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Thursday 21 November 2024
Springfield Man Sentenced for Distributing Ghost Guns and Machinegun Conversion DevicesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Springfield, Mass. man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield on firearms charges.
Edward Nathan Gale, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gale was also ordered to forfeit various firearms, ammunition and tools and accessories. In February 2024, Gale pleaded guilty to one count each of being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition, unlawful firearms dealing and unlawful possession of machineguns.
Between Feb. 22, 2022, and Dec. 2, 2022, Gale manufactured and distributed approximately 50 privately manufactured firearms (commonly known as “ghost guns”) to individuals located in Kansas and Massachusetts. Between approximately Oct. 11, 2022, and Dec. 8, 2022, Gale also imported from China approximately 100 Glock-style machinegun conversion devices (commonly known as “Glock switches”), approximately 60 of which he distributed in Massachusetts and elsewhere, along with other firearms and a silencer. On Jan. 5, 2023, a search of Gale’s residence resulted in the recovery of a Pioneer Arms semi-automatic rifle; numerous rounds of ammunition; assorted tools, parts and accessories used to manufacture ghost guns; and evidence of Gale’s importation and distribution of Glock switches.
Gale is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a prior conviction of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison. Additionally, Gale was not licensed to manufacture or distribute firearms, therefore his manufacturing and distribution of the ghost guns and the Glock switches was also illegal.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Feld Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance provided by the Springfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuted the case.
Spring resident sent to prison for embezzling nearly $1M from local HVAC companyRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – A 52-year-old woman has been sentenced in a wire fraud embezzlement scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Sonia Yvonne Rodriguez pleaded guilty Aug. 15.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Rodriguez to serve 23 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. At the hearing, the victim testified that the defendant, once considered one of her best friends, had deeply betrayed her.
“This sentencing sends a clear message that those who abuse positions of trust for personal gain will face serious consequences,” said Hamdani. “Embezzlement schemes like this not only harm businesses financially but also shatter personal and professional relationships built on trust. We remain committed to holding offenders accountable and seeking justice for victims.”
For approximately 26 years, Sonia Yvonne Rodriguez worked as an office manager for a local heating, ventilating and air-conditioning company.
At the time of her plea, Rodriguez admitted to embezzling $938,387.26 in business funds allocated for federal tax payments from 2015 to 2020. Rodriguez would key payments into the company’s accounting software for tax payments and subsequently clear out the payments from the check register upon making the payments into her personal bank account.
She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherin Daniel and James Hu prosecuted the case.
Six Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
ROME, Ga. – Adrian Robinson, Julio Martinez-Guzman, Jesse Brooks, James Carden, Reginal Dowdy, and Casanova Pritchett have been sentenced for their roles as members of a drug trafficking organization that distributed illegal narcotics in the Rome, Georgia, area, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and oxycodone.
“Drug trafficking is a societal scourge that poses serious risks to the public health and safety of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The dedication of our federal, state, and local enforcement partners resulted in the disruption of this drug trafficking organization and led to the successful prosecution of these defendants.”
“The success of this investigation and the subsequent arrests of these drug dealers demonstrates DEA’s commitment to fighting drug trafficking organizations responsible for driving addiction and destroying communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In 2021, Drug Enforcement Administration special agents, and Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force officers, discovered that Julio Martinez-Guzman was operating a drug distribution ring from two residential locations in Rome, Georgia. Martinez-Guzman had previously been convicted of drug trafficking in the Northern District of Georgia. During their 2021 investigation, agents identified Martinez-Guzman’s customers as well as his narcotics suppliers, who obtained and distributed quantities of illegal drugs in the North Georgia area, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and oxycodone.
Each of the following defendants subsequently pleaded guilty to drug trafficking offences and received the following sentences:
- Adrian Robinson, 42, of Cedartown, Georgia, was sentenced to six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Robinson was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 29, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
- Julio Martinez-Guzman, 54, of Rome, Georgia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Martinez-Guzman was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, oxycodone, and heroin on February 26, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
- Jesse Willard Brooks, 41, of Rome, Georgia, was sentenced to eight years, four months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Brooks was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on February 15, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
- James Carden, 42, of Villa Rica, Georgia was sentenced to five years, three months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Carden was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine on February 14, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
- Reginal Eric Dowdy, 46, of Cedar Bluff, Alabama, was sentenced to three years, ten months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Dowdy was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on February 15, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
- Casanova DePaul Pritchett, 53, of Calhoun, Georgia was sentenced to two years, six months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Pritchett was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and oxycodone on February 26, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
Abel Santoyo-Santana, age 26, of Mexico remains a fugitive. If you have information pertaining to his whereabouts, please contact your local law enforcement agency.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, North Georgia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with valuable assistance provided by the Rome-Floyd Metro Task Force, Floyd County Police Department, Polk County Police Department, Rome Police Department, Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, and Cedartown Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy M. Palumbo prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Shippenville Resident Sentenced to More Than 21 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Shippenville, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 262 months of incarceration, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction related to the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Thomas Joseph Manno, 41.
According to information presented to the Court, in June 2022, Manno communicated online with a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity. During Manno’s communications with the officer, Manno expressed his interest in the sexual abuse of children and sent the officer images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, including an image produced by Manno.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pennsylvania State Police, and Montgomery County (Texas) Constable’s Office for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Manno.
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.
Senior FARC Commander Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for International Cocaine Distribution ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Martin Leonel Perez Castro, a senior leader within the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (the FARC), was sentenced by United States District Judge Brian M. Cogan to 252 months in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine internationally, intending and knowing that the cocaine would be illegally imported into the United States. Perez Castro pleaded guilty to the charge in August 2023. The defendant was also ordered to forfeit $1 million in drug proceeds.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), and Thomas M. Fattorusso, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office (IRS-CI), announced the sentence.
“The defendant extracted millions of dollars from drug traffickers at the point of a gun, funding the FARC’s acts of terrorism and facilitating the global cocaine trade,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence handed down in a U.S. courtroom is fitting justice for Perez Castro, who granted drug traffickers his permission and protection to produce massive quantities of cocaine that was distributed in our country and elsewhere, causing incalculable harm. The dismantling of international drug trafficking organizations and narcoterrorism groups will always be a priority of the Department of Justice.”
Mr. Peace extended his appreciation to the DEA’s office in Bogota, Colombia, the United States Department of State, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Perez Castro, the Colombian National Police and the Government of Colombia.
“Today, justice has been delivered. Martin Leonel Perez Castro, who served as a former senior member and one of the highest-level drug trafficking members of the FARC, used violent tactics, which included terrorism, to help distribute shipments of cocaine from Columbia to New York City and the United States” stated Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “While this sentencing closes the door to Mr. Castro’s activities, the DEA and our law enforcement partners, both globally and here in the United States, remain committed to making sure those who use violent and terrorist acts as a measure for illicit drug trade face the justice they deserve.”
“As a FARC senior official, Perez Castro was responsible for the distribution of more than 165,000 pounds of cocaine. He helped create a revenue stream that funded the FARC’s decades-long campaign to overthrow the Government of Colombia, a conflict that resulted in far too many casualties. Today’s sentencing is the result of the incredible investigative work of DEA and IRS-CI Special Agents and committed law enforcement partnerships globally,” stated IRS-CI New York Special Agent in Charge Fattorusso.
The FARC was founded in 1964 as a left-wing paramilitary group dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Government of Colombia. Over decades of conflict, the FARC attacked Colombian government forces and used targeted killings, kidnapping and other terrorist tactics to achieve its ends. In October 1997, the U.S. Secretary of State designated the FARC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). After the Government of Colombia and the FARC entered into a peace accord in 2016, the FARC formally dissolved. On November 30, 2021, the U.S. Secretary of State revoked the designation of the FARC as an FTO. The defendant’s conduct occurred prior to the 2016 peace accord.
Perez Castro was the Head of Finances for the FARC’s 30th Front, a group that operated in southwestern Colombia. The 30th Front extorted drug traffickers by forcing them to pay “taxes” for every kilogram of cocaine trafficked through the 30th Front’s territory. The 30th Front also sometimes produced its own cocaine or held ownership stakes in cocaine shipments produced by local traffickers. Cocaine revenues funded the FARC’s decades-long campaign to overthrow the Government of Colombia, a conflict that resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties. Perez Castro was responsible for the distribution of at least 75,000 kilograms of cocaine. He was extradited to the Eastern District of New York in June 2022.
The conviction and sentencing of Perez Castro are the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation led by the Office and the DEA. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Wang is in charge of the prosecution.
The Defendant:
MARTIN LEONEL PEREZ CASTRO
Age: 53
ColombiaE.D.N.Y. Docket No. 14-CR-465 (S-2) (BMC)
Santa Clarita Man Who Led Organization that Trafficked Drugs to Darknet Customers Nationwide Sentenced to 8 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Santa Clarita man who led the Los Angeles-based “Drugpharmacist” drug trafficking organization that distributed heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine via darknet marketplaces was sentenced today to 96 months in federal prison.
Jerrell Eugene Anderson, 34, was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu.
Anderson pleaded guilty on June 10 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
From at least July 2018 to March 2019, Anderson conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine that they sold on darknet marketplaces. Specifically, Anderson advertised and sold drugs to customers on the darknet marketplaces Dream and Wall Street Market, using monikers such as “Drugpharmacist” and “rickandmortyshop.”
Anderson and his accomplices packaged drugs in stuffed animals for shipment to their darknet customers. Anderson and his co-conspirators then delivered from San Fernando Valley stash houses packages containing drugs to post offices throughout the Los Angeles area for shipment to their customers nationwide. For example, in August 2018, Anderson and a co-conspirator knowingly distributed heroin to a victim in Knoxville, Tennessee whose death resulted from using the heroin.
Also, in March 2019, in a Glendale apartment, Anderson and other co-conspirators possessed methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine for distribution to darknet customers. At that time, Anderson knowingly possessed a semiautomatic pistol in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
The other defendants in this case – Christopher Canion Von Holton, 37, of Woodland Hills; Kenneth Lashawn Hadley, 37, of Las Vegas; Adan Sepulveda, 31, of Palmdale; and Jackie Walter Burns, 26, of Lancaster, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and have been sentenced.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Fairfax County (Virginia) Police Department, the Knoxville (Tennessee) Police Department, and the Cleburne County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Khaldoun Shobaki and Lauren Restrepo of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
Santa Clarita Man Charged with Distributing Opioid More Powerful than Fentanyl and Causing Victim’s Overdose DeathRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A Santa Clarita man has been arraigned on an indictment alleging he distributed protonitazene – a novel synthetic opioid that is up to three times more powerful than fentanyl – which resulted in a victim’s fatal overdose this spring, the Justice Department announced today.
Benjamin Anthony Collins, 21, is charged with one count of distribution of protonitazene resulting in death.
This is believed to be the nation’s first death-resulting criminal case involving this narcotic.
Collins was arrested on November 18, and pleaded not guilty to the charge at his arraignment on Wednesday. A trial date of January 14, 2025, was scheduled. A federal magistrate judge ordered Collins jailed without bond.
According to the indictment, during the early morning hours of April 19, 2024, Collins knowingly and intentionally distributed protonitazene, which resulted in the death of the victim. In recent years, protonitazene has been sold over the internet and is believed to be several times more powerful than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times stronger than heroin.
