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Monday 9 December 2024
Santa Cruz-Based MS-13 Gang Members Sentenced to over Twenty Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy, Conspiracy to Commit MurderRead the Press Release
SAN JOSE – Erick Escalante-Torres and Jose Noe Ramirez-Avelar, members of the La Mara Salvatrucha gang (better known as MS-13) based in Santa Cruz, were sentenced today to 27 years and 11 months in prison and 22 years in prison, respectively, for racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and other crimes. The sentences were handed down by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge, following the defendants’ convictions by guilty plea.
Escalante-Torres, 29, also known as “Deceptico” or “Problematico,” and Ramirez-Avelar, 34, also known as “Chepito” or “Sparky,” were both actively involved in the MS-13 enterprise in Northern California from approximately 2015 to 2017. According to their plea agreements, MS-13 members and associates earn promotions and prestige by committing criminal activities benefitting the gang, including by engaging in violent crimes such as murder and attempted murder of rival gang members.
In the summer of 2016, Escalante-Torres, Ramirez-Avelar, and others began planning to murder a man they believed to be associated with the rival 18th Street gang. Once the gang received approval for the killing from higher-up gang leaders in El Salvador, the group began surveilling the victim’s movements and plotting different ways to kill him. According to court documents, they decided to kill the victim late at night when he would routinely walk to a nearby taqueria to escort home his fiancée who worked the late shift. On Sept. 22, 2016, they executed their plan, fatally shooting the victim on his way to pick up his fiancée. The victim was not actually affiliated with the rival gang.
Both defendants were also involved in other gang shootings. In May and June 2016, Escalante-Torres and Ramirez-Avelar helped destroy the evidence from a murder committed by another Northern California MS-13 clique. In July 2016, Escalante-Torres and others drove into rival gang territory and, after spotting suspected rival gang members, Escalante-Torres fired two shots, hitting one victim in the leg.
“Defendants engaged in murder and other violent crimes to carry out the goals of MS-13, a transnational criminal organization. Their ruthless actions threatened public safety in Santa Cruz,” said United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “With these sentences, we are sending a strong message to gang members that these crimes will be fully investigated and prosecuted, and justice will be served.”
“This case illustrates the direct threat transnational gang activity is to our communities and the indiscriminate and needless devastation it brings to innocent families,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent Charge Tatum King. “HSI San Francisco will aggressively pursue individuals engaged in this criminal activity and ensure they face the consequences for their actions. HSI San Francisco appreciates the dedicated work of its special agents together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Santa Cruz Police Department in bringing these individuals to justice.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty on Aug. 19, 2024, to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. Escalante-Torres also pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Judge Davila also sentenced each defendant to a five-year term of supervised release in addition to the terms of imprisonment. Escalante-Torres has been in federal custody since 2018, and Ramirez-Avelar has been in federal custody since 2017. Both defendants began serving their sentences today. In addition to Escalante-Torres and Ramirez-Avelar, 10 other members of the Santa Cruz clique have been convicted and sentenced for their involvement in criminal activity as members of the gang.
Assistant United States Attorneys George Hageman and Aseem Padukone are prosecuting this case with the assistance of Mimi Lam. The prosecution is the result of a years-long investigation by HSI and the Santa Cruz Police Department.
Registered Sex Offender from Minnesota Indicted for Attempting to Sexually Exploit a 12-Year-Old ChildRead the Press Release
Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on November 19, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Matthew W. Tolkinen (age: 53) of Wadena, Minnesota.
According to court documents, Tolkinen engaged in a conversation with an undercover law enforcement officer from the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office who was posing online as a 12-year-old girl. During the conversation, Tolkinen repeatedly described his desire to have sex with the child, whom he believed was in school. In the conversation, Tolkinen also described his plan in graphic detail, requested naked photographs of the child, represented that the child could not get pregnant, and warned the child that the planned sexual activity was going to be painful.
Tolkinen was arrested in Minnesota on November 20, 2024. Court records indicate that agents searched Tolkinen’s phone and discovered the conversations he had with the undercover officer. They also observed that on the day Tolkinen was indicted by the grand jury, he searched for driving directions to Appleton, Wisconsin.
Tolkinen appeared before Senior District Judge William C. Griesbach on December 5, 2024, and was ordered detained. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on February 10, 2025.
Tolkinen is a registered sex offender based on a 2018 conviction for soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct in Ramsey County, Minnesota.
Tolkinen now faces charges alleging that he attempted to sexually exploit a minor and persuade that minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a), and committing a felony offense involving a minor as an individual required to register as a sex offender, contrary to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2260A. If convicted of the charges, Tolkinen faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alexander E. Duros.
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 U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Red Hook Drug Dealer Sentenced on Cocaine Distribution ConvictionRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Niah Henry, 35, of St. Thomas, was sentenced by Chief District Judge Robert Molloy to six months incarceration followed by four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to documents filed in court, on December 6, 2023, Henry sold cocaine to an undercover agent during a joint operation conducted by Drug Enforcement Administration, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force and the Virgin Islands Police Department. During the investigation, law enforcement identified Henry as part of a broader network responsible for distributing narcotics in the Red Hook area which is approximately 800 feet from the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in St. Thomas.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force and the Virgin Islands Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cherrisse R. Woods.
Prince George’s County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Armed RobberyRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Marquis Hayes Henderson, 24, Laurel, Maryland, to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for robbery and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Chief Malik Aziz, Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to the guilty plea, Henderson and four other co-conspirators met on April 29, 2022, at a Clinton-Maryland storage lot before driving a stolen vehicle to a nearby convenience store. Henderson brought and pointed a firearm at an employee outside of the store before ordering the worker to go inside and lay down in one of the aisles. Meanwhile, another co-conspirator entered the store with a power tool and broke open the store’s ATM. The second co-conspirator worked with a third co-conspirator to take $35,020 in cash from the ATM. The trio joined the other two co-conspirators who were waiting in the stolen vehicle before fleeing.
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.
U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI and Prince George’s County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Rosenthal and William D. Moomau who prosecuted the case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Previously Convicted Federal Felon Convicted at Trial for Possessing Firearm in Connection with Drug Trafficking FentanylRead the Press Release
Baltimore, Maryland – After a four day trial, a federal jury found Ryan E. Dales, age 36, guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime.
The verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG).
A jury trial in connection with the remaining counts in the Superseding Indictment pertaining to Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft charges is scheduled to begin on January 13, 2025. These charges relate to Dales’s alleged receipt of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits and his alleged use of victim identities to obtain various high-end lawnmowers on credit.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on January 20, 2023, Defendant was arrested pursuant to a federal arrest warrant and, that same day, a federal search warrant was executed at Defendant’s residence located at 900 E Fort Ave. in Baltimore—a luxury apartment building in the Locust Point area of Baltimore. During the execution of the search warrant, law enforcement located and seized, among other things various items used in connection with Defendant’s illegal business selling drugs, including:
- two loaded firearms, a stolen Smith & Wesson firearm, S/N: HDW0599 and one which was a privately-made “ghost gun” Polymer80 9mm firearm with no serial number;
- a box containing 28 rounds of 9mm ammunition, including hollow point ammunition;
- numerous packages of controlled dangerous substances, including hundreds of grams of fentanyl packaged for street level distribution;
- multiple digital scales; sifters, a heat sealer, a bag containing 10,000 empty capsules meant to package drugs, other drug packing materials, various cutting agents, a respirator; and
- six cell phones.
Dales later voluntarily waived his Miranda rights and admitted to living in his apartment alone and that the firearms seized in his apartment were his. He also told law enforcement that he was a “very resourceful person”—referring to his livelihood as a drug dealer. Dales’s DNA was later determined to be present on both firearms and their magazines.
Law enforcement’s later review of Defendant’s devices revealed the existence of numerous Telegram chats where he negotiated purchasing drugs and cutting agents from multiple people, including mass producers of fentanyl in China. Investigators further found evidence that about a month before the execution of the search warrant, Dales traveled to Boston with a firearm (identical in appearance to the ghost gun found in his apartment) and a bag full of cash to purchase drugs. Dales’s device search history included searches for where fentanyl is produced in China, how to dye powders, and how many bullets a Smith and Wesson M&P 9c firearm—the same type seized from his apartment—can hold.
Dales faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm; a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl; a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, and up to life in federal prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. U.S. District Chief Judge George Levi Russell, III, has scheduled sentencing for a later to be determined date.
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 District of Maryland Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud, including fraud relating to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.
For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and DOL-OIG for their work in connection with the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul A. Riley, and Reema Sood, who are prosecuting the federal case. He also recognized the assistance of the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Pennsylvania Man Arrested After Driving to Albany for Planned Sexual Abuse of MinorRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – David Gruber, age 39, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, was arrested last week and charged with traveling across state lines to the Capital Region with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James made the announcement.
According to a criminal complaint, in November 2024 Gruber began communicating with an individual to discuss and plan his sexual abuse of a person he believed to be a 9-year-old child residing in Albany County, New York. Gruber planned to drive from Pennsylvania to Albany County and pay $300 in order to sexually abuse the person he believed to be a child. On December 5, 2024, Gruber was arrested after arriving in Albany at a prearranged meeting location. Gruber had $460 in cash on him at the time of his arrest. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Gruber initially appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart on December 6 and was ordered detained. He faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life, and mandatory registration as a sex offender. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
FBI and the New York State Police are investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.
Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Orange County Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison for House Flipping Investment Scam that Raised More Than $17 MillionRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Costa Mesa man was sentenced today to 181 months in federal prison for running fraudulent investment schemes that raised more than $17 million by promising investors – several of them elderly – returns of up to 10% that would be generated through real estate deals that turned out to be bogus, and for disobeying a court order to surrender to federal authorities for violating the terms of his pretrial release.
Brett Barber, 45, a former co-owner of the Newport Beach-based BNZ Capital One LLC and National American Capital, was sentenced by United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who scheduled a January 9, 2025, restitution hearing in this case.
At today’s hearing, Judge Wright said, “There may not have been bloodshed, but this was real violence. [The defendant] knew these people were in their golden years, and he just took it all.”
Barber pleaded guilty in October 2023 to two counts of wire fraud and one count of criminal contempt.
“This defendant enriched himself through a fraudulent investment scheme that solicited millions of dollars from retirement funds belonging to his victims, including older adults,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “My office is committed to protecting vulnerable communities from fraud and other harms. Today’s sentence sends a message to victims that we are here to fight for them and hold con artists and other fraudsters accountable for their actions.”
From May 2019 to October 2021, Barber participated in two schemes to defraud victim investors out of their money and property.
In the first scheme, BNZ Capital, its principals, and several marketers raised money by falsely representing that the firm bought and sold real estate projects and “flipped” real estate. Barber, co-conspirator Louis Zimmerle, 65, of Sacramento, and the marketers falsely promised investors a “guaranteed” return of between 8% and 10%, as well as potential bonuses based on successful deals. According to court documents, Barber told investors that their funds were “safe” and “FDIC insured.”
In fact, while BNZ Capital did purchase some real estate, it did not take any substantial steps to develop parcels, nor did BNZ flip real estate for a profit. Rather, BNZ primarily used investor funds to pay Barber, Zimmerle, and others associated with the scheme, including purchasing residences where Barber and Zimmerle lived. Some of the investors’ money was used to repay earlier investors.
During this scheme, Barber, Zimmerle, and the marketers solicited or caused to be transferred to BNZ Capital approximately $13.8 million from victim investors. Investigators estimate that actual losses resulting from this scheme are at least $7 million.
Barber received and kept approximately $2,933,970 of investor money for his personal gain. At least five BNZ Capital investors were elderly, vulnerable victims who suffered substantial hardship because of the fraud committed against them.
