATRICK DEWAYNE “Pat” HALL, 37, and his first lieutenant, LOVODAS DEANGELO “Bo,”“BoMo,” “Dee Dee” BLAKE, 26, already were in custody on federal charges related to a large seizure of cocaine on Aug. 1. An FBI SWAT team arrested both men in the early morning of Aug. 2 after the duo hid for several hours in the attic of a North Birmingham home, according to arrest records. The pair ran to the house after leading police on a high-speed chase through northeast Birmingham, then ditching their Chevrolet Tahoe in a front yard. FBI agents recovered more than 10 kilograms of cocaine and almost $20,000 from the vehicle.
Two other defendants already were in custody on state drug-trafficking charges. They are ROBERT LYNN “Trap” THOMAS JR., 26, and CANDIDA ARROYO LEIMAKAMAE OCASIO, 35.
Ocasio lives in Beaumont, Texas, but Hall, Blake, Thomas, and more than half of the 24 defendants live in Birmingham. Among those charged are two men who are featured performers in the North Birmingham-based and regionally known rap group, Trap Team Entertainment. They are JESSTIFUR JAHALIA FERRARI “Leer Jet,” “Leer,” “Jahleer,” “Jet” HURST, 29, and DAVID WAYNE “Northside Weezy” MCDANIEL, 24.
"Beginning at 6 a.m. today, a group of federal and local law enforcement officers dismantled a drug-trafficking operation charged with dumping heroin and cocaine onto the streets of our city. The indictment of 24 individuals for either drug trafficking or laundering drug money represents years of dedicated work by the FBI, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, IRS-CI, and prosecutors in my office," Vance said. "Solving the problems of crime and addiction related to those drugs requires more than enforcement, though. It requires community awareness of the problems of abuse and addiction, which often start with prescription pills, and a commitment to address those problems by talking to our children about the dangers, safely disposing of unused and unneeded medications, and removing the stigma of addiction so that treatment is more readily sought."
"As a direct result of this enforcement action, the supply network for cocaine and heroin in Birmingham and Jefferson County has been severely disrupted," Stanton said. "I applaud the hard work and teamwork exhibited by my agents, along with our partners at IRS-CI and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, who once again demonstrated the importance of combining the strengths, resources and expertise of federal and local agencies to fight these drug-trafficking networks.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to be an integral part of this multi-agency OCDETF investigation," Hyman-Pillot said. “It is our goal as financial investigators to assist our law enforcement partners in dismantling drug-trafficking organizations at every level. This is a great illustration of the positive impact law enforcement has when local, state and federal agencies work together.”
"As we all are acutely aware, heroin has returned to our area and has taken lives with a vengeance and without regard to who or where," Hale said. "It is the Satan of the drug trade that devastates families in every community. We can't bring those loved-ones back and we can't restore what has been lost. We can, however, ensure that these dealers responsible for trafficking this killer drug are shut down and brought to justice," the sheriff said. "If they believe they can operate unabated, then I hope this sends them the clear message that we are united in this fight and our resolve is unwavering."
Of the 24 people named in the indictment, 21 face the charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine between January 2012 and August 2015. The indictment charges two defendants with money laundering only, and one defendant with money laundering and one count of using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime. The indictment contains 62 of the telephone counts, which variously include 21 of the 24 defendants. The indictment also includes four heroin and four cocaine distribution counts involving 10 of the defendants.
The indictment seeks to have the defendants forfeit $10 million as proceeds of the charged drug-trafficking crimes. It also seeks forfeiture of property including a 2013 Mercedes roadster, valued at over $130,000, a 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle, and five pieces of real estate, including two Birmingham houses that the indictment charges were the subjects of money laundering transactions.
Indicted in connection with the drug conspiracy, along with Patrick Hall, Blake, Thomas, Jesstifur Hurst, David McDaniel and Ocasio are: ERIC DEMOND “E,” “E Sosa,” “Sosa” HALL, 39, ROYCE THERMON “Rossie,” “Scoe” JOHNSON, 30, TEDDY TONELL “Fresh” DAVIS, 33, BRANDON DION LEWIS, 30, JAMES MARION ROBINSON III, 45, RODRIQUS TYRONE “Dreek” STURDIVANT, 25, DEANGELA KAY “Dee Kay” MCDANIEL, 42, ISRAEL BRAVO “Migo” OLASOAGAR, 37, LENA KENYA IRVINE, 30, and GERLINE A. JONES, 70, all of Birmingham; JESSE TYRONE “Bat,” “Batman” HURST, 58, COREY LIONEL “Mac” PITTS, 24, and PATRICIA ANN NELSON, 54, all of Bessemer; DEANDRE JADARIUS “Dre,” “Profit” HALL, 21, of Hoover, ANTHONY DEJUAN WILLIAMS, 45, of Pinson, JUSTICE MARTINIQUE HOLDEN, 20, of Huntsville, SONJA DENISE “Momma” MITCHELL, 55, of McCalla, and a DEFENDANT KNOWN ONLY AS “Tweety.”
Patrick and Eric Hall are brothers and Deandre Hall is their cousin. Jesstifur Hurst is Jesse Hurst's son. Deangela McDaniel and David McDaniel are mother and son.
The FBI, working with the IRS, the sheriff's offices of Jefferson, Shelby and Tuscaloosa counties, and the Birmingham, Hueytown, Hoover, Tuscaloosa and Vestavia Hills police departments, assembled 18 teams that fanned out across the Birmingham metro area early today and arrested the following defendants:
Jesstifur Hurst, David McDaniel, Eric Hall, Johnson, Davis, Lewis, Robinson, Sturdivant, Deangela McDaniel, Olasoagar, Jesse Hurst, Pitts, Deandre Hall, Williams, Holden, and Mitchell.
Authorities still are seeking the defendant known as Tweety. Tweety is a Houston, Texas, supplier.
Charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine are Patrick, Eric and Deandre Hall, Blake, Jesstifur and Jesse Hurst, David and Deangela McDaniel, Thomas, Johnson, Davis, Lewis, Robinson, Pitts, Sturdivant, Williams, Holden, Mitchell, Ocasio, “Tweety” and Olasoagar.
The indictment separates defendants by the amount and type of drug attributable to them through their actions in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. The defendants, type and amount of illegally trafficked drug attributed to them, and the maximum prison sentence for that crime are as follows:
-
Patrick, Eric and Deandre Hall, Blake, Jesstifur and Jesse Hurst, David McDaniel, Thomas, Johnson, Lewis and Pitts, 1,000 grams or more of heroin, 10 years to life;
-
Deangela McDaniel, 100 grams or more of heroin, five to 40 years.
-
Patrick, Eric and Deandre Hall, Blake, Jesstifur Hurst, David McDaniel, Davis, Robinson, Sturdivant, Williams, Mitchell, Ocasio, Tweety and Olasoagar, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 10 years to life;
-
Lewis, 500 grams or more of cocaine; five to 40 years;
-
Patrick Hall, Blake and Jesstifur Hurst, 280 grams or more of crack cocaine; 10 years to life.
Patrick Hall, Blake and Olasoagar also are charged with one count of possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Blake faces an additional count of distributing cocaine.
Jesstifur Hurst is charged with three separate counts of distributing heroin and one count of distributing cocaine. Johnson faces one count of distributing heroin. Jesse Hurst and Eric Hall face one count of distributing heroin, and Mitchell, Ocasio and Tweety face one count of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Patrick Hall, Lewis, Irvine, Nelson and Jones are charged with laundering money derived from the drug-trafficking conspiracy. According to the indictment, Patrick Hall conspired with those four co-defendants between January 2012 and August 2015 to buy property titled in their names. The purchases were:
-
Harley Davidson FLTRX motorcycle, titled to Lewis;
-
2013 Mercedes SL550 roadster, titled to Nelson;
-
House at 3909 35th Ave. N, Birmingham, bought in Jones' name;
-
House at 356 Killough Drive, Birmingham, bought in Irvine's name.
The maximum penalty for the money laundering charge is 20 years and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
The FBI, the IRS, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and other agency members of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory R. Dimler and E. Wilson Hunter are prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
-
Las Cruces Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Anthony Calderon, 41, of Las Cruces, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Las Cruces to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his heroin and methamphetamine trafficking convictions.
Calderon was arrested on Aug. 8, 2014, in Las Cruces on an indictment charging him with two counts of distributing heroin and one count of distributing methamphetamine in Doña Ana County, N.M. The indictment also charged Calderon’s co-defendant Orlando Roman, 35, also of Las Cruces, with one count of heroin distribution. Roman was arrested on Oct. 9, 2014.
On March 5, 2015, Calderon pled guilty to all three counts of the indictment and admitted that on April 15 and April 16, 2014, he distributed approximately 75.3 grams of heroin to a person working under the supervision of law enforcement. Calderon also admitted that on May 27, 2014, he distributed approximately 101.1 grams of methamphetamine to a person working under the supervision of law enforcement.
Co-defendant Roman pled guilty on March 6, 2015, to one count of distribution of heroin. Roman was sentenced on July 22, 2015, to eight months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of the FBI and the HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
The HIDTA Regional Interagency Drug Task Force/Metro Narcotics Task Force is comprised of officers from the Las Cruces Police Department, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, HSI and the New Mexico State Police. The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program was created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. HIDTA is a program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) which provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States and seeks to reduce drug trafficking and production by facilitating coordinated law enforcement activities and information sharing.
This case is being prosecuted pursuant to the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) Initiative. The HOPE Initiative is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center that is partnering with the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative with the overriding goal of reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in the District of New Mexico. The HOPE Initiative comprised of five components: (1) prevention and education; (2) treatment; (3) law enforcement; (4) reentry; and (5) strategic planning. The law enforcement component of the HOPE Initiative is led by the Organized Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the DEA in conjunction with their federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners. Targeting members of major heroin trafficking organizations for investigation and prosecution is a priority of the HOPE Initiative.
KC Man Pleads Guilty to Bank RobberyRead 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 robbing Bank of America.
Lorene Harris, 54, of Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to the charge contained in an Aug. 26, 2014, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Harris admitted that he stole $3,000 from Bank of America, 6320 Prospect Ave., Kansas City, on Aug. 4, 2014. Harris cut in front of everyone in line when he entered the bank and told a teller to “give me the money.” The teller asked Harris if this was a robbery and he responded that he was robbing the bank. The teller asked if he had a “note or something” and Harris told the teller he could write a note. Harris requested a piece of paper, then passed the note and asked for the money. However, when the teller put about $5,000 dollars on the counter, Harris told her to give him less. The teller took approximately $2,000 back and Harris took the remaining money.
Harris then asked what he should do next. He indicated he would wait outside; however; he fled from the bank on foot.
Harris was identified after bank surveillance photos appeared on the news. The following day, Harris was arrested by Raytown, Mo., police officers who were dispatched with paramedics to a convenience store. Harris, who was complaining of chest pains, told officers he robbed Bank of America the day before.
Under federal statutes, Harris is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce E. Clark. It was investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
Jury Convicts Jacksonville Man of Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury today found James Dale Little (43, Jacksonville) guilty of transporting and possessing child pornography. Little faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 26, 2016. He was indicted on March 26, 2015.
According to evidence presented at trial, from December 21, 2012, through January 26, 2013, Little obtained images depicting child pornography using an email account. He also sent an image of child pornography by email on January 26, 2013.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly S. Karase and Gregory T. Nolan.
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 (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc.
Jacksonville Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Passing Counterfeit Federal Reserve NotesRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – Senior United States District Judge Henry Lee Adams has sentenced Timothy Deante Burroughs (32, Jacksonville) to 21 months in federal prison for passing counterfeit Federal Reserve Notes. As part of the sentence, the Court also ordered Burroughs to pay restitution to the various businesses that he had defrauded.
According to court documents, in November and December 2014, Burroughs entered various businesses in Jacksonville and passed counterfeit $100 Federal Reserve Notes (FRN). On December 1, 2014, he entered a Publix and passed counterfeit FRN. Upon being confronted by Publix employees, Burroughs fled the store on foot. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) soon located Burroughs at a nearby Motel 6 hotel room and detained him. A search of the room resulted in the recovery of additional counterfeit $100 FRN.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service, Jacksonville Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Idaho Falls Man Sentenced for Meth DistributionRead the Press Release
POCATELLO – Gerardo Botello, 37, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill to 48 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Botello pleaded guilty to the charge on July 16, 2015.
According to the plea agreement and sentencing hearing, on May 23, 2011, an undercover officer met with Botello at his residence in Idaho Falls, Idaho. At that meeting, the undercover officer gave Botello $3200, in exchange for 53.7 grams of actual methamphetamine. At his arrest Botello was also found in possession of several firearms which were forfeited to the government as part of the plea and sentencing.
The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in conjunction with, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bonneville Country Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Idaho State Police. The case was prosecuted jointly by the attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office.
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.
Hounduran National Pleads Guilty to Transferring a False Social Security CardRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that JULI GUERRA, age 38, a citizen of Honduras, pled guilty today to transferring a false Social Security Card in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028(a)(2).
According to court documents, on May29, 2014, GUERRA sold a counterfeit Social Security Card to a confidential source working with the Department of Homeland Security for $140.00.
GUERRA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of fifteen years, a maximum fine of $250,000, a maximum term of supervised release of three years, and a mandatory $100 special assessment. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance set sentencing for July 13, 2016.
U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security in investigating this matter. Assistant U. S. Attorney Spiro G. Latsis is in charge of the prosecution.
Heroin, Crack Cocaine Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Dennis Bernard, 29, of Cranston, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to trafficking heroin and crack cocaine, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Cranston Police Chief Colonel Michael J. Winquist and Warwick Police Chief Colonel Stephen M. McCartney.
Bernard was arrested by detectives and officers from the Cranston and Warwick Police Departments on June 26, 2015, following a joint investigation by members of the Cranston Police Special Investigations Unit and the Warwick Police Special Operations Group into Bernard’s drug trafficking activities.
Appearing today before U.S. District Court Chief Judge William E. Smith, Bernard pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with the intent to distribute and possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute.
According to court documents, during the late spring and early summer of 2015, members of the Cranston Police Special Investigations Unit and the Warwick Police Special Operations Group worked collaboratively to investigate Bernard’s drug trafficking activities in Cranston and in Warwick. During the investigation, a Warwick undercover detective made several purchases of crack cocaine from Bernard.
On June 24, 2015, law enforcement executed a court authorized search warrant at Bernard’s Cranston residence where they seized approximately 44 grams of crack cocaine and approximately 25 grams of heroin, and $6,251 in cash. Various items used in the packaging and distribution of drugs were also seized.
At the time of Bernard’s arrest, law enforcement seized a BMW automobile, a Rolex watch and other assorted jewelry which the investigation determined was purchased by Bernard with proceeds derived from his drug trafficking activities. The items and cash seized have been forfeited to the government.
Bernard is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2016.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ly T. Chin.
The Rhode Island DEA Drug Task Force assisted the Cranston and Warwick Police Departments in the investigation of this matter.
###
Contact:
Jim Martin (401) 709-5357
email: [email protected]
on Twitter @USAO_RI
Hazleton Man Charged with Heroin DistributionRead the Press Release
SCRANTON--The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a Criminal Information was filed October 19, 2015 in U.S. District Court in Scranton charging Jacob Davis, a 30-year-old Hazleton resident with distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin during a three-month period in the Hazleton area between June and August of this year.
The charge resulted from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Pennsylvania State Police, and Hazleton Police.
The government also filed a plea agreement with the defendant which is subject to the approval of the court.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
The maximum penalty under federal law is imprisonment for 20 years, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a $1 million fine. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
# # #
Grand Jury Votes Second Superseding Indictment Charging Five with Conspiracy to Murder OverseasRead the Press Release
United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota Andrew M. Luger and FBI Special Agent in Charge for the Minneapolis Division Richard T. Thornton today announced a second superseding indictment charging five Minnesotans with conspiracy to murder overseas, perjury and other charges. The indictment, which was originally filed on February 19, 2015, and superseded on May 18, 2015, is the result of a long-term investigation led by the Minneapolis Division of the FBI into a group of individuals who have tried to join – and in some cases succeeded in joining – the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
At least nine Minnesotans have now been charged as part of this conspiracy. Three of the men charged have pleaded guilty, including ABDULLAHI YUSUF (February 16, 2015), HANAD MUSSE (September 9, 2015), and ZACHARIA ABDURAHMAN (September 17, 2015). The remaining defendants, HAMZA AHMED, ADNAN FARAH, GULED OMAR, ABDURAHMAN DAUD and MOHAMED FARAH, are scheduled to go to trial on February 16, 2016, before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Davis.
