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Friday 13 December 2024
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Odometer Tampering ChargesRead the Press Release
Orlando, FL – Drew Mitchell Schreiber, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to three counts of odometer tampering.
Schreiber, owner of Central Florida Automotive Group (now-named Southeastern Credit Union Solutions), in Winter Garden, Florida, purchased high-mileage used vehicles from wholesale automobile auctions throughout Florida. The vehicles’ odometers were then rolled back as much as 428,000 miles and resold to unsuspecting used-vehicle dealers via auto auctions or by online direct sales. The rolled-back vehicles were then sold to victims throughout the United States enriching Schreiber with fraudulent gains. In all, Schreiber sold rolled-back vehicles. Because many of these vehicles were more than 10 years old, Schreiber obtained so-called “exempt” titles that did not reveal the actual mileage of the vehicles.
“Just because a motor vehicle may be exempt from mileage recording on a title does not give a dealer the right to roll back odometers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “With vehicles remaining in use for longer periods of time, many Americans rely on older vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. Used car buyers deserve peace of mind knowing that the odometer reading in their vehicle is correct.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation investigated this case.
Trial Attorney David Sullivan of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
plea_agreement.pdfFlorida Man Pleads Guilty to Odometer Tampering ChargesRead the Press Release
Drew Mitchell Schreiber, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to three counts of odometer tampering.
Schreiber, owner of Central Florida Automotive Group (now-named Southeastern Credit Union Solutions), in Winter Garden, Florida, purchased high-mileage used vehicles from wholesale automobile auctions throughout Florida. The vehicles’ odometers were then rolled back as much as 428,000 miles and resold to unsuspecting used-vehicle dealers via auto auctions or by online direct sales. The rolled-back vehicles were then sold to victims throughout the United States enriching Schreiber with fraudulent gains. In all, Schreiber sold rolled-back vehicles. Because many of these vehicles were more than 10 years old, Schreiber obtained so-called “exempt” titles that did not reveal the actual mileage of the vehicles.
“Just because a motor vehicle may be exempt from mileage recording on a title does not give a dealer the right to roll back odometers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “With vehicles remaining in use for longer periods of time, many Americans rely on older vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. Used car buyers deserve peace of mind knowing that the odometer reading in their vehicle is correct.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation investigated this case.
Trial Attorney David Sullivan of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Eight YearsRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wake Forest man was sentenced to 96 months in prison for dealing fentanyl in Raleigh. On September 23, 2024, Michael Anthony Weidner pled guilty two counts of distribution of a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Michael Weidner, 31, sold cocaine, and fentanyl and Adderall pills from October 2022 through April 2024. In addition, in November of 2022, Weidner, a convicted felon, was found intoxicated and asleep in the driver’s seat of a car with a loaded AR-15 style firearm on the passenger seat. When a Wake County Sheriff’s Deputy approached and awakened Weidner, Weidner reached for the firearm and was taken into custody. As a previously convicted felon, Weidner cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
This prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, 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.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh Police Department, and Wake County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles E. Loeser 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. 5:24-CR-85-M-KS.
Federal Jury Convicts Berrien County Man of Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that a federal jury convicted Willie David Lark, 53, of Benton Township, Michigan, of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and quantities of cocaine and cocaine base. Lark will be sentenced at a later date.
“Illicit street drugs can kill,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “In particular, xylazine and fentanyl drug mixtures place users at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning. Just a speck of fentanyl can be lethal, and naloxone (Narcan) does not reverse the potentially deadly effects of xylazine. While we can never prosecute our way out of a drug epidemic, my office is committed to disrupting the flow of these poisons into our communities.”
According to evidence admitted at trial, in August 2022, investigators searched Lark’s residence in Benton Township, Michigan in connection with an ongoing drug investigation. Inside Lark’s safe, investigators found over 188 grams of 100% pure methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” over 100 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and xylazine, over 70 grams of cocaine, and over 31 grams of cocaine base. Investigators found additional evidence inside the house that proved Lark intended to sell these drugs.
The jury also heard that approximately two weeks later, in September 2022, when investigators arrested Lark, they found additional quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base in his pants pocket that he intended to sell. In Lark’s truck, investigators also found a key to the safe in his residence that was previously searched and found to contain drugs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (see here), in 2023 at least 107,543 people died from drug poisoning across the United States, which is near the all-time high of 111,029 deaths in 2022. In Michigan, at least 2,931 people died from drug poisoning in 2023. Approximately 75% of the 2023 drug poisoning deaths across the United States were due to fentanyl. While 2024 data shows the number of deaths has started to decline, the number remains high. Learn more about the dangers of xylazine, a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer, here.
The following services are available for people experiencing addiction, or their friends and loved ones:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, www.samhsa.gov/find-support/in-crisis.
- Cope Network (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Barry, Berrien, Branch, Cass, Calhoun, St. Joseph, and Van Buren Counties), 269-580-8290, www.copenetwork.org.
- The Grand Rapids Red Project (providing free Naloxone and other harm reduction services in Kent and Muskegon Counties), 616-456-9063 (Kent County), 231-563-6865 (Muskegon County), www.redproject.org.
- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has a webpage that identifies county-by-county services.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Michigan State Police Southwest Enforcement Team are investigating this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin J. Hakes is prosecuting it.
This case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program. 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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Federal Indictment Charges Four Men with Robbery and Firearm Offenses in Connection with Heist of Electronics Equipment in ChicagoRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — Four men have been indicted on federal robbery and firearm charges for allegedly participating in a heist of electronics equipment in Chicago.
KAHDAFFIE GREEN, JAHJUAN GREEN, CHAQWON BIRDEN, and MARQUISE RAMYYEH conspired to rob Meade Electrical Company on the South Side of Chicago on Dec. 6, 2023, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Wearing hoods and ski masks, the four defendants brandished firearms and robbed employees of a RIDGID camera and a Digitrak locator box, the indictment states.
The indictment charges Kahdaffie Green, 25, Jahjuan Green, 27, Birden, 26, and Ramyyeh, 20, all of Chicago, with robbery conspiracy and brandishing firearms during a crime of violence. Kahdaffie Green and Ramyyeh are also charged with illegally possessing firearms as previously convicted felons.
Arraignments in federal court in Chicago are scheduled for Jan. 2, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily C.R. Vermylen.
Valuable assistance was provided by ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Chicago. The CGIC is a centralized law enforcement hub that focuses exclusively on investigating and preventing gun violence in Chicago and throughout northern Illinois. The CGIC is an interagency collaboration that brings together - under one roof - federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and intelligence analysts to move quickly to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.
Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is the centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that brings together law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders, and other stakeholders to develop comprehensive solutions to the most pressing violent crime problems in a community. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement partners have deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life. The robbery conspiracy charge is punishable by up to 20 years, while illegal possession of a firearm by a felon carries a maximum of 15 years.
0001_-_0000_-_indictment_as_to_kahdaffie_green_1_counts_1-2.pdfFederal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer Sentenced for Three Counts of Sexual Abuse of a WardRead the Press Release
A Kentucky man was sentenced today to 100 months in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release and restitution of $21,000 to each of the three victims for three counts of sexual abuse of a ward.
According to his plea agreement, from Sept. 5, 2020, to Dec. 21, 2020, Jacob Salcido, 40, of Lexington, while employed as a correctional officer at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, knowingly engaged in sexual acts with three inmates. Salcido admitted that, based on his training and experience, he was aware that any sexual contact between FMC staff and inmates was strictly forbidden and constituted a criminal offense.
“Jacob Salcido exploited his power as a correctional officer by sexually abusing three women in his custody,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “This conviction and significant sentence reflect the Justice Department’s commitment to eradicating sexual abuse in federal prisons, bringing to justice those who violate the public trust by abusing those in their custody.”
“Salcido’s duty as a Correctional Officer was to foster a safe and humane environment for inmates,”said Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz. “Instead, Salcido sexually abused three inmates in his custody and care. Salcido’s lengthy prison sentence sends a clear message that federal Correctional Officers who abuse inmates will be brought to justice.”
“Instead of securing and caring for those in his custody, the defendant preyed on vulnerable individuals and betrayed an important public charge,” said U.S Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This despicable conduct has done enduring damage to his victims. And beyond that, when public officials act with such disregard for those in their care, it erodes faith in all law enforcement. We will continue our efforts to protect these individuals, and to combat abuses by those violating the public trust.”
The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and FBI investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zach Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted the case.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is committed to rooting out misconduct within its ranks and working with law enforcement partners to prosecute violations of federal law. The numerous FBOP employees working diligently to ensure justice for the victims of misconduct are critical to the department’s reform efforts.
Doctor Charged for Unlawful Distribution of Oxycodone and Other Controlled SubstancesRead the Press Release
A New Jersey doctor was arrested yesterday for unlawfully distributing oxycodone and other controlled substances.
According to court documents, Larry Pettis, 76, of Westampton, owned a medical practice that had multiple locations in New Jersey that purported to provide pain management and other services. Pettis allegedly pre-signed prescriptions for controlled substances so that another individual, who was not allowed to issue such prescriptions, could issue them when Pettis was out of the office. Pettis allegedly caused prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids such as oxycodone, to be issued to patients even though Pettis had failed to assess the patients. Pettis is also alleged to have issued prescriptions for controlled substances when a patient’s drug test results raised red flags for substance abuse and drug diversion and to have caused medical records to be altered and fabricated.
Pettis is charged with four counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, South Jersey Resident Agency; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Jersey Division, Camden District Office made the announcement.
FBI, HHS-OIG, and DEA are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Nicholas Peone and Hyungjoo Han of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
Victims with questions may contact the Fraud Section’s Victim Assistance Unit by calling the Victim Assistance phone line at 1-888-549-3945 or by emailing [email protected]. To learn more about victims’ rights, please visit: www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/victim-rights-derechos-de-las-v-ctimas.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
DeLand Felon Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Firearms on Two OccasionsRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced Loveking Kitching (22, DeLand) to three years and five months in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered Kitching to forfeit the firearms and ammunition. Kitching entered a guilty plea on August 21, 2024.