Collins allegedly sold the 22-year-old victim pills containing protonitazene and arranged to sell the victim a bulk supply of these pills in the future. The victim, a resident of Stevenson Ranch, consumed the pills soon afterward in the front seat of his car and quickly died. His mother later found him dead in the front seat parked outside her home and called 911.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Collins would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Lisa J. Lindhorst of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
Sacramento Man Sentenced to over 19 Years in Prison for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Bruce Anthony Garcia, 43, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 19 years and seven months in prison for the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor under his care, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, between Aug. 2, 2017, and Sept. 1, 2019, Garcia took hidden video recordings of the victim. He recorded the victim in various stages of undress, using the toilet or shower, or changing in a bedroom or the living room of the apartment they shared. On his devices, Garcia possessed thousands of images and videos of the victim, with the victim either partially or fully nude in several hundred of these images.
When confronted, Garcia admitted that he specifically intended to take these images and videos, that his intent in creating the images and videos was sexual, and that he generally has a sexual interest in children. Garcia described how he would wait until the victim would be getting ready for bed or to take a shower, and then place a cellphone in the bathroom or bedroom. The phone would be propped up so that it would record the minor, but would either appear to be inconspicuous, as if it were being charged, or be hidden altogether. Garcia would then connect to this device remotely using a second device such that he could watch the minor live. From the recordings thus created, Garcia would take screenshots, resulting in the images that were eventually found. Further, Garcia would sometimes manipulate these images to focus or zoom in on the victim’s genitals and pubic area. In a text message conversation with another person, Garcia offered to trade pictures of the victim in exchange for other child sexual abuse material.
In addition to the images and videos described above, Garcia was also found to possess approximately 4,266 images and 426 videos of other child sexual abuse material, including images and videos showing the sexual abuse of toddlers. Several of these videos also depicted violence against the victims, including at least one depicting the bondage and torture of a pre-pubescent female child. Garcia’s child sexual abuse collection included 110 series of known victims of child sexual abuse.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dhruv M. Sharma is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
Previously convicted felon returning to prison for federal firearms charges, including selling machinegunsRead the Press Release
NORFOLK, Va. – A Norfolk man was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison for illegally trafficking machineguns and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on Dec. 15, 2022, while undercover, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Agent and a Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) Detective (UCs) met with Austin Perrine, 33, at a bar in Virginia Beach. Perrine discussed dealing machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), which render semi-automatic firearms capable of automatic firing with the single pull of the trigger, as well as building machineguns, pistols and silencers and having access to cocaine.
Perrine retrieved two MCDs from his clothing and showed one to the UCs. Perrine then exchanged the MCDs for $1,000 for both ($500 per MCD).
On Jan. 4, 2023, ATF and VBPD searched Perrine’s residence in Norfolk. Agents recovered two handguns and various ammunition, magazines, and firearms parts. As a previously convicted felon, Perrine cannot legally possess a firearm or ammunition.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth W. Hanes.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, 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 Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:23-cr-105.
Physician Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
A California physician pleaded guilty today in Los Angeles to criminal health care fraud, arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare.
According to court documents, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From approximately January 2012 through July 2018, Baltaian falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies. Baltaian’s false certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare for the unnecessary home health care. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would later falsify the forms to make it appear as if she saw the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home health care, when she had not done either. Baltaian received cash benefits related to these referrals and also submitted claims to Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications.
Between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to Medicare of at least $1,449,050.
Baltaian pleaded guilty to health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG)’s Los Angeles Regional Office made the announcement.
FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Matthew Belz and Eric Schmale of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Owner of Red Barn Diesel Performance Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Tamper with Clean Air Act Monitoring Devices on Diesel TrucksRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine – A Windham man pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to conspiring to tamper with Clean Air Act monitoring devices and obstructing an agency proceeding.
According to court records, between January 2017 and September 2020, Isaac Allen, 34, the owner of Red Barn Diesel Performance, conspired with a local truck sales business to download software, known as “tunes,” that reprograms a vehicle’s on-board diagnostic (OBD) system, thereby tampering with the OBD system’s monitoring function so that it would not detect malfunctions in emissions control components. Such downloading is known as “tuning.”
Disabling emissions controls or tampering with the OBD system of a diesel truck causes its emissions to increase significantly. Diesel exhaust contains nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and non-methane hydrocarbons, posing cancer and noncancer health risks.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent Allen an Information Request under the Clean Air Act for information about the vehicles serviced by Red Barn, including identification of all engine tunes installed and a description of whether the tunes affected various components of each vehicle’s emissions control system or interfered with each vehicle’s OBD system. Allen underreported the number.
Allen faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“The defendant in this case illegally tampered with the vehicle diagnostic systems from diesel trucks and then impeded EPA’s investigation by intentionally misrepresenting the scope of his illegal conduct,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Amon of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID) in Maine. “The pollution that results from excess vehicle emissions can lead to serious health conditions and has been linked to increased respiratory disease and childhood asthma. This guilty plea demonstrates that EPA will vigorously prosecute those who violate laws designed to protect our communities from harmful air pollution.”
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated this case with support from the Maine State Police.
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11/21/24: Spelling of defendant's name corrected
Outlaw sentenced as career offender for federal drug and firearms chargesRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Newport News man was sentenced today to 17 years and six months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, on Aug. 29, 2019, at a Best Western hotel in Newport News, law enforcement located and detained Jermaine Damon Outlaw, 39, who had multiple outstanding felony warrants for his arrest. Outlaw was in possession of 1.36 grams of cocaine, $855, and a loaded illegal handgun. Outlaw’s cellphone was also recovered. On the phone were several text conversations confirming Outlaw’s regular distribution of cocaine and other illicit substances.
Outlaw is a career offender with at least 20 previous convictions for, among other crimes, assault and battery, possession of a firearm on school property, carrying a concealed weapon, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, unlawful wounding, destruction of property, malicious wounding, and assault and battery of a family member.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Steve R. Drew, Chief of Newport News Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter G. Osyf prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:19-cr-91.
Orleans Parish Man Sentenced for Federal Gun Control Act ViolationsRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS – JAMAUR JOHNSON (“JOHNSON”), age 36, of New Orleans, was sentenced on November 20, 2024, by United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance, after previously pleading guilty to four counts of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition and one count of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). Specifically, JOHNSON was sentenced to 87 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a $500 mandatory special assessment fee.
As part of “Operation Big Easy,” agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, identified individuals involved in trafficking firearms in New Orleans. Between August 30, 2023 and October 26, 2023, agents conducted multiple undercover purchases of firearms from JOHNSON.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lynn E. Schiffman of the Narcotics Unit.
Orange County man guilty in federal kidnappingRead the Press Release
BEAUMONT, Texas – An Orange, Texas, man has pleaded guilty to federal violations related to a kidnapping in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Putnam Darwin Richardson, 79, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and brandishing a firearm before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn on November 20, 2024.
According to information presented in court, on July 15, 2024, a kidnapping for ransom was reported to the FBI. The victim, a local attorney, was kidnapped at gunpoint that morning after arriving at his law office in Beaumont. The victim’s wife received a call from the victim’s cell phone, during which the kidnapper indicated the victim was being held hostage in exchange for $1 million ransom. The kidnapper indicated he would kill the victim if the ransom was not met. Richardson, a former client of the victim, was identified as a suspect during the investigation. Richardson had previously been convicted of kidnapping in 1984 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. On July 17, 2024, Richardson was arrested at a gas station and the victim was rescued by law enforcement authorities.
Richardson faces up to life in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, the Beaumont Police Department, the Orange Police Department, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin.
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Omaha Man Sentenced to 140 Months for Receipt and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Matthew Lordemann, age 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on November 21, 2024, in federal court in Omaha for receipt and distribution of child pornography. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lordemann to 140 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Lordemann will be placed on a 5-year term of supervised release. Lordemann was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $45,500.00 to thirteen identified victims of his crimes.
This investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol began with series of four “cyber tips” received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding suspicious Internet activity. Lordemann’s cell phone number was common to the information contained in all the CyberTipline reports subsequently generated by NCMEC and provided to the Nebraska State Patrol. Investigators were thereafter able to determine Lordemann’s address in Omaha.
Investigators served a search warrant for the contents of Lordemann’s Verizon Cloud account, which contained media files depicting child pornography and on February 24, 2022, the Nebraska State Patrol served a warrant to search for child pornography at Lordemann’s residence in Omaha. Investigators seized fourteen electronic devices for forensic examination. The investigator reviewed the extracted contents of Lordemann’s phone and found evidence of Lordemann’s purchase of child pornography files from a Telegram app user in a messaging exchange. The user sent Lordemann more than 500 video files depicting children in a variety of sexual acts.
The investigator reviewed media on Lordemann’s phone and determined there were thousands of files depicting child pornography. The content of these files included video files portraying infants subjected to sexual abuse, to include penetration, video files portraying pre-pubescent children subjected to sado-masochistic sexual activities, and video files portraying children subjected to bestiality. Fifteen known victims were identified by hash value comparison of the digital files, many of whom sought restitution.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.
November Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments AnnouncedRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the November Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.
The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Tony Eugene Bahe. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Bahe, 37, of Tulsa and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with knowingly possessing fentanyl, cocaine, and more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He allegedly possessed a firearm while drug trafficking and was previously convicted of felonies that prohibited possession of a firearm. Additionally, Bahe is charged for maintaining two separate residences for drug distribution. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-364
Clinton Dewayne Collins. Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Collins, 56, transient, is charged with possessing a firearm, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Cyran is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-366
Wilmer Henry Cummings, Jr. Failure to Disclose an Event Affecting Supplemental Security Income Benefit Payments; Theft of Government Property. Cummings, 66, of Tulsa, is charged with intent to receive unauthorized payments by failing to disclose the death of a spouse. Cummings is further charged with stealing and disposing of more than $4k in unauthorized payments from the Social Security Administration and the IRS. The SSA Office of the Inspector General is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-357
Justin Scott Graham. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Graham, 42, of Jenks, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Brandon is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-362
Kial Deawuan Logan. Felon in Possession of Ammunition. Logan, 43, of Muskogee, is charged with possessing ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of felonies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-373
Jose Jesus Lozano-Gonzalez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lozano-Gonzalez, 25, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Feb. 2022. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-374
Francisco Luevanos. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Luevanos, 52, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Feb. 2018. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-375
Angel Ruiz-Mosqueda. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ruiz-Mosqueda, 38, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed in Mar. 2017. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Goodrum is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-376
Anthony Clay Russell. First Degree Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Russell, 32, of Tulsa and a member of the Osage Nation, is charged with maliciously killing Tasha Shepard on Oct. 22, 2024. He is further charged with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam D. McConney and John Brasher are prosecuting the case. 24-CR-365
Devin James Woodis. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor; Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Woodis, 23, of Tulsa, is charged with attempting to coerce and entice a minor child to engage in sexual activity. He is additionally charged with knowingly receiving, possessing, and distributing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-358
Zane Patrick Yargee. First Degree Murder in Indian Country; Causing Death by Using and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Yargee, 30, of Tulsa and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is charged with maliciously killing Dusten Fuentes in Jun. 2016. He is further charged with causing death by discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen N. Scaife and Dennis Fries is prosecuting the case. 24-CR-359
Norwalk Gang Member Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Possessing Loaded Handgun with Obliterated Serial NumberRead the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PATRICK ELMORE, 33, of Norwalk, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force has been investigating gang violence in Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Stamford. Elmore is a member of a violent Norwalk street gang. In 2021 and 2022, law enforcement made four controlled purchases of ecstasy, which contained both MDMA and fentanyl, from Elmore. On April 12, 2023, Elmore was arrested on a state warrant. At the time of his arrest, he possessed a loaded SCCY, model CPX-2, 9mm semiautomatic handgun with an obliterated serial number.