This second superseding indictment charges OMAR, AHMED, DAUD, A. FARAH, and M. FARAH with conspiracy to murder overseas. A. FARAH is additionally charged with two counts of perjury for false testimony provided to the grand jury. M. FARAH and DAUD are each charged with one count of perjury for false testimony given before the grand jury. OMAR is charged with attempted financial aid fraud for trying to use $5,000 of financial aid to fund his travel to Turkey.
Beyond these additional charges, the charges in the original indictment and the first superseding indictment are re-alleged. The new counts against the defendants are listed below.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Defendant Information:
HAMZA AHMED, 20
Savage, Minn.Charges: • Conspiracy to Murder Outside the United States, 1 count
• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), 1 count
• Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, 1 count
• False statement, 1 count
• Financial aid fraud, 1 countMOHAMED FARAH, 21
Minneapolis, Minn.Charges: • Conspiracy to Murder Outside the United States, 1 count
• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), 1 count
• Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, 2 counts
• Perjury, 1 count
• False statement, 1 countGULED OMAR, 21
Minneapolis, Minn.Charges: • Conspiracy to Murder Outside the United States, 1 count
• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), 1 count
• Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, 2 counts
• Attempted financial aid fraud, 1 countABDIRAHMAN DAUD, 21
Minneapolis, Minn.Charges: • Conspiracy to Murder Outside the United States, 1 count
• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), 1 count
• Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, 1 count
• Perjury, 1 countADNAN FARAH, 19
Minneapolis, Minn.Charges: • Conspiracy to Murder Outside the United States, 1 count
• Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), 1 count
• Perjury, 2 countsGaithersburg Man Admits to Selling Heroin to a Customer Who Died from OverdoseRead the Press Release
Greenbelt, Maryland – Nathaniel Wright, Jr., age 58, of Gaithersburg, Maryland pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, from at least June 2013 until his arrest in April 2015, Wright distributed heroin he had obtained from sources to heroin addicts. Wright had multiple customers who would purchase between one-half to two grams from him a week.
On June 14, 2013, Wright sold an individual a gram of heroin for $100. Later that evening and after ingesting the heroin, the individual died as a result of alcohol and narcotic intoxication.
Wright also admitted that on 16 occasions he sold a total of 22 grams of heroin to two confidential sources.
During his participation in the drug conspiracy, Wright was responsible for the distribution of between 400 and 700 grams of heroin.
Wright faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has scheduled sentencing for February 1, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
Ronald Bryant, a/k/a “Dean,” age 46, of Montgomery Village, Maryland; and Carlos Brandon Peoples, a/k/a “Los,” age 29, of Washington, D.C., previously pleaded guilty to their participation in the conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on December 21 and November 2, 2015, respectively, both at 2:00 p.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF and Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Johnston and Mara Z. Greenberg, who are prosecuting the case.
Four Charged in Series of Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of a third superseding indictment charging Samuel Lee Lynch (29, Tampa), Christopher Marquis Fruster (20, Tampa), Reo Thomas Nance (31, Lakeland), and Brittany Jenae Hall (26, Tampa) with conspiracy, armed robbery, and firearms offenses in connection with five Tampa Bay area armed robberies occurring between March 15, 2015, and April 24, 2015. In addition, Hall has been charged with obstruction of justice for providing false testimony before a federal grand jury.
Lynch faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted on any one of the six charges related to the robberies. If convicted on all counts, Fruster, Nance, and Hall each face a mandatory minimum penalty of 35, 32, and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit two firearms and $93,519, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of one or more federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Temple Terrace Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carlton C. Gammons.
Former San Francisco Real Estate Tycoon Sentenced to Seven Years’ Imprisonment for Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Making False Declarations, Escape, and ContemptRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO - Luke D. Brugnara was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison after his conviction for mail fraud, wire fraud, false declarations to a court, escape, and contempt of court, announced Acting United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson, and U.S. Marshal Don O’Keefe.
Brugnara, 52, of San Francisco, was originally charged with fraud in a criminal complaint filed May 27, 2014. The criminal complaint described Brugnara’s refusal to pay for several pieces of art after he convinced a New York art dealer to ship the art to his California home. Brugnara was arrested on May 28, 2014, but then escaped from custody of his lawyer on February 5, 2015. He was apprehended six days later and stood trial beginning April 27, 2015. Brugnara waived his right to counsel and conducted the trial as a pro se defendant with the assistance of two attorneys appointed as advisory counsel. On May 19, 2015, the jury convicted Brugnara of three counts of wire and mail fraud, one count of making false declarations to a court, one count of escape, and one count of contempt.
Evidence at trial showed that, in late March and early April 2014, Brugnara told the art dealer that he would pay approximately $11 million for works of art. Based on his representations that he would pay for the artwork and put it in a museum, the artwork was shipped to Brugnara at his house in the Sea Cliff neighborhood of San Francisco. The evidence at trial demonstrated that the artwork was delivered in five wooden crates to Brugnara’s residence on April 7, 2014. When the artwork arrived, Brugnara refused to pay for it, return it, or inspect it, and told the art dealer that she had given the artwork to him as a gift. Eventually, the art dealer reported the crime to the FBI, which executed a search warrant at Brugnara’s residence in late May 2014. During the search, the FBI recovered only four of the five crates of artwork. The fifth crate, containing a “Little Dancer” sculpture by Edgar Degas, was never recovered. Evidence at trial also demonstrated that defendant had lied in testimony at an evidentiary hearing, and that he had absconded from a furlough to the federal building, in violation of a court order.
The sentence was handed down by the Honorable William H. Alsup, U.S. District Judge. In addition to the prison term, Judge Alsup sentenced Brugnara to three years’ supervised release and approximately $688,000 in restitution. Brugnara will begin serving his sentence immediately.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robin Harris and Benjamin Kingsley are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Denise Oki, Jessica Meegan, and Trina Khadoo. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshal Service.
Former Cargo Operations Manager at Miami International Airport Sentenced for his Role in a Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute CocaineRead the Press Release
A former cargo operations manager at Miami International Airport was sentenced to 50 months in prison for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida and Robert C. Hutchinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Vinicio Morales, 53, of Miami, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.
According to the court record, in 2011, while working as an employee at Miami International Airport, Morales agreed to be paid $12,500 for his participation in a conspiracy to assist with the offloading of cocaine into the United States, from arriving international flights. Ultimately, Morales offloaded what he believed to be five kilograms of cocaine from the cargo can of a plane that had arrived at Miami International Airport in the Southern District of Florida.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Stewart.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Former Belmont Man Sentenced for Fraudulent BusinessRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A former Belmont man who fled to Columbia in the early 1990s pleaded guilty and was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with the fraudulent sales of non-existent rare scholarly books to universities, seminaries and churches.
Richard Stanley Haugh, 73, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to time served of 20 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $167,883. In 1995, Haugh was indicted on 30 counts mail fraud in connection with purported sales of rare and scholarly texts.
From November 1989 to November 1990, Haugh claimed to be a scholar in theology and the history of Eastern Christianity. He operated a business, Notable and Academic Books, from his home, and claimed to be the exclusive U.S. marketing representative for Buecher Vertriebs Anstalt (BVA), a Liechtenstein entity specializing in the rare and scholarly book business.
Haugh also used the aliases Heinz Reuchlin and Paul Briel to operate Editions Briel, a company that fraudulently claimed to possess for immediate shipment translations of early Christian works, multi-volume encyclopedic scholarly works and an Encyclopedia of Eastern Christianity that Haugh claimed to have authored, which did not, in fact, exist. Haugh mailed marketing brochures advertising the books to universities, schools of theology and individuals around the U.S. and in foreign countries. Although he required advance payment for the books, neither Haugh nor Editions Briel possessed the books or had any means of obtaining them. The scheme defrauded more than 150 universities, seminaries, churches and individuals around the country as well as in Canada, England, Australia and Japan. Among those defrauded were Smith College in Massachusetts, Cornell University, Bates College, University of Michigan and others.
By 1992, Haugh had become a fugitive, in part because he was awaiting trial in Middlesex County on child sexual assault charges. Haugh was located in Colombia in 2014 and was extradited to the U.S. in April 2014 on the federal charges. Immediately following his sentencing in federal court yesterday, Haugh was turned over to the custody of the Belmont Police for prosecution on the pending sexual assault charges in Middlesex County.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and James V. Buthorn, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor A. Wild and Ryan M. DiSantis of Ortiz's Criminal Division.
Former Albuquerque Resident Pleads Guilty to Federal Cocaine Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Mario Gomez, 29, a former resident of Albuquerque, N.M., who now resides in Denver, Colo., entered a guilty plea today in federal court to cocaine trafficking charges. The guilty plea was entered pursuant to a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gomez was arrested in Jan. 2015, and charged along with co-defendants Erasmo Alamilla, 32, also of Albuquerque, and Janelle Montes, 34, of Rio Rancho, N.M., in a nine-count indictment alleging cocaine trafficking offenses committed in Bernalillo County, N.M. The indictment charged the defendants as follows: (1) Gomez, Alamilla and Montes with conspiracy to distribute cocaine from June 11, 2014 through Oct. 6, 2014; (2) Gomez and Alamilla with distribution of cocaine on June 11, 2014; (3) Gomez and Alamilla with distribution of cocaine on July 7, 2014; (4) Montes and Alamilla with distribution of cocaine on Aug. 7, 2014; (5) Montes and Alamilla with distribution of cocaine on Sept. 12, 2014; (6) Alamilla with possession of cocaine within a vehicle he was operating with intent to distribute on Oct. 6, 2014; (7) Alamilla with possession of cocaine within a residence with intent to distribute on Oct. 6, 2014; (8) Alamilla and Gomez with the use of a communication facility, a telephone, in the commission of a drug trafficking crime on Aug. 25, 2014; and (9) Alamilla and Montes with the use of a communication facility, a telephone, in the commission of a drug trafficking crime on Sept. 12, 2014. The indictment also called for the forfeiture of $26,034.00 by Gomez, Alamilla and Montes as the proceeds of their drug trafficking activities.
During today’s plea hearing, Gomez pled guilty to Counts 1, 2, 3 and 8 of the indictment. Gomez admitted that on June 11, 2014, he sold 282 grams of cocaine that he obtained from Alamilla to another individual, on July 6, 2014, he sold 283.6 grams of cocaine that he obtained from Alamilla to another individual and on Aug. 25, 2014, he communicated by telephone with Alamilla to discuss Alamilla supplying Gomez with additional cocaine to sell to others. Gomez further admitted that he withdrew from the cocaine trafficking conspiracy on Aug. 31, 2014.
Alamilla pled guilty on May 13, 2015, to Counts 1 through 5, 8 and 9 of the indictment, and admitted supplying Gomez and Montes with amounts of cocaine to sell to others from June 11, 2014 through Oct. 6, 2014. Montes pled guilty on Sept. 21, 2015, to Counts 1, 4, 5 and 9 of the indictment, and admitted to selling amounts of cocaine to others that she had obtained from Alamilla. Montes further admitted communicating on a telephone with Alamilla regarding the supply of cocaine to Montes.
At sentencing, Gomez and Montes each face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison followed by not less than three years of supervised release. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Alamilla will be sentenced to 46 months in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. All three co-defendants will be ordered to forfeit $21,100.00 jointly to the court as the proceeds of their drug trafficking activities. Sentencing hearings have yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaheen P. Torgoley.
Florence Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Brad Parham (843) 665-6688
Florence, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Lauren E. Blackwell, age 29, of Bishopville, South Carolina has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Florence, to identity theft, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(7). United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks of Florence accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after she has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing established that while working as a nursing assistant at a health care facility, Blackwell gained access to personal identifying information, including dates of birth and social security numbers, of co-workers and patients at the hospital. She then used this information to apply for unauthorized credit card accounts associated with the stolen identities. Additionally, while a student, she was able to obtain similar personal identifying information of other students which she used to open other credit card accounts. She was successful in opening 15 such unauthorized accounts, several of which she used to charge thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty for identity theft is imprisonment for 15 years and/or a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney A Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.
#####
Federal Grand Jury Adds Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion Charges, as well as New Victims, to Fraud Case against Orange County AttorneyRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – An attorney who was indicted in September for allegedly stealing several million dollars from clients was named yesterday in a new indictment that adds additional wire fraud counts, as well as tax evasion and identity theft charges, to the case.
Stephen Young Kang, 46, of Newport Beach, is now charged in a 30-count superseding indictment that was returned yesterday afternoon by a federal grand jury.
The indictment filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles charges Kang with 22 counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, two counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of tax evasion. The indictment also contains forfeiture allegations that would require Kang to surrender ill-gotten gains if he is convicted of criminal charges.
The new indictment re-alleges wire fraud and money laundering charges contained in the original indictment, which was filed on September 1 and alleged that Kang defrauded a corporation and a couple seeking to make investments related to applications for EB-5 visas (see: http://go.usa.gov/3SdpJ).
The new fraud allegations concern three additional victims – including one who came forward in response to the FBI’s call for additional victims when Kang was initially indicted – who collectively suffered losses of more than $1 million. The three additional victims gave money to Kang for investment purposes, but the attorney allegedly used the money for his own personal and business expenses.
The superseding indictment further alleges that Kang committed identity theft when he used the names and forged signatures of two individuals without legal authority during and in relation to the alleged fraud scheme.
Kang is now also charged with receiving substantial taxable income and willfully attempting to evade paying his taxes in the years 2012 through 2014.
Kang was arrested on August 10 by special agents with the FBI and IRS - Criminal Investigation at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Seoul, Korea. He is currently free on a $750,000 bond.
Kang will be summoned to appear in United States District Court to be arraigned on the superseding indictment in the near future. At present, he is scheduled to go to trial in this case on November 3.
If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Kang faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each of the wire fraud charges, up to 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering offenses, five years in prison for the each of the tax evasion charges, and a mandatory two-year consecutive term of imprisonment for the identity theft charges.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Based on the evidence in this case, investigators believe Kang may have victimized others in locations where he practiced law or resided, including California, Texas, and Seoul, Korea. Anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Kang should contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
The case against Kang is the product of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS - Criminal Investigation.
Federal Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes to Bring Contraband into PrisonRead the Press Release
BIRMINGHAM -- A former cook supervisor and correctional officer at Talladega Federal Correctional Institution pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to accepting more than $4,000 in bribes to smuggle tobacco and synthetic marijuana into the prison, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Bourbon.
DONALD D. JOHNSON, 25, of Birmingham, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon to one count of accepting a bribe as a public official. He is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 5.
Federal prosecutors charged Johnson, who entered a plea agreement with the government in September. According to those documents, Johnson was an employee of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and a public official when he accepted money from inmates to introduce tobacco and K2/Spice, or synthetic marijuana, into the prison.
According to the plea agreement, Johnson attempted to conceal the payments he received from inmates by using prepaid debit cards in other people's names and had money orders mailed to an address not associated with him. After the money orders were mailed, Johnson had other friends cash them for him.
In a June 15, 2015, interview with the DOJ OIG, Johnson admitted that he received two prepaid debit cards worth $3,350 as bribery payments from inmates. Johnson also told the OIG that he received multiple money orders as bribery payments.
The maximum penalty for bribery of a public official is 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the DOJ-OIG. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Pat Meadows.
###
Durant Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Theft, Embezzlement and MisapplicationRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, announced that LONNIE DALE JOHNSON, age 58, of Durant, Oklahoma, pled guilty to an Information charging him with BANK THEFT, EMBEZZLEMENT & MISAPPLICATION, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 656.
The charges arose from an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Information alleged that from in or about 2005, the exact date unknown, until on or about May 28, 2015, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, being an officer, director, agent, or employee of, or connected in a capacity with, First Texoma National Bank of Durant, Oklahoma, a bank whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, with intent to injure and defraud the said First Texoma National Bank of Durant, Oklahoma, willfully misapplied, embezzled, abstracted, and purloined more than $1,000.00 of the moneys, funds, assets or securities entrusted to the custody or care of First Texoma National Bank of Durant, Oklahoma, in that the defendant withdrew cash from the vault of the bank and misapplied, embezzled, abstracted and purloined the funds for his own use or benefit.
The Honorable Kimberly E. West, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the defendant’s guilty plea, and ordered the completion of a presentence report. Sentencing will be scheduled upon its completion. The defendant will remain on bond pending sentencing.
The statutory range of punishment is not more than 30 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00 or both.
Assistant United States Attorney Rob Wallace represented the United States.
Dallas Men Sentenced on Cocaine, Heroin and Firearms ConvictionsRead the Press Release
DALLAS — Two Dallas men have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences following their guilty pleas to drug distribution and firearms offenses, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Felix Medina, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay on Monday to serve a total of 108 months in federal prison. Co-defendant Jesse Rodriguez, 36, received the same sentence in June 2015. Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of that crime.