According to court documents, on May 13, 2023, Kitching was involved in a shooting while riding as a passenger in car near a gas station in DeLand. Within minutes of the shooting, gas station security camera footage captured Kitching exiting the car and walking into the gas station’s convenience store while holding a loaded 9mm pistol. Law enforcement officers responded to the scene and recovered the pistol and other evidence, which indicated that Kitching had exchanged gunfire with someone outside the car. During the shooting, Kitching was shot in the mouth and hand. Shell casings found inside the vehicle where Kitching had been seated indicated that he had also fired the 9mm pistol from inside vehicle.
On December 12, 2023, law enforcement officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle Kitching was driving. Kitching failed to stop and instead led police on a vehicle chase into an industrial park that ended when Kitching reached a dead end. On the ground along the path of the chase, officers located Kitching’s cellphone and a loaded .40 caliber pistol. Kitching’s DNA and fingerprints were found on the pistol.
Kitching had previously been convicted (2022) of multiple felonies and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the DeLand Police Department, and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
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.
Columbia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Police Find Gun and Drugs While Serving Arrest WarrantRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. —Shiloh Wright, 42, of Columbia, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
Evidence presented to the court showed that on Sept. 1, 2022, officers with the City of Columbia Police Department went to a local truck stop to arrest Wright on an outstanding warrant. The officers found Wright driving a vehicle and took him into custody. Officers searched Wright in preparation to take him to the detention center and found plastic baggies containing crack cocaine and cocaine in his underwear. Officers also searched Wright’s vehicle and found a digital scale, a black bookbag containing a loaded firearm, fentanyl pills, marijuana, and a debit card belonging to Wright.
Wright has previous convictions for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, distribution of crack cocaine, resisting arrest, domestic violence, and assault and battery.
United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie sentenced Wright to 84 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar J. Fyall is prosecuting the case.
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Charleston Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Weapon and Drug ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Antwon Rashad Brown, 30, of Charleston, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Evidence presented to the court showed that Brown engaged in a multiple year conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Between May 2021 and July 2022, Brown was arrested four times and charged with multiple narcotics and firearms violations.
On July 22, 2021, law enforcement searched Brown’s residence and located more than 1.5 kilograms of marijuana, extended firearm magazines, ammunition, digital scales, a money counter, more than $1,000 in cash, a loaded AR-15 style pistol, and a loaded 9mm pistol throughout the residence and his bedroom.
Brown had multiple felony convictions preventing him from legally possessing a firearm and ammunition, including multiple violent acts involving firearms.
United States District Judge David C. Norton sentenced Brown to 1o years imprisonment followed by four years of court-ordered supervision.
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.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Charleston Police Department, and Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow is prosecuting the case.
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Calhoun County Man Sentenced for a Firearms ConvictionRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Victor L. Carpenter, 57, of Mt. Zion, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Carpenter was on state probation for malicious assault and drug charges in Calhoun County. During a probation home visit, officers located a 16-gauge shotgun and ammunition. The gun had been altered with a shortened stock and barrel. Carpenter is prohibited from having firearms because of the felony convictions in Calhoun County.
Carpenter will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the West Virginia State Police investigated.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Cabarrus County Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax CrimeRead the Press Release
GREENSBORO – A Concord, North Carolina man has been sentenced to prison for willfully failing to collect or pay over taxes, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).
RONALD JAMES McMURPHY, age 50, was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 18 months in prison by the Honorable Catherine C. Eagles, Chief United States District Judge in the United States District Court for the MDNC. At the conclusion of his active term of imprisonment, McMURPHY will be subject to a three -year term of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $712,017 in restitution. McMURPHY pleaded guilty on September 4, 2024, to failing to truthfully account for and pay over trust fund taxes, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7202.
According to court documents, McMURPHY was the president of McMurphy Hydraulics, Inc. and was required under law to account for and pay to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employment taxes consisting of Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes. From the first quarter of 2016 up to and including the third quarter of 2022, McMURPHY willfully failed to do so on behalf of McMurphy Hydraulics, Inc.’s employees and amassed $438,502 in employer tax liability. McMURPHY was also the president of Powertek Equipment, Inc. and required under law to account for and pay to the IRS employment taxes. From the fourth quarter of 2019 up to and including the third quarter of 2022, McMURPHY willfully failed to do so on behalf of Powertek Equipment, Inc.’s employees and accrued $273,515 in employer tax liability.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Jeanne Dildine.
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Brooklyn Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Bank Fraud and Identity TheftRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Brooklyn was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with a scheme to steal over $3 million in COVID relief tax credits using the stolen identity of a corporate executive in New Jersey.
Isaiah Aaron Tenryk, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In September 2024, Tenryk pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Tenryk and his co-conspirators used a fraudulent driver’s license and the New Jersey executive’s name and Social Security number to open an account at a bank in Boston. Tenryk then deposited an approximately $3 million Employee Retention Tax Credit check, payable to the executive’s company, into the fraudulent account. In the days after Tenryk deposited the check, co-conspirators tried unsuccessfully to transfer the funds out of the account. Tenryk was arrested when he returned to the bank to attempt to wire money out of the account.
A co-conspirator, Linval Jackson, of Queens, was arrested in July 2024.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jonathan Wlodyka, 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Brooklyn Man Convicted of Threatening to Shoot and Kill Employees of the New York State Department of LaborRead the Press Release
Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Quadri Garnes of transmission of threats to injure. The verdict followed a five-day trial before United States District Judge Nina R. Morrison. When sentenced, Garnes faces up to five years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Daniel B. Brubaker, Inspector in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS), announced the verdict.
“The defendant used threats of violence as a weapon to terrorize government employees because he couldn’t get what he wanted and today, the jury’s verdict spoke loudly that such conduct will not be tolerated,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “My Office is committed to protecting civil servants who are subjected to work-related threats, and we will do so by vigorously prosecuting offenders like the defendant and demonstrating that there are consequences for such conduct.”
“Today’s guilty verdict should signal to anyone who makes threats of violence against federal employees, or through creating an environment of fear, attempts to impede or obstruct the services these employees provide to the American people, that your actions will absolutely not be tolerated on any level. Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, will bring anyone who attempts or threatens to harm these dedicated employees to justice,” stated USPIS Inspector in Charge Brubaker.
As proven at trial, Garnes was employed as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS) at the Homecrest post office in Brooklyn from March 26, 2022 to May 29, 2022. After crashing his postal truck into two vehicles, Garnes was terminated on May 31, 2022. Garnes subsequently applied for unemployment benefits but was denied because he had worked for the USPS for fewer than 60 days and was thus ineligible to receive benefits. On the morning of September 29, 2022, Garnes called the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) and was advised that he had worked for the USPS for too short a period to be eligible to receive benefits. In response, he threatened to shoot and kill employees of the USPS and DOL. During the 45-minute recorded call with two DOL employees, Garnes’s statements included:
- If I go back to the post office, I’m gonna shoot somebody.
- Y’all gonna make me go to jail for killing somebody.
- Do the city want me to kill five or six different people?
- I got 18 and a half years in jail. It don’t bother me to be in jail. I made myself, meaning like I’m made, as long as I’m in the New York City jail, I’m good.
- You might see this s--t on TV. Just remember my name. You might see it on TV tonight. You, just remember my name!
- Somebody might get shot today coming out of Department of Labor.
- Believe me, I’ll be at the New York State Department of Labor down on Schermerhorn or Livingston Street and I will make a big f----ng deal out of it.
Garnes’s threats triggered an immediate response by the DOL, the New York State Police and by Postal Inspectors, who took precautions against Garnes’s return to the postal facility where he had briefly worked and the DOL office he named. Garnes was arrested approximately two weeks after making his threats.
Assistant United States Attorneys Antoinette N. Rangel and Alexander Mindlin are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth.
The Defendant:
QUADRI GARNES
Age: 48
Brooklyn, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-487 (NRM)
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploiting MinorRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Worcester to child exploitation offenses.
Jalen Latimer, 26, of Roxbury, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2025. Latimer is currently in state custody on related offenses. The defendant was previously charged by criminal complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor on Feb. 16, 2024.
In July 2023, Latimer conspired with another individual to sex traffic a minor victim. In July 2022, Latimer used two other minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.
Latimer was arrested in February 2024 and is facing charges by state authorities in Worcester Superior Court of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault and battery of a child, human trafficking of a minor and depicting a minor in sexual conduct.
The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking provides of a sentence of up to life in prison, up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier; and Oxford Police Chief Michael K. Daniels made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Rhode Island State Police and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was 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. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Boston Man Pleads Guilty to Carrying Loaded Firearm at MBTA Station in BostonRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today to illegally carrying a loaded pistol. The defendant, a felon who also possessed armor-piercing ammunition, was first identified when his online purchasing history showed that he was acquiring firearm accessories and various chemicals that could create incendiary or explosive compounds.
Pepo Herd El a/k/a Pepo Wamchawi Herd, 51, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Jan. 2, 2025. Herd El was arrested on Thanksgiving Day 2020 and has been detained in custody since that time.
For about a year preceding his arrest, Herd El made many online firearms-related purchases, including buying a laser sight, magazines and a concealable holster. Herd El also purchased extended magazine plates, which allow magazines to hold more rounds, and a Glock firing pin safety, which reduces the force required to pull the trigger. Manufacturers claim that this modification decreases the fatigue that a user may experience when firing multiple rounds. According to court documents, Herd El adhered to the sovereign citizen ideology, which is generally considered anti-government and anti-authority.
On Nov. 26, 2020, Herd El took a bus from his house in Dorchester to the Ruggles MBTA station. At Ruggles, Herd El was detained and searched pursuant to a search warrant. During that search, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, a laser sight, three spare magazines, 45 rounds of ammunition, a knife, and an infrared camera were discovered. Herd El was also wearing a bullet-proof vest and a jacket that had “security” written on it. He told law enforcement officers that he was on his way to Thanksgiving dinner.
During a subsequent search of Herd El’s Dorchester residence, another magazine loaded with armor-piercing rounds was recovered. Additionally, various drawings of gun barrel designs, firearms suppressors and bullets were on the apartment walls. In the kitchen and dining area, various tools that could manufacture ammunition were found. A chemistry book containing handwritten notes about the materials needed to make TNT and C-4 was also found.