Elmore’s criminal history includes state convictions for felony drug distribution and weapon possession offenses. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.
Elmore has been detained since his federal arrest on May 25, 2023. On July 11, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Norwalk Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Gresham.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.
North Carolina Man Indicted for Civil Rights Offenses Due to Bias-Motivated ThreatsRead the Press Release
A three-count indictment was unsealed today in the Western District of North Carolina charging a North Carolina man with federal civil rights and firearms violations for threatening eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin.
According to the indictment, on June 8, Maurice Hopkins, 31, threatened eight individuals with a firearm inside Zambies Pizza, a restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Count one of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin and because they were enjoying the goods, services and facilities of the restaurant. Count two of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force on account of their race, color, religion and national origin to intimidate the individuals from exercising their federally protected housing rights. Count three of the indictment charges Hopkins with carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
If convicted, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the civil rights charges and a mandatory minimum prison sentence on the firearms charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorneys Daniel Grunert and Chloe Neely of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
North Carolina Man Indicted for Civil Rights Offenses Due to Bias-Motivated ThreatsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A three-count indictment was unsealed today in the Western District of North Carolina charging a North Carolina man with federal civil rights and firearms violations for threatening eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Charlotte Field Office join U.S. Attorney King in making the announcement.
According to the indictment, on June 8, 2024, Maurice Hopkins, 31, threatened eight individuals with a firearm inside Zambies Pizza, a restaurant in Charlotte. Count one of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force because of their race, color, religion and national origin and because they were enjoying the goods, services and facilities of the restaurant. Count two of the indictment charges Hopkins with threatening the eight individuals with force on account of their race, color, religion and national origin to intimidate the individuals from exercising their federally protected housing rights. Count three of the indictment charges Hopkins with carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
If convicted, Hopkins faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the civil rights charges and a mandatory minimum prison sentence on the firearms charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller for the Western District of North Carolina and Trial Attorneys Daniel Grunert and Chloe Neely of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
New York State Police Officer Charged with Obstructing Justice and Lying to Federal InvestigatorsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Steven G. James, the Superintendent of the New York State Police, announced the unsealing of a four-count Complaint charging MICHAEL O’FLAHERTY with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to federal investigators. O’FLAHERTY was arrested this morning and presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victoria Reznik.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Michael O’Flaherty, a New York State Police narcotics investigator, exploited his position of public trust in an effort to help his former confidential informant—who was responsible for distributing tens of thousands of potentially deadly fentanyl pills—evade law enforcement. O’Flaherty allegedly abused his position as a sworn member of law enforcement by tipping off the fentanyl pill dealer about a covert narcotics investigation and encouraging the dealer to destroy evidence. The defendant’s alleged conduct betrayed the oath he swore to protect New Yorkers and jeopardized the safety of fellow law enforcement officers. Today’s charges make clear that this Office will remain vigilant in rooting out and prosecuting all forms of police corruption.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said: “Law enforcement officers hold a profound responsibility to serve and protect our communities, which requires the highest standards of accountability and integrity. Trust is the cornerstone of public safety, and maintaining that trust demands transparency, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct. The State Police will continue to work cooperatively with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District regarding this criminal case, and I appreciate Governor Hochul’s ongoing support of our longstanding culture of accountable policing.”
As alleged in the Complaint unsealed today:[1]
In 2022, a state law enforcement agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted an investigation of fentanyl pill distribution linked to multiple overdose deaths in Dutchess County (the “Fentanyl Investigation”). The Fentanyl Investigation identified a particular narcotics trafficker (“Individual-1”) and Individual-1’s network of runners as a prolific source of fentanyl pills in the county. The Fentanyl Investigation also learned that Individual-1 had previously served as a confidential informant for the New York State Police (“NYSP”) and had been supervised by O’FLAHERTY, a police officer with the NYSP. During conversations with members of the Fentanyl Investigation, O’FLAHERTY expressed a willingness to assist the Investigation. But unbeknownst to the Fentanyl Investigation and O’FLAHERTY’s own supervisors, O’FLAHERTY had maintained a personal relationship with Individual-1 both during and after Individual-1’s tenure as an informant. O’FLAHERTY purported to assist the Fentanyl Investigation, but in fact O’FLAHERTY promptly told Individual-1 about the Fentanyl Investigation and encouraged Individual-1 to destroy evidence of Individual-1’s narcotics trafficking. O’FLAHERTY also tried to dig for sensitive details about the Investigation, including the identity of the Investigation’s confidential source within Individual-1’s network. At the same time, O’FLAHERTY attempted to prevent the Fentanyl Investigation from discovering the nature and extent of O’FLAHERTY’s interactions with Individual-1, including telephone calls, text messages, and one-on-one meetings that O’FLAHERTY had concealed from NYSP supervisors and colleagues. When federal investigators ultimately questioned O’FLAHERTY about the nature of his interactions with Individual-1, including O’FLAHERTY’s disclosure of the Fentanyl Investigation, O’FLAHERTY lied to federal investigators.
* * *
O’FLAHERTY, 42, of Poughkeepsie, New York, is charged with two counts of obstructing an official proceeding, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and two counts of false statements, each of which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the valuable assistance of the New York State Police’s Professional Standards Bureau.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary and Jeffrey C. Coffman are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Middle District of Florida Prosecutors Indict 72 Firearms and Violent Crime Defendants During Fourth Quarter of 2024 as Part of Project Safe Neighborhoods StrategyRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced today the results of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) strategy. During the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, ending on September 30, 2024, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida indicted 72 defendants. These individuals face federal firearms, narcotics, and violent crime charges. Law enforcement also seized more than 100 firearms associated with these cases. (See chart for case details)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also engaged in community outreach efforts aimed at violent crime prevention throughout the year. Members of the Office spoke with more than four hundred people as part of outreach efforts during the fourth quarter of 2024, including hundreds of students. Prosecutors also spoke to more than 80 recently released individuals at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office DISMAS program at the Jacksonville Bridge Community Release Center.
“The residents of the Middle District of Florida deserve to work and live in communities safe from violence,” stated U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. “Over the past three fiscal years, the United States Attorney’s Office has increased its number of violent crime and firearms prosecutions by more than 75%. We are committed to working with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and federally prosecute perpetrators of violent crime.”
PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. This evidence-based program has proven to be effective at reducing violent crime by engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders working together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in communities and developing comprehensive solutions that reduce crime. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on prevention and intervention efforts through community engagement and problem-solving partnerships, strategic enforcement of the most violent offenders, and locally based re-entry programs to reduce recidivism.
MDFL Fourth Quarter PSN Case Highlights
United States v. Latrel Jackson (Ft. Myers)
In August 2024, Latrel Jackson was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire. According to court records, in November 2019, Jackson, along with a co-conspirator (now deceased), traveled from Chicago to Fort Myers to commit murder in exchange for $10,000. Jackson was hired by Marvin Harris, Jr. Harris was sentenced to 45 years in prison in connection with the crime. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Myers Police Department, with assistance from the Joliet (Illinois) Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
United States v. David Wayne Riddle (Jacksonville)
On September 9, 2024, David Wayne Riddle was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. According to court documents, in January 2023, Riddle was stopped by officers from the
Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office for a seatbelt infraction. When officers encountered Riddle, they smelled marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search was conducted and a loaded Smith and Wesson pistol was recovered from under the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Riddle had multiple prior felony convictions for serious drug-related offenses and violent crimes making him prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
United States v. Jerome Junior Swopshire (Ocala)
In August 2024, Jerome Swopshire was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. According to court records, in August 2023, the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested Swopshire on outstanding state warrants. A search of Swopshire’s backpack revealed a loaded semi-automatic pistol with an extended ammunition magazine, a digital scale (coated with cocaine residue), a jar of marijuana, and small plastic baggies used to distribute drugs. In Swopshire’s vehicle, law enforcement recovered fentanyl and a spent 9mm shell that matched the ammunition in Swopshire’s firearm. At the time, Swopshire had previous state felony convictions for robbery, child abuse, resisting an officer with violence, felony domestic battery, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States v. Angel Velazquez Delgado, Jesus Hernandez, Edgar Jimenez, Jesus Paulino, Jonathan Borja, and Jesus Andres (Orlando)
Angel Velazquez Delgado, Jesus Hernandez, Edgar Jimenez, Jesus Paulino, Jonathan Borja, and Jesus Andres were charged in Orlando with a series of federal firearms laws. According to court records, in May 2023, ATF began investigating a firearms trafficking organization led by Velazquez Delgado operating in Central Florida. These individuals purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels. It is alleged that the firearms were purchased at the request of the cartels and transported to the cartels soon after purchase. Using the eTrace Firearm Recovery Notification Program, Mexican authorities were able to confirm the presence of at least one of the trafficked firearms in Mexico. On March 22, 2023, Mexican State Police and Mexican Military Personnel were involved in a shooting with suspected cartel members in Michoacan, Mexico. Two individuals were killed during the exchange of gunfire. After the shooting, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle purchased by Jesus Hernandez on November 8, 2022, was recovered. At some point during its operation, the trafficking organization began removing the serial numbers from the firearms to avoid tracing by law enforcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Volusia Bureau of Investigations and the Deland Police Department.
United States v. Johnny Flores (Tampa)
In July 2024, Johnny Flores was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for 3 counts of Hobbs Act robbery. According to evidence presented at trial, in February 2022, Flores robbed three Tampa businesses wearing a hooded sweatshirt and facial covering. During the robberies, he brandished and threatened the victims with a weapon, removed cash from the registers, and verbally and physically assaulted the victims. Flores was initially identified through video surveillance showing him leaving two of the robberies in a vehicle that was traced back to another individual who died prior to the trial. A second individual had dropped Flores off near the robbery. Although he testified that he did not know that Flores had committed a robbery, the individual testified that he had driven Flores to a location near the robbery. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Tampa Police Department.
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.
These cases are being prosecuted by the Assistant United States Attorneys in all five divisions throughout the Middle District of Florida. For additional information on Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit our website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/project-safe-neighborhoods-0.
PSN Chart
Miami County man pleads guilty to possessing unregistered destructive devicesRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A Troy, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally possessing unregistered destructive devices.
Steven J. Werling, 54, admitted that, in April, he knowingly possessed two improvised explosive devices.
According to court documents, on April 4 and 5, law enforcement officials executed a court-authorized search warrant at Werling’s residence on Barnhart Road in Troy. Prior investigation revealed that Werling had researched and made purchases related to the construction of improvised explosive devices.
Specifically, Werling possessed two plastic cylinders that had an explosive mixture of contents within. The cylinders and their contents are firearms under the National Firearms Act, specifically, destructive devices.
The plea includes a sentence recommendation of up to 24 months in prison.
Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered yesterday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein is representing the United States in this case.
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Mexican National Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Illegal Reentry into the United StatesRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss – A Mexican national was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being convicted and deported for an aggravated felony.
According to court documents, Luis Javier Sanchez-Zurita, 38, of Oaxaca, Mexico was found illegally present in Brandon, MS on February 21, 2024, after having been previously convicted of a crime of violence and deported from the United States in 2017. Sanchez-Zurita was stopped by a Brandon Police officer for carelessly driving, driving under the influence and endangerment of a child.
Sanchez-Zurita pled guilty on August 22, 2024, to illegal reentry after being deported following a state felony conviction for gratification of lust (crime against children).
U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Field Office Director Mellissa B. Harper of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New Orleans, made the announcement.