After Barber learned that federal officials were investigating BNZ Capital, he began a second fraudulent scheme, this time involving a company he formed in January 2021 called National American Capital (NAC). The NAC scheme operated, in substance, the same way as the BNZ Capital fraud. That is, Barber and marketers working at his direction lied to investors by saying their money would be used to fund real estate development projects. In fact, there were no such projects, and the only way NAC could repay earlier investors was by soliciting money from new investors.
Specifically, in October 2021, Barber met with a person he believed was a prospective investor, but who in fact was an undercover law enforcement official. During this meeting, Barber told several lies: that NAC had been in business for 20 years, that it owned 10 parcels of land in Laguna Beach, and that it had purchased property in Newport Beach and turned it into a four-plex. None of these statements was true.
This scheme caused a loss of at least $3.5 million. Barber received and kept at least $388,669 of investor money for his personal gain.
During the BNZ Capital and NAC schemes, Barber failed to disclose to investors that he previously was barred from acting as or associating with a broker-dealer by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Finally, after a federal grand jury indicted Barber in October 2021, he was released on bond. In January 2023, a court found that Barber violated the terms of his pretrial release and ordered him to surrender to the United States Marshals Service by January 13. Barber willfully disobeyed the court’s order and failed to surrender. In March 2023, Barber was arrested in Santa Cruz County, California. He eventually was transferred to federal custody in Los Angeles, where he remains.
Zimmerle pleaded guilty in January 2022 to one count of wire fraud for participating in the scheme. Judge Wright on June 3 sentenced Zimmerle to five years’ probation, fined him $10,000, and ordered him to pay $684,500 in restitution.
In October 2021, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil charges against Barber, Zimmerle, and BNZ Capital for fraudulently raising more than $13 million from over 100 retail investors. That litigation remains pending.
The FBI investigated this matter. The SEC provided substantial assistance.
Assistant United States Attorneys Maxwell K. Coll of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section and Anne C. Gannon of the Orange County Office prosecuted this case.
Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Drew Lamont Scruggs, 48, of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 27, 2024, Scruggs pawned a Kimber model Stainless Ultra Carry II .45-caliber pistol at a Huntington business. Scruggs admitted to possessing the firearm and that the firearm was later determined to have been stolen at the time he possessed it.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Scruggs knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for voluntary manslaughter on June 25, 1997, trafficking in cocaine on April 1, 1998, and on November 12, 2012, and failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer on November 3, 2015, and on August 6, 2019, all in Summit County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-49.
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Ohio Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: An Ohio man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possessing child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Andrew Ladich-McGrew, 28, to 72 months in prison followed by six years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution.
According to court records, in June 2020, investigators with Maine State Police and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at an apartment Ladich-McGrew was renting in Presque Isle. The search warrant was based on a report by electronic service provider Discord that Ladich-McGrew’s account was involved in the possession of sexually explicit images of children under the age of 16. Discord is an online communication platform that, among other functions, allows users to communicate with text-based chats and to send and receive media files. During the initial investigation, images and videos were found on an online storage drive connected to Ladich-McGrew’s computer. In November 2020, a second investigation was launched, leading investigators to a computer that contained multiple files of child sexual abuse material. As with the external hard drive, the images included children as young as three years old being sexually abused. At the time of his arrest, Ladich-McGrew was living in Ohio.
HSI and the Maine State Police investigated the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as "child pornography" – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Project Safe Childhood: 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
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Neurologist pays nearly $1M to settle false billing allegations for electro-acupuncture devicesRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 52-year-old Pearland man has agreed to pay $948,359.85 to resolve allegations he submitted false claims for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Dr. Basem Hamid is a neurologist and pain medicine doctor who practices in Houston. Basem Hamid MD PA is an entity Hamid used to conduct his medical practice.
From Aug. 27, 2019, to Oct. 3, 2022, Hamid billed Medicare for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes. These are invasive procedures usually requiring use of an operating room. As a result, Medicare pays thousands of dollars per procedure.
However, neither Hamid nor his staff performed these surgical procedures, according to the allegations.
Instead, patients allegedly received devices used for electro-acupuncture, which only involved inserting monofilament wire a few millimeters into patients’ ears and taping the neurostimulator behind the ear with an adhesive. All device placements took place in Hamid’s clinic, not a hospital or surgical center, and no incision was made on a patient, according to the allegations. Many patients claimed the adhesive came loose and the device fell off on its own accord within a few days.
“Individuals suffering from chronic pain put their faith in skilled medical professionals to help them find relief and improve their quality of life,” said Hamdani. “Our federal health care system entrusts providers with the medical care of our country’s most vulnerable, and it is important for healthcare providers to give accurate information about the services they provide for reimbursement – not misrepresent those services in an attempt to increase their bottom line.”
“When health care professionals submit false claims to federal health care programs like Medicare, they erode public trust and divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General (DHHS-OIG). “Dr. Hamid not only exploited Medicare for personal financial gain but also misled some of our most vulnerable citizens, according to the allegations. DHHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the integrity of federal health care programs.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted the investigation with DHHS-OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura E. Collins handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Michigan Men Sentenced for Smash-and-Grab at St. Louis County Jewelry StoreRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – Two men from the Detroit, Michigan area have been sentenced to federal prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of Rolex watches from a jewelry store in Ellisville, Missouri.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Monday sentenced Kordaryl Cross, 35, to 57 months in prison. Judge Autrey sentenced Dajuan Marcellus, 34, in October to 37 months in prison. Both were ordered to pay $344,300 to the jeweler.
On Jan. 10, 2023, Cross bought sledgehammers at a Missouri retailer. Marcellus, Cross and at least two others stole a Dodge Ram truck from Brentwood that they then drove to Ellisville the next day. Marcellus and one other person entered the store and used sledgehammers to smash glass cases containing the watches while Cross monitored the time. They then drove to a parking garage and abandoned the stolen truck. Cross and Marcellus took the watches to Illinois.
Cross and Marcellus each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property.
Both Cross and Marcellus were on supervised release for separate robbery cases in the Eastern District of Michigan at the time of the crime. They were each sentenced in 2023 to 18 months in prison.
The Ellisville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwendolyn Carroll prosecuted the case.
Miami Man Sentenced to More Than 20 Years for Producing and Attempting to Produce Child Sexual Abuse Materials Using Hidden CamerasRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Gray Edward Rivera (46, Miami) to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for production and attempted production of child sexual abuse materials. Once Rivera is released from prison, he will be required to serve a 10-year period of supervised release. Gray Edward Rivera was found guilty by a jury on September 5, 2024.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Rivera gifted three items – a Bluetooth speaker, calendar/clock, and a USB charging tower – containing hidden cameras to a child and set them up in the child’s bedroom. In addition, a hidden camera smoke detector was discovered in the living room area. Those cameras were later discovered by the child’s mother, and she contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Rivera was out of the country at the time.
The CCSO partnered with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and obtained Rivera’s cell phones when he re-entered the United States via a border search. A review of Rivera’s cell phones resulted in the discovery of 14 files containing child sexual abuse material of the child, as well as phone activity related to the use of the app for controlling the hidden cameras. Records obtained by law enforcement showed that Rivera had purchased three of the hidden cameras online.
“This predator’s use of hidden cameras to spy on a child in intimate areas in her own home is a heinous violation of trust and privacy,” said Tim Hemker, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “Thanks to the diligent efforts of the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, and the protective nature of the victim’s mother, this predator will now spend more than two decades behind bars for his appalling actions. This investigation underscores our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals and pursuing justice for those who seek to exploit and harm children.”
This case was investigated by the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, to include Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, , and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
McKeesport Felon Sentenced to More Than 11 Years in Prison for Firearms Trafficking and Violating Federal Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 134 months of imprisonment on his conviction of firearms offenses and conspiracy, as well as violations of his federal supervised release, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV imposed the sentence on Duane Jackson, 39.
According to information presented to the Court, Jackson engaged in a conspiracy to acquire numerous firearms from April through November 2021, and, in fact, acquired approximately 26 firearms during that period. At the time, Jackson was on federal supervised release for a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Federal law prohibits the possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon. During the conspiracy, Jackson also attempted to obtain numerous machinegun conversion devices, also known as Glock switches.
Judge Stickman imposed a sentence of 120 months of imprisonment for the new offenses, and a consecutive sentence of 14 months of imprisonment for the defendant’s violations of his supervised release. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Stickman reiterated the gravity of the offenses, noting the plague that illegal firearms, and the violence associated with them, inflicts on the community.
“Firearms trafficking and violent crime often go hand in hand,” said U.S. Attorney Olshan. “During the conspiracy in this case, Duane Jackson, a convicted felon, illegally acquired over two dozen firearms. Today’s sentence of over 11 years sends a clear message: if you traffic in firearms, you will be held accountable under federal law. This office will continue to work every day with our law enforcement partners at all levels of government to stop the illegal flow of firearms across western Pennsylvania.”
“Duane Jackson was fueling violent crime in our communities through his endeavors,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. “Illegal firearms trafficking puts guns in the hands of dangerous criminals. Including devices that enable pistols to be fired like machineguns made them remarkably hazardous. ATF is committed to working with our local, state, and federal partners to stop dangerous criminals like Jackson and to making western Pennsylvania’s neighborhoods a safer place to live.”
Assistant United States Attorney Douglas C. Maloney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Jackson.
Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Issues 2024 ReportRead the Press Release
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and White House Counsel Ed Siskel co-chaired a convening of the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) today where they announced the issuance of the 2024 LAIR Report. Attorney General Garland discussed the report and the role that data and research play in advancing access to justice through federal policymaking and government actions. The Department’s Office for Access to Justice (ATJ), which leads the work of LAIR, facilitated the convening. LAIR also announced that in 2025 its interagency work and report will focus on federal agency efforts and opportunities to expand access to justice for victims and survivors of crimes and other legal violations.
This year’s report focuses on data that offer insight into people’s ability to access justice and resolve problems implicating legal issues. It highlights how such data are essential to efforts to expand access to justice and offers a roadmap for the improved collection and use of data. It also explains the ways in which such data benefit a wide range of other justice stakeholders, including state and local governments, courts, community-based and advocacy organizations and researchers. Drawing on the input and efforts of LAIR staff, LAIR member agencies, justice system stakeholders, and external experts, the report sets forth strategic solutions and highlights the work of LAIR’s 28 federal agency members to use data and research to expand access to justice.
“Every day, millions of Americans face problems that are legal in nature,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable’s 2024 Report focuses on how data held by federal agencies can illuminate these problems, how people navigate and address them and how federal agencies can help resolve or prevent them. The report underlines the importance of collecting, using and sharing these data in a secure, people-centered way. It also offers concrete strategies, examples, and resources to further those efforts.”
“The office is proud of LAIR’s continued growth in scope and importance, as it addresses some of society’s most pressing issues by looking across the federal government for solutions,” said ATJ Director Rachel Rossi. “Building on this years’ work, in 2025, LAIR will focus on strengthening the federal government’s ability to support access to justice for victims and survivors of crime and other violations. These efforts will continue LAIR’s urgent work to advance access to justice and pursue public safety for the American people.”
At the convening, Attorney General Garland and Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Mizer provided remarks highlighting the Department’s commitment to promoting access to justice and to furthering the work of LAIR. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and White House Counsel Ed Siskel also provided remarks. Member agency leaders discussed recent activities and accomplishments in using data and research to address access to justice challenges faced by the people they serve. Agency leaders reaffirmed their commitment to collaborative efforts to mobilize resources and develop access to justice solutions. They also heard directly from legal aid providers about the challenges that individuals can face in accessing government programs and services and the impact that recent agency efforts have made for clients and communities.