Due to several 2004 state convictions for possessing firearms without permits and other crimes, Herd El is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Beck and Timothy Kistner of the National Security Unit are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff of the Criminal Division also assisted in the prosecution.
Berkeley Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Unlawful Possession of Firearms and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
OAKLAND – A Berkeley man was sentenced this week to 72 months in federal prison for possession of firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony. The Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Judge, imposed the sentence following the defendant’s guilty plea on one count of felon in possession of a firearm and one count of felon in possession of ammunition.
According to his plea agreement, Rufus Rogers, 45, admitted to possession of firearms and ammunition when he knew he was a convicted felon. On Feb. 17, 2023, Rogers approached another person outside of a liquor store on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland with a loaded firearm between Rogers’s hands. Rogers followed the other person around the corner and engaged in a verbal altercation. After the other person fired one shot into the air, Rogers raised his gun towards the person and fired three rounds. Rogers also admitted to having multiple firearms in his possession on or about Aug. 2, 2023.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Gilliam also sentenced Rogers to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered Rogers to forfeit his interest in the recovered firearms and ammunition. The defendant was remanded into custody on Dec. 11, 2024.
United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Cicolani made the announcement.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Harvey is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Amala James. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by ATF.
Bank Fraud Lands Former Bank Senior Vice President in Federal Prison for 16 MonthsRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, JOHN PADILLA, 44, of Lawton, was sentenced to serve 16 months in federal prison for bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On May 7, 2024, Padilla was charged by Information with bank fraud. According to the Information, between February 2013 and December 2019, Padilla served as senior vice president and commercial loan officer for a federally insured bank located in Lawton. During that time, Padilla executed a scheme in which he recruited borrowers to apply for loans, many of which were not creditworthy and were in fact Padilla’s friends and associates. Padilla told the borrowers he would use the loan proceeds to invest in his real estate ventures, and that he would pay the borrowers a percentage of the profit. In reality, Padilla would use most of the loan proceeds to support his gambling habit, while also using proceeds to make payments toward prior loans issued as part of the scheme. In all, Padilla’s actions cost the bank more than $1,000,000.
On June 17, 2024, Padilla pleaded guilty, and admitted to recruiting an associate to apply for a loan, knowing the proceeds were for his own personal use.
At the sentencing hearing today, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Padilla to serve 16 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. In announcing her sentence, Judge Dishman noted the seriousness of the offense and that it had spanned several years. Judge Dishman further explained that the fraud Padilla committed against his former, long-time employer, caused a significant loss to the bank. The Court also ordered Padilla to pay $1,092,135.50 in restitution.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Atlanta Woman Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Coretta Bates (31, Atlanta, GA) has pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. Bates faces a mandatory term of two years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on April 18, 2023, Bates opened an account at a credit union in the name of “SLD.” She used a counterfeit North Carolina driver license with her photo and “SLD’s” identifying information to open that account. The credit union approved the application and issued a credit card to “SLD” with a $20,000 credit limit.
Between May 9 and July 7, 2023, “SLD” completed 22 cash withdrawals via ITM (interactive teller machine) from those checking and savings accounts at the credit union totaling $75,700. “SLD” had taken those funds from the credit union under false pretenses and representations by using the identity of another without authorization.
A joint U.S. Secret Service and Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office investigation revealed that there were numerous accounts in different names that the same individual depicted in the “SLD” driver license had opened during the same time. They contacted the real “SLD” and confirmed that she had not contacted the credit union or opened any accounts there. The bank fraud activity from the “SLD” and other related accounts caused the credit union to suffer actual losses of approximately $165,117.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, with assistance from the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Holland Named HSI Prosecutor of the Year for Eastern WashingtonRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref announced Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Laurel Holland was selected as the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Prosecutor of the Year for the Eastern District of Washington.
AUSA Holland is a founding member of the U.S. Attorney’s Branch Office in Richland, Washington, joining the office in June 2023. Throughout her career, which has included service as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Benton County and as an AUSA in Yakima, Washington, AUSA Holland has been recognized for her extensive work prosecuting cases involving the exploitation of young children.
A recent example is the prosecution of Lucas Murphy. In August 2024, Murphy was convicted of Online Enticement of a Minor for abducting a minor from Kennewick, Washington, to New Mexico. AUSA Holland’s relentless pursuit of justice was instrumental to holding Murphy accountable.
In just the past year alone, AUSA Holland prosecuted several significant child exploitation offenders. For example, she obtained a significant sentence for Tri-cities man, who attempted to meet a 13-year old for sex in United States v. Julio Cesar Anaya. She obtained a fifteen year sentence in United States v. Gerald Alan Nott against a repeat offender, who distributed more than 1600 child pornography images, using his parents’ home internet in Richland, Washington. In United States v. Bret Michael Emineth and Malesa Hale, she and co-counsel obtained a 30 year sentence and a 28 year sentence for two co-defendants who had sexually and physically abused their victim for over four years. Her efforts provide victims with a sense of resolution, supported by the victim assistance resources she ensures are available throughout the legal process.
AUSA Holland stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office could not do this important work without the support of HSI and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The dedication of these agents and officers to protecting vulnerable children makes a lasting impact to our communities, keeping Eastern Washington safe and strong.”
“Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Holland is tireless in her pursuit of justice on behalf of the young and most vulnerable among us. She approaches each case with compassion for the victim and is dedicated to holding offenders accountable,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Her skill expands beyond her advocacy. AUSA Holland spends considerable time training and mentoring law enforcement and prosecutors. I am proud to count AUSA Holland as a member of our office and offer my sincere congratulations for this well-deserved honor.”
Assault of Two Senior Citizens Gets DC Man 26 Year Prison TermRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Travon Eliy, also known as Travon Jackson, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced for assault with intent to kill a senior citizen in a gun-free zone and other charges stemming from a robbery and daytime shooting that took place behind an elementary school in Southeast Washington. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On December 9, 2024, the Honorable Milton C. Lee sentenced Eliy to 26 years in prison for his role in the attacks on both elderly victims. These charges carry an enhancement for crimes against senior citizens, which resulted in the above-guidelines sentence. Eliy was found guilty on April 18, 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The jury also found him guilty of a total of 18 charges, including armed robbery of a senior citizen in a gun-free zone, and related assault and firearms offenses.
According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of April 1, 2016, the victim, a 67-year-old woman, was walking home when she was followed by Eliy into an apartment building in the 600 block of Savannah Street S.E. Once inside, Eliy put a gun to her head and began pulling at her purse. Eliy dragged her out of the building and down a walkway before getting away with her purse. The woman screamed for help and a Good Samaritan, a 61-year-old man, intervened. The man was able to stop Eliy by pushing him up against a parked car. It was then that Eliy fired his gun one time at close range into the man’s chest before fleeing the scene. The shooting took place in broad daylight behind Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School.
MPD officers stopped the defendant within 10 minutes of the shooting.
In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz; former Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation Michael Ambrosino; former Forensic Operations Program Specialist Elizabeth Marrero; former Paralegal Specialists Kathryn Hoey, Sabrina Turner; former Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames, and former Finance Specialists Karen Lee-Putt, Marquetta Little and Sallie Rynas and Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Lashone Samuels.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Arizona Man Associated with Online Terror Network Arrested for Production of Child Sex Abuse Material and CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
Baron Martin, 20, of Tucson, Arizona, was arrested on Dec. 11 for producing child sexual abuse material and cyberstalking offenses carried out as part of his participation in online violent terror networks known as 764 and CVLT.
“764 remains a dangerous network of violent extremists who systematically target children and weaponize child sexual abuse material for the purpose of furthering an accelerationist agenda, destroying civilized society, and causing the collapse of the U.S. Government,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “The Department of Justice is fully committed to stopping 764’s acts of terrorism and disrupting the 764 network.”
”The Department’s Project Safe Childhood strives to protect America’s youth, whether from individual stalkers or organized, virtual networks,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “This case serves not only to deter unlawful conduct, but also to encourage parents and children to remain vigilant and seek help when they encounter predatory and violent activity in the online world.”
“The details in this case are simply horrific as the defendant allegedly coerced children to harm themselves multiple times,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and we take that especially seriously when it comes to the young and vulnerable. The FBI will use all of our authorities to investigate and hold accountable anyone who preys on children.”
The unsealed complaint alleges that 764 is a network of violent extremists who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad. Those involved with the 764 network, individually and as a network, methodically target vulnerable, underage populations across the United States and the globe by using known online social media communications platforms to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with vulnerable, juvenile populations. Members of 764 seek to desensitize young people to violence and break down societal norms regarding violence, and they normalize the possession, production, and sharing of explicit CSAM and gore material to corrupt and groom their victims toward future violence.
Historically, members of 764 systematically target underage females, groom them, extort them, and force them to mutilate themselves or others and either film or photograph such activity, at times while streaming it online for other members of the network. The network members will then commonly edit compilation photographs or videos of their victims, share these photographs or videos on their social media platforms to gain notoriety among other members of the network, and spread fear among their victims all for the purpose of accelerating chaos under the 764 ideology with an aim toward the disruption of society. The network has shifted names over time and spawned known offshoot networks. Although the network moves between social media channels and changes its name, the core goals and membership remain consistent and appear under the overarching threat of 764.
Since approximately 2021, "Convict" has appeared as a participant in chatrooms related to the online terror networks 764 and CVLT. According to the complaint, Martin admitted to using the moniker “Convict” on social media platforms and, on multiple occasions, claimed online to be an owner of 764 and CVLT, teaching 764 members how to extort victims, describing himself as the “king of extortion,” and boasting he was “the catalyst for thousands of extortions” in 764. Martin also created and posted on a social media platform a detailed guide on how to identify, groom, and extort vulnerable juveniles.
The complaint accuses Martin of producing child sex abuse material on Discord, a chat and gaming platform, in September 2022, by making two separate minors self-mutilate for him. On one occasion, Martin had a 13-year-old child cut his name “in every possible place” she could to include her chest, stomach, and thighs, and threatened to “leak” pictures of her if she did not comply. On other occasions, Martin directed this same minor child to cut certain designs into her body to include swastikas and satanic symbols.
