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Friday 17 January 2025
Attorney for the United States Announces $9.5 Million Settlement with Stericycle, Inc. for Violations of Hazardous Waste Management RegulationsRead the Press Release
Matthew Podolsky, Attorney for the United States, Acting under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, and Cecil Rodrigues, the Acting Assistant Administrator of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), announced today that the U.S. has filed and simultaneously settled a lawsuit against STERICYCLE, INC. (“STERICYCLE”) for systemic, nationwide violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), 42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq., and related regulations in the operation of its former hazardous waste management business from May 5, 2014, through April 6, 2020.
The proposed stipulation and order of settlement agreed to by STERICYCLE requires payment of a $9.5 million civil penalty, one of the largest civil penalties ever paid for RCRA violations. The settlement is subject to approval by the Court.
Attorney for the United States Matthew Podolsky said: “Today, we hold Stericycle responsible for flouting hazardous waste management requirements while operating a nationwide hazardous waste business, and risking significant potential harm to human health and the environment. This penalty should put other waste management firms on notice that we will hold them accountable when they shirk their legal responsibilities and put the public and environment in harm’s way.”
EPA Acting Assistant Administrator Cecil Rodrigues said: “Stericycle repeatedly failed to ensure the proper transport, management, and storage of hazardous waste – a job that they were paid to do and entrusted to perform on behalf of customers nationwide. EPA is committed to ensuring companies comply with the law and to protecting communities from the potential risks associated with the mismanagement of hazardous wastes.”
As alleged in the U.S. Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:
STERICYCLE is a waste management company that operated a nationwide hazardous waste transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal business until it sold the vast majority of the business on April 6, 2020. STERICYCLE operated 13 RCRA-permitted hazardous waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (“TSDFs”) and 44 waste transfer facilities.
Between May 5, 2014, and the date of sale, STERICYCLE routinely violated RCRA requirements related to tracking and transportation of hazardous waste, as alleged in detail in the Complaint. STERICYCLE routinely lost track of hazardous waste while transporting it, sent hazardous waste to disposal facilities that were not the ones its customers had chosen, or delivered hazardous waste shipments without the required manifests. STERICYCLE also failed to comply with requirements for resolving and reporting discrepancies between hazardous waste identified on a shipping manifest and the hazardous waste received by STERICYCLE at its facilities for disposal, and it failed to timely return signed manifests to generators and timely submit them electronically to EPA. STERICYCLE also violated RCRA by storing hazardous waste in transfer facilities when not authorized to do so, either because the storage period was longer than the 10 days permitted by RCRA regulations or because overall transportation times for the hazardous waste shipment exceeded those constituting “the normal course of transportation” under RCRA regulations. All of this conduct violated RCRA hazardous waste regulations critical to preventing substantial risks to human health and the environment.
STERICYCLE was well aware of severe problems giving rise to these violations and failed to address them. In the words of one STERICYCLE director in 2016, STERICYCLE had “way too many issues with a basic fundamental of [its] business, getting waste and paperwork from the generator to the designated facility.” In 2019, the same STERICYCLE director underscored the continuation of these fundamental failings: “The most basic thing that we do for our clients is moving the waste from point a to point b and we can’t do it.”
On April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE completed the sale of its “Stericycle Environmental Solutions” hazardous waste business and, since that date, has largely ceased managing hazardous waste in the U.S. However, STERICYCLE remains accountable for its systemic RCRA violations prior to that sale.
In the settlement filed with the federal court today, STERICYCLE admits, acknowledges, and accepts responsibility for the following, among other things:
- On numerous occasions between May 5, 2014, and April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE was the transporter of hazardous waste shipments for hazardous waste generators, and failed to deliver part or all of the hazardous waste shipment described on the shipment’s manifest to the designated TSDF.
- On numerous occasions between May 5, 2014, and April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE (or one of its subsidiaries or subcontractors) served as a transporter of hazardous waste shipments to one of STERICYCLE’s TSDFs and failed to ensure that a manifest accompanied all hazardous waste shipments.
- On numerous occasions between May 5, 2014, and April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE failed to timely provide hazardous waste generators with final signed copies of their waste shipment manifests within 30 days after the shipments were delivered to STERICYCLE TSDFs.
- On numerous occasions between June 2018 and April 2020, STERICYCLE failed to timely submit hazardous waste manifests to EPA’s national system for electronically tracking hazardous waste shipments—known as the e-Manifest system—within 30 days after the date of delivery of the hazardous waste shipment to STERICYCLE TSDFs.
- On numerous occasions between May 5, 2014, and April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE failed to consult with a generator prior to changing the destination of hazardous waste as designated on a hazardous waste manifest.
- On numerous occasions between May 5, 2014, and April 6, 2020, STERICYCLE stored hazardous waste at its hazardous waste transfer facilities (as that term is defined in 40 C.F.R. § 260.10) for longer than the 10-day limits permitted under RCRA.
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Mr. Podolsky thanked EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance for its critical work on this case.
The case is being handled by the Environmental Protection Unit of the Office’s Civil Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominika Tarczynska and Tomoko Onozawa are in charge of the case.
Antitrust Division Releases 10-Year Workload Statistics ReportRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division today issued its 10-year workload statistics report, summarizing the Division’s work enforcing the federal antitrust laws from 2015 through 2024. These statistics can be found here.
The report reflects the critical enforcement and advocacy work the Antitrust Division has done on behalf of American consumers, taxpayers, and workers. This includes efforts to put a stop to conduct by monopolists or groups of competitors that harm consumers and workers; block mergers that threaten competition; prosecute anticompetitive crimes; ensure proper application of the antitrust laws in courts throughout the United States; and advocate for pro-competition policies across federal and state governments and with other countries.
More information about the Antitrust Division can be found at www.justice.gov/atr.
After Takedown, Opioid Overdose Rates Fall in AbileneRead the Press Release
Opioid overdose rates in Abilene fell precipitously following a large-scale takedown of fentanyl traffickers, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
According to Abilene Police Department data collected by OD MAP, from January 1, 2024 to September 11, 2024, Abilene suffered 41 overdoses, including nine that were fatal, for an average of 4.9 overdoses per month. Victims ranged in age from 13 to 72.
On September 11, a federal grand jury indicted 12 alleged fentanyl traffickers who were arrested the next week. All were detained pending trial.
Following that takedown, Abilene saw just three overdoses, none of them fatal, through the end of the year, for an average of 0.8 overdoses per month.
In addition, according to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the street price of fentanyl pills rose from roughly $8 per pill to between $20 and $30 per pill, making fentanyl less accessible to at-risk users.
“This is precisely why the U.S. Attorney’s Office does the work it does – and why I am proud to have led the Northern District of Texas for the past two years,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “To see our fentanyl prosecutions having tangible impacts on the lives of the people of Abilene is immensely gratifying. I want to laud the hard work of our local law enforcement partners, especially the Abilene Police Department and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, for helping to make this happen.”
To date, 10 of the 12 defendants indicted on Sept. 11 have entered guilty pleas and await sentencing. The other two await trial and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Agencies involved in the fight against fentanyl in the region include the Abilene Police Department, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – all members of North Texas HIDTA and the OCEDTF Program. The Fort Worth Branch of the United States’s Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threat the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Adair County Resident Sentenced for Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cody Wayne Tye, age 34, of Watts, Oklahoma, was sentenced to time served plus three years supervised release for one count of Assault of a Spouse, Intimate Partner, and Dating Partner in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Watts Police Department, and the Westville Police Department.
On March 11, 2024, Tye pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on September 18, 2022, Tye assaulted an individual at an apartment in Westville, Oklahoma. During the attack, Tye wrapped both hands around the victim’s neck and shoved the victim against a wall, strangling the victim and causing bruising and abrasions. The crime occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Geizura and Edith Singer represented the United States.
Activity in the U.S. Attorney's OfficeRead the Press Release
Public Lands Violations
Yellowstone National Park
Alexander Villanueva, 37, of Las Vegas Nevada, pled guilty to reckless driving, failing to comply with a traffic control device, possessing an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, and refusing to submit to a test of his breath on January 14, 2025 in Mammoth, Wyoming. According to court documents, Villanueva was contacted by law enforcement officers after a park visitor reported him for an erratic driving pattern. After standard field sobriety testing indicated Mr. Villanueva was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle, he was arrested. After his arrest, Mr. Villanueva refused to submit to an official breath test. For refusing to submit to a breath test, Villanueva was sentenced to a seven-day term of incarceration with credit for two days previously served. He was also sentenced to pay a total of $1,020 in fines and court costs and placed on a two-year term of unsupervised probation, one of the terms prohibits him from entering Yellowstone National Park during the period of probation. Because he refused the official breath test, he may not operate a motor vehicle for one year on any federal land according to 18 U.S.C. 3118. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel C. Calmes prosecuted the case.
Drug Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
Phillip Brent Chiles, 61, of Riverton, Wyoming, was sentenced to three years’ probation with two months of home confinement for being a felon and unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, on May 3, 2024, the Riverton Police Department found Chiles in possession of a .22 rifle. Chiles said he uses the rifle for hunting. He also admitted to using approximately 1 gram of methamphetamine a week and was trying to cut back. As a previously convicted felon, Chiles is unable to possess a firearm. Chiles was indicted on July 18, 2024, pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2024, and Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Jan. 16, in Casper. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and Riverton Police Department investigated the crime and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case. Case No. 24-CR-00121
Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien
Joel David Vazquez-Sanchez, 33, of Curaren, Francisco Morazan, Honduras, was sentenced to time served and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on July 3, 2024, Vazquez-Sanchez was arrested by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office for driving while under the influence. The Albany County Wyoming Detention Center provided a booking sheet that indicated Vazquez-Sanchez was born in Honduras. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were contacted and determined that Vazquez-Sanchez had previously been removed from the U.S. and had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in September 2016. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl imposed the sentence on Jan. 16, Casper. Case No. 24-CR-00176
Thursday 16 January 2025
Worcester Roofer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Tax EvasionRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner of a commercial and residential roofing business has been charged with, and has agreed to plead guilty to, concealing $1.6 million in income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Jake Miller, 42, of Worcester, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court.
According to the charging documents, Miller owned and operated Kostas Roofing, a business that he conducted under the alias “Paul Kostas” rather than under his own name. It is alleged that, between 2013 and 2021, Miller cashed the checks that he received from roofing customers and deposited the proceeds into his personal bank accounts. Despite receiving at least $1.6 million from the roofing business during this period, Miller allegedly filed no income tax return for any of these years. As a result, Miller allegedly evaded income taxes of approximately $450,000.
The charge of tax evasion provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Tom Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Virginia Man Sentenced to Prison for Interstate ThreatRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Sebastian Reigle, 24, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today to two years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 2, 2021, an incident occurred in Texas that resulted in the arrest of Reigle for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and later a charge of sexual assault. From October 2022 to January 2024, Reigle left a series of threatening communications by voicemail and text messaging for the alleged victim of the August 2, 2021 incident.