In 2012, more than a dozen federal agencies came together under the leadership of the White House Domestic Policy Council and the Justice Department to launch LAIR. It is co-chaired by the Attorney General and White House Counsel and convenes 28 federal agencies and offices to improve coordination among federal programs and increase availability of meaningful access to justice for individuals and families, regardless of wealth and status. LAIR’s work is supported by LAIR Executive Director Allie Yang-Green in the Department of Justice’s Office for Access to Justice and federal agency LAIR Representatives from member agencies. Through interagency collaboration and stakeholder engagement, LAIR develops policy recommendations that improve access to justice in federal, state, local, Tribal and international jurisdictions; advances relevant evidence-based research, data collection and analysis of civil legal and indigent defense; and promulgates best practices. Additionally, LAIR assists with implementation of Goal 16 of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and provide access to justice for all.
Lawrence Man Charged with COVID Relief and Social Security FraudRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Lawrence man was charged today in federal court in Boston with scheming to fraudulently obtain and misuse COVID-19 relief funds and stealing Social Security benefits.
Randolph Dominguez, 57, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government money. Dominguez will make an appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date.
The charging document alleges that, in June 2020, Dominguez submitted a loan application on behalf of an interpreter business he owned and operated, Dominguez SP Interpreters, to the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dominguez is alleged to have fraudulently obtained $74,900 in EIDL funds from the SBA in July 2020 when he claimed falsely on his EIDL application that his gross business revenue was $600,000 the previous year, when it was only $16,989. Further, Dominguez is alleged to have improperly spent all of the EIDL funds received on non-business expenses.
Separately, it is alleged that, from April 2001 through June 2022, Dominguez stole approximately $163,642 in Social Security benefits.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of theft of government money provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Lancaster Drug Traffickers Sentenced to a Total of 27 Years in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tyre Amahdikeem Brooks, 23; John Matthew Railey, 36; and Ricky Shane Underwood, 43, all of Lancaster, were sentenced to a total of 27 years federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.
Evidence presented to the court showed the three men conspired together in the Lancaster area to distribute methamphetamine beginning in January 2020. In June 2020, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators made two controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Brooks. In July 2020, Brooks was arrested on outstanding state drug trafficking warrants. He was in possession of a loaded AR-15 style assault rifle, a 9mm pistol equipped with an extended ammunition magazine, and a quantity of methamphetamine. In 2022, Brooks was also arrested in Rock Hill for possessing firearms and unlawful narcotics.
In January 2021, Railey was found with nearly an ounce of 99% pure methamphetamine during a domestic incident. The following month, Railey sold a quantity of methamphetamine to Lancaster County narcotics investigators during an undercover controlled buy.
In February 2021, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators made a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Underwood. Investigators searched Underwood’s home a few days and found more methamphetamine and a firearm. In March 2023, investigators made another controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Underwood. A second search was made of Underwood’s home and more methamphetamine, and another firearm were found in the home.
United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis presided over the case.
- Brooks pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 108 months in prison, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.
- Railey was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute methamphetamine.
- Underwood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 72 months in prison, to be followed by a four-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Rock Hill Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Taylor and William K. Witherspoon are prosecuting the case.
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Key West Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Resisting Coast Guard Officers Near South BeachRead the Press Release
MIAMI – On Dec. 4, Jeremie Calo, of Key West, Fla., was sentenced to federal prison for resisting and evading the U.S. Coast Guard’s rescue attempts for several hours.
According to the court filings in support of Calo’s plea, the Coast Guard approached a small vessel with six persons onboard, including Calo, just south of South Beach in Biscayne Bay, Fla, in August of 2022. None of the vessel occupants were wearing life jackets. Due to the small boat’s location and the occupants’ failure to wear life jackets, the Coast Guard officers ordered the passengers to disembark and board a Coast Guard vessel to be taken back to a sailboat for everyone’s safety. Calo was the sole occupant who refused to comply with the Coast Guard officers’ rescue attempts. As a result, the Coast Guard officers had to forcibly remove Calo from the small boat and put him onto the Coast Guard boat for safety. Shortly thereafter, Calo jumped off the Coast Guard boat and into the bay. Calo then spent more than two hours swimming around in the bay, evading and resisting rescue attempts from the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies. For example, Calo physically resisted being assisted back into the Coast Guard boat by slapping away the hands of an assisting officer.
Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga sentenced Calo to three months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, including seven months of home detention, and a $2,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Matt Margelot for the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), Miami Office, made the announcement.
CGIS investigated this matter. Coral Gables Police Department, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Miami Beach Police Department, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20263.
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Justice Department Sues South Carolina for Violating Americans with Disabilities ActRead the Press Release
The Justice Department sued the State of South Carolina today for unnecessarily segregating adults with mental illness in adult care homes, in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. The department previously notified South Carolina of its findings of civil rights violations in a July 2023 letter, which identified steps that the state should take to remedy the violations.
“People with disabilities in South Carolina can and must be able to receive services in their own homes, rather than being isolated in institutions,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to ensure that people with disabilities can receive the services necessary to enable and empower them to leave institutions, and participate fully in community life.”
“The ADA requires public entities to administer services, programs and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “South Carolina must remedy the alleged violations identified by the Justice Department so that these individuals can obtain services in their own communities, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
The ADA and Olmstead decision require state and local governments to ensure that the services for adults with mental illness are provided in the most integrated setting appropriate. Community-based services, such as Assertive Community Treatment and supportive housing, are effective in supporting people in their own homes and communities rather than institutional settings. Absent these services, many South Carolinians with mental illness who could live in the community remain in, and continue to enter, adult care homes.
The lawsuit alleges that South Carolina violates the ADA by failing to provide community-based services to prevent the unnecessary segregation of adults with mental illness in adult care homes. As a result, over a thousand adults with mental illness are segregated in adult care homes for years, and more continue to enter these facilities each month.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. Individuals with information relevant to this matter can contact the department by emailing [email protected].
For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit www.ada.gov/topics/community-integration/.
For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Worcester Police Department and City of Worcester, MassachusettsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The Justice Department announced today the findings from its pattern or practice investigation into conduct by the City of Worcester, Mass. and the Worcester Police Department (WPD). According to the findings, the City of Worcester and WPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights secured by the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
Specifically, as detailed in the investigative report, the Justice Department finds that the WPD uses excessive force, including unjustified uses of tasers, police dogs and strikes to the head. Officers rapidly escalated minor incidents by using more force than necessary, including during encounters with people who have behavioral health disabilities or are in crisis. WPD’s use of excessive force violates the Fourth Amendment. WPD has allowed certain officers at times to engage in outrageous government conduct and violate the constitutional rights of women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade by engaging in sexual contact while undercover as part of official investigations. This violates the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
The Department’s investigation also describes serious concerns about some credible reports that officers have sexually assaulted women under threat of arrest and engaged in other sexual misconduct and concerns that WPD lacks adequate policies and practices to respond to and investigate sexual assaults by officers and others. Finally, the Department raised concerns that WPD engages in racially discriminatory policing. Deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to the city and WPD’s unlawful conduct.
“Our comprehensive investigation revealed that the Worcester Police Department uses excessive force and has allowed undercover police officers to engage in sexual contact with women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This is the first time the department has issued a pattern or practice finding involving sexual misconduct by officers. We look forward to working with city officials to institute reforms that build on their own preliminary efforts but that will fully bring an end to these unlawful and unconstitutional practices. The Justice Department is committed to standing firm against sexual misconduct in all its forms.”
“Excessive force and sexual misconduct at the hands of officers who took an oath to serve and protect deeply diminishes the public’s trust in its sworn officers” said U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “The actions by certain officers who engaged in this conduct are not a reflection of the many hard working and ethical officers at the WPD who did not engage in such misconduct or the thousands of police officers around the Commonwealth who serve with honor every day. While the findings announced in today’s report are serious and sobering, today we start a new chapter. We look forward to working with the City of Worcester and the new leadership of the Worcester Police Department to implement reforms that will prevent these kinds of incidents from reoccurring.”
The Justice Department opened this investigation on Nov. 15, 2022, 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 report acknowledges the changes already made by the City and WPD and identifies additional remedial measures that the Department believes are necessary to address its findings. The Department is committed to working collaboratively with the City and WPD to address and remedy the harms the investigation identified.
The Justice Department will hold a webinar at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, to provide more information about the findings. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. Please email [email protected] to register. The Department will also be seeking input from the Worcester community on remedies to address the investigation’s findings. Members of the public may submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 617-275-8756.
This matter was investigated by AUSA Jennifer Serafyn, Chief of the Civil Rights Unit; AUSAs Michelle Leung and Greg Dorchak of the Civil Rights Unit; and members of the Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is available at www.justice.gov/usao-ma.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Worcester Police Department and City of Worcester, MassachusettsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today the findings from its pattern or practice investigation into conduct by the City of Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Worcester Police Department (WPD).
According to the findings, the City of Worcester and WPD engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights secured by the U.S. Constitution and federal law.
Specifically, as detailed in the investigative report, the Justice Department finds that:
- WPD uses excessive force, including unjustified uses of tasers, police dogs and strikes to the head. Officers rapidly escalated minor incidents by using more force than necessary, including during encounters with people who have behavioral health disabilities or are in crisis. WPD’s use of excessive force violates the Fourth Amendment.
- WPD has allowed certain officers at times to engage in outrageous government conduct and violate the constitutional rights of women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade by engaging in sexual contact while undercover as part of official investigations. This violates the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
The department’s investigation also describes serious concerns about some credible reports that officers have sexually assaulted women under threat of arrest and engaged in other sexual misconduct; and concerns that WPD lacks adequate policies and practices to respond to and investigate sexual assaults by officers and others. Finally, the department raised concerns that WPD engages in racially discriminatory policing.
Deficiencies in policies, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to the city and WPD’s unlawful conduct.
“Our comprehensive investigation revealed that the Worcester Police Department uses excessive force and has allowed undercover police officers to engage in sexual contact with women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This is the first time the department has issued a pattern or practice finding involving sexual misconduct by officers. We look forward to working with city officials to institute reforms that build on their own preliminary efforts but that will fully bring an end to these unlawful and unconstitutional practices. The Justice Department is committed to standing firm against sexual misconduct in all its forms.”
“Excessive force and sexual misconduct at the hands of officers who took an oath to serve and protect deeply diminishes the public’s trust in its sworn officers” said U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “The actions by certain officers who engaged in this conduct are not a reflection of the many hard working and ethical officers at the WPD who did not engage in such misconduct or the thousands of police officers around the Commonwealth who serve with honor every day. While the findings announced in today’s report are serious and sobering, today we start a new chapter. We look forward to working with the City of Worcester and the new leadership of the Worcester Police Department to implement reforms that will prevent these kinds of incidents from reoccurring.”
The Justice Department opened this investigation on Nov. 15, 2022, 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 investigation was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The report acknowledges the changes already made by the City and WPD and identifies additional remedial measures that the department believes are necessary to address its findings. The department is committed to working collaboratively with the City and WPD to address and remedy the harms the investigation identified.
The department will also be seeking input from the Worcester community on remedies to address the investigation’s findings. Members of the public may submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 617-275-8756.
The Justice Department will hold a webinar at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, to provide more information about the findings. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. Please email [email protected] to register.
Information about the Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts is available at www.justice.gov/usao-ma.
Justice Department Awards $1.5 Million to Louisiana State Police for Sexual Assault Kit InitiativeRead the Press Release
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has awarded $1,500,000 to Louisiana State Police for the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) to research, review, and collect lawfully-owed DNA from arrestees and convicted offenders for enrollment in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in hopes that they will return hits to generate new investigative information in unsolved cases.
