Latest Records
Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 19 November 2024
Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to File Employment Tax Returns and to Failing to Pay Employment TaxesRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on November 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman accepted the guilty plea of William S. Gallagher to one count of failure to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7202.
On October 22, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Gallagher with twelve counts of failure to truthfully account for and pay over employment taxes for each quarter in tax years 2018 through 2020. According to the indictment and plea agreement, Gallagher was the owner and manager of a swimming pool service and retail company in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
The company, H2O Wisconsin, LLC, or Poolblu, employed approximately 15 workers. Gallagher was required to withhold federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes from his employees’ wages, hold those amounts in trust, and pay them over to the IRS. Additionally, Gallagher was responsible for filing quarterly tax returns (Forms 941) reporting these amounts to the IRS.
Gallagher was further required to pay the employer’s matching portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes. For each quarter in tax years 2018 through 2020, Gallagher willfully failed to truthfully account for and pay over these taxes. Dating back to 2014, the loss to the IRS totaled over $606,000.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., before Judge Adelman. At sentencing, Gallagher faces up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. He also faces up to three years of supervised release after completing any period of imprisonment.
The IRS, Criminal Investigation Division, investigated the case, which Assistant United States Attorney John P. Scully is prosecuting.
# # #
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
414-297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Winslow Woman Sentenced for Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
BANGOR, Maine: A Winslow woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor for a wire fraud scheme.
U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann sentenced Sarah Nale, 49, to nine months in prison followed by nine months of home confinement and two years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay over $816,000 in restitution. Nale pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024.
According to court records, between March 2012 and September 2022, Nale stole $816,584.74 from two local businesses—a realty trust and a professional services firm—where she was the bookkeeper and sole employee. A large portion of the funds were stolen by writing checks from the realty trust to the professional firm, and then writing checks to herself from the professional firm. She would write large checks to herself for money she was not owed, but prepared a checkbook ledger that made the checks appear to have been made to legitimate vendors or for her usual salary.
The FBI and the Waterville Police Department investigated the case.
###
Windber Resident Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a MinorRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Windber, Pennsylvania, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Johnstown on charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.
The two-count Indictment named Paul A. Marone (Jr.), 45, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, from in and around January 2024 to in and around July 2024, Marone received and attempted to receive images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct using materials that were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. The Indictment further alleges that, during that same time period, Marone coerced and enticed a minor.
The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.
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 resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
West Virginia Doctor Guilty of Tax FraudRead the Press Release
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - A Wheeling, West Virginia, physician was convicted today of failing to pay nearly $2.5 million in payroll taxes, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
A federal jury found Nitesh Ratnakar, age 48, guilty of 41 counts of tax fraud. Ratnakar owned and operated a gastroenterology practice and a medical equipment manufacturer in Elkins, West Virginia. Jurors heard testimony that he withheld payroll taxes from his employees’ paychecks and failed to make $2,419,560 in required payments to the Internal Revenue Service. Ratnakar also filed false tax returns in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Ratnakar is facing up to five years in prison for each of the first 38 tax fraud counts and up to three years for the remaining tax fraud counts. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod Douglas and Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
Washington man sentenced to seven years in prison for trafficking meth, fentanyl on Flathead Indian ReservationRead the Press Release
MISSOULA — A Washington man who was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl on the Flathead Indian Reservation after law enforcement found more than 5,000 fentanyl pills and meth in his car was sentenced today to seven years in prison, to be followed by seven years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Michael Davis Bryant, 48, of Spokane, Washington, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that the Northwest Drug Task Force was investigating meth and fentanyl distribution on the Flathead Reservation in 2021 and identified Bryant as a source of the drugs brought into Montana for distribution. In January 2022, agents with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a controlled purchase in Spokane, Washington, of 1,000 fentanyl pills from Bryant. Later that month, law enforcement tracked Bryant to the Flathead Reservation. Law enforcement learned Bryant was in a house and had a large quantity of fentanyl pills he was trying to sell. Bryant fled when law enforcement attempted to contact him. Officers searched Bryan’s car and located 5,636 fentanyl pills, a large quantity of meth and several scales. Bryant was arrested the next day on an outstanding federal warrant. He had a key to his vehicle on a lanyard around his neck.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Northwest Drug Task Force, Flathead Tribal Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, BIA and DEA conducted the investigation.
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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
XXX
Utah Sales Agent Admits to Defrauding Clients of More than $4.9MRead the Press Release
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah County man pleaded guilty to securities fraud after admitting he lied to investors and fraudulently sold investment contracts, which are securities, without a license, to approximately 130 clients, through Utah company Alpha Influence, LLC.
According to court documents and admissions made at the change of plea hearing, from March 2020 to June 2022, Kole Glen Brimhall, 27, of Orem, Utah, fraudulently sold investments in e-commerce stores through Alpha Influence, LLC., a registered Utah corporation. Brimhall was not licensed to offer and sell securities, but as part of the scheme, Brimhall sold the e-commerce stores to purchasers as a passive investment and promised that the stores would make consistent, predictable, monthly returns. Brimhall failed to disclose that the majority of the invested funds went directly to Alpha Influence, LLC and then were distributed to sales agents, including himself, for commissions, and only a small portion was sent to the servicer of the investors’ stores.
Brimhall is scheduled to be sentenced March 24, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Utah Division of Securities and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Woolf, Brian Williams, and Ruth Hackford-Peer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
Upstate New York Resident and Bangladeshi National Charged with Digital Streaming Piracy SchemeRead the Press Release
Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Noor Nabi Chowdhury and his brother, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, with conspiracy to provide to the public an illicit digital transmission service; providing an illicit digital transmission service; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from the defendants’ operation of 247TVStream, an online subscription-based service that permitted users to stream copyrighted content, such as live sports programming and television shows, without the permission of the relevant copyright owners. Chowdhury was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Rahman remains at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Criminal Division and William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, announced the arrest and indictment.
“As alleged, the defendants operated a bootleg online streaming service that distributed copyrighted television programs that they stole for their personal enrichment,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “My Office and the Department of Justice are committed to protecting the rights of intellectual property holders from digital pirates like these defendants.”
Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Surrey and City of London Police, United Kingdom, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Fiscale Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst, Netherlands, and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their assistance.
“According to the indictment, Chowdhury and Rahman ran an illicit digital streaming site that infringed upon more than a hundred million dollars of intellectual property owned by legitimate copyright owners,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the work of our prosecutors, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, the illicit digital streaming site no longer exists, and Chowdhury is in custody. These actions demonstrate the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting intellectual property rights by vigorously enforcing the laws against illicit digital transmission services.”
“Noor Nabi Chowdhury and Mohammad Rahman are accused of committing copyright infringement to the tune of over $100 million. As alleged and in furtherance of their criminal scheme, the defendants stole an unsuspecting victim’s identity to exploit major American businesses, in pursuit of illicit wealth,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Walker. “HSI New York proudly stands alongside our law enforcement and private sector partners, both domestic and abroad, to thwart criminal organizations who seek to financially capitalize on their wrongdoing.”
As alleged, between approximately May 2017 and November 2024, the defendants operated 247TVStream, a service that provided online video and sports streaming services. For a subscription fee of as little as $10 per month, 247TVStream enabled its subscribers to view live television and sports programming on their internet-connected devices. However, unlike legitimate streaming services, 247TVStream had not licensed the right to access those programs from the platforms on which they were legitimately offered.
The estimated economic harm caused by 247TVStream to television program copyright owners, as well as licensed streaming services, is more than $100 million.
In connection with this case, a seizure order was executed against website domain names used by Chowdhury and Rahman to operate 247TVStream. The seizure of these domains by the government will prevent the use of these sites to operate 247TVStream.
Individuals, including subscribers, visiting those sites will now see messages indicating that the sites have been seized by the federal government. In addition, in coordination with international law enforcement partners to enforce criminal copyright laws, Dutch and U.K. partners have seized the servers hosting a portion of the 247TVStream infrastructure.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Chowdhury and Rahman each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to provide the digital transmission service; three years in prison on providing the digital transmission service; 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and a mandatory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, to run consecutive to the other sentences.
The HSI New York Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the HSI Buffalo Field Office and their Attaché Offices in Ottawa, The Hague and London.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Schuman is prosecuting the case with Trial Attorneys Vasantha Rao and Jeff Pearlman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
The Defendants:
NOOR NABI CHOWDHURY
Age: 56
Cheektowaga, New YorkMOHAMMAD MAHMUDUR RAHMAN
Age: 36
Dhaka, BangladeshE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-CR-466 (MKB)
24-cr-466_-_indictment.pdfU.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas and Eastern District of Texas Announce Former Cartel Del Noreste Leader Pleads Guilty to 15 Counts and Faces up to Life in Federal PrisonRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – Juan Gerardo Trevino-Chavez aka Huevo pleaded guilty in a federal court in San Antonio today to 15 counts related to his involvement in drug trafficking throughout Mexico and the United States.
Trevino-Chavez, 42, was identified as the leader of the Cartel del Noreste drug cartel (CDN), the successor cartel to Los Zetas Cartel. Trevino-Chavez was identified as the head of CDN from September 2016 until his arrest in March 2022. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to all 11 counts in an indictment filed in the Western District of Texas, including one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana; one count of conspiracy to import marijuana; one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to employ a person under 18 in drug operations; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; one count of conspiracy to import cocaine; one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; one count of possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and one count of money laundering.
Trevino-Chavez additionally pleaded guilty to the four counts charged in an indictment filed in the Eastern District of Texas. In that district, he was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of continuing criminal enterprise, one count of smuggling goods from the United States, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Trevino-Chavez is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2025 and faces up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This prosecution included significant contributions from Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
This case resulted from the work of multiple Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
###
U.S. Attorney Announces Significant Cases from New Interagency Environmental Task Force to Protect Public Health and SafetyRead the Press Release
Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the creation of a new, interagency Environmental Task Force to protect public health and safety, to ensure that everyone enjoys equal protection from environmental and health hazards, and to combat criminal conspiracies that attempt to profit from pollution.