On August 4, 2023, Reigle left one of the threatening communications by voicemail while using a cell phone in Virginia and while the alleged victim was in the Southern District of West Virginia. In the message, Reigle threatened to “beat” the alleged victim “worse than two years ago” and that the beating would leave the individual unconscious.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-134.
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Vicksburg Man Sentenced to 32 Years in Federal Prison for Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering, Identity Theft, and Contempt of CourtRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – A Vicksburg man was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to 32 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and health care fraud; money laundering; aggravated identity theft; mail fraud; and contempt of court. He was also ordered to pay $1,917,231.26 in restitution to the victims in the case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Laron Evans conspired with co-defendant Travious Quinshad Jackson and others to execute a health care fraud scheme involving Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) using interstate wire communications and the U.S. postal system. The scheme used interstate wire communication via the Internet to send Personal Identification Information (PII) of 57 actual people, pretending that they were employees of an imaginary company, to a third-party administrator company located in Maryland.
The third-party administrator company used the stolen PII to create individualized HSA accounts, and corresponding debit cards, for all 57 employee names, and sent debit cards for each employee name in the mail to Vicksburg addresses. The third-party administrator advanced and credited funds to each HSA account created for the supposed employees, which money could then be spent through the debit card at designated retail stores.
Evans, assisted by Jackson and others, spent the debit cards in various stores throughout April and May 2018, buying gift cards, debit cards, and other consumer goods to deplete the HSA accounts. The third-party administrator in the meantime had learned that there was no money in the bank account that Evans had identified for his fake company, when the company sought reimbursement for the HSA accounts.
On July 10, 2018, using proceeds gained from the health care fraud scheme, Evans bought a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban SUV in Forrest County, Mississippi, for $44,335 in cash plus a trade-in vehicle.
On February 13, 2019, Evans appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson for his initial appearance and arraignment in this case. Judge Anderson entered an Order permitting Evans to be released on bond pending trial, subject to conditions forbidding travel without prior permission of the Court before leaving the Southern District of Mississippi.
In April 2019, Evans travelled outside the State of Mississippi without permission of the Court. While outside the State of Mississippi and on his return to Vicksburg, Evans continued to execute health care fraud schemes using the Internet and the U.S. Mail. Evans falsely represented himself as leader and manager of an Orlando, Florida, business, seeking to establish health care benefits including HSA accounts for its purported employees. Evans submitted over the Internet to a third-party administrator company located in Minnesota, bank account information for drawing reimbursement, plus employee information for creation of HSA debit cards. The Minnesota company sent some of the debit cards, during the period April 16-25, 2019, to Evans at his Vicksburg home address through the U.S. Mail. Evans had requested that the Minnesota administrator fund those HSA accounts up to $91,000.
Evans pled guilty on August 1, 2019 to conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and health care fraud; money laundering; aggravated identity theft; mail fraud; and contempt of court.
Co-defendant Travious Quinshad Jackson pled guilty on June 18, 2019 to aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to two years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $302,099.34 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Vicksburg Police Department, and Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie prosecuted the case.
United States takes possession of Union Hill house from occupants who used it to sell drugs for over a decadeRead the Press Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A house in the Union Hill neighborhood of Richmond was ordered forfeited to the United States today based on its longstanding use as a drug-involved premises.
According to court documents filed in federal court, the house at 2221 Venable Street had been used by its occupants for over a decade both to sell and use a wide variety of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and crack and powder cocaine. Occupants had even sold a mixture of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, and the animal tranquilizer drug xylazine out of the house, a combination commonly referred to as “tranq” or “the zombie drug.”
Drug trafficking had been occurring at the house as far back as 2008. The property was the site of four drug trafficking-related search warrants executed by Richmond Police (RPD), one of which occurred in 2010 and three in 2022. RPD and EMS also responded to two drug overdose deaths at the property, one in 2016 and another in 2020. Frustrated local residents had repeatedly written to their city councilwoman to complain about the incessant criminal activity occurring at the property. Local residents referred to 2221 Venable Street as “the Yellow House.”
Several neighborhood residents wrote to local officials for help, having witness, among other things, open prostitution, illicit drug use, public indecency, public urination and defecation, violent fights, drug overdoses, theft, and more.
“This successful action demonstrates the positive impact of coordinated federal and state law enforcement partnerships to improve our community,” said Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The Yellow House was more than a blight on this neighborhood. For years, it was a haven for criminal activity, endangering the safety and wellbeing of local residents. I am proud that we were able to use federal tools to help RPD address this quality of life issue for Union Hill.”
“Drug trafficking had been occurring at the house as far back as 2008,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division. “The property was the site of four drug trafficking-related search warrants executed by Richmond Police, one of which occurred in 2010 and three in 2022. RPD and EMS also responded to two drug overdose deaths at the property, one in 2016 and another in 2020. In the fall of 2022, the DEA Richmond District Office team collaborated with the Richmond Police Department to investigate the drug distribution activities at 2221 Venable Street as part of Operation Overdrive – Phase 2. The collaborative efforts of the Richmond Police Department, DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office culminated in the seizure of the residence. Frustrated local residents had repeatedly written to their city councilwoman to complain about the incessant criminal activity occurring at the property.”
“There are times in public safety when law enforcement cannot arrest a problem away,” said Rick Edwards, Chief of Richmond Police. “Investigations and charges to individuals, even across several years of enforcement, did not solve this problem. I truly appreciate the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and other federal law enforcement agencies, for partnering with RPD to address this longstanding issue in one of our neighborhoods.”
The United States began a civil forfeiture action against this drug-involved premises by publicly filing a civil forfeiture complaint in U.S. District Court. The government then sent notice of the forfeiture action to every person who appeared to have a potential property interest in the house, in addition to giving notice more broadly through online publication. This gave potential claimants an opportunity to contest the forfeiture action in court. Since no claimant came forward to contest the forfeiture action, the United States obtained a default forfeiture judgment. The house will now be sold by the United States Marshals Service, which will remove it from the possession of the occupants who were using it as a base of operations for drug sales. Some of those occupants have been prosecuted in state court.
The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janet Jin Ah Lee and Kevin Hudson.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cv-207.
United States Attorney Hairston resigns effective January 18Read the Press Release
GREENSBORO, NC – United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston announced that she has resigned her position as head of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC) and will retire from federal service effective January 18, 2025.
“Serving this district as United States Attorney and as an Assistant United States Attorney has been the honor of my life,” said U.S. Attorney Hairston. “The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. often said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ I have done my best to do what is right during my time as a prosecutor, and with the help of dedicated professionals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, I believe we have made our communities safer, more just, and more equitable.”
Ms. Hairston joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the MDNC in 1990. During her 34 years with the Department of Justice, Ms. Hairston served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Lead Task Force Attorney in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section in the MDNC. She also served as the Professional Responsibility Officer, Ethics Advisor, and Criminal Discovery Coordinator for the district. From April 1994 until June 1996, Ms. Hairston served as Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Ms. Hairston was named First Assistant United States Attorney for the MDNC in April 2014, a position she held until November 2021. Ms. Hairston served as Acting United States Attorney for the MDNC from January 14, 2017, until January 3, 2018, and from March 1, 2021, until she was sworn in as United States Attorney on November 23, 2021. Ms. Hairston served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee from March 2022 until June 2023.
Ms. Hairston is a 2002 recipient of the Director’s Award from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys for superior performance as an Assistant United States Attorney. In 2015, she received the Peter S. Gilchrist III Award from the North Carolina Bar Association which is given to a prosecutor who exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession. In 2018, she was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Ms. Hairston is a 1981 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a 1987 graduate of the North Carolina Central University School of Law. She began her legal career in 1987 as an Assistant District Attorney in the Thirteenth (now Fifteenth) Prosecutorial District of North Carolina.
Selected highlights of the U.S. Attorney’s Office accomplishments during Hairston’s tenure include:
- Expanding Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the federal Department of Justice’s premier data-driven, comprehensive anti-gun-violence program, to systematically address rising juvenile crime across the MDNC through community engagement, targeted prevention, intervention and reentry, strategic enforcement, and improved accountability between partners.
- Planning and hosting over 25 re-entry simulations, all designed to share best practices, aid assimilation, and reduce recidivism among inmates returning to society after serving their sentences. Hosting with the NC Department of Adult Correction a reentry simulation “train the trainer” seminar to share best practices and lessons learned with other groups holding simulations.
- Further integrating the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and Crime Gun Intelligence Centers, in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and police departments in Durham, Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem into the strategic enforcement component of PSN to help solve gun crime incidents and get violent criminals off the street.
- Encouraging and supporting the implementation of the evidence-based Violent Impact Player or “VIP” case screening model in Greensboro and Winston-Salem where law enforcement, probation and prosecutors use objective information to identify VIPs and focus “best efforts” of partnering agencies on the most dangerous “shooters.” VIP has contributed to a reduction in homicides of over 40% in Greensboro and 34% in Winston-Salem from 2023 to 2024, and significant reductions in overall violent crime.
- In 2024, Remy St Felix and 12 other defendants received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in an international conspiracy to break into U.S. citizens’ homes, violently kidnap and assault them, and steal Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency.
- In 2024, Marian Hudak was convicted at trial of violating the civil rights of Black and Hispanic citizens by willfully intimidating the victims and interfering with their enjoyment of federally protected activities through both threats of force and actual force.
- In 2022, Antonio Nathaniel Davenport, Jr., and Derrick Lamont Dixon, Jr., received life sentences for the RICO murder of nine-year-old Z’yon Person in Durham in 2019.
- In 2023, Steven Tyler Smith received a 50-year sentence for producing child pornography and Joshua Timothy Taylor received a 60-year sentence for engaging in sex with a minor and producing child pornography.
- Emphasized the prosecution of the most dangerous offenders who exploit children, resulting in the sentencing of 72 defendants with an average sentence of nearly 15 years (179.125 months) and median sentence of 10 years.
- Protected taxpayers and victim rights by collecting more than $25 million in criminal debts and more than $12 million in federal civil debts from 2021 through 2024.
- Partnering with the Civil Rights Division in DOJ’s Combatting Redlining Initiative, leading to a $13.5 million settlement with a national bank to resolve Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act claims.
- Partnering with the Environmental and Natural Resources Division on Clean Air Act litigation resulting in a $10 million consent decree to resolve claims that a local company sold and installed emissions defeat devices.
- In conjunction with the Civil Rights Division, working with the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections to resolve Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act allegations, leading to religious policy changes across the North Carolina prison system that expand the rights of minority faith groups to gather for religious services.
- Recovering more than $10 million for the federal fisc in False Claims Act cases, including allegations of improper kickbacks and medically unnecessary testing.
- Fighting the opioid crisis through both civil Controlled Substances Act enforcement against pharmacies and physicians and expanding access to treatment through enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including outreach to county jails and medical providers regarding their legal obligations.
- Hosting three United Against Hate outreach events, to empower local communities with information about how to recognize and report hate crimes.