Martin also directed another minor victim, 16, on Discord, to scratch herself with her nails, ordering her to "draw blood,” saying “I want it dripping.” He then told her to pour rubbing alcohol over the wounds. Martin later sent three videos of this sadistic abuse of the minor to another Discord user. In the videos, the minor is scratching her forearm with her nails and pouring rubbing alcohol onto the scratches before curling up in apparent pain with a rag in her mouth.
Martin is also accused of cyberstalking a different 13-year-old minor for threats he sent over Discord in September 2022. Martin told this minor victim he put a “hit” on her grandmother, and he solicited individuals to kill the victim’s grandmother. Martin agreed to pay one person $3,000 to kidnap and murder the victim’s grandmother, whose address he provided. The complaint alleges that in a separate server chat, Martin posted the phone numbers of both the minor and her grandmother and told the network to contact both numbers to harass them.
If convicted, Martin faces a penalty of up to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse material and a penalty of up to 10 years in prison for cyberstalking when the victim is a minor and no bodily injury resulted from the conduct. Each offense also carries a fine of up to $250,000 and up to a lifetime of supervised release. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Liza Granoff and Carin C. Duryée for the District of Arizona and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Alleged Crabtree Valley Mall Shooter Indicted for Possessing a Firearm and Ammo as a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – On November 21, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a Durham man after allegedly being involved in an October shootout at Crabtree Valley Mall.
“The holiday season is a time for peace on earth – not shootouts in the parking deck,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “Our Violent Crime Team is working even more closely with local law enforcement this holiday, including using federal tools to keep our community safe.”
According to the indictment and information presented to the court, Jamarion Burton, 22, allegedly possessed a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon when he engaged in a shootout with another group of individuals at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh on October 26, 2024. The Raleigh Police Department (RPD) quickly responded to the scene where the shooting occurred and apprehended one suspect. After speaking to multiple witnesses and viewing surveillance footage from the mall, RPD allegedly identified Burton and learned that he and his companion had gotten into a verbal altercation with another group of individuals while inside the mall. The alleged altercation continued into the parking deck where both groups exchanged gunfire. Upon law enforcement arriving, Burton’s group allegedly fled the scene. Burton was later apprehended in Durham by the RPD with the assistance of the Durham Police Department. Burton had one of the firearms allegedly used in the mall shooting on his person at the time of his arrest.
Burton is charged with one count of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison.
The prosecution is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.
It is also a case that 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.
Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and RPD are investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren E. Kelly is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
ASD Specialty Healthcare (D/B/A Besse Medical) Agrees to Pay $1.67 Million for Allegedly Paying Kickbacks to Retina PracticesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – ASD Specialty Healthcare, LLC (ASD), doing business as Besse Medical (Besse), has agreed to pay $1.67 million to resolve allegations that it provided inventory management systems to retina practices at no cost to induce them to purchase drugs from Besse, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. ASD, headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, distributes specialty medical and pharmaceutical products nationwide, including ophthalmological injections that treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).
As part of the settlement agreement, ASD admitted and accepted responsibility for certain facts providing the basis of the settlement. In May 2017, ASD acquired an inventory management system known as PODIS, which was specialized for retina practices to manage inventory of, and reimbursements for, high-cost injectable medications such as drugs that treat wet AMD. Through November 2023, ASD offered PODIS at no cost to customers who entered into “prime vendor agreements” that required them to purchase a certain percentage of their specialty drugs from ASD. ASD required customers who did not enter into prime vendor agreements to pay a monthly fee for access to PODIS. Following its acquisition of PODIS, ASD then discontinued access to PODIS for non-ASD customer retina practices that had used PODIS prior to the acquisition, including customers who offered to pay a monthly fee to continue using PODIS. The government alleges that ASD caused physicians to submit false claims to Medicare, TRICARE and the Department of Veterans Affairs induced by these kickbacks.
“Pharmaceutical distributors cannot violate the law to gain a financial advantage,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Offering improper incentives to health care customers can increase health care costs and disadvantage competitors who are playing by the rules. Our office is committed to continue pursuing these investigations with our federal law enforcement partners.”
“According to the allegations in today’s settlement, ASD purchased a commercially available product and leveraged it to gain business in violation of the AKS,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will pursue kickbacks at all levels of the distribution chain to preserve the integrity of federal health care programs.”
“Improper financial inducements can compromise medical judgement and threaten the integrity of the Medicare program,” said Special Agent in Charge Roberto Coviello of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “We are committed to pursuing allegations of kickbacks and false claims as we work to protect the integrity of the taxpayer-funded Medicare program, and we encourage the public to come forward with information about such conduct.”
“Today’s settlement resolves allegations that Besse Medical paid kickbacks to medical practices treating patients with age-related macular degeneration in an effort to drum up business for the drugs they sold and increase their revenue,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “This case highlights the FBI’s commitment to rooting out health care fraud, one case at a time, and ensuring accountability for those who run afoul of the law.”
“Investigating schemes that undermine the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for military members and their families, is a top priority for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)," stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to work with our partner agencies and the Department of Justice to pursue those individuals and corporations that submit false claims to the TRICARE system.”
“Investigations such as these help safeguard the integrity of the healthcare industry marketplace and protect taxpayer funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the Department of Justice and our federal law enforcement partners for their collaboration in this joint investigation.”
The settlement resolves, in part, claims brought under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former employees of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., also a named defendant in the case, which manufactures and sells a drug to treat wet AMD. The government intervened in the qui tam and filed a complaint against Regeneron concerning separate allegations, and the parties currently are litigating that matter in U.S. District Court. Under the FCA, private parties may sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and receive a share of any recovery. The whistleblowers will receive $250,705.20 from the proceeds of the settlement. The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Nunnelly et al. v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al., No. 20-cv-11401-PBS (Dist. Mass.).
U.S. Attorney Levy, AAG Boynton, FBI SAC Cohen, HHS-OIG SAC Coviello, DCIS SAC Hegarty and VA-OIG SAC Algieri made the announcement today. This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Ross and Diane Seol of the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorneys Douglas Rosenthal and Samuel Lehman of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
5 Men from Grand Strand and Pee Dee Region Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking and Related Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
FLORENCE, S.C. — Five men from across the Pee Dee and Grand Strand were sentenced to multi-year terms in federal prison after pleading guilty to a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy operating in and around Horry County and related firearms crimes.
- Joshua Rodriguez, 33, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl;
- Derrick Adrien Hooks, Jr., 27, of Chesterfield, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl;
- Christopher Brown, 32, of Pawleys Island, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl;
- Jonathan Thien Ta, 32, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition; Ta’s federal sentence will run consecutive to a state sentence he is serving on separate firearms-related conduct; and
- Neil Alexander Torres, 32, of Myrtle Beach, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition.
Rodriguez and Brown’s terms of imprisonment will be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision. Hook’s term of imprisonment will be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. Ta and Torres’s terms of imprisonment will be followed by three-year terms of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
As to Ta and Torres, evidence presented to the court showed that on Nov. 26, 2020, officers with Myrtle Beach Police Department arrived at a restaurant in Myrtle Beach with a warrant to arrest Ta. Officers tried to take Ta into custody, but Ta disobeyed law enforcement commands, reaching into his waistband and pulling out a loaded 9mm handgun, which he passed to Torres before Ta attempted to flee on foot. At the time of the incident, both Ta and Torres were convicted felons who could not legally possess either the firearm or the ammunition with which it was loaded.
Additional evidence presented to the court showed that from 2018 to 2023, Rodriguez, Hooks, and Brown were involved in trafficking pressed pills containing fentanyl in and around Horry County. Fentanyl is potentially lethal in very small doses.
Rodriguez, who was a high-level distributor, was accountable for distributing some 14 kilograms of fentanyl over the course of the conspiracy. He frequently possessed firearms in connection with his drug trafficking and threatened to use violence against others.
On July 1, 2021, law enforcement in Horry County attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a car driven and solely occupied by Hooks. Hooks fled from officers and threw pills and suspected marijuana out of the car during the ensuing chase. Law enforcement then obtained a search warrant for the home in Little River Hooks had come from just prior to the traffic stop. In Hooks’ room at the house, law enforcement found approximately 3.5 kilogram of pills, multiple kilograms of suspected marijuana, a 5.56 caliber firearm, assorted magazines, and ammunition and more than $10,000 in cash. Further investigation revealed that over the course of his involvement in the conspiracy, Hooks was accountable for trafficking 1.6 kilograms of fentanyl.
Investigation showed Brown was involved as a lower-level distributor within the conspiracy. In approximately five years, Brown was accountable for trafficking 2.7 kilograms of fentanyl. Like Hooks, Brown had a history of fleeing from law enforcement. In 2023, Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Brown in Pawleys Island. Brown fled, reaching speeds of 91 miles per hour while trying to evade law enforcement.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III, sentenced all five men.
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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office, Myrtle Beach Police Department, Horry County Police Department, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, and the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn is prosecuting the case.
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Thursday 12 December 2024
West Seneca man going to prison for 15 years for receipt of child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Corey Beasley, 39, of West Seneca, NY, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in June 2022, Beasley took sexually explicit photographs of himself and a minor female (Victim) with his cellphone. In January 2023, a West Seneca police officer received a report that the sexually explicit images were found on a tablet belonging to Beasley. Subsequently, search warrants were executed at Beasley’s residence, during which investigators seized multiple devices. A forensic review of Beasley’s cellphone recovered multiple sexually explicit images of the Victim. The forensic review also recovered other images of child pornography, which Beasley received and possessed.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the West Seneca Police Department, under the direction of Chief Edward Baker and Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
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Washington, Indiana Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling over $1 Million Dollars and Dodging over $300,000 in TaxesRead the Press Release
EVANSVILLE— Brandon Alford, 47, of Washington, Indiana, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and five counts of tax evasion. Alford has also been ordered to pay $1,006,500 in restitution to the victim, and $319,793.02 in restitution to the IRS.
According to court documents, between 2017 and 2023, Alford was employed as a service writer for a heavy equipment supplier located in Indiana. In this role, he acted as a liaison between customers and service providers, one of which was a machine parts retailer located in Indiana that occasionally sold parts to Alford’s employer.