The Louisiana State Police Crime Lab (LSPCL) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is responsible for receiving, verifying acceptability, and analyzing lawfully-owed arrestee and convicted offender DNA collections, as well as developing and uploading DNA profiles into the CODIS database. LSPCL also retains the collected DNA samples for match verification and other quality assurance purposes. The State of Louisiana began collecting and enrolling lawfully owed convicted offender samples into CODIS in 2002 and has been a trailblazer regarding lawfully owed arrestee collections, becoming the first state in the country to collect and enroll lawfully owed arrestee samples into CODIS (2003), and analyze lawfully-owed arrestee samples as a part of the booking process using Rapid DNA technology (2022).
For more information about these awards, please contact the OJP Office of Communications at 202-307-0703 or [email protected].
Justice Department Announces Tribal Consultations to Consider Legislative Proposals to Preserve Tribal Sovereignty and Address the Balance of Jurisdiction in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
The Justice Department announced today it will hold Tribal consultations around its consideration of legislative proposals to address the balance of jurisdiction in Indian country that was upended by the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta.
Indian country is a legal term that generally describes Tribal reservations, lands, communities, and allotments that fall under the jurisdiction of the United States.
Until two years ago, there was a long-held understanding, shared by the federal government and Tribes, that a law passed by Congress, the General Crimes Act, limited a state’s authority to prosecute some crimes committed in Indian country, namely those crimes committed by non-Indian defendants against Indian victims. Those crimes could be prosecuted only by federal or Tribal authorities. In Castro-Huerta, the Supreme Court rejected that understanding.
Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the General Crimes Act does not limit a state’s inherent jurisdiction to prosecute non-Indian defendants who commit crimes against Indian victims in Indian country. In other words, based on the Supreme Court’s decision, the federal government, states, and Tribes now have concurrent jurisdiction to prosecute these types of crimes throughout the United States.
Because the Supreme Court’s decision was based on the language in a statute, Congress, exercising its constitutional plenary power over Indian affairs, could pass legislation restoring the previous balance of jurisdiction in Indian country.
“The Department of Justice is committed to working with Native communities to advance our shared goal of Tribal safety while respecting and uplifting Tribal sovereignty,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These upcoming consultations are consistent with the Department’s longstanding practice of working collaboratively with our Tribal partners to promote safe communities throughout Indian country.”
The Justice Department and the Department of the Interior (DOI) held joint listening sessions on Sept. 26-27, 2022, to discuss with Tribal representatives the implications of the Castro-Huerta decision and the impact on Tribal communities. More than 500 Tribal leaders and other Tribal representatives participated in these discussions. Several clear themes emerged, including a view from Tribes that the Castro-Huerta decision diminished Tribal sovereignty, injected confusion into a complex legal and operational landscape, and presented long-term implications for state interference in Tribal affairs. A common view emerged that legislation and clarifying federal guidance were in order.
Several Tribes also reported that Castro-Huerta has negatively impacted their cross-deputization, cross-jurisdictional, and other cooperative law enforcement agreements with states, which prior to Castro-Huerta were an important part of successful law enforcement and criminal justice schemes on many reservations.
Based on those listening sessions, other feedback, and experience over the past two years, the Justice Department is now considering whether to support a legislative proposal to restore the previous balance of jurisdiction in Indian country and, if so, what form that legislation should take. Two draft proposals are presented for Tribal review and consideration.
Both proposals make clear that states lack jurisdiction over crimes within Indian country committed by or against Indians, unless expressly authorized by federal statute. Both proposals also state that unless otherwise authorized by federal statute, states must, before exercising such jurisdiction, (1) ensure compliance with the procedures for obtaining Tribal consent of the impacted Indian Tribe, and (2) where applicable, comply with a procedure to amend the state constitution or laws
The Department is releasing a framing paper, which will be available on the Department’s Tribal Justice and Safety website and includes additional background and the two legislative proposals. The Justice Department plans to hold consultations in January 2025.
Jacksonville Felon Sentenced to More Than Seven Years for Illegally Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Emanuel Toney Cuff (24, Jacksonville) to seven years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Cuff entered a guilty plea in September 2024.
According to court documents, on February 20, 2024, officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were on patrol when they observed Cuff commit multiple traffic violations on a bicycle. While conducting a records search, an officer found an arrest warrant for Cuff and placed him under arrest. During a search of Cuff, officers found a loaded .40 caliber pistol with a large-capacity magazine hidden in Cuff’s waistband, five small bags of dipentylone, a small bag of marijuana, and $185 cash in varying denominations. Cuff was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including armed carjacking, carjacking, and robbery by sudden snatching. Therefore, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elisibeth Adams.
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.
Jet Ski Cocaine Trafficker Pleads GuiltyRead the Press Release
St. Thomas, VI – United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Emmanuel Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 33, of Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine before United States Magistrate G. Alan Teague. Rodriguez-Rodriguez, along with Jose Torres-Russi, Ben Carrasquillosanto, Jose Martes-Gonzalez, Wilfredo Vazquez-Lopez, Jonathan Fernandez Montesino, Esteban Borrome Diaz, Smarling Villilo De Los Santo, and Guillermo Morales, were indicted on drug trafficking conspiracy and related charges for the December 11, 2021, cocaine smuggling operation between St. Thomas and Culebra, PR and St. Thomas. If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to court records, on December 11, 2021, Customs and Boarder Protection Air and Marine Operations officers observed four jet skis traveling from Culebra, Puerto Rico, towards Mermaid’s Chair Beach located at Botany Bay, St. Thomas, where four individuals were awaiting their arrival. Officers later observed duffle bags being loaded onto the jet skis after which the jet skis quickly departed Mermaid’s Chair Beach and headed back in the direction of Culebra. The officers also noticed that a red Jeep Wrangler was the only vehicle parked at Mermaid’s Chair Beach while the transaction was ongoing. Officer pursued the four jet skis as they sped towards Culebra. One jet ski operator abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot but left behind a duffle bag containing 26 kilograms of cocaine. Officers later apprehended jet ski operators Torres-Russi, Carrasquillosanto and Martes-Gonzalez. The remaining six defendants, including Rodriguez Rodriguez, were apprehended by federal agents as their vehicle attempted to exit the gated community at Botany Bay, St. Thomas. During their arrests, agents recovered two Glock pistols, one with an obliterated serial number, in the defendants’ vehicle.
This case was investigated by Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Inmate Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Weapon at FCI McDowellRead the Press Release
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – William Williams, 24, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) McDowell, was sentenced today to one year and three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a weapon by an inmate at a federal prison.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 12, 2022, an FCI McDowell staff member conducted a random pat-down search of Williams and found a handcrafted weapon commonly known as a “shank” in his left front pants pocket. The shank was a piece of metal approximately five inches long with a sharpened point on one end and a cloth handle. Williams admitted to possessing the shank, and further admitted that it was designed and intended to be used as a weapon.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-52.
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Hudson County Man Admits Role in Four Robberies and Two Shootings in Jersey City, New JerseyRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County man admitted his role in four robberies and two shootings in Jersey City, New Jersey, which took place on the same night, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Rodney Williams, 32, of Jersey City, New Jersey pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an Indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, conspiracy to use and carry a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, Hobbs Act robbery, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, using and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Williams’ co-defendant, Siobhan Chandler, was sentenced on April 25, 2024 to 12 years’ imprisonment followed by 5 years’ supervised release for her role.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On the evening of November 14, 2021, Williams and Chandler committed multiple armed robberies and two shootings in Jersey City. The criminal activity began when Williams, acting alone, robbed a store while he pointed his gun at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed money to Williams who then fled.
A short time later, Williams, now with Chandler, robbed a gas station, where Williams pointed his gun at two attendants and demanded money. When the attendants did not immediately comply, Williams shot one of the attendants in the chest. Williams and Chandler then fled.
Williams and Chandler later entered another store, and Williams again pointed his gun at a clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed money to Williams and he and Chandler fled.
Williams and Chandler then entered a nearby restaurant, and Williams again pointed his gun at the cashier and demanded money. When the cashier did not immediately comply, Williams shot the cashier in the chest. The cashier then handed money to Williams, after which Williams and Chandler fled.
The Hobbs Act robbery charges to which Williams pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison; the conspiracy to use and carry a firearm in relation to a crime of violence charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison; the using and carrying a firearm in relation to a crime of violence charges carry statutory mandatory minimum terms of 7 (Count Four) and 10 years (Count Nine) in prison and maximum potential penalties of life in prison. Any term of imprisonment on Counts Four and Nine must run consecutive to any other prison term imposed on the other counts. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 23, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited officers of the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Kearns, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanks the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shontae D. Gray and Eli Jacobs of the Criminal Division in Newark.
williamsetal.indictment.pdf
Hartford Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking ChargeRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that DEJAVAHN WATKIN, 25, of Hartford, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to a narcotics trafficking charge.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 1, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Hartford Task Force executed a court-authorized search warrant at Watkin’s apartment on Broad Street in Hartford. The search revealed approximately 38 grams of loose fentanyl, approximately 1,800 wax folds of fentanyl, quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, items used to process and package narcotics, a loaded Glock .22 caliber handgun, and $18,362 in cash. Watkin was arrested at that time. Investigators subsequently recovered a loaded Stag Arms Stag-15 rifle that they determined Watkin had thrown from a window as they were about to enter his apartment.
Watkin pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of cocaine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
Watkin has been detained since his arrest.
The DEA’s Hartford Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Hartford Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bristol, Hartford, East Hartford, Enfield, Manchester, Middletown, New Britain, Rocky Hill, Wethersfield, and Windsor Locks Police Departments. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has assisted the investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.
Gloucester County Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking and Possession of Firearms as A FelonRead the Press Release
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Gloucester County man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute thousands of methamphetamine pills and possessing two firearms as a felon, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
George W. Joyce, 40, of Glassboro, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Christine P. O’Hearn to an information charging him with one count of possessing with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm as a felon. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 29, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Joyce’s residence in Glassboro, New Jersey. Officers recovered from Joyce’s bedroom approximately 2,587 methamphetamine pills that Joyce admitted to possessing with the intent to distribute to others. Joyce further admitted to possessing two loaded firearms that officers also recovered from his bedroom. Joyce’s possession of the firearms was unlawful because he was a felon.
In addition to the prison term, Judge O’Hearn sentenced Joyce to 4 years of supervised release.U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of FBI’s Wilmington Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno in Baltimore, with the investigation leading to the sentencing. He also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, the Delaware State Police, and the New Castle County (Delaware) Police Department for their assistance.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
joyce.information.pdf
Fort Madison Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to File Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Fort Madison man pleaded guilty today to four counts of failure to file income tax returns.
According to public court documents, Marty Feinberg, 58, owned and operated a scrap metal business in Fort Madison. Feinberg willfully failed to file federal income tax returns for the calendar years 2018-2021 at the times required by law, despite having received gross income substantially in excess of the IRS’s filing requirements.
Feinberg is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2025, and faces a potential sentence of up to one year in prison on each count. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation investigated this case
Former Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Theft of Tax RefundsRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Bedford woman pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, 2024 to stealing federal funds by filing false tax returns in order to obtain fraudulent tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).
Valentina Martinez, 50, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft of government money. Senior U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2025.
According to court documents, Martinez worked for a national tax preparation service. After preparing returns for clients and providing them copies of their returns, Martinez added fraudulent claims for business deductions to the clients’ returns without their knowledge and electronically filed the false returns in order to obtain fraudulent refunds. Martinez caused the tax refunds to be deposited onto debit cards that she used to make ATM withdrawals, and to pay for a Florida vacation and other purchases. Martinez’s scheme was discovered and her employment terminated when a taxpayer client complained to the preparation service about a missing refund. By then, Martinez had already filed at least 12 false returns and caused more than $45,000 in losses to the IRS.
The prosecution of Martinez is part of a Stolen Identity Refund Project (“SIRF”) program operated by the IRS to identify tax preparers who use stolen identities to steal money from the United States Treasury by filing fake tax returns that claim tax refunds without the named taxpayer’s knowledge.