The case was investigated by ICE ERO.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda R. Haynes prosecuted the case.
Mexican Man Sentenced for Federal Immigration CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – David Cuevas, 45, a Mexican national, was sentenced today to time served for fraud and misuse of a lawful Permanent Resident Card and remanded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 30, 2019, Cuevas fraudulently possessed and used information from a Permanent Resident Card issued in the name of another individual to apply for an individual explosives license from the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal. Cuevas admitted that he knew the information on his explosives application was false and that he submitted the other individual’s Permanent Resident Card with the application. Cuevas further admitted that he sought the explosives license to assist him in his employment laying a pipeline in Greenbrier, Nicholas and Fayette counties for a construction company. Cuevas has been in custody for this offense since May 30, 2024.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal, and the West Virginia Fusion Center.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes and former Assistant United States Attorney Stefan Hasselblad prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-177.
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Members of Shreveport Street Gang and Others Receive Federal Prison Sentences for their Involvement in Defrauding the United States through the CARES ActRead the Press Release
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announces the sentencing of 24 defendants in a case involving a scheme by these defendants to defraud the United States by fraudulently applying for and receiving relief through the Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.
In March 2020 Congress enacted the CARES Act which was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the CARES Act, the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), which were low-interest financing to small businesses, renters and homeowners in regions affected by declared disasters. The CARES Act also provided authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through a program referred to as the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).
On July 18, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of 24 defendants who were all members or associates of a Shreveport street gang that refer to themselves as Step or Die or SOD. As of today, all 24 defendants have been sentenced.
This case began when law enforcement agents learned that these individuals were conducting fraudulent activity causing 31 loans to be funded worth more than $600,000 and applied for an additional 41 other loans seeking over $2,200,000. These defendants purported to own businesses providing various services including, freight, trucking, towing, painting, lawn care, t-shirt printing, day care, temporary employment placement, cosmetology, beauty supplies, catering, car washing, and retail clothing, along with pig and cattle farms. In reality, these individuals either did not have such businesses or grossly overstated the amount of revenue earned so that they would qualify for PPP or EIDL loans.
“We stood before you at a press conference 16 months ago announcing these charges and vowing to hold these 24 individuals accountable for defrauding and attempting to defraud the government out of over $2,000,000,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “All of these defendants, some directly and indirectly, are linked to gang activity, acts of violent crime such as murder, attempted murder, and violations of state and federal firearm law. Although the federal government generally has no jurisdiction over murder and attempted murder charges, such as drive-by shootings, we vow to use any statute that exists in the federal criminal code to eradicate violent crime. This combination of sentences is a result of varying levels of culpability in this scheme and prior criminal histories, if any, of those convicted. Investigations such as these meet 2 priorities of the Department: (1) prosecuting those who steal from the government, and (2) holding those accountable responsible for acts of violence in our community.”
The names and sentences of the defendants are as follows:
Defendant NameSentencing InformationChargesLoan Amount RequestedSirdell L. McCullough
Age 26, Shreveport
- 30 months in prison
- $20,382 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Roderguiz Henry
Age 27, Shreveport
- 24 months in prison
- $20,260 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Johntrell Crutchfield
Age 24, Shreveport
- 71 months in prison
- $20,832 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Deanthony D. Johnson
Age 24, Shreveport
- 46 months in prison
- $28,575 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$20,575 / PPP
$8,000 / EIDL
Deaaundrakous Latrea Hagger
Age 25, Shreveport
- 16 months in prison
- $1,500 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$20,833 / PPP
$20,833 / PPP
Nico J. Stewart
Age 36, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$4,000 / EIDL
$1,000 / EIDL
Timothy D. Vasher
Age 22, Shreveport
- 19 months in prison
- $20,832 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Destane Glass
Age 23, Shreveport
- 37 months in prison
- $104,160 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Xavien R. Beasley
Age 24, Bossier City
- 15 months in prison
- $30,050 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Quinterrius D. Brown
Age 23, Shreveport
- 24 months in prison
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
$30,800/ EIDL
Not funded
Toronco Rashard Loston
Age 26, Shreveport
- 24 months in prison
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
$20,832 / PPP
Not funded
$201,100 / EIDL
Not funded
Dewonnie Brown
Age 55, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- $60,498 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$20,832 / PPP
$20,800 / PPP
$20,833 / PPP
$20,833 / PPP
Joshua Dominique
Age 25, Shreveport
- 16 months in prison
- $20,832 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Kardarius Jenkins
Age 23, Shreveport
- 15 months in prison
- $20,832 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
Jasmine Glass
Age 23, Shreveport
- 15 months in prison
- $29,165 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Tramaine Taylor
Age 28, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- $20,832 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Antoria Johnson
Age 26, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- $40,916 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$20,458 / PPP
$20,458 / PPP
Joketa Baulkman
Age 41, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- $38,010 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$19,005 / PPP
$19,005 / PPP
Tyneal Johnson
Age 37, Coushatta
- 5 years of probation
- $41,633 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
$20,833 / PPP
$20,800 / PPP
Cierra Fleming
Age 23, Shreveport
- 5 years of probation
- $20,207 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
Tramarciea Ruffins
Age 31, Shreveport
- 33 months in prison
- $20,415 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Olivia Thomas
Age 28, Shreveport
- 3 years of probation
- $62,496 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Samarrian Kingston
Age 26, Shreveport
- 24 months in prison
- $101,360 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
Lakeah Gipson
Age 28, Bossier City
- 5 years of probation
- $20,058 in restitution
- Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
- Wire Fraud
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Treasury-Inspector General for Tax Administration, and United States Marshal’s Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Aaron Crawford.
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McAllen felon convicted of possessing multiple firearmsRead the Press Release
McALLEN, Texas – A 34-year-old man has pleaded guilty to possessing firearms while a felon, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On Sept. 11, law enforcement stopped David Michael Saenz for a traffic violation, at which time they also smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Saenz informed law enforcement he was in possession of firearms.
A search of the vehicle revealed two handguns in a holster and two additional firearms in his vehicle. Authorities also found methamphetamine and marijuana in the vehicle.
Further investigation revealed Saenz was previously convicted of aggravated robbery in 2021. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms per federal law. Saenz also admitted to possessing one of the firearms to protect himself while engaging in drug dealing.
Chief U.S District Judge Randy Crane accepted the plea and set sentencing for February 4, 2025. At that time, Saenz faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Saenz has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Rio Grande City Police Department conducted the joint investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan is prosecuting the case as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old, evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.
Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Detonating an Explosive Device Outside the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Montgomery, Ala. – On November 21, 2024, a federal judge sentenced 27-year-old Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, of Irondale, Alabama, to 108 months in prison for the malicious use of an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in Montgomery.
“Kyle Calvert attacked the Alabama Attorney General’s Office with a shrapnel-filled explosive and then fled the scene, but this sentence ensures he will not escape accountability for his crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Acts of violence like this one against our public institutions endanger public servants and entire communities, and they must not be tolerated. I am grateful to the FBI, ATF, and our state and local law enforcement partners for ensuring accountability for this attack, and for the work they do every day to protect our communities.”
“Today’s sentencing is the final step holding Kyle Calvert accountable for detonating a shrapnel-filled explosive device outside a public office in downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s continued commitment to working with our partners to bring to justice anyone who attempts violence to injure or intimidate members of our community.”
“Today’s sentencing shows that any attack on America’s justice system, and on the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country, will not be tolerated,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “The sentence handed down today reflects not only the severity of the crime, but also ATF’s commitment to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those who attack American institutions accountable.”
“This prosecution would not have been possible if not for the coordinated efforts of numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies,” said Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. “Working together, investigators and analysts were able to identify Calvert as a suspect and ensure he was held accountable for his attempt to intimidate public officials and create chaos.”
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, during the early morning hours of February 24, 2024, Calvert placed an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General's Office in downtown Montgomery. During his plea hearing, Calvert admitted to manufacturing the device and to using nails and screws as shrapnel. After positioning the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and left the area before it exploded. No injuries were reported. Before planting and detonating the device, Calvert placed stickers with graphics advocating for various political ideologies on various downtown buildings. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local Antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with Antifa. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10, 2024.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Detonating an Explosive Device Outside the Alabama Attorney General’s OfficeRead the Press Release
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 27, of Irondale, Alabama, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for the malicious use of an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in Montgomery.
“Kyle Calvert attacked the Alabama Attorney General’s Office with a shrapnel-filled explosive and then fled the scene, but this sentence ensures he will not escape accountability for his crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Acts of violence like this one against our public institutions endanger public servants and entire communities, and they must not be tolerated. I am grateful to the FBI, ATF, and our state and local law enforcement partners for ensuring accountability for this attack, and for the work they do every day to protect our communities.”
“Today’s sentencing is the final step holding Kyle Calvert accountable for detonating a shrapnel-filled explosive device outside a public office in downtown Montgomery,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s continued commitment to working with our partners to bring to justice anyone who attempts violence to injure or intimidate members of our community.”
“Today’s sentencing shows that any attack on America’s justice system, and on the civil servants and public officials who serve our communities and country, will not be tolerated,” said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “The sentence handed down today reflects not only the severity of the crime, but also ATF’s commitment to working with our federal, state, and local partners to hold those who attack American institutions accountable.”
“This prosecution would not have been possible if not for the coordinated efforts of numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson for the Middle District of Alabama. “Working together, investigators and analysts were able to identify Calvert as a suspect and ensure he was held accountable for his attempt to intimidate public officials and create chaos.”
According to the plea agreement and other court documents, during the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2024, Calvert placed an explosive device outside of the Alabama Attorney General's Office in downtown Montgomery. During his plea hearing, Calvert admitted to manufacturing the device and to using nails and screws as shrapnel. After positioning the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and left the area. No injuries were reported. Before planting and detonating the device, Calvert placed stickers with graphics advocating for various political ideologies on various downtown buildings. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on April 10, 2024.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the ATF.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell T. Duraski and Brett J. Talley for the Middle District of Alabama prosecuted the case.
Madison Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl TraffickingRead the Press Release
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Simmeka M. Tibbs, 37, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on November 19, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to a year and a half in federal prison for distributing fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Tibbs pled guilty to this charge on August 15, 2024.
Between December 2023 and February 2024, co-defendant Lildre Brown arranged to distribute fentanyl laced heroin on three separate occasions in the Madison area. On one of these occasions, Brown sent co-defendant Nicole Sanders to deliver almost 100 grams of fentanyl. On the two other occasions, Tibbs delivered the fentanyl for Brown. The investigation revealed that Tibbs regularly delivered drugs for Brown.
At Tibbs’ sentencing, Judge Peterson emphasized the seriousness of Tibbs regularly distributing drugs containing fentanyl, an extremely dangerous drug. Judge Peterson also found it very concerning that on one occasion, Tibbs brought a young child with her to the drug delivery.
On November 7, 2024, Brown was sentenced to 85 months in prison. Sanders is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2025.
The charges against Brown, Tibbs, and Sanders were the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rock County Sheriff’s Office, Madison Police Department, and the Markham Illinois Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted this case.
Líder de alto rango de un cártel mexicano arrestado por cargos de tráfico internacional de drogas y lavado de dinero, después de fingir su propia muerte para vivir en California bajo una identidad falsaRead the Press Release
Un tribunal federal del Distrito Central de California hizo pública ayer una denuncia penal imputándole delitos de tráfico internacional de drogas y lavado de dinero a Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez Ochoa, miembro de alto rango del Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y yerno del líder del CJNG, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, también conocido como El Mencho. Gutiérrez Ochoa fue arrestado en Riverside, California, el 19 de noviembre.