“Strong and fair enforcement of environmental and public health laws supports a thriving community for all families,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Environmental and financial crimes are often linked, when individuals and businesses seek to profit by evading laws designed to protect our air, water, and land,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Our Environmental Task Force brings key stakeholders together to focus on enforcement that matters the most to our community.”
On March 28, 2024, U.S. Attorney Waldref and her team, working with law enforcement agencies as well as federal, state, and local partners launched the Environmental Task Force. The Task Force leverages partnerships between local, state, and federal agencies to effectively investigate and prosecute environmental crimes and cases that impact our public health and safety. The Task Force consists of agency representatives from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office’s Environmental Protection Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Criminal Investigation Division, EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG), EPA Region 10, Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce OIG, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) OIG, Department of Energy (DOE) OIG, Washington State Department of Ecology, U.S. Department of the Interior OIG, U.S. Forest Service, United States Park Police, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), IRS-Criminal Investigations, Spokane Clean Air Agency, the Benton Clean Air Agency, and others.
“I am grateful for the large number of federal, state, and local partners that have joined with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the critical mission of securing public health and environmental protection for all communities,” continued U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Working together, we can protect our natural resources to ensure a healthy, high quality of life and make our region safe and strong.”
Significant environmental protection cases filed or pending in the Eastern District of Washington include:
- In November 2024, four business owners and five companies were federally indicted for smuggling and illegally importing tens of millions of dollars in emission defeat devices from Canada into Eastern Washington. As alleged in the indictment, these illegal devices were sold and distributed to customers throughout the United States, resulting in defendants receiving more than 74 million dollars in revenue through their online sales.
- In October 2024, a Florida business owner, who created and sold illegal software designed to defeat and disable emission controls on diesel trucks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.
- In October 2024, the Department of Justice filed a complaint against a utility company to recover response costs and damages for destroying cultural resources, including archaeological features and Tribal artifacts, when replacing a power pole in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. United States v. Avista Corporation, 2:24-cv-00358.
- In June 2024, the Department of Justice and EPA filed a lawsuit under the Safe Drinking Water Act against several Lower Yakima Valley dairies for manure practices that endanger neighboring residents who rely on private wells for drinking water. The complaint and July 2024 motion for preliminary injunction alleges the dairies failed to adequately control nitrate contamination from their operations. High levels of nitrate in drinking water can be harmful, especially for infants, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions. The injunctive relief was sought to immediately protect downgradient community members with nitrate contaminated well water by requiring the dairies to test the wells and provide alternative drinking water.
- In May 2024, two men and their companies were indicted for a scheme to tamper with pollution control systems in violation of the Clean Air Act.
- In January 2024, the United States filed a complaint in federal district court alleging a government contractor, responsible for fire protection at the Hanford site, was involved in fraudulent overcharging and failed to complete critical fire protection work necessary to protect the public, workers at the site, and the environment from fire hazards.
- In June 2023, a business-owner was sentenced for criminal violations of the Clean Air Act in connection with improper handling and disposal of asbestos-containing material, and for lying to federal and state regulators, resulting in potential exposure to workers and the public.
- In September 2022, a Grand Jury indicted a Yakima-area juice manufacturing company and its owner for violating FDA regulations that resulted in improper levels of arsenic, patulin, and other environmental and health hazards into fruit juice sold to school lunch programs.
As part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office commitment to effective and responsive environmental enforcement, U.S. Attorney Waldref frequently speaks to community leaders and members about pressing public health and safety concerns in Eastern Washington.
In February of 2024, the Office held an Environmental Justice listening session in Spokane with community leaders engaged in conservation, public health and environmental remediation work. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Network and Gonzaga University’s Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment shared information about accessing funding to support environmental protection. Members of the community highlighted concerns and priority areas to ensure compliance and enforcement to protect the environment and the health and safety of our residents.
In April of 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office; Gonzaga University’s Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment; and the Gonzaga Law School; celebrated the anniversary of Expo ’74 by co-hosting a conference that included panels focusing on protecting the Spokane River and environmental enforcement. Tribal leaders, community advocates, and state and federal enforcement authorities, discussed how to work together more effectively to prioritize public health and safety.
“I am proud to raise my family in a place where we enjoy the great outdoors and appreciate the beauty of our mountains, trees, lakes, and rivers. Indigenous people first lived on these lands, cultivating these resources for future generations,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We work closely with Tribal leaders and law enforcement to protect Tribal Homelands from harm and criminal conduct.”
In June of 2024, U.S Attorney Waldref took part in the Lands Council Legislative Summit. In her remarks, U.S. Attorney Waldref spoke about the successes in environmental protection in the 50 years since Expo ’74, as well as the ongoing environmental challenges facing the region and the Environmental Task Force’s coordinated efforts to keep our community healthy and safe.
In August of 2024, the Environmental Task Force held a meeting in Spokane to discuss ongoing environmental protection efforts and developed plans to increase and improve collaboration to support cleaner and healthier air quality.
Since 2022, U.S. Attorney Waldref has chaired the Environmental Justice & Environmental Issues Subcommittee for the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, where she provides critical insight to Department of Justice leadership on the prosecution and litigation of environmental and public health matters throughout the United States. In this role, she has been a leader in training Department of Justice attorneys to identify the nexus between financial and environmental crimes and violations and hold companies accountable who seek to profit from pollution and evade laws designed to protect vulnerable members of the community. U.S. Attorney Waldref and her team are committed to protecting and improving the public’s well-being, health, and safety, now and into the future.
Community members who have environmental concerns can share with them with the U.S. Attorney’s Office by emailing [email protected]. To submit a concern by telephone, please call (509) 835-6306.
Two men admit to transporting undocumented individuals in stolen pickup trucksRead the Press Release
LAREDO, Texas – A Texan and a Mexican national have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Juan Daniel Saldaña, 30, San Antonio, and Noe Alonso Moreno-Alvarez, 23, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.
On Sept. 13, law enforcement patrolling near Bruni observed two pickup trucks driving in tandem in high speed on FM Road 205. Saldana and Moreno-Alvarez were the respective drivers and were transporting several undocumented individuals in the stolen vehicles.
Attempting to evade authorities, both men crashed through a ranch fence. Saldana stopped after he collided into a tree and fled with his girlfriend. Moreno-Alvarez kept driving until he stopped some distance from the other truck.
The next day, law enforcement found and arrested both men as well as the illegally present individuals. Saldaña and Moreno-Alvarez admitted to driving through private ranches in attempts to circumvent a Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint. Saldaña used bolt and wire cutters to gain access to the ranches and expected to receive payment from smugglers in Mexico.
Saldaña admitted he worked for the alien smuggling organization for some time.
Moreno-Alvarez said he entered the United States illegally a few months ago and agreed to transport undocumented migrants to work off his smuggling fee. He drove the lead vehicle, but after abandoning the truck, he joined the group of migrants in an attempt avoid arrest. However, Saldaña and the others identified him as a driver.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, the men face up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Saldana and Moreno-Alvarez have been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Webb County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.
Two Former West Virginia Corrections Officers Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charge Following Death of an InmateRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Two former corrections officers from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, pleaded guilty for their roles in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Johnathan Walters pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil rights which resulted in the death of Q.B. Corey Snyder pleaded guilty today to the same offense.
According to court documents filed in connection with the guilty pleas, Snyder responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. When Snyder arrived, officers were using force to restrain and handcuff Q.B. Snyder also began using force, including putting his arm around Q.B.’s neck and taking him to the floor. Snyder and other officers then conspired to violate Q.B.’s civil rights by unlawfully punishing Q.B. to retaliate against him for his attempt to leave the pod. As a part of that conspiracy, officers brought Q.B. to an interview room, where Walters joined them. In the interview room, the officers used unreasonable force against Q.B. Specifically, officers struck Q.B. in the head multiple times, kicked, knee-struck, pulled and twisted Q.B.’s finger and sprayed Q.B. with O.C. spray, all while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone.
After the unreasonable use of force in the interview room, officers transported Q.B. to A-Pod. During the transport to A-Pod, Q.B. became limp and was unable to walk on his own. Officers then carried Q.B. by his arms and legs down the hallway to A-Pod. Walters carried Q.B. by one of his arms, leading his co-conspirators and Q.B. to the pod. At the door to A-Pod, Walters admitted to using unjustified force by swinging Q.B.’s head into the metal door and using the force from Q.B.’s head to push open the door.
Snyder and Walters each further admitted knowing that the interview room to which officers brought Q.B. was a “blind spot” at the jail — meaning, there were no surveillance cameras to record what happened inside the room. Each also admitted to being aware that, prior to the assault of Q.B. on March 1, 2022, officers brought inmates and pretrial detainees who had engaged in misconduct to “blind spots” in the jail, where officers would use unreasonable force without being captured on video.
According to their plea agreements, Snyder and Walters each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Snyder and Walters are two of six former correctional officers indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023 in connection with the death of Q.B. Three of those six defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B. On Aug. 8, 2023, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to violating Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene when other officers used unreasonable force. On Nov. 13, Mark Holdren pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil rights which resulted in the death of Q.B. Sentencing hearings for Boothe, Toney and Holdren are scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025.
Trial for the remaining defendant is scheduled for Dec. 10. The remaining defendant faces charges related to the cover-up of the unreasonable uses of force which caused bodily injury to and the death of Q.B.
Prior to the indictment, on Nov. 2, 2023, former Southern Regional Jail correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman each separately pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to use unreasonable force against Q.B in connection with this incident. Sentencing hearings for Wimmer and Fleshman are scheduled for Feb. 7, 2025.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Kevin P. Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, Charleston Resident Agency, is investigating the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
###
Two Former West Virginia Corrections Officers Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charge Following Death of an InmateRead the Press Release
Two former corrections officers from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, pleaded guilty for their roles in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Johnathan Walters pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil rights which resulted in the death of Q.B. Corey Snyder pleaded guilty today to the same offense.