The charge of theft of government money carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release. a fine of $250,000and restitution to the IRS. Sentences are imposed by the federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant United States Attorney Victor A. Wild of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Former Rensselaer County Elections Commissioner Sentenced for Identity TheftRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jason Schofield, age 45, of Troy, New York, was sentenced today to 1 year of probation, and to pay a $2,000 fine and a $1,200 special assessment, for unlawfully using the names and dates of birth of voters to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots for elections held in Rensselaer County in 2021.
United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.
Schofield was an Elections Commissioner at the Rensselaer County Board of Elections (“RCBOE”) from April 2018 until December 2022, when he resigned in anticipation of his guilty plea.
In pleading guilty to a 12-count indictment, Schofield admitted that in 2021, he unlawfully possessed and used the names and dates of birth of voters in connection with 12 absentee ballot applications he submitted in the voters’ names to the New York State Voter Absentee Ballot Application Request Portal.
Schofield admitted that for each application, he falsely certified that he was the voter requesting the ballot. He also admitted that he took personal possession of 9 of these ballots, while knowing and intending that RCBOE records would falsely reflect that the ballots had been mailed to the voters.
The FBI investigated this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett prosecuted it.
Former Chief of Staff to Mayor in Lawrence Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – The former Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Lawrence, Mass., pleaded guilty on Dec. 6, 2024 in federal court in Boston to transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Jhovanny Martes-Rosario, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 10, 2025. In April 2023, Martes-Rosario was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Martes-Rosario was identified by law enforcement as the likely user of Yahoo and Apple accounts, in February 2023, containing child pornography. A search was executed at Martes-Rosario’s residence and an iPad device was seized which contained child pornography files. Martes-Rosario admitted that he was the owner of the email addresses and that he searched for and downloaded child pornography to his personal iPad and later sent it to his email address for storage. He also admitted he had been searching for and storing child pornography for years.
The charge of transportation of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of 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 and Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are 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.
Five Guatemalan human smugglers charged in U.S. for 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, MexicoRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – An international enforcement operation has resulted in the arrest of five Guatemalan human smugglers linked to the Dec. 9, 2021, mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico, where a semi-trailer truck containing at least 160 migrants — many of whom were Guatemalan nationals — crashed, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 people and injuring over 100 more.
The operation was the result of coordination between the Justice Department and Guatemalan authorities and marks the third anniversary of the tragic event.
Authorities have now taken Guatemalan national Jorge Agapito Ventura, 32, Cleveland, into custody. He is expected to make his initial appearance Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison.
At the request of the United States, Guatemalan law enforcement also acted on provisional arrest warrants for Tomas Quino Canil, 36; Alberto Marcario Chitic, aka Alberto De Jesus, 31,; Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, aka Osvaldo ZQ, 24: and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 42. All have been indicted in the Southern District of Texas in connection with the investigation.
According to the indictment unsealed upon the arrests, from October 2021 to February 2023, all conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of migrants from Guatemala though Mexico with the intended destination of the United States. They allegedly recruited Guatemalan migrants, collected payment and arranged for travel to the United States. In some instances involving the smuggling of unaccompanied minors, they allegedly provided scripts and instructions on what to say if apprehended.
Some of the migrants they had recruited died or suffered serious bodily injury as result of the Dec. 9, 2021, crash, according to the charges.
“The Justice Department is holding accountable the individuals who we allege preyed on vulnerable migrants and are responsible for this heinous crime that resulted in the deaths over 50 people and injured over 100 more. Human smugglers should heed these charges and arrests as a warning: you will be held accountable for your deadly crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Since we launched Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) more than three years ago, we have secured more than 330 domestic and international arrests and more than 275 convictions on smuggling offenses, as well as significant jail sentences and substantial forfeitures. We will continue to work across agencies and across borders to stop the scourge of human smuggling.”
“Today, the alleged perpetrators of an abhorrent crime — one that resulted in the senseless deaths of more than 50 migrants and the injury of more than 100 others — are being held accountable, thanks to the investigative work of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and our federal and international partners,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The tragedy that occurred three years ago today in Chiapas is further proof that human smugglers are ruthless, callous and dangerous — intending migrants should not believe their lies. DHS will continue to disrupt and dismantle illegal human smuggling operations and help bring those who perpetrate such horror to justice.”
“Three years ago today, in Chiapas, Mexico, a place known for natural wonder and cultural richness, a scene of unimaginable tragedy unfurled,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX). “Our investigation into this catastrophic event that killed over 50 people, including children, signifies the unwavering commitment of the SDTX to hold those who engage in human smuggling accountable, irrespective of where their actions or the resultant harm occur. While this crash transpired beyond our borders, it is imperative that the pursuit of justice transcends those boundaries. Today, we reiterate our commitment to ensuring that those allegedly responsible for exploiting the vulnerabilities of families seeking refuge and opportunity face the full force of the law.”
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that the defendants conspired to smuggle Guatemalan migrants, including minors, to the United States, and that some of these migrants died when the tractor trailer they were riding in overturned in Chiapas, Mexico,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s announcement — on the three-year anniversary of the victims’ deaths — demonstrates the Criminal Division’s commitment to holding smugglers accountable, no matter where they may be, for their indifference to human life in their callous pursuit of profit. I am proud of the outstanding work by the prosecutors and investigators of JTFA, and I am grateful for our partnership with the Guatemalan authorities, whose assistance was essential in this investigation and prosecution.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, along with our law enforcement partners from JTFA, worked tirelessly to investigate, locate, and apprehend those responsible for this heinous act,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. “Now, three years later, I proudly stand with our colleagues from the Justice Department to announce that we have made these apprehensions. HSI remains committed to dismantling human smuggling networks that exploit and mislead migrants, often subjecting them to dangerous and abusive conditions. These illicit organizations profit by preying on vulnerable populations, and HSI works assiduously to disrupt their operations. I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of our law enforcement partners in the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico for their invaluable work to bring this investigation to fruition.”
HSI’s Global Investigation Group in Washington D.C. conducted the investigation in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit provided valuable assistance as did Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center; DHS Operation Sentinel; Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division; and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT). The Justice Department thanks Guatemalan and Mexican law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day for the Southern District of Texas is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.
The indictment is the result of the coordinated efforts of JTFA. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the DHS, to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The initiative was expanded to Colombia and Panama to combat human smuggling in the Darién in June 2024. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern and Western Districts of Texas, District of New Mexico, District of Arizona and Southern District of California. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by OPDAT, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, OIA and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from the DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 330 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 275 U.S. convictions; over 225 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Five Guatemalan Human Smugglers Charged in U.S. for 2021 Mass Casualty Event in Chiapas, MexicoRead the Press Release
Remote video URLView the indictment here.
View U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani's video recorded remarks here.
An international enforcement operation today resulted in the arrest of five Guatemalan human smugglers linked to the Dec. 9, 2021, mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico, where a semi-trailer truck containing at least 160 migrants — many of whom were Guatemalan nationals — crashed, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 people and injuring over 100 more. The operation was the result of coordination between the Justice Department and Guatemalan authorities and marks the third anniversary of the tragic event.
At the request of the United States, Guatemalan law enforcement acted on provisional arrest warrants for Tomas Quino Canil, 36; Alberto Marcario Chitic, also known as Alberto De Jesus, 31; Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, also known as Osvaldo ZQ, 24; and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 42. A fifth Guatemalan national, Jorge Agapito Ventura, was arrested at his residence in Cleveland, Texas. All five Guatemalan nationals have been indicted in the Southern District of Texas in connection with the investigation.
According to the indictment unsealed today, from October 2021 to February 2023, the defendants conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of migrants from Guatemala though Mexico with the intended destination of the United States. The defendants allegedly recruited Guatemalan migrants, collected payment, and arranged for travel to the United States. In some instances involving the smuggling of unaccompanied minors, the defendants provided scripts and instructions on what to say if apprehended. Some of the migrants recruited by the defendants died or suffered serious bodily injury as result of the Dec. 9, 2021, crash.
“The Justice Department is holding accountable the individuals who we allege preyed on vulnerable migrants and are responsible for this heinous crime that resulted in the deaths over 50 people and injured over 100 more. Human smugglers should heed these charges and arrests as a warning: you will be held accountable for your deadly crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Since we launched Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) more than three years ago, we have secured more than 330 domestic and international arrests and more than 275 convictions on smuggling offenses, as well as significant jail sentences and substantial forfeitures. We will continue to work across agencies and across borders to stop the scourge of human smuggling.”
“Today, the alleged perpetrators of an abhorrent crime — one that resulted in the senseless deaths of more than 50 migrants and the injury of more than 100 others — are being held accountable, thanks to the investigative work of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and our federal and international partners,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The tragedy that occurred three years ago today in Chiapas is further proof that human smugglers are ruthless, callous, and dangerous — intending migrants should not believe their lies. DHS will continue to disrupt and dismantle illegal human smuggling operations and help bring those who perpetrate such horror to justice.”
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that the defendants conspired to smuggle Guatemalan migrants, including minors, to the United States, and that some of these migrants died when the tractor trailer they were riding in overturned in Chiapas, Mexico,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s announcement — on the three-year anniversary of the victims’ deaths — demonstrates the Criminal Division’s commitment to holding smugglers accountable, no matter where they may be, for their indifference to human life in their callous pursuit of profit. I am proud of the outstanding work by the prosecutors and investigators of JTFA, and I am grateful for our partnership with the Guatemalan authorities, whose assistance was essential in this investigation and prosecution.”
“Three years ago today, in Chiapas, Mexico, a place known for natural wonder and cultural richness, a scene of unimaginable tragedy unfurled,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas. “Our investigation into this catastrophic event that killed over 50 people, including children, signifies the unwavering commitment of the Southern District of Texas to hold those who engage in human smuggling accountable, irrespective of where their actions or the resultant harm occur. While this crash transpired beyond our borders, it is imperative that the pursuit of justice transcends those boundaries. Today, we reiterate our commitment to ensuring that those allegedly responsible for exploiting the vulnerabilities of families seeking refuge and opportunity face the full force of the law.”
“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, along with our law enforcement partners from JTFA, worked tirelessly to investigate, locate, and apprehend those responsible for this heinous act,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger. “Now, three years later, I proudly stand with our colleagues from the Justice Department to announce that we have made these apprehensions. HSI remains committed to dismantling human smuggling networks that exploit and mislead migrants, often subjecting them to dangerous and abusive conditions. These illicit organizations profit by preying on vulnerable populations, and HSI works assiduously to disrupt their operations. I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of our law enforcement partners in the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico for their invaluable work to bring this investigation to fruition.”
HSI’s Global Investigation Group in Washington D.C. investigated the case in partnership with HSI Guatemala and HSI Mexico. Valuable assistance was provided by HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit; the Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center; Operation Sentinel; U.S. Border Patrol; Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Houston; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division; and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (OPDAT). The Justice Department thanks Guatemalan and Mexican law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.
Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.
The indictment of these defendants is the result of the coordinated efforts of JTFA. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland created JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with DHS, to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The initiative was expanded to Colombia and Panama to combat human smuggling in the Darién in June. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern and Western Districts of Texas, District of New Mexico, District of Arizona, and Southern District of California. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by HRSP and supported by OPDAT, the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations, OIA, and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.
JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in over 330 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; over 275 U.S. convictions; over 225 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Felon Who Pointed a Ghost Gun at Police Officer Returned to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
A man who pointed a firearm at a police officer less than two months after he was released from federal prison was sentenced on December 2, 2024, to seven years in federal prison.
Daytrell Washington-Roby, age 26, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 1, 2024 guilty plea to possession of ammunition by a felon.