“El Cártel Jalisco, una de las organizaciones de narcotráfico más violentas y prolíficas del mundo, es más débil hoy en día debido a los tenaces esfuerzos de las fuerzas del orden por rastrear y detener a un líder del cártel que supuestamente fingió su propia muerte y asumió una identidad falsa para eludir la justicia y vivir una vida de lujo en California,” dijo la vicefiscal general Lisa Monaco. “Como alegan estos cargos, Gutiérrez Ochoa dirigió el tráfico de narcóticos letales, causando una destrucción incalculable en nuestras comunidades. Para aquellos que buscan dañar a los estadounidenses y sacar provecho de su dolor, que sirva este arresto de recordatorio: los encontraremos y los llevaremos ante la justicia.”
“Durante la última década, Cristian Gutiérrez Ochoa, un estrecho colaborador del máximo líder del CJNG, presuntamente dirigió la importación de toneladas de metanfetamina y cocaína a los Estados Unidos y participó en actos violentos para apoyar las actividades delictivas del cártel,” dijo la principal vicefiscal general adjunta Nicole M. Argentieri, jefa de la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia. “La División Penal está comprometida a desmantelar las organizaciones mexicanas de narcotráfico. El arresto del martes envía un mensaje poderoso a los líderes del cártel: trabajaremos incansablemente con nuestros socios, autoridades de aplicación de la ley nacionales e internacionales, para hacerlos rendir cuentas.”
“Derrotar a los dos cárteles responsables de la mortal crisis de drogas en los Estados Unidos es la principal prioridad operativa de la Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA) y, con el arresto de Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez Ochoa, estamos mucho más cerca,” dijo la administradora de la DEA Anne Milgram. “Alegamos que Gutiérrez Ochoa, un miembro de alto rango del CJNG y yerno de El Mencho, conspiró para importar miles de kilogramos de cocaína y metanfetamina a los Estados Unidos en nombre del Cártel Jalisco. El CJNG es responsable de una violencia sin precedentes en México y contribuye a alimentar la mortal crisis de drogas en los Estados Unidos. La DEA está implacablemente comprometida a derrotar al Cártel Jalisco, y agotaremos todas las herramientas del sistema de justicia para contraatacar, salvar vidas estadounidenses y llevar a este cártel ante la justicia.”
Según documentos del tribunal, se alega que Gutiérrez Ochoa, de 37 años, comenzó a trabajar para el CJNG, uno de los cárteles de drogas más violentos de México, alrededor de 2014, y coordinó personalmente el transporte y la distribución de aproximadamente 40.000 kilogramos de metanfetamina y aproximadamente 2000 kilogramos de cocaína en México, todos destinados a los Estados Unidos.
Gutiérrez Ochoa presuntamente promovió las actividades de narcotráfico y lavado de dinero del CJNG mediante la violencia. Alrededor de noviembre de 2021, se alega que Gutiérrez Ochoa secuestró a dos miembros de la Marina de México en un intento por lograr la liberación de la esposa de El Mencho, que había sido arrestada por las autoridades mexicanas. Después de ser buscado por las autoridades mexicanas, Gutiérrez-Ochoa supuestamente huyó a los Estados Unidos, asumió una identidad ficticia y vivió en una residencia de lujo en Riverside, California, comprada por los operadores de lavado de dinero del CJNG con ganancias del narcotráfico.
Según documentos del tribunal, El Mencho puede haber ayudado a Gutiérrez Ochoa en su plan para fingir su propia muerte, diciéndoles a sus asociados que asesinó a Gutiérrez Ochoa por mentir. Esto ayudó a Gutiérrez Ochoa a colarse en los Estados Unidos para estar con la hija de El Mencho. El Departamento de Justicia presentó una formulación complementaria de cargos contra El Mencho en abril de 2022, acusándolo de liderar una empresa criminal para fabricar y distribuir fentanilo para su importación a los Estados Unidos. El Departamento de Estado de los EE. UU. ofrece una recompensa de hasta $10 millones de dólares por información que conduzca a su arresto y / o condena. El Mencho sigue prófugo.
Gutiérrez Ochoa está acusado de asociación delictuosa para distribuir cinco kilogramos o más de cocaína y 500 gramos o más de metanfetamina, teniendo conocimiento, intención y motivos razonables para creer que esas sustancias controladas serían importadas ilegalmente a los Estados Unidos. Gutiérrez Ochoa también está acusado de asociación delictuosa para blanquear las ganancias del narcotráfico del CJNG. Si es declarado culpable, enfrentaría una pena mínima obligatoria de 10 años de prisión y una pena máxima de cadena perpetua por el cargo de asociación delictuosa para distribuir drogas, y una pena máxima de 20 años de prisión por el cargo de asociación delictuosa para lavar dinero. Un tribunal de distrito federal determinará cualquier sentencia después de considerar las Pautas de Sentencia de los EE. UU. y otros factores legales.
La División de Los Ángeles de la DEA está investigando el caso.
Los fiscales litigantes Lernik Begian y Doug Meisel de la Sección de Narcóticos y Drogas Peligrosas de la División Penal están a cargo del caso. La Fiscalía de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito Central de California brindó valiosa asistencia.
Este caso es parte de una operación del Programa de las Fuerzas de Tarea Antidrogas contra el Crimen Organizado (OCDETF, por sus siglas en inglés). La OCDETF identifica, desbarata y desmantela las organizaciones de narcotráfico de más alto nivel y otras redes criminales que amenazan a los Estados Unidos utilizando un enfoque multiinstitucional liderado por fiscales e informado por datos de inteligencia y que aprovecha las fortalezas de las agencias de aplicación de la ley federales, estatales y locales. Puede encontrar información adicional sobre el Programa OCDETF en www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Una denuncia es simplemente una acusación. Todos los acusados son considerados inocentes hasta que se demuestre su culpabilidad más allá de toda duda razonable en un tribunal de justicia.
Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Fort Myers Man to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Through the U.S. MailRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Esdras Joel Garcia De La Rosa (28, Los Angeles, CA) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. De La Rosa faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, De La Rosa conspired with Durand Dijuon Demetiu Colbert (34, Fort Myers) to distribute various controlled substances including methamphetamine and fentanyl. De La Rosa resided in the Los Angeles area and supplied Colbert, a Lee County resident, with controlled substances that were later distributed to others. The controlled substances were sent by De La Rosa in California to Colbert in Lee County through the U.S. mail or other packaging carriers.
During the conspiracy, on November 17, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Colbert’s Florida residence and seized approximately 1,700 fentanyl pills, which investigators determined were sent by De La Rosa.
Colbert pleaded guilty to his role in this case on September 16, 2024. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 12, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
Local Home Healthcare Company Owner Accused of $800,000 FraudRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – The owner of a home healthcare company was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday and accused of defrauding the Missouri Medicaid Program and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than $800,000.
Natavia Boyd-Wells, 40, is now facing four counts of wire fraud and two counts of making false statements related to a healthcare matter.
Boyd-Wells is the owner of Touch of the Heart Home Health Care LLC, enrolled the company with the Missouri Medicaid Program and the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Care Network in 2020 and submitted the reimbursement claims to both agencies, the indictment says. Missouri Medicaid and the Department of Veterans Affairs fund home healthcare services to enable patients to remain in their homes instead of long-term inpatient stays in hospitals and nursing homes.
Boyd-Wells submitted hundreds of fraudulent claims for services that she knew were never provided, in some cases because the veteran-patients were actually in the hospital, and could not possibly have received home healthcare services, the indictment says. Boyd-Wells submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent electronic documentation of a patient visit to Missouri Medicaid in 2022 after officials conducting an audit requested documentation reflecting the services that Boyd-Wells claimed were provided to that patient, the indictment says. Boyd-Wells also submitted fraudulent Department of Veterans Affairs claims claiming that her patients received more than 24 hours of care in a single day, it says.
Missouri Medicaid paid at least $197,022 to a bank account controlled by Boyd-Wells and the Department of Veterans Affairs funded reimbursement payments of over $600,000
Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
“This indictment should send a clear message that the VA Office of Inspector General will vigorously investigate those who would seek to defraud VA healthcare programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley with the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG. “The VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this investigation.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General and the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.
Lincoln Man Sentenced for Transporting Drugs via AmtrakRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Matthew Glenn Eriksen, age 45, of Lincoln, Nebraska was sentenced on November 21, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture and a detectable amount of marijuana. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Eriksen to 121months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Eriksen’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force investigators received information indicating Matthew Eriksen was transporting drugs to Lincoln from Denver, Colorado, on Amtrak and that Eriksen and his girlfriend would be arriving in Lincoln on December 6, 2023. On that date, investigators contacted Eriksen and his girlfriend as they got off the Amtrak train in Lincoln with multiple pieces of luggage. Eriksen had a backpack, a rolling luggage bag, and a duffel bag. His girlfriend had a purse, a backpack, and a rolling luggage bag. She admitted she had a small amount of marijuana in her purse. A search of her luggage resulted in the finding of approximately ¼ ounce of meth, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
Eriksen denied having any drugs. A search warrant was obtained for Eriksen’s bags. During the search of those bags, investigators found plastic bags containing meth, marijuana, additional plastic bags, and a scale. Testing at the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab showed a total of 2.25 kilograms, (approximately five pounds), of meth mixture.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.
Lehigh Acres Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Engage in Sexual Activity with A MinorRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Cosme Bejaran (34, Lehigh Acres) today pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor. Bejaran faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, beginning on May 17 and continuing through May 18, 2024, Bejaran communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. After learning of the girl’s age, Bejaran engaged in a sexually explicit conversation, asked the girl for explicit photographs, and sent an explicit photo of himself. Bejaran was apprehended by deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office when he arrived at a residence with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with the girl. Bejaran later admitted to deputies and the FBI that his intentions with the girl were sexual.
This case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Morgan.
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Laurel County Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Possession of Firearm by a Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
LONDON, Ky. – A London, Ky., man, Kenneth Dodd, 33, was sentenced to 76 months in prison on Thursday, by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier, for the distribution of methamphetamine and the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to his plea agreement, on September 14, 2023, law enforcement received information that Dodd was a source of supply for methamphetamine in Laurel County. Law enforcement utilized two confidential informants to make controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Dodd. During one of these controlled buys, Dodd also sold a firearm to the informant; the firearm was later determined to be stolen.
As a convicted felon, Dodd was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He previously pleaded guilty in 2020 to making materially false statements to a federal agent and cyberstalking.
Under federal law, Dodd must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Chief Jerry Hollon, London Police Department; and Sheriff John Root, Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF, London Police Department, and Laurel County Sheriff’s Office, as part of the Laurel County Drug Interdiction Task Force.
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Lafayette Grand Jury Returns Indictment Charging Carjacking with Intent to Cause Death or Serious Bodily HarmRead the Press Release
LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that a federal grand jury in Lafayette has returned an indictment charging Brandon Jermaine Francisco, 38, of Mansura, Louisiana, with carjacking resulting in the death of Ella Goodie.
In addition to the one count of carjacking resulting in death, the indictment charges Francisco with one count of using a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of flight to avoid prosecution.
The indictment alleges that on or about March 9, 2022, Francisco, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily harm, took a 2012 Audi Q5, 2.0T, Sport Utility Vehicle from the victim, E.G., by force, violence, and intimidation, resulting in the death of the victim. It is also alleged that on or about March 9, 2022, Francisco knowingly used and discharged a SCCY handgun, Model CPX-1, 9mm caliber firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, which in this case is carjacking.