- Resolving fifteen Americans with Disabilities Act cases, including resolutions that require policy changes to ensure that individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing have access to effective communication during medical care.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Galyon will serve as acting U.S. Attorney upon Ms. Hairston’s departure.
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U.S. Marshals Service Montana Violent Offender Task Force celebrates 20th AnniversaryRead the Press Release
BILLINGS — The U.S. Marshals Service Montana Violent Offender Task Force today commemorated and celebrated its 20th Anniversary of working in partnership with federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies to arrest violent fugitives on felony warrants, closing a total of 22,520 warrants across Montana, the United States and globally, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich and U.S. Marshal Craig Anderson announced today.
During a joint press conference in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney Laslovich and Marshal Anderson discussed the MVOTF’s mission and accomplishments. Joining in the celebration were former U.S. Marshals Darrell J. Bell and Dwight MacKay, along with representatives of the MVOTF 41 partner law enforcement agencies.
“For 20 years, the brave people who have served on the Montana Violent Offender Task Force have consistently risked their own lives to keep all of us safe. Their extensive training, collaboration, and courage have removed thousands of dangerous and violent offenders from our streets, most without incident. And while it is difficult to measure the number of lives they’ve saved, we know it is significant. They are the best of our state and nation. As we pause to celebrate the extraordinary work of the last 20 years, we also pledge to every Montanan that we are just as committed to the work ahead and we will never rest until justice is achieved,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
“Looking beyond the dangers the Task Force members faced each time they made an arrest and looking beyond the incalculable positive impacts the seizures of guns and drugs have had, there is one over-arching and significant take away. And that is the irrefutable evidence that when law enforcement agencies from tribal, local, county, state and federal agencies coalesced around the mission of tracking down Montana’s most dangerous criminals, these are the results that followed,” U.S. Marshal Anderson said. “Montanans should expect and deserve this level of coordination and cooperation from their law enforcement agencies. And we should celebrate when those successes produce such fantastic results.”
Since 1865, when Montana was still a Territory, the U.S. Marshals Service has been hunting wanted persons on behalf of Montana citizens and the federal government. In 2005, under the Presidential Threat Protection Act and with the Attorney General’s direction, the U.S. Marshals Service established the MVOTF for Montana. At the time, the MVOTF was one of five similar task forces started in the country. The U.S. Marshals Service oversees permanent task forces composed of federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest fugitives. At its beginning, the MVOTF’s charter members included the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, Montana Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office and Billings Police Department. Over the past 20 years, 41 agencies and 164 law enforcement officers have participated on the MVOTF, with 38 agencies currently participating.
The U.S. Marshals Service deputizes task force officers from the various agencies, which allows officers to work across jurisdictions. Task force members share resources and prioritize warrants to identify and pursue the most wanted and violent fugitive to improve public safety.
In the 20 years of its existence, the MVOTF has closed a total of 22,520 arrest warrants. The task force also has seized a total of 531 firearms and pounds of narcotics, including methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and powder, cocaine, heroin, marijuana and prescription pills. In addition, task force arrests have resulted in seizures of 91 vehicles, $598,196 in U.S. currency and $61,040 in counterfeit currency.
To celebrate the 20 years of service to the United States and State of Montana, the U.S. Marshals Service has authorized a commemorative patch to be awarded to current and past MVOTF members, along with a patch for past and present participating agencies.
The MVOTF members include:
- Charter members: U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; Montana Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole; Billings Police Department; and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
- Current members: Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Gallatin, Dawson, Custer, Carbon, Big Horn, Cascade, Glacier, Roosevelt, Valley, Hill, Pondera, Fergus, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark and Missoula county sheriff’s offices; Bozeman, Laurel, Red Lodge, Glendive, Great Falls, Cut Bank, and Helena police departments; Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services, Fort Peck Department of Law and Justice; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Border Patrol-Havre Sector; Bureau of Land Management; U.S. Forest Service, Region 1; and Montana Highway Patrol.
- Past members: Montana Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, Sexual or Violent Offender Registry; U.S. Postal Inspection Services; and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures 25-Year Sentence for Albuquerque Man Following Violent Crime Spree in 2020Read the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a violent crime spree that began with a double murder, after being convicted at trial of two counts of attempted carjacking, one count of carjacking, and the possession and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
At trial, the court heard evidence that on September 7, 2020, Dakota Briscoe, 38, used a tan handgun to commit a series of violent acts, including the double homicide of two victims whose bodies were discovered in a burning vehicle in the South Valley. Although the firearm was never recovered by law enforcement, witness testimonies confirmed that Briscoe was seen with the firearm, and multiple .45 caliber casings were recovered from the crime scenes.
Briscoe’s violent spree began with the double homicide, which led to his desperate attempts to evade capture through armed carjackings. Briscoe targeted vulnerable individuals, including women, brandishing his firearm during these incidents.
Briscoe successfully evaded arrest that day and was not apprehended until September 16, 2020. He was stopped at a United States Border Patrol checkpoint while driving a white commercial-style van that lacked a license plate or registration tag. During the encounter with USBP, Briscoe exhibited nervous behavior, avoided eye contact, and claimed he did not have identification.Briscoe provided agents with his brother's name, who had an active warrant issued in New Mexico for failing to appear. As a result, Briscoe was arrested and booked under his brother’s identity.
Upon his release from prison, Briscoe will be subject to four years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaymie L. Roybal and Jon Stanford prosecuted the case.
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U.S. Attorney’s Office Reaches ADA Settlement with Mandan Parks and Recreation Regarding the Starion Sports ComplexRead the Press Release
Fargo – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota completed its investigation and entered into a settlement agreement with Mandan Parks and Recreation to resolve allegations that elements of the Starion Sports Complex (“Starion”) violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”). The Starion opened in 2017 and is an 84,000 square foot facility with two ice rinks, a gymnastics center, parks maintenance shop, rubberized track and jumping facilities, practice field and track and field throwing facilities, and a synthetic turf football and soccer field. Tenants of the Starion include the University of Mary, Mandan School District, Mandan Hockey Club, and Dakota Star Gymnastics.
The settlement agreement resolves an ADA complaint alleging that the Starion was not fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. During its investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office found that the Starion did not provide an accessible path to visitor seating in the football field, and that the accessible seating provided in the competition ice rink was not an integrated part of the seating plan. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also found that the Starion lacked adequate accessible seating in other areas of the complex, and that elements of the toilet rooms, concourse, skate rental counter, outdoor picnic area, and assistive listening systems did not comply with the ADA’s requirements. Under the settlement agreement, Mandan Parks and Recreation will provide adequate and integrated wheelchair and companion seating and cure all other noted violations of the ADA.
Under federal law, discrimination on the basis of a disability in the services, programs, or activities of a public entity such as Mandan Parks and Recreation is prohibited. Newly constructed buildings, like the Starion, are required to comply with the ADA’s program accessibility requirements and be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs.
“Protecting access for individuals with disabilities is a priority for the United States Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Schneider “Mandan Parks and Recreation cooperated throughout this investigation, and I commend its commitment to quickly address the ADA violations when these barriers to accessibility were brought to its attention. The Starion is a great venue, and this settlement will help ensure everyone is able to access it.”
This matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Melissa H. Burkland and Tara Vavrosky Iversen and Paralegal Specialist Michelle Erdmann of the District of North Dakota.
Any member of the public who wishes to file a complaint alleging that any place of public accommodation or public entity in North Dakota is not accessible to persons with disabilities may file a complaint online at www.ada.gov or contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 701-297-7400.
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U.S. Attorney: Durham Man Arrested for Attempting to Provide Support to TerroristsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today the unsealing of a criminal complaint against a Durham man charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Alexander Justin White, age 29, was arrested on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, as he was preparing to board an international flight from RDU Airport to Morocco. The complaint alleges that White was traveling overseas intent on joining ISIS. If convicted, White faces up to 20 years in prison.
As alleged in the complaint, between May and October of 2024, White used an online account under the name “Sulaiman Al-Amriki” to make numerous posts supporting ISIS and the concept of violent jihad. This allegedly included videos commonly used to recruit new members and to generate a passion for fighting as well as fundraising videos and several posts and reposts in reference to well-known ISIS supporters and scholars. The complaint alleges that White’s online communications with like-minded individuals displayed an active effort to find a way to join ISIS overseas so that he could become a mujahideen with ISIS. In addition, the complaint alleges that White was engaged in financial transactions to refugee camps which are well known for acting as a front to funnel money to ISIS members and their supporters. White allegedly made online comments noting that he regretted not having traveled to join ISIS earlier, when it may have been easier through certain overseas routes which were now viewed suspiciously. Believing that his opportunity had come to fruition, White allegedly took steps to make his intended travel appear as nothing more than a vacation when he in fact claimed that he would rather die than return to the United States. After allegedly making various preparations, to include purchasing a personal combat medical kit, on December 4, White made efforts to board a flight bound for Morocco which he intended to use as a jumping point from which to join ISIS members in Africa.
“We work closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to shut down suspected terrorist activities in the United States, including American citizens willing to commit violence against our troops,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We couldn’t do our work without strong local partners, willing to share their resources to protect our homeland.”
“The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country leverage the resources, skills, and authorities of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and combat terrorism threats, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In many ways, our JTTFs are our nation’s first line of defense against terrorism. The threats we face are bigger than any one law enforcement or intelligence agency can tackle, requiring not only a law enforcement partnership, but working with our communities to keep people safe,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina. The investigation into White is a result of the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Raleigh-based Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The JTTF is a group of highly trained, locally based investigators, analysts, linguists, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies that gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment’s notice. There are about 200 JTTFs across the country, including one in each field office, with hundreds of participating state, local and federal agencies.
The Raleigh-based JTTF includes the Cary, Raleigh, and Durham Police Departments, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the N.C. State Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Critical to this case was also the assistance of the Morocco General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
Michael F. Easley Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The FBI JTTF is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Gabe Diaz and Jason Kellhofer, along with Trial Attorney David Andrew Sigler from the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, are prosecuting the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for case number 5:25-CR-00009-M.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Conviction of Albuquerque Man for Assaulting Federal OfficerRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A federal jury has convicted an Albuquerque man of assaulting a federal officer at the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico, following a three-day trial that concluded after just over two hours of deliberation.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on November 15, 2022, Anthony Hernandez, who was in custody at the Cibola County Correctional Center awaiting trial for a federal firearms offense, attacked a security consultant contracted by CoreCivic, the company that manages and operates the Cibola County Correctional Center. The assault occurred during a routine inspection of Hernandez's cell.
Surveillance video captured Hernandez pushing open his unlocked cell door and launching an unprovoked attack on the victim. The security consultant, who was assisting with the cell inspection, suffered cuts, bruises, a concussion, and a broken nose that required surgery.
Following the verdict, the Court ordered that Hernandez remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Hernandez faces up to 20 years in prison.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Hernandez was also convicted by a federal jury after trial in October of 2024 for being a felon in possession of a firearm in an unrelated offense.