According to court documents filed in connection with the guilty pleas, Snyder responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. When Snyder arrived, officers were using force to restrain and handcuff Q.B. Snyder also began using force, including putting his arm around Q.B.’s neck and taking him to the floor. Snyder and other officers then conspired to violate Q.B.’s civil rights by unlawfully punishing Q.B. to retaliate against him for his attempt to leave the pod. As a part of that conspiracy, officers brought Q.B. to an interview room, where Walters joined them. In the interview room, the officers used unreasonable force against Q.B. Specifically, officers struck Q.B. in the head multiple times, kicked, knee-struck, pulled and twisted Q.B.’s finger and sprayed Q.B. with O.C. spray, all while Q.B. was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone.
After the unreasonable use of force in the interview room, officers transported Q.B. to A-Pod. During the transport to A-Pod, Q.B. became limp and was unable to walk on his own. Officers then carried Q.B. by his arms and legs down the hallway to A-Pod. Walters carried Q.B. by one of his arms, leading his co-conspirators and Q.B. to the pod. At the door to A-Pod, Walters admitted to using unjustified force by swinging Q.B.’s head into the metal door and using the force from Q.B.’s head to push open the door.
Snyder and Walters each further admitted knowing that the interview room to which officers brought Q.B. was a “blind spot” at the jail — meaning, there were no surveillance cameras to record what happened inside the room. Each also admitted to being aware that, prior to the assault of Q.B. on March 1, 2022, officers brought inmates and pretrial detainees who had engaged in misconduct to “blind spots” in the jail, where officers would use unreasonable force without being captured on video.
According to their plea agreements, Snyder and Walters each face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Snyder and Walters are two of six former correctional officers indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023 in connection with the death of Q.B. Three of those six defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B. On Aug. 8, 2023, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each pleaded guilty to violating Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene when other officers used unreasonable force. On Nov. 13, Mark Holdren pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to violate inmate Q.B.’s civil rights which resulted in the death of Q.B. Sentencing hearings for Boothe, Toney and Holdren are scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025.
Trial for the remaining defendant is scheduled for Dec. 10. The remaining defendant faces charges related to the cover-up of the unreasonable uses of force which caused bodily injury to and the death of Q.B.
Prior to the indictment, on Nov. 2, 2023, former Southern Regional Jail correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman each separately pleaded guilty to conspiring with other officers to use unreasonable force against Q.B in connection with this incident. Sentencing hearings for Wimmer and Fleshman are scheduled for Feb. 7, 2025.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia and Special Agent in Charge Kevin P. Rojek of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office, Charleston Resident Agency, is investigating the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson for the Southern District of West Virginia are prosecuting the case.
Tuskahoma Resident Sentenced for Federal Firearm CrimeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Russell Richard Fincher, age 53, of Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, was sentenced to three years’ probation for selling ammunition to a prohibited person.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On May 17, 2024, Fincher pleaded guilty to one count of Selling Ammunition to Prohibited Persons. According to investigators, on May 5, 2023, Fincher knowingly sold 60 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition to an individual he had reason to believe was a felon. Fincher also unlawfully engaged in the business of dealing in firearms without a license between February 2021 and June 2023.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter represented the United States.
Tucson Man Sentenced to 77 Months for Importing MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
TUCSON, Ariz. – Slone Kelly, 29, of Tucson, was sentenced on November 7, 2024, by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 77 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. Kelly pleaded guilty to Importation of Methamphetamine on May 1, 2024.
On August 14, 2023, Kelly presented himself for inspection at the Port of Entry in Lukeville, Arizona, driving a 2008 Mercedes-Benz. Kelly told Customs and Border Protection officers that he was returning to Phoenix after attending a wedding in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico. During the inspection, x-ray detection observed anomalies inside the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and discovered a total of 50 packages of methamphetamine, weighing over 24 kilograms, and 29 packages of fentanyl, weighing over 11 kilograms, concealed inside.
Homeland Security Investigations - Sells Office, conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan N. Wesley, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR 23-01410-TUC-SHR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-157_Kelly# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Three Sacramento Men Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Pill TraffickingRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30; Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 27; and Jose Luis Aguilar Saucedo, 28, all of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to fentanyl trafficking and related crimes, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Lopez-Zamora was the leader of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization. From at least May 2019 until January 2021, the organization was responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico and distributing them in northern California and elsewhere. The group also distributed cocaine and methamphetamine. Sotelo Valdez was fentanyl pill distributor for the organization. Aguilar Saucedo sold hundreds of fentanyl pills on each of three separate occasions in March, April, and July 2020.
Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Lopez-Zamora also pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of conspiracy to launder money. Sotelo Valdez also pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Aguilar Saucedo pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of fentanyl.
Eight other co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and seven have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 27 months to over 10 years. Co-defendant Alejandro Tello is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025.
Charges are pending against the following defendants: Rosario Zamora Rojo, Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force (NET 5), the California Highway Patrol, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Manteca Police Department, the Yuba City Police Department, and the West Sacramento Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Mexican authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora to the United States from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.
Lopez-Zamora, Sotelo Valdez, and Aguilar Saucedo are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 10, 2025. Lopez-Zamora and Sotelo Valdez face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Aguilar Saucedo faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Three Men Convicted on Drug ChargesRead the Press Release
ANNISTON, Ala. – A federal jury has convicted a Tuscaloosa man on drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Hofer.
The jury returned a guilty verdict against Hanston Alexander Clark, 33, of Tuscaloosa, after two days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze. Clark was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2023, Clark used a telephone to exchange calls and text messages with his co-defendant to arrange a drug transaction. On June 29, 2023, Clark drove to Anniston, Alabama, and delivered three pounds of methamphetamine and one hundred grams of fentanyl to his co-defendant.
Two other defendants, Terrance Antwon Stevens, 41, and Yannick Keyon Wolf, 35, both of Anniston, Alabama, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Stevens also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and use of a communication facility in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational organized crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.
The DEA and ATF investigated the case along with the Oxford Police Department and 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Byrd and Alan Kirk are prosecuting the case.
Thirteen Individuals Indicted in Cross-State Drug Trafficking Conspiracy that Used Social Media Apps to Facilitate Drug Distribution and Guns for DrugsRead the Press Release
CONCORD – An indictment has been unsealed charging thirteen defendants in connection with a cross-border drug trafficking conspiracy that used social media messaging apps to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and traded firearms for drugs, U.S Attorney Jane Young announces.
According to court documents, over the course of two days last week, law enforcement officers arrested six of these defendants in New Hampshire and Maine on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Four of the defendants are in state custody in Maine and New Hampshire on unrelated charges. Three defendants have yet to be arrested.
In October 2023, law enforcement received information about a drug distributor based in Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts, who conducted high-volume narcotics deals via cell phone text messages and a social media messaging app. During the investigation, law enforcement identified several phone numbers and two social media accounts controlled by members of the drug trafficking organization (DTO). Both social media account profiles said they lived in New Hampshire and Maine, implicitly targeting clientele and secondary sources of narcotics supply in those areas.
From November 9, 2023 to March 7, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted eight purchases of fentanyl, mostly arranged by one of the DTO’s social media accounts. These purchases ranged from 97 to 496 grams of fentanyl. A DTO runner would typically conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction within Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts. All parties involved understood the purchaser was based in New Hampshire and that the narcotics were intended for redistribution in New Hampshire. During the investigation, law enforcement also searched premises used by the DTO to store and package various amounts of narcotics. Law enforcement seized more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl, 250 grams of methamphetamine, and 28 grams of cocaine during these searches.
During the investigation, agents also executed a search warrant on the social media platform servers for the historical records associated with the DTO account that was used to arrange the undercover purchases, and similarly executed a search warrant for the contents of a cell phone that was seized during the enforcement actions. An analysis of these communications indicates that members of the DTO used two different social media accounts and corresponding messaging apps, as well as traditional text messaging, to arrange drug transactions in the Lowell neighborhood where the undercover purchases occurred. These transactions occurred over the course of one year, from April 2023 to April 2024, and involved an estimated total of at least 20 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of methamphetamine, and 200 grams of cocaine, the vast majority of which were sold to dealers based in New Hampshire and Maine for redistribution in their respective drug markets. In addition, six charged conspirators sought to trade firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and handguns for narcotics.
The following defendants have been indicted in connection with this drug trafficking operation:
- Pedro Miguel Ravelo Guzman, 31, of Lowell, Massachusetts. Guzman has not yet been arrested.
- Jacob D. King, 41, of Milton, New Hampshire. King is in federal custody.
- Riley J. Paletta, 26, of Hudson, New Hampshire. Paletta was released on pretrial supervision.
- Amanda E. Camera a/k/a Amanda E. Douglass, 39, of Fairfield, Maine. Camera is in Maine state custody on unrelated charges.
- Benjamin M. Fields, 41, of Laconia, New Hampshire. Fields is in New Hampshire state custody on unrelated charges.
- John N. Titus, 35, of Farmington, New Hampshire. Titus is in federal custody.
- Christian F. Gerlach, 52, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Gerlach is in New Hampshire state custody on unrelated charges.
- Moses J. Losuk, 28, of Portland, Maine. Losuk is in Maine state custody on unrelated charges.
- Timothy E. Boston a/k/a Timothy Earl Boston II, 38, of Nashua, New Hampshire. Boston is in federal custody.
- Robert A. Arrington, 38, of Bangor, Maine. Arrington has not yet been arrested.
- Robert W. Whiteside Jr., 46, of Exeter, New Hampshire. Whiteside is in federal custody.
- William L. Wheelock, 34, of Windham, Maine. Wheelock has not yet been arrested.