It is further alleged in the indictment that Francisco possessed the SCCY handgun, Model CPX-1, 9mm caliber with four rounds of ammunition on or about March 25, 2022, knowing he had previously been convicted of a felony crime.
The indictment also alleges that from on or about March 9, 2022, until on or about March 25, 2022, in the Western District of Louisiana, Francisco traveled in interstate commerce with the intent to avoid prosecution under the laws of the State of Louisiana for a crime punishable by death under the laws of the State of Louisiana.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted, Francisco faces a sentence of up to life in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000, or both. An arraignment and initial appearance will be scheduled for Francisco at a later date.
The case is being investigated by the Louisiana State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John W. Nickel and Casey N. Richmond.
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Kissimmee Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Meet A 13-Year-Old Child to Engage in Sexual ActivityRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Pooran Ramjattan (61, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. Ramjattan faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
According to court documents, on May 1, 2024, an undercover agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation posed online as a 13-year-old girl. Ramjattan contacted the undercover agent’s account and, after learning the child’s age, engaged in a sexually explicit conversation. Ramjattan then arranged to meet the “child” at a predetermined location in Orange County to engage in sexual activity. When Ramjattan arrived at the meeting location, he was arrested by law enforcement.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Kanawha County Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jessica Nutter, 39, of St. Albans, was sentenced today to, five years of federal probation, and ordered to pay $25,830 for receipt of stolen money. Nutter admitted to a scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of $20,830 in COVID-19 relief loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
According to court documents and statements made in court, from March 27, 2021 through on or about April 20, 2021, Nutter fraudulently obtained two PPP loans, each for $10,415, from an approved PPP lender in Texas and the SBA. Nutter falsely represented on one loan application that she had a business, Nut House Wood, and that it had received $50,000 in gross income during 2019. Nutter applied for the other fraudulent loan on behalf of her husband. Nutter falsely represented that her husband received $50,000 in gross income during 2019 as an independent contractor for an online food ordering and delivery service.
Businesses applying for PPP loans had to certify that the business was in operation on February 15, 2020, and were required to provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020. Nutter admitted that Nut House Wood was not a registered business entity in the State of West Virginia and had never engaged in legitimate business activity when she applied for that loan. Nutter further admitted that her husband was not engaged as an independent contractor for the online delivery service at that time.
The Texas lender approved both of Nutter’s loan applications. On April 9, 2021, $10,415 was transferred to Nutter’s personal bank account from a Texas bank. Nutter admitted that she transferred $1,5573.12 of those stolen funds to a North Carolina business on April 12, 2021, to cover expenses for a family vacation later that year. On April 20, 2021, $10,415 in proceeds from the second loan was transferred from a Texas bank to the personal bank account of Nutter’s husband. Nutter admitted that she and her husband used those stolen funds for general family expenses.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney J. Parker Bazzle II prosecuted the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. 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.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-81.
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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Joseph Douglas Collier, 38, of Alum Creek, was sentenced today to eight 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 November 11, 2023, Collier was on the sidewalk outside of a downtown Charleston bar holding an open container of alcohol. The bar doorman asked Collier to return to the bar with the alcoholic beverage. Collier responded by lifting his sweater to reveal a pistol in his waistband. Collier brandished the firearm at the doorman, who retreated inside and closed the bar to protect patrons and employees. Responding law enforcement officers located Collier at a nearby bar and seized a Kimber model Tactical Pro II .45-caliber pistol from Collier’s possession following a pat-down search.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Collier knew he was prohibited from possession a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, cocaine, in Kanawha County Circuit Court on January 12, 2010.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Samuel D. Marsh 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. 2:24-cr-69.
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Kanawha County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Federal Robbery and Firearms CrimesRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Camri Calrissian White, 26, of Cross Lanes was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for robbery, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A federal jury convicted White on July 25, 2024, following a three-day trial. Evidence at trial proved that White robbed a Cross Lanes convenience store shortly before 5:15 a.m. on July 11, 2023, while armed with a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm pistol with an extended magazine.
White entered the business while wearing a mask and fired one round from the pistol into the ceiling. White held two store employees at gunpoint while ordering them to retrieve money from both registers and a locked safe under the front counter. Before fleeing the store, White told the employees that he would return and kill them if they called the police within the next 10 minutes.
Surveillance video from the store and other nearby locations helped law enforcement officers identify White as the culprit of the robbery. On July 17, 2023, officers arrived at the Cross Lanes apartment where White was staying. Officers recovered the pistol with the extended magazine after White tossed it from a rear window of the apartment following the officers’ arrival. Officers searched the apartment and found clothing worn by White during the robbery. During the search, officers learned that White had access to a vacant and unlocked apartment nearby. Officers searched that apartment and found more clothing worn by White during the convenience store robbery.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. White was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for first-degree robbery with a firearm in Kanawha County Circuit Court on December 11, 2017. In that case, White pleaded guilty to his role in a January 31, 2017, home invasion robbery, during which he pressed a sawed-off shotgun to the chest of the 84-year-old victim while threatening to kill her.
The Court cited White’s criminal history when imposing today’s sentence and agreed with the United States that “the only thing that will determine his next brazen violent crime appears to be his release date.”
“The defendant has demonstrated a penchant for violence and a shocking disregard for the law and other people,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “The sentence imposed today protects the public from further crimes of the defendant.”
Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the South Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Jennifer Rada Herrald 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. 2:23-cr-168.
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Justice Department, EPA and Pennsylvania Announce Settlements to Reduce Climate- and Health- Harming EmissionsRead the Press Release
The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced two settlements with oil and gas operators in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In separate agreements, XTO Energy Inc. (XTO) and Hilcorp Energy Company (Hilcorp) agreed to resolve alleged Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act violations involving their oil and gas production operations in Pennsylvania.
Under the settlements, XTO agrees to pay a $4 million civil penalty and Hilcorp agrees to pay a $1.275 million civil penalty. Each of these amounts will be shared equally by the United States and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which is a co-plaintiff in both cases. In addition to the civil penalties, both companies will undertake compliance measures to achieve major reductions in harmful emissions at their oil and gas production facilities in Butler County, Lawrence County and Mercer County facilities.
“These actions are the result of our continuing efforts to ensure that oil and gas operators comply with the Clean Air Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The commitments under the settlements will significantly reduce pollution from these companies’ operations, including volatile organic compounds that contribute to ground-level ozone, and methane, a potent greenhouse gas.”
“Hilcorp and XTO Energy’s violations contributed to smog that reduces air quality, as well as methane releases that are a primary driver of near-term climate change,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “These settlements are the latest in EPA’s urgent efforts to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and hold corporate polluters accountable for jeopardizing public health.”
“Today’s settlements reinforce a simple message: if your company contaminates the air in this district with harmful pollution, you will be held accountable under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Through the hard work of our office and our law enforcement partners, XTO Energy and Hilcorp will be required not only to pay penalties related to the pollutants they already released, but also to protect against future harm through compliance measures that will reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. We remain steadfast in our efforts to protect the people of western Pennsylvania and the air they breathe.”
“Pennsylvanians have a right to clean air, and the Shapiro Administration continues to hold polluters accountable for infringing on that right,” said Acting Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Today’s settlement will result in lower emissions and cleaner air for the people of the Commonwealth.”
As part of the settlement, XTO must undertake a project to mitigate harm attributable to XTO’s alleged violations. Specifically, by Dec. 31, 2027, XTO will be required to work with PADEP to identify the heaviest polluting abandoned oil and gas wells in western Pennsylvania and spend at least $1.4 million to plug or remediate them. Many of these “orphan” wells are existing significant sources of methane.
The work that XTO will do will result in the reduction of over 1,960 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year released as methane, similar to the reductions achieved by taking 420 cars off the road for one year. The settlement will also eliminate nearly 120 tons of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions annually.
The XTO settlement resolves allegations by EPA and PADEP that XTO failed to comply with federal and state requirements to capture and control air emissions from 11 of its oil and gas production facilities in Butler County. EPA identified the alleged violations through field investigations conducted in 2018 and 2019.
Hilcorp must also undertake a project to mitigate harm attributable to the company’s alleged violations. Hilcorp will retrofit at least 164 pneumatic controllers that emit pollution with non-emitting process controllers at eight of the company’s facilities located in Lawrence and Mercer counties at least three years earlier than required under law.
EPA projects that the Hilcorp agreement will result in the reduction of over 160 tons of VOC emissions annually and 5,200 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year released as methane. The reductions in methane from the settlement are similar to the reductions that would be achieved by taking 1,120 cars off the road for one year.
The Hilcorp settlement resolves allegations by EPA and PADEP that the company failed to comply with federal and state requirements to capture and control air emissions from six of its oil and gas production facilities in Lawrence and Mercer counties.
As a result of these alleged violations, both XTO and Hilcorp released methane and VOCs directly into the air instead of capturing and controlling the gas using specially designed equipment. Methane, a climate super pollutant, is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, and VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone, which adversely affects human health.
XTO is a natural gas extraction and production company that is a directly held, wholly owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Its operations stretch from the Great Plains to Appalachia. It holds interests in more than 50,000 producing oil and natural gas wells. These holdings include operations in 15 counties (including Butler County), covering 534,000 acres in western Pennsylvania.
Hilcorp is a privately owned company registered to do business in Pennsylvania and headquartered in Houston. Hilcorp engages in oil and gas exploration, development, and production across the United States, with active production operations in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.
These settlements are part of EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative Mitigating Climate Change. This initiative focuses, in part, on reducing methane emissions from oil and gas and landfill sources.
The consent decrees were filed with the United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania and are each subject to a 30-day comment period. The complaints and the proposed consent decrees are available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
More information on these settlement agreements is available on the agency’s Hilcorp Energy Company Settlement web page and XTO Energy Inc. Settlement web page.
EPA and PADEP investigated the cases.
Attorneys from the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Enforcement Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania handled the cases.
Justice Department, EPA and Pennsylvania Announce Settlements to Reduce Climate- and Health- Harming EmissionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced two settlements with oil and gas operators in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In separate agreements, XTO Energy Inc. (XTO) and Hilcorp Energy Company (Hilcorp) agreed to resolve alleged Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act violations involving their oil and gas production operations in Pennsylvania.
Under the settlements, XTO agrees to pay a $4 million civil penalty and Hilcorp agrees to pay a $1.275 million civil penalty. Each of these amounts will be shared equally by the United States and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which is a co-plaintiff in both cases. In addition to the civil penalties, both companies will undertake compliance measures to achieve major reductions in harmful emissions at their oil and gas production facilities in Butler County, Lawrence County and Mercer County facilities.
“Today’s settlements reinforce a simple message: if your company contaminates the air in this district with harmful pollution, you will be held accountable under federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan for the Western District of Pennsylvania. “Through the hard work of our office and our law enforcement partners, XTO Energy and Hilcorp will be required not only to pay penalties related to the pollutants they already released, but also to protect against future harm through compliance measures that will reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. We remain steadfast in our efforts to protect the people of western Pennsylvania and the air they breathe.”
“These actions are the result of our continuing efforts to ensure that oil and gas operators comply with the Clean Air Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The commitments under the settlements will significantly reduce pollution from these companies’ operations, including volatile organic compounds that contribute to ground-level ozone, and methane, a potent greenhouse gas.”
“Hilcorp and XTO Energy’s violations contributed to smog that reduces air quality, as well as methane releases that are a primary driver of near-term climate change,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “These settlements are the latest in EPA’s urgent efforts to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and hold corporate polluters accountable for jeopardizing public health.”