Hernandez is currently under indictment for a second assault on a federal officer in March 2023, while being held at the Otero County Prison Facility.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and United States Marshal David Barnett made the announcement today.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case with the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Kimberly Bell are prosecuting the case.
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U.S. Attorney's Office Secures 25-Year Sentence for Farmington Man in Fatal Shooting CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Farmington man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2021 murder of one woman and the serious injury of another on the Navajo Nation.
According to court documents, on September 5, 2021, Hanson Tsosie, 34, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used a 12-gauge shotgun to fire multiple rounds into a group of individuals gathered around a tree in the yard of a residence near Nenahnezad, New Mexico, killing one woman and seriously injuring another.
Neither woman posed any threat to Tsosie; they were simply innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of his violent actions. After the shooting, Tsosie fled approximately 46.1 miles to dispose of the vehicle he had been driving.
Upon his release from prison, Tsosie will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Matthew J. McGinley is prosecuting the case.
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Two Omaha Men Sentenced for Firearm Offenses after Jury TrialRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Dilang N. Dat, age 31, and Jany Jock, age 29, both of Omaha, Nebraska were sentenced on January 16, 2025, in federal court in Omaha. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Dilang Dat to 120 months for possessing a firearm as a felon and 24 months consecutive that for violating the terms of his supervised release as a result of a prior conviction for robbery. Judge Buescher sentenced Jany Jock to 120 months for transferring a firearm to a prohibited person. There is no parole in the federal system. After Dat and Jock are released from prison, each defendant will begin an individual 3-year term of supervised release.
On January 26, 2022, the Omaha Police Department (“OPD”) executed a search warrant at home near 47th and Ellison Avenue, Omaha, based on reports by a concerned citizen that drugs were being sold and stored at the residence. At the time, the home was part of an on-going police investigation into gang activity based on the recent homicide of Goa Dat, a Trip Set gang member who was shot and killed in Lincoln, Nebraska on October 30, 2021. His brothers, Dilang Dat and Baling Dat, both convicted felons and Trip Set gang members, resided at the home.
Officers located distribution amounts of drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, and recovered five (5) firearms in the home, one of which had been reported stolen. Two of the firearms recovered during the search were purchased by Jany Jock. More evidence revealed that Jock has purchased other firearms that were not found in his possession. Jock gave permission to law enforcement to search his phone. Jock’s iPhone contained several pieces of evidence, including text messages between Jock, Baling and Dilang Dat indicating a conspiracy to purchase, transfer and possess firearms. Further evidence established that Jock knew Baling Dat was a convicted felon at that time due to his communications with Baling Dat while Dat was incarcerated in the Nebraska Department of Corrections for a robbery conviction.
Dilang Dat is a convicted felon out of the District of Nebraska for robbery and was on federal supervised release at the time of his arrest.
Jany Jock and Dilang Dat were arrested along with Baling Dat and Bumatet Duop.
Following a two-week jury trial, Baling Dat, Dilang Dat, and Jany Jock were convicted on all counts against them.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Baling N. Dat was convicted by a jury trial for possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, possessing a firearm in drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on January 8, 2025, to 195 months in prison.
Bumatet G. Duop pled guilty to possession of a stolen firearm and on June 7, 2023, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, consecutive to a state sentence he was serving in Woodbury County, Iowa. He will serve a 3-year term of supervision upon his release.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Omaha Police Department and United States Marshals Service Omaha Metro Fugitive Task Force.
Two Iowa Healthcare Practitioners Settle Allegations for False Submission of Claims to Federal Healthcare Programs in Telemedicine SchemeRead the Press Release
DES MOINES, Iowa – Two Iowa healthcare practitioners have entered into civil settlements to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly causing the submission of false or fraudulent claims to Medicare as part of a telemedicine scheme.
Nurse practitioner Cori Lempiainen has agreed to pay $150,000 to the United States to resolve allegations that between October 4, 2021 and November 11, 2022 she billed Medicare for over 650 claims for office visits and medical discussions she did not provide, and signed over 2,700 orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, such as orthotic braces.
Paul Baumert, M.D., has agreed to pay $14,325.96 to the United States to resolve allegations that between May 16, 2022 and August 26, 2022 he billed Medicare for over 200 claims for office visits and medical discussions that he did not provide, and signed over 180 orders for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, such as orthotic braces.
Both practitioners participated in a telemedicine scheme in which they placed orders for braces based on listening to recorded cold calls to Medicare beneficiaries asking about common aches and pains. Neither Lempiainen nor Baumert had any contact with the Medicare beneficiaries for whom they signed orders or submitted claims, and beneficiaries complained of receiving braces they did not want or use.
“Telemedicine schemes like these rely on the willing participation of healthcare providers to defraud the Medicare program by signing orders for expensive and unnecessary medical braces and other equipment,” said Richard D. Westphal, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. “Our office will continue to aggressively pursue healthcare fraud in all forms.”
The cases were investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy C. Licht of the Southern District of Iowa and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Keogh of the Northern District of Iowa.
Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800‑HHS‑TIPS (800-447-8477).
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Links to the settlement agreements are available below.
Baumert Final Settlement
Lempiainen Final Settlement
Two Idaho Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Separate Sex Crimes Involving Minor ChildrenRead the Press Release
BOISE – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the outcomes in two separate cases in which the defendants were sentenced to 19.5 years and 6.5 years in federal prison, respectively, for sex crimes against minor children.
Today, Daniel Wade Lowry, 34, of Notus, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child.
According to court records, in September 2023, law enforcement became aware that Lowry was a member of an online group dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material. Pursuant to a federal search warrant, law enforcement seized cellphones belonging to Lowry. Investigators located images and videos of child sexual abuse material on the cellphones, including sexually explicit images that Lowry had produced of a 5-year-old child. Investigators also determined that Lowry had posted the images of the victim in the online group.
U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered that Lowry serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay restitution to the victims. Lowry will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
In a separate case, Sean Sterling, 28, of Nampa, was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, the investigation began when law enforcement received CyberTip reports from Discord and Twitter. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement determined that Discord and Twitter accounts, later identified as belonging to Sterling, had been used to distribute child sexual abuse material.
Law enforcement obtained search warrants for the contents of Sterling’s online accounts and located and images and videos of child sexual abuse material, along with messages that Sterling had sent discussing his sexual interest in children. Law enforcement apprehended Sterling in Las Vegas, Nevada, and seized his cellphone and computer. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement examined his devices and found additional images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Judge Brailsford also ordered Sterling to be placed on supervised release for 15 years after the end of his prison term and to pay restitution to the victims in the files he possessed. Sterling will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
“The production and endless distribution of child sexual abuse material can haunt victims for life,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “We are steadfast in our commitment to seek justice for child victims and hold child predators accountable for their egregious conduct. Our law enforcement partners share the same mission and together we will do everything possible to protect Idaho’s children.”
“There is no greater betrayal than stealing the innocence of a child, and these sentences are the result of the necessary investigative work to prevent the revictimization of the children in these images,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “It will always be a challenge to find child predators in the many places they may lurk online. HSI will always be committed to working with our partners in every aspect of law enforcement, along with using our private sector partnerships to prevent online crimes committed against children.”
Both cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boise with assistance from the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Boone Police Department in North Carolina, the Idaho State Police, and the Parma Police Department also assisted with the Lowry investigation. HSI partnered on the Sterling investigation with investigators from the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, with additional assistance from HSI Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kassandra McGrady and Erin Blackadar prosecuted these cases.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Tractor-Trailer Driver in Deadly 2022 Smuggling Event Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – The driver of the tractor-trailer used to smuggle at least 64 undocumented individuals resulting in the deaths of 47 adults and six children in 2022 entered a plea of guilty today to multiple counts arising from the fatal incident.
According to court documents, Homero Zamorano Jr., 48, of Elkhart, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, causing serious bodily injury, and placing lives in jeopardy; one count of transportation of aliens resulting in death; and one count of transportation of aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
Zamorano is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2025 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
HSI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations, FBI, ATF, San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, San Antonio Fire Department, Marshall Police Department, and Palestine Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Fuchs and Sarah Spears for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
These charges resulted in coordination with Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas is part of the JTFA, which was established by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance U.S. enforcement efforts against the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The Task Force focuses on disrupting and dismantling smuggling and trafficking networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants, pose national security threats, and are involved in organized crime. JTFA consists of federal prosecutors and attorneys from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the Southwest Border (District of Arizona, Southern District of California, Southern District of Texas, and Western District of Texas), from the Criminal Division and the Civil Rights Division, along with law enforcement agents and analysts from DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing AI Child Sex Abuse ImagesRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Daniel Weatherly (42, Brownwood, TX) has pleaded guilty to possession of an obscene visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Weatherly faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Weatherly has also agreed to forfeit an iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is traceable to proceeds of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Weatherly used an application on his cellphone to create and possess synthetic or “AI” images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the North Port Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Claire Favorit and Abigail K. King.
This is another case 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.
Texas Defendant Pleads Guilty to Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act ViolationRead the Press Release
A Texas defendant pleaded guilty yesterday to a misdemeanor charge under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits a person from intentionally damaging or destroying the property of a facility because that facility provides reproductive health services.
According to court documents, on May 7, 2022, Ethan Skorick, 23, intentionally damaged the property of Loreto House and Woman to Woman pregnancy resource centers located in Denton, Texas, by defacing the clinics’ buildings, doors and security cameras with spray paint. Specifically, Skorick vandalized the buildings with words including, “NOT A CLINIC,” “FORCED BIRTH IS MURDER,” and “PRO BIRTH [does not equal] PRO LIFE.”
“Vandalizing facilities, including pregnancy resource centers, that provide reproductive health care has no place in the national discourse on reproductive health. Such conduct is unacceptable and unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will enforce the FACE Act to protect all providers of reproductive health services, and their patients.”
“This defendant sought to prevent fellow citizens from exercising rights protected by law,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas. “People cannot resort to destroying property in an effort to intimidate or prevent others from engaging in lawful activity simply because they disagree with the law. This office will remain dedicated to protecting the rights of all Americans to safely access medical services and ensuring providers can perform their duties freely.”
“Under federal law the FBI is tasked with defending civil rights in the United States and will work with our partners to ensure those rights are protected,” said Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Dallas FBI Field Office. “Anyone who intentionally damages property to prevent individuals from seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services will be held accountable for their actions.”
The FBI Dallas Field Office, Frisco Resident Agency are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Batson for the Eastern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Taunton Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Oxycodone ConspiracyRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Taunton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in an oxycodone conspiracy.
John Campbell, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Campbell was also ordered to pay a fine of $25,000. In September 2024, Campbell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute oxycodone pills. Campbell was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.