- Alexander L. Wilson, 38, of Belfast, Maine. Wilson is in federal custody.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Jacob D. King, Amanda E. Camera a/k/a Amanda E. Douglass, and Benjamin M. Fields are facing mandatory minimum penalties of 5 years in imprisonment, based on their involvement in the conspiracy. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. The Hudson Police Department, the Bedford Police Department, the Nashua Police Department, the Manchester Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Strafford County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vega is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
###
Teen Pleads Guilty in Two November 2023 CarjackingsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Devonta Lynch, 18, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in Superior Court to armed carjacking in relation to a November 29, 2023 offense, robbery in relation to a November 12, 2023 offense, and carrying a pistol without a license on November 12, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro scheduled sentencing for December 5, 2025.
According to the Government’s evidence, Lynch and an accomplice carjacked an off-duty federal agent at gunpoint on November 29, 2023, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Northeast, D.C. The perpetrators knocked the victim to the ground next to their vehicle, pointed a firearm at them, demanded their keys, and then drove off in their vehicle.
Additionally, about two weeks earlier, the defendant and two accomplices robbed a rideshare driver at gunpoint in the Benning Ridge neighborhood of Southeast, D.C. The perpetrators struck the victim in the head, pointed two firearms at him, demanded his phone, wallet, and keys, took the victims’ wallet out of his pocket, and then drove off in the victim’s vehicle.
This case was investigated by the MPD Carjacking Task Force and the FBI Washington Field Office's Violent Crimes Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Bromwich and Anthony Cocuzza.
Tampa Man Indicted for Possessing Firearm and Ammunition as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Shannon Pernell Brown (39, Tampa) with possessing a firearm or ammunition as a convicted felon. If convicted, Brown faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The indictment also notifies Brown that the United States intends to forfeit a Glock firearm and ammunition used in the commission of the offense.
According to the indictment, on August 31, 2024, Brown was in possession of a Glock firearm and ammunition. Prior to possessing the firearm and ammunition, Brown had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, including conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, trafficking in cocaine, and possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case is part of the 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 for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
Syrian National Charged with Diverting $9 Million in U.S.-funded Humanitarian Assistance to a Terrorist Organization Affiliated with Al-QaidaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mahmoud Al Hafyan, 53, a Syrian national, has been charged in a 12-count indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, alleging major fraud against the United States for illegally diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid intended for Syrian civilians to armed combatant groups, including the Al-Nusrah Front (ANF), which is a designated foreign terrorist organization affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jason Donnelly of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID-OIG), and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division.
“This defendant not only defrauded the U.S. government, but he also gave the humanitarian aid he stole to a foreign terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “While this foreign terrorist organization fought with the cruel al-Assad regime, the people who were supposed to receive the aid suffered. This office has a history of pursuing criminals around the globe, no matter how many years it takes, and will do all it can to ensure that Mahmoud Al Hafyan is held accountable for these crimes.”
“USAID OIG works tirelessly to ensure that US-funded humanitarian assistance does not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations,” said Donnelly of USAID-OIG. “We will continue to work with the Department of Justice and law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who compromise USAID programs for vulnerable populations around the world.”
“The FBI’s number one priority is to fight terrorism, including identifying and investigating individuals who are enabling terrorist activities through financial support,” said Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division. “Al Hafyan diverted millions of dollars in USAID funding to support the terrorist organization Al-Nusrah Front, as well as to line his own pockets. Not only was Al Hafyan supporting violent terrorists, but he was stealing money from the U.S. government that was meant for humanitarian efforts. This public indictment is the culmination of years of work, and I want to thank our partners, specifically USAID OIG, for their work with this investigation.”
According to the indictment, Al Hafyan, aka Abu Abdo Al-Homsi, was the head of a non-governmental organization (NGO-1) in the NGO’s regional office in Syria. Al Hafyan managed 160 NGO-1 employees.
Syria has been involved in a civil war since 2011 that resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Through USAID, the U.S. Government spent more than $12 billion until 2020 to aid Syrian civilians affected by the war. USAID-funded humanitarian assistance programs are administered by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations. The funding in this case was intended for food and medical supplies.
USAID awarded $122 million to NGO-1 between January 2015 through November 2018. That money was intended for food kits for conflict-affected Syrian refugees. Along with at least two co-conspirators, Al Hafyan directed food kits valued at millions of dollars to commanders leading ANF. ANF’s primary objective was the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. ANF was notorious for the atrocities it committed and publicly took responsibility for conducting mass executions of civilians, suicide bombings, and kidnappings.
Al Hafyan sold the kits on the black market to the ANF commanders for his personal benefit. Al Hafyan and his coconspirators falsified beneficiary logs and inflated the number of food kits received by war-affected families in the Syrian villages of Bweiti, Lof, Mazratt-Shoukh, and Salamin to fraudulently make it appear that NGO-1 was dispersing the kits according to NGO-1’s guidelines.
The case represents one of the most significant diversions of USAID-funded humanitarian aid that USAID-OIG has investigated.
The case was investigated by USAID-OIG and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Seifert, Alexandra Hughes, and Jack Korba of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
alhafyan_20cr274_affidavit_in_support_redacted.pdfSouthern District of Mississippi Prosecutors Charge 13% More Cases During Fiscal Year 2024 Due to the Success of the Project Safe Neighborhoods ProgramRead the Press Release
Jackson, Miss. – United States Attorney Todd W. Gee announced today the results of efforts to increase federal prosecutions of violent criminals, narcotics traffickers and others during fiscal year 2024. Specifically, during fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023, and ended on September 30, 2024, prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi charged approximately 315 cases, an increase of approximately 13% over the prior fiscal year, and approximately 451 defendants, an increase of approximately 28% over the prior fiscal year.
This increase in prosecutions is due, in part, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies 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.
As part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s PSN program, federal prosecutors meet regularly with law enforcement agencies and other partners in Jackson, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, and elsewhere in order to review local arrests that may be suitable for prosecution in federal court, discuss efforts to investigate and prosecute violent offenders, and take other steps to reduce violent crime.
In addition to increasing the overall number of cases and defendants charged in fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s PSN program helped increase the number of firearms-related cases filed by approximately 21%, and tripled the number of cases filed involving illegal machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), commonly known as “switches” or “auto sears,” which convert semi-automatic handguns and other firearms into fully automatic weapons (i.e., machineguns) in a matter of seconds.
“Our office is working hard with federal, state, and local partners to reduce violent crime, narcotics trafficking and other criminal activity throughout the Southern District of Mississippi,” said U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee. “Violent criminals and drug traffickers need to get the message: move on to other careers, or get ready to spend a large portion of your life in federal prison.”
Some of the case highlights from the PSN program and other violent crime and narcotics trafficking prosecutions in fiscal year 2024 include the following:
U.S. v. Kylin Russell
A video went viral in early 2024 in the Jackson, Mississippi area that showed a young man repeatedly firing a high caliber weapon from the window of a car towards another car at a very busy intersection in broad daylight. Weeks later, on February 9, 2024, a driver of that same car, Kylin Russell, evaded a roadblock and led officers with Capitol Police on a high-speed chase exceeding speeds of 120 miles per hour and lasting over 10 minutes. At the conclusion of the chase, he ran from police until he was caught. He discarded an AR-style firearm as he ran, and after he was detained, two handguns equipped with machine gun conversion devices (MCDs), also known as “switches,” were recovered from his vehicle. Russell pled guilty to firearms offenses and was sentenced to two years in prison.
U.S. v. Rosendo Gonzalez Mora, et. al.
In July 2024, five individuals with ties to Mexico pled guilty to felony offenses related to drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and immigration offenses as a result of a law enforcement investigation involving sales of cocaine in Mississippi to purchase firearms and machine gun conversion devices for delivery to Mexico.
U.S. v. Johnny Ragsdale
On November 23, 2023, Johnny Ragsdale was found in possession of an illegal machinegun after an attempted traffic stop on a vehicle he was driving in Jackson. Ragsdale failed to yield to law enforcement and led Capitol Police on a high-speed chase. The chase ended after Ragsdale collided with a train car on Mill Street. A Glock pistol was recovered from the vehicle, and a machinegun conversion device (MCD), also known as a “switch,” was attached to the pistol. Ragsdale pled guilty to illegal possession of a machinegun and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. v. Damonik Shemikal Robinson
On January 2, 2024, Damonik Shemikal Robinson was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by Capitol Police for a traffic offense. Four firearms were in the vehicle, including three with attached machinegun conversion devices (MCD), also known as “switches.” Robinson admitted to owning one of two Glocks with an attached MCD that was recovered from the center console. Robinson pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to five years in prison.
U.S. v. Marcus Powell et al.
In January 2024, over forty people in the Meridian area were charged in ten separate indictments with drug trafficking crimes, including distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine and other illegal drugs.
U.S. v. Jarvis Jermaine Hampton
On January 12, 2024, law enforcement officers discovered methamphetamine, a machinegun, and a pill press in the Meridian residence of Jarvis Jermaine Hampton. He pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. v. Ernest Quintez Clark
On October 20, 2023, Ernest Quintez Clark, a convicted felon, possessed a firearm while attending a football game at Meridian High School. Clark had been previously convicted of aggravated assault in Louisiana. He pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
U.S. v. Frederick Leshun Jones
On November 28, 2023, Frederick Jones, a convicted felon, was found in possession of three firearms when members of the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force went to his Meridian home to serve an outstanding arrest warrant. Jones pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. v. Koda Tye Williamson
On March 5, 2024, Koda Tye Williamson, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence in Simpson County. Williamson had previous convictions for manslaughter and methamphetamine possession. He pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and is awaiting sentencing.
U.S. v. Russell David Parker
On March 9, 2024, Russell David Parker, a convicted felon, was found in possession of a firearm during a traffic stop in Stone County. He pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and is awaiting sentencing.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
South L.A. Man Found Guilty of Valentine’s Day Armed Robbery of Armored Truck in Hawthorne in Which Firearm Was DischargedRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – A South Los Angeles man was found guilty by a jury today of the armed robbery of an armored truck in Hawthorne on St. Valentine’s Day in 2022, a heist in which more than $166,000 in cash and customer checks were stolen and a firearm was discharged after the truck’s driver was held on the ground at gunpoint.