According to documents filed in the case, from November 1, 2013 through approximately February 21, 2014, Medina and Rodriguez conspired together and with others to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, cocaine and heroin in Dallas. During that same time, Medina and Rodriguez possessed numerous firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.
Medina and Rodriguez had two residences on Angelina Drive in Dallas – each next door to the other – from which they would sell the cocaine and heroin, store it, store the drug proceeds, and possess firearms for their protection, and the protection of the drugs and drug sales proceeds.
When special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and local law enforcement executed a search of the residences in February 2014, they found, among other things, approximately 223 grams of suspected cocaine, more than $18,000 in cash, more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition, approximately 40 firearms, including the one Rodriguez was carrying in his pants’ waistband, video surveillance equipment, and equipment to facilitate communication between the two residences.
ATF investigated the case and Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Miller prosecuted.
# # #
Dallas Gang Member Sentenced to 252 Months in Federal Prison on Child Sex Trafficking ConvictionRead the Press Release
DALLAS — A Dallas man, Trenton McLemore, 29, who facilitated his 16-year-old girlfriend’s commercial sex acts, and pleaded guilty in July 2015 to one count of sex trafficking of children, was sentenced today to 252 months (21 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G Lynn. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
McLemore, a documented Webb Chapel Crip gang member, has been in custody since his arrest by officers with the Irving Police Department in September 2013.
“Prosecuting human trafficking predators, like Trenton McLemore, is a top priority in north Texas and throughout the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “The close working relationships we have established through the North Texas Anti-Trafficking Taskforce have made prosecutions like this possible. That task force, made up of other federal agencies, as well as state and local officials, community service providers, and experts who are already involved in anti-trafficking initiatives, is committed to not only bringing those predators to justice, but to examining the causes of, and solutions to, this violent behavior. In this case, I particularly commend the excellent collaboration and investigative work of the Irving Police Department and HSI Dallas.”
“We are grateful to everyone who worked together in bringing Mr. McLemore to justice for his terrible crimes,” said Chief Larry Boyd of the Irving Police Department. “Their efforts to rescue an underage victim of sex trafficking and take an active sexual offender off the street are highly commendable.”
“For predators convicted of the horrendous crime of sex trafficking minors, there are severe consequences in the form of lengthy prison sentences and a lifetime stigma, as Mr. McLemore has learned firsthand,” said Katrina W. Berger, special agent in charge of HSI Dallas. “Homeland Security Investigations employs exhaustive investigative techniques, and routinely works with local, state, federal and international law enforcement to identify and pursue prosecution against these sex trafficking predators, and rescue their victims.”
According to documents filed in the case, McLemore met “Jane Doe” and her family when she was 11-years old. In July 2013, when Jane Doe was 16-years-old, she ran away from home to be with McLemore, and the two began living in motels.
On August 1, 2013, McLemore began facilitating Jane Doe’s commercial sex acts in several ways. He asked friends and family to rent rooms for them at a Super 8 Motel and a Motel 6 in the Dallas area for her to use with commercial sex customers. McLemore also provided Jane Doe a cell phone for her to use to communicate with commercial sex customers. McLemore often used that phone to communicate with Jane Doe’s customers, sometimes posing as her and texting her customers to arrange “dates” and then leaving the motel room shortly before the customer arrived.
McLemore also took sexually explicit photos of Jane Doe that he distributed via text message to potential customers. Often, McLemore would stay near the motel room to act as Jane Doe’s bodyguard while she engaged in the commercial sex acts, and he would return to the room shortly after the customer left to collect the proceeds.
In mid-September 2013, a detective with the Irving Police Department conducting an operation to identify possible victims of human trafficking found a commercial sex advertisement on Mocospace.com with photographs of a female who appeared to be underage. He contacted the number, and after exchanging several messages regarding a potential commercial sex act, they agreed to meet on September 19, 2013, in a specific room at a Super 8 Motel in Irving, Texas.
As McLemore left that room shortly before the “date,” he was seen texting at the same time the detective was receiving messages about the “date.” When the detective arrived and entered the motel room, Jane Doe agreed to engage in a commercial sex act with him. She was then placed in custody and law enforcement determined she was a 16-year-old runaway from Dallas.
McLemore had stayed nearby while that “date” occurred, and his personal items were later found inside that motel room. When law enforcement learned Jane Doe’s age, they arrested McLemore for compelling prostitution of a person under the age of 18 and human trafficking. He has been in custody since that time.
The Irving Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cara Foos Pierce prosecuted.
# # #
DMV worker, 5 others Charged in Identity Theft Scheme that used Puerto Rican Birth Certificates to Create Bogus Identity DocumentsRead the Press Release
SANTA ANA, California – A clerk at the California Department of Motor Vehicles office in El Monte and five others have been indicted on federal identity theft charges for allegedly using legitimate birth certificates and Social Security numbers obtained from Puerto Rico to create new identities that were sold to people willing to pay thousands of dollars for fraudulent identity documents.
DMV clerk Tracey Lynette Jones, 33, of Long Beach, surrendered to federal authorities on Monday and was arraigned Monday afternoon in United States District Court. Jones entered a not guilty plea, was released on a $25,000 bond and was ordered to stand trial on November 24 before United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney.
Jones and the other five defendants were named in a four-count indictment returned on September 30 by a federal grand jury. The indictment charges all six defendants with conspiring to produce identification documents. Several of the defendants, including Jones, are charged with various identity theft offenses.
“Identity theft is a serious crime that undermines the economic fabric of our society and causes considerable harm to the individual victims,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “This identity theft scheme was particularly insidious because it both victimized the individuals whose identities were stolen and required the active participation of a government official. The fact that a DMV official abused her position of authority in committing this crime is egregious since such conduct can undermine the public’s confidence in a government institution entrusted with our personal information.”
Four of the remaining defendants were arrested last month by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and investigators with the DMV’s Investigations division. They are:
-
Wilfredo Montero, 36, of Los Angeles;
-
Adolfo Maria Cruz, 47, of Corona;
-
Roberto Ruiz, 35, of Tustin; and
-
Jose Cruz, 49, of Corona.
Out of the four defendants arrested in September, three have been freed on bond and Cruz remains in custody.
The sixth defendant charged in the case, Jorge “Diablo” Perez, aka Pedro Josue Figueroa-Marquez, 33, originally from Mexico, remains at large and is being sought by authorities.
According to the indictment, the conspiracy was allegedly spearheaded by Montero and catered to individuals willing to pay as much as $5,000 for new identities obtained with genuine birth certificates and Social Security numbers obtained from Puerto Rico residents. Investigators are working to identify the source of the documents obtained from Puerto Rico.
The case, which is the result of a three-year undercover investigation, revealed many of the ring’s customers were previously deported felons. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against three people believed to be customers of the identity theft ring, and authorities are seeking to take those individuals into custody.
“If anyone had any doubt about why identity theft is a serious public safety threat, this investigation should be a wake-up call,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “Based on our evidence, this ring’s clients had good reason to want to obscure their pasts. And for a price, the defendants were allegedly willing to oblige. Our probe is ongoing and we’re aggressively pursuing all those involved.”
An affidavit in support of criminal complaints that were previously filed in the case describes a July 2012 meeting between Montero and an HSI undercover special agent posing as prospective client. After the undercover investigator indicated he wanted to purchase identity documents, Montero led him to his garage where he pulled out a Puerto Rican birth certificate and matching Social Security card which were concealed inside a boxing glove.
After obtaining identity documents for buyers, the defendants, for an additional fee, allegedly helped their clients use the documents to apply for California driver’s licenses or California identification cards under the assumed identities. The indictment alleges defendant Jones altered records in the DMV’s electronic databases to make it appear the applicants had passed required exams to obtain a driver’s license when, in fact, they had not.
“DMV does not tolerate any type of illegal conduct among employees who tarnish the image of the thousands of other DMV employees who work hard to ensure every applicant meets all licensing requirements,” said Jean Shiomoto, Director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted in the identity theft conspiracy, the six defendants named in the indictment would face a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
-
Couple Stages Wife's Disappearance to Avoid North Carolina Criminal ChargesRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Brad Parham (843) 665-6688
Florence, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated today that Paul David Arrington, age 46, of Lowell, North Carolina and Amy Lynette Arrington, age 44, of Lowell, North Carolina each pled guilty in federal court in Florence, to conspiracy to communicate a false distress message, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. United States District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks of Florence accepted the guilty plea today of Paul Arrington and will impose his sentence after she has reviewed the presentence reports which will be prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. Judge Hendricks accepted Amy Arrington’s guilty plea on June 17, 2015, and on October 20, 2015 imposed a sentence of 30 months imprisonment and ordered restitution in the amount of $47,597.80.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearings established that Paul and Amy Arrington conspired to fake the disappearance of Amy in order for her to avoid having to face charges pending against her in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. On July 5, 2014, the couple drove from Gastonia, North Carolina to North Myrtle Beach where Amy went into the water for a short period of time, then, as planned, left the beach and made her way to Florida. Paul then falsely reported to a life guard on the beach that Amy was missing. As a result of the false report, multiple agencies, including the United States Coast Guard, responded in a futile search for Amy. Law enforcement agencies eventually detected the fraud and Amy turned herself in to authorities in North Carolina.
Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty for conspiracy to communicate a false distress message is imprisonment for 5 years and/or a fine of $250,000.
The case was investigated by agents of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Horry County Fire/Rescue. Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham of the Florence office is prosecuting the case.
#####
Cocaine Conspirators Arrested for Importing Hundreds of Kilograms of Cocaine into South CarolinaRead the Press Release
Contact Person: Beth Drake (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles and Special Agent in Charge David A. Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Dan Salter of the Drug Enforcement Administration stated that 19 individuals have been recently indicted and arrested for conspiring to distribute cocaine across Aiken, Lexington, Saluda, Sumter, Richland, and Lee Counties in violation of Section 846 of Title 21, United States Code. Those recently indicted and arrested as part of this coordinated local, state and federal investigation were Juan Pablo Contreras, a/k/a “Juan David Montoya” (Sumter); Eduardo Esaid Contreras-Reyes (Sumter); Marco Antonio Castro, a/k/a “Chino” (West Columbia); Javier Toscano-Serrano (West Columbia); Andre LeWayne Brooks (Sumter); Jimmy Tony McDowell, a/k/a “Jimmy Fingers” (Sumter); Jermaine Terrell Hilton, a/k/a “Fifty” (Sumter); Michael Antonio Floyd, a/k/a “Tony,” “Tone,” and “Fat Tony” (Sumter); Rayshon Jamaal Foster, a/k/a “Shan” and “Terry Brown” (Sumter); Donald Antwon Dingle, a/k/a “Red” and “Flash” (Sumter); Corey Emanuel White, a/k/a “Chopper,” “Choppa,” and “El Chop” (Sumter); Damonion Mckinzie Bing (Aiken); Alvaro Valencia-Gonzalez, a/k/a “Shorty” (Aiken); Alejandro Quinones Leyva, a/k/a “Guero” (North Carolina); Travis Jermaine Pough (Aiken); Andre Maurice Hightower (Lexington); Antonio Terrill Sweat, a/k/a “Tony” (Aiken); Harold Matthew McFadden (Sumter); and Bryant Christopher Ford (Atlanta, Georgia).
The arrest warrants were served along with the execution of seventeen search warrants in the midlands of South Carolina. During the arrests and search warrants as part of this coordinated effort, law enforcement seized approximately ten kilograms of cocaine, more than three-quarters of a million dollars in cash, numerous vehicles, a bulletproof vest, ammunition, and more than forty firearms (including eleven assault rifles) used as part of this drug trafficking network.
These arrests follow months of intense investigation by local, state and federal law enforcement partners that began with concerns raised by local law enforcement in Aiken, Lexington, Saluda, Sumter, Richland, and Lee Counties about violence, gangs, and substantial drug trafficking. As a result, federal agencies joined with our state and local counterparts to target both the street gangs and the sources of this cocaine supply. That investigation resulted in the identification of 22 individuals responsible for importing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Atlanta into South Carolina and then distributing across the Midlands. Assisting in the investigation and today?s operation included the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, US Postal Inspectors, SLED, SC DPPPS, Sumter Police Department, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, Aiken Police Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia Police Department, Lee County Sherriff’s Office, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles explained: “If we are going to effectively fight violent crime and gangs, we must seek to curtail illegal drugs, the fuel that powers these gangs. In order to do this, the law enforcement community must stand together and present a unified front, seamlessly sharing information and each department undertaking the tasks that they are best prepared to address. This case is a sterling example of that type of teamwork.”
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J.D. Rowell and Kelly Hall. The United States Attorney stated that all charges in this Indictment are merely accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
#####
Cleveland man sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbing Family DollarRead the Press Release
A Cleveland man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his armed robbery of a Family Dollar store, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Willie L. Monroe, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Adams after previously being found guilty of attempted armed robbery and use of a firearm in commission of the robbery.
Monroe robbed the Family Dollar at 1915 South Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights on Sept. 23, 2014, according to court documents.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Kendra Klump following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Cleveland Heights Police Department.
Cleveland man faces tax chargesRead the Press Release
A grand jury returned an indictment charging Gerald D. Dotson, 45, of Cleveland, with 27 counts of filing false tax returns, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment alleges that Dotson filed a series of false tax returns during 2011, 2012, and 2013 claiming falsified wage income and tax credit information for individuals resulting in at least $139,675 in fraudulent refunds. The indictment further alleges that in some instances, Dotson requested that portions of the refunds be directed to bank accounts directly and indirectly controlled by him.
“The nation’s tax system should not be seen as a free standing ATM for criminals to ransack at will for personal enrichment,” said Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office. “Honest taxpayers are the real victims with these schemes and IRS-CI will ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases they will be less than the maximum. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Kendra Klump following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
An indictment is only a charge 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.
Cleveland man charged with bank fraud, identity theftRead the Press Release
A grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Devin Cooper, 26, of Cleveland, with one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment alleges that Cooper executed a scheme to defraud Fifth Third Bank by fraudulently obtaining debit cards associated with three victim business accounts. The indictment further alleges that Cooper used these debit cards to make unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals totaling over $290,000. The indictment also charges Cooper with unlawfully using the means of identification of two individual victims during the course of the Bank Fraud.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Kendra Klump following an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Parma Police Department.
An indictment is only a charge 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.
Charlotte Man Indicted on Hobbs Act Robbery and A Related Gun Charge Resulting in DeathRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Demarcus Donte Ivey, 34, of Charlotte, has been indicted on robbery and gun charges, announced Jill Westmoreland Rose, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte returned the two-count indictment on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, charging Ivey with Hobbs Act Robbery and use of a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.
John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department; and Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray join U.S. Attorney Rose in making this announcement.
“Crimes of violence uniquely affect the community and specifically the victims of such crimes. In this district, we work closely with our state counterparts and make prosecutorial decisions that maximize our options and ensure that the appropriate venue is utilized, whether it is state or federal court. Given the factors and circumstances of this case, Ivey’s federal prosecution will best meet the ends of justice,” said U.S. Attorney Rose, who is also handling Ivey’s prosecution.
“A man’s life was cut short because of the ruthless and callous actions of a violent killer. Today’s indictment is the result of an intense investigation between federal and local law enforcement agencies committed to holding accountable offenders who put the safety of our communities at risk,” said Strong, FBI’s Special Agent in Charge.
“The strong partnership between my office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office creates a coordinated effort between state and federal prosecutors working here in Mecklenburg County to ensure that our resources are shared to best protect this community and seek justice in every case,” said District Attorney Murray.
“This indictment sends a very strong message to those who engage in violent criminal activity. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and our partner agencies will continue to be steadfast in our focus to keep the community safe,” said CMPD Chief Putney.
According to the allegations contained in the charging document, in or about September 2009, Ivey robbed Club Nikki’s, which is located in Charlotte. The indictment alleges that over the course of the robbery, Ivey shot and killed Adrian Youngblood, who was a patron at Club Nikki’s.
The Hobbs Act Robbery offense carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, and the offense related to the use, carry, brandish and discharge of a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death carries a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
Ivey is currently in state custody and will be transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals to appear in court on the federal charges.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making this announcement, U.S. Attorney Rose praised the investigative work of the FBI and CMPD and thanked the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office for their continued support and cooperation with this case.
U.S. Attorney Rose is in charge of Ivey’s prosecution.
Cedar Rapids Man to Federal Prison for Distributing Heroin Resulting in Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
A man who distributed heroin to a user who nearly died from an overdose was sentenced October 19, 2015, to fourteen years in federal prison.
Marcus DeJohn Wallace, age 20, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 8, 2015, guilty plea to distribution of heroin resulting in serious bodily injury.