Between approximately July 2022 and June 2023, Campbell distributed oxycodone pills to others for further re-distribution. He also obtained oxycodone pills from his co-conspirator and co-defendant Kenneth Veiga. The quantities of oxycodone pills distributed ranged from hundreds to more than 1,000 on several occasions. Campbell also distributed oxycodone pills to an undercover agent on at least four occasions. Laboratory testing of pills seized as part of the conspiracy confirmed that the pills contained oxycodone. During intercepted calls, Campbell was overheard discussing oxycodone prices and quantities in telephone calls and text messages. On July 12, 2023, during a search of Campbell’s residence, agents seized evidence of drug trafficking including a digital scale and rubber bands.
Veiga pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and, in July 2024, was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, Boston Field Office; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Coast Guard Investigative Service; Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office; and the Barnstable, Dennis, Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Yarmouth and Sandwich Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Assaulting United States Postal WorkerRead the Press Release
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Larry French Jr., 23, was sentenced on January 14, 2025, to eighteen months in federal prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, for assaulting a United States Postal Service employee.
At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless, the government presented evidence that on May 15, 2024, French punched a United States postal carrier in the face after the carrier attempted to stop French from battering his sister on a public street in Springfield. French was involved in a physical altercation with his sister in the roadway, which prevented the USPS carrier from driving through an intersection. When the carrier yelled that the police were going to be called, French approached the carrier and punched the carrier through an open window in the delivery vehicle. The carrier suffered injuries that will require corrective surgery.
At the hearing, Judge Lawless said that French acted irrationally when he punched the victim and that his actions caused the victim serious bodily injury. Judge Lawless noted that the victim acted as a Good Samaritan in stopping the initial attack and by trying to call law enforcement.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging French with the assault in July 2024, and French pleaded guilty in September 2024. He has remained in the custody of the United States Marshal since his arrest.
The statutory penalties for assaulting a federal officer are up to twenty years of imprisonment, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sierra Senor-Moore represented the government in the prosecution.
Springfield Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug and Firearm OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday for drug trafficking and possession of a firearm and ammunition.
William Scott, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In September 2024, Scott pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking felonies.
On Oct. 12, 2023, Scott possessed cocaine intended for distribution and a Glock .380 semi-automatic handgun after being convicted of a felony.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence E. Akers; and Brian A. Kyes, United States Marshal for the District of Massachusetts made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd E. Newhouse of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.Sin City Deciples Member Sentenced to 132 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
HAMMOND- Marvie Gardner “Widowmaker,” age 54, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Gardner was sentenced to 132 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the Sin City Deciples, originally formed in 1967 in Gary, Indiana, is an outlaw motorcycle organization in which its members and associates engaged in acts of violence, extortion, and narcotics distribution in the Northern District of Indiana and elsewhere.
Gardner served as a National Vice-President of the entire club and was involved in the conspiracy to commit acts of racketeering activity between 2017-2020. As National Vice-President, Gardner was 3rd in command behind the founder of the club, and the National President.
This case was investigated by: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the East Chicago Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Gary Police Department, the Griffith Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents, the Merrillville Police Department, the Munster Police Department, and the Schererville Police Department. Also providing assistance were the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern District of Indiana, the Western District of Kentucky, and the Western District of Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David J. Nozick and Michael J. Toth.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Seven Chilean Nationals Charged in Connection with Residential Burglaries in Multiple StatesRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – Seven members of an interstate burglary crew were charged for conspiring to target homeowners across multiple states in residential burglaries, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.
Christofer Sanguesa Aguirre, Fabiana Prado Scatarzi, Santana Arturo Castillo Gonzalez, Felipe Andres Del Valle Munoz, Carlos Alfredo Calderon Valencia, Diego Antonio Calderon Leiva, and Pedro Alejandro Salgado Vallejos, all Chilean nationals, were each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to sell and receive stolen property that had crossed state lines and one count of receiving stolen property that had crossed state lines.
"Residential burglaries have a traumatic and personal impact upon the people whose homes are violated. Seven Chilean nationals have been charged with conspiring to target homeowners in residential burglaries across multiple states from New Jersey to Massachusetts, resulting in the theft of expensive wristwatches, designer handbags, and thousands of dollars in cash. This office will continue to pursue those who commit these serious crimes.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna
“We allege these men and women ransacked houses here in New Jersey and the East Coast, and then quickly traveled across the country, stealing over one hundred thousand dollars in valuables from private homes.” FBI-Newark Special Agent-in-charge Brian J. Driscoll, Jr. said. “These alleged criminals are part of South American theft groups who have been coming in and out of the United States for months. They hit an area and immediately disappear, using fake identifications and short-term rentals to evade getting caught. It’s like chasing ghosts. We put in a tremendous amount of hard work with incredible partner agencies from here to Oregon. We caught this group—and a warning to others, this doesn’t end here.”
“This is another outstanding example how cooperation, both on a local and national level amongst law enforcement agencies, yields positive outcomes for public safety in our communities,” said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “ERO’s contributions to this investigation, initially with the defendants’ arrests on immigration charges, were critical in facilitating the criminal charges.”
“To disrupt these fast-moving, well-traveled crime networks, it often takes strong collaboration and state-of-the-art technology. Thankfully, we have both,” said Port Authority Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar. “By working together and leveraging our advanced technology, including CCTV and ALPR systems, we were able to track these subjects across state lines so that we could assist our law enforcement partners in apprehending them. This operation is a testament to the strength of cooperation throughout our vast law enforcement family, including our longtime partners at the FBI Newark Joint Organized Crime Task Force and the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Sanguesa Aguirre and Castillo Gonzalez appeared on January 15, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court and were detained. Del Valle Munoz and Calderon Valencia had their initial appearances on January 15, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa L. Fricke in federal court in Tacoma, Washington, and were detained. Calderon Leiva had his initial appearance on January 15, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daryl F. Bloom in federal court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was detained. Prado Scatarzi appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst in federal court in Lafayette, Louisiana today and was detained. Salgado Vallejos appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul G. Levenson in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts today and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The defendants were part of a sophisticated burglary ring that committed multiple residential burglaries in November 2024 in New Jersey and Massachusetts. The defendants conspired to possess large amounts of jewelry, watches, designer handbags, and other valuable goods, among other items, with the losses totaling over $100,000.
Law enforcement searched a vehicle the defendants were using to transport the stolen goods and recovered multiple pieces of jewelry, designer handbags and belts, perfume bottles, paper currency, watches, and other valuable items, alongside tools commonly used to burglarize residences. After law enforcement stopped the vehicle, Del Valle Munoz and Calderon Valencia fled across the country, eventually appearing near Seattle, Washington before traveling to a residence in Carlton, Oregon. Law enforcement searched the residence where Del Valle Munoz, Calderon Valencia, and others had arrived and recovered bags and backpacks containing additional gold jewelry, diamonds, and watches, along with additional burglary tools.
The charge of conspiracy to sell or receive stolen property carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and the charge of receipt of stolen property carries a maximum potential penalty of ten years in prison. Both charges also carry a maximum potential penalty of up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited the FBI Newark’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force (JOCTF), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Driscoll, Jr. in Newark; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent of Police Edward T. Cetnar, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Colts Neck Police Department, Keansburg Police Department, Fort Lee Police Department, Paramus Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Spring Valley Police Department (NY), Town of Greenburgh Police Department (NY), Wellesley Police Department (MA), Westwood Police Department (MA), Massachusetts State Police, Renton Police Department (WA), King County Sheriff’s Office (WA), Tukwila Police Department (WA), Oregon State Police, Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office (OR), Carlton Police Department (OR), Denver Police Department (CO), Pennsylvania State Police, Novi Police Department (MI), ICE/ERO Portland, ICE/ERO Seattle, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI New York, FBI Philadelphia, FBI Seattle, FBI Portland, FBI Denver, FBI New Orleans, FBI Boston, and FBI Legal Attaché Santiago, Chile.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim, or has information about the theft group or burglaries, is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit the information online at tips.fbi.gov, or call a local field office.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor A. Chenoweth of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
###
Defense counsel:
Christofer Sanguesa Aguirre: Claressa Lowe, Esq., Newark, New Jersey
Fabiana Prado Scatarzi: James N. Green, Esq., Lafayette, Louisiana
Santana Arturo Castillo Gonzalez: Michael Simon, Esq., Mountainside, New Jersey
Felipe Andres Del Valle Munoz: John Carpenter, Esq., Tacoma, Washington
Carlos Alfredo Calderon Valencia: Thomas Weaver, Esq., Bremerton, Washington
Diego Antonio Calderon Leiva: Thomas Thornton, Esq., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Pedro Alejandro Salgado Vallejos: Michael Tumposky, Esq., Boston, Massachusetts
residential_burglars.complaint.pdfSecond Man Convicted in 2022 St. Louis Murder-For-HireRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Jurors on Thursday found a St. Louis County, Missouri man guilty of the murder-for-hire of a New Jersey man in 2022.
Moreion Lindsey, 35, was found guilty of on one count each of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire.
Evidence and testimony at Lindsey’s trial, which began Monday, showed that he fatally shot Titus Armstead on April 21, 2022, in Penrose Park in St. Louis. Lindsey had been hired for the murder by Jerome Williams, at the behest of a New Jersey man, Ray Bradley, who trafficked cocaine and marijuana to St. Louis and other cities. Armstead counted drug proceeds and watched Bradley’s “stash” house, and Bradley blamed him for the theft of drugs and millions of dollars in cash from that house. Bradley arranged for Armstead to fly to St. Louis. Armstead thought Bradley was sending him to St. Louis to protect him from possible harm, but Bradley was sending him there because Williams said he knew someone who could kill Armstead. Lindsey met Armstead at the airport at about 9:15 p.m. and then immediately drove him to Penrose Park, where he fatally shot Armstead with a .45-caliber handgun, evidence showed. He took a photo of the body using a prepaid “burner” phone to provide proof of the death to Williams and Bradley.
Lindsey was later paid $15,000 by Williams. Williams disposed of evidence, including the burner phone, Armstead’s Social Security card and other belongings. Lindsey had the SUV that he used to drive Armstead to the park reported stolen. He used $5,000 of the money the next day to buy a Chevrolet Suburban.
Lindsey is scheduled to be sentenced April 24. The crimes carry a mandatory life sentence in prison.
Bradley, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in June to one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and one count of murder-for-hire. He was sentenced in September to 25 years in prison.
Williams, 52, pleaded guilty in December to a charge of destruction of evidence to obstruct a federal investigation.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Atlanta Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angie Danis, Ryan Finlen and Nathan Chapman are prosecuting the case.Sacaton Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Shooting DeathRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Tyshon Andrew Redcloud Norris, 23, of Sacaton, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
On November 12, 2021, Norris, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, shot the victim multiple times and killed him. Norris pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024, to Voluntary Manslaughter.
The Gila River Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Raynette Logan and Amanda Tesarek, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-01029-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-007_Norris# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Drug Supplier, Setting Body on FireRead the Press Release
ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man, who robbed, shot, and killed his drug supplier then later burned the body to conceal his crimes, pled guilty today in Federal Court in Roanoke.