Deneyvous Hobson, 38, of the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
“Our community will not accept violent gun crime and armed and violent felons will be held accountable,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “I commend our prosecutors and our federal and local law enforcement partners for bringing this defendant to justice. With Operation Safe Cities, we will remain vigilant in protecting the public from gun violence.”
According to evidence presented at a six-day trial, Hobson and co-defendant James Russell Davis, 36, also of the West Adams neighborhood of South Los Angeles, on February 14, 2022, robbed a Sectran Security Services armored truck by ambushing the truck’s driver after the driver had finished servicing an ATM.
Three weeks prior to the robbery, Hobson and Davis cased the Wescom Credit Union in Hawthorne and observed a Sectran driver serving an ATM. During and before the robbery, Davis acted as a lookout and performed countersurveillance nearby.
On February 14, 2022, at approximately the same time in the morning as their casing three weeks earlier, Hobson, traveling in a separate car from Davis, arrived at the credit union while the victim – identified in court documents as “J.G.” – was servicing the credit union’s ATMs.
Hobson and two other co-conspirators got out of their white Honda Accord, approached the victim, ordered him to the ground at gunpoint, and took J.G.’s service weapon, a .40-caliber handgun. Hobson and two co-conspirators stole approximately $166,640 in cash and checks from the Wescom Credit Union’s ATM. As Hobson and two accomplices returned to their car, one of the co-conspirators fired the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he was carrying. They then fled the scene.
The next day, Hobson attempted to sell for $800 via text the 9mm semi-automatic handgun he carried at the robbery, stating that the weapon was “not all the way bad it was just shot doing a get down,” according to court documents.
In October 2022, Hobson illegally possessed a 9mm pistol and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Hobson was not permitted to possess the firearm or ammunition because his criminal history includes felony convictions in 2003 in Los Angeles Superior Court for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled an April 18, 2025, sentencing hearing, at which time Hobson will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hobson has been in federal custody since February 2023.
Davis pleaded guilty on February 16 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On June 10, Judge Aenlle-Rocha sentenced Davis to 166 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $166,640 in restitution to Sectran Security Services. Davis has been in federal custody since March 2023.
Operation Safe Cities establishes strategic enforcement priorities with an emphasis on prosecuting the most significant drivers of violent crime. Across this region, the most damaging and horrific crimes are committed by a relatively small number of particularly violent individuals. This strategic enforcement approach is expected to increase the number of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of recidivists engaged in the most dangerous conduct. It is designed to improve public safety across the region by targeting crimes involving illicit guns, prohibited persons possessing firearms, or robbery crews that cause havoc and extensive losses to retail establishments.
The FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Inglewood Police Department, and the Hawthorne Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Jason C. Pang of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
Sisseton Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Embezzlement and Theft ViolationRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota, woman convicted of Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization. The sentencing took place on November 14, 2024, in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Amanda Joy Quinn, age 42, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Quinn was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023. She pleaded guilty on June 24, 2024.
From about June 2017 through July 2020, Ms. Quinn, who had been elected Treasurer of the Long Hollow District of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe, embezzled approximately $107,295. While working in the capacity of Treasurer, Ms. Quinn processed checks from the Long Hollow District’s bank account, then authorized checks from that bank account for overpayments to herself and others. She negotiated the checks in her name and kept the cash. At her change of plea hearing, Ms. Quinn admitted to the scheme; she acknowledged that she was not entitled to that money and that her receipt of it was unlawful.
This case was brought pursuant to the Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the participating agencies include: the FBI; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; IRS Criminal Investigation; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
For additional information about the Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb.
Quinn will self-report to the U.S. Marshals Service to serve her sentence at a later date.
Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schrier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on November 18, 2024.
Tanner Kills Enemy, 26, was sentenced to one year and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The sentence was ordered to run consecutively to a state sentence Kills Enemy is currently serving at Mike Durfee State Prison for Aggravated Assault.
Kills Enemy was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty in October 2024.
Kills Enemy is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act as a result of a conviction in October of 2020 for Sexual Abuse in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court. On February 1, 2024, while on federal supervised release for a prior Failure to Register conviction, Kills Enemy left his registered address in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and failed to update the sex offender registry with his new address or location. Kills Enemy’s whereabouts were unknown to registration officials until he was arrested on March 15, 2024.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau J. Blouin prosecuted the case.
Kills Enemy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
San Antonio Woman Sentenced to Prison for Endangering SAPD Helicopter with LaserRead the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio woman was sentenced in federal court to 37 months in prison for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.
According to court documents, Sandra Roberson, 60, used a laser to persistently strike a San Antonio Police Department helicopter on Nov. 3, 2023, endangering the crew and people on the ground. The helicopter was forced to divert from investigating a shooting call due to Roberson's laser attack. Roberson was arrested Jan. 30, 2024 and pleaded guilty Sept. 5.
“Shooting lasers at aircraft is incredibly dangerous to the flight crew, passengers, and people on the ground,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “This type of illegal behavior risks damaging the pilots’ lives and vision and increases the chances of a crash. My office, and our partner agencies, take this crime very seriously and we will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and SAPD investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg prosecuted the case.
###
San Antonio Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad announced that on November 19, 2024, Bobby E. Matjeka (age: 43) of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach.
According to court records, Matjeka engaged online with an Appleton woman and encouraged her to send him sexually explicit images of her then 8-year-old daughter. For approximately one year, Matjeka engaged in online exchanges centered around the rape and sexual abuse of the woman’s children. He continued to receive images of the child and made plans to install hidden cameras in her home to remotely view the abuse.
Judge Griesbach noted that this offense was “deplorable and despicable” in nature. The judge also noted the profound effects that the defendant’s actions imposed upon the victims. Ultimately, the judge determined that a sentence of 240 months in federal prison was a fair and just sentence reflective of the severity of the crime and consistent with the sentence previously received by the victims’ mother. Upon the completion of his federal prison sentence, the defendant will spend 15 years on supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender under state and federal law.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations, the Appleton Police Department, and with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security’s Milwaukee and San Antonio Field Offices.
It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.
# # #
For Additional Information Contact:
Public Information Officer
414-297-1700
Follow us on Twitter
Rosebud Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Assaulting a Woman and for Failing to Register as a Sex OffenderRead the Press Release
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact and one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on November 18, 2024.
Eugene Hollow Horn Bear, age 65, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Hollow Horn Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. Following a two-day jury trial in August 2024, he was found guilty of two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact. He pleaded guilty to one count of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender on September 12, 2024.
According to the evidence presented at trial, on the evening of July 20, 2023, the victim awoke to Hollow Horn Bear touching her genital area and breasts after she had gone to sleep in an abandoned carwash in Mission, South Dakota, in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. The victim called out for help and another individual pulled Hollow Horn Bear off the victim and forced him to leave the carwash. Hollow Horn Bear had failed to update his sex offender registration when he committed this offense.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.
Hollow Horn Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Riverside Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Pounds of Methamphetamine from Mexico into Inland EmpireRead the Press Release
RIVERSIDE, California – A Riverside County man who helped lead an organization that trafficked pound quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico into the Inland Empire has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison, the Justice Department announced today.
Javier Rodriguez, 57, of Riverside, was sentenced late Monday by United States District Judge Jesus G. Bernal.
Rodriguez, a member of the Riverside-based Casa Blanca Rifa street gang, pleaded guilty on March 18 to eight felonies: one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; one count of conspiracy to import methamphetamine; three counts of possessing methamphetamine for distribution; one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition; and two counts of attempted international promotional money laundering. Rodriguez has been in federal custody since pleading guilty.
The investigation leading to these federal charges focused on the criminal activities of the Casa Blanca Rifa gang to combat drug trafficking and associated violence in Riverside and the surrounding community.
From at least April 2020 until August 2020, Rodriguez and others purchased pound quantities of methamphetamine from their suppliers in Mexico as well as in Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Other members of the conspiracy further distributed methamphetamine in the Inland Empire. Prosecutors argued that Rodriguez also trafficked drugs from his mother’s home,
In total, law enforcement seized more than 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of methamphetamine and $31,035 in cash during this investigation.
In May 2020, Rodriguez possessed 150 rounds of ammunition. He is not legally permitted to possess ammunition because his criminal history includes six felony convictions in state court in Riverside and Los Angeles counties for crimes ranging from drug dealing to burglary.
Rodriguez is the 16th and final defendant sentenced in this criminal case. Lead defendant Timoteo Gomez, 51, of Riverside, was sentenced on May 6 to 21 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to his role in the methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. Other defendants in this case received prison sentences ranging from two to 12 years.
The FBI’s Inland Empire Safe Streets Task Force investigated this matter. The Task Force is a joint federal and state gang task force that includes the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; IRS Criminal Investigation; the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department; and the Riverside Police Department. The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force received assistance during the investigation from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the United States Marshals Service.
Assistant United States Attorney Eli A. Alcaraz of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case.
Registered Sex Offender Admits Possessing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – A registered sex offender from Jefferson County, Missouri pleaded guilty Tuesday and admitted selling child pornography online.
Patrick Mayberry, 45, of High Ridge, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of child pornography as a prior offender. Mayberry told investigators that he’d received over $2,000 by selling child pornography that he’d obtained on the dark web. Mayberry had multiple videos containing child sexual abuse material in his MEGA cloud-storage account.
Authorities were alerted by a cyber tipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that Mayberry had uploaded 88 files containing child pornography to his Google account.
Mayberry was on probation at the time of the offense. In 2003, Mayberry was convicted of second-degree rape – victim under age 16 in Oklahoma. In 2008, he was convicted of one count of attempting to procure child pornography for seeking nude photographs of a nine-year-old. In 2021 in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Missouri, Mayberry was convicted of one count of failure to register as a sex offender.