In 2017, Alford devised a scheme to defraud his employer by creating a fake company, A&D Distributing LLC. He convinced a manager at the retailer to sell machine parts to his employer through A&D Distributing, positioning the retailer as a middleman. Alford claimed he would handle all logistics, including shipping the parts to his employer, while the retailer would simply invoice the employer for the parts, plus a profit margin.
Between December 2017 and January 2023, Alford submitted 25 fraudulent invoices to the retailer for parts that were never ordered or delivered. The retailer paid Alford $939,500 through 22 wire transfers to A&D Distributing’s account. The retailer then invoiced Alford’s employer based on these false invoices, resulting in the employer paying a total of $1,006,500 for non-existent parts.
Alford exploited his position at the company where he worked to ensure the fraudulent invoices were approved and paid, despite no parts ever being delivered.
Additionally, Alford attempted to cover his tracks by willfully failing to report the income derived from the fraud scheme for tax years 2017 through 2022, thereby causing a tax loss of $253,459.00. For each tax year, Alford took affirmative actions to evade the government, including preparing, signing, and filing false federal income tax returns, using a business bank account in the name of A&D Distributing to receive the fraud proceeds, and structuring transactions to avoid the filing of certain transaction reports.
“This defendant abused his position of trust and professional relationships to steal a million dollars from his unsuspecting employer, cheat on his taxes, and cover up his crimes,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Trusted insiders can cause tremendous damage to businesses large and small when they choose to lie and steal. Combatting economic crimes on behalf of Hoosier businesses and individuals is a top priority of federal law enforcement, and the serious prison sentence imposed here demonstrates the commitment of IRS-CI, FBI, and our federal prosecutors to aggressively prosecute financial offenses and hold fraudsters and tax cheats accountable.”
“Tax evasion and financial fraud undermine trust and hurt real people,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Office of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “Brandon Alford’s fraudulent scheme caused significant harm to his employer and evaded taxes owed to the government. IRS-CI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to hold criminals accountable for their actions.”
“These are not victimless crimes. The defendant chose to intentionally create a false business and abuse his position of trust with his employer for his own personal gain and this sentence should serve as a deterrent to others,” said Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office. “The FBI will continue to aggressively pursue those who seek to defraud others and ensure they are held accountable.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Miller, who prosecuted this case.
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Wareham Resident Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl Resulting in Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Wareham resident was sentenced yesterday for selling fentanyl to a 42-year-old man who died of an overdose.
Troy Jones, 45, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 92 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $7,868 in restitution to the family of the victim for funeral expenses. In August 2024, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl resulting in death and distributing fentanyl resulting in death. In October 2020, Jones and his co-conspirator, Kayla Nightingale were indicted by a federal grand jury.Jones and Nightingale worked together from January 2019 through at least April 3, 2019 to distribute fentanyl in Wareham, including to a 42-year-old Wareham resident. On April 2, 2019, that resident died of a fentanyl overdose.
Nightingale pleaded guilty in August 2024, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2025.U.S. 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; and Wareham Police Chief Walter Correia made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Dolan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
Wagoner Resident Pleads Guilty to Child NeglectRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Salasha Fae Bosley, age 25, of Wagoner, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to two counts of Child Neglect in Indian Country.
The Indictment alleged that between September 2023 and June 16, 2024, Bosley failed to provide two children with adequate nurturance, affection, food, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, medical care, supervision, and sanitary living conditions while responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of the children.
The crimes occurred in Wagoner County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable D. Edward Snow, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Bove and Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.
Undocumented Jamaican Citizen Sentenced to Federal Prison for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan has sentenced Alandrae David Brown (30, Jamaica) to seven months in federal prison for identity theft. Brown entered a guilty plea on August 27, 2024.
According to court documents, in September 2017, Brown obtained a Florida driver license in the name of another person. When he applied for the license, Brown represented that he was a United States citizen and that he was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In support of the application, he provided a purported U.S. Virgin Islands birth certificate and a valid Social Security number.
In April 2024, Brown was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, at which time he identified himself as, and presented the driver license in the name of, the other person. Suspecting that Brown was not who he said he was, immigration authorities interviewed him about his identity and citizenship, but he insisted that he was in fact the person in whose name he had obtained the license. Federal agents obtained passport records and U.S. Virgin Islands driver license records for the person whose identity Brown had adopted and the photographs in the records were not of Brown. Virgin Islands authorities confirmed that the birth certificate Brown used to obtain the license was a forgery.
After conducting this investigation, agents interviewed Brown and confronted him with the evidence they had collected, but he insisted that he really was the person whose identity he had stolen. After being charged, Brown admitted that his name was Alandrae David Brown, that he was from Jamaica, and that he was illegally present in the United States. Agents confirmed his identity with the Jamaican government.
“This recidivist criminal’s pattern of disregard for the law and identity theft is a betrayal of conscience and a direct assault on the victim’s life,” said Tim Hemker, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville assistant special agent in charge. “Identity theft is never a victimless crime as it devastates people emotionally and financially. HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, are dedicated to uncovering the truth, no matter how criminals try to conceal it.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.
U.S. Citizen Who Fought for ISIS Pleads Guilty to Receiving Military Training from a Foreign Terrorist OrganizationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON -- Lirim Sylejmani, 48, a Kosovo-born naturalized U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., to receiving military training from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division.
“As the threat from terrorist groups such as ISIS persists, we will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to bring those who would seek to join and receive training from these groups to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This prosecution demonstrates that those who seek to support terrorism will pay a heavy price.”
According to court documents, from November 2015 through February 2019, Sylejmani received military training from ISIS in Syria. Sylejmani was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in 2019, and spoke to a number of media outlets about his time with ISIS.In November 2015, Sylejmani, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Kosovo, decided to travel to Syria with his family to join ISIS. After entering Syria, Sylejmani completed his ISIS intake process. He adopted the name Abu Sulayman al-Kosovi and trained to be a soldier with other ISIS recruits. Sylejmani’ s military training included instruction on how to assemble and fire an AK-47 rifle, as well as how to use a PK Machine gun, M-16 rifle and grenades.
Upon completion of the 21-day military training, ISIS assigned Sylejmani to a battalion in Mosul, Iraq, and issued him an AK-47, four AK-47 magazines, a belt to hold the magazines and two grenades. Sylejmani pledged “bayat”(allegiance) to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, and to the ISIS organization, in front of an Iraqi ISIS member. In May 2016, the defendant reported for ribat (guard) duty on the front line of the Manbij offensive. The defendant brought his gun belt, AK-47 and magazines to his ribat assignment. During a battle with Coalition Forces he was hit with shrapnel in his legs. After receiving these injuries, he eventually was reassigned to a new battalion in the fall of 2017. Sylejmani also received payments from ISIS for his services. Between November 2017 and February 2019, Sylejmani moved his family southeast to Baghouz, Syria, as the territorial Caliphate of ISIS collapsed.
On February 27, 2019, Sylejmani and his family were captured by Coalition Forces. Sylejmani was jailed by the SDF in Syria at the Dashisha prison. He was transferred to United States law enforcement personnel on September 15, 2020, to face criminal charges in the District of Columbia.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys Brenda J. Johnson, Steven Wasserman and Kimberly Paschall of the National Security Section, and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Guilty Plea and 15-Year Sentence for Gallup Duo in 2021 Armed Robbery CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup woman has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for her role in the armed robbery of a local business in 2021, while her brother has pleaded guilty to robbery and federal firearms charges, joining two other co-conspirators involved in the crime.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on the afternoon of December 4, 2021, Gallup Police responded to a robbery at C & R Insurance on US Highway 491. A woman and two men entered the business, demanding money while brandishing firearms. The female suspect fired a shot into the ceiling, causing panic among employees and customers. Witnesses reported hearing a loud pop and seeing the suspects dressed in dark clothing.
Surveillance footage showed Amber Yazzie, 29, and her brother Gregory Yazzie, 28, both armed. Amber Yazzie fired a gun into the ceiling and demanded cash while Gregory Yazzie stood guard by the door as an accomplice collected over $4,000 from the registers. Following the incident, the suspects fled to Albuquerque, where they used stolen funds for shopping. Law enforcement obtained receipts and video evidence of their purchases.
The robbery forced C & R Insurance to close for a week, significantly impacting its operations. The business serves around 60,000 customers across New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.
The Yazzie’s co-defendants Randy Joe and Chadyne Tohe pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.
At sentencing, Gregory Yazzie faces up to life in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release.
Upon her release from prison, Amber Yazzie will be subject to three 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 Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, the Navajo Nation Police Department, the Gallup Police Department and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Announces Findings of Civil Rights Violations by the Mount Vernon Police DepartmentRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, announced today that the Department of Justice, following a comprehensive investigation, has concluded that the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”) engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights secured by the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
Specifically, the Department of Justice finds that MVPD:
- Uses excessive force in numerous ways, including by unnecessarily escalating minor encounters, and by excessive use of tasers and closed-fist strikes, particularly against individuals who have already been taken to the ground, are controlled by many officers, or are already fully or partially restrained;
- Conducted unlawful strip searches and body cavity searches of individuals until at least 2023; and
- Makes arrests without probable cause.
The Department also identified serious concerns with MVPD’s vehicle stop and evidence collection practices, as well as serious concerns about discriminatory policing in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and accountability systems contribute to MVPD’s unlawful practices.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Our investigation has found reasonable cause to believe that MVPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional rights of the citizens it has sworn to protect. The systemic deficiencies we identified have resulted in a pattern of MVPD officers using excessive force; making illegal arrests; and, for many years, regularly conducting unlawful strip searches and body cavity searches. We are encouraged by the recent steps the City of Mount Vernon and the MVPD have taken that evince a commitment to constitutional policing, and we look forward to continued cooperation to ensure that MVPD keeps its community safe from crime while respecting its citizens’ constitutional rights.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said: “Our investigation into the Mount Vernon Police Department reveals a pattern and practice of unlawful conduct that can and must be addressed. While officials have undertaken preliminary actions to address some areas of concern, the city and police department must institute comprehensive measures that will fully and finally bring an end to these unconstitutional practices. It will require commitment and hard work by the leadership of the city and the police department as well as by rank-and-file officers. We stand ready to work with Mount Vernon officials to achieve constitutional policing and to strengthen community trust. Police reform will not happen overnight. Across the country, the department’s investigations, findings reports and resulting reform measures help law enforcement agencies become the departments that their citizens need and deserve.”