Joseph Richard Walker, 30, pled guilty today to one count of Hobbs Act Robbery and one count of possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence. He faces up to 35 years in prison.
A second man, Garrett Isaac Williams, has been indicted on related charges and is pending trial.
“The Department of Justice has no greater mission than to hold accountable those individuals who commit violence in our communities,” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said today. “Our strong partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are critical in bringing about successful prosecutions of our most violent criminals. The Department will continue to fight against gun violence through important prosecutions like this one and in conjunction with programs such as Project Safe Neighborhoods.”
“This multiyear investigation and subsequent guilty plea reflect the diligent and collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies committed to safeguarding our communities. Gun violence and drug trafficking have no place in our neighborhoods, and FBI Richmond is proud to work alongside our Safe Streets Task Force partners to hold accountable those who seek to undermine the safety and security of our citizens,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.
“The Virginia State Police is committed to bringing violent offenders to justice. Our special agents work tirelessly with our federal and local partners every day to make Virginia a safer place to live," said Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hanley, Interim Superintendent of Virginia State Police. "This judicial outcome is a victory for the citizens of the Commonwealth.”
According to court documents, beginning no later than January 2023, Mr. Walker and Mr. Williams conspired to distribute marijuana. Their source of supply was E.B., an individual who lived in Pennsylvania. E.B. often traveled from Pennsylvania to Roanoke to meet Walker and Williams to conduct marijuana sales. These sales often occurred at Walker’s Roanoke residence.
Eventually, in an effort to collect money that he was owed, E.B. inadvertently called Mr. Walker’s mother. This phone call caused Walker and Williams to set in motion a plan to end their relationship with E.B. However, instead of paying E.B. the money that was owed, they planned to order more marijuana from E.B., rob E.B. of that marijuana when he made the delivery, and in so doing, scare him from returning to Virginia.
On April 17, 2023, E.B. traveled from Pennsylvania to Walker’s residence bringing with him approximately 10 pounds of marijuana and two pounds of marijuana wax. Prior to E.B.’s arrival, Walker had concealed a Sig Sauer, .45 caliber pistol on his person, intending to use it as part of the robbery. Upon E.B.’s arrival, Walker confronted E.B. about the phone call E.B. made to his mother, before ultimately shooting him twice, killing him.
To conceal his crime, Walker dragged E.B.’s body out of his residence, placed it in the truck of his car and drove to Bedford County, Virginia where he set it on fire. Prior to departing his residence in E.B.’s car, Walker took the marijuana that E.B. had brought with him.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Virginia State Police, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Roanoke City Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the Roanoke City Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the City of Lynchburg Police Department, and the Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office are investigating the case.
The Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force also aided in the investigation and is comprised of officers from the Roanoke City Police Department, Roanoke County Police Department, City of Salem Virginia Police Department, the Vinton Police Department, and Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Salem Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys M. Coleman Adams and Kelly McGann are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Renton, Washington man who worked with his son to deal drugs and launder proceeds sentenced to 5 years in prisonRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 57-year-old Renton, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering crimes related to his role in a drug distribution ring, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Frank Lozano Graves was arrested in July 2023 following an investigation of a drug trafficking organization involving Graves, his son and daughter, and other coconspirators. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said, “You knew the havoc that drugs wreak and yet you endangered your family…. You modeled for your children that drug dealing was okay, and you got them involved in it.”
“IRS-Criminal Investigations is a key partner in our efforts to take the profit out of drug distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “The IRS-CI agents truly ‘follow the money,’ providing the evidence we need to seize bank accounts and assets such as homes or vehicles that have been purchased with drug money. In this way they do their part to remove the financial incentive of drug trafficking.”
“Mr. Graves enabled addiction in his own community for money,” said Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office. “We follow the money to stop criminal organizations from profiting at the expense of human lives.”
According to records filed in the case, as early as July 2022, communications between Graves and his son, who was incarcerated, made it clear that Graves was dealing opioids. The investigation revealed that the drugs were coming from a source in Las Vegas. After Graves’ son was released from prison, the two men were heard on wiretapped phone calls discussing their drug conspiracy. Graves was even posting on social media about his drug trafficking. Graves was arrested in July 2023.
Following the arrest, agents with IRS-CI began analyzing Graves’ bank accounts and financial records. They could trace drug proceeds going into his accounts totaling about $800,000 over three years. Graves and his son set up a phony construction company to launder the funds. In his plea agreement Graves admits that the funds flowing into the accounts were from his drug trafficking activity.
As part of his sentence Graves is forfeiting to the government a vehicle, jewelry and more than $15,000 in cash seized from his home.
Graves’ son, Frank Marquis Graves, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and assault (for an attack on another inmate at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac). Frank Marquis Graves is scheduled for sentencing on April 16, 2025.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Seattle Police Department, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen Hobbs and Michelle Jensen.
Prominent D.C. Rapper ‘Migo Lee,’ a Leader in the KDY Drug Trafficking Crew, Sentenced to 168 Months in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Khali Ahmed Brown, 23, and Keion Michael Brown, 21, brothers from Washington D.C. and members of the violent Kennedy Street Crew (KDY), were sentenced today for their roles in a massive drug trafficking organization that operated open-air markets in Northwest Washington D.C.
Khali Brown, aka rapper “Migo Lee,” pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, fentanyl, and oxycodone. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and to assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell today sentenced Khali Brown to 168 months in federal prison and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release.
Keion Brown, pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and oxycodone and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Judge Howell sentenced Keion Brown today to 147 months in federal prison and ordered him to serve five years of supervised release.
The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives – Washington Field Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office.
According to court documents, KDY members operated open-air drug markets on an 11-block stretch of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding streets. Like many drug trafficking organizations (DTOs), KDY armed itself with fire power to facilitate the drug trade and defend its territory from rival crews.
As Migo Lee, Khali Brown served as the leading public face for the Kennedy Street Crew, functioning as a driver of escalating crew-related violence through beefs incited through his social media activity and music videos. The music videos put a finer point on the dangerousness he presents. Generally, in his videos, Khali Brown glorified violence, referring to himself by the tagline used among KDY crew members, “young and violent”, and/or characterizing himself as part of “Seal Team 6” or “ST6”, evoking militaristic tactics to eliminate the opposition. He is notorious for producing “diss” music videos taunting rival crew members, including those who have been murdered.
In addition, by Khali Brown’s admission, he is accountable for trafficking no greater than 40 grams of fentanyl; no greater than 125 grams of oxycodone; and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, but no more than 2,000 kilos of marijuana. The converted drug weight for these quantities of narcotics, under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, was at least 1,000 kilograms but no greater than 3,000 kilograms. Khali Brown’s role as a drug trafficker for KDY is further documented in a review of his social media activity, along with his travel patterns and encounters with law enforcement. Khali Brown regularly utilized Instagram to advertise his narcotics, most predominantly pills, for sale. Independent of the ads, Khali Brown also regularly boasted on social media about the spoils of his drug trafficking.
Early in the morning of October 10, 2022, Prince Georges County police were called for a report of a shooting at a stash house in Bowie, Maryland that Khali Brown maintained. After executing a search warrant, law enforcement recovered three firearms, as well as numerous live rounds of ammunition, firearms accessories, and large capacity magazines. Overall, throughout the residence, officers found and seized nearly $47,000 in cash. In addition, law enforcement seized 103 pounds of marijuana stored in hardshell luggage; 66.2 grams of crack cocaine; and an aggregate of 106.4 grams of oxycodone pills and 79.6 grams of methamphetamine pills.
Khali Brown, his brothers Keion and Miasiah, as well as co-conspirator Jovan Williams, lived in the Bowie, MD, house. Despite the Browns’ mother denying to police that anyone had been injured during the shooting, responding officers noticed multiple bullet holes in the living room window, blood on the living room floor, spent shell casings, and a trail of blood near the front door.
Khali Brown’s social media activity led law enforcement to confirm another of his stash houses, this one on the 1700 block of D Street, NE. On the morning of January 26, 2023, DEA and ATF agents conducted an interdiction at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), where Khali Brown and several other KDY members were stopped as they returned on a redeye flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) smuggling bulk quantities of marijuana. At BWI, Khali Brown and codefendant Herman Signou managed to evade law enforcement, but surveilling ATF agents followed their vehicle to the residence on D Street NE. MPD officers watched as the two men entered the house with two pieces of luggage. Law enforcement compared open-source photos of the interior of the house to the Instagram stories posted by Khali Brown, and noticed distinct characteristics of the living room that were also present in his Instagram ads.
When officers entered the D Street home, they found Khali Brown along with two of his brothers and three other co-defendants. Scattered throughout the basement of the stash house officers found 10 loaded firearms, two of which were machine guns. Four of those firearms were found in a suitcase resembling one officers had seen Khali Brown had been seen with as he entered the house earlier in the day. The suitcase also contained bulk quantities of marijuana, 351 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, and 50 oxycodone pills.
Khali Brown’s DNA was included on two of the 10 firearms law enforcement recovered from the D Street residence: a Glock 17 9mm handgun with an obliterated serial number equipped with a machine gun conversion device that was used in the November 18, 2022, shooting at Jackson-Reed High School in Northwest D.C.; and a Glock 29 10 mm pistol equipped with an extended magazine. The DNA of Keion Brown, Khali’s brother and codefendant, was included on three firearms, including a Glock 45 9mm handgun equipped with an extended magazine. The Glock 4 was linked to two shootings on October 10, 2022, one in Takoma Park and another in Southeast Washington D.C.
On June 26, 2023, Khali Brown was arrested with his co-defendants, Tristan “Greedy” Ware and Miasiah Brown, at a known stash house at Fifth and O Streets NW where both Khali and Miasiah Brown had been observed by law enforcement conducting narcotics transactions. Law enforcement was able to identify the apartment as being associated with Khali Brown based upon a music video he published shortly before his arrest. Agents found six loaded firearms concealed within the apartment, four of which were machine guns; a high-capacity drum magazine; nearly $3,000 in cash; and numerous bags containing about 3.5 kilograms of marijuana packaged for distribution.
This investigation was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office.