At the guilty plea hearing, Wallace admitted that on February 24, 2015, he distributed $50 worth of heroin to a person in the parking lot of a business on Edgewood Road. He also admitted that the person to whom he had sold the heroin took it to a nearby vehicle, where another person was waiting.. Both individuals used the heroin Wallace had sold while in the automobile. Both immediately overdosed and lost consciousness after using it. The driver’s head slumped forward activating the horn. A passerby heard the horn honking, saw the two unconscious individuals, and called 911. When paramedics arrived, the passenger was able to be revived without medical intervention. The driver was totally unresponsive until paramedics repositioned the driver’s head to open his airway. Wallace admitted that without medical intervention by the paramedics, the driver was at a substantial risk of anoxic brain injury and death as a result of using the heroin Wallace distributed.
Wallace was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Wallace was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Wallace is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting of the DEA; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Linn County Sheriff's Office; the Marion Police Department; the Iowa City Police Department; and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 15-CR-00025-LRR.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Caseyville Woman Indicted for Armed Robbery of Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
On October 20, 2015, a federal grand jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois, indicted Jenna McGlasson, 28, of Caseyville, Illinois, for one count of Interference with Commerce by Robbery, which is a violation of the Hobbs Act, and for one count of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, in connection with the armed robbery of the Caseyville, Illinois, Mini Mart that occurred on June 25, 2015, Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today. McGlasson has been in custody since September 24, 2015, and is being held without bond.
If convicted of Interference with Commerce by Robbery, McGlasson faces a term in prison of up to 20 years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. If convicted of the offense of Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, McGlasson faces a minimum term in prison of 7 years up to a maximum term of life, consecutive to, meaning in addition to, any term of imprisonment imposed for the count related to Interference with Commerce by Robbery, as well as a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years.
An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of the Metro East Armed Robbery Initiative announced by United States Attorney Wigginton. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak for prosecution.
California Resident Sentenced to Prison for Helping to Transport Heroin Across the CountryRead the Press Release
SCRANTON-The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 28-year-old California resident was sentenced yesterday to 46 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Richard P. Conaboy in Scranton, for possessing with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Jose Rosario Huizar-Rios, of Fresno, California, who is a citizen of Mexico, admitted to transporting heroin from California to the Mt. Pocono area of Monroe County in July 2014.
Huizar-Rios was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2014, as a result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Judge Conaboy ordered Huizar-Rios to serve two years on supervised release following his prison sentence. Huizar-Rios also faces possible deportation from the United States.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.
# # #
California Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Methamphetamine Trafficking Charge in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Oscar Toro, 43, of Fremont, Calif., pled guilty yesterday in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a methamphetamine trafficking charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Toro will be sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Toro was charged in March 2014, on a criminal complaint alleging that he possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute on March 4, 2014, in Bernalillo County, N.M. According to the complaint, Toro was arrested after law enforcement seized approximately 3.4 kilograms of methamphetamine from a hidden compartment underneath Toro’s vehicle.
Toro was subsequently indicted on March 26, 2014, and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Toro pled guilty to the indictment and admitted that on March 4, 2014, law enforcement officers found 3,415 grams of methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in his vehicle. Toro further admitted that he was given $1,000.00 to drive the methamphetamine from Calif. to Ky., and would later receive another $5,000.00.
Toro is in custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the DEA and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rumaldo Armijo is prosecuting the case.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Four Armed Commercial RobberiesRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Phillip Thomas McGowans, age 27, of Brooklyn, Maryland, today to 12 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for robbery. Judge Bennett also entered an order that McGowans pay $2,214.60 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Commissioner Kevin Davis of the Baltimore Police Department; Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Wes Adams; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby.
According to his plea agreement, on July 25, 2014, McGowans pointed a handgun at an employee at the Village Liquors store in Brooklyn, Maryland and demanded money. McGowans fled with $800. On August 11, 2014, McGowan again robbed the same liquor store, pointing a handgun at employees. McGowan fled with $1,149, a bottle of vodka and cigarettes.
McGowan also robbed the New York Fried Chicken store on East Patapsco in Baltimore City on August 19 and 30, 2014. On both occasions, he pointed a weapon at an employee. He fled with $200 on the first occasion and an undetermined amount on the second robbery.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Anne Arundel County and Baltimore Ciy Police Departments, FBI, and Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Offices for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Bonnie S. Greenberg and Michael Hanlon, who prosecuted the case.
Babysitter Sentenced to 26 Years for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – Aaron Michael Burns, 26, of Norfolk, was sentenced today to 312 months in prison for production of child pornography. In addition to the sentence of imprisonment, he was sentenced to a term of lifetime supervised release.
Burns pleaded guilty on July 8, 2015. According to court documents, in June 2013, a three year-old girl was taken to a local emergency room because she claimed her live-in babysitter, defendant Burns, had touched her genitals. Burns was arrested by Norfolk Police Department (NPD), but left his computer powered on at the victim’s residence. The victim’s father saw a desktop folder on the computer labeled “child-sex.” Subsequent to a search warrant, NPD searched and seized a number of Burns’ computer devices. Forensic examinations by NPD and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) revealed over 20 images of the victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct another set of sexually explicit images of an unidentified toddler, and numerous images that Burns downloaded from the Internet.
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation (HSI); and Michael Goldsmith, Chief of Norfolk Police Department, made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted 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. 2:14-cr-9.
###
Attorney General Recognizes 14 Members of Maryland Law Enforcement for Their Efforts to End Corruption at the Baltimore City Detention CenterRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – Attorney General Loretta Lynch recognized 279 Justice Department employees and 33 individuals, including 14 members of Maryland law enforcement, with Attorney General Awards at a ceremony today in Washington DC. These annual awards recognize department employees and other individuals for their dedication to carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission.
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “They have put in long hours, made immense sacrifices, and, in some cases, placed themselves in harm’s way. They have taken on issues that once seemed intractable, and made progress on problems that once seemed impossible. And their outstanding work is an inspiration to public servants everywhere.”
“The longstanding corruption at the Baltimore City Detention Center was brought to an end because of exceptional work by dedicated law enforcement professionals,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was awarded to a District of Maryland team for their outstanding efforts to end corruption at the Baltimore City Detention Center through the successful investigation and conviction of forty defendants charged in a racketeering conspiracy, including 24 correctional officers. The investigation and prosecution revealed that Black Guerilla Family (BGF) gang members and associates bribed correctional officers at BCDC and related prison facilities to smuggle drugs, cell phones and other contraband. Correctional officers arranged favored treatment and privileges for imprisoned BGF gang members, and officers thwarted interdiction and law enforcement efforts against BGF inmates. BGF members and associates held at BCDC had long-term sexual relationships with several correctional officers and impregnated them. The team also worked closely with state correctional officials and other agencies to identify systemic weaknesses and develop effective reforms. The shocking facts detailed in the charging documents prompted the state legislature to step in with enhanced oversight. As a result of the case, correctional and law enforcement agencies developed new intelligence about prison corruption and a strategy about how to conduct criminal investigations behind bars.
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service was presented to: Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert R. Harding and Ayn B. Ducao, Legal Assistant Joanna B. Huber, all with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; FBI Supervisory Special Agents Wendy L. Hassett and John C. Hawkins; FBI Special Agents Karen R. Franks, Erika Jensen, Jeffrey P. Kramer, David D. Lee, and Sarah T. Lewis; FBI Intelligence Analyst Jody E. Zaruba; and FBI Task Force Officers Michael R. Corcoran from the Baltimore Police Department, Lynn G. Grant from the Prince George’s County Police Department, and Michael J. Baier formerly with the Baltimore Police Department and now with the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
Attorney General Lynch Recognizes Blackwater Prosecution Team with Award for Distinguished ServiceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch today recognized a team from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office for the successful prosecution of four former security guards for Blackwater USA on charges stemming from their roles in the Sept. 16, 2007, shooting at Nisur Square in Baghdad, Iraq, that resulted in the killing of 14 unarmed civilians and the wounding of numerous others.
The team members were among 279 Justice Department employees and 33 individuals outside of the department to receive Attorney General Awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Today’s 63rd annual ceremony recognized individuals for their outstanding service and dedication to carrying out the missions of the Department of Justice.
The team that worked on the Blackwater investigation was honored with the award for Distinguished Service, one of the Justice Department’s highest honors.
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “They have put in long hours, made immense sacrifices and, in some cases, placed themselves in harm’s way. They have taken on issues that once seemed intractable, and made progress on problems that once seemed impossible. And their outstanding work is an inspiration to public servants everywhere.”
“These awards reflect the unwavering dedication to justice displayed by lawyers and support staff of our Office and others across the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The Nisur Square shooting presented a test as to whether our criminal justice system was capable of holding these American contractors accountable for their criminal acts overseas against foreign nationals. Those who worked on this case persevered through years of incredibly challenging work to prosecute those responsible for the shooting of innocent, unarmed Iraqi civilians, securing convictions that reaffirmed the commitment of the American people to the rule of law."
“It took an enormous amount of investigative expertise, persistence and fortitude to ensure that justice and accountability was attained in this case,” stated Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The team’s ability to overcome each of the monumental challenges faced is a testament to their remarkable skill and unwavering commitment to ensuring the rule of law is faithfully applied. These individuals showed tremendous courage, dedication and integrity in following through on the successful pursuit of justice.”
The Distinguished Service Award is one of the Justice Department’s highest honors for employee performance. Recipients exemplify the highest commitment to the Justice Department’s mission. The team members from the U.S. Attorney’s Office who were honored today include: Jonathan M. Malis, Chief of the Criminal Division; T. Patrick Martin, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division; Gregg A. Maisel, Chief of the National Security Section; Kenneth C. Kohl, Deputy Chief of the National Security Section; Jay I. Bratt, former Deputy Chief of the National Security Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Crabb, Jr., Christopher R. Kavanaugh, and David Mudd; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion; and Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant. Mr. Bratt and Mr. Asuncion are now Deputy Chiefs with the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and Mr. Kavanaugh is now with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Virginia.
Other team members who were recognized today include Attorney Demetra Lambros, of the Appellate Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Brian M. Rasmussen, formerly the FBI’s Assistant Legal Attaché (ALAT) in Baghdad and now Supervisory Special Agent of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, and Special Agents Marc Daniel Hess, Jeremy David Moore, Thomas F. O’Connor, and Katrice Stubbs, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Those honored today represented a much larger group from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other agencies that played an integral part in the extraordinary and unprecedented investigation and subsequent trial. These many contributors showed remarkable professionalism, tenacity, and courage throughout the investigation and prosecution of the security guards who were accused of taking part in the shooting in and around Nisur Square, a busy traffic circle in the heart of Baghdad. Those killed included 10 men, two women, and two boys, ages 9 and 11. At least another 18 victims were injured.
The four security guards who stood trial worked for Blackwater USA, a private security contractor that was paid by the U.S. government to provide protective services to U.S. officials. They were found guilty by a jury on Oct. 22, 2014, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Over the course of 11 weeks, the government presented testimony from 71 witnesses, including over 30 from Iraq. This represented the largest group of foreign witnesses ever to travel to the United States for a criminal trial. The witnesses included 13 people who were wounded in the shootings, as well as relatives of many of those who died. The government’s witnesses also included nine members of “Raven 23,” the Blackwater team that was on the scene on the day of the shootings, including one former security guard who pled guilty in December 2008.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Hosts the 63rd Annual Attorney General Awards Honoring Department Employees and Others for Their ServiceRead the Press Release
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch recognized 279 department employees for their distinguished public service today at the 63nd Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony. Thirty-three other individuals outside of the department were also honored for their work. This annual ceremony recognizes individuals for their outstanding service and dedication to carrying out the missions of the Department of Justice. The department will also present one posthumous award in honor of Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells for his exceptional heroism in the line of duty.
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “They have put in long hours, made immense sacrifices and, in some cases, placed themselves in harm’s way. They have taken on issues that once seemed intractable, and made progress on problems that once seemed impossible. And their outstanding work is an inspiration to public servants everywhere.”
The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service is the department’s highest award for employee performance and this year’s award was presented to the team responsible for the thorough investigation of the Ferguson, Missouri, Police Department.
On Aug. 9, 2014, Ferguson Police Department Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. The shooting immediately drew worldwide scrutiny, spawned weeks of unrest that resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency in Ferguson and the mobilization of the National Guard, which threatened to devolve into large-scale civil unrest. Simultaneously, the case and aftermath spawned a national debate on the nature of the roles of race and class in policing. Immediately following the shooting, the department’s Civil Rights Division began criminal and civil investigations to uncover and analyze the facts surrounding the shooting and the broader practices of the Ferguson Police Department. These reports were widely read, were published in the most prominent news sources around the world and were received as credible by community members and law enforcement alike. The work of the recipients not only calmed the community, it set the framework for a groundbreaking project to improve police practices and police and community relations, while also reinforcing the credibility of the department by enforcing the civil rights of all Americans.
The recipients of the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service include, from the Office of the Attorney General, Counselor Benjamin C. Mizer, who is now the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the department’s Civil Division; from the Office of the Associate Attorney General, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Molly J. Moran; from the Civil Rights Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Kappelhoff, Office of the Assistant Attorney General Senior Counsel Chiraag Bains, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert J. Moossy, Criminal Section Acting Chief Paige Fitzgerald, Criminal Section Deputy Chief Kristy L. Parker, Criminal Section Trial Attorney Fara T. Gold, Special Litigation Section Deputy Chief Christy E. Lopez, Special Litigation Section Trial Attorneys Charles W. Hart Jr. and Jude J. Volek and Special Litigation Section Equal Opportunity Specialist Earl H. Saunders; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Missouri, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristian M. Stevens; from the FBI’s St. Louis Field Office, Special Agents Carolyn A. Cerone and Cynthia Dockery; and from the Office of Public Affairs, Public Affairs Specialist Dena W. Iverson.
The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism is given to recognize an extraordinary act of courage and voluntary risk of life during the performance of official duties.
The recipients of the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism are, from the U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of Mississippi, Deputy U.S. Marshal (DUSM) Josie Wells, and from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington, D.C., Field Division, Special Agent (SA) Mark T. Simala.
On March 10, 2015, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)-Middle District of Louisiana was involved in a significant incident in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while attempting to arrest fugitive Jamie Croom during Operation Violence Reduction. Croom was wanted on two counts of first degree murder and violation of his federal supervised release. USMS personnel and Task Force Officers (TFO) responded to the Elm Grove Gardens Hotel in Baton Rouge in an attempt to arrest Croom. Dressed in tactical attire with clearly marked law enforcement insignias, the entry team knocked and announced their presence when opening the door. Law enforcement personnel proceeded into the room, at which time DUSM Wells was struck by gun fire initiated by Croom, who was hiding behind the hotel room door. Law enforcement personnel immediately returned fire at the threat, striking Croom and subsequently restraining him. Task force personnel immediately extracted DUSM Wells from the room to the parking lot and attempted to render first aid. DUSM Wells was placed in a TFO’s vehicle and transported to Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary, Louisiana, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
On Nov. 19, 2014, SA Simala came to the aid of John Robert Phillips after he was involved in a horrific vehicle accident. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, SA Simala was able to rescue an unconscious Phillips from his burning vehicle shortly before it became engulfed by flames. Had SA Simala not acted, Phillips undoubtedly would have perished inside his burning vehicle. During the incident, SA Simala suffered burns to his outer clothing, smoke inhalation and had several small and treatable glass cuts to his right hand. Meanwhile, Phillips is said to be doing well and recovering from a shattered pelvis and two broken legs.
The Edward H. Levi Award for Outstanding Professionalism and Exemplary Integrity is presented to pay tribute to the memory and achievements of former Attorney General Edward H. Levi, whose career as an attorney, law professor, dean and public servant exemplified these qualities in the best traditions of the department. This year’s award is presented to Charles E. Samuels Jr., Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Samuels is honored for his distinguished public service career. He began his career as a correctional officer and moved through the ranks before becoming the eighth director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Dec. 21, 2011. During his tenure as director, Samuels has significantly enhanced the operations of the largest agency in the department, thereby increasing public safety and reducing crime. He has refreshed the country’s largest corrections system, bringing a renewed emphasis to the department and administration priorities, such as the Smart on Crime Initiative, prisoner reentry, Children of Incarcerated Parents, evidence based approaches to programs, solid labor-management relations, transparency and ensuring the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Samuels has made great strides in aligning the work of the department with the Bureau of Prisons’ crime prevention mission through a variety of significant initiatives centered around enhancing safety of staff and inmates; increasing security and order inside federal prisons; increasing and improving inmate program offerings; realigning resources to increase efficiencies; increasing transparency with the public and stakeholders; enhancing labor-management relations; enhancing programs to strengthen bonds between incarcerated parents and their children; and expanding the use of sentence reduction mechanisms. Through continual direct communications with thousands of employees around the country, using web-based messages, videos and live teleconferences, he rallies staff around his message of making a positive difference in the lives of others.