Mayberry is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 13, 2025. The charge is punishable by a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Rapid City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for 12 Years and Seven Months for Possession with Intent to Distribute FentanylRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Brittany Aguilar, age 33, was sentenced on November 15, 2024, to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Aguilar was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024, and pleaded guilty on August 21, 2024.
On November 30, 2023, Aguilar was involved in a traffic stop following a trip to Colorado. During the search of the vehicle law enforcement found over 2,000 fentanyl pills that were intended to be distributed in the Rapid City area.
This case was investigated by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Aguilar was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following her sentencing.
Putnam County Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining Unemployment and COVID-19 BenefitsRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gary Lomax, 62, of Hurricane, was sentenced today to five years of federal probation, including four months on home detention, and ordered to pay $29,592 in restitution for theft of public money, property or records. Lomas admitted that he fraudulently obtained approximately $8,760 in unemployment benefits, including COVID-19 supplementary funds, and a $20,832 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan 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, on or about March 24, 2020, Lomax applied for unemployment compensation after he was laid off as a sales associate at a Charleston auto dealership when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Lomax legitimately received unemployment benefits until the week ending April 18, 2020, when he returned to work.
Lomax admitted that from at least April 25, 2020 through at least June 27, 2020, he continued to apply for unemployment benefits that he knew he was not entitled to because he had returned to work. Lomax fraudulently obtained approximately $8,760 in unemployment benefits, including supplementary funds provided by the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) of the CARES Act.
WorkForce West Virginia administers the unemployment compensation program for the State of West Virginia. Lomax admitted that as part of his scheme, he falsely certified on the WorkForce West Virginia website for 10 consecutive weeks that he was entitled to unemployment benefits. Lomax submitted the false certification answers while using his personal electronic device in St. Albans.
On March 29, 2021, Lomax applied for a PPP loan by falsely representing that he had earned $369,730 during the 2020 tax year as an independent contractor. PPP loans were available to qualifying independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to replace their normal income and for certain other expenses. Lomax admitted that he had no independent contractor income to report for that tax year. Lomax further admitted that he made this false representation in order to receive $20,832, the maximum loan amount available to independent contractors.
Lomax also admitted that he used the fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits and PPP loan funds to make purchases and pay his bills.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the WorkForce West Virginia Integrity Section, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Inspector General (NASA OIG), the Litigation Financial Analyst with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
NASA OIG is an active member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force. The PRAC was established to promote transparency and facilitate coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The PRAC’s 20 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending, including spending via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. This case was also supported by the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence, which applies the latest advances in analytic and forensic technologies to help OIGs and law enforcement pursue data-driven pandemic relief fraud investigations.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Tessman 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-114.
###
Portland Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Enticing a Minor, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A Portland man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for enticing a minor and possessing child sexual abuse material.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Joshua Decker, 36, to 144 months in prison followed by supervised release for life. Decker pleaded guilty on July 3, 2024.
According to court records, in December 2022, Decker encountered the out-of-state 16-year-old victim in an online chat forum and began regularly communicating with them despite knowing the victim was a minor. In April 2023, the conversations became graphic and sexual, and Decker discussed traveling to meet the victim. The U.S. Attorney’s Office does not identify minor victims of crime and is limiting identifying information, including gender and location, to protect the minor victim’s privacy. In July 2023, the Portland Police Department executed a search warrant on Decker’s vehicle and person, recovering a tablet. Examination of the tablet revealed child sexual abuse material. Decker was previously convicted in Androscoggin County Criminal Court in 2018 for possessing sexually explicit material of a minor under 12.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with assistance from the Portland Police Department.
Online enticement is increasing: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported an alarming 300% increase in online enticement reports between 2020 and 2023. “Online enticement” involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This type of victimization takes place across every platform, including social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, etc. Learn more about online enticement, including red flags and risk factors, at https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement. If you are in Maine and you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, you can get help by calling the free, private 24-hour statewide sexual assault helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
Free Project iGuardian program available to Maine schools & communities: The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program Project iGuardian is focused on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness. The in-person educational outreach effort was created to share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity. Schools, parent groups, and other community groups interested in bringing the program to their community can find more information at: https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect/training.
Project Safe Childhood: This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/psc.
###
Pine Ridge Man Sentenced for Stabbing Brother on Pine Ridge ReservationRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on November 18, 2024.
Jadan Poor Bear, 31, was sentenced to one year and eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Poor Bear’s prison sentence is to be served consecutively to a sentence he received for another assault Poor Bear committed on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
A federal grand jury indicted Poor Bear for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in March of 2024. He pleaded guilty on August 27, 2024.
On March 23, 2023, Poor Bear used a knife to stab his brother in the upper chest and shoulder, after an argument. The brother suffered serious injury, including a pneumothorax of his chest and intra-abdominal bleeding. He was life-flighted by helicopter to a hospital in Rapid City, where he underwent surgery to repair his injuries.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court, rather than State court.
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Poor Bear was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Patrick Dwyane Murphy Resentenced to Life in Prison for 1999 Murder in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Patrick Dwayne Murphy, age 52, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison for second degree murder in Indian country.
The charges arose from an investigation by the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On August 5, 2021, Murphy was found guilty by a federal jury at trial of Murder – Second Degree in Indian Country, Murder in Indian Country in Perpetration of Kidnapping, and Kidnapping Resulting in Death. According to investigators, Murphy and two others attacked the victim in rural McIntosh County. Murphy stabbed, mutilated, and killed the victim with a knife. The crimes occurred in McIntosh County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, and in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
On May 10, 2022, Murphy was sentenced to life on all three charges. In May 2024, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the kidnapping convictions and remanded the case for resentencing on the second degree murder conviction.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District U.S. Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the resentencing hearing. Murphy will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.
Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
BOSTON – An Orleans man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to child pornography offenses.
Anthony Argo, 34, pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for Feb. 25, 2025. Argo was arrested and charged in July 2024.
Argo was identified as the user of a chat application who was expressing sexual interest in minors and sharing CSAM. During a search of his residence, Argo was found in possession of an SD card and multiple USB drives, together containing more than 600 images depicting child pornography. The files depicted children as young as infants.
Argo was previously convicted in Barnstable District Court for indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, and in Orleans District Court for kidnapping, enticement of a child under 16, and distributing obscene matter to a minor.
Due to Argo’s prior convictions, the charge of possession of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by HSI Frederick Maryland and the Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Oklahoma City Resident Pleads Guilty to Making A False Statement During the Acquisition of A FirearmRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Tamarion Dejhun Adamson, age 30, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the acquisition of a firearm.
According to investigators, on July 22, 2024, Adamson attempted to purchase a firearm from Sulphur Pawn in Sulphur, Oklahoma. During that visit, Adamson intentionally made a false written statement on the ATF Firearms Transaction Record Form 4473 asserting he was not currently charged with a felony information or indictment. In reality, Adamson faced pending felonies in Oklahoma County at the time of the visit.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Adamson will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Burris represented the United States.
Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve 40 Years in Federal Prison for Possession and Distribution of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY – MICHAEL RIOS, 43, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 480 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for possession and distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On April 3, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a three-count Indictment against Rios, charging him with sexual exploitation of children and possession and distribution of child pornography. According to public record, an FBI agent accessed an online encrypted messaging service, where they encountered a profile that had shared child pornography between January 8 and 9, 2024. The FBI linked the profile to Rios, and after executing a court authorized federal search warrant, agents discovered a large library of child pornography on Rios’s digital devices, and he was arrested.
At the time of his arrest, Rios was on bond pending trial in Oklahoma County District Court, where he’s charged with manufacturing child porn and possession of obscene material involving the participation of a minor under the age of 18 in case number CF-2022-5095. Rios was accused of recording a minor, without their knowledge, while the minor showered in the bathroom of his home in 2019.
On June 3, 2024, Rios pleaded guilty to Counts 2 & 3 of the Indictment and admitted he possessed and distributed child pornography.
At the sentencing hearing on November 18, 2024, U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones sentenced Rios to serve 40 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release for life. In announcing his sentence, Judge Jones noted the disturbing and demented nature of Rios’ conduct and the danger he presented to the public.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
OCDETF Investigation Results in Convictions of Six Defendants for Nearly 100 Combined Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) case in Monroe has resulted in the convictions and sentencings of six defendants to nearly 100 years (1,200 months) in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty sentenced the six defendants as follows:
Laneython T. Ignont, 29, of Monroe, was sentenced to 360 months (30 years) in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms during a drug trafficking offense.
Jamichael D. Ignont, 29, of Monroe, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.
Donterrian M. Lavender, 31, was sentenced to 210 months (17 ½ years) in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Jamarcus G. Jackson, 31, was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Shawn M. Stansbury, 51, was sentenced to 100 months (8 years, 4 months) in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
Beginning in 2021, narcotics agents learned that Laneython Ignont, a.k.a. “Bandz,” was leading a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the Monroe area. In 2022, agents were granted wiretaps to intercept and record phone calls and text messages made to and from Laneython Ignont’s cell phone. These wiretapped conversations showed Laneython Ignont and his co-defendants discussing and coordinating drug transactions. For example, using this wiretap information, on December 7, 2022, agents stopped Laneython Ignont and Donterrian Lavender as they were attempting to fly from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (“DFW”) to Los Angeles International Airport to buy drugs. Agents seized from inside one of their suitcases more than $53,000 cash.
On December 13, 2022, and February 28, 2023, agents executed search warrants on multiple Monroe area homes associated with the co-defendants in this case. In total, agents seized approximately 25 pounds of pure methamphetamine, 7 pounds of heroin, and 9 guns from these homes. In particular, agents seized from Laneython Ignont’s home, where he was arrested, approximately 20 pounds of pure methamphetamine, approximately 5 pounds of heroin, 2 semiautomatic handguns, and 2 cars used to traffic drugs. In a separate home, agents located Laneython Ignont’s hidden safe which contained more than $10,000 cash and approximately $262,000 worth of jewelry, including gold and silver necklaces with diamond pendants in the shape of “Hella Bandz” and “HB.”