The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
CHARGES/SENTENCES
Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga27Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Cocaine Base, and a Detectable Amount of Marijuana; and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. Sentencing is scheduled for February 28, 2025.Khali Ahmed Brown, aka “Migo Lee”23Sentenced January 16, 2025, to 168 Months after Pleading Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Oxycodone; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense; and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.Keion Michael Brown21Sentenced January 16, 2025, to 147 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and Oxycodone and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.Miasiah Jamal Brown, aka “Michael Jamal Crawford”21Sentenced August 16, 2024, to Five Years for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.Tristan Miles Ware, aka “Greedy”23Sentenced December 13, 2024, to 120 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilos of Marijuana; and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.Jovan Williams, aka “Chewy” and “Choo”20Pleaded Guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana and Armed Carjacking. Sentencing is scheduled for January 24, 2025.Herman Eric-Bibmin Signou, aka “Herman Signour”23Sentenced March 22, 2024, to 40 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of MarijuanaCameron Xavier Reid26Sentenced May 31, 2024, to 60 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms of More of Marijuana.Warren Lawrence Fields, III, aka B-Dub26Sentenced May 16, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense and for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.Juwan Demetrius Clark, aka “Squirrel”28Sentenced January 10, 2025, to 37 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.Aaron DeAndre Mercer, aka “Curby,”27Sentenced September 13, 2024, to 120 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Marijuana, and Cocaine Base.David Penn, aka “Turtle”31Sentenced November 15, 2024, to 220 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture of Cocaine Base; and Two Counts of Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.Ronald Lynn Dorsey, aka “Ron G” and “HBGeezy”29Sentenced September 13, 2024, to 30 Months for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.Antonio Reginald Bailey, aka “Boy Boy,” and “Fellow King”22Sentenced February 8, 2024, to 24 Months for Receiving a Firearm While Under Indictment.Anthony Trayon Bailey, aka “Fat Ant,” and “Bizzle”27Sentenced April 26, 2024, to 15 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base.Angel Enrique Suncar, aka “Coqui”29Sentenced December 12, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime.Adebayo Adediji Green30Sentenced August 16, 2024, to 60 Months for Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; all remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.
Examples of Khali Brown’s public advertisements of narcotics, in the form of Instagram Stories.
Khali Brown also boasted of his drug trafficking earnings on social media, as seen in these postings to Instagram.
Khali Brown also regularly posted photographs of his drug inventory.
Khali Brown maintained a stash house in Bowie, Maryland. Secreted within the walls in his sleeping area was a separate hardshell suitcase, containing various drum magazines, a pistol conversion kit to convert a handgun into a short barrel rifle, additional opioids, and a digital scale.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Khali Brown’s stash house in Bowie, MD, and seized over 100 pounds of marijuana in hardshell suitcases.
The weapons, narcotics, and cash seized on Oct. 10, 2022, at Khali Brown’s stash house in Bowie, MD.
Law enforcement seized 10 firearms, including two machine guns, marijuana, and assorted narcotics on January 23, 2023, at Khali Brown’s stash house on the 1700 block of D Street, NE.
23cr0202
Previously Deported Sex Offender Sentenced to 3 years in Federal Prison for Illegal-ReentryRead the Press Release
Del Rio, Texas – A Guatemalan national was sentenced today to 3 years in prison for illegally re-entering the United States following deportation.
According to court documents, Heraldo Agustin Huesgen-De Leon, also known as Heraldo Agustin Hueskin-De Leon, 47, was arrested on May 16, 2024, after being encountered by United States Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass, Texas. Defendant was previously removed from the United States on September 19, 2018. Defendant had previously been sentenced in 2011 to 20 years imprisonment for second degree rape.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The United States Border Patrol investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Fleming and Matt Kass prosecuted the case.
Pointing weapon at law enforcement sends violent felon to prisonRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Tomas Rodriguez pleaded guilty April 25, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Rodriguez to serve 90 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by a three-year-term of supervised release. At the hearing, the court saw body worn camera video of Rodriguez pointing a firearm at an officer and surveillance video of Rodriguez repeatedly assaulting a female. Judge Bennett also heard testimony from the police officer involved in the incident. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of Rodriguez’s conduct, particularly his vicious assault of a female victim and assault on a law enforcement officer.
On Sept. 5, 2021, a local police department officer responded to a report of an assault in a parking lot near a Houston bar. Witnesses directed him to Rodriguez who had fled towards an injured female lying face down on the ground. Rodriguez fell as he ran and the officer commanded him to remain on the ground.
However, Rodriguez got up and pointed a loaded .22-caliber pistol at the officer who responded by discharging his duty weapon in self-defense. Not struck, Rodriguez proceeded to flee and discarded the weapon. Authorities apprehended Rodriguez following a foot pursuit and subsequently recovered his firearm.
Rodriguez has multiple prior felony convictions. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition per federal law.
Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Houston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Placer County Man Sentenced to 12 Years and 7 Months in Prison for Sexual Offense Against a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ryan Davidek, 40, of Lincoln, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 12 years and seven months years in prison for interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. Davidek was ordered to pay $13,270 in restitution to the victim and serve a lifetime of supervised release.
According to court documents, in 2016, Davidek began a sexual relationship with a middle-school child who he had met online. Over the course of several years, Davidek booked hotel rooms and traveled across state lines, as well as transported the victim from another state to the Eastern District of California, to commit criminal sexual conduct.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assisted by the Sacramento Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force and other local law enforcement departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexis Klein and Christina McCall are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Cocaine TraffickingRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 108 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on James Pearcy, 60.According to information presented to the Court, from in and around January 2021 to in and around June 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Pearcy conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Pearcy was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of cocaine that he distributed to others.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Pearcy. Additional agencies participating in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Owner of Three North Shore Restaurants Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The owner and operator of three restaurants in Salem, Peabody and Seabrook (N.H.) was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service of federal employment taxes and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue of state meals taxes over a six-year period.
John Drivas, 66, of Hampton, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia E. Kobick to one year and one day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. Drivas was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,596,775 to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and $439,341 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in addition to a $20,000 fine. In September 2024, Drivas pleaded guilty to five counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes owed to the IRS and four counts of wire fraud for state meals taxes he collected from restaurant customers but failed to pay to the state Department of Revenue.
Between January 2016 to October 2022, Drivas was the owner and operator of three restaurants: Red’s Sandwich Shop in Salem, Red’s Kitchen and Tavern in Peabody and Red’s Seabrook in Seabrook, N.H. He was the sole shareholder of the Salem restaurant until he sold it to an employee in September 2022. He was the 100% owner of the Peabody restaurant with his wife and the 52% owner of the Seabrook restaurant with his children.
From at least January 2017 to June 2022, Drivas paid “under-the-table” wages of $1,496,417 to multiple restaurant employees and did not report those wages to the IRS or pay employment taxes on them. Federal tax law requires employers to withhold from any employee wages an amount for income taxes and other amounts for Social Security and Medicare taxes. Drivas caused more than $439,000 in employment tax losses.
Drivas also collected the state and local “meals taxes” paid by restaurant customers, which he failed to pay over to the state as required by law. In Massachusetts, all owners and operators of restaurants and bars are required to collect 6.25 sales taxes on meals. Salem and Peabody also require restaurants and bars to collect an additional 0.75% local option meals excise tax. Although Drivas collected the taxes from restaurant customers, he intentionally withheld $1,596,775 of those taxes from monthly reports and payments owed to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office and Katherine Mulligan, Chief of Investigations for the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Bureau. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
Owner of Oregon Tree Company Indicted for Employment Tax Crimes and Not Filing Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
A federal grand jury in Portland, Oregon, returned an indictment earlier this week charging a business owner with not paying employment taxes and not filing tax returns.
According to the indictment, Joyce Leard, of Boring, Oregon, owned and operated Mr. Tree Inc., a Happy Valley, Oregon-based company that provided tree removal and landscaping services to customers. Between 2018 and 2020, Mr. Tree allegedly employed approximately 50 to 75 employees. Leard was allegedly responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from her employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the IRS each quarter. She was also responsible for filing quarterly tax returns with the IRS.
From the fourth quarter of 2018 through the fourth quarter of 2020, Leard allegedly withheld approximately $655,000 from employees’ wages but did not pay over all those funds to the IRS or file quarterly tax returns as required by law. Instead of paying all the funds over, Leard allegedly purchased real estate that was titled in her name. Finally, according to the indictment, Leard did not file individual tax returns for 2018 through 2020, as required by law.
If convicted, Leard faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each employment tax charge and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each failure to file a return charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys J. Parker Gochenour and Megan E. Wessel of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Orleans Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Gun Control Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – KEVIN LADAY (“LADAY”), age 34, of New Orleans, was sentenced on January 15, 2025, by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance, after previously pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Specifically, LADAY was sentenced to seventy months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
As part of “Operation Big Easy,” agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives identified individuals who were involved in trafficking firearms within the City of New Orleans. Agents conducted an undercover purchase of firearms from LADAY between August 30, 2023, and October 26, 2023.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Orange County Man Indicted for Production and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging David Andrew Ogden (39, Winter Park) with five counts of production of child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Ogden faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for each of the production counts. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the possession count.
According to the indictment, in September 2022 and on multiple occasions between June and September 2024, Ogden used or attempted to use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. Additionally, in September 2024, Ogden possessed additional child sexual abuse material.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Winter Park Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Megan Testerman.
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 Attorney’s 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.
Oklahoma Man Caught with a Machine Gun and Methamphetamine in Missouri Sentenced to 10 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
CAPE GIRARDEAU – U.S. District Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Thursday sentenced a man caught with a fully automatic handgun and methamphetamine to 10 years in prison.
On August 16, 2022, officers with the United States Marshals Service, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force located Darius R. Clark at a home in Kennett, Missouri. Clark had two backpacks at the time of his arrest. One contained a Glock .40-caliber pistol that had been equipped with a selector switch that converted it into a fully automatic weapon. The firearm was fully loaded and there were additional magazines in the backpack, including an extended capacity magazine that was loaded with 20 rounds of ammunition. The backpack also contained $1,120 in cash. The second backpack contained 84 multicolored tablets containing methamphetamine and 17 tablets containing a mix of meth and other controlled substances.
Clark, 36, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty in September to one count of possession of a machine gun.
Clark’s arrest warrant was triggered by charges of first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, two weeks before his arrest, according to a sentencing memo. Clark will now be returned to Oklahoma.
The United States Marshals Service, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
New Orleans Man Sentenced for Federal Controlled Substances Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – DONALD MILLER a/k/a “Duck,”(“ MILLER”), age 43, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on January 15, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, five hundred grams or more of cocaine hydrochloride. MILLER was sentenced to seventy-eight months imprisonment, four years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, MILLER and other co-conspirators distributed multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine within the Eastern District of Louisiana. During the investigation, law enforcement, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, seized over forty (40) kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, nearly $700,000.00 in cash, and other property.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Orleans Field Division Office and was assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Border Patrol, the Gretna Major Crimes Task Force, the Kenner Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the St. John’s Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the New Orleans Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Murder in Connection with Staged Automobile Collisions in the New Orleans AreaRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS –The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that RYAN J. HARRIS, a/k/a “Red,” (“HARRIS”), age 36, of New Orleans, pled guilty today before United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to a three-count superseding bill of information.
Count One charged him with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341, 1343, and 1349. Count Two charged him with wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 and 2. Count Three charged him with causing death through the use of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(j) and 2.
According to court filings, HARRIS admitted to acting as a “slammer” in a scheme in which he and his co-conspirators intentionally staged automobile collisions in the New Orleans metropolitan area. As a slammer, HARRIS drove automobiles and intentionally collided them with 18-wheeler tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles in order to stage these collisions. After the collisions, the slammers fled the scene, and a passenger would falsely claim to have been the driver during the collision. Thereafter, the passengers, who had been recruited to be part of the scheme, would file false insurance claims. HARRIS then referred these passengers to attorneys, also a part of the scheme, who then filed fraudulent lawsuits on the passengers’ behalf. HARRIS also admitted to aiding and abetting in the murder of a cooperating federal witness, Cornelius Garrison. Garrison, a slammer who had been covertly cooperating with federal agents since October 2019 regarding the staged automobile collision scheme, was shot outside of his home in New Orleans on September 22, 2020.