The Mary C. Lawton Lifetime Service Award recognizes employees who have served at least 20 years in the department and have demonstrated high standards of excellence and dedication throughout their careers. This award is presented only in exceptional circumstances to those individuals of special merit and is not awarded to express general appreciation for tenure alone. This year’s Mary C. Lawton Lifetime Service Award is presented to Joyce R. Branda, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch.
During her distinguished 30-year career in the Civil Division, Branda has consistently made significant contributions to the department’s mission and its people, which led to her being selected in 2012 as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, the highest ranking career manager in the Civil Division. Her exemplary management in that role has been reflected by her selection in September 2014 to serve as the Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division. Branda has demonstrated the highest standards of excellence and commitment throughout her career.
The William French Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement is an honorary award granted to recognize state and local law enforcement officials who have made significant contributions to cooperative law enforcement endeavors.
This year’s award is presented to Brian Bailey, Danny Doyle and Joshua Mauney, Task Force Officers of the U.S. Marshals Service-Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force Investigative Operations Division.
This team assisted in an investigation that led to the successful arrest of Billy Lee Owens, a fugitive wanted on 22 outstanding warrants from five separate agencies. As evidenced by his criminal history and previous arrests, Owens was an infamous thief with a complete lack of regard for public safety in his attempts to evade capture. During the 48 hours prior to his capture, Owens led law enforcement officers on two vehicle pursuits, striking a dismounted task force officer with a stolen vehicle during one pursuit. On June 18, 2014, the recipients captured and arrested Owens.
The Attorney General’s Award for Meritorious Public Service is the top public service award granted by the department, and is designed to recognize the most significant contributions of citizens and organizations that have assisted the department in the accomplishment of its mission and objectives. One Meritorious Public Service award is presented this year to Michael Lieberman, Washington Counsel and Director at the Anti-Defamation League Civil Rights Policy Planning Center.
Lieberman is recognized for his significant contributions to the enactment and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Prior to its enactment in 2009, Lieberman was a major contributor to the act’s development, both as policy counsel for the Anti-Defamation League and as the organizer and leader of the Hate Crimes Coalition, a working group of diverse non-governmental organizations (NGOs) representing communities across the nation. Through his leadership in the coalition, Lieberman worked collegially and constructively with the department and Congress to secure passage of an effective and potent hate crimes statute. Since its enactment in 2009, Lieberman has been an active and helpful community partner in the department’s implementation and enforcement of the act. He has worked with community groups and law enforcement across the nation to ensure that hate crimes are reported to law enforcement by working to build trust between community groups and local law enforcement through outreach and training events; expanding the Uniform Crime Report to collect hate crimes data on more religions; developing a law enforcement guide for identifying and reporting cases of hate crimes based on gender identity; providing active NGO participation in NGO/law enforcement joint hate crimes trainings across the nation; and filing amicus briefs in federal and state hate crimes cases on appeal that support the department’s legal positions on the act. Through these efforts and more, Lieberman has made significant contributions that assist the department in the accomplishment of its mission and objectives.
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service is the Justice Department’s second-highest award for employee performance. The recipients of this award exemplify the highest commitment to the department’s mission. Twelve Distinguished Service Awards are presented this year to individuals or teams of people.
The first Distinguished Service Award is presented to members of the team responsible for successfully litigating to enjoin anti-steering rules maintained by credit card companies. This team is honored for its outstanding achievements in prevailing in one of the most significant and challenging cases the department’s Antitrust Division has litigated in decades. The Antitrust Division filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in October 2010 to enjoin anti-steering rules maintained by American Express, MasterCard and Visa that prevented merchants from encouraging consumers to use lower-cost forms of payment. Because merchants had no ability under the defendants’ rules to reward lower-cost credit card networks with increased transaction volume, the $50 billion in swipe fees that credit card networks collect from merchants each year were insulated from the forces of competition. The recipients negotiated successful settlements with Visa and MasterCard but continued to litigate against American Express until the case proceeded to a seven-week trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York in the summer of 2014. In February 2015, Judge Garaufis found, after a full rule-of-reason analysis, that American Express violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The team persuaded Judge Garaufis of American Express’s liability in spite of complex two-sided platform issues associated with the payments industry, American Express’s relatively low market share, and a determined defense by a well-financed defendant represented by lawyers from some of the country’s most prestigious litigation firms. Judge Garaufis complimented the parties for conducting the best trial he had ever presided. In addition to the significant benefits that the team’s success will bring to American consumers, it will also pay dividends for the division for many years as potential future defendants evaluate their risks of litigating against the Antitrust Division.
Award recipients include, from the Antitrust Division, Litigation III Section Chief David Kully, Litigation III Section Assistant Chief Ethan Glass, Litigation III Section Trial Attorneys Craig Conrath, Andrew Ewalt, Mark Hamer, Gregg Malawer, Bennett Matelson, John Read, Lisa Scanlon, Joseph Vardner and Rachel Zwolinski, Networks and Technology Section Trial Attorney Ihan Kim, Competition Policy Section Economists Jeffrey Lien and Diane Owen and Economic Litigation Section Economist Deborah Minehart.
The second team to receive the Distinguished Service Award receives the award for its extraordinary work and exceptional service in the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) investigation and litigation against Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) for its issuance of fraudulently inflated ratings of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS) and Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) in the run-up to the 2007 through 2008 financial crisis. The investigation and litigation, coordinated with related civil actions by 19 states and the District of Columbia, led to a record $1.375 billion settlement, half of which ($687.5 million) constitutes a penalty to be paid to the federal government, and is the largest penalty of its type ever paid by a credit rating agency. As part of the settlement, S&P admitted it ignored senior analysts within the company who complained it had given top ratings to financial products that were failing to perform as expected and it had declined to downgrade underperforming assets because it was worried that doing so would hurt the company’s business. While this strategy helped S&P avoid disappointing its clients, it did major harm to investors, including federally insured financial institutions that suffered losses exceeding $20 billion and to the larger economy, contributing to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The litigation and its resolution provided further proof that the department will vigorously pursue investigations and litigation, no matter how challenging, to address misconduct that contributed to the financial crisis.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California, Assistant U. S. Attorneys George S. Cardona and Anoiel Khorshid; from the Office of the Associate Attorney General, former Deputy Associate Attorney General Geoffrey T. Graber; from the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, Trial Attorneys James T. Nelson and Sondra L. Mills, Director Michael S. Blume and Investigator Michael A. Nash; from the Civil Division’s Federal Programs Branch, Assistant Director Arthur R. Goldberg and Trial Attorneys Bradley Cohen and Jennie L. Kneedler; and from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, Trial Attorney Thomas D. Zimpleman.
The third Distinguished Service Award is presented to the team responsible for their outstanding work organizing and leading a complicated and groundbreaking takedown operation that combined civil and criminal authorities to dismantle the notorious Gameover Zeus botnet and related to Cryptolocker, as well as the prosecution of Evgeniy Bogachev, a Russian national regarded as one of the most prolific cyber criminals in the world. The operation, which involved coordination among more than 10 countries and dozens of private sector partners, wrested control of a global botnet that had stolen approximately $100 million from U.S. and European businesses and consumers and dismantled the computer infrastructure of a “ransomware” scheme that netted millions from victims by locking them out of their files until they paid a ransom to the criminals. In connection with the takedown, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh unsealed a 14-count indictment against Bogachev, charging him with conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering in connection with his alleged role as an administrator of the Gameover Zeus botnet. Bogachev was also charged by criminal complaint in Omaha, Nebraska, with conspiracy to commit bank fraud related to his alleged involvement in the operation of a prior version of Gameover Zeus. Although Bogachev remains a fugitive, he is on the FBI’s Cyber Most Wanted List and in March 2015, the FBI announced a $3 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Award recipients include, from the National Security Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Luke Dembosky; from the National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section Trial Attorney David Aaron; Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section Trial Attorneys Ethan Arenson and William A. Hall Jr.; from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, Principal Deputy Director Mary D. Rodriguez and Associate Director (Europe and Central Asia) Jason E. Carter; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Pennsylvania, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael A. Comber and Shardul S. Desai; from the FBI’s Anchorage, Alaska, Field Office, Special Agent Elliott R. Peterson; from the FBI’s Omaha, Nebraska, Field Office Special Agents James K. Craig and Sara K. Stanley; and from the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, Special Agent Steven J. Lampo.
The fourth team to be awarded the Distinguished Service Award is presented this award for its outstanding work on the successful long-term investigation and prosecution of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). The ABT was a powerful, race-based Texas state-wide organization operating inside and outside state and federal prisons throughout Texas and the United States. ABT protected its criminal money-making enterprises, including narcotics trafficking, identity theft, counterfeiting and check fraud, through assault, murder and other acts of violence while enforcing violent internal discipline. In an investigation spanning six years and 17 separate indictments in five different federal districts, the recipients targeted the leadership and the most violent members and associates of the ABT. Their work culminated in the indictment and conviction of 73 ABT members and associates on charges ranging from racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, narcotics trafficking, assault in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses and obstruction of justice. This investigation and prosecution was exceedingly successful and the resulting convictions of every high ranking member of the ABT have effectively dismantled this violent criminal network. The collaborative work of the recipients in this long-term case is truly exceptional and worthy of this distinguished honor.
Award recipients include, from the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Trial Attorney David N. Karpel; from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Houston Field Division, Senior Special Agent Richard J. Boehning, Special Agent Allen D. Darilek and Intelligence Research Specialist Donna S. Gray; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Braley; from the FBI’s Boston Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent William Scott O’Donnell; from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent Keith W. Koncir; from the U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of Texas, Deputy U.S. Marshal Justin J. Perusich; from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agents Steven D. Cavitt and Steven N. VanGeem and Task Force Officer Steven J. Lair; from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, Criminal Investigator Joshua D. Lyons; from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division-Major Gang Unit, Special Agent Devin R. Gonzales; from the Montgomery County, Texas, Sherriff’s Office, Detective David J. Wells; and from the Texas Rangers Company “A”, Texas Ranger Brandon Bess.
The fifth Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the Blackwater team for its historic achievement in bringing to justice four Blackwater contractors assigned to a security team in Baghdad, who, without justification, fired a sniper rifle, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at innocent, unarmed Iraqi civilians at Nisur Square, killing 14 and injuring at least 18 others on Sept. 16, 2007. The Nisur Square shooting was a watershed event for our nation’s involvement in Iraq and it presented a test as to whether the U.S. Criminal Justice System was capable of holding these American contractors accountable for their criminal acts overseas against foreign nationals. It took seven long years to obtain the guilty verdicts in the case, during which time the team overcame complex legal challenges, which included a dismissal of the entire case by the district court and a successful appeal, daunting problems of proof arising from a factual scenario that the defendants characterized as a “battlefield,” and the enormous logistical and victim-witness challenges of bringing more than 40 Iraqi witnesses to the United States to testify at a time when Iraq was undergoing a particularly intense period of turmoil. The team’s ability to overcome each of these monumental challenges is a testament to their tremendous skill and unwavering dedication. Ultimately, the jury’s guilty verdicts on virtually every charge represent a reaffirmation of the power of the rule of law.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay I. Bratt, John Crabb Jr., Kenneth C. Kohl, Gregg A. Maisel, Jonathan M. Malis, T. Patrick Martin and David Mudd, and Victim Witness Program Specialist Yvonne Bryant; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Virginia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh; from the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section, Attorney Demetra Lambros; from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent Brian M. Rasmussen; from the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office, Special Agents Marc Daniel Hess, Jeremy David Moore, Thomas F. O’Connor and Katrice Stubbs; and from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, Deputy Chief Anthony Asuncion.
The sixth Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the multi-agency team responsible for their exemplary performance in the shutdown of the Silk Road website and the subsequent sale of bitcoins. The multi-agency effort to dismantle the Silk Road website was a landmark event in the department’s fight against cybercrime. These efforts brought the owner and operator to justice through a cutting-edge criminal investigation and subsequent trial and pioneered the first-ever government-sponsored sale of bitcoins. Silk Road was a sprawling, black market bazaar which operated on the “dark web” and required all transactions to be paid for in bitcoins, enabling its users to anonymously buy and sell illicit goods and services, including drugs, counterfeit IDs, computer hacking tools, pornography and weapons. The team, which was nominated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Marshals Service, led this extraordinary and groundbreaking effort by successfully navigating uncharted government territory and dismantling a notorious criminal enterprise of unprecedented scope and sophistication. The case not only serves as a model for others to follow in conducting complex cybercrime investigations, prosecutions and asset dispositions in the future, but it also demonstrates that law enforcement is capable of rising to the challenge in the growing shift of criminal activity on the Internet.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Howard and Serrin Turner; from the FBI’s New York Field Office, Special Agent Vincent D. D’Agostino and Computer Scientist Thomas Kiernan; from the U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of New York, Acting U.S. Marshal Eric B. Timberman; from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Office of General Counsel, Associate General Counsel Clifford R.R. Krieger; from the U.S. Marshals Service’s Asset Forfeiture Division, Assistant Program Manager Kyle T. Bateman; from the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, Assistant Deputy Chief for Policy John W. Vardaman III and Attorney-Advisor Joseph F. Mignano; from the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Intelligence Analyst Catherine Diane Pelker; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Cohen Levin and Christine I. Magdo; from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agent Jared Der-Yeghiayan; and from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent Gary L. Alford.
The seventh Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the state of Maryland’s Prison Corruption Task Force. In 2011, the state of Maryland established a Prison Corruption Task Force for state, local and federal officials to share intelligence about high levels of gang activity in state correctional facilities. Based on leads developed by the task force, federal agents and prosecutors used sophisticated investigative techniques to expose a widespread racketeering conspiracy in which leaders of Maryland’s most prominent criminal gang corrupted correctional officers and exerted influence while incarcerated in the Baltimore City Detention Center. The correctional officers smuggled contraband, drugs and cell phones into the facility and engaged in sexual relationships with gang members. Gang leaders generated large profits by selling drugs and extorting payments from non-gang-affiliated inmates. Using cell phones and electronic payment systems, gang leaders arranged to bribe correctional officers, purchase and sell drugs and transmit money outside the jail. As a result of evidence gathered through multiple wiretaps, surveillance and cooperating witnesses, the team successfully prosecuted 40 defendants, including 24 correctional officers. The team also worked closely with state correctional officials and other agencies to identify systemic weaknesses and develop effective reforms. The shocking facts detailed in the charging documents prompted the state legislature to step in with enhanced oversight. As a result of the case, correctional and law enforcement agencies developed new intelligence about prison corruption and a strategy about how to conduct criminal investigations behind bars.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Maryland, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ayn B. Ducao and Robert R. Harding and Legal Assistant Joanna B. Huber; from the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, John C. Hawkins; and from the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent Wendy L. Hassett, Special Agents Karen Robertson Franks, Erika Jensen, Jeffrey P. Kramer, David D. Lee and Sarah Lewis, Intelligence Analyst Jody E. Zaruba and Task Force Officers Michael R. Corcoran, Michael J. Baier and Lynn G. Grant.
The eighth Distinguished Service Award is awarded to Melinda B. Morgan, Director of the Finance Staff in the Justice Management Division (JMD).
Morgan is a department and federal government leader in financial management, as evidenced by the success she has achieved in saving taxpayer money, implementing complex financial systems and managing a large workforce during times of financial stress. She makes certain all of the department’s 40 components have the strongest financial management portfolio by ensuring that policies and priorities are not only communicated but implemented according to guidelines. Since 2004, Morgan has been instrumental in safeguarding the department’s clean audit opinions, including the last four years, with no significant deficiencies identified by the auditors at the consolidated level. This is known in financial circles as a “clean-clean” audit opinion and it is a mark of outstanding financial management achievement on behalf of the taxpayers. The department has maintained a clean audit opinion while major department organizations have transitioned to a new financial system that, to date, has reduced eight legacy systems to three. Measured by either the millions of dollars she has achieved in savings or by the improvements she has made in the department’s financial operations and support for our national security and law enforcement programs, Morgan stands out as one of the department’s key executives responsible for improved financial management in government.
The ninth Distinguished Service Award is presented to the team responsible for their outstanding work in the groundbreaking national security cyber case, United States v. Wang Dong, which involved charges against five members of the Chinese military for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries. The investigation was extremely complex and involved extensive and close coordination over several years. Throughout the investigation, the team worked collaboratively and thought creatively, exploring all available options to marshal the proof available from different sources sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt who was responsible for the charged crimes. It is notable among other cyber investigations for the volume and complexity of technical information, stored in different systems, that the team developed new ways to analyze. The recipients’ exemplary efforts were a critical step forward in addressing the national security cyber threat. This award included recipients from the National Security Division, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the FBI.