Another defendant, Joshua Bosley, 36, of Monroe, was indicted separately but also in connection with this OCDETF investigation. He was charged and pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 110 months (9 years, 2 months) in prison.
“The boldness displayed by these defendants in their determination to distribute dangerous narcotics such as heroin and methamphetamine in the southern Monroe area was astounding,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “They were brazen enough to attempt to smuggle these drugs through their luggage at the airports in Los Angeles and Dallas but were not successful. The result of this OCDETF investigation is the product of cooperation between many law enforcement agencies, both in Monroe and Dallas. These convictions should send a message to other drug traffickers that this office and the law enforcement agents in the Western District of Louisiana will exude great patience in the pursuit of justice and keeping our communities safe.”
This case was investigated by members of the DEA, FBI, ATF, HSI, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, Monroe Police Department, Louisiana State Police, and the DFW Airport Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Shannon.
The investigation and conviction of these defendants is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
# # #
Nineteen-Time Convicted Felon Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing A FirearmRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger has sentenced Luis Enrique Rosado (29, Orlando) to 27 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The court also ordered Rosado to forfeit the firearms that were seized from him on the date of his arrest. Rosado entered a guilty plea on July 1, 2024.
According to court documents, on August 20, 2023, Rosado was pulled over after committing multiple traffic violations in Orlando, Florida. When the Orlando Police Department (OPD) officer approached the vehicle and spoke with Rosado, Rosado denied that there were any firearms in the vehicle. However, when Rosado reached for the vehicle’s registration, the OPD officer observed a black rifle sticking up by the front passenger seat of the vehicle. After observing the visible firearm in the vehicle and learning that Rosado was a nineteen-time convicted felon, he was detained, and the vehicle was searched to secure the firearm. During the search, OPD officers located a rifle and shotgun between the front seat and middle console, as well as a pistol in the glove compartment of the front passenger seat, and various ammunition throughout the vehicle.
Rosado was previously convicted of multiple felonies, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and over a dozen burglaries of a conveyance. As such, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Sartoian.
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.
Niagara Falls Crips member sentenced on drug chargesRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Michael Pryor, 27, of Niagara Falls, NY, who was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl within 1,000 feet of public housing property, was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy C. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that between June and October 21, 2022, Pryor conspired with co-defendants Shawn Pryor, Cameron Lee, and others to sell cocaine. Pryor, Shawn Pryor, and Cameron Lee, identified as members/associates of the Crips Gang, assisted each other with the distribution of narcotics by selling drugs to one another when one of them needed some drugs to sell to a customer. In addition, on October 7, 2022, Michael Pryor sold fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer within 1,000 feet of the Anthony Spallina Towers, a housing facility owned by the Niagara Falls Municipal Housing Authority, a public housing authority. He also sold cocaine, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to the undercover officer and an individual working with law enforcement during the course of the conspiracy.
On October 16, 2022, in furtherance of the conspiracy, Pryor, Shawn Pryor, and another individual drove to a convenient store on Ashland Avenue in Niagara Falls and beat up a rival drug dealer, who was selling drugs in their area. They later chased the victim into the convenience store before leaving the area. The victim was treated for a laceration to his right hand and a chip fracture of a wrist bone.
Shawn Pryor and Cameron Lee were previously convicted.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Niagara Falls Police Department, Superintendent Nick Ligammari, and the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
# # # #
Newport Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
LITTLE ROCK—John Balentine, a multi-convicted felon, will spend 188 months in federal prison after illegally possessing a firearm. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Monday, November 18, 2024, by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.
Balentine, 34, of Newport, Arkansas, was indicted on December 7, 2022, in a superseding indictment on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty on May 24, 2024. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Balentine to five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revealed that on February 18, 2020, officers from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction responded to Balentine’s residence due to reports that he was in possession of a firearm. At the time, Balentine was on active supervision with a search waiver on file. During a search of his bedroom, officers located a Colt, .38 caliber firearm loaded with six rounds between Balentine’s mattresses.
Balentine is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his violent criminal history, which includes convictions for four residential burglaries, a robbery, and a terroristic act. Due to this history, Balentine faced at least 15 years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF with assistance from the Newport Police Department and Arkansas Community Correction. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Katie Hinojosa.
# # #
Additional information about the office of the
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at
https://www.justice.gov/edar
X (formerly known as Twitter):
@USAO_EDAR
Nebraska Man Indicted and Detained for Kidnapping South Dakota MinorRead the Press Release
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Bellevue, Nebraska, man has been arraigned on charges of Kidnapping, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity, and Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
On November 7, 2024, a federal grand jury issued an Indictment of Sean Carlos Payne, age 33. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on November 18, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the charges in the Indictment. Payne was originally charged by Criminal Complaint on October 21, 2024, after he was arrested near Rawlins, Wyoming. There, Payne fled a traffic stop and fled Wyoming law enforcement officers at high speeds, with the minor in his vehicle. Payne is alleged to have used various internet-based applications and chat platforms to communicate with the minor prior to October 20, 2024. He is also alleged to have solicited sexually explicit images of her and sexually abused her before crossing state lines with her to engage in further illegal sex with her.
Payne has an extensive multi-state criminal history, including an Iowa conviction from June 2024, for attempted enticement of a minor. He also has been charged in Nebraska with aggravated assault, domestic violence, and terroristic threats.
The maximum penalty upon conviction for kidnapping is a mandatory minimum of 20 years up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges are merely accusations and Payne is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Meade County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the Rawlins Wyoming Police Department, and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox is prosecuting the case.
At his arraignment, Payne consented to detention and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Naples Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Preparing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Fort Myers, FL – United States District Judge Sheri P. Chappell has sentenced Heidi Torres-Moncaleano (45, Naples) to one year and one day in federal prison for aiding in the preparation of numerous false and fraudulent income tax returns. Torres-Moncaleano was also sentenced to a one-year term of supervised release with a condition that she pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $429,888. Torres-Moncaleano entered a guilty plea on April 17, 2024.
According to court documents, from 2018 through 2021, Torres-Moncaleano, through her business “Torres Tax Services,” submitted fraudulent tax returns and Schedule C forms to the IRS. She inflated her clients’ personal and business losses to generate larger tax refunds. The actual tax loss to the IRS exceeded $847,000.
“A return preparer who artificially and illegally inflates your tax return is doing you no favors,” said Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office. “Their greed and desire to prop up their business could leave you responsible for all that extra money you receive but which you are not entitled to.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick L. Darcey.
Monroe Jury Finds Drug Trafficker Guilty in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
MONROE, La. – A federal jury in the Monroe Division of the Western District of Louisiana has returned a guilty verdict against Derrick Long a/k/a “Deelong,” 44, of Monroe, for drug trafficking, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Chief United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty presided over the two-day trial.
Long was charged in an indictment in August 2024, along with six other co-defendants, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and distribution of methamphetamine. According to evidence presented at trial, Long conspired with James Ard, Trentin Demond Parks, and Brandon Wright from January 2023 and continuing through July 2023 to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the Monroe area.
Law enforcement agents began an investigation into the suspected drug trafficking activities of these men and conducted a number of narcotics buys from Long and Ard. Evidence at trial showed that Ard directed their source to call Long wherein they discussed the sale and purchase of methamphetamine. Agents obtained approval to conduct wiretap surveillance of Ard’s cellular phone and were able to intercept phone calls between Long and his co-defendants discussing large amounts of pills that they needed to obtain to sell, the distribution and transportation from Texas to Monroe to obtain the narcotics, and how much it would cost to get them and what profit they would make. Long was present with Ard and other co-defendants during drug transactions that took place at Ard’s residence. Through their investigation, agents were able to arrest the defendants for their involvement in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Long faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. All of the other defendants in this case have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced in January and February 2025.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Monroe Police Department and Metro Narcotics Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Aaron Crawford and Samuel Crichton.
# # #
Modesto Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to 70 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lupe Aime Busio-Valencia, 43, of Modesto, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Busio-Valencia and co-defendant Jose Garcia Herrera, 63, of Modesto, were arrested on July 22, 2020, while attempting to deliver 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of heroin to a drug customer. The drug were concealed within a hidden compartment underneath the driver’s seat.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and Justin Lee prosecuted the case.
Garcia Herrera failed to appear for a prior court appearance and is currently a fugitive from justice. The pending charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
McAlester Resident Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault ChargeRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Nathaniel Dewayne Meashintubby, age 41, of McAlester, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to one count of felony assault.
The Indictment alleged that on March 10, 2024, Meashintubby suffocated or attempted to suffocate an intimate or dating partner.
The crime occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Meashintubby will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
Manchester Woman Sentenced to 2 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Traffic Fentanyl and CocaineRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester woman was sentenced in federal court for her role in a drug trafficking organization selling drugs in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Maria Camacho, age 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliott to 24 months in federal prison and 3 years of supervised release. In May 2024, Camacho pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. She is the seventh of 21 charged defendants in the drug trafficking organization to be sentenced.
“The defendant was an operative in a large Massachusetts-based drug trafficking that was supplying drugs here in New Hampshire, fueling the opioid crisis,” said U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young. “The defendant is now facing the consequences of her actions thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal agencies and local law enforcement.”
“Despite having an alternate source of income, Marie Camacho had no shame about dealing deadly poison in New Hampshire on behalf of a large Massachusetts – based drug trafficking organization,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Today’s sentence holds this drug trafficker accountable for the harm she’s inflicted on both her customers and community. The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners for working with us to disrupt sprawling drug trafficking organizations like this one in order to make our streets safer.”