The Department of Justice opened this investigation on December 3, 2021. The investigation was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section. The Department interviewed MVPD command staff and supervisors, patrol officers, police union representatives, Mount Vernon residents, prosecutors from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, defense attorneys, and local civic associations. The Department also reviewed MVPD’s arrest reports, use-of-force reports, stops, search, and arrest data, policies, training materials, and internal affairs files.
The Department met regularly throughout the investigation with City of Mount Vernon and MVPD officials to provide feedback on the observations of the Department and the Department’s policing experts.
The Department conducted this investigation pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law.
The Department will be conducting outreach to members of the Mount Vernon community for input on remedies to address the investigation’s findings. Individuals may also submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-866-985-1378.
This is one of 12 investigations into law enforcement agencies opened by the Department of Justice under Section 12601 since April 2021. The Department has issued Section 12601 findings reports regarding seven of those investigations: the Louisville, Kentucky, Metro Police Department; Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department; the Phoenix, Arizona, Police Department; the Lexington, Mississippi, Police Department; the Trenton, New Jersey, Police Department; the Memphis, Tennessee, Police Department; and the Worcester, Massachusetts, Police Department. The four other investigations cover the Louisiana State Police; New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division; the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Police Department; and Rankin County, Mississippi, Sheriff’s Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York specifically has handled four investigations since the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, now known as Section 12601. The Southern District of New York successfully concluded its investigation with police practice reforms to the Beacon Police Department in 2010 and to the Yonkers Police Department in 2024. In addition to announcing its findings with regard to the MVPD, the Southern District is continuing its investigation into the New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division announced on June 30, 2022.
Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/crt. Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download.
The Justice Department will hold a virtual community meeting on December 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. E.T. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the findings.
Please register to join the meeting at: www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_jxTvdftFR_KZtUwFvH1ADQ.
The case is being handled by the Civil Rights Unit in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucas Issacharoff and Jacob Lillywhite and Trial Attorney Nicole Porter are in charge of the case.
Two Men Sentenced for CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
TULSA, Okla. – Today, two men were sentenced for separate acts of domestic violence, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Terrance DuJuan Reed, 23, of Tulsa, for Cyberstalking. He was ordered to 60 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Further, Reed was ordered to have no contact with the victim or her husband.
In 2021, Reed was convicted of assaulting and strangling the same victim, who is the mother of his children. At the time of this offense, the victim had a five-year protective order against Reed. While in the process of being released from prison, Reed violated that order and began threatening, harassing, and intimidating the victim.
Judge Hill also sentenced Joshua Price, IV, 27, of Edmond, for Cyberstalking. While Price was detained, he admitted to harassing and threatening the victim. He was ordered to serve 60 months imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, Price was ordered to have no contact with the victim, directly or indirectly, and to stay more than 100 yards away from her.
Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate and can happen to anyone in various ways. To learn more about signs of domestic violence and what to look for, how to make a plan, or get help, you can text “START” to 88788, or call 1-800-799-SAFE.
Reed and Price will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and the Creek County Sheriff’s Office investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Attila Bogdan and Matthew P. Cyran prosecuted the cases.
Travel agent arrested for alleged sham travel arrangements for college basketball team after receiving over $100,000Read the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Atlanta man was arrested today on charges of wire fraud after allegedly taking payment for travel services he never provided.
According to a criminal complaint, in June 2023, representatives from George Mason University’s (GMU) men’s basketball team began discussions with a company, identified in court records as Company A, about organizing an international trip for the team the following summer. Company A’s owner contacted Maurice Eugene Smith, 44, about making the travel arrangements for the basketball team to travel to the Bahamas in August 2024 through Smith’s company, Eugene Toriko LLC. On Sept. 25, 2023, Smith allegedly provided an estimated cost for the trip, which included transportation, hotel accommodations, activities, and some meals for 30 people at a cost of $149,542.40.
In early 2024, the owner of Company A presented a detailed draft itinerary and cost estimate to GMU for a five-day trip to Nassau, Bahamas, based in part on information that Smith had provided to Company A. On Feb. 26, Smith allegedly emailed another draft invoice for the trip that totaled $164,336, which included pricing for all transportation, lodging, a private catamaran tour, some meals, and fees associated with basketball games. The owner of Company A frequently relayed information that Smith allegedly provided to him about the trip’s cost and itinerary to GMU. At one point, Smith allegedly lowered the proposed cost of the trip to $159,756.
On April 3, representatives from GMU, the George Mason University Foundation (GMUF, which is GMU’s fundraising arm), and Company A digitally signed a contract related to the planned trip. On April 17, GMUF wired a $55,914.60 deposit to Company A’s bank account.
On April 19, Smith allegedly emailed Company A an invoice that detailed the services Eugene Toriko LLC was to provide on behalf of Company A for GMU and GMUF, and the cost for those services. On April 24, Company A wired $40,800 to Eugene Toriko LLC’s bank account.
On May 20, a representative from GMU requested an invoice for the next deposit that was due on May 27. In turn, Company A requested invoice information from Smith. Using the information that Smith allegedly provided, Company A sent an invoice to GMU for $103,841. On May 23, GMUF wired the balance of $103,841 to Company A’s bank account. Company A paid Eugene Toriko LLC $57,736.07 on May 29 and the remaining balance of $11,220 on June 10.
Family members, friends, and supporters of the GMU men’s basketball student-athletes also paid Company A and Eugene Toriko LLC to accompany the team on their trip to the Bahamas.
As alleged in the complaint, Smith reserved 30 seats for “[GMU] MENS BASKETBALL” on roundtrip flights between Ronald Reagan National Airport and Nassau International Airport for which he was to pay a $3,000 deposit no later than May 24 with the balance due by July 9. Smith also allegedly reserved a block of rooms for the GMU men’s basketball team at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in the Bahamas. Although Eugene Toriko LLC received $109,756.07 from Company A, Smith allegedly spent no money to hold those reservations, and no payments were made to any catamaran companies or to any Bahamian companies.
Despite Smith never paying for the airline tickets or hotel rooms, he allegedly continued to exchange numerous emails and text messages with the owner of Company A as if he had, including communications about flights, frequent flier numbers, room assignments, resort fees, and other logistics for the trip up until three days before the basketball team was scheduled to depart for the Bahamas in August.
GMUF has not been reimbursed for any payments made to Company A and Eugene Toriko LLC. Although Smith allegedly represented that his professional liability insurance would cover the loss, he allowed his professional liability insurance to lapse and was not insured at the time.
Smith is charged with wire fraud. If convicted, Smith faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Rumbaugh is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-mj-485.
Texas woman indicted for arson that destroyed Snohomish County, Washington churchRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 38-year-old Temple, Texas, woman was indicted this week by a federal grand jury for three felonies related to the arson at Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church in Snohomish County, Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Natasha Marie Odell has been in custody since her arrest in Texas in August 2024. She is currently detained at the Snohomish County Jail. Odell will be transferred to federal custody and is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on December 16, 2024.
According to records filed in state court and the federal indictment, Odell was linked via cell phone records, credit card records and surveillance video to the fire that destroyed the Maltby, Washington, church on August 25, 2023. Travel records indicate that over the time period of the fire, Odell was visiting relatives in Woodinville, Washington.
Even though the church was destroyed, part of the security system video surveillance survived the fire and depicted a woman who appears to match Odell, moving around the church with a container usually used to transport gasoline. In the video the person empties the container on the exterior walls of the church and items around the church. The person moves out of camera range and fire is seen growing on the areas where the person poured gasoline. Ultimately the video system stops functioning due to the fire.
The investigation tied Odell to credit card purchases at an area service station when she purchased just over a gallon of gasoline in a container and some lighters.
The fire did more than $2.5 million in damage to the church.
Odell is charged with Damage to Religious Property, Obstruction of Persons in the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs, and Use of Fire to commit another Felony Offense.
Damage to Religious Property, and Obstruction of Persons in the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs is punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Use of Fire to commit another Felony Offense is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the Snohomish County Fire Marshall’s Office and the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg.
odell_indictment_filed.pdfTallahassee Brothers Who Drove to Tampa to Commit Robberies IndictedRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Alonzo Deanthony Tucker-Wyche (27, Tallahassee) and De’quan Davion Wyche (24, Riverview) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and use of a firearm during the commission of the robberies. If convicted on all counts, each faces a minimum penalty of 20 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to court documents, on October 27, 2024, at approximately 5:30 a.m., a silver vehicle entered the parking lot of a convenience store in Tampa. Tucker-Wyche exited the vehicle and entered the store while his brother, Wyche, remained in the car. Tucker-Wyche approached the counter, produced an AR-15 firearm from his pants, and pointed it at the clerk. The clerk immediately fled out the back door. Tucker-Wyche chased the clerk momentarily but was unable to catch him. After returning to the front of the store, Tucker-Wyche walked behind the counter and removed the cash register drawer from its wires, and fled to the waiting vehicle, which Wyche was driving.
During the course of the investigation, detectives and agents learned that the silver vehicle had also visited a gas station approximately two miles from the previous convenience store. A review of surveillance video revealed that, as in the previous store robbery, the silver vehicle backed into a parking spot. Tucker-Wyche exited the car and attempted to enter the gas station. The front door was locked, and the suspects left shortly after.
On November 5, 2024, at approximately 8 p.m., a silver vehicle matching the one driven during the first robbery pulled into the parking lot of a retail store in Tampa. Tucker-Wyche exited from the passenger side and entered the store, pointed a firearm at the clerk, and demanded she open the cash register. The clerk was on her phone at the time and did not immediately react, at which time Tucker-Wyche came around the counter, grabbed the clerk’s phone from her hand, and threw it to the ground. Tucker-Wyche grabbed the entire cash drawer and fled back to the silver vehicle that was waiting for him.
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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.
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.