“Pennsylvanians have a right to clean air, and the Shapiro Administration continues to hold polluters accountable for infringing on that right,” said Acting Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Today’s settlement will result in lower emissions and cleaner air for the people of the Commonwealth.”
As part of the settlement, XTO must undertake a project to mitigate harm attributable to XTO’s alleged violations. Specifically, by Dec. 31, 2027, XTO will be required to work with PADEP to identify the heaviest polluting abandoned oil and gas wells in western Pennsylvania and spend at least $1.4 million to plug or remediate them. Many of these “orphan” wells are existing significant sources of methane.
The work that XTO will do will result in the reduction of over 1,960 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year released as methane, similar to the reductions achieved by taking 420 cars off the road for one year. The settlement will also eliminate nearly 120 tons of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions annually.
The XTO settlement resolves allegations by EPA and PADEP that XTO failed to comply with federal and state requirements to capture and control air emissions from 11 of its oil and gas production facilities in Butler County. EPA identified the alleged violations through field investigations conducted in 2018 and 2019.
Hilcorp must also undertake a project to mitigate harm attributable to the company’s alleged violations. Hilcorp will retrofit at least 164 pneumatic controllers that emit pollution with non-emitting process controllers at eight of the company’s facilities located in Lawrence and Mercer counties at least three years earlier than required under law.
EPA projects that the Hilcorp agreement will result in the reduction of over 160 tons of VOC emissions annually and 5,200 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year released as methane. The reductions in methane from the settlement are similar to the reductions that would be achieved by taking 1,120 cars off the road for one year.
The Hilcorp settlement resolves allegations by EPA and PADEP that the company failed to comply with federal and state requirements to capture and control air emissions from six of its oil and gas production facilities in Lawrence and Mercer counties.
As a result of these alleged violations, both XTO and Hilcorp released methane and VOCs directly into the air instead of capturing and controlling the gas using specially designed equipment. Methane, a climate super pollutant, is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, and VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone, which adversely affects human health.
XTO is a natural gas extraction and production company that is a directly held, wholly owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil. Its operations stretch from the Great Plains to Appalachia. It holds interests in more than 50,000 producing oil and natural gas wells. These holdings include operations in 15 counties (including Butler County), covering 534,000 acres in western Pennsylvania.
Hilcorp is a privately owned company registered to do business in Pennsylvania and headquartered in Houston. Hilcorp engages in oil and gas exploration, development, and production across the United States, with active production operations in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.
These settlements are part of EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative Mitigating Climate Change. This initiative focuses, in part, on reducing methane emissions from oil and gas and landfill sources.
The consent decrees were filed with the United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania and are each subject to a 30-day comment period. The complaints and the proposed consent decrees are available at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.
More information on these settlement agreements is available on the agency’s Hilcorp Energy Company Settlement web page and XTO Energy Inc. Settlement web page.
EPA and PADEP investigated the cases.
Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Enforcement Section handled the cases.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Trenton Police Department and the City of Trenton, New JerseyRead the Press Release
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced today that the Trenton Police Department (TPD) and the City of Trenton, New Jersey, engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The city and TPD have stated that they will work with the department to implement the reform recommendations included in the report.
Specifically, the Justice Department finds that TPD unlawfully uses excessive force, including unreasonable forms of physical force and pepper spray in the absence of any significant resistance or danger. TPD also conducts stops, searches and arrests without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. In addition, the department identified deficiencies in training, supervision, policy and accountability that contribute to TPD and the city’s unlawful conduct.
“Police officers must respect people’s civil and constitutional rights and treat people with dignity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Trenton routinely failed to respect the Fourth Amendment rights of those who call Trenton home. Trenton police stop and search pedestrians and motorists without a legal basis, make illegal arrests and use excessive force without basis. We are committed to the hard work necessary to achieve constitutional policing across the country. By bringing city officials, the police department and the community together, we are confident that we can institute meaningful reforms that remedy the violations uncovered.”
“For too long, the residents of Trenton have felt afraid of the police, rather than protected by them,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “The use of excessive force and unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests, sometimes with tragic consequences, have eroded public trust and undermined public safety. Today’s findings are the first step in achieving the reforms needed to rebuild public trust, so that the Trenton Police Department can effectively fight crime and keep residents safe, while respecting the constitutional rights of each and every person.”
The Justice Department found that TPD engaged in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, with police officers often escalating encounters when facing little resistance or threat. For example, in one incident from 2023, after initially using reasonable force to arrest a man, an officer stomped on the man’s hand multiple times once he was on the ground, kneeled on his head and kicked him in the shoulder.
TPD also conducted numerous stops and searches of pedestrians and cars without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, often unlawfully arresting the person they stopped and searched. TPD’s violations have eroded community trust and cost the city more than $7 million since 2021 to resolve lawsuits stemming from accusations of officer misconduct.
The Justice Department opened this investigation on Oct. 17, 2023. Career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey conducted the investigation. The team conducted an extensive review of TPD’s records, including hundreds of police reports and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage. The team also interviewed city and TPD leadership and line officers, accompanied officers on ride-alongs and met with dozens of community members.
The city and TPD cooperated fully with the Justice Department’s investigation. The department provided a comprehensive written report of its investigative findings to the city and TPD. The report acknowledges changes already made by the city and TPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures necessary to address its findings.
The Justice Department conducted this investigation pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 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. Section 12601 authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking court-ordered remedies to eliminate a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.
The Justice Department will conduct outreach to members of the Trenton community to explain the findings and for input on remedies to address the findings. Individuals can also submit recommendations by email at [email protected] or by phone at 973-645-2801.
Additional information about the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey is available at www.justice.gov/usao-nj. Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download. Additional information about civil rights enforcement at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey is available at www.justice.gov/usao-nj/civil-rights-enforcement.
Spanish translation forthcoming. La traducción al español estará disponible próximamente.
Jamaican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JASON CASTON WILLIAMS, also known as Jason Fitzgerald and Terry Barrington Stewart, 51, a citizen of Jamaica, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Williams was admitted to the U.S. as a Lawful Permanent Resident in October 1982. In June 1991, Williams was convicted in Connecticut state court of robbery in the second degree. He received a sentence of 10 years of imprisonment, execution suspended, and five years of probation for that offense. He subsequently violated his probation and, in March 1997, was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
In September 1997, Williams was convicted in New York of burglary second degree and criminal possession of a weapon, and received a sentence or 30 months to five years of imprisonment.
In May 2001, after an immigration judge ordered Williams removed, he was deported to Jamaica.
Williams unlawfully returned to the U.S. and, on October 20, 2022, was arrested by Norwalk Police and charged with second-degree assault related to his use of a knife to assault another individual. On October 11, 2023, he was convicted of that charge and sentenced to five years of imprisonment, suspended after two years, and three years of probation.
On September 11, 2024, Williams pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal reentry. He has completed his state sentence and is now in federal custody.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel.
Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Drive-By Shooting on I-95 in St. Johns CountyRead the Press Release
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that James Toney (19, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Toney faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. Toney has also agreed to forfeit $1,000, which represents illicit proceeds derived from drug trafficking.
According to court documents, between October 2022 and July 2024, Toney served as an armed distributor for a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) operated and led by Toney’s brother, Nathaniel Hatcher, III. The DTO trafficked bulk marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville by smuggling marijuana on commercial airlines, shipping marijuana through the U.S. mail system, and transporting marijuana by vehicle across state lines. Once the marijuana arrived in Jacksonville, Toney and other DTO members transported the marijuana to various short-term rental homes throughout Jacksonville. Members of the DTO rented these homes to store, package, and distribute the marijuana. Toney and other members of the DTO routinely carried and possessed firearms at these residences to protect themselves, their drugs, and their drug proceeds during drug sales. Federal agents determined that Toney was responsible for trafficking between 100 and 400 kilograms of marijuana during the conspiracy. In addition to trafficking, transporting, smuggling, and selling marijuana, Toney was also responsible for carrying out violence on behalf of the DTO.
On September 18, 2023, Toney and other DTO members arranged a drug transaction with subjects they had met that evening in Jacksonville. The drug transaction, which occurred at a gas station along Old St. Augustine Road, failed. The other subjects never provided the promised marijuana, and instead, stole approximately $45,000 in cash from Hatcher and Toney. After the failed drug transaction, Hatcher contacted a former police officer who illegally accessed law enforcement databases to provide Hatcher with the names and home addresses of the subjects who had stolen the money. In the following days, Toney and other DTO members tracked, surveilled, and cyberstalked the other subjects and their family members. In text messages, Toney and others discussed and plotted retaliation for the robbery, including committing acts of violence.
On October 17, 2023, Toney traveled to the Duval County courthouse for a scheduled court date in an unrelated pending criminal matter. Toney and other DTO members were aware that one of the subjects from the September 18 drug transaction also had a court hearing that day for a separate criminal matter. After court concluded, Hatcher, Toney, and other DTO members surveilled this subject as he exited the Duval County courthouse, accompanied by a female, and enter his white sedan. Hatcher, Toney, and other DTO members, operating multiple vehicles, including a red sedan and a gray SUV, followed the white sedan from downtown Jacksonville to I-95, traveling southbound toward St. Johns County. Toney was traveling in the red vehicle and Hatcher was traveling in the gray SUV. At approximately 11:20 a.m., during the pursuit along I-95 South, the red and gray vehicles boxed the white sedan into the left lane of traffic. Then, individuals from the red and gray vehicles discharged dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition at the white sedan. Following the shooting, the red and gray vehicles fled the scene.
Deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriffs’ Office and emergency medical personnel arrived on scene and secured the area. The driver of the white sedan, who was the male subject from the courthouse, sustained one gunshot wound but survived and was airlifted to a trauma unit. The front passenger of the white sedan, the female subject from the courthouse, suffered injuries from broken glass. Emergency personnel also transported her to a nearby hospital. The white sedan sustained gunshots to the passenger side, the rear, the front and hood, the front windshield, the interior, and the engine block. On scene, deputies recovered approximately 25 spent 7.62 caliber shell casings. According to ballistics analyses, two different firearms were used during the shooting.
On June 28, 2024, federal agents secured a criminal complaint for Toney based on his alleged role in the drug conspiracy. On July 3, 2024, federal agents and detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office attempted to arrest Toney on the federal warrant, but Toney and an associate fled, and a high-speed chase ensued through populated areas of Jacksonville. Toney ultimately escaped and fled to Gainesville. On July 8, 2024, agents located Toney in Jacksonville and arrested him. In Toney’s possession was his cellphone and $1,000 in cash.
Toney’s co-defendant, Al’Donta Easterling, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a minimum of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.
Hatcher’s case is pending, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Aakash Singh and Kirwinn Mike.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. 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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Inmate at Federal Bureau of Prisons Sentenced to an Additional 10 Years' Imprisonment Following Guilty Verdict for Assault Causing Serious Bodily InjuryRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—Raymond Tetzlaff, an inmate incarcerated at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Forrest City, Arkansas, will spend an additional 10 years in federal prison after his current sentence is complete following his conviction for an assault causing serious bodily injury in which the victim ultimately died. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.
Following a three-day jury trial, Tetzlaff, 41, of Great Falls, Montana, was convicted by a federal jury on June 12, 2024. The jury found Tetzlaff guilty on one count of assault causing serious bodily injury.