The 10th Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the team responsible for its extraordinary work in United States v. Citigroup, which resulted in a landmark settlement of civil fraud claims with one of the architects of the nation’s financial crises, Citigroup Inc. Totaling $7 billion, the settlement included payment of a record $4 billion penalty under FIRREA, Citigroup’s agreement to provide $2.5 billion in consumer relief and Citigroup’s acknowledgment that it made misrepresentations to investors in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). The recipients conducted a sweeping, two-year investigation of Citigroup’s RMBS securitization practices, issuing nearly 50 subpoenas, reviewing over 25 million documents and taking testimony from over 30 witnesses.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Colorado, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lila M. Bateman, J. Chris Larson and Kevin T. Traskos and Financial Analyst Laura K. Keane; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard K. Hayes, Charles S. Kleinberg, Edward K. Newman and John Vagelatos; and from the Office of the Associate Attorney General, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua I. Wilkenfeld.
The 11th Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the team for its work in the historic $16.65 billion settlement with Bank of America for fraud in the origination and securitization of residential mortgages. In his January 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama called upon the Attorney General to create a priority taskforce aimed at bringing financial accountability to banking institutions for their role in the residential mortgage crisis and resulting economic downturn. Delivering on that promise, the recipients assembled and led teams to investigate the entire platform of RMBS offered for sale in 2006 through 2008 by Merrill Lynch, Bank of America and Countrywide. This team pursued extensive and detailed fact investigations, developed and adapted innovative legal theories under FIRREA and prepared comprehensive civil complaints seeking billions of dollars in penalties. In addition to resolving RMBS-related claims, the settlement also resolved claims by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices of the Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of New York related to faulty loan origination practices by Bank of America and Countrywide that resulted in misrepresentations about the quality of those loans to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration. The exhaustive efforts and perseverance of these teams advanced the core mission of the department by holding Bank of America accountable for its fraudulent conduct that contributed to the financial crisis, as well as providing substantial compensation for entities supported by American taxpayers and critical assistance to homeowners and neighborhoods impacted by the mortgage meltdown.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth M. Abell and Affirmative Civil Enforcement Auditor Emily J. Rosenthal; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pierre G. Armand and Jaimie Nawaday; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Jersey, Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Feder and Leticia B. Vandehaar and Auditor Barbara Radey; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evan J. Davis, Leon W. Weidman and Brent A. Whittlesey; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of North Carolina, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark T. Odulio and Daniel S. Ryan; and from the Civil Division, Director of E-Discovery, FOIA and Records Allison C. Stanton.
The 12th Distinguished Service Award is awarded to the team responsible for the review of the U.S. government’s handling and sharing of information prior to the Boston Marathon bombings, identified areas where broader information sharing between agencies may have been required, or where broader information sharing in the future should be considered. The report made two recommendations: that the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarify Joint Terrorism Task Force alert procedures and that the FBI consider establishing a procedure for sharing threat information with state and local partners more proactively and uniformly. The FBI and DHS concurred with the recommendations and took immediate actions to implement them.
Award recipients include, from the department’s Office of the Inspector General, Investigative Counsels Jonathan A. Marks, Julie McConnell and Ann Marie Terzaken, Program Analyst Katherine Hazemey and Oversight and Review Division Paralegal Specialist Valencia E. Philyaw; from the DHS Office of Inspector General, Program Analyst Lindsay K. Clarke, Intelligence Officer Anthony D. Crawford, Lead Inspector Elizabeth A. Kingma, Inspector Megan T. Pardee and Analyst Brendan S. Bacon; from the Intelligence Community’s Office of Inspector General, Senior Auditor Catherine A. Cruz, Inspector William F. Rucker and Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Inspections William F. O’Neill; and from the Central Intelligence Agency’s Office of Inspector General, Audit Project Manager Mark A. Krulikowski, Auditors Matthew D. Seaman and Eric T. Tarnovsky and Attorney Renee Rocque Lee.
The Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in Indian Country recognizes extraordinary efforts by department employees who demonstrate the department’s commitment to fighting crime in Indian Country. This year’s award is presented to, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tanisha R. Payne, Steven L. Tiscione and Amir H. Toossi and Paralegal Specialist Huda Abouchaer; and, from the DEA’s New York Division, Special Agent Francis G. O’Regan. This team is recognized for its outstanding achievements in connection with the seven-year investigation of drug trafficking through the Akwesasne Native American Reservation on the U.S. and Canada border. The investigation resulted in the arrest, prosecution and conviction of more than 100 members and associates of a massive international criminal syndicate responsible for smuggling more than 100,000 kilograms of marijuana, tens of thousands of ecstasy pills and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine through Native American reservations straddling the border between the United States and Canada. The investigation resulted in the complete dismantlement of the three largest smuggling networks on the Akwesasne, a designated high-intensity drug-trafficking area (HIDTA), with the leaders of all three organizations pleading guilty to continuing criminal enterprise charges and the conviction of Canadian drug kingpin Jimmy Cournoyer, leader of a Montreal-based criminal enterprise that worked directly with the Rizzuto Crime Family of the Montreal Mafia, the Hells Angels, the Bonanno Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra and the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. These prosecutions stemmed the flow of a massive drug pipeline into the U.S. and drew national attention to the tremendous security risk posed by international drug cartels utilizing sovereign tribal lands to smuggle drugs and weapons across our northern border.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement recognizes outstanding professional achievements by law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice. This year’s award is presented to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Special Operations Group (SOG) played an essential role in the apprehension of Eric Frein, a fugitive wanted for the Sept. 12, 2014, ambush of the Pennsylvania State Police that killed Corporal Byron Dickson and critically wounded Trooper Alex Douglass. In support of the Pennsylvania State Police and with the assistance of hundreds of law enforcement officers, the SOG team apprehended Frein on Oct. 30, 2014, after an almost seven-week manhunt, the longest in Pennsylvania state history. The pursuit of Frein, a self-reported sniper with a myriad of outdoor survival and military tactical skills, required SOG deputies to deploy the full range of their tactical capabilities in rural operations and put themselves in the way of serious harm. SOG collaborated with other USMS units in its investigation, including the Investigative Operations Division, the Office of Strategic Technology and the Office of Emergency Management. Because of the perseverance, dedication, cooperation and bravery of the recipients during the long and difficult search, the SOG team was able to apprehend a dangerously armed suspect without incident.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Marshals Service, Middle District of Pennsylvania Assistant Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal James A. Nelson, Northern District of Georgia Criminal Investigator Travis D. Burdette, Tactical Operation Division Supervisory Criminal Investigators Scott C. Kimball and Scott M. Malkowski, Central District of California Criminal Investigator Markus R. Dale, District of Arizona Criminal Investigator Justin M. Davis, District of Columbia Criminal Investigator Scott R. Dmytryshyn, District of Minnesota Criminal Investigator Nathan T. Matthews, Eastern District of Kentucky Criminal Investigator Zachary P. Thompson, Western District of Kentucky Criminal Investigator John S. Schaaf, Eastern District of Michigan Criminal Investigator Joseph E. Godlewski, Middle District of Florida Criminal Investigator Mark J. Graham and Eastern District of Washington Criminal Investigator Julio A. Hernandez.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Management recognizes outstanding administrative or managerial achievements which have significantly improved operations or productivity, or reduced costs. This year’s award is presented to the Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Program Management Office. Award recipients include, from OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Associate Deputy Director Ruby F. Qazilbash, Senior Policy Advisor Thomas B. Talbot IV and Special Assistant Thurston L. Bryant; and from the OJP Office of General Counsel, Assistant General Counsels Peter M. Brien and Emily M. Gallas and Deputy General Counsel Charles T. Moses III.
The Office of Justice Programs Program Management Office’s assiduous and collaborative work has laid the foundation to promote sexual safety in confinement facilities across the country. This work most certainly represents a special service in the public interest which is over and above normal requirements, and of an outstanding and distinctive character in terms of improved operations, public understanding of the department’s mission, and accomplishments of one of the major goals of the department. At the end of the day, if it were not for the work of the Prison Rape Elimination Act Management Office during this time period, the department and the nation would be years away from improved conditions of confinement. This team thoughtfully developed a plan and implemented it, and now the office operates seamlessly as if it has been in operating for years. Taking a concept from “zero to one” is an extraordinary feat, especially in such a complicated area.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Information Technology recognizes outstanding achievements in applying information technology to improve operations and productivity, reduce or avoid costs, and solve problems. This year’s award is presented to the team responsible for implementing the department’s Unified Financial Management System.
Award recipients include, from JMD Finance Staff’s Unified Financial System Group, Deputy Director Christopher C. Alvarez, Assistant Director Mark C. Miller, Deputy Assistant Director Matthew J. Roper, Deputy Assistant Director for Production Jeffrey D. Pullen, Deputy Assistant Director for Migration and Integration Ping Oberst, Deputy Assistant Director for Infrastructure Marc Berlove, Testing Manager Tim D. Taylor, and Implementation Managers Jocelyn M. Harris and Arlene B. Helm; from JMD Finance Staff, Quality Control and Compliance Deputy Assistant Director Vu C. Truong; from JMD Service Delivery Staff, Unix Team Lead Jerome K. Milligan; and from the FBI’s Finance Division, Unit Chief Robert J. White Jr. and Management and Program Analyst Lowell Alden Williams.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions in protecting U.S. national security. Two Awards for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security are presented this year.
The first Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security is presented to the team who investigated and prosecuted two individuals and one company for economic espionage and theft of trade secrets for stealing valuable and sensitive U.S. trade secrets for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This marked the first-ever jury trial conviction under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. The investigation uncovered a 20-year plan hatched by high-level PRC government officials to obtain E.l. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) trade secrets for the production of titanium dioxide (Ti02) and exploit its value through PRC state-owned enterprises. Ti02 is a commercially valuable white pigment that is used in a multitude of products including paint, plastic and food items. DuPont’s unique process for creating Ti02 also creates a rare intermediary compound that has military and aerospace uses, such as coatings for ballistic missiles. Transfer of these trade secrets to the PRC would have had an extremely negative impact on the United States’ $13 billion per year Ti02 industry. The defendants had obtained the trade secrets and were in the process of providing them to state-owned entities of the PRC when law enforcement intervened. After hard-fought litigation and a seven-week trial, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of California, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter B. Axelrod, John H. Hemann and Candace Kelly and Visual Information Specialist Sutton A. Peirce; from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Supervisory Trial Attorney Richard S. Scott; from the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent Kevin J. Phelan, Special Agents Bianca N. Betz, Cynthia Ho, Cecily Laine Rometo and Christopher J. White and Intelligence Analyst Nathan D. Francis; from the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Supervisory Special Agent Katherine E. Pattillo; and from the U.S. Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Special Agent Justin E. Fletcher.
The second Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security is presented to the team responsible for the successful prosecution of United States v. Mohamed Osman Mohamud. The team’s exceptional diligence and expert handling of difficult litigation challenges led to a conviction and 30-year sentence for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The defendant in this case sought to detonate a truck bomb at a public Christmas celebration in Portland, Oregon, in the hopes of murdering thousands of people. The case posed numerous unique challenges in handling classified and sensitive information and countering a defense claim of entrapment. The guilty verdict obtained in this case brought justice to a dangerous extremist and affirmed the department’s use of investigative sting techniques to detect and neutralize homegrown terrorists.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Oregon, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pamela R. Holsinger, Ethan D. Knight and Jeffrey S. Sweet, Supervisory Litigative Support Specialist Susan E. Cooke, Litigation Support Specialist Rena R. Rallis and Paralegal Specialist Lori A. McBryde; from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, Supervisory Trial Attorney Alexis L. Collins, Trial Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman, and Legal Administrative Specialist Pamela J. Hall; from the National Security Division’s Office of Intelligence, Supervisory Attorney-Advisor Paul E. Ridge and Attorney-Advisor Bryan Chehock; from the National Security Division’s Office of Law and Policy, Attorney-Advisor Joseph F. Palmer; from the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Supervisory Special Agent Jared J. Garth; from the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Dwyer; from the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent Elvis M. Chan; from the FBI’s Washington, D.C., Field Office, Special Agent Miltiadis Trousas; and from the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, Special Agent Thomas M. Ford Jr.
The Attorney General’s Award for Equal Employment Opportunity is the department’s highest award for performance in support of the Equal Employment Opportunity program. One Equal Employment Opportunity Award is presented this year for outstanding leadership and performance in equal employment opportunity and diversity in the department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). Jeffrey Sands, Senior Attorney in ENRD, is presented this award for his leadership and tireless work to achieve equal employment opportunities for minority attorneys and law students in the ENRD’s workforce. In addition to performing his regularly assigned duties as a senior attorney, he has devoted countless hours and energy to promote equal employment opportunities through his work on the Environmental Enforcement Section (EES) Hiring Committee for Lateral Attorneys, the EES Legal Intern Hiring Committee, the ENRD Diversity and Career Development Committee and through the individual counseling he has provided to minority attorneys and law students who have been referred to him and whom he has met during outreach activities. Sands has done a great deal to advance equal employment opportunity for minority attorneys and law students, and his work in this area has been a great benefit to both the department and ENRD.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Legal Support recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of legal support to attorneys by paralegal specialists and other legal assistants.
In the Paralegal Category, this year’s Award for Excellence in Legal Support is presented to Milton E. Ramos, Paralegal Specialist in the FBI’s San Juan Division. Ramos’ initiative was evident when he reviewed the San Juan Division’s Legal Unit administrative tort claim procedures in order to assess its strengths and weaknesses. His experience allowed him to develop a more concise and effective process in order to obtain quicker reimbursements of government vehicle accident claims in which the FBI was not at fault. Ramos developed and implemented this process in concurrence with the San Juan Third Party Draft. As a result of this new process, he saved the FBI thousands of dollars. Additionally, Ramos utilized his professional experience and knowledge to organize and implement new procedures designed to fully comply with the annual requirements of the Ethics Program for the San Juan Division. The Office of Integrity and Compliance reviewed the new procedures and the inspectors highly praised Ramos’ dedication and effective work. They further indicated they would recommend some of Ramos’ innovative procedures as a best practice for other FBI offices. Another significant example of Ramos’ outstanding performance was his assistance to the Civil Division Torts Branch litigation team assigned to the litigation of Ortiz Lebron v. United States. Throughout the four year litigation process, Ramos’ expertise and support were crucial. His ability to coordinate informal interviews of FBI witnesses and their preparation for depositions and trial testimonies saved the litigation team time and effort. He actively assisted the litigation team with the review and signing of deposition transcripts of FBI witnesses, including Spanish-speaking Task Force Officers. Ramos saved the FBI time and money through his work and attention to detail.
In the Legal Support Category, this year’s Award for Excellence in Legal Support is presented to Beryl A. Robbins, Senior Legal Assistant Coordinator in the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Michigan. Robbins, a 30-year veteran of the Eastern District of Michigan, is presented this award for volunteering to undertake the position of Senior Legal Assistant Coordinator. She was selected for this role because of her expertise in the area and extraordinary professionalism and dedication. Robbins is now responsible for creating, updating and maintaining all forms used by the office in criminal case filings and training all legal assistants about proper case filing practices. She is also the office liaison to the Clerk of the District Court. As a result of her work, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has seen a vast improvement in the quality and uniformity of its court filings, which has resulted in an almost negligible rate of errors and an equally impressive improvement in its working relationship with the courts.
The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Administrative Support recognizes outstanding performance in administrative or managerial support by an administrative employee or secretary.
In the Administrative Category, this year’s Award for Excellence in Administrative Support is presented to Michelle T. Stallings, Office Manager in the Criminal Division’s Office of the Assistant Attorney General. Stallings is presented this award for her sustained outstanding performance in the field of administrative support, and for her extraordinary achievements in revamping the Criminal Division Office of the Assistant Attorney General’s support structure. She has restructured the front office’s secretarial and paralegal support system, making major changes in a short amount of time. Additionally, she recruited top talent to the front office; designed and implemented new training programs and materials; and raised the standards of professionalism by encouraging each assistant to improve his or her skills and aim for top-notch work product, as well as provide good customer service. On her own initiative, Stallings reviewed existing policies and revised them as appropriate to improve and streamline operations. She performed analytical studies to measure the effectiveness and productivity of office workflow and she improved the flow of correspondence and memoranda through the use of internal databases and tracking systems. Stallings essentially transformed the operations of the front office, and raised the bar for quality and timeliness of work, professionalism and operating efficiency. Her work in the front office now serves as a model for standards to follow in the different sections within the Criminal Division.