Tahlequah Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Charley Lee Buckhorn, age 50, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegally possessing firearms.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department, the District 27 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On June 10, 2024, Buckhorn pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on November 15, 2023, law enforcement serving outstanding arrest warrants discovered Buckhorn in possession of a loaded AR-15 rifle, a loaded 9mm pistol, and assorted rounds of ammunition. Buckhorn possessed the firearms and ammunition despite knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Buckhorn 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. Attorney Jordan Howanitz represented the United States.
Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Anthony James Deason, age 29, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of Attempted Receipt of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The Indictment alleged that Deason attempted to use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing and transmitting a visual depiction of such conduct in interstate commerce via the internet.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations.
The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Deason was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caila M. Cleary represented the United States.
Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Prison for Producing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison for enticing numerous children to produce and record sexually explicit conduct.
Using the screennames “coreyjohnsonnn” and “jayyyjansen,” GLENN CLIFFORD MESSMER communicated with children on the social media platforms Telegram and Snapchat and paid them to produce sexually explicit material in accordance with his instructions. Messmer maintained detailed notes about his victims, identifying their names, ages, friends, years in school, physical features, and willingness to engage with him.
A law enforcement search of Messmer’s electronic devices after his arrest in 2023 showed that he possessed more than 350,000 images and nearly 18,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse. Many of the images and videos depicted sexual abuse of prepubescent children, including some as young as four years old.
Messmer, 48, of Darien, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal child pornography charge. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Franklin U. Valderrama sentenced Messmer to 19 years and seven months in federal prison.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of Homeland Security Investigations. The Darien, Ill. Police Department provided valuable assistance.
The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sushma Raju and Adam L. Rosenbloom.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Stilwell Resident Sentenced for Felon in Possession of A Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Robert Micco Harjo, age 30, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Stilwell Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On June 4, 2024, Harjo pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on December 3, 2023, a law enforcement officer discovered Harjo in possession of a .22 caliber revolver and over 100 rounds of .22 ammunition. Harjo possessed the firearm and ammunition despite knowing that he had been previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
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 Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. After serving a term of imprisonment for a state sentence, Harjo will be delivered into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service for transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Flanigan and Edith Singer represented the United States.
St. Tammany Parish Man Guilty of Conspiracy to Defraud Former Political Candidate and Four Other Louisiana ResidentsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOSEPH HAROLD WEST, JR. (“WEST”), a resident of St. Tammany Parish, pled guilty on December 5, 2024 before United States District Judge Barry W. Ashe, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
According to court documents, from as early as November 2020, and continuing through at least May 2024, WEST, and others, conspired to: defraud Candidate 1 with fake campaign services; defraud Victim 1 out of approximately $236,867 in fake real estate purchases and associated costs; defraud Victim 2 out of approximately $83,268.05 in fraudulent claims of real estate and title work; and defraud Victims 3 and 4 out of approximately $112,328.18 in connection with a fake legal defense scheme. Among other things, WEST and others utilized numerous fake aliases and occupations, “burner” numbers for text messages and calls, and fraudulent invoices, all in order to defraud their victims.
WEST faces up to five (5) years in prison, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the victim, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. WEST has agreed to pay restitution of approximately $446,302.23 to his victims.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney, Andre J. Lagarde of the Public Integrity Unit.
St. Louis Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Pandemic Loan FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced a man who fraudulently obtained $41,484 in loans intended to help struggling businesses during the pandemic to 15 months in prison.
Judge Ross ordered Robert Baines, 44, to repay the amount of the loans, as well as $4,815 to the property management company where he once worked. After Baines pleaded guilty to two felony counts of wire fraud in August, allegations emerged that he told tenants to pay rent directly to him and moved two tenants into vacant apartments without leases and told them to pay him in cash, stealing a total of $7,315. Baines subsequently repaid $2,500 to his former employer.
In his guilty plea in August, Baines admitted fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2021. He applied for a first draw PPP loan on March 31, 2021, and a second draw PPP loan on April 9, 2021. In the loan applications, Baines falsely claimed that he was self-employed, lied about his business income and submitted a forged IRS form to bolster his claims. Baines was not self-employed and did not earn any of the claimed self-employment income. In his application for the second-draw loan, Baines falsely claimed that he’d suffered at least a 25% reduction in gross income between 2019 and 2020.
The PPP loans were designed to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and, accordingly, were to be used for business-related purposes, such as to cover payroll, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments. Instead, Baines instead used the money for restaurants, travel, clothing and other retail items.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf prosecuted the case.
Seminole Resident Sentenced for Murder in Indian Country and Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Coker Dean Barker, age 37, of Seminole, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison for one count of Murder in Indian Country and 120 months for Using, Carrying, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and Related to a Crime of Violence. The sentences are set to be served consecutively to each other and to a separate conviction for escape.
The charges arose from investigations by the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On April 10, 2023, Barker was found guilty by a federal jury at trial on one count of Murder in Indian Country and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. According to the evidence presented at trial, in April of 2019, Barker participated in brutally attacking, shooting, and killing the victim at a residence in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation of Oklahoma and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. An autopsy revealed that, during the fatal attack, the victim sustained 18 broken ribs, two punctured lungs, and multiple bullet and shotshell wounds. After attempting to burn evidence to evade prosecution, Barker fled to the Mexican border where he was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and returned to Oklahoma for prosecution.
The Honorable John Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Barker 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. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Seminole Resident Sentenced for Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Scott William Lanham, age 45, of Seminole, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for one count of Accessory After the Fact to Murder in Indian Country.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Rangers, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On March 4, 2024, Lanham pleaded guilty to the charge. According to court documents, in April of 2019, after the murder of an area Seminole resident, Lanham knowingly helped one of the perpetrators cover up the crime, disposing of a murder weapon and destroying evidence in order to hinder and prevent arrest and prosecution. Despite Lanham’s efforts, the Government investigated and prosecuted the crime, and on April 10, 2023, a federal jury convicted Coker Dean Barker for murder.
The crimes occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable John Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Lanham 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. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Sarasota Man Indicted for Distributing, Receiving, and Accessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Sean Anthony Christie (42, Sarasota) with distribution, receipt, and access with intent to view child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Christie faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, between November 17 and 19, 2024, Christie distributed and received child sex abuse material. Christie also accessed with intent to view child sex abuse material which involved a child under the age of 12.
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. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
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.
San Antonio Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Pharmacy RobberiesRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 339 months in federal prison for three counts of pharmacy robbery and three counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
According to court documents, from October to December 2020, Atseko Factor, 40, and co-defendant Andre Dupree Jack, 41, robbed three pharmacies at gunpoint in Luling, Pleasanton and Seguin. During the robberies, Factor and Jack pointed firearms at the employees, bound them with zip ties, and stole more than $43,000 worth of controlled substances, along with cash, pharmaceuticals and merchandise.
Factor pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 10. In addition to imprisonment, Factor was ordered to pay approximately $47,000 in restitution.
Jack pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit pharmacy robbery and four counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on March 21. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 16, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case along with the Pleasanton, Seguin, and Luling Police Departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Nowinski and John Fedock prosecuted the case.
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Rydox Cybercrime Marketplace Shut Down and Three Administrators ArrestedRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the seizure of Rydox, an illicit website and marketplace dedicated to selling stolen personal information, access devices, and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud, and the arrest of Rydox administrators and Kosovo nationals Ardit Kutleshi, 26, and Jetmir Kutleshi, 28. Both defendants were arrested earlier today in Kosovo by Kosovo law enforcement pursuant to a U.S. request for extradition. They are currently awaiting extradition to the United States to face an indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
A third administrator of the Rydox marketplace, Kosovo national Shpend Sokoli, was also arrested earlier today in Albania by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Body (SPAK). Sokoli is expected to be charged and prosecuted in Albania.
According to the indictment, the Rydox marketplace has conducted over 7,600 sales of personally identifiable information (PII), stolen access devices, and cybercrime tools, which generated at least $230,000 in revenue since its inception in or around February 2016. These sales included PII, credit card information, and login credentials stolen from thousands of victims residing in the United States. In addition, the Rydox site has offered for sale at least 321,372 cybercrime products to over 18,000 users including stolen PII such as names, addresses, and social security numbers; access devices such as stolen credentials for online accounts and credit card information; and cybercrime tools such as scam pages, spamming logs, and spamming tutorials.
“The Rydox marketplace was a one-stop shop where upwards of 18,000 of its cybercriminal customers could choose from more than 300,000 cybercrime tools,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “While cybercrime often involves conduct occurring overseas and the actions of foreign nationals, its harms can be devastatingly local, with residents in our own communities suffering financial ruin as a result of the theft and misuse of their sensitive personal information. Today’s takedown reinforces our steadfast message that the Western District of Pennsylvania and our domestic and international law enforcement partners will use every available tool to hold accountable those who pursue illicit profit at the expense of ordinary citizens around the world.”
“The success of this international operation underscores the power of collaboration between the FBI and our partners worldwide,” said Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “It also serves as a clear warning: those who go after innocent people for financial gain will be pursued and brought to justice no matter where they are in the world. This
operation marks a major blow against the criminal underground that seeks to profit from stolen information and fuels global cybercrime.”“The indictment alleges that, for more than eight years, the defendants administered an illicit online marketplace that sold PII, credit card information, and login credentials that had been stolen from thousands of U.S. victims,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today, we announce that, working with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, we have dismantled the marketplace, arrested its administrators, and seized their criminal proceeds. This announcement is a powerful demonstration of the value of our partnerships on cybercrime, without which these arrests and seizures would not have been possible.”
As part of the actions announced today, the United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize the domain www.Rydox.cc, which hosted and facilitated access to the Rydox website. The seizure of this domain by the government will prevent the owners and third parties from using the site to continue to buy and sell cybercrime tools and stolen personal information. Anyone visiting this site will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by federal authorities.
Rydox Domain Splash Page
In coordination with today’s actions, the FBI and Royal Malaysian Police seized servers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that hosted the Rydox illicit marketplace and took the Rydox website offline. The United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize approximately $225,000 worth of cryptocurrency from accounts controlled by the defendants.