“Fentanyl is causing deaths in record numbers and DEA’s top priority is to aggressively pursue anyone who distributes this poison in order to profit and destroy lives,” said Acting DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, New England Field Division. “Illegal drug distribution ravages the very foundations of our families and communities so every time we take drugs like fentanyl and cocaine off the streets, lives are saved. This investigation demonstrates the strength of collaborative local, county and state law enforcement efforts in New Hampshire and our strong partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
The defendant was part of a Massachusetts-based drug trafficking organization that was distributing significant quantities of fentanyl and cocaine in New Hampshire, primarily in Manchester. The organization used a dispatch operation to sell drugs. Customers called a phone line to purchase narcotics and would speak to a dispatcher who would put the defendant in touch with the customer to complete the drug sale. The defendant or her associate would then arrange a meeting place for the drug transaction.
On September 13, 2022, the defendant, working with coconspirators, sold approximately 10 grams of fentanyl, and another 10 grams of fentanyl on October 6, 2022. On both occasions, the defendant met the customer at an agreed-upon location in Manchester, picked the customer up in a car she was driving, and exchanged fentanyl for money inside of the car.
On November 8, 2022, law enforcement stopped the defendant’s car for a traffic violation. Law enforcement officers executing a subsequent search of the defendant’s car seized $5,610 and roughly 280 grams of fentanyl, 68 grams of crack cocaine, and 24 grams of powder cocaine in a hidden compartment inside the vehicle. Most of the drugs were stored in plastic bags for distribution.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron Gingrande and Jarad Hodes are prosecuting 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.
###
Manager and Enforcer of Queens-Based Sex Trafficking Ring Convicted of Felony Charges Including Assault In-Aid-Of Racketeering and Hobbs Act RobberyRead the Press Release
A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Siyang Chen and Yichu Chen in connection with their roles in a Queens-based sex trafficking and prostitution ring. The jury convicted Siyang Chen of sex trafficking conspiracy, several assaults in-aid-of racketeering and Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy. The jury convicted Yichu Chen of the robbery and assault of a sex worker in Centreville, Virginia on September 15, 2020. The verdict followed a month-long trial before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano. Prior to the trial, on September 27, 2024, Siyang Chen pleaded guilty to nine counts in the superseding indictment, including racketeering conspiracy and assaults in-aid-of racketeering, and, during trial, on October 22, 2024, to an additional count of assault in-aid-of racketeering. With this verdict Siyang Chen has now been convicted on all counts in the superseding indictment with which he was charged. When sentenced, Siyang Chen faces up to life in prison and Yichu Chen faces up to 20 years in prison.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Thomas G. Donlon, Interim Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“The trial evidence provided a behind-the-scenes view of the horrific machinations of a sex trafficking organization in all its inhumanity and violence motivated by greed,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “This verdict is a victory for justice and for the victims who were subjected to brutal beatings and degrading treatment at the hands of the defendants. My Office will stand by the brave victims who assisted prosecutors and law enforcement in holding the perpetrators accountable.”
Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, the Oklahoma City and Manchester field offices of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition, local police departments across the United States provided invaluable assistance, including the Beaverton (Oregon) Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) Police Department, the Omaha (Nebraska) Police Department, the Overland Park (Kansas) Police Department, the Portland (Oregon) Police Department, the Southfield (Michigan) Police Department and the Troy (Michigan) Police Department.
“For three years, Siyang Chen managed a national sex trafficking operation designed to establish a monopoly over their victimized workers through organized attacks, effected by Yichu Chen, among others, to terrorize potential defectors and competitors. This ruthless enterprise ordered brutal assaults with physical restraints and various blunt instruments to maintain its tyrannical control. May this conviction emphasize the FBI’s intolerance of the systemic use of violence and serve as a deterrent to those who employ such horrific measures to increase profits,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.
“This verdict delivers a modicum of justice to the courageous survivors who endured unconscionable treatment at the hands of these men, who have now been convicted of operating a brutal interstate sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise,” stated NYPD Interim Commissioner Donlon. “The NYPD, along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to hold accountable those who seek to profit from the abuse and exploitation of others.”As proven at trial, between April 2019 and September 2021, defendant Siyang Chen helped lead a nationwide prostitution business that trafficked women. Members of the organization directed and carried out violent attacks on commercial sex workers to protect the enterprise’s turf and deter the victims from working for rival organizations or independently. Siyang Chen was a manager of the criminal enterprise, who advised the organization on strategies to improve profits, including by using violence—and specifically, by targeting and attacking sex workers. The victims of the organization were subjected to extreme brutality. Evidence admitted at trial demonstrated that members of the organization zip-tied the victims’ hands and viciously beat them with breaker bars, hammers, wrenches, and other blunt objects, leaving the victims bloody, terrified, and, in many cases, seriously injured.
Siyang Chen planned and participated in robberies and assaults across several states. WeChat messages shared among members of the ring graphically depicted violence that occurred during the assaults. Videos of the assaults were circulated to senior members of the enterprise to show that the beatings were sufficiently severe and to sex workers to cultivate an atmosphere of fear. The videos showed victims screaming, struggling while they were bound, bleeding and being beaten with hammers and other blunt weapons. Siyang Chen commented in a message about a planned attack: “beat to the death [] at least 4 fractures ... Tell the girl not allowed back will hit again coming back.” He made clear that his message to sex workers was, “Fuck off if you don’t want to die.”
Yichu Chen was part of the organization’s “hit team.” Specifically, acting at Siyan Chen’s direction, Yichu Chen was recruited to beat a woman who was engaging in commercial sex work for a rival prostitution business at a location in Centreville, Virginia. Siyang Chen instructed Yichu Chen how to zip-tie the woman’s wrists behind her back and, subsequently, Yichu Chen beat her with a metal breaker bar. Yichu Chen robbed the victim of money and a cell phone. Members of the organization paid Yichu Chen an additional $400 for carrying out the attack, which a member of the organization contemporaneously described as a “super severe” beating.
Ten co-defendants charged in the superseding indictment have pleaded guilty to various charges for their roles in the organization, including its boss and Siyang Chen’s wife, Rong Rong Xu, and are currently awaiting sentencing. Four others that committed crimes at the enterprise’s direction have been convicted in related cases and are awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs and Civil Rights Sections. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew R. Galeotti, Sophia M. Suarez and Stephanie Pak are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Anna November.
The Defendants:
SIYANG CHEN
Age: 35
Queens, New YorkYICHU CHEN (also known as “Ban Ban”)
Age: 22
Queens, New York
Defendants Who Previously Pleaded Guilty:RONG RONG XU (also known as “Eleanor”)
Age: 31
Queens, New YorkYUAN YUAN CHEN
Age: 31
Queens, New YorkBO JIANG
Age: 29
Queens, New York
MEIZHEN SONG (also known as “Die Die”)
Age: 25
Dallas, Texas
JIARUN YAN (also known as “Raymond Yan” and “Mike”)
Age: 31
Queens, New YorkJILONG YU
Age: 26
Dallas, Texas
CARLOS CURY
Age: 43
Queens, New YorkZERONG TANG
Age: 26
Queens, New YorkE.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 22-CR-158 (S-1) (ENV)
Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Death Resulting from Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to 15 years in prison after finding by a preponderance of the evidence that he used an illegally-acquired pistol to kill his pregnant girlfriend in 2017.
Darius Carter, 30, was found guilty after a three-day trial in May of two felony counts: aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm.
Witness testimony and evidence showed that Carter enlisted the help of his mother, Lynn Hooks, and his friend, Dakota Carr, to buy a gun for himself and one for his girlfriend from Piazza Jewelry and Pawn on July 14, 2017. Carter was on probation at the time and was forbidden from possessing a firearm. Carr was an employee at the pawn shop, and he, Hooks and Carter conspired to have Hooks buy the guns to get around a background check requirement and the fact that Mason was underage.
They purchased a Heckler & Koch model VP9 9mm for Carter and a .380 caliber Glock pistol for his girlfriend, Sarah Mason.
Mason, who was 20 years old and about eight months pregnant, was fatally shot in the back of the head on Oct. 31, 2017. Her daughter, Milanie, also died.
During Tuesday’s hearing, evidence and testimony showed that Carter and Mason had engaged in a series of arguments about Carter’s infidelity, and he was angry with her for going through his phone. She told her mother that she was moving out of the home she shared with Carter. After work that day, evidence showed Carter travelled to the area of their home in St. John, Missouri, then left. When he returned, he was missing his jacket. His prized pistol was also missing. That gun is consistent with the firearm used to murder Mason. A neighbor testified that Carter was howling and bellowing in distress when he discovered Mason’s body but showed no tears or other evidence that his emotion was real. Carter also has a history of abusive and controlling behavior toward women, according to court testimony.
Judge Autrey said in court that the evidence presented Tuesday was “analogous to first-degree murder.”
The 15-year sentence, consisting of 10 years for the false statement count and five years for the conspiracy count, is the maximum for each crime.
Hooks, 60, and Carr, 32, were sentenced to probation.
Both Hooks and Carr pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the making of false statements in the straw purchase of a firearm and conspiracy to make false statements in the straw purchase of firearm. They admitted that Hooks lied on a form and falsely claimed to be the guns’ buyer. Carr processed that form, knowing that it contained false statements and later bought an accessory for Carter’s gun using his employee discount.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. John Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Reilly and Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.
Louisville Man Sentenced to over 16 Years in Federal Prison for Cocaine Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville man was sentenced this week to 16 years and 6 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphreys of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, on November 18, 2024, Reginald Brown, 38, was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months in prison, followed by 6 years supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Brown was convicted following a five-day jury trial in August of this year. Brown’s codefendants plead guilty and were previously sentenced.
On January 11, 2024, Clarence Stott, 43, of Louisville, was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison, followed by 6 years supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
On December 18, 2023, Axel Diaz Hernandez, 24, of Virginia, was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, followed by 4 years supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The DEA and the Louisville Metro Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia P. Gomez and Marisa J. Ford prosecuted the case with assistance from paralegal Adela Alic.
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.
###