Information from sentencing showed that Washington-Roby was previously convicted of possession of a firearm by a user of a controlled substance and sentenced to federal prison in January 2020. He was released from prison on December 22, 2023. On February 18, 2024, a concerned citizen called 911 to report a man choking a woman in a car in Waterloo; Washington-Roby and his girlfriend. A police officer located Washington-Roby in the area of the call shortly thereafter. Washington-Roby raised his arms, pointing a firearm at the police officer. Washington-Roby then threw the loaded firearm into the backyard of a residence. The firearm was an un‑serialized “ghost gun.” Washington-Roby was on federal supervised release at the time.
Washington-Roby was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Washington-Roby was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment for his possession of ammunition offense. He was also sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment in his previous federal firearm case for which he was on supervised release, which was imposed consecutively to the 60-month term of imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Washington-Roby is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file numbers are 24-CR-2021 and 19-CR-0047.
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Federal Jury Convicts Registered Sex Offender on Child Pornography ChargesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal jury swiftly returned a guilty verdict on Friday, December 6, 2024, delivering a second conviction to a Cranston registered sex offender, who possessed child pornography while on supervised release following his earlier conviction by this Office for child pornography offenses, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
In December 2016, David A. Skally, 65, was convicted of possessing and accessing with the intent to view child pornography, and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. It was during this period of court-ordered supervision that he committed his current crimes.
On Friday, Skally was convicted following a four-day trial on charges of access with intent to view child pornography and possession of child pornography.
“Undeterred by his prior conviction, this defendant chose to continue in a course of conduct that victimized and contributed to the horrific abuse of children,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “This Office is likewise undeterred in its determination to stand up for the most vulnerable among us, and with this verdict, we have ensured that the public will be kept safe from this defendant for years to come.”
“Despite a previous federal conviction and prison time, Skally chose to again seek out child sexual abuse material knowing full well the harm it causes to children and the legal consequences he would face. A federal jury has found Skally guilty and he is once again facing significant time in federal prison,” said HSI New England’s Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI works every day with our partners in Rhode Island to keep children safe and ensure predators are brought to justice.”
According to evidence presented by the government at trial, Skally underwent three examinations by a member of his sex-offender treatment team between June 5, 2020, and April 5, 2021, as part of his court-ordered supervision. During the course of those examinations, Skally admitted to viewing sexually explicit images of children “over ten times” after his release from prison while on supervised release. Further, Skally admitted some of the images he viewed depicted children 11 years of age or under engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Additional evidence showed that Skally engaged in repeated efforts to avoid monitoring software and other safeguards required during his term of probation.
Subsequent investigation and a forensic examination of Skally’s computer ultimately discovered several images of child pornography, including images of adults engaged in sexual activity with prepubescent victims. The jury ultimately concluded that Skally both possessed and accessed child pornography with the intent to view it, and specifically found that at least some of the material in question involved prepubescent children under the age of twelve.
Skally is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors; by virtue of his prior conviction, Skally is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald R. Gendron and Denise M. Barton, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and John P. McAdams.
This case, investigated by the U.S. Probation Department and Homeland Security Investigations, 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
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Federal Inmate Convicted of Possession of a "Shank" in Federal Transfer CenterRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted BRYAN JOSHUA TEWANEMA, 31, of Arizona, of possessing a prohibited object at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On July 17, 2024, a federal grand jury charged Tewanema with possession of a prohibited object. On December 4, 2024, after a two-day trial, a federal jury found Tewanema guilty of the charge. Evidence presented at trial indicated that on May 29, 2024, corrections officers with the FTC discovered a sharpened piece of plexiglass, a “shank,” hidden in Tewanema’s pant leg. Evidence at trial indicated that this incident was the fourth time a “shank” has been located either on Tewanema’s person or in a cell assigned to him.
At sentencing, Tewanema faces up to five years in federal prison—which must be served consecutively to his already imposed federal sentences for second-degree murder and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Special Investigative Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tiffany Edgmon and Jordan Ganz are prosecuting the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
Denver Man Indicted on 18 Counts for Defrauding Investment ClientsRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Ian Gregory Bell, age 35, of Denver, Colorado was indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of wire fraud, five counts of mail fraud, and five counts of money laundering in connection with an investment scheme to defraud his clients.
According to the indictment, beginning in early 2020 and continuing through around March of 2023, Bell devised, intended to devise, and participated in a scheme and artifice to defraud investors and to obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. It is alleged that as a part of the scheme Bell obtained more than $1 million from more than twenty investor clients by telling them he would deliver significant returns with low risk. In nearly all cases, he spent or lost the investors’ money within days or weeks of receiving it. The indictment further alleges that Bell sent investors screenshots showing fabricated gains, and routinely solicited additional investments through false promises about how much earlier investments had grown.
The defendant made his initial appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty.
The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Internal Revenue Service. These charges follow a parallel investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Denver Regional Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Weber.
Case Number: 1:24-cr-00345-PAB-1
Deltona Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Images and VideosRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger has sentenced Christian Alberto Arango (33, Deltona) to 8 years and 1 month in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material. The Court also ordered Arango to register as a sex offender and forfeit a computer and cell phone, which were used to commit the offenses. Arango had entered a guilty plea on June 11, 2024.
According to court documents, Arango was identified as a purchaser of child sexual abuse material during an FBI investigation into an individual who had been producing and selling that material on the internet. On November 13, 2023, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Arango’s Deltona residence and seized his computer and cell phone. A subsequent forensic examination of those devices revealed over 500 images and over 600 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including children as young as toddlers.
On February 13, 2024, during an interview with agents, Arango admitted that he had purchased and downloaded hundreds of child sexual abuse images since approximately 2018.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Del Mastro.
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.
Criminal Charges Unsealed in Chicago Against Two Former High-Ranking Syrian Government Intelligence Officials for War Crimes Against Americans and Other CiviliansRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — An indictment was unsealed today in Chicago charging two high-ranking Syrian officials under former President Bashar al-Assad with war crimes. The indictment charges the former Syrian intelligence officials with engaging in a conspiracy to commit cruel and inhuman treatment of civilian detainees, including U.S. citizens, during the course of the Syrian civil war.
Former Syrian Air Force Intelligence officers Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, were each charged in connection with a conspiracy to commit war crimes through the infliction of cruel and inhuman treatment on detainees under their control, including U.S. citizens, in detention facilities at the Mezzeh Military Airport near Damascus, Syria. Warrants for the defendants’ arrest have been issued, and they remain at large.
“The perpetrators of the Assad regime’s atrocities against American citizens and other civilians during the Syrian civil war must answer for their heinous crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, these Assad regime intelligence officials whipped, kicked, electrocuted, and burned their victims; hung them by their wrists for prolonged periods of time; threatened them with rape and death; and falsely told them that their family members had been killed. The Justice Department has a long memory, and we will never stop working to find and bring to justice those who tortured Americans.”
“The Assad regime may have fallen, but our commitment to accountability continues unabated,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “For the second time in a year, the Department of Justice has brought charges against those who committed war crimes against U.S. citizens, deploying a previously unused federal law to hold accountable individuals who engaged in cruel and inhuman atrocities during armed conflict.”
“The serious human rights abuses set forth in this indictment must not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “The United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago remains steadfastly committed to bringing justice to the victims of these heinous crimes, no matter where the perpetrators are or how long it takes.”
“Torture is one of the most egregious crimes that the FBI investigates, and this historic indictment memorializes our commitment to accountability and justice,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “This multi-year investigation is the culmination of the tireless work by FBI personnel, both in the US and overseas, and the courage of countless victims and witnesses affected by the Assad Regime in Syria.”
“Hassan and Mahmoud allegedly oversaw the systematic use of torture and cruelty on perceived enemies of the Syrian regime, including American citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners around the world to ensure these alleged war criminals are held accountable for their actions and justice is brought to the victims of these atrocities.”
“The defendants are alleged to have committed atrocities against political dissidents, including U.S. citizens, opposing a brutal and now-deposed dictatorial regime,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “War crimes such as the torture described in this indictment strike at the basic human rights that we all share. This historic indictment — the second brought under the U.S. War Crimes statute — demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to pursue accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities wherever they may occur.”
According to the indictment, Hassan was the Director of Syrian Air Force Intelligence and oversaw a network of detention facilities, including the Mezzeh Prison in Damascus, where civilians perceived to be opponents of the Syrian regime were detained and subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment. Mahmoud was a Brigadier General in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence and directed operations at the Mezzeh Prison.
The indictment alleges that from 2012 to 2019, Hassan and Mahmoud conspired to identify, intimidate, threaten, punish, and kill people detained at Mezzeh Prison suspected of aiding or supporting opponents of the regime, such as those who protested, provided medical aid to opponents of the regime, or publicly criticized the regime. According to the indictment, detainees in the defendants’ custody, including U.S. citizens, were mercilessly beaten, electrocuted, and had their toenails removed. Detainees were also allegedly hung from the ceiling by their wrists and were burned with acid. The defendants allegedly conspired to create an atmosphere of terror at Mezzeh, forcing detainees to listen to the screams of tortured prisoners and share cells with the dead bodies of other detainees, while guards threatened to kill and sexually assault their family members. The detainees were also allegedly deprived of adequate food, water, and medical care.
The defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Chicago Field Office investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Justice Department thanks the United Nations International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism for Syria, as well as French and German authorities, for their assistance.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Dollear, Barry Jonas, and Ann Marie Ursini for the Northern District of Illinois, and HRSP Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Nielsen and Frank Rangoussis. HRSP historian Phil Hoffman provided assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
us_v._hassan.indictment.filed_.pdfCriminal Charges Unsealed Against Two Former High-Ranking Syrian Government Intelligence Officials for War Crimes against Americans and Other CiviliansRead the Press Release
A copy of the indictment can be found here.
An indictment was unsealed today in the Northern District of Illinois charging two high-ranking Syrian officials under former President Bashar al-Assad with war crimes. The indictment charges the former Syrian intelligence officials with engaging in a conspiracy to commit cruel and inhuman treatment of civilian detainees, including U.S. citizens, during the course of the Syrian civil war.
Former Syrian Air Force Intelligence officers Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, were each charged in connection with a conspiracy to commit war crimes through the infliction of cruel and inhuman treatment on detainees under their control, including U.S. citizens, in detention facilities at the Mezzeh Military Airport (Mezzeh Prison), near Damascus, Syria. Warrants for the defendants’ arrest have been issued, and they remain at large.
“The perpetrators of the Assad regime’s atrocities against American citizens and other civilians during the Syrian civil war must answer for their heinous crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, these Assad regime intelligence officials whipped, kicked, electrocuted, and burned their victims; hung them by their wrists for prolonged periods of time; threatened them with rape and death; and falsely told them that their family members had been killed. The Justice Department has a long memory, and we will never stop working to find and bring to justice those who tortured Americans.”
“The Assad regime may have fallen, but our commitment to accountability continues unabated,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “For the second time in a year, the Department of Justice has brought charges against those who committed war crimes against U.S. citizens, deploying a previously unused federal law to hold accountable individuals who engaged in cruel and inhuman atrocities during armed conflict.”
“Hassan and Mahmoud allegedly oversaw the systematic use of cruel and inhumane treatment on perceived enemies of the Syrian regime, including American citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners around the world to ensure these alleged war criminals are held accountable for their actions and justice is brought to the victims of these atrocities.”
“The defendants are alleged to have committed atrocities against political dissidents, including U.S. citizens, opposing a brutal and now-deposed dictatorial regime,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “War crimes such as the torture described in this indictment strike at the basic human rights that we all share. This historic indictment — the second brought under the U.S. War Crimes statute — demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to pursue accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities wherever they may occur.”