As to each of Counts One and Two, HARRIS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, or twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss to any person, up to three (3) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As to Count Three, HARRIS faces a maximum term of life imprisonment or death, a fine of up to $250,000.00, or twice the gross gain or twice the gross loss to any person, up to five (5) years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. As set forth in the plea agreement in this matter, HARRIS and the government agreed to a total sentence of 35 years in prison, pursuant to Rule 11(c)(1)(C) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Judge Vitter scheduled HARRIS’s sentencing for September 23, 2025.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, would like to acknowledge the tremendous work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation New Orleans Field Office, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Louisiana State Police with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne; Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman; and Trial Attorney J. Ryan McLaren of the U.S. Department of Justice - Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
New Orleans Man Guilty of Cares Act Fraud, Money Laundering and False Tax FilingRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that CLIFTON C. JAMES (“JAMES”), age 50, of New Orleans, pled guilty on January 15, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo to making false statements, theft of government funds, and money laundering related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). He also pled guilty to false tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service.
On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The two primary sources of funding for small businesses were the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program.
According to the charging documents, or about April 30, 2020, JAMES, on behalf of a business that he owned, made false statements to an approved lender to obtain a $86,800 PPP loan. On or about July 13, 2020, JAMES stole $149,900 from the SBA by using a false application in the name of Crescent City Tax Services, LLC. JAMES then committed money laundering by using these ill-gotten funds to buy an automobile from a dealership in California. Lastly, JAMES filed a false document with the Internal Revenue Service wherein he claimed to have earned $1.00 in a 2019 tax return.
At his sentencing on April 23, 2025, JAMES faces up to five years in prison for each individual charge of making false statements and for filing the false tax document. He also faces up to ten years in prison for each individual charge of money laundering and the theft of government funds. Each charge, individually, also carries a penalty of up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending. The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 15 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program. Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of Inspector General (a member of the PRAC) and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
New Jersey Man Sentenced to 78 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Juan Aquino, 53 years old, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Aquino was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in December 2023 Aquino obtained four kilograms of cocaine from Colorado and was transporting it back to New Jersey in hidden vehicle compartments when he was stopped by law enforcement on the Indiana Toll Road. At the time of the offense, Aquino was on court release awaiting the start of a 63-month term of federal imprisonment for distributing fentanyl and conspiring to distribute fentanyl.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the DEA North Central Laboratory, with assistance from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office and the LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph P. Falvey and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
New Federal Charges Filed in Carjacking and Murder Case; One Individual Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a new 16-count federal indictment charging 7 individuals with offenses stemming from 4 years of dealing in drugs and an armed robbery spree that culminated in a double homicide on April 10 and 11, 2024. The third superseding indictment alleges the following federal charges:
No.
Charge
Date Range
Defendants
Maximum Penalties
1
Drug conspiracy9/17/20–4/17/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Monicsabel Romero Soto
Minimum 10 years, up to life, in federal prison2
Conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery2/9/24–4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Sonic Torres
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
Anneliz Colon De Jesus
Cesar Silva Fernandez
20 years in federal prison3
Hobbs Act robbery2/9/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Anneliz Colon De Jesus
Cesar Silva Fernandez
20 years in federal prison4
Brandishing firearm in robbery2/9/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Anneliz Colon De Jesus
Cesar Silva Fernandez
Minimum 7 years, up to life, in federal prison5
Hobbs Act robbery2/15/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Sonic Torres
20 years in federal prison6
Brandishing firearm in robbery2/15/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Sonic Torres
Minimum 7 years, up to life, in federal prison7
Attempted Hobbs Act robbery4/10/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
20 years in federal prison8
Possession of ammunition by convicted felon4/10/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
15 years in federal prison9
Hobbs Act robbery4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
20 years in federal prison10
Carjacking causing death4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
Life in federal prison or death11
Kidnapping causing death4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
Minimum of life in federal prison, or death12
Use of firearm causing death4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Dereck Rodriguez Bonilla
Minimum 10 years, up to life, in federal prison or death13
Arson4/11/24
Jordanish Torres Garcia
Minimum 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison14
Possession with intent to distribute controlled substance4/17/24
Monicsabel Romero Soto
Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison15
Possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking4/17/24
Giovany Crespo Hernandez
Monicsabel Romero Soto
Minimum 5 years, up to life in federal prison16
Possession of firearm by convicted felon4/28/24
Cesar Silva Fernandez
15 years in federal prisonPreviously, Jordanish Torres Garcia (28, Orlando), Giovany Crespo Hernandez (27, Orlando), and Dereck Alexis Rodriguez Bonilla (21, Orlando) were charged with carjacking resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death, and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing the death of K.A. on April 11, 2024. Torres Garcia was also charged with possession of ammunition the night before on April 10, 2024, in a homicide in Taft, Florida. Crespo Hernandez and his girlfriend, Monicsabel Romero Soto, were charged with drug crimes occurring on April 17, 2024. The new indictment brings those charges together for one single trial and encompasses years of dealing in drugs and drug proceeds along with multiple robberies culminating in the events of April 10 and 11, 2024.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
In addition, on January 15, 2025, Kevin Ocasio Justiniano (27, Orlando), one of the individuals who participated in the carjacking killing on April 11, 2024, pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from the events of that day, along with drug and firearms charges related to events occurring in August 2022. Ocasio Justiniano pleaded guilty to committing and aiding and abetting the commission of carjacking resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death, and using a firearm resulting in death on April 11, 2024. He also pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances from May through August 2022 and possessing an automatic firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He faces a minimum penalty of life in federal prison.
According to the plea agreement, Ocasio Justiniano conspired with others to distribute “dealer packs” of fentanyl and cocaine from May through August 23, 2022, when he was detained by law enforcement carrying a fully automatic handgun. In the months leading up to the robbery on April 11, 2024, and murder of K.A., Ocasio Justiniano participated with Torres Garcia and his brother, Sonic Torres, in an armed home invasion robbery in the Poinciana area.
On April 11, 2024, Ocasio Justiniano made plans with Torres Garcia to conduct the carjacking and kidnapping of K.A. and to rob her of $170,000 in drug proceeds that were being laundered. Ocasio Justiniano received $60,000 for his participation in the crime. In planning for the event, Ocasio Justiniano bought lighter fluid at a gas station near Crespo Hernandez’s home in Casselberry where K.A. was planning to pick up the drug proceeds. After K.A. retrieved the drug proceeds, Ocasio Justiniano drove Torres Garcia’s green sedan while Torres Garcia committed the gunpoint carjacking on East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road. When they arrived at the location in Boggy Creek Road site where K.A. was later killed and burned, Ocasio Justiniano drove the green sedan from the construction site to Boggy Creek Road to meet with Rodriguez Bonilla and a juvenile male accomplice to retrieve the gun that Torres Garcia had used to kill K.A.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Cloud Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dana Hill and Michael Felicetta.
Nashville Man Sentenced to Four Years for COVID FraudRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Nashville man was sentenced to 48 months in prison, and three years of supervised release, for orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently obtain emergency rental assistance designated for households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 12, 2024, Joe Lewis Jefferson, age 50, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of failure to file a tax return. As part of the judgment, Jefferson was also ordered to pay $323,824 in criminal restitution to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
According to information presented in court, Jefferson recruited others to falsely pose as landlords for properties located in Eastern North Carolina. In the names of these nominee landlords, Jefferson prepared and submitted fraudulent North Carolina Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (NC HOPE) loan applications for emergency rental assistance. When the applications were approved, NC HOPE mailed checks to addresses controlled by Jefferson. Jefferson traveled with the nominee landlords to area banks to negotiate the checks and split the proceeds. Jefferson and his co-conspirators were responsible for the submission of at least 44 fraudulent applications for rental assistance, resulting in the disbursement of approximately $279,000.
The NC HOPE Program administered federal COVID-19 relief funds and provided emergency rental assistance to North Carolina renters who faced eviction and homelessness during the pandemic. The program allowed renters to submit an online application to apply for rental assistance. If approved, the program paid the tenant’s rent, in checks sent directly to the landlord, for up to 15 months of overdue or future rent payments
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Toby Lathan prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:22-CR-00068-D.
Muskogee Resident Sentenced for Felony AssaultRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Colby Eric Dean Ballard, age 29, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for one count of Assault of a Spouse, Intimate Partner, and Dating Partner in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muskogee Police Department.
On March 21, 2024, Ballard pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 4, 2023, Ballard assaulted the victim, strangling the victim and causing injuries to the victim’s face, head, wrist, and stomach. The crime occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Ballard will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick M. Flanigan and Edith Singer represented the United States.
Morrisdale Woman Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Morrisdale, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
Jennifer Quick, 50, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to Count Two of a Superseding Indictment and Counts One and Two of an Indictment.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around October 2019 to January 2020, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Quick conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. Quick was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of methamphetamine that she distributed to others. Further, from in and around February 2023 to March 2023, Quick conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl and 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for May 8, 2025. On Count Two of the Superseding Indictment, the law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. On Counts One and Two of the Indictment, the law provides for a total sentence of not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentences imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Pennsylvania State Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Quick. Additional agencies participating in this investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; United States Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General; Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office; Erie County District Attorney’s Office; Millcreek Police Department; Erie Bureau of Police, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.Mobile Man Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a MachinegunRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A Mobile man was sentenced to 27 months in prison for illegally possessing a machinegun.
According to court documents, Ti’Biasz Tithese Houston, 20, was arrested in November 2023 after Mobile police responded to a shots-fired call in a residential neighborhood. Officers located Houston near the scene of the shots-fired incident in a parked SUV. After detaining Houston and others, police conducted a probable-cause search of the SUV, locating marijuana and several loaded pistols equipped with extended magazines. One of the firearms, seized near where Houston was seated in the SUV, was a Glock .40 caliber pistol equipped with a fully loaded 30-round extended magazine and an illegal machinegun-conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch,” which rendered the pistol a fully automatic weapon.
Agents seized and obtained a warrant to search Houston’s cell phone, which contained evidence of his illegal possession and sale of Glock switches. The phone contained dozens of pictures and videos of Houston illegally possessing pistols equipped with Glock switches, including the pistol that police seized from him in November 2023. The phone also contained numerous text messages that Houston exchanged with other people about selling Glock switches for profit.
In addition to the 27-month prison sentence, Senior United States District Judge William H. Steele ordered Houston to serve a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison, during which time he will be subject to drug testing and treatment, and mental health evaluation and treatment. The court did not impose a fine, but Judge Steele ordered Houston to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Mobile Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Roller prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.