In the Secretarial Category, this year’s Award for Excellence in Administrative Support is presented to Patricia M. Jones, Special Assistant to the Executive Officer in the National Security Division. Jones is presented this award for her dedication to the mission of the division’s Executive Office through her hard work and positive approach to all of her assigned tasks. She has provided exceptional service for the Executive Office, the Office of the Assistant Attorney General and other sections of the division. Her extraordinary customer service has proven to be invaluable when providing the complete range of administrative and logistical support services. Her integrity, initiative, diligence, knowledge and professionalism play a critical role to ensure success in supporting the national security mission.
The Claudia J. Flynn Award for Professional Responsibility recognizes a department attorney who has made significant contributions in the area of professional responsibility by successfully handling a sensitive and challenging professional responsibility issue in an exemplary fashion and/or leading efforts to ensure that department attorneys carry out their duties in accordance with the rules of professional conduct. This year’s award is presented to G. Bradley Weinsheimer, Deputy Counsel on Professional Responsibility in the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Weinsheimer is presented this award for his tireless and dedicated efforts to ensure that the department’s attorneys and agents maintain and are held accountable to the highest standards of professional responsibility. As Deputy Counsel of OPR, Weinsheimer, through skillful and creative management, has enabled OPR to reduce its backlogged investigations and inquiries while producing thorough, well-reasoned reports of its investigations. He also ensured that the results of OPR’s inquiries and investigations were fully understood by the subjects of the investigations and the department’s components. With improved intake, assignment and management policies in OPR, inquiries and investigations do not remain pending as long as in the past and subjects receive more immediate and critical feedback assessing their professional responsibilities. Under Weinsheimer’s leadership, the department’s attorneys are better able to carry out their duties in accordance with the rules of professional conduct.
The Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Service in Freedom of Information Act Administration recognizes exceptional dedication and effort to the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). President Obama’s Open Government Directive and the Attorney General’s FOIA Guidelines prioritize the need for the government to incorporate information technology into FOIA processing when responding to requests for information. This year’s award is presented to Carmen L. Mallon, Chief of Staff in the Office of Information Policy (OIP). Mallon is presented this award for her exemplary and sustained role as a dedicated, highly-talented manager of a multi-faceted office with government-wide responsibilities. As OIP’s Chief of Staff, she provides strategic direction, guidance and support to three distinct teams of professionals charged with carrying out the statutory responsibilities of encouraging and overseeing compliance with FOIA. The department’s senior leadership offices also confidently rely upon Mallon to personally provide advice and assistance on record-disclosure issues. In carrying out these many responsibilities, Mallon has proven herself to be a truly outstanding federal manager, with unmatched dedication to her duties, excellent problem-solving skills, exceptional ability and outstanding subject-matter expertise. She is an industrious and skilled leader, whose talents and attributes are a continuous credit to both OIP and the department.
The Attorney General’s Award for Fraud Prevention recognizes exceptional dedication and effort to prevent, investigate and prosecute fraud, white-collar crimes and official corruption. This team is presented this award for its work in the four-year investigation, Operation Sledgehammer (OS). Over the course of the four-year investigation, OS charged more than 100 perpetrators at the state and federal levels; influenced positive reformations to Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) laws; and developed investigative best practices that have been shared nationwide with other law enforcement officers and private liaison partners. As a result of the investigation, OS dismantled 21 fraudulent treatment clinics operating in South Florida. The case also charged 105 perpetrators operating at all levels of the fraud scheme, to include staged accident participants, patient recruiters, money launderers, licensed medical staff, true owners and doctors. Seven of the most egregious chiropractors operating in Florida were charged federally, resulting in convictions and prison sentences for six of them; the seventh is an active fugitive. Three doctors and a patient recruiter proceeded with a federal jury trial in March and April 2014, and were found guilty of 104 of the 105 charged counts. The total federal prison time for those charged in the case exceeded 2,000 months and more than $92 million in restitution has been awarded to the victims. The investigation and prosecution of OS eliminated the fraud that was being perpetrated by direct targets of the investigation; however, the greater accomplishments of the case were its broad-based deterrent effect on others in South Florida and the influence it had on state legislation. One of the 49 victim insurance companies identified in the case reported a 61 percent decrease in PIP billings in Palm Beach County, Florida, between 2010 and 2014, representing a savings of over $21 million. Throughout the case, members of the investigative team provided input through the National Insurance Crime Bureau to assist with legislative changes based on the scheme characteristics uncovered during the investigation. Effective Jan. 1, 2013, the Florida legislature reformed PIP laws, making it more difficult for perpetrators to commit staged accident fraud.
Award recipients include, from the FBI’s Miami Field Office, Special Agents Shaun P. O’Neill, Craig B. Stallings, Roger M. Stevens, William Stewart and Frances Szczepanski and Administrative Specialist Luz Delgado; from the FBI’s Tampa, Florida, Division, Special Agent Jorge A. Rivera; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Marie Villafaña and Evelio J. Yera; from the Department of the Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service, Special Agent Pamela Martin; and from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Supervisory Special Agent Fred Burkhardt and Special Agent Teresa Grimaldi.
The Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Community Partnerships for Public Safety recognizes outstanding achievement in the development and support of community partnerships designed to address public safety within a community. The award recognizes the significant contributions of citizens and organizations that have assisted the department in the accomplishment of these programs. This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Community Partnerships for Public Safety Award is presented to the team responsible for implementing the Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).
In August 2014, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder directed the COPS Office CRI-TA team to assess and provide technical assistance in the communities surrounding Ferguson after the tragedy. With the theme “public safety is not just the absence of crime but the presence of justice,” the COPS Office has become a strong voice for collaborative reform and critical response for law enforcement agencies nationwide and the source for innovation in procedural justice for disenfranchised communities. Moreover, the COPS Office has reframed the conversation around social justice and community engagement with law enforcement. With the implementation of the CRI-TA in Las Vegas; Spokane, Washington; Philadelphia; St. Louis County, Missouri; Baltimore; and Fayetteville, North Carolina, law enforcement has a new tool to address its systemic challenges related to community trust. The outcome of the CRI-TA assessment process is a road map for reform in a report tied to technical assistance goals. As the training provider for the 60 agencies in St. Louis County, the St. Louis County Police Department is undergoing the collaborative reform process and the lessons learned will be incorporated into their police academy and transform policing for these communities experiencing such tension and mistrust of law enforcement practices. The COPS Office intends to use this process to facilitate significant law enforcement reform efforts in communities across the nation.
Award recipients include, from the COPS Office, Senior Advisor to the Director Katherine A. McQuay; Deputy Director of the Community Policing Advancement Directorate Robert E. Chapman; from the Research and Development Division, Assistant Director Matthew C. Scheider and Social Science Analyst Jessica A. Mansourian; from the Grant Operations Directorate, Deputy Director for Grant Operations Sandra R. Webb; and from the Partnerships and Technical Assistance Division, Supervisory Policy Analyst Helene Brody Bushwick, Senior Program Specialist Tawana V. Elliott, Policy Analyst Melissa E. Bradley and Collaborative Reform Specialist Billie Yrlas Coleman.
The Cubby Dorsey Award for Outstanding Contributions by a Wage Grade System Employee recognizes extraordinary performance and contributions by wage grade system employees, including laborers, mechanics and skilled craft workers. This year’s award is presented to Philip Stoick, Automotive Mechanic in the FBI’s Minneapolis Division. Stoick, in addition to his regular duties, has designed and built custom trunk vaults for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) within the FBI’s Minneapolis Division. Previously used custom trunk vaults were purchased at a cost of between $1,600 and $2,000 to the FBI. Conversely, the trunk vaults built by Stoick are completed with a cost of under $500 to the FBI. Due to the high cost of commercial trunk vaults, not all SUV vehicles had one installed. However, with the lower cost, now all FBI Minneapolis Division SUV vehicles are being outfitted with a custom vault that allows for the safe transportation of weapons while providing special agents with more storage space for investigative gear.
The Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions by a New Employee recognizes exceptional performance and notable accomplishments towards the department’s mission by an employee with less than five years of federal career service. This year’s award is presented to Nan Roberts Eitel, Associate General Counsel for Chapter 11 Practice in the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees’ Office of the General Counsel. Eitel is presented this award for her exceptional service in modernizing the U.S. Trustee Program’s (USTP) review of the compensation and expenses sought by attorneys in large Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. In the time she has been with the program, Eitel has undertaken extensive study of professional compensation schemes both in and out of bankruptcy, engaged in extensive stakeholder review, drafted an innovative and workable set of industry guidelines and worked tirelessly to ensure their successful implementation. Her efforts have resulted in an approach to professional compensation that is grounded in modern bankruptcy practice, and that supports the USTP mission by enhancing public confidence in the integrity of the bankruptcy compensation process.
The John Marshall Awards are the department’s highest awards offered to attorneys for contributions and excellence in specialized areas of legal performance. Eleven awards in nine categories are presented this year.
The first John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation is presented to Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of New York Justin Anderson, Douglas B. Bloom and Perry A. Carbone. This team is responsible for the successful prosecution of a group of New York state politicians for bribery and corruption, ranging from the highest ranks of state government, to the governing body of America’s largest city, to the highest officials of a local municipality. The team conducted a complex undercover operation that exposed the broad extent and brazen nature of corruption in New York state politics and led to the arrest and conviction of five political figures with one more awaiting trial. Three of those defendants, the former majority leader and president pro tempore of the New York State senate and acting lieutenant governor of New York, a New York City councilman and a leader of a New York City Republican party, heavily contested the charges and were convicted after hard-fought trials. The team’s work helped catalyze ongoing efforts at reform of New York state and local government.
The second John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation is presented to the team responsible for convicting serial killer and sexual predator Jorge Avila Torrez. As a result of the tireless efforts of investigators and prosecutors over the course of several years, Torrez was held accountable by a federal jury in April 2014 for the premeditated murders of three innocent victims and the abduction and sexually motivated assault of three survivors. Prosecutors charged Torrez with the capital murder of Amanda Jean Snell, a promising young petty officer in the U.S. Navy, who was found dead in her barracks near the Pentagon in July 2009. Although Snell’s death was not ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, a later re-examination of the evidence, including DNA analysis, proved that she was the victim of a sexually motivated assault and murder. The prosecution team proved that Torrez was also responsible for attacks on three young women in Arlington, Virginia, and the brutal murder of two young girls in Zion, Illinois, despite the fact that an innocent man stood accused of the Illinois killings for approximately five years. Following a lengthy trial involving the presentation of more than 60 witnesses and hundreds of exhibits, the defendant was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Fahey and Michael E. Rich, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Heberle and Senior Litigation Counsel James L. Trump.
The John Marshall Award for Participation in Litigation is presented for this team’s outstanding work in negotiating the federal government’s first settlement involving student loans under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The lawsuit alleges that Sallie Mae Inc. (now known as Navient Solutions Inc.), SLM DE Corporation (now known as Navient DE Corporation) and Sallie Mae Bank (collectively Sallie Mae) failed to provide members of the military the 6 percent interest rate cap to which they were entitled in violation of the SCRA. The department’s settlement was the result of a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Servicemember Affairs. It requires Sallie Mae to pay $60 million in compensation to over 60,000 service members and to streamline the process by which service members may obtain interest rate reductions in the future. Attorney General Holder announced this landmark settlement along with ED Secretary Arne Duncan, who announced ED’s plans to adopt new industry-wide streamlined procedures that will minimize administrative burdens on service members and allow more of them to obtain the SCRA benefits to which they are entitled.
Award recipients include, from the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, Chief Steven H. Rosenbaum and Trial Attorneys Tanya I. Kirwan and Elizabeth A. Singer.
The first John Marshall Award for Support of Litigation is presented to this team for their exceptional performance in three trials under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act against members of La ONU, one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking organizations in Puerto Rico. The three trials focused on the drug trafficking activities and the numerous murders committed by the organization. La ONU’s quest to maintain and increase their power of the drug trade led them to commit some of the most brazen murders seen in Puerto Rico, which cost the lives of ordinary law-abiding citizens. Among the murders that the recipients proved during the trials was the downing of a police helicopter by a member of La ONU, who shot at the helicopter during flight with an AK-47 rifle, killing the co-pilot. The recipients also proved the murder of a police woman and a librarian who were driving to work when they were caught in the crossfire and killed during a shootout between members of La ONU and their main rival. In total, the team convicted seven defendants who were all sentenced to life in prison. The defendants who were convicted included La ONU’s leader and main enforcers. As a result of the convictions obtained in the three trials, La ONU was significantly weakened. Moreover, the conviction of the defendants involved in these murders brought peace to the citizens of Puerto Rico, as they would no longer be threatened by members of an organization whose brazenness put at risk the lives of law-abiding citizens.
Award recipients include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Puerto Rico, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor O. Acevedo-Hernandez and Jenifer Y. Hernandez-Vega.
The second John Marshall Award for Support of Litigation is presented to Richard Farber, Senior Appellate Counsel in the Tax Division’s Appellate Section. Farber is presented this award for his exceptional record of accomplishments in support of litigation of the most important tax cases that are presented to the federal courts of appeals. He has long been regarded as an appellate advocate of the highest caliber and for that reason he has, for many years, been asked to supervise the government’s appellate litigation in the most important and complex tax cases. Over the past two years alone, his astute supervision of the government’s litigating strategy has saved more than $1 billion in revenue. Moreover, Farber has made major contributions to the Tax Division’s mission of protecting the public fisc.
The first John Marshall Award for Handling of Appeals is presented to Vijay Shanker, Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section. Shanker is presented this award for his superlative skill in appellate advocacy. Never flummoxed by a short deadline or a long dormant statute suddenly restored to life, he excels at solving puzzles and translating the solution into persuasive but crisp prose. Shanker routinely handles complex cases requiring meticulous analysis, thorough research and an orderly, scholarly and clear presentation. At oral argument, he knows that fist-pounding and hyperbole destroy credibility and that when representing the United States, earning the court’s trust and respect is critical. The soft-spoken Shanker earns that trust by anticipating the toughest questions and focusing on the key points needed to win. With superlative skill and integrity, he has secured dozens of appellate victories for the government, defending the convictions of violent carjackers and robbers, fraudsters and corrupt public officials, drug dealers, narcoterrorists and criminals who exploit children. He has also obtained several ground-breaking decisions on issues that lay at the intersection of forfeiture law, international relations and terrorism. Additionally, Shanker finds time to provide legal advice to department’s leadership and prosecutors on a variety of issues.
The second John Marshall Award for Handling of Appeals is presented to the Bay Mills Indian Community team for its outstanding win in a case by the state of Michigan that presented a direct, frontal-assault on the concept of tribal sovereign immunity from suit in the absence of Congressional authorization. Against a backdrop of bad facts in which to litigate this issue (apparently unlawful gaming by the tribe), the team presented cogent arguments as to why Congress had not authorized the kind of suit the state had brought and presented other clear avenues by which the state could obtain review of the legality of the tribe’s actions without necessitating a complete revision of tribal sovereign immunity concepts. Favorable decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court for Indian tribes have been quite scarce over the last decades. This decision was a shining star, achieved because of the team’s stellar work.
Award recipients include, from the Environment and Natural Resources Division, the Office of the Assistant Attorney General-Senior Counsel for Indian Affairs Gina L. Allery, Indian Resources Section Deputy Chief John H. Turner Jr., and Appellate Section Assistant Chief William B. Lazarus and Attorney Mary Gabrielle Sprague; from the Office of the Solicitor General, Deputy Solicitor General Edwin S. Kneedler and Assistant to the Solicitor General Ann E. O’Connell.
The first John Marshall Award for Providing Legal Advice is presented to the team responsible for guiding the department to its new position regarding Title VII and gender identity. In December 2014, Attorney General Holder announced that it is now the view of the department that Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination reaches discrimination due to gender identity, gender transition and transgender status. This announcement was the culmination of many years of not only legal analysis and internal discussion, but also outreach to stakeholders within the government and beyond. Transgender individuals are among the most marginalized in our society, and thus they are sorely in need of the protections of federal antidiscrimination law. Consequently, the significance of the department’s change in position cannot be overstated.
Award recipients include, from the Civil Rights Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gregory B. Friel and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Pamela S. Karlan, and from the division’s Appellate Section, Chief Diana K. Flynn, Deputy Chief Sharon M. McGowan, Special Litigation Counsel Tovah R. Calderon and Trial Attorney Holly Thomas.
The second John Marshall Award for Providing Legal Advice is presented to the Justice Management Division’s (JMD) Office of General Counsel (OGC) for providing exceptional, soundly reasoned and well researched legal advice to JMD staff and senior departmental and component leadership across the department. Much of OGC’s work is often behind-the-scenes, providing crucial support and confidence to leadership and components in the performance of their missions. OGC’s contributions to the department’s nuts-and-bolts management issues, addressing all aspects of matters covering appropriations, personnel and appointments of officers, procurement, grant management, security, property management and department-wide directives are essential to the continued sound functioning of the department and effectuation of important policies and initiatives. Additionally, through its effective coalitions with other federal agencies and interagency legal working groups, OGC is recognized and called upon by other agency general counsels and interagency legal working groups to provide invaluable assistance.