“The serious human rights abuses set forth in this indictment must not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “The United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago remains steadfastly committed to bringing justice to the victims of these heinous crimes, no matter where the perpetrators are or how long it takes.”
“Human rights abuses are among the most egregious crimes that the FBI investigates, and this historic indictment memorializes our commitment to accountability and justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “This multi-year investigation is the culmination of the tireless work by FBI personnel, both in the United States and overseas, and the courage of countless victims and witnesses affected by the Assad Regime in Syria.”
According to the indictment, Hassan was the Director of Syrian Air Force Intelligence and oversaw a network of detention facilities, including the Mezzeh Prison in Damascus, where civilians perceived to be opponents of the Syrian regime were detained and subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment. Mahmoud was a Brigadier General in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence and directed operations at the Mezzeh Prison.
The indictment alleges that, between January 2012 and July 2019, Hassan and Mahmoud conspired to identify, intimidate, threaten, punish, and kill people detained at Mezzeh Prison suspected of aiding or supporting opponents of the regime, such as those who protested, provided medical aid to opponents of the regime, or publicly criticized the regime. According to the indictment, detainees in the defendants’ custody, including U.S. citizens, were mercilessly beaten, electrocuted, and had their toenails removed. Detainees were also allegedly hung from the ceiling by their wrists and were burned with acid. The defendants allegedly conspired to create an atmosphere of terror at Mezzeh, forcing detainees to listen to the screams of tortured prisoners and share cells with the dead bodies of other detainees, while guards threatened to kill and sexually assault their family members. The detainees were also allegedly deprived of adequate food, water, and medical care.
The defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Chicago Field Office investigated the war crimes allegations in partnership with the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Justice Department thanks the United Nations International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism for Syria, as well as French authorities, for their assistance.
HRSP Trial Attorneys Elizabeth Nielsen and Frank Rangoussis and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Dollear, Barry Jonas, and Ann Marie Ursini for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case. HRSP historian Phil Hoffman provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution.
Members of the public who have information about human rights violators in the United States or the location of the defendants named in this indictment are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or through the FBI online tip form. All are staffed around the clock, and tips may be provided anonymously.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Conway Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialsRead the Press Release
Evidence presented to the court showed that agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered an Internet user associated with an address in Conway who engaged in Bitcoin transactions with a Darknet site from which users purchased CSAM. HSI discovered that the user engaged in several Bitcoin transactions with Bitcoin addresses within the website between March 2016 and August 2016 and that the username on the account was Laine Clark. HSI obtained a federal search warrant for the residence in Conway, and during the search, agents found multiple electronic devices. During a forensic examination of the seized devices, HSI found 10,910 images and 1,210 videos of CSAM. Clark was present during the search and admitted to his involvement in CSAM-related activities.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Clark to 78 months imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Clark was ordered to pay $41,000.00 in restitution.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.
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Cinco traficantes de personas guatemaltecos acusados en Estados Unidos del siniestro masivo en 2021 en Chiapas, MéxicoRead the Press Release
Remote video URLVea la acusación here.
Vea las declaraciones videograbadas del fiscal Alamdar Hamdani here.
Una operación internacional de aplicación de la ley resultó hoy en el arresto de cinco traficantes de personas guatemaltecos vinculados al siniestro masivo del 9 de diciembre de 2021 en Chiapas, México, donde un camión semirremolque que contenía al menos 160 migrantes, muchos de ellos ciudadanos guatemaltecos, se estrelló, provocando la muerte de más de 50 personas e hiriendo a otros más de 100. El operativo fue resultado de la coordinación entre el Departamento de Justicia y las autoridades guatemaltecas, y marca el tercer aniversario del trágico suceso.
A solicitud de Estados Unidos, las autoridades guatemaltecas de aplicacion de la ley ejecutaron órdenes de arresto provisionales contra Tomás Quino Canil, de 36 años; Alberto Marcario Chitic, también conocido como Alberto De Jesús, de 31 años; Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, también conocido como Osvaldo ZQ, de 24 años; y Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, de 42 años. Un quinto ciudadano guatemalteco, Jorge Agapito Ventura, fue arrestado en su residencia en Cleveland, Texas. Los cinco ciudadanos guatemaltecos han sido acusados en el Distrito Sur de Texas en relación con la investigación.
Según la acusación revelada hoy, desde octubre de 2021 hasta febrero de 2023, los acusados conspiraron con otros traficantes para facilitar el viaje de migrantes desde Guatemala a través de México con el destino previsto de Estados Unidos. Los acusados supuestamente reclutaron a migrantes guatemaltecos, cobraron y organizaron viajes a los Estados Unidos. En algunos casos
relacionados con el tráfico de menores no acompañados, los acusados proporcionaron guiones e instrucciones sobre qué decir si eran detenidos. Algunos de los inmigrantes reclutados por los acusados murieron o sufrieron lesiones corporales graves como resultado del accidente del 9 de diciembre de 2021.
“El Departamento de Justicia está haciendo rendir cuentas a los individuos que presuntamente se aprovecharon de migrantes vulnerables y son responsables de este crimen atroz que causó la muerte de más de 50 personas y heridas a otros más de 100. Los traficantes de seres humanos deben tener en cuenta estos cargos y detenciones como una advertencia: tendrán que rendir cuentas por sus crímenes mortales”, dijo el fiscal general Merrick B. Garland. “Desde que pusimos en marcha la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Alfa (JTFA) hace más de tres años, hemos conseguido más de 330 detenciones nacionales e internacionales y más de 275 condenas por delitos de tráfico ilícito, así como importantes penas de cárcel y cuantiosas confiscaciones. Seguiremos trabajando con todos las agencias y a través de las fronteras para acabar con la lacra del tráfico de seres humanos”.
“Hoy, los presuntos autores de un crimen abominable, uno que resultó en la muerte sin sentido de más de 50 migrantes y las lesiones de otros más de 100, están siendo responsabilizados gracias a la labor de investigación de los agentes del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) y nuestros socios federales e internacionales”, dijo el secretario de Seguridad Nacional Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “La tragedia ocurrida hoy hace tres años en Chiapas es una prueba más de que los traficantes de personas son despiadados, crueles y peligrosos, los migrantes no deben creer sus mentiras. El DHS continuará interrumpiendo y desmantelando las operaciones ilegales de tráfico de personas y ayudando a llevar ante la justicia a quienes perpetran tal horror”.
“La acusación revelada hoy alega que los acusados conspiraron para contrabandear migrantes guatemaltecos, incluidos menores, a Estados Unidos, y que algunos de estos migrantes murieron cuando el camión en el que viajaban volcó en Chiapas, México”, dijo la subdirectora fiscal general Adjunta Principal, Nicole M. Argentieri, jefa de la División Criminal del Departamento de Justicia. “El anuncio de hoy, en el tercer aniversario de la muerte de las víctimas, demuestra el compromiso de la División Criminal en hacer rendir cuentas a los contrabandistas, sin importar dónde se encuentren, por su indiferencia hacia la vida humana en su cruel búsqueda de ganancias. Estoy orgullosa del excelente trabajo de los fiscales e investigadores de la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta Alfa, y estoy agradecida por nuestra asociación con las autoridades guatemaltecas, cuya asistencia fue esencial en esta investigación y proceso penal”.
“Hoy hace tres años, en Chiapas, México, un lugar conocido por sus maravillas naturales y riqueza cultural, ocurrió una escena de tragedia inimaginable”, dijo el fiscal federal estadounidense Alamdar Hamdani. “Nuestra investigación sobre este evento catastrófico que mató a más de 50 personas, incluidos niños, significa el compromiso inquebrantable del Distrito Sur de Texas de hacer rendir cuentas a quienes participan en el tráfico de personas, independientemente del lugar donde se produzcan sus actos o el daño resultante. Si bien este accidente se produjo más allá de nuestras fronteras, es imperativo que la búsqueda de la justicia trascienda esas fronteras. Hoy reiteramos nuestro compromiso de garantizar que los presuntos responsables de explotar las vulnerabilidades de las familias que buscan refugio y oportunidades enfrenten todo el peso de la ley”.
“Los agentes especiales de Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), junto con nuestros colaboradores de aplicación de la ley de JTFA, trabajaron incansablemente para investigar, localizar y detener a los responsables de este atroz acto”, dijo Katrina W. Berger, directora ejecutiva adjunta de HSI. “Ahora, tres años después, me siento orgullosa de estar junto a nuestros colegas del Departamento de Justicia para anunciar que hemos realizado estas aprehensiones. HSI mantiene su compromiso de desmantelar las redes de tráfico de seres humanos que explotan y engañan a los migrantes, frecuentemente sometiéndolos a condiciones peligrosas y abusivas. Estas organizaciones ilícitas obtienen beneficios aprovechándose de poblaciones vulnerables y HSI trabaja asiduamente para interrumpir sus operaciones. Quiero expresar mi sincero agradecimiento a todos nuestros socios de la aplicación de la ley en Estados Unidos, Guatemala y México por su invaluable trabajo para llevar a buen término esta investigación”.
El Grupo de Investigación Global de HSI en Washington D.C. investigó el caso en asociación con HSI Guatemala y HSI México. Valiosa asistencia fue brindada por la Unidad de Contrabando de Personas de HSI; el Centro Nacional de Búsqueda de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza; Operación Centinela; Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos; Alguacil del Condado de Liberty, Precinto 6; Inmigración y Control de Aduanas, Operaciones de Ejecución y Remoción, Houston; Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito Este de Texas, División Beaumont; y la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales (OIA) y la Oficina de Desarrollo, Asistencia y Capacitación de Fiscales en el Extranjero (OPDAT) del Departamento de Justicia. El Departamento de Justicia agradece a los oficiales de aplicación de la ley de Guatemala y México, que desempeñaron un papel decisivo en el avance de esta investigación.
La abogada litigante Danielle Hickman de la Sección de Derechos Humanos y Procesamientos Especiales (HRSP) de la División Criminal y la fiscal federal adjunta para el Distrito Sur de Texas, Jennifer Day, están procesando el caso, asistencia sustancial de la historiadora/especialista latinoamericana de HRSP, Joanna Crandall.
La acusación de estas personas es el resultado de los esfuerzos coordinados de la JTFA. El fiscal general Merrick B. Garland creó la JTFA en junio de 2021 para unir los recursos de investigación y procesamiento del Departamento de Justicia, en asociación con el DHS, para combatir el aumento de prolíficos y peligrosos grupos de contrabando y trata que operan en México, Guatemala, El Salvador y Honduras. La iniciativa se amplió a Colombia y Panamá para combatir el tráfico de personas en el Darién en junio. La JTFA está integrada por funcionarios de las Fiscalías Federales a lo largo de la frontera suroeste, incluidos los distritos sur y oeste de Texas, el distrito de Nuevo México, el distrito de Arizona, y el Distrito Sur de California.
Numerosos componentes de la División Criminal del Departamento de Justicia, dirigidos por HRSP y apoyados por OPDAT, la Sección de Narcóticos y Drogas Peligrosas, la Sección de Lavado de Dinero y Recuperación de Activos, la Oficina de Operaciones de Cumplimiento, la OIA y la Sección de Delitos Violentos y Extorsión, brindan apoyo dedicado.
La JTFA también depende de una inversión sustancial en materia de aplicación de la ley por parte del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, el FBI, la Administración de Control de Drogas (DEA) y otros socios. Hasta la fecha, el trabajo de la JTFA ha resultado en más de 330 arrestos nacionales e internacionales de líderes, organizadores y facilitadores importantes del tráfico de personas; más de 275 condenas en Estados Unidos; más de 225 sentencias de cárcel importantes impuestas; y decomisos de activos sustanciales.