Ardit Kutleshi and Jetmir Kutleshi are each charged with two counts of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud, and one count of money laundering, all arising from their roles as administrators of the Rydox website. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering offense, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the access device fraud offense, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of the identity theft offenses, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge, which is required to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated this case in coordination with the Kosovo State Prosecutor’s Special Prosecution Office, Kosovo Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Directorate, SPAK, Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, and Royal Malaysia Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Stockey for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Senior Counsel Thomas Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Rydox Cybercrime Marketplace Shut Down and Three Administrators ArrestedRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today announced the seizure of Rydox, an illicit website and marketplace dedicated to selling stolen personal information, access devices, and other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud, and the arrest of Rydox administrators and Kosovo nationals Ardit Kutleshi, 26, and Jetmir Kutleshi, 28. Both defendants were arrested earlier today in Kosovo by Kosovo law enforcement pursuant to a U.S. request for extradition. They are currently awaiting extradition to the United States to face an indictment unsealed today in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
A third administrator of the Rydox marketplace, Kosovo national Shpend Sokoli, was also arrested earlier today in Albania by Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption Body (SPAK). Sokoli is expected to be charged and prosecuted in Albania.
According to the indictment, the Rydox marketplace has conducted over 7,600 sales of personally identifiable information (PII), stolen access devices, and cybercrime tools, which generated at least $230,000 in revenue since its inception in or around February 2016. These sales included PII, credit card information, and login credentials stolen from thousands of victims residing in the United States. In addition, the Rydox site has offered for sale at least 321,372 cybercrime products to over 18,000 users including stolen PII such as names, addresses, and social security numbers; access devices such as stolen credentials for online accounts and credit card information; and cybercrime tools such as scam pages, spamming logs, and spamming tutorials.
“The indictment alleges that, for more than eight years, the defendants administered an illicit online marketplace that sold PII, credit card information, and login credentials that had been stolen from thousands of U.S. victims,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today, we announce that, working with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners, we have dismantled the marketplace, arrested its administrators, and seized their criminal proceeds. This announcement is a powerful demonstration of the value of our partnerships on cybercrime, without which these arrests and seizures would not have been possible.”
“The Rydox marketplace was a one-stop shop where upwards of 18,000 of its cybercriminal customers could choose from more than 300,000 cybercrime tools,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “While cybercrime often involves conduct occurring overseas and the actions of foreign nationals, its harms can be devastatingly local, with residents in our own communities suffering financial ruin as a result of the theft and misuse of their sensitive personal information. Today’s takedown reinforces our steadfast message that the Western District of Pennsylvania and our domestic and international law enforcement partners will use every available tool to hold accountable those who pursue illicit profit at the expense of ordinary citizens around the world.”
“The success of this international operation underscores the power of collaboration between the FBI and our partners worldwide,” said Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office. “It also serves as a clear warning: those who go after innocent people for financial gain will be pursued and brought to justice no matter where they are in the world. This operation marks a major blow against the criminal underground that seeks to profit from stolen information and fuels global cybercrime.”
As part of the actions announced today, the United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize the domain www.Rydox.cc, which hosted and facilitated access to the Rydox website. The seizure of this domain by the government will prevent the owners and third parties from using the site to continue to buy and sell cybercrime tools and stolen personal information. Anyone visiting this site will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by federal authorities.
Rydox Domain Splash PageIn coordination with today’s actions, the FBI and Royal Malaysian Police seized servers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that hosted the Rydox illicit marketplace and took the Rydox website offline. The United States also obtained judicial authorization to seize approximately $225,000 worth of cryptocurrency from accounts controlled by the defendants.
Ardit Kutleshi and Jetmir Kutleshi are each charged with two counts of identity theft, one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of access device fraud, and one count of money laundering, all arising from their roles as administrators of the Rydox website. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering offense, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the access device fraud offense, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each of the identity theft offenses, and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge, which is required to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated this case in coordination with the Kosovo State Prosecutor’s Special Prosecution Office, Kosovo Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Directorate, SPAK, Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia, and Royal Malaysia Police’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
Senior Counsel Thomas Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Stockey for the Western District of Pennsylvania are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Russian National Indicted for Assisting Sanctioned Oligarch in Schemes to Employ an American Citizen to Launch and Operate Russian Television NetworkRead the Press Release
Note: View the superseding indictment here.
WASHINGTON — A superseding indictment was unsealed today charging Alexey Komov, 53, of Russia, with conspiracy and violations of U.S. sanctions arising from his assistance to sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, who was previously charged with sanctions violations in April 2022.
As alleged, Komov conspired with Malofeyev to recruit and employ an American citizen, Jack Hanick, who worked for Malofeyev in launching and operating a television network in Russia. Komov also conspired with Malofeyev, Hanick, and others to illegally transfer a $10 million investment that Malofeyev had made in a U.S. bank to a business associate in Greece, in violation of the sanctions blocking Malofeyev’s assets from being transferred.
“The indictment alleges Alexey Komov played an essential role in a multi-faceted scheme to violate and evade U.S. sanctions imposed on a significant financier of Russian aggression in Ukraine,” said Co-Director Menno Goedman of Task Force KleptoCapture. “Task Force KleptoCapture will continue to disrupt schemes perpetrated by Komov and other sanction evaders, whenever and wherever they may hide.”
“As alleged, Alexey Komov facilitated the efforts of Konstantin Malofeyev — an oligarch closely tied to Russian aggression in Ukraine who has been determined by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to have been one of the main sources of financing for the promotion of Russia-aligned separatist groups operating in the sovereign nation of Ukraine — to flout U.S. sanctions,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “The unsealing today of the indictment against Komov is yet another reminder that this office will continue to hold those accountable that seek to undermine the United States’ national security goals.”
In 2014, the president issued Executive Order 13660, which declared a national emergency with respect to the situation in Ukraine. To address this national emergency, the president blocked all property and interest in property that came within the United States or the possession or control of any U.S. person, of individuals determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be responsible for or complicit in, or who engaged in, actions or policies that threatened the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine, or who materially assist, sponsor, or provide financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to, individuals or entities engaging in such activities. Executive Order 13660, along with certain regulations issued pursuant to it (the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations) prohibits, among other things, making or receiving any funds, goods, or services by, to, from, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked.
On Dec. 19, 2014, OFAC designated Malofeyev as a Specially Designated National (SDN) pursuant to Executive Order 13660. OFAC’s designation of Malofeyev explained that he was one of the main sources of financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea, and has materially assisted, sponsored, and provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to or in support of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, a separatist organization in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
As alleged in the indictment, beginning in at least 2012, Komov assisted Malofeyev in recruiting and hiring a U.S. citizen named Jack Hanick to work on a new Russian cable television news network that Malofeyev was creating. As part of Komov’s recruitment of Hanick, Komov travelled to Manhattan to meet with Hanick and subsequently introduced Hanick to Malofeyev in Russia. With Komov’s knowledge, Malofeyev negotiated directly with Hanick regarding Hanick’s salary, payment for Hanick’s housing in Moscow, and Hanick’s Russian work visa. Malofeyev paid Hanick through two separate Russian entities through the end of 2018.
After OFAC designated Malofeyev as a SDN in December 2014, Malofeyev continued to employ Hanick on the Russian TV Network, with Komov’s assistance and input, and in violation of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations. For example, prior to the launch of the Russian TV Network on the air in Russia in April 2015, Komov wrote an email to Malofeyev, Hanick, and another employee, referencing their prior discussion with Malofeyev earlier that day and instructing Hanick to create two types of programs and allocate staff. Komov further wrote, “Hopefully Konstantin will be providing general direction and guidance for both projects. Looking forward to our long-term co-operation on those exciting endeavors!” In turn, Hanick requested Komov to serve as a moderator for the first broadcast, writing “KM [i.e. Malofeyev] and I agree that we need you on this the first show on [the Russian TV Network]!!!”
With Komov’s participation, Malofeyev also employed Hanick to assist Malofeyev in transferring a shell company that Malofeyev owned to a Greek associate of Malofeyev. In 2014, Malofeyev, assisted by Komov, had used the shell company to make a $10 million investment in a Texas-based bank holding company. Komov helped set up the deal, emailing a Texas-based attorney (Individiual-1), “I plan to come to the US with two of my close friends Konstantin Malofeev [sic] and [another individual] on Feb 4-9, 2014 . . . I’d like the three of us to meet with you to discuss our cooperation, and also joint investment projects (please propose attractive investment opportunities with reliable partners for $50-100 mln participation from our side)”. On or about March 25, 2014, Komov wrote to Individual-I, “Konstantin has confirmed today that he goes ahead with the 10 mln investment in the bank project.”
Beginning in or about March 2015, with Komov’s assistance, Malofeyev began making plans to transfer ownership of the shell company to the Greek Business Associate, in violation of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations. On or about March 4, 2015, Komov wrote to Individual-1, “I need to discuss with you several things: previous investment in the bank project (we want to consider selling it)”. On or about March 17, 2015, Komov wrote to Individual-1 about the Texas Bank Interest, in part, “We want to keep it where it is now, only the owner from our side changes.” Consistent with that plan, in or about May 2015, Malofeyev’s attorney drafted a sale and purchase agreement that purported to transfer the shell company to the Greek Business Associate in exchange for one U.S. dollar. In June 2015 Malofeyev had Hanick physically transport a copy of Malofeyev’s certificate of shares in the Texas Bank from Moscow to Athens to be given to the Greek Business Associate. Malofeyev signed the sale and purchase agreement in June 2015, but the agreement was fraudulently backdated to July 2014 to make it appear that the transfer had taken place prior to the imposition of U.S. sanctions. Malofeyev’s attorney then falsely represented to the Texas Bank that the transfer had taken place in July 2014, even though Malofeyev and his attorney well knew that the transfer of the shell company was executed in June 2015.
The United States seized and forfeited approximately $5.4 million in the property traceable to Malofeyev’s Texas Bank investment, which had been converted by the Texas Bank in 2016 to cash held in a blocked U.S. bank account. In February 2023, the U.S. Attorney General authorized a transfer of these forfeited funds to the State Department to support Ukrainian veterans.
Malofeyev and Komov are believed to be in Russia and remains at large. Komov is charged with one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and one count of conspiring to do the same, each of which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vladislav Vainberg, Thane Rehn, and Jessica Greenwood for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Section are prosecuting the case.
The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that, beginning in 2014, the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Task Force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.