Tetzlaff is currently serving a 216-month federal sentence for drug crimes from a 2017 case out of Montana. That sentence is expected to expire in 2032. Tetzlaff’s 120-month sentence in the assault case will begin to run when the sentence from the drug case is complete. In addition to the 10 years’ of imprisonment, Judge Moody sentenced Tetzlaff to five years of supervised release. The sentence is the maximum amount of imprisonment under law Tetzlaff could serve. There is no parole in the federal system.
“It is my sincere hope that today’s sentence will bring a level of comfort and peace to the victim’s family,” said Jonathan D. Ross, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “Prisoners should be safe while serving their term of imprisonment. The significant sentence handed down by the judge should serve as a warning to all inmates that if you cause harm to a fellow prisoner, our office will work to hold you accountable.
“The defendant showed no remorse and the sentence is reflective of the defendant’s callous indifference to the loss of another man’s life.”
Tetzlaff was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 1, 2023, in a two-count indictment that charged him with one count of manslaughter and one count of assault causing serious bodily injury. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on assault but did not reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge.
Through an investigation, it was revealed that on October 29, 2022, at the federal prison in Forrest City, Tetzlaff punched an inmate in the face, knocking him to the floor. The victim of the assault sustained a fractured skull when he hit the floor. Three days after the assault by Tetzlaff, the victim succumbed to the injuries. It was discovered during the investigation that Tetzlaff assaulted the victim over concerns for a missing contraband cell phone.
Witnesses at trial testified that Tetzlaff punched the victim when the victim was not paying attention and was turning away from him. After being punched, the victim was knocked unconscious and crashed to the floor, resulting in a fracture to his skull. Witnesses reported the victim later had a seizure and fell from his top bunk onto the floor. The victim was taken to the hospital, but never regained consciousness.
In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Moody pointed out Tetzlaff’s lack of remorse and violence of the act, as well as numerous previous incidents in which he had used violence in criminal activities, as reasons for the sentence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the BOP. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bart Dickinson and Chris Givens.
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Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
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ICE Supervisory Deportation Officer Arrested for Identity Theft and Disseminating Confidential Government RecordsRead the Press Release
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the arrest of HENRY YAU for charges in connection with a scheme to commit identity theft, convert government records, and disclose agency records containing individually identifiable information. YAU was arrested this morning and will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Henry Yau, a supervisory law enforcement officer within U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, allegedly engaged in a years-long scheme to disseminate non-public and sensitive information from law enforcement databases to friends and acquaintances. Among other things, Yau allegedly tipped off an individual who was being investigated by the FBI; disclosed sensitive and non-public information from immigration and law enforcement databases; and, most egregiously, offered to use his authority as an ICE officer to arrest specific people at the request of, and as favors to, his friends. As I have said before, public service is a privilege, not a right, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners will never stop investigating those who seek to abuse that privilege.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “Henry Yau, a supervisory ICE deportation officer, allegedly disclosed confidential law enforcement information of more than two dozen individuals to unauthorized recipients for personal and financial gain. This alleged abuse of authority to satisfy unwarranted personal favors erodes the public's trust. The FBI maintains its steadfast commitment to hold accountable all government officials who engage in unscrupulous behavior infringing on the privacy and rights of others.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]
YAU was a Supervisory Deportation Officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), which is a law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). ICE’s stated mission includes protecting the U.S. through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety. Between in or about 2015 and in or about November 2024, YAU was employed as a Deportation Officer with ICE. In or around September 2021, YAU was promoted to Supervisory Deportation Officer. YAU was assigned to the ICE New York Field Office, located in Manhattan. As an ICE Deportation Officer, YAU was given access to several password-protected law enforcement databases operated by DHS and other law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) databases containing the status of immigration-related applications filed by aliens, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) databases containing information about border crossings, criminal history databases containing people’s arrest and conviction records, and ICE databases containing records relating to arrests and removals of aliens from the U.S.
From at least in or about 2017 through at least in or about 2023, YAU participated in schemes to disseminate confidential government information from law enforcement databases, including multiple databases maintained by ICE, CBP, and USCIS. YAU disseminated this confidential government information to friends and acquaintances for his own personal and financial gain. In total, YAU improperly disseminated confidential government information relating to approximately 28 individuals, at least. This information came from DHS databases, and YAU disclosed it without any apparent law enforcement purpose to at least approximately 12 non-law enforcement personnel, including, among others: Tommy Lin, a former Director of Constituent Services within the New York City Mayor’s Office[2]; a former candidate for New York City Council and New York State Assembly (“CC-1”); a former target of a fraud investigation being conducted by the FBI in California (“CC-2”); and a former business partner (“CC-3”).
Between in or about 2019 and in or about 2020, YAU agreed to and did disclose confidential information from law enforcement databases about an individual (“Victim-1”) that Lin was seeking to have arrested and deported from the U.S. because Victim-1 had conflict with members of a bank fraud conspiracy in which Lin was involved. YAU shared with Lin a copy of a Field Operations Worksheet containing personal identifying information about Victim-1. YAU then arrested Victim-1 and sent Lin photographs of Victim-1, handcuffed, following the arrest. In connection with this scheme, Lin earned approximately $20,000 in cash.
Between in or about 2019 and in or about 2021, YAU agreed to and did disclose confidential information from immigration databases to CC-1 on multiple occasions, including information about the status of USCIS’s investigation of the permanent resident application of a particular individual (“Victim-2”) and the immigration status of another individual (“Victim-3”).
Between in or about 2018 and in or about 2020, YAU agreed to and did disclose confidential information from law enforcement databases to CC-2 on multiple occasions, including information about whether CC-2 would be potentially arrested by law enforcement at the border when entering or leaving the U.S. In or about January 2020, YAU disclosed to CC-2 that CC-2 was being investigated by law enforcement agents in California.
Between in or about 2019 and in or about 2021, YAU agreed to and did disclose confidential information from law enforcement databases to CC-3 on multiple occasions, including information about the immigration status of an individual (“Victim-3”), who YAU offered to arrest for CC-3. YAU also disclosed to CC-3 non-public information from law enforcement databases regarding the immigration status of another individual (“Victim-4”) and information about the border crossings of another individual (“Victim-5”) into and out of the U.S.
* * *
YAU, 41, of New York, New York, is charged with one count of identity theft conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison; four counts of conspiracy to convert government records and property and disclose agency records containing individually identifiable information, each of which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison; one count of conversion of government records and property, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison; and one count of disclosure of agency records containing individually identifiable information, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the investigative work of the FBI. Mr. Williams also thanked the DHS Office of Inspector General and the New York City Department of Investigation for their assistance in the investigation of this case.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, James Ligtenberg, and Ni Qian are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
[2] As of the date of this Complaint, Lin is charged in United States v. Tommy Lin et al., S7 23 Cr. 572 (CM), with participating in a bank fraud conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028A and 2.
Honduran Native Pleads Guilty to Being an Illegal Alien in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JOAN E. ESCOBAR-REYES (“ESCOBAR-REYES”), age 26, a native of Honduras, pled guilty on November 19, 2024, to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(5)(A).
According to court documents, on or about June 30, 2024, ESCOBAR-REYES, an alien illegally present in the United States, was found in possession of a Glock Model 32, .357 SIG caliber, semi-automatic pistol and a H&R Model 92, .22 LR caliber revolver.
ESCOBAR-REYES faces up to 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan set sentencing for February 20, 2025.
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 Evans praised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
High-Ranking Mexican Cartel Leader Arrested on Charges of International Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering After Faking Own Death to Live in California Under Assumed IdentityRead the Press Release
A federal court in the Central District of California unsealed a criminal complaint yesterday charging Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa — a high-ranking member of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the son-in-law of the CJNG’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho — with international drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. Gutierrez-Ochoa was arrested in Riverside, California, on Nov. 19.
“The Jalisco Cartel — one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations — is weaker today because of the tenacious efforts of law enforcement to track down and arrest a cartel leader who allegedly faked his own death and assumed a false identity to evade justice and live a life of luxury in California,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “As these charges allege, Gutierrez-Ochoa directed the trafficking of lethal narcotics, causing untold destruction in our communities. To those seeking to harm Americans and to profit from their pain, this arrest should serve as a reminder — we will find you and bring you to justice.”
“Over the last decade, Cristian Gutierrez-Ochoa, a close associate of CJNG’s top leader, allegedly directed the importation of tons of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and engaged in violence to aid the cartel’s criminal activities,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Criminal Division is committed to disrupting and dismantling Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Tuesday's arrest sends a powerful message to cartel leadership: we will work tirelessly with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to hold them accountable.”
“Defeating the two cartels responsible for the deadly drug crisis in the United States is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s top operational priority, and with the arrest of Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, we are much closer,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. “We allege that Gutierrez-Ochoa, a high-ranking member of the CJNG and the son-in-law of El Mencho, conspired to import thousands of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States on behalf of the Jalisco Cartel. The Jalisco Cartel is responsible for unprecedented violence in Mexico and helping to fuel the deadly drug crisis in the United States. The DEA is relentlessly committed to defeating the Jalisco Cartel, and we will exhaust every tool in the justice system to fight back, to save American lives, and to bring this cartel to justice.”
According to court documents, Gutierrez-Ochoa, 37, is alleged to have started working for the CJNG, one of the most violent drug cartels in Mexico, in around 2014, and to have personally coordinated the transportation and distribution of approximately 40,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine in Mexico, all destined for the United States.
Gutierrez-Ochoa allegedly furthered CJNG’s drug trafficking and money laundering activities through violence. In around November 2021, Gutierrez-Ochoa allegedly kidnapped two members of the Mexican Navy in an attempt to secure the release of El Mencho’s wife, who had been arrested by Mexican authorities. After being sought by Mexican authorities, Gutierrez-Ochoa allegedly fled into the United States, assumed a fictitious identity, and resided in a luxury residence in Riverside, California, purchased by CJNG’s money laundering operatives with drug trafficking proceeds.
According to court documents, El Mencho may have assisted Gutierrez-Ochoa in his scheme to fake his own death by telling associates that El Mencho murdered Gutierrez-Ochoa for lying. This helped Gutierrez-Ochoa sneak into the United States to be with El Mencho’s daughter. The Justice Department returned a superseding indictment against El Mencho in April 2022, charging him with leading a continuing criminal enterprise to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States. The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. El Mencho remains a fugitive.
Gutierrez-Ochoa is charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, knowing, intending, and having reasonable cause to believe that those controlled substances would be unlawfully imported into the United States. Gutierrez-Ochoa is also charged with conspiracy to launder CJNG’s drug trafficking proceeds. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison on the drug distribution conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the money laundering conspiracy charge. A federal district court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA Los Angeles Field Division is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Lernik Begian and Doug Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California provided valuable assistance.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Guatemalan National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging RAFAEL VINCENTE VINCENTE, also known as “Rafael Vicente Vicente,” “Vincente Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vincente,” “Carlos Vicente,” “Rafael A Vincente,” and “Rafael A Vicente,” 40, a citizen of Guatemala last residing in New London, with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
The indictment was returned on November 19, 2024, and Vincente was arrested today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven, entered a plea of not guilty to the charge, and was ordered detained.
As alleged in the indictment and statements made in court, Vincente was deported from the U.S. to Guatemala in July 2005 following convictions in Connecticut Superior Court for negligent homicide and evading responsibility for a motor vehicle accident resulting in death. Vincente subsequently reentered the U.S. and, on June 7, 2024, was arrested by Groton Town Police and charged with attempted commercial sexual abuse of a minor, attempted sexual assault in the second degree, and attempted risk of injury to a child.
If convicted of illegal reentry, Vincente faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
The state charges against Vincente are pending.
U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Gordon.