Una acusación formal es simplemente una alegación. Se presume que todos los acusados son inocentes hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad más allá de toda duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
Chinese citizen pleads guilty to kidnapping in case linked to human smugglingRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 33-year-old citizen of China, who was residing in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to kidnapping, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Ji Wang was arrested on May 13, 2024, in the Los Angeles area. Wang was identified as one of the kidnappers linked to the May 27, 2023, abduction and assault of a worker at a hot pot restaurant in Bellevue, Washington. U.S. District Judge James L. Robart scheduled sentencing for March 4, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, Ji Wang was involved with a ring smuggling people across the southern border into the U.S. for a fee. The victim referred people from China who wanted to cross into the U.S., for the smuggling services. The victim was supposed to collect and transfer smuggling fees from those who used the smuggling services. The victim did not collect as high a fee as the smuggling group anticipated. Wang and a co-schemer traveled to Bellevue in May and physically removed the victim from his work and forced him into a sedan.
The men beat the victim and smashed his face into the cement and dragged him down a set of stairs. Witnesses quickly alerted Bellevue Police. Officers worked with the victim’s girlfriend who placed a video call to the victim’s cellphone. Wang answered the call and showed his face. Police recorded the call and were able to identify Wang.
Wang and his associate dropped the victim at a service station in Bellevue. The victim was critically injured and needed emergency surgery for swelling of the brain. He spent weeks in Overlake hospital. He has lasting physical and cognitive damage from the assault.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will cap their recommended sentence at eight years in prison. The actual sentence is up to Judge Robart and can be any sentence allowed by law. Kidnapping is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison. Wang was not legally present in the United States and may be deported following his prison term.
The case was investigated by the Bellevue Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshal’s Service Task Force.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Cecelia Gregson.
Career Criminal Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Two Indianapolis BusinessesRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS— Alonzo Wiatt Sansbury, 56, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to commercial robbery and attempted commercial robbery.
According to court documents, on May 17, 2024, Sansbury committed an attempted robbery at a Dollar Tree near North Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. During the attempted robbery, he used fear and threatened force to attempt to rob the establishment. The robbery was captured on video surveillance.
Just a few hours later that same day, Sansbury committed an armed robbery at Big Lots near North Allisonville Road. Sansbury robbed the establishment using an object he insinuated was a gun, threatened violence, and obtained an unspecified amount of cash. The robbery was also captured on video surveillance.
Sansbury has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1989, including convictions for burglary, theft, and robbery. He was discharged from parole for a prior robbery conviction less than a year before he committed the robberies charged in this case.
“For more than two decades, this criminal has repeatedly demonstrated his utter disregard for the law or the safety and security of others,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Repeat, violent criminals are a top target for federal prosecution, and face significant punishment in federal court. I commend the FBI, IMPD, and our federal prosecutor for ensuring this menace to Indianapolis neighborhoods will be off our streets for the next decade.”
FBI and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy C. Fugate who prosecuted this case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Canadian Man Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for $1.4 Million Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Canadian man was sentenced today in federal district court in Boston to embezzling more than $1.4 million from his employer and its clients.
Adil Rahman, 36, of Ontario, Canada, was sentenced by United States Senior District Judge William G. Young to 20 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1,473,909.50 in restitution. In September 2024, Rahman pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Rahman was charged in July 2024.
Rahman worked in Ontario, Canada as a credit analyst for Company A – a subsidiary of a large electrical distribution and services company based in Pittsburgh, Pa. As part of his job, Rahman interacted with clients of Company A concerning invoices for the company’s services. Between November 2022 and December 2023, Rahman directed certain customers of Company A to pay their invoices via ACH transfers to his personal bank account, rather than to the account of Company A.
For example, in or about November 2022, Rahman sent an email to the accounts payable department of Company B – a nonprofit municipal corporation based in Hartford, Conn. – asking if the company would be interested in paying future invoices to Company A by ACH transfer rather than by check. When Company B agreed to do so, Rahman provided his personal account information to Company B. Thereafter, under the false impression that it was sending the money to Company A to pay the invoices it owed, Company B sent at least 15 ACH transfers to Rahman’s personal account between December 2022 and June 2023.
Likewise, in May 2023, Rahman emailed the accounts payable department at Company C – a privately held provider of corporate security systems based in Andover, Mass. – asking if Company C wished to pay future invoices by ACH transfer. Once again, when Company C agreed to do so, Rahman provided his personal bank account information and Company C thereafter made 11 ACH transfers to Rahman’s personal account between May 2023 and July 2023.
In total, through this scheme, Rahman defrauded Company A and its clients of more than $1.4 million.
United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.
California Man Indicted for CyberstalkingRead the Press Release
Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Girish Subburaman (24, California) with one count of cyberstalking. If convicted, Subburaman faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A federal grand jury indicted Subburaman on October 22, 2024.
According to the indictment, from at least September 2023, to at least October 2023, Subburaman used the internet, a social media application, and cellular telephone networks to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the victim, while the victim was residing in Lake County, Florida. Subburaman’s actions were intended to injure, harass, and intimidate the victim.
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, the Leesburg Police Department, and the San Diego Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.
Bureau of Prisons Inmate Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2015 Murder at United States PenitentiaryRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Morgan Wayne Siler, 40, of Portsmouth, Virginia, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to two concurrent terms of life in prison. Siler pleaded guilty to Murder and Conspiracy to Murder on September 11, 2024.
On December 18, 2015, at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson, Siler – along with fellow inmate and co-conspirator David Hammer – killed another inmate who was housed at the facility. Siler and Hammer planned the murder in advance. The victim’s cause of death was determined to be from asphyxia and blunt force injuries.
At the time of the murder, Siler was in federal custody for a 2008 conviction stemming from an assault on a Bureau of Prisons corrections officer and a 2005 conviction for a series of retail establishment robberies in Virginia. Siler’s life sentences will run consecutive to the sentences already imposed in those cases. Co-conspirator Hammer passed away in 2019.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-23-1300-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-171_Siler# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Bay Area Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO – Veronica Katz was sentenced today to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay $543,634.34 in restitution for committing health care fraud. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable James Donato, U.S. District Judge.
Katz, 36, of San Francisco, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 17, 2023, along with two co-defendants. Katz pleaded guilty on Apr. 18, 2024, to one count of health care fraud. Katz was the owner and operator of HealthNow Home Healthcare and Hospice (HealthNow), a home health agency that provided in-home medical care to patients in the Bay Area. HealthNow billed Medicare and private insurance companies for in-home medical care. In the course of operating HealthNow, Katz submitted false documentation to Medicare in order to obtain reimbursements in violation of Medicare’s rules and regulations.
According to Katz’s plea agreement, she participated in a scheme to defraud Medicare that took a number of forms, including using the identities of licensed medical practitioners on electronic medical records and billing information without the practitioners’ knowledge or consent; directing certain individuals to prepare “Start of Care” (SOC) forms even though the individuals were not Registered Nurses (RNs), as required by Medicare; manipulating electronic patient medical records in order to make it appear as if RNs had completed the patient SOCs; and billing Medicare for physical therapy services that Katz knew had not been provided.
In addition, Katz admitted that she took steps to thwart law enforcement’s investigation into HealthNow. In October 2019, Katz met with one of her HealthNow employees, who informed Katz that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had questioned the employee regarding the company’s billing practices and SOC assessments. Katz instructed the employee to lie to the FBI and falsely state that the employee had been trained and supervised by an RN in the course of conducting SOC assessments.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp, and Steven J. Ryan, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG).
In addition to the term of imprisonment and restitution, Judge Donato also sentenced Katz to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered her to pay a $50,000 fine. Defendant will begin serving her sentence on Jan. 6, 2025.
Co-defendant Vennesa Herrera pleaded guilty on Aug. 30, 2021, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud, and will be sentenced on Mar. 17, 2025. Co-defendant Simon Katz’s trial is scheduled for May 12, 2025.
Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Helen Yee and Mark DiCenzo. The prosecution is the result of a lengthy investigation by the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Public Health.
Arrest Made in Superseding Indictment Charging Five Individuals with Three Different Murders and a Fourth Non-Fatal Drive-By ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – This morning, the U.S. Marshals Service (“USMS”) arrested Dionzai Parker, 21, also known as “Moneybag Jefe,” on a bench warrant issued after the grand jury returned a third superseding indictment charging Parker with, among other counts, conspiracy and first-degree murder while armed for the February 25, 2023 homicide of Brice Djembissi, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
Previously, four other men from the District and Maryland—Derrico Johnson, 20, Ronald Henderson, 19, Daveon Robinson, 18, and Demarco Robinson, 20—were arraigned on the same third superseding indictment in connection with three homicides—the April 12, 2022 murder of Clayton Marshall, the May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson, and the February 25, 2023 murder of Brice Djembissi—and a fourth drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store that injured two bystanders, described below.
The 33-count third superseding indictment charges each defendant with conspiracy, as well as:
- Derrico Johnson with two counts of first-degree murder while armed and three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed stemming from the April 12, 2022 murder of Clayton Marshall and May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson;
- Ronald Henderson with one count of first-degree murder while armed and four counts of assault with intent to kill stemming from the May 26, 2022 murder of Justin Johnson and the January 2, 2023 drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store;
- Daveon Robinson with two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed stemming from the January 2, 2023 drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store;
- Dionzai Parker with one count of first-degree murder while armed and two counts of assault with intent to kill stemming from the February 25, 2023 murder of Brice Djembissi.
According to the third superseding indictment, the five defendants are members of a crew called “Get Back Gang,” which is associated with the Henson Ridge neighborhood in 7D often referred to as “the Z” and part of a broader group driving violence in DC known as “Fox 5 Gang.” Over the past few years, these defendants and others participated in several homicides and non-fatal shootings, including:
- On April 12, 2022, Derrico Johnson was picked up in a stolen vehicle and driven to the 2200 block of Savannah Street SE. At approximately 12:20 p.m., Derrico Johnson briefly exited the vehicle and fired several rounds in the direction of Shipley Market. Clayton Marshall, 32, who does not appear to have been the intended target, was shot and killed and another individual was shot and injured.
- On May 26, 2022, Derrico Johnson, Ronald Henderson, and another individual walked to the Savannah Terrace Circle, which the victim, 16-year-old Justin Johnson, also known as “23 Rackz,” had posted as his location to Instagram earlier that morning. At approximately 11:20 a.m., Derrico Johnson and Ronald Henderson fired eleven (11) shots from approximately 200 feet away in the direction of Justin Johnson, who was shot twice while standing a few feet away from an infant child on a scooter, who was uninjured. Justin Johnson died a few minutes later inside of a nearby apartment building.
- On January 2, 2023, Ronald Henderson and Daveon Robinson were riding in the back seat of a vehicle, while Dionzai Parker was seated in the front passenger seat and a known juvenile associated with “Get Back Gang” was driving the vehicle. At approximately 4:48 p.m., as the vehicle approached Alabama Convenience Store, Henderson and Robinson fired several rifle and handgun rounds in the direction of Alabama Convenience Store, shooting and injuring two people. Armed Special Police Officers in the area witnessed the shooting and pursued the two shooters through the Henson Ridge neighborhood to a home, where Henderson and Robinson were subsequently arrested. Parker and the driver made good on their escape.
- On February 25, 2023, Dionzai Parker was riding inside a stolen Jeep Compass as the vehicle approached the 2200 block of Savannah Street SE. At around 3:00 p.m., Parker and two others fired approximately 70 rifle rounds in the direction of Shipley Market. During the brazen drive-by shooting, Brice Djembissi—a Prince George’s County teacher and part-time Uber driver who was dropping off a customer—was shot feet away from where Clayton Marshall was killed on April 12, 2022, while two other bystanders were shot and injured. Mr. Djembissi, 37, succumbed to his injuries on March 3, 2023.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Sellinger.
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