Award recipients include, from JMD’s OGC, General Counsel Arthur E. Gary, Deputy General Counsel Barbara A. Bush, Assistant General Counsels John R. Caterini, Kristen Bucher Hahn, Barry C. Hansen, Pamela J. Jadwin, Morton J. Posner, Evelyn S. Tang and John E. Thompson and Staff Assistant Michelle M. Allen.
This year’s John Marshall Award for Alternative Dispute Resolution is presented to Daniel Tenny, Trial Attorney in the Civil Division’s Appellate Section. Tenny is presented this award for achieving a groundbreaking settlement of much publicized litigation that was closely followed by veterans groups and members of Congress. In Valentini v. McDonald, homeless veterans claimed, and the district court found, that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was improperly allowing land at its West Los Angeles Campus to be used for commercial purposes. Tenny’s intensive efforts over more than a year were central to the settlement, in which Tenny worked directly with the VA Secretary and disentangled the legal issues posed by the litigation from the substantive and policy issues on which the parties agreed. The settlement has been lauded by commentators who had previously been critical of VA’s operations in West Los Angeles as a new beginning and an opportunity to achieve significant policy objectives that would have been impossible if the parties had continued in an adversarial fashion. The parties have already begun working together on new homelessness plans and on a process for making better use of the West Los Angeles campus, outside the context of any adversarial litigation. Tenny achieved far more than could have been accomplished by success in the litigation and his work exemplifies the means by which the adversarial process can be transformed into a constructive endeavor.
This year’s John Marshall Award for Interagency Cooperation is presented to Dustin F. Minor, Hazardous Waste Branch Chief in the Office of Regional Counsel – Region 9 of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Minor has demonstrated extraordinary cooperation with ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement and Environmental Defense Sections in connection with its joint efforts to pursue parties responsible for the contamination of over 500 abandoned uranium mines on Navajo Nation lands. These abandoned mines have contaminated land near Navajo homes, roads, grazing lands and cultural areas, resulting in one of the most severe environmental justice problems in Indian Country. Minor played an important role supporting the Environmental Defense Section in its ground-breaking work to craft a settlement with the Navajo Nation that will lead to the important response measures to address the uranium contamination resulting from mining on Navajo lands. He has also played an essential role in the work of a combined EPA/department team to litigate against responsible private parties and to foster outreach to the Navajo Nation. Minor played an equally central role helping litigate and settle consolidated Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act actions in connection with a 160-acre contaminated Superfund site in Rialto, California, litigation that was unusually challenging due to its extensive discovery and contentious disputes over its 10-year history. Ultimately, five separate consent decrees were entered, which together will result in the cleanup of the entire site at a cost of approximately $100 million. Minor played an important role in finding creative solutions that enabled both EPA and the U.S. Department of Defense to settle on terms that were appropriate to each agency.
Anchorage Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Selling Cocaine and CrackRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for selling cocaine and crack.
Darryl Dewayne Mitchell, 31, of Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced today in Anchorage by U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess. Mitchell received a sentence of 60 months of imprisonment followed by a five year term of supervised release. On July 30, 2015, Mitchell pled guilty to five counts of distributing controlled substances – namely, cocaine and crack.
According to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Bennett, in January and February 2015, Mitchell sold cocaine and cocaine base to an undercover Anchorage Police Department detective five times. Mitchell ultimately sold a total of 91.27 grams of crack and 1.76 grams of cocaine. When law enforcement officers arrested Mitchell, they seized $4,516 in U.S. currency as well as a Cadillac and a firearm. These items derived from the sale of narcotics and Mitchell forfeited them to the United States as part of his plea.
In sentencing Mitchell, Judge Burgess noted the seriousness of the crimes, the need to deter future criminal conduct by Mitchell and others, and the need to protect the public as reasons for the sentence he imposed.
Ms. Loeffler commends the Anchorage Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security who conducted the investigation leading to the successful prosecution in this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bennett is a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office who is funded by the Municipality of Anchorage to prosecute violent crime and drug cases.
Anchorage Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Gun and Drug Trafficking CrimesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska B U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man has been sentenced by United States District Judge Timothy M. Burgess to serve 120 months in prison for selling crack cocaine while in possession of a firearm.
Larry Aron Meeks, Jr., 25, of Anchorage, Alaska, previously pled guilty to conspiring with others to sell significant quantities of crack cocaine for profit. As part of his plea, Meeks admitted selling crack cocaine on multiple occasions. He also admitted that, on one such occasion, he possessed a firearm in support of his drug business. Upon being released from prison, Meeks will be on supervised release for five years.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Courter, who prosecuted the case, in 2014 Meeks sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant who was working for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). First, in April 2014, Meeks sold the informant 13.1 grams of crack cocaine. Approximately one month later, Meeks again sold crack cocaine to the informant, this time selling him 44.8 grams of crack cocaine in exchange for $3,750 in cash. During that deal, Meeks had a .40 caliber handgun strategically placed on top of the refrigerator in his kitchen where the deal took place.
Finally, in June 2014, during the execution of search warrants at Meeks’ residence, Meeks was found in possession of still more drugs, drug paraphernalia, and multiple firearms. Meeks had two guns in his bedroom next to more than $4,500 in cash. Agents recovered additional firearms in other locations, – one of which was loaded with a round in the chamber, digital scales, multiple cell phones, and a Coca-Cola bottle that had been modified to contain a hidden compartment. Inside the bottle, Meeks had stored bags of crack cocaine and heroin.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Burgess focused on the seriousness of Meeks’ offenses as well as the need to protect the public from future crimes and the importance of deterring others from committing similar crimes.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Loeffler praised the work of the law enforcement agencies involved in investigating the case, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Anchorage Man Charged with Four Bank RobberiesRead the Press Release
Anchorage, Alaska - U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that an Anchorage man was indicted by a federal grand jury on four charges of bank robbery.
Gregory L. Cannon, 48, of Anchorage, Alaska, was named as the sole defendant in the Indictment.
Cannon was charged with the robbery of Northrim Bank on September 19, 2015, an attempted bank robbery of First National Bank on September 23, 2015, the robbery of a different branch of Northirm Bank on September 23, 2015 and the robbery of Credit Union 1 on September 28, 2015.
The FBI conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ambulance Driver Admits Role in Health Care Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – Thael Kuran, 23, of Philadelphia, PA, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and making false statements in a health care matter. The charges stem from a fraud scheme involving Brotherly Love Ambulance, Inc. U.S. District Court Judge Gerald J. Pappert scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 19, 2016. Kuran faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment.
In July 2010, the defendant’s mother, Feda Kuran, who was charged and convicted separately, began operating Brotherly Love Ambulance a co-schemer. From approximately July 2010 through approximately October 2011, Thael Kuran transported patients for Brotherly Love even though those patients could walk and could have been transported safely by means other than ambulance and were, therefore, not eligible for ambulance service under Medicare and Medicaid requirements. Thael Kuran also transported patients in his personal vehicle and in a minivan owned by Brotherly Love, both of which lacked the lifesaving equipment found in an ambulance. Even when he transported patients in his personal vehicle, Kuran completed ambulance “run sheets” for the trips and certified those sheets with his signature. In order to make the transports appear as though they had been done via ambulance, those run sheets misstated the medical condition of the patients and the care provided to the patients during the transports. After Brotherly Love ceased operations, Thael Kuran completed run sheets at a successor company, VIP Ambulance, that were false in that they were inconsistent with one another and contained no legitimate signature by an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
As a result of the overall scheme at Brotherly Love, the Medicare program was billed for more than $4.9 million and paid more than $2 million in inappropriate claims.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mary E. Crawley and Paul W. Kaufman.
ATF Investigation Leads to Charges Against Man from Elizabeth, Pa.Read the Press Release
PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of malicious destruction of property by fire, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The one-count indictment, returned on Oct. 20 and unsealed today, named Jeffrey Tedesco, 36, of, Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about Feb. 13, 2015, Tedesco set fire to a residential rental home located in Forward Township, Pennsylvania.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, along with the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office and Allegheny County Police conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An Indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
8 Charged in Federal Court in Relation to Skimmers Installed in Gas Pumps to Collect Credit Card and Debit Card InformationRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – Authorities this morning arrested four defendants charged with federal fraud and identity theft charges for allegedly participating in a scheme that installed credit card “skimmers” inside gas pumps at gas stations across Southern California and Southern Nevada.
A criminal complaint charges eight defendants – three of whom are fugitives at this time – with participating in a conspiracy that secretly installed electronic devices known as skimmers inside of gas pumps that were equipped with point of sale terminals. When gas station customers swiped their credit or debit cards through the device that reads the magnetic strips on the back of their cards, the information was stored on the skimmers that were hidden inside the gas pumps. According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, members of the conspiracy were able to later retrieve the account information without going back inside the gas pumps by using Bluetooth-equipped devices, such as cellular phones or tablets.
According to an affidavit by a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service, participants in the conspiracy manufactured skimmers with parts purchased at electronics stores. At the gas stations, they allegedly used large vans to conceal their activities as they forced open panels on the gas pumps and installed the skimming devices that were not visible to customers who used their credit cards at the pumps.
The affidavit outlines how the organization installed dozens of skimmers at gas stations operated by different companies in areas that include San Gabriel, Burbank, North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Eagle Rock, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Torrance, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Tustin, Fountain Valley, the Coachella Valley and Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Identity theft causes significant harm to individuals as well as imposing costs on society overall,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Members of the public are entitled to use their credit and debit cards at gas stations without fear that their identities could be stolen. The collective consequence of such criminal activity is that thousands of people have had their personal information compromised and now they must undertake substantial efforts to protect their identities.”
In conjunction with this morning’s arrests, investigators executed a series of search warrants. At one location, they found materials indicating that members of the conspiracy were actively involved in the manufacture of counterfeit credit cards.
The eight defendants named in the criminal complaint are:
-
Nazar Daniyelyan, 47, of Sun Valley, who was arrested;
-
Ruben Karapetyan, 39, of Porter Ranch, who was arrested;
-
Armen Khalulyan, 30, of Los Angeles, who is a fugitive;
-
Arutyan Oganyan, 41, of North Hollywood, who is a fugitive;
-
Grigor Pambukyan, 26, of Van Nuys, who was arrested;
-
Arsen Terzyan, 32, of Van Nuys, who was arrested;
-
Anthony Tngryan, 26, of Van Nuys, who is a fugitive; and
-
Oganes Tagaryan, 23, of North Hollywood, who is expected to surrender to authorities in the near future.
The four taken into custody this morning are expected to make their initial court appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
The eight defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess 15 or more unauthorized access devices. If they are convicted of this charge, each would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
If any member of the public has information concerning the three fugitives in this case, they are urged to contact the Secret Service at (213) 533-4400.
“This conspiracy case demonstrates the effectiveness of multijurisdictional partnerships in the dismantling of criminal enterprises targeting innocent American citizens, “ said L. Robert Savage, III, the Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This investigation and the resulting arrests should serve as a warning to criminals that law enforcement will not cease pursuing them.”
The investigation into the credit card skimming ring is ongoing. At this point, authorities have no estimate for the loss that may be associated with the stolen credit card information.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Fraud Task Force (LAFTF), which is an ongoing partnership between the U.S. Secret Service and the Los Angeles Police Department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Glendale Police Department, the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the investigation.
-
15 Individuals in the SDTX Receive Attorney General AwardsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - Attorney General Loretta Lynch recognized 279 Justice Department employees and 33 individuals, including 15 people in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX), with Attorney General Awards at a ceremony today in Washington DC. These annual awards recognize department employees and other individuals for their dedication to carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission.
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “They have put in long hours, made immense sacrifices, and, in some cases, placed themselves in harm’s way. They have taken on issues that once seemed intractable, and made progress on problems that once seemed impossible. And their outstanding work is an inspiration to public servants everywhere.”
“I am extremely proud and thank Attorney General Lynch for recognizing this team for the work they have done,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. “The results of this case and the efforts of all involved are a direct reflection of the excellent collaboration we have among our federal, state and local law enforcement partners and with the Department of Justice. The successful resolution of this prosecution also demonstrates our abilities and continued efforts to gather resources whenever and wherever we can to get the job done and ensure justice for the citizens of this district. “
The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service is the Justice Department’s second-highest award for employee performance. The recipients of this award exemplify the highest commitment to the department’s mission.
The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the SDTX team for its outstanding work on the successful long-term investigation and prosecution of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). The ABT was a powerful, race-based Texas state-wide organization operating inside and outside state and federal prisons throughout Texas and the United States. ABT protected its criminal money-making enterprises, including narcotics trafficking, identity theft, counterfeiting and check fraud, through assault, murder and other acts of violence while enforcing violent internal discipline. In an investigation spanning six years and 17 separate indictments in five different federal districts, the recipients targeted the leadership and the most violent members and associates of the ABT. Their work culminated in the indictment and conviction of 73 ABT members and associates on charges ranging from racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, narcotics trafficking, assault in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses and obstruction of justice. This investigation and prosecution was exceedingly successful and the resulting convictions of every high ranking member of the ABT have effectively dismantled this violent criminal network. The collaborative work of the recipients in this long-term case is truly exceptional and worthy of this distinguished honor.
Award recipients include, from the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Trial Attorney David N. Karpel; from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Houston Field Division, Senior Special Agent Richard J. Boehning, Special Agent Allen D. Darilek and Intelligence Research Specialist Donna S. Gray; from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy S. Braley; from the FBI’s Boston Field Office, Supervisory Special Agent William Scott O’Donnell; from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent Keith W. Koncir; from the U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of Texas, Deputy U.S. Marshal Justin J. Perusich; from Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agents Steven D. Cavitt and Steven N. VanGeem and Task Force Officer Steven J. Lair; from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, Criminal Investigator Joshua D. Lyons; from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division-Major Gang Unit, Special Agent Devin R. Gonzales; from the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Office, Detective David J. Wells; and from the Texas Rangers Company “A,” Texas Ranger Brandon Bess.
12 Individuals in District of Oregon Receive Attorney General AwardsRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore. – Attorney General Loretta Lynch presented 279 Justice Department employees and 33 individuals, including 12 people in the District of Oregon, with Attorney General Awards at a ceremony today in Washington, DC. These annual awards recognize department employees and other individuals for their dedication to carrying out the Department of Justice’s mission.
“The individuals being honored today stand out within a department that holds all of its employees and partners to an extremely high standard of excellence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “They have put in long hours, made immense sacrifices, and, in some cases, placed themselves in harm’s way. They have taken on issues that once seemed intractable, and made progress on problems that once seemed impossible. And their outstanding work is an inspiration to public servants everywhere.”
The 12-person trial team in the matter of U. S. v. Mohamed Osman Mohamud was recognized for The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of U.S. National Security. This award acknowledges a special act or service by a Department employee or group who has greatly contributed to protecting U.S. national security.
“This award recognizes the exemplary accomplishments of the Mohamud trial team as a significant milestone in protecting national security,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. “There were numerous unique legal challenges in this case: defining the scope of entrapment; protecting classified and sensitive information and techniques; and maintaining the secrecy of the classified true identities of the undercover agents. Throughout the litigation, the prosecutors met every challenge. Obtaining a guilty verdict in this case, therefore, did more than bring a dangerous extremist to justice. It affirmed the validity of terrorism sting investigations. Their dedication and work ethic greatly contributed to furthering the interests of national security.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office trial team, listed below, successfully investigated and prosecuted U.S. v. Mohamud for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, and was recognized today by receipt of this Attorney General’s Award.
- AUSA Ethan Knight was lead counsel on the investigation and prosecution.
- AUSA Pamala Holsinger joined the team post-indictment and co-chaired the trial.
- AUSA Jeffrey Sweet oversaw the investigation of the case through indictment.
- Trial Attorney Jolie Zimmerman was the Counter Terrorism Section liaison throughout the investigation and trial, handling much of the CIPA litigation.
- Susan Cooke performed automated litigation support duties for trial preparation and trial.
- Rena Rallis performed automated litigation support duties during the discovery phase.
- Lori McBryde provided all other support functions including trial preparation and handling of classified pleadings.
- Special Agent Ryan Dwyer was the lead case agent and testified at trial.
- Supervisory Special Agent Jared Garth supervised the discovery and trial preparation of the case, with particular responsibility for resolving issues involving classified information and sensitive law enforcement techniques.
- Special Agent Miltiadis Trousas managed the undercover operatives and testified at trial.
- Special Agent Elvis Chan managed the undercover operatives and testified at trial.
- Supervisory Special Agent Tom Ford was the FBI HQ liaison who supervised and obtained approvals for the